“There’s a lot less... medieval brooding in my draft,” Jenny explained. “We can’t use any of this.”

Standing in a now-useless set, with no idea where her cast and crew waited, Anna took a deep breath. She calmed her rising nerves. These kinds of problems, she could solve.

“Finally, you’re here,” a voice called. The newcomer walked into the soundstage.

At least someone was happy to see her.

A harried man with close-shaved black hair stepped up to the set without a thought for the floor. He wore a black T-shirt and black skinny jeans, like a frat boy’s characterization of an indie musician. His dark eyes narrowed. The scowl on his gaunt face and the finger he pointed at Anna reminded her of her middle school principal when she’d cut too many classes, but this guy couldn’t have been much older than her.

Ignoring his bad manners, Anna mentally worked through the list of crew members she had reviewed on the flight. The names of the heads of departments were familiar to her, even if they hadn’t worked together before.

“You’re late.”

“My plane—”

“Where are the food and drink?”

Oh no, he did not. Anna shook her head. If only these guys could come up with something new.

“I need coffee as much as the next person, but there are a few other things—”

“Do I have to do everything around here?”

“I need you to do your job,” Anna said, forcing a smile. They were going to be working closely together. This was Cole Smith, the director of photography. “I’m the new director.”

“You?” The man peered at Anna as if she’d appeared out of thin air.

“Anna Kovács.” Really, there were so few female directors in the business, he should know her.

“Bobby’s really gone?” the man asked, incredulous.

Bobby Strong was the prior director, but Anna wasn’t here to rehash the past. “Cole, we haven’t worked together before, but I’ve seen your work. I’m sure we can get this done.”

“I’m confident I can,” Cole said. “If I remember correctly, you’ve mostly done romantic comedies. This is a vampire movie.”

Jenny smiled. “They have more in common than you think.”

Anna needed this guy on her side in order to meet the shooting schedule. The director of photography was in charge of the camera crew and the light crew. He would choose the framing, lighting, and angles of every shot. A studio production like this, even one considered low budget for a Hollywood film, would still have a separate director and DP. “I haven’t DP’d a production in a long time, so I’m going to need your expertise.”

“When did you DP a film?” Cole’s voice dripped with disdain.