Revising Scripts, And Preparing For A Party

When Marta and Anna arrived at the studio on Monday they went to their office first to drop off their bags, then went to find Tanya and said how they needed a list of all the people who had helped with the move from the truck drivers, designers, and seamstresses, right through to the cleaners and site tea boy. Tanya realised the girls wanted to thank everyone so she said she would contact the head of each department to compile the list.

Next they went in to see Ivan, they both gave him a kiss and thanked him for all he had done then gave him a thank-you note written by the boys saying how much they loved the climbing frame. He was touched by the note, saying it was nice that the boys were as well mannered as their big sisters.

Alina was the third person on their schedule, Marta asked about the information database to list the skills and interests of the models, and if she had gathered any data yet as they wanted to know if it listed the schools they were attending. Alina had started on it, but it did not have a data field for that, only clubs or organisations, so she would add that to her list of amendments, and in the mean time they should speak to Tanya if they wanted to know which schools girls attended.

Rather than go back Marta phoned, saying how they wanted to find out which girls went to the school they had enrolled for, in order to speak to those they might be sharing classes with, so they could get an idea about the syllabus and get a take on the place from existing pupils. Tanya said she would be coming over to the I.T. department later, so would drop in a list, and by then she should have the other list ready Marta had asked for.

When she came off the phone she found Anna was working on the abandoned video script for which the cheerleader costume had been made. The idea she was thinking of was to link back to her first video, dropping the name of another model - who was at the sleep-over, one the same size as she was, and that 'Natasha' had been loaned the costume with the hope of auditioning for the squad. She could do the cheesy routines, get all sweaty, then go and shower, the plus point was the other girl could also do a video with the same outfit, or if she couldn't speak enough English, she could do a photo set in the costume, so members might buy a themed link of two videos, or a video and photo set of both models.

Marta liked the concept and between them they sort to expand it with additional links and themes which might encourage members to download sets from girls they may not have sampled previously. Their idea fest was interrupted when Karl arrived on the mid-morning refreshment run, although there were kitchenette areas in each department, the geeks had come up with the tea rounds, because sometimes they got carried away with their work and forgot about things like eating or drinking.

Apart from Karl's personal interest, both girls were a hot topic among anyone who worked at the studio complex, so although he had heard, he had to ask how the move had gone over the weekend, then talked about some of the things that might interest them in their new neighbourhood. This lead the conversation on to where Karl lived, and it turned out he was only one station along on the Metro line from their new house. Before he left to get on with his work he gave Marta a list of the people in the department who had agreed to help with her computer literacy, with their specialisation, and a brief note as to what that meant in layman's terms.

They continued working on the link ideas, then Anna typed as Marta detailed the outlines of the scheme they then saved the document before heading off to see Ivan on the way to lunch. As they approached his office Tanya said she had both lists printed out, and had not stopped by earlier as she saw Marta had a visitor, while winking at the blushing girl.

Marta thanked her, then they went in to see Ivan to explain about the linked or themed sets and videos, and point out the document they had written about it, he was straight on the phone to the costume department to find out which girls were the closest in size to Anna.

He then called Tanya to ask if any of the girls they had listed spoke English, which none of them did, so they would only be able to do an old style video, which he was not keen about or a photo set.

Anna said if he read the proposal, near the end they had suggested two girl photo sets or videos like they had seen on other sites, though that meant splitting the royalties between two girls, they might sell more as the fans of both girls were likely to be interested, and it was possible they could then buy sets from the other girl if they hadn't before.

Ivan called the costume department again, naming the three girls who were currently away with Svetlana learning English, asking how long it would take to make up a cheerleader outfit for one of the girls to match the one Anna had, and was told they could do one or all three in just a couple of hours as they had both the pattern and the fabric available.

Ivan thought they should have a test on Thursday, the girl who spoke the best English got to make an English video with Anna, he then asked if they could write a two girl script and shoot it before school started next Wednesday, as it would be good to keep it in the can for release after school had started when they had less models available.

Marta grinning said although it was impossible, they would both be ready by Thursday, and make up cue cards for the other girl to help her with the lines, and she would arrange the storyline to have breaks so that they didn't need to do the whole shoot in one hit.

After lunch they roughed out a storyline, then set to work on the dialogue trying to include the same sense of fun and mischief they had achieved in their first video production, but when they began to run out of steam Marta called for a break, saying it would be better to start again tomorrow after they had slept on it.

One point they had realised was as the other model chosen would be older and bigger than Anna, so they would say in the script that the costume loaned to her was one someone else on the squad had outgrown, and that would account for both girls being in uniform, as opposed to their original idea for the cheerleader audition script.

Anna decided to search through some of the disks they had not yet looked at from rival sites to see if they would provide any inspiration, and Marta went to see Dmitri to mull over a few ideas she was thinking about. He told her the 'talk to the models' forum was nearly ready for in house beta testing, and asked wearily if her next idea would take up so much time, but she realised he was teasing her.

The computer kit on and around Dmitri's workstation was frequently changing, but she saw he currently had two different sized screens working at the moment which brought her back to an earlier idea, and she asked if he could display one of Natasha's photo sets on the smaller screen in the same way members would see it, then she asked him to do the same on the new larger screen.

Dmitri did as she asked, then went on to explain about pixels and resolutions in answer to her questions about why the pictures stayed the same size with a broader black margin on the bigger monitor, and using the image viewer to increase the size would make it blur or look blocky. After a moments thought she asked about the resolution of the cameras used in the studio, which then lead to why the resolution was reduced for the sets that members downloaded.

"Let me see if I have this right", said Marta, "pictures are taken in very high res, then they are sorted, then uploaded as sets in a lower resolution due to the speed of member internet connections, but I'm always reading how quickly things change with computing, and if many of our members are in the USA then maybe they have big screens and faster internet"

Dmitri saw where Marta was heading, and they discussed the possibilities of providing sets and videos in a choice of standard or high resolution, this lead to Marta's third visit to see Ivan that day, this time with Dmitri. Ivan liked the idea of selling the high res material at a small premium, as it would cost so little to do, and when he asked why the I.T. geeks had not suggested it was told they were too busy implementing Marta's other ideas to come up with any new ones of their own. When the laughter subsided, the two men spoke of hosts, server farms, and other subjects that passed over her head so Marta excused herself.

As Marta approached her office she was just in time to hear Karl's disappointed voice as he was talking to her sister, so she crept up behind him covering his eyes as she asked him to guess who it was in a faked sultry voice. He caught on but played the game, saying she should unhand him before his smart and beautiful girlfriend returned to her office.

Smart, she was used to, but beautiful, and girlfriend included in the sentence was a shock which earned him a kiss on the cheek, which surprised all three people in the room, but Marta managed to maintain her cool and ask when her 'boyfriend' was next available to be beaten at chess. They settled on lunchtime the following day then chatted a while longer before he had to get back to the desk bound part of his job.

Marta told Anna about the high resolution idea and Anna's first response was to ask if her existing sets would be re-released, and if someone had a set already could they get the upgrade for just the cost difference, between normal and high, a question that was passed on to Dmitri to work out with the sales team.

Anna then decided to call Svetlana, and told her that apart from her final appraisal report on the girls, there would be a contest between them on Thursday, with the winner making a short video presentation for one of the company's clients. Svetlana asked if she needed to speak to them, which she did, when the girls said their teacher had left the room Anna told them about the video opportunity, but reminded them if they had all done well they would be ahead of other girls for both making the new style videos and with involvement in the new forum, on that cheery note she left them to continue their studies.

They next looked over the list Tanya had given them with details of studio girls who were at the school they would be attending, she had included the girls working names in brackets so they hit the web site model introduction page. They looked up each of the eight girls, ignoring the fantasy biography details, but taking note of their ages and professional experience as they expected they would be socialising together once school started.

Anna suggested they speak to the scheduling manager to find out if any of them would be in this week, and after a brief call they found Gina was in studio four this afternoon in her alter-ego persona of Elya, her working name. Anna found the extension for that studio, and phoned through, it was answered by Carina a make-up lady she had met a few times, who told her the set was just about done and to come on over if they wanted to see Gina.

They arrived to find Gina changing into jeans and T-shirt, she was a rounded girl, not over-weight, just carrying a little baby fat as girls sometimes did on the cusp of changing on the way to adolescence where it would get used up in a sudden growth spurt. What was now a little flabbiness of faux breasts, would soon transform to firm pertness as puberty showed it's hand, which the members of the studio's various web sites were so keen to follow.

Sandra who had been shooting the set welcomed them, as did Carina who was trying to get Gina to sit down so she could remove her make-up. This girl was also relatively new to modelling, having been with the studio just over a year, she had started in the middle of the last summer break when her family had relocated across the city, and she had been recruited by one of the other models she had moved close to, who went to the nearby school, the one that they would all be attending shortly.

Anna immediately felt a liking for the other girl, and was sure they would become friends, and as soon as Carina was done the youngsters set off for the canteen for some sodas and a table where they could sit and talk. Gina knew of both sisters through gossip in the studio, but had never seen either of them around before, and was glad they had sort her out to learn about her school, which they would be going to, starting this coming term.

They had been there with their mum but had only met the headmaster and seen a few of the empty classrooms, now they were getting first hand knowledge from an insider about the teachers, the various social structures, important events, as well as activities and clubs in which they could participate. Marta was pleased her interests in chess and folk dancing were covered, but the range of clubs and events was far more diverse than that available at their previous school.

Gina said how the studio girls always looked out for one another, and despite their varying ages socialised in and out of school, which puzzled some of their class mates who were of course unaware of the girls connections, they thought this was fun as it gave them an air of mystery. Shown the list Gina told them a little about the other seven girls, saying how their shared secret bonded them together, but they had a very strict rule never to discuss anything about the studio or modelling at school, only at their own homes, or in the studio.

Gina offered to call the rest of the girls to see if they could all meet up for lunch in the canteen one day this week, Anna and Marta thought this was a great idea and thanked her for finding a simple way for them to meet the others on the list. Shortly after they left for home, but they took a different route to Gina, as it seemed they lived on opposite sides of the school catchment area.

The girls got home to find everyone busy, dad was hanging pictures between bouts of emptying boxes, and their mum was in the kitchen baking and cooking while the boys were at the table reading while listening to the English broadcast radio station. Igor came into the room to greet his daughters, and said the boys should go and play in the garden and enjoy the summer evening, as next week they would be back at school.

Anna and Marta recognised the ruse as a diversion so they could discuss studio business, their father placed an envelope on the table, it was the latest income statement, a figure which dwarfed all their previous cheques, mainly due to the enormous demand for the cup cake video. There was a breakdown of the earnings, with a very healthy contribution in recognition of Marta's recent work at the studio, with a covering letter that praised both girls, and remarks about how their efforts had raised the profile of many of the studio web sites, and the future direction of the output the company would produce.

They were both stunned by the effusiveness of the letter, until the spell was broken by Anna asking if they and the boys could now have a bicycle each, and a car for their dad. Her parents laughed, Igor joking if they continued as they were, it would be a limousine to visit their country house on weekends, and in reality it was not so far from the truth.

After some more talk about the current situation, Marta got out the list naming the people who had helped with their move into the new house, a total of sixty-three men and women from most of the departments at the studio. Igor said he and Ella had thought it would be nice to have a party in the garden and invite them along with their partners and children as a thank-you for the effort they had shown.

Marta said they should include Ivan and Tanya, as well as Dmitri, Valya and John as they were all people that they worked closely with at the studio. Anna hugged her sister to avoid any jabs as she said that Karl should come too, which caused more laughing.

Ella was concerned if she would have time to write that many invites in time for the week-end, but Marta said she would do it on the laptop, then Karl would show her how to personalise each copy, blushing as she said it.

Within a short time Marta had typed out a draft of the invite, while they talked about what they would need, Anna said she would talk to the company that catered for big meetings at the office, but to make it more personal her mum could do some of the baking, and they could have a bouncy castle for the children that turned up.

By lunchtime the following day with Karl's help properly headed personalised invites had been printed off and delivered to everyone on the now extended list, as the studio was open despite it being a national holiday, the 24th of August - Ukrainian Independence Day.

Dear *******

Anna and Marta on behalf of our parents Igor and Ella and our brothers Greg and Peter would like to thank you for the help you extended us in our move into our new home here in Kiev. As a small token of our appreciation we would like to invite you and your partner or family to a garden party to be held at the house this Saturday from 10am through to 9pm. We hope you will be able to drop by at your convenience to join in the fun and to help us eat all the food. There will be a bouncy castle and children's entertainment laid on, and there will be a shuttle car arranged to the local Metro stations, so the grown-ups can enjoy a drink, and get home safely!

Please do come.

R.S.V.P. Via the studio internal mail system.

Anna had helpfully offered to get Marta two take out lunches from the canteen while she set up her chess board, suddenly Marta felt the discomfort of cramps coming on with more vehemence than she had felt previously, her first thought was Valya, but she was on location today, so she went to see Alina. At first she was a bit vague, but Alina seemed to understand and quietly stated "time of the month" at which Marta nodded. Handing her a small pack of tablets, she gave directions, and said to keep them and perhaps buy some to keep with her other supplies. Marta thanked her and went for a glass of water.

Anna dropped off the chess players lunches, then picked up the laptop and one of her notebooks saying she wanted to sit outside and work on an idea while she had her own lunch. There were landscaped areas around the office complex with small trees providing shade where some of the staff liked to have lunch and Anna set to work on an idea she had been thinking about for some time. Between bites she thumbed through her notebook then began typing 'FAQ for new models'.

Inside Karl won, though unusually for a teenage boy he perceived that Marta was not on form, she was in some way distracted, but was clueless why that was, so as they finished up the food he brought up the subject of her new school and the other girls who went there from the studio. As that topic wound down he gathered up his courage to ask if she would like to visit the outdoor museum of Folk Architecture with him on Sunday, something Anna had talked about that he had overheard, and that Marta loved history and folk culture.

She perked up at this suggestion, saying when she had been site seeing she had only noticed it in a guide book towards the end of the day when it had been too late, and she would love the chance to look at all the old rural wooden buildings that had been saved from around the countryside. She told him she would need to ask her parents, but they were bound to say yes if he made a good impression at the party on Saturday, he could tell from her smile that she was teasing him but he didn't mind.

That afternoon Anna showed Marta the FAQ she had been working on, then they got back to the cheerleader script, occasionally pop-ups on the computer would indicate another person sending a reply to their invites, they ticked off each acceptance on the main list.

Gina called to say all the girls could get together if they planned for a late lunch tomorrow, when Karl came on the tea run Marta said it seemed unlikely they would get another chance to play chess this week, but the smiling lad said he didn't mind as hopefully he would be seeing her a lot over the weekend.

The latest batch of foreign magazines were delivered, so they decided to call it a day and read them when they got home. Their mum was busy in the kitchen making plans for what they would need for the party on Saturday, and they found the boys engrossed watching a cartoon on the television, they were now able to pick up CNN and BBC world broadcasts, but this was the first time they had seen any children's programs in English.

Greg and Peter explained how the DVD was a present from aunty Valya that she had sent it by post to them, as she was away on holiday.

Magazines forgotten, as all four siblings sat and watched familiar cartoon characters get up to their usual tricks, they just happened to be speaking differently. Some time later Marta went for a lie down, and Anna went to help her mum prepare the evening meal.

Anna was surprised when her mobile started to ring as she didn't get many calls, it was Dmitri calling to find out what cables she had in her laptop bag. She described the two she found there and he asked her to take the laptop to her room and look for an outlet under her desk, he then went on with instructions on how to connect things together. He walked her through the various screens on the computer, explaining she now had internet access, and how she could connect to the studio server and office message system. He then told her outlets had been installed throughout the house shortly before the decorators had started work, and that Marta would also find a connection point near her desk.

Anna thanked Dmitri and said she would show Marta what he had explained to her, and then after saying their good-byes, she checked her mail, and was able to tick off some more names of people who had replied that they would attend on Saturday.

Her mum had now finished in the kitchen so Anna returned to her room to read, it was interesting to compare the American magazines with the local equivalent teen magazines she had bought at the news stand by the Metro station. The foreign ones were bigger with brash larger than life banners, but behind the razzle-dazzle she saw the shallow values and the blatant commercialism, by comparison her local offerings may appear a bit dull but despite that they seemed more grounded and realistic.

Some time later she heard Greg running along the upstairs hallway knocking on her, and her sister's bedroom doors to tell them diner was nearly ready. The family now had so much space and privacy, which may have seemed strange given her new career, but that was work and this was home, but it was no longer a case of getting changed in the main room or waiting for the single bathroom to be free. When any of them wanted time alone to read or study or even to listen to a different radio station, everyone now had their own space.

The family evening meal was always a time for conversation, on how everyone had spent their day, the boys were pleased having been shopping with mum as they went to the real shops to buy new things, rather than the street market, it was nice having new clothes and books for school. Their father had been out learning the layout of the city, he had also been checking the locations of several of the sites he would be visiting when his new job started the following week. The girls talked about having visited the fashion studio, writing some essays for a school 'project' and taking time to practice their English.

They went on to discuss what they would need for Saturday, and the girls said they would call the cab company, and the caterers used by the studio to make the arrangements.

Igor said he would sort out the hire of a bouncy castle and see what he could do about finding any children's entertainers. They went down the list that Ella had been working on, dividing out the various tasks after Anna had said that it looked like everyone invited would be coming, but by tomorrow evening she expected to have a good idea of numbers.

After they had finished eating the girls insisted on clearing the table, while their parents sat and lingered over a coffee sorting the last of Ella's list. Of course even clearing up after a meal had changed, no more standing at the sink up to your elbows in hot water, it now meant rinsing the tableware, and loading the new dishwasher, or as Ella jokingly called it her 'magic cupboard', dirty dishes in, clean dishes out.

As Ella ticked off a few items and added some notes, she realised how just a short time ago it was a struggle to feed her family from week to week, never-mind organising a party for over sixty guests and their families. Her thoughts drifted to her previous life, and she was sure she couldn't name even half that number of friends and acquaintances combined, in fact she had trouble recalling even attending any sizeable social event.

If she had not seen for herself the size of the pay-cheques from the studio, and the growth of their savings, the cost of the party would have given her nightmares, but the money just kept rolling in, and soon Igor would be earning more than double what he had, even during the good years when there had been overtime available. Ingrained habits die hard and she was doing some of the baking herself, and although she was only able to give the caterers provisional numbers so far, she had haggled a bit over their prices. Putting down the pen she looked down the list amazed at the spread they would lay on for their guests, pleased to be able to demonstrate their appreciation for all the help they had received.

To be continued in chapter 16