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‘This movie is using the entire site for the next two months. All production offices, the nine sound stages including lockups, the six construction areas and the wardrobe site. It’s a big production. When we’re done filming, they’ll focus on post-production, adding the sound, editing, special effects. I think in total the production will last six months.’

‘Bloody hell!’ Hannah gulped as they passed yet another huge hangar filled with the hammering and drilling sounds of construction work.

The ‘studio’ was actually several aircraft hangar-sized buildings, with its own roads and pathways connecting each building. They were currently heading towards the production headquarters, which was basically a large office building that could have housed a medium-sized insurance company if it weren’t for the big gold studio sign out front.

Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and where they were going, like a busy hive of bees.

Caleb had explained the production structure on the drive over. There were ‘above the line crew’, who were the queen bees of the production and included executive producers, directors, writers, talent, etc. They decided everything from the budget to the creative vision of the movie. Then there were the ‘below the line crew’, who did as they were told.

Caleb described it using his arms, waving his right hand above the horizontal line of his left arm. ‘The decision-makers are above.’ He then shifted his hand and waved beneath his arm more wildly. ‘And then, the people who do all the work.’

He grinned at her giggle and added, ‘All you need to know is that every department on a film set is part of a hierarchy responsible for a certain aspect of the film, and within that department is another hierarchy – it’s a huge pyramid.’

Now she realised the large number of people involved in a film production like this, it seemed pretty reasonable to hire out the entire studio.

‘You are part of the stunts and special effects department,’ Caleb said cheerfully, waving occasionally to people as they walked by. They all seemed delighted to see him.

‘Have you worked here before?’

Caleb grinned. ‘I’ve done about three films at this studio, but you get to know people quickly. The industry is surprisingly small.’

‘Doesn’t feel small,’ said Hannah, with a nervous glance at a boardroom filled with expensive suits.

Caleb shrugged. ‘You’ll get used to it.’

It was only an off-hand comment, but it filled her with hope. Wouldn’t it be great to work on a film set all of the time? The work would be different and challenging, but not with the same stress levels or burnout of A&E.

Caleb began pointing out cubicles in a large room that seemed pretty empty except for a few people with plugged-in laptops. These people weren’t stereotypical office workers but more like artistic rebels who’d wandered in off the street or aging rockstars. ‘Now, there’s the office for the SFX co-ordinator, Tom, who deals with all the scenery stuff, like weather and atmosphere special effects. He’s talking with Jerry, who’s the pyrotechnician who does the more exciting stuff, like the explosions – we’ll deal with them more in the desert and rainforest locations.’

‘Tom and Jerry?’ she asked, wondering if Caleb was teasing her.

Caleb laughed, but shouted hello to the two men so confidently, she realised he wasn’t joking. ‘Let’s take you to Jackson’s office. He’s the stunt co-ordinator, the one who sent over the contract. He’s a bit new to the job, but he’s worked on plenty of sets in the past. Under him, there’s people like me, and the armourer, a weapons wrangler—’

‘Weapons wrangler? Sounds like someone from a western.’

They walked into one of the smaller offices, where it looked like a filing cabinet had exploded. A hot, gym-bro type in his mid-twenties, with dark floppy hair and a stubbled beard, beamed at them as they walked in. ‘Caleb! Dude! Great to see ya, bro!’ he shouted, rising up from his seat and coming over to back-slap Caleb in welcome.

‘This is Jackson. Jackson, meet Hannah,’ said Caleb, who seemed to endure Jackson’s heavy back-slapping with the patience of a saint.

‘Hannah! Thanks for stepping in, girl!’ Jackson patted her arm and then tried to hurry them out from the chaos of his office. ‘Let’s get you settled in with the team!’

‘Everything going okay with the planning?’ asked Caleb, ignoring Jackson’s push to leave and wandering past him to a white board that was covered in sheets of scribbled-on paper and Post-it notes. Several of them fluttered down after Caleb barely breathed on them.

Jackson chuckled and gave a dismissive wave at the entirety of his office. ‘It’s a mess, but there is order in the chaos, I promise!’

Caleb nodded thoughtfully. ‘Cool. Once you’ve shown Hannah to her team, maybe we can go through Lucas’s stunts?’

‘Sure thing!’ Jackson said cheerfully, scanning the room for a moment before grabbing a folder from on top of a cupboard and waving it at them like it was the lost piece of a treasure map. ‘Here we are! Medic team.’ He flicked open the folder and then snapped it shut again before shoving it towards Hannah. ‘You’re over at office 8B and using locker 4. Let’s go!’

Hannah took the folder, not really sure what else to do with it, and then followed Jackson as he bounded out of the room and down the corridor.

They took the elevator back down to the ground floor. There was a room marked ‘8’, which was huge and filled with young and very stressed-out people, all working at computers. ‘Where’s office 8B?’ asked Jackson, and after a couple of blank stares from the hipster crew, one older man – presumably the designated adult – covered the mouthpiece of his phone and gestured to the back of the room. ‘Over there.’

8B was about the same size as her old flat’s living room and had floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets and drawers, as well as a fridge in the corner. There was an examination table at the back, pressed up against one of the cabinets, and two chairs seated around a very small desk in the corner.

One of which was occupied by a woman in her fifties with short curly grey hair and dark brown skin. Above her computer there was a large Aboriginal flag pinned to the wall. She seemed startled by their arrival, spinning in her desk chair to face them. ‘Everything alright?’ she asked, her hands gripping the arms of her chair, ready to spring into action.

‘Got an extra medic for you! This is Hannah!’ declared Jackson with a broad sweep of his arm.