Not So Innocent

Loren Grayley graduated from Ithaca College in 1988 with a BFA in Film, Photography and Visual Aids. As an only child he’d grown up watching old movies on television with his parents, and by the time he was 17 he was as knowledgeable about cinema from the 1940s through the 1960s as he was about contemporary films such as Sixteen Candles, Friday the 13th and The Karate Kid. In his junior year at Penncrest High School, in Rose Tree, Pennsylvania, he’d learned of Ithaca College in New York State from Chandler Orion, a  brother of a friend of his who’d graduated from Ithaca’s cinema program and then found a job after graduation as a cameraman with Center City Film and Video in Philadelphia.

Chandler soon became an idol to Loren. At only 24, the Ithaca graduate had already met modern legends including John Goodman, who he filmed for a TV spot for 7-Up; The Woman in Red, Kelly LeBrock, whom he shot for a Pantene spot; and Michael J. Fox, who he videoed on various sets during sessions for Diet Pepsi. Chandler was almost as familiar with classic films as Loren, but was more up-to-date with the evolving technologies of filmmaking. He even introduced Loren to computer-generated imagery by taking him to view Disney’s fantasy film Tron, a movie which was the first to use CG polygonal animation to create a virtual world.

It was by way of Chandler’s introduction to filmmaking that Loren became determined to focus on cinema, and he chose Ithaca College for his introduction to the craft only because Chandler had received his degree from the school and had successfully found a place in the film industry. Loren’s parents weren’t wealthy, and Ithaca was a private college, so Loren parked cars at Drexelbrook Banquet Center on nights and weekends, and spent the summers after his junior and senior years working various jobs at nearby Linvilla Orchards..

Loren’s grades were good, not perfect, but he knew he could get into most colleges based on his GPA and his SAT scores. Despite this knowledge, he concentrated his efforts on only one: Ithaca.

Loren did, in fact, receive  his letter of acceptance  from Ithaca in March, 1983, and used some of the money he’d earned to purchase a Sony Betamax video camera. He soon realized that in order to edit his first videos, he had to borrow money from his father to purchase a second VCR so that he could make clean cuts between scenes to avoid degrading his final videos.

Some young enthusiasts he came upon were still recording using manually spliced 16mm film, a medium which Loren had predicted as on its way out long before he entered Ithaca. He was familiar with large laser discs that had appeared on the market as early as 1978, and compact discs were quickly gaining popularity over vinyl records and cassettes. Loren knew that it was just a matter of time before video DVDs would emerge in the late 90s, as MAC computers had already changed the course of graphic and type design.

Unfortunately, after entering Ithaca, Loren realized that the teachers were one step behind on the latest technologies, partly because of the rapid changes in the industry, but also because of the large investments schools had made in equipment that was soon becoming obsolete, prior to being completely owned by the school or business. Loren purchased a MAC II shortly after his own graduation and switched from using Image Studio, a photo-editing program originally purchased for photo editing, to Adobe Photoshop, a superior tool that arrived on the market in 1990.

Ithaca’s Roy H. Park School of Communications was behind the curve in its transition from analog to digital and remained behind until the year 2000, 12 years after Loren’s class graduated.

Loren might have found a job in industry,  since he remained on the cusp of a new era. But he was too immersed in the new digital formats to show much interest in studios still using the older formats.

Before leaving Ithaca, he mailed out numerous resumés and was invited to many interviews, but the belief in the evolving technologies  had not been all that popular amongst instructors, especially since many were still paying for equipment purchased only a few years prior.

So Loren continued to pick up more hours at his landscaping and parking attendant jobs after graduation, before finally finding employment as a cameraman for a firm that had long specialized in wedding photography. The owner, Max Godfry, realized that his young customers wanted movement and preferred video over still photography, and tapes and discs over expensive portfolios. 

At first, Loren enjoyed the act of creating video stories he recorded and cut of wedding celebrations, but he soon got tired of the sameness of the tasks: the breaking of the glass and the raising of the wedding couple on chairs for the Jewish customers, the deadly-dull masses in the churches, and the boring speeches issued by the bride’s father and the drunken best man.

Nearly every wedding mimicked every other and, since it was easier than importing tape into his computer, he shot Beta and edited directly from the reel rather than importing the visuals into his computer.

Loren received a well-deserved raise when the Delaware County Council, the Tourism Bureau and township commissioners began using Godfrey to record their meetings. And then in 2002, Loren married his girlfriend, Aura, who was lovely, serious and undemanding, and within three years the couple had two children, Kendra and Marty.

Loren continued to update his production of the weddings and meetings he recorded, but he wanted desperately to make his own films, and not merely chronicle them. So whenever possible, Loren would volunteer to create documentaries for good causes using the tricks and techniques available though Adobe After Effects, and Apple’s Soundtrack Pro.

Some of these videos nearly captured the style of the famous documentary director Ken Burns, who relied heavily on the use of black-and-white still photography, and limited use of color and retouched celluloid. Between 2001 and 2007, Burns released a ten-part series exploring the history of jazz,a two-part film on the life of Mark Twain, and Unforgivable Blackness, the biography of Joe Jackson, the first African American Heavyweight Boxing champion of the World. Burns created these epics while also co-directing a seven-part series on World War II.

Loren and Aura watched these documentaries together in their small family room, with Loren longing for the opportunity to do work of substance. The children would sometimes join their parents, a testament, Loren thought, to the director’s multi-generational telling of history, as well as his seemingly genetic longing for the past to be embedded in his children.

Many nights after the kids were asleep, Loren would sneak out from underneath the covers, while trying not to wake Aura, and head downstairs to his studio full of boxes of disks and computer equipment to try to craft and narrate videos that matched Burns’ content. Loren’s productions were not up to industry standards, since his computers were growing old and his financial ability to upgrade them became impossible. He was deplenished from funds by upkeep of their home, doctor and dental bills, savings for college for both kids, and all else required to keep his family safe, healthy and happy.

To be fair, Godfrey did provide his employee with raises, bonuses and benefits in appreciation of Loren’s dedication to his work. Godfrey’s business had more than doubled since Loren was hired, and his other, younger employees seldom lived up to their resumés. But Godfrey considered Loren in many ways a partner and, just possibly, the next owner of Godfrey’s Photography when he retired.

Loren cherished his moments alone at his computer, but often felt guilty trading off time with his wife and kids for attempts at filmmaking. Despite his doubts, he was appreciated by his family and friends for his dedication. But he knew that he could make life better for all if he could put aside his dreams and just work harder at his job.

“You know I love you and admire you,” said Aura, when she paused  from her chores to show tenderness towards her husband. But Loren knew that many of their friends and relatives believed he was chasing rainbows that would always disappear as he grew close to reaching them. He’d stopped judging other people once he realized just how flawed he himself was, stealing time away from purpose for his follies.

He’d stay up well past midnight animating the eyes of a virtual puppet to use in a scene that would never fully be used in any film he’d finish. There was real life, he thought, and then there’s an imaginary existence that I fall short of each time I attempt work on my own.

Loren kept working at Godfrey’s long after the business was purchased from his boss by Junior Simmons. Simmons was a 35-year-old entrepreneur and a budding photographer himself, and had several businesses under his belt – a supermarket in Norristown, an Arby’s in Clifton Heights, a Tasty Creme Donuts in Chadds Ford and four car washes in Chester County. His love of photography was evident at an early age after he was given a leather-backed Polaroid SX-70 self-focusing camera for his 11th birthday. The camera fit his own style, somewhat underdressed and over coordinated, with the quality of its photos never very good, but he loved that camera. At 16, he  traded up to a Nikon D7000, but still couldn’t master the craft of producing captivating photos.

Simmons was tough on Loren, and emotionally beat the hell out of him, calling him out for his failures, even though the older man’s mistakes were  far too small for anyone else to notice. Simmons was a bully, and took out most of his frustration on Loren who, at the age of 59, with both children in their 20s and his wife working part time in the administration office at Penncrest, had just about had enough. He had continued his personal filmmaking over the years, and had watched some of those who graduated from Ithaca with him move on to positions at Disney, Netflix, Paramount and Universal. He’d met up with them at class reunions, where they spoke of their projects, their impressive salaries, and the poshness of their travels. He’d always stayed close to home, and, yes, he’d kept up with the technology, and yes, he still loved animating characters, and yes, he still wanted to be a filmmaker, and yes, he was still working for Godfrey Photography, and yes, he was still regrettably filming and editing government committee meetings, and, yes, I still do weddings.

Loren didn’t  owe much on his house, and the education of his children was nearly paid off. He owed little to anyone, and yes, he’d love to make a movie, but no, there were no opportunities at Paramount or Disney for a cameraman.

“But that’s not what I’m looking for,” said Loren.

The smirks were obvious each time he spun his dream, until one day in April, 2026, when he was researching the interior of a location using Gemini, an AI chatbot, and a prompt came on his screen from Google: 

We’re looking for young filmmakers to whom to offer a chance to experiment with new tools we’ve created that will enable creative minds to compete with the major studios in making big-budget films. Please click below to see if you’re eligible to participate.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Loren clicked on the button and a form appeared with 63 questions on it, beginning with his name, age, phone number, email address and experience.

Loren filled in the blanks and clicked the appropriate boxes to enter data until he came to the line that asked him to provide his age from a menu dating back to 1930.  He scrolled down and began to click on a later birth date, but reconsidered since he knew that the application would back-check his info, so he selected his real birth year: 1967. The remainder of the essay questions concerned specific skills, most of which he’d developed over his long career. Loren answered carefully to be as accurate as possible and not amplify his credentials.

At the end of the form, he clicked the “send” button and immediately got a response from the app providing a few additional questions. He answered those and a “Thank you, Loren!” appeared on his screen. The screen browser then turned dark for a moment, and a logo for Filmmaker- prompt appeared in white on a black background, and underneath  a line of text: Collaborative tools for the Independent Filmmaker.” An arrow in a circle below the logo was a button that directed Loren to move forward.

The page turned from black to bright blue and a personalized message appeared in the center: “Welcome, Loren! We at Google are searching for filmmakers and are willing to provide you a wide array of services in exchange for a collaboration with you on a concept of your choosing. We have seen several examples of the films and documentaries that you’ve created over the years and are impressed by their quality. We assume that several of these have been created with minimal resources and the statistics available from Vimeo indicate that you have earned a small, but growing audience over the past several years. The videos also reveal that most of the elements in the videos were, in fact, created or developed independently with little use of stock footage. 

“Although you are older than most others who have applied for the use of our services, you have skills that many younger applicants don’t possess, the main one being that you are also a novelist, and most likely instrumental in creating the scripts for the videos you’ve produced.

“Before we launch and offer FilmmakerPrompt to the public, we at Google are hoping you will collaborate with us in detecting flaws in the application, and also in helping us to expand our offerings to other aspiring filmmakers.

“So,  for the near future, FilmmakerPrompt will cost you nothing. But if we, together, create a film purchased or licensed by a recognized film studio, other than the one we are building at Google, you will be required to provide Google with 25% of the profits from the sale, license or other use of any film that we make together.

“Please click here for a page on which you acknowledge our agreement and, after reading it, please provide a valid credit card we can hold for future  use. The agreement also validates that FilmmakerPrompt services are at no cost to you during the trial, but that in the future there will likely be charges of which we will inform you, so you can discontinue using the services of FilmmakerPrompt if you so choose.”

Loren read through the agreement a few times and, viewing nothing sinister in the document, electronically signed the agreement. After clicking on the arrow on the left hand side, Loren was redirected to a new page with a magenta background color.

It read: “If you are a user of Google Gemini, you are probably used to the concept of prompting the application with questions. Prompts enable you and Gemini to communicate on many issues, and during this trial, Gemini will be learning from you, as you receive information and input from Gemini in return.

“Consistent with the conversations you’ve had with Gemini in the past, FilmmakerPrompt will provide you with tools needed to create your own actors, sets and exterior locations, staging, costumes, lighting, interactions between cast members, crowd scenes and props. The program will, in fact, provide you with everything you’ll need to stage and produce your own professional-quality film production.

“Your only limitation is your imagination and your patience and willingness to bring your film to its conclusion, including translation of your text and prompts into several languages.

If you have any questions during the process, just write or ask questions into the prompt field of the application. I would suggest that if you are able to write  rather than speak prompts, it will most likely be clearer to achieve best results.

“On a final note: although we have run FilmmakerPrompt through thousands of tests, the program may still yield unintended results. At this point, we haven’t yet assembled a complete film, but you have access to various test prompts and scenes we’ve created, available from the menu at the top of this page. If you decide not to continue with a project, simply delete it by clicking on the button at the lower right of your viewing screen. If you accidentally delete it, you will have 24 hours to retrieve your film.

“When you complete a film, please return to this screen to approve it for production. Your final production size will appear for you in UHD 4k, or 3840 pixel x 2160 pixel resolution. For speed and convenience, you will be working and previewing your film online using standard HD, or a 1920 pixel  x 1080 pixel format. For speed and convenience, your view will further be sized down for mobile device. Once completed, you can choose any size up to 7680 x 4329 pixel resolution for final output.

“We at FilmmakerPrompt are committed to making your production as professional as you can imagine it. As a collaborator, your success becomes our success, and we will do everything possible to make your film succeed. Remember, we can only make a film as interesting and captivating as you can imagine it. Good luck with your first attempt. Please click the button below to continue.”

Once Loren had completed listening to the copy on his monitor to its conclusion, he decided that the first step would be to view the sample scenes available in the menu at the top of the page. The pull-down menu contained a listing of many types of films: ACTION • ADVENTURE • COMEDY • CRIME • DRAMA • FANTASY • HORROR • MUSICAL • MYSTERY • THRILLER • ROMANCE • SCI-FI • WAR • WESTERN. 

There was one category Loren didn’t see, which was FILM NOIR, so he prompted the program and received the reply that the format existed, but hadn’t yet been added, since there was only one example scene in its memory bank.

Loren was then wary of the program, since the films he most liked were those classified as in the film noir genre or new-noir. Films such as L.A. Confidential, Blade Runner, Chinatown and Mulholland Drive were all examples of films that fit that category. 

Just as Lorne was about to kick the tires of FilmmakerPrompt and begin his project, Aura called him from his studio to help her fix the dishwasher that flashed a code on its control panel that she doesn’t understand. Before Loren began to provide a prompt, he had to pause to access Google to determine how to fix the washer problem.

It was a simple fix, so he emptied the water out of the lower pan of the washer and restarted the machine before heading back to his studio. As he turned to leave, Aura asked him what he was working on. He was well aware that he has spent too much time working at his computer, particularly after logging in eleven hours at work that day. He knew that it wasn’t the best way to spend his days, but he also knew that he had to stay ahead of the bills.

“Nothing much,” he answered. “Maybe we can watch the rest of the series we were watching the other night.”

“That would be nice, Loren...” But before she finished Loren had raced back to his studio and paged through his tattered pamphlet of ideas for a screenplay he’d forgotten. Lost in his search, he shuffled forward and found one story that had possibilities. He then decided to stop working and return to the family room, but Aura had fallen asleep while watching the next episode of the series alone.

He watched her sleep and realized that she was as beautiful to him then as she was when they first met. He had been so passionate for all of it back then —the hopes of becoming a real filmmaker and enjoying the rewards his success in his craft might bring. He still very much loved her and the kids, but it seemed like time had slipped away and he was damn near 60 and still looking for his first shot at fame and fortune.

Aura awakened and Loren apologized once again for playing too long at his computer the previous night. Aura was too weary to comment as they climbed the stairs in silence to their bedroom. As she was changing into her pajamas, he apologized, but not for being at the computer, but rather for being only a so-so provider. “I don’t know where I went wrong, Aura,” he confessed. “I’ve tried to balance my life, but it seems that I’ve also tried too much and too hard to fulfill my own desires.”

“You’re a good father and husband, Loren,” said Aura. “You just expect too much from life. Your dreams may only be dreams, but you, the children...us...we’re the reality.”

“I know that, Aura. Maybe we can take a real vacation...with the kids or without them. Maybe it’s what I really need instead of worrying constantly over money. I should be more thankful for having a job in a field I really enjoy. It’s just...”  

“Now isn’t the time to think about that,” interrupted Aura. “How about we just go out tomorrow night for an adult getaway dinner? My treat!”

Aura then kissed her husband and hoped that the dinner the next night might lead to intimacy, something that had been rare since Loren was carrying so much of a burden on his shoulders,  and  adding to it daily.

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At 2:35 in the morning, Loren woke up and went into the bathroom to pee, while Aura remained asleep. He saw that his iPhone was on and before he put it away, he noticed that there were several notifications from FilmmakerPrompter.com, including a $0 for services, and the confirmation of the registration of his credit card with the creators of FilmmakerPrompt.

Though he was still suspicious about the registration process, it appeared from a search that the entity was legitimate, and that they were just holding his credit card for future possible upgrades and extended usage of the program. But that still didn’t totally assuage Loren’s fears

At about 3:00 a.m., Loren picked up his iPhone from the table beside his bed and saw a greeting from FilmmakerPrompt in his email inbox. “Hello, Loren! Would you like to begin your journey into filmmaking with us, now?” 

Since he couldn’t go back to sleep, Loren decided to click on the email to see what would happen.

On the screen there was a prompt that read: If you’re awake, click here, along with a horizontal box in which was grayed-out type reading: Add copy here.

Loren wrote: I’m thinking about making a black and white movie in the film noir style, that uses actors similar to Lloyd Nolan and Barbara Stanwyck. 

Loren then pointed the face of his iPhone away from Aura, and placed the device next to him on the bed. A few minutes later he picked it up from the bed and added into the prompt area: I imagine a man and a woman talking by an open door of a 1940 Ford parked at the curb of a city street at night. In the street, wet  from the light drizzle there appear reflections of the marquee. Loren clicked on the arrow.

It took about two minutes before an image began to appear on his screen. He could see the image of a man in a trench coat and a wide- brimmed hat, leaning against a 1940 Ford. A woman wearing  a cloche hat and knee-length dress was speaking to the man, who was smoking. She leaned into him as if to speak, and then turned her head to the right and faced the camera, as if waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds, the segment rewound and the scene returned to the first frame of the sequence.

Loren then realized that he was supposed to do or say something, so he prompted the man to close the car door and walk the woman toward the theater in the rain. Loren again clicked the arrow.

In a brief moment the action from the first prompt was repeated, but ended with the man closing the car door and walking the woman towards the theater, each with one arm stretched across the other’s waist and appearing to be talking. Again, Loren clicked on the triangle and waited for something to happen. The camera followed them down the street, as they continue towards the theater. The scene then repeated itself.

Loren was just catching up to speed but wanted to see what was to happen next, but he knew the scene needed music and conversation, so he issued another prompt: “If you can have them speak, I’d like the man who sounds a bit like Bogart to say at the very beginning of their walk, ‘He’s dead.’ She then answers, ‘Are you sure?’ He then takes his cigarette from his lips, tosses it to the ground and crushes it with the toe of his shoe. He then closes the door and  puts his arm around the woman’s waist and they begin to walk together slowly down the street.

“It needs music, typed Lorne, as he inserted his ear pods and raised the volume before he resumed typing: I envision the score to be similar to one by Franz Waxman for the film Rebecca. It should play while the couple is chatting quietly at the door of the 1940 Ford, but grows louder, especially after the camera stops and they proceeds to the theater.”

Much of their conversation couldn’t be heard as the music rose from an undertone to full volume. The scene faded behind a title slide that featured the faces of the male and female actors flanking the silhouette of a lone figure wearing a wide brimmed hat who was walking down the dark street. The last words heard were issued from the man, who said, “They’ll never find the body,” followed by the woman’s breathless voice, “Thank God! I think we’re free.”

Three minutes later Lorne clicked on the arrow, and the scene played from the beginning, accompanied by the Waxman-like score which played for ten seconds before it looped and then stopped.

The scene was just as Lorne imagined it. And although he knew that the concept was derivative of many film noir movies of the 1940s, he was encouraged by the program’s speed, sets and processes. He realized the implications of the FilmmakerPrompt concept and wondered how many other aspiring filmmakers were home at their desks, in bed, at their computers, or with nothing other than an iPhone, trying to craft  a masterwork with no assistance except for that of FilmmakerPrompt.

Tomorrow, Loren thought, I’ll see if FilmmakerPrompt can put together a motive for the movie with perhaps a twist of fate for the characters... something I may not even understand.

He then took off his glasses and stared over at his sleeping wife and thought: Maybe I can still achieve success, even at this older age. And just maybe I’ll be able to end my career as a wedding videographer.

Loren acually slept well the remainder of that night, and felt better about himself the next morning. On waking, he was able to imagine a twist for his film and couldn’t wait to watch and hear what happened next in the story. He then focused on the score, and imagined an ending that no one would expect. He made coffee and brought a cup with cream to Aura, the then kissed the top of her head and smiled.

“I think a vacation would be nice with the kids,” he said while putting on his tie. “Just pick some place that we can both enjoy, with moments alone together.”

Shocked by the change in him from the previous night, Aura said, “But what about our finances, Loren?”

“We can’t always worry our whole lives about money,” he answered while combing his hair.

“Did you take some new drug last night?” Aura asked.

“No,” he said with a slight smile. “But maybe we can talk about it at dinner. Right now, let’s focus on the good parts of our lives.”

Aura was completely baffled by the change, as Loren left for back-to-back meetings for him to film and edit.

Before he left the house, he opened the FilmmakerPrompt app on his iPhone and clicked into the Not So Innocent folder he created over night and issued the simple prompt by voice, “Can you complete the musical score for Not So Innocent? I envision the complete film to be about 90 minutes in length and have quiet spots as well as some dramatic moments. What you composed for me last night sounded good. Just extend it out to about 30 minutes of music now, and we’ll see how it fits in as the film progresses.”

Loren grabbed his gear and headed to his car for the trip to the Penn Oaks Golf Club for a Delaware County Council breakfast meeting. Before he left, he linked his car’s radio with his iPhone and listened to strains of violins and a cello backed by a bass, as he headed out of his driveway. He put his phone in its cradle on the dashboard and listened to the score until its end, just as he pulled up the drive past West Chester BMW and arrivesd at the Penn Oaks parking lot.

“Hey Filmmaker,” he said to his phone. “I think we may need some flutes and horns. I’d like to try it tonight during the next scene at a meeting at the townhouse where a new character, Les Morland, meets the police inspector. I know that’s more than you need to know, but this will be where the music is barely perceptible.

“We’ll discuss the scene after I’m finished filming here this morning, but let’s see what you can do with the score by the time I get done with this meeting.”

Loren picked up his camera bag and light stands and headed to the entrance of the golf club. It was a sunny morning and he looked around at the golfers who were already on the third green of their round, and thought that he might like to learn to play golf. It would be a place where I can work on scores and perhaps a place  where I can even edit my work. Very relaxing.

Loren walked inside with a spring in his step that wasn’t there the previous day. He knew what was different, but he was unable to put his thoughts into words, and then dismissed the issue and thought, I might like to create a musical next. What great fun that would be!

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