A SPHERE IN THE HEART OF DARKNESS

Written by

Brad Sampson

&

Jack Blakeley

A DOMESTIC SCI-FI DRAMA

• A Sphere in the Heart of Darkness (or ASITHOD for short) is a potential short film about a young man and the inner and outer turmoil he faces following the passing of his grandfather.

• The film exposes the danger of obsession and the powerful effect of grief.

• A linear narrative unfolds as we are aligned with a singular character, seeing the world through his eyes. As he spirals into madness we see him lose grip on the world and everyone he holds close.

• There are some darkly comical moments written into the script, as the narcissistic characters clash heads.

KEY PLOT-POINTS

• 1 – Oscar, a young musician finishes his weekly piano practice with his tutor. He is called home by his distant mother who reveals the

sudden death of his grandfather. Later that week Oscar attends the funeral, remaining in denial about the details of his passing.

• 2 – We are introduced to Oscars long term girlfriend, Claudia. He reveals to her his grandfather had left his house and possessions to

him and that they are to move into the house together.

• 3 – As the couple move into the house, Oscar finds some long forgotten confidential documents belonging to his grandfather in the

attic. It is revealed that his grandfather was once an amateur astronomer, and with a group of fellow students he attempted to prove

the Nemesis theory.

• 4 – Oscar spends weeks attempting to get his head around the theory, including a visit to an old friend of his grandfathers, Dr Evans,

in search of the truth and unsolvable answers. Growing increasingly obsessive to the point of serious bodily harm, Oscar one day

collapses from exhaustion.

• 5 – Oscar attempts to return to normality as his work is taken from him. He finds himself unable to let go of one particular document,

a poster drawn out by his grandfather. An ambiguous ending occurs when we find ourselves looking at the world from the

perspective of an old man who is speaking to a young child. At this point it is hard for us to distinguish the difference between Oscar

and his grandfather, portraying these characters as being trapped inside their obsessions.

THE NEMESIS THEORY

• The Nemesis theory is the theory of a hypothetical dwarf star

behind the sun within our solar system, one which we are unable to

see.

• Many theorists have attempted to prove the existence of the

Nemesis from the 70s, finding evidence which is constantly disputed

by others.

• The base of the theory is that the Nemesis provides an explanation

for the periodical extinction planet earth has faced every 20 million

years.

• Hypothetically the theory may prove that looking back to our

previous extinctions, the timing would show we have another one

coming up very soon.

• These are of course the fundamentals of the theory simplified.

• I find this to be an interesting theory, as many individuals have

attempted to prove the existence of the Nemesis but to this day

there is no solid proof.

THE NEMESIS AS A METAPHOR

• When I began writing the script I knew that I wanted the conflict

the character would be facing to be about space. I then found the

Nemesis theory and began building the character and story around

that.

• The theory serves as an absolute antithesis to the main character

Oscar. He can no longer continue with his life as a creative. He

cannot get past the barriers created by the theory.

• In every sense the Nemesis theory becomes his own Nemesis, an

evil force restricting his every move.

• The essence of the film and the journey of the characters becomes

very cyclic and repetitive. The character of Oscar cannot escape his

obsession which was once his grandfathers. This obsession is

inherited through family.

FILMIC INFLUENCES

• There Will Be Blood & The Master – Both exceptional films written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Both films are intense character studies, following their characters closely depicting their frame of mind and emotion.

• The Conversation - A Francis Ford Coppola film starring Gene Hackman from the 1970s. The depiction of paranoia is still as relevant and as potent today, in a modern society where it is very easy to feel vulnerable.

• A Beautiful Mind – Possibly the biggest inspiration for this script undoubtedly. Russell Crowe uses his character to portray an endless cycle of obsession, despite restraints from society and those close to him.

• 2046 & In the Mood for Love – Two films from Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai. These films both perfectly portray the feeling of being trapped in a confined environment and succeed in creating a claustrophobic atmospheric experience for the viewer. This is often created through frames within frames with the use of square and rectangular openings in doorways and windows.

JOB ROLES

• Camera Operator/D.O.P – as Director I would expect the Camera Operator to come to terms with the

framing of the shots, as I would be hoping to work on a quadrant system opposed to the rule of thirds.

The quadrant system enables me to exploit space between two characters to greater effect, as there are

little to no scenes with more than two characters. This framing technique will also be an invisible one. Two

sides of the frame, top and bottom, left and right, will be used to subtly tell the stories of each character

on an individual basis.

• Producer – A competent producer who will keep the actor and crew on schedule on a regular basis,

organizing production meetings, budgets and locations etc.

• Editor – An editor with a principle understanding of continuity and how sound is used to manipulate a

moving image. Someone organized who will most likely be facing a lot of outtakes.

• Sound Operator - Someone comfortable with managing a boom pole in a confined space. Someone who

will also be comfortable managing sound levels by the sea, in relation to one particular scene.

LOCATIONS & SET DESIGN

• The main location we are aiming to use would be Jacks house. Not

because its easy but because his house has almost everything we

need. An unused bedroom we can dress with a crazy amount of

paper, an attic and an open back garden.

• Jack also lives across the road from a cemetery, which is used in the

second scene.

• Other locations would include my old secondary school. Gaining

access through my old media teacher would give us open use to the

school labs and reception area which we need for a few scenes.

• The final location would be the beach. Any beach, preferably on a

warm day.

• Set design will be an absolute pain. That is just a warning.

WHY PICK ME?

• This is my chance to test the waters as director, aspiring to be a writer I am eager to experiment with writing/directing and being in charge of both parts of the filmmaking process.

• As this is my material it is something very personal to me and something I would love to have creative control over.

• I do a lot of background reading into what makes a good director, picking up a lot of information in my spare time.

• This would be my first real venture as director aside from the live project. I enjoyed the experience as director and felt it was a role that suited me and that is another reason I have put this script forward to direct.

You could be in a crew as happy as these guys here

Directing the hell out of some actor guy