A SPIT OF HONESTY
I’m in “Game Face.” mode right now. I’m currently working on 3 separate creative projects and I’m in my ultra analytical artist mindset. All of my extra mental moments are dedicated to these works. A lot of people tend to mistake “Game Face” for disinterest or detachment. This isn’t exactly the case. I’m there, I’m emotionally invested in things beyond myself and my work…but there’s only so much of me to go around I’m afraid. I either have to strike while the irons are hot or I risk losing precious time and momentum. It makes me seem aloof, but I really don’t give a flying toss.
WHAT IS PHASING MAN?
PHASING MAN, my latest short, is the culmination of years of daydreaming and notes jotting. I’ve always been terribly fascinated with the concept of parallel universes and alternate Earths. I have a passion for the analysis of cause and effect. The concept that a teensy-eensy-weensy change in routine can create a massive domino effect is absolutely fantastic. It’s even better when you consider the possibility that there are are an infinite number of dimensions/universes, vibrating just a shade differently, that allow these permutations to play out.
I’ve solicited scripts on the subject from extremely talented writers for the past few years. I desperately have wanted to film someone else’s script, to get outside of myself. What I found though was that I had already made up my mind on the story I wanted to tell. I probably did this years ago. So I decided to finally put the bloody thing to paper.
I wrote it with a slightly different workflow than one of my normal scripts. I essentially turned on Pandora, found the right temp tracks, and wrote the protagonist’s monologue. I then wrote the script around that narration, filling in details, shots, and action. The Pandora channel created for such alchemy featured a lot of Mogwai.
My PHASING MAN exists somewhere between the world of educational scientific theory and pulpy comic book science fiction. I liked the universe of DC Comics pre CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.
The protagonist in my story jumps from Earth to Earth on an arc of realities. Each time he moves along he arc he finds a world that is slightly different. The differences are rarely huge. He hasn’t jumped into a world where the Cubs made it to the world series in 2003. He hasn’t seen a reality where Germany won WWII. The changes are shrouded in minutia…bits of differences in architecture, or possessions. It’s always just enough to make him feel slightly out of place. He doesn’t know exactly why or how he phases. He just knows that it began one day and it happens regularly.
The film itself will be brief, even by the standards of a short film. It functions as a complete story and a proof of concept. I could easily see this being the first few minutes of a feature in much the same way that ALIVE IN JOHANNSBURG became the beginning of DISTRICT 9.
Most of the photography is completed, but there is a good deal of work left to do. I’m purposefully going low key with the effects, but there are a few things that need to be created. I’m treating this as a character driven piece with an attention to detail. Other work I’ve done features effects and plenty of gunshots. My emphasis in this project is making sure the audience cares about the bloke that has to go through all of the world jumping.
I’ll pick up next time with details as I progress through the editing process.