Synopsis
Astronaut Eren Gaparso is one of hundreds of pioneers who set out on a mission to the Earth-like planet Ayuna in order to start a colony and secure the future of mankind beyond a dying Earth. But when he awakes from cryogenic sleep, disaster has already struck. His space capsule has been heavily damaged in an asteroid field, and the entire rest of his fleet is nowhere to be found. Beyond that, the ship’s bodiless, voice-activated operating system UMA urges him to find a way to get his disabled spaceship operational again if he wants at least a slight chance of survival.
Read more
Once Eren has stomached the first shock, he and UMA debate their options. They quickly agree that the smartest course of action would be for Eren to return to cryogenic sleep and wait for a second wave of settlers scheduled to arrive at Ayuna two years ahead. A smart plan that unfortunately directly contradicts Eren’s primary goal: His partner Sara was stationed on one of the missing ships, and Eren is desperate to find her. Against UMA’s strong advice not to waste any time, he decides not to give up on finding survivors just yet.
Their options limited, they begin to circle the planet, scanning the surface from above. Instead of finding survivors, though, they make an unsettling discovery. The entire planetary surface is crawling with organic megastructures spanning thousands of square miles, slowly pulsating and migrating across the globe.
As if this wasn’t scary enough, inconsistencies in UMA’s behavior cause Eren to silently question her allegiance. Can she be trusted, or does she have a different agenda?
Look & Feel
Since the whole picture is set entirely within the constraints of a tiny space capsule, the paramount goal of the movie’s visual concept is to create as much versatility as possible.
Making each individual situation distinguishably unique through certain lighting configurations within the spaceship or different types of sun or moonlight pouring in through its windows will set the tone and mirror our protagonist’s inner feelings.
Using vintage cinema lenses and an overall moody lighting will counter the sterile and cold, dark grey texture of the capsule’s inte-rior, add texture and tangibility. Narrow framing and a shallow depth of field will extend the feeling of loneliness and isolation felt by our protagonist. A calm, mostly static, perceptive camera will carefully yet relentlessly pursue each and every one of our protagonist’s moves, who often turns away, hiding from the camera.
The absence of all living things or organic materials further emphasizes the hostile environment. Only the moments when our protagonist emotionally connects with the world he has left behind, will stand out through warmer, more lively lighting alongside a more intuitive camera movement.
The overall tone and feel of the film shall reminisce the classical film noir. All sources of light are weak, dimmed down. Everything not demanding our immediate attention will be swallowed by shadows and the darkness of infinite space.
Characters
LIEUTENANT EREN GAPARSO
A 35-year-old astronaut who struggles with his place in the world. Troubled by the untimely death of both of his parents in middle school, his adolescent years were defined by loneliness and untreated trauma. He saw a way out when he enlisted for the private ‘Final Frontier’ space exploration program, wanting to create a better future for mankind far away from planet earth. Seeing a chance to leave all his pain and suffering behind and start over somewhere new, Eren strives to find true human connection and meaning in his own existence – even more so once he is confronted with his fate as the last human being in the universe.
UMA “Universal Mission Assistant”
The highly developed neuromorphic computer controlling the spaceship. UMA becomes perceptible for Eren and the audience through her omnipresent, female voice. “She” is both, the save haven keeping Eren alive in a hostile environment and the prison guard keeping him from stepping outside his tiny cell to face his fate. Although she appears very human, she has no feelings of her own. Deep inside she remains a machine. Her mimicked human features like caring, compassion or manipulativeness are a mere result of a complex code. She was designed for one purpose, and one purpose only – to keep Eren alive, no matter what it takes.
OA-1 “On/Offboard Aid 1”
OA-1 is a small hexapod robot and will be part CGI part animatronic doll played by a puppeteer. Mainly designed to help Eren with technical maintenance and setting up a base on Ayuna after landing, OA-1 is a helpful companion and also serves as the comic relief character. It is everything UMA is not and vice versa: It has a physical body, but simple intellect – aside from a certain playfulness. OA-1 acts independently which makes it a thorn in UMA’s eye since she has no control over it.
Franchise & Facts
‘Epilogue’ is not a stand-alone movie, but the introduction to a series of deeply intertwined stories exploring the fate of the human race beyond our earthly existence.
At its heart, there is a three-movie epic, titled ‘The Evolution of Machine,’ telling the story of a human civilization in the Ayuna system over a timespan of almost 4000 years.
The ultimate goal is to expand the world of Ayuna into a multimedia franchise, embracing modern storytelling devices like Extended and Virtual Reality as well as more established formats such as TV series and computer games.
At this point, we are already in development of a VR experience accompanying the planned release of Epilogue in 2026 in an even more immersive way, have laid the groundwork for two spin-off series, and created two 3D printable toys to get our audience even more engaged.
If you are interested in joining our team, collaborating, co-financing, sponsoring our project, or are simply looking for more information on the project and its related ventures, the ‘Open Source Universe’ and/or the ‘Academy of Autodidacts and Educational Filmmaking,’ do not hesitate to get in touch.
The Film Production Company FilmDas GmbH: Nils Werner, Christina H. Lee, David Lichtenauer, Maximilian Dinslage
Genre Science Fiction
Format Feature Film
Duration 80-90 Minutes
Director/Screenwriter/Scenographer David Lichtenauer
Main Cast Daniel Grave, Alia Seror-O’Neill
Production Management Carla Buchal, Ferdinand Hiebsch
Director of Photography Manuel Schamberger
Sound David Rimsky-Korsakow
Costume Anna Sünkel
Makeup Lucia Schütz
VFX Pascal Kuhn, Mirco Tornow
Context First installment of a larger franchise
Crowdfunding Active
Want to support us? Check out our Crowdfunding or follow us on Instagram for Updates