The following is an excerpt from scene 1 of

Apocalypse Near
An interactive, “Hyper-Reality” feature film
written by E Haase
Part 1 of the “Viridian REVELution” trilogy

FADE IN:     

EXT.? INT.? OUTER SPACE? INNER-SPACE? – DAY? NIGHT?
A bright sphere within a black void simultaneously emanates & absorbs light. SOUND UNDER: Tibetan tantric breath chants, rushing water, Native American song-prayers, howling wind & the crackle of electricity through the C.P.U. of a computer. A sound wave vector intersecting the sphere vibrates with the speech of an echoing, alternately deep & high-pitched voice. This sphere represents an omniscient character: "OM".

OM
(voice over)
Fear: the fatal frontier;
and love: home of peace, last resort of fools.
How they twist the heart of humankind; laying battleground
for the flesh cradled soul. The soul of a human; such a one as
ThisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssS:

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BENEATH URBAN HIGHWAY OVERPASS, EARLY MORNING
, A young man, whom we will come to know by the name "E", asleep beside a beaten electric guitar he is wrapped around like a lover. The word “Caliber” is scratched into the guitar’s headstock. This is not a typical looking homeless man; he is well groomed & handsome. A thin cigar is clutched in his teeth. Wrapped in a tarp, he tosses in R.E.M. sleep as the voice continues.

OM
(V.O. con’t)
A human soul moored by rivers of nerves
to this body, on this earth: third stone from a type “G” star
and lunatic asylum of the “Multiverse”. This man made, not begotten;
a conglomerate entity; a new model in a long line of our products: Alpha, Beta,
Gamma, Delta..

GRAPHICS illustrate the dialogue: “Alpha”- Angelic beings, “Beta”- Mythological creatures, “Gamma”- Neanderthal man, Delta- Modern humans.

OM (CONT'D)
And now Epsilon.

C.G. A PHOTO of a modern man; a 3-D animation of an active brain fused with electronic circuitry is superimposed onto his head.

OM (CONT'D)
This particular product will be designated by your letter "“E”."

SOUND UNDER: the note “E” rings & sustains; ,

ZOOM IN:

“E”'s eyelids flutter in agitated R.E.M. sleep.

OM (cont'd)
The present is a nightmare from which “E” is trying to awake;
for in the present earth is about to be destroyed; destroyed by
its own inhabitants: the humans. However the destruction
of earth does not have to happen; it’s a choice; a choice
yet to be made. By.. The humans.

MUSIC UNDER- “Black Rabbit”: (Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” lyrics re-written).
Cars speed by on the road beyond E's dreaming head. He slowly wakes & effortlessly
unwinds from his pitiful posture into the lotus position to observe his surroundings.
He turns toward the passing cars. The Scene shifts into slow motion. The cars are
replaced by an array of colorful pills which float between the concrete support posts.
"E" watches a moment, then shakes his head. The title "Apocalypse Near" FADES IN
amidst the collage of pills. The pills dissolve back into the passing cars. An
attractive, thirty-something redhead woman in hospital business attire,
(Dr. Alice Dakin), shouts from her passing luxury S.U.V.

DR DAKIN
Hey looser! Get a life!

E
(Disgusted)
Earth..
(Continues in Japanese)
Mada chikyuu datta noka. Doko o mitemo,
mina mou sukoshi chikaku mieta.
(Subtitles for Japanese)
Still on earth, watching the end draw near; the stage
being set for the fat lay to sing..

Move into “E”’s eyes. MONTAGE intersperses the dialogue. News footage of social unrest, disease, natural disaster & warfare juxtapose bright, colorful samples typical of the advertising industry.

“E” (CONT'D)
Famine, earthquakes, W.M.D.’s, plagues, The Doomsday Clock
at T minus five, perfect killer storms, wars & rumors of wars,
total environmental collapse, crusaders, soul-savers,
talking sponges, gourmet pet food, endless strip malls. From sea
to shining sea, America: the world’s most heavily armed toxic strip mall.
But was it the end of the world, or the end of my sanity
that drew near? How did we? How did I come to thisssssS.

E Looks at his hand & closely at a class ring from Trinity college/Cambridge. He then rises to his feet. The blanket around him is revealed to be a poncho. He flips it open to reveal the form fitting cyberpunk clothing beneath. He begins to explore the underpass. He moves through a sequence of martial arts poses as he walks.

C.G.COMPOSITE: An ornate doorway appears in the concrete. A marquee above reads "Tragick Theater; For Dead Men Only". "E" pulls the door open. An electrical membrane expands between the doorframe. Guitar strings form a set of bars that are sounded in a melody that is heard each time E enters this other dimension. The sound is reminiscent of spaghetti western music.

E briefly looks back at his guitar, then reaches into the doorway. The screen goes black.

Message me if you want to read the rest..

Apocalypse Near

Pre-production style sheets at the following links:

The duality of the protagonist

Scene 13: Duality of the Dr. Dakin / mAlice character

Scene 16: Introduction of The Legion Of No

Scene 22: Riding into town to declare War on War

Scene 38: Hell freezes over love scene

Scene 40: Exposition of "Izzy", the angel of death's executioner.

Scene 55: Resolution: reconcilliation of the somnambulist & his muse.