Kickstarter

Synopsis:

In the not too distant future, a man rumored to be the second coming of Christ is subjected to an intense interrogation by a shadow government agency.

This short film is inspired by the parable "The Grand Inquisitor" within the book "The Brothers Karamazov" by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Production Requirements:

-Location ($2,300 a day, see presentation video for reference pictures)

-Props/Set Design ($500)

-Costumes ($500)

Characters: 

Christ figure- we won’t see the face of Christ at any time during the short film. I want his character to be relatively mysterious. He doesn’t speak and when you do see him, it will be a vague outline, silhouette, or out of focus shot of him looming across from the chief. At times we’ll see features such as his hands, a beard, perhaps even spectacles- but never a dead on reveal. The point of leaving Christ as a mysterious speechless figure is not only to avoid controversy, but also to illustrate his character’s silent humble sacrifice and knowledge of his fate. 

 Chief- The chief is the most clearly defined character in the short.  Whether or not the Christ is real or fake doesn’t matter to him. In his mind, this man is significantly disrupting the status quo and to him that’s intolerable.  Quite simply, the chief is ruthless. He’s snide, sarcastic, cynical, and jaded by his life experiences with spirituality, politics, and the fragile balance of power in their world of constant instability. 

 Agent #1- This role is best characterized as a version of Pontius Pilate. She’s sincere in her approach to her job, being a true moral compass and judge of character in a seemingly amoral world. She truly believes that this man is Christ and doesn’t want to be the one responsible for his death- even if she was just taking orders. 

 Agent #2- This character acts as an undecided.  To him, religious belief's are a fairy tale that defy all empiricism and logic; yet he still seems torn. His gut seems to tell him that killing the man is wrong, yet he also knows that he’s sworn an oath to carry out his job- ultimately that sense of duty outweighs his conscious.

1.) Visual Style: We plan to shoot this short with a Tony Scott-esque, "Man On Fire” “Domino” aesthetic; this entails double exposed frames, flash frames, time warped panning shots around the interrogation room, and the cross fading of images counter-posed against each other. 

 2.) Editing: When the investigator questions Christ we'll see contrasting quick flashes of the chaos going on in the world around them as they talk in the quiet interrogation room. We want the audience to be completely engulfed in this world that seems strangely familiar, yet not our own. Editing in flash frames and cuts of chaos from news cameras globally will help to create a sense of urgency throughout the short. This will also give the audience a glimpse into the un-hinged, amoral society that is the backdrop for our scenario. 

 3.) Color Palette: The color palette should include crushed blacks and highly saturated reds, yellows, and greens to offset the crushed black. Overall the short will be very dimly lit in order to help foster an ominous mysterious tone and atmosphere 

 4.) Set Design/Props: I want this short to feel like it’s in a world that’s very similar to our own. Yet at the same time I don’t want the audience to have a clear idea of exactly what point in time were in. In order to achieve this effect I want to use original tube TV’s and VHS players in the control room. Conversely, I want the interrogation room to look and feel very futuristic, cold and metallic; including metallic chairs, desk, and an off kilter looking glass (for the water which turns to wine). We’ll also need a metallic futuristic looking medical kit for the scene involving the lethal injection as well as badges for the agent’s. 

 5.) Costumes: The Chief should be wearing a clean, well fitting, expensive looking suit. He should look clean-cut and well groomed. It should be apparent by his appearance alone that he stands above anyone else in terms of societal status, even outside of this government agency. Agent #1 should either be wearing a pantsuit or slacks with a clean white button-up. Agent #2 should also wear slacks with a button up shirt.