Chapter Two

A brownstone

1. Blue Magic was housed in downtown Brookstone about three blocks away from Flame. It sat on the corner of 34th and Pendleton in a building that favored a brownstone rather than the traditional restaurant. – Most of us has have seen at least one episode of the Cosby show. Typically during an episode, the camera will cut to a shot of the family’s brownstone. I’ve seen this shot plenty of times and always pictured it as the way Blue Magic would look. Take a peek at the shot enclosed.

Takers

2. Rico and Jerome McFadden were his stepson’s best friends. He saw them on a regular basis for four straight years back when they were arrested for fighting, truancy, or selling dope. What he was seeing now was very different from the roughnecks they used to be. In fact, they both looked like executives who were ready for Wall Street. – This line is from the scene where detectives, Kane and Sanders, start investigating Jay. They are outside of Blue Magic, watching as Jay and his men leave after a meeting on the future of the cartel. I think most people picture drug dealers as being dudes on corners who are wearing sweatshirts, jeans, Timberlands, or sneakers. When you think of mobsters, you probably visualize a man in a suit. With Carmen being a fashion designer and a person who styles Jay, I figured it would be good to have him and his men dress alike. Therefore, the idea was born to change everyone’s dress to a more professional look. The movie, American Gangster (2007), shows Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington) in the same kind of look. In addition, this is also shown in Takers (2010) except with bank robbers. While I didn’t get my idea from these movies, it is good to see that great minds think alike.

3. “Sometimes, these things take time. There could be three thousand other high school seniors trying to get in. – Carmen makes this statement during dinner to Kristian and Akaila who are waiting to hear back regarding their acceptance to Copperfield University. When I was a senior in high school, I applied to college much later than most people do. I hadn’t heard back from Winthrop so I talked with my guidance counselor about it who told me that the school had probably already picked their freshmen for the year. He then reminded me of all the students across the world who were applying. I thought this experience fit well in this scene since it drew from a real experience.