Anton was thrilled about his new job as an intern for his favorite director, Selma Honor. Seeing her documentary about race-car drivers had convinced Anton that he wanted to be a filmmaker. When he found out that she was filming a documentary about the local basketball team, he wrote her a letter offering his help. Getting the call from Selma's assistant had been the thrill of a lifetime.
Being on the set turned out to be quite different from what Anton had expected. He had imagined he would be standing behind Selma, watching her make crucial decisions during filming. Instead, the assistant director, Joe, had given Anton a box of index cards to place in alphabetical order, which is what Anton was doing in the gym when Selma arrived. She looked around quickly and said, "What's that kid doing in the shot? Get him out of here."
Joe hurried over and told Anton to finish his work in the hallway.
Anton sat on the hallway floor, carefully sorting the index cards while listening to the crew setting up for the big game that night. He heard Selma and Joe arguing, and then Joe came slamming through the gym doors. "She wants symbolism in a high school gym," he muttered angrily, "as if being a teenager weren't symbolic enough!"
Anton asked what Joe meant, and Joe explained that Selma was looking for a way to give the game a symbolic boost about choosing sides. Joe's bright red shirt gave Anton an idea.
Four hours later, the crowd was divided into two halves. All of the fans for the home team wore red shirts; all of the fans for the away team wore gray shirts. Selma smiled as she started to film, noting that Anton's idea really did add an additional competitive element to the game. She winked at Anton. He trailed behind her— once again certain that he had the best job in the world.
