SYNOPSIS // MISSION

In preparing to bridge the gap between development and production, we've assembled a package of materiel to frame and illuminate the nature and intent of PASSAGE. If you are interested and would like to see the complete dossier (which includes our casting shortlist), please feel free to contact us at passagethemovie (at) gmail.

(click images to enlarge!)

((Three friends vacationing in a secluded cabin are pushed to limits of breaking when of their own disappears without a trace.  

As they search, they discover... they are not alone.))

((Ethan, Rhys, and Alessandra (Alex) are close friends on a vacation to a secluded cabin deep in a remote forest. Old feelings and tensions bubble to the surface as they draw farther away from civilization and into the tight quarters of the cabin. In the spirit of their get-away, the three pass their first night with horror stories and plenty of alcohol. On their hung-over exploratory hike the next day, Ethan, having visited the cabin in his youth, is disturbed when they discover a strange clearing he doesn't remember ever having existed.

Returning to the cabin before nightfall, Ethan becomes violently ill and blacks-out with a high delusional fever. Alex and Rhys hold vigil over their deteriorating friend when eerie and unexplainable aberrations emanate from the surrounding forest and threaten the solace of the cabin. 

In the light of the following morning, Ethan has vanished without a trace leaving his two friends to unravel the mystery. Alex and Rhys' search takes them into the depths of the desolate forest and the darkest reaches of their psyches. As hope of finding their friend begins to collapse, they become viscously unhinged when they discover that something is out there with them.))

CONCEPT ART

Below is a collection of concept paintings created by artist and production designer, James Miller. The purpose of these pieces is to convey the sense of mood and tone we want to capture as well as concretely illustrate some of the key concepts and sequences. (click to enlarge!)

PASSAGE PRE TEASE TEASER POSTER

james surprised me with this little mock-up.

PASSAGE // CONCEPT // STORYBOARD SKETCHES

james has been working on large storyboard illustrations for pitching/presentations.

PASSAGE // CONCEPT // SKULL

concept review with james miller.

PASSAGE gains an artist

quite some time has passed since the last update, and in that interval, we have progressed to a seventh draft of the script and artist James Miller has joined to the team to do concept work and production design. above is a small sampling of the amazing images he has been cranking out with more to come (and shared) soon!

3RD DRAFT AND OTHER NEWS

a few days ago, i finally hit a pretty big milestone with my third draft of the script. initial feedback was much better than i could have ever hoped. while this draft is around 4 pages longer, i feel like it was tightened quite a bit over the previous pass. most of the tweaks were on the more subtle side this go-around, but i feel even with those smaller changes, the tone has pivoted in a substantial way... we'll see.

but, so what? what's the big deal about this draft? well, it opens the door to the next stage of development (massive, MASSIVE to-do list to get thru!) - namely: casting, location scouting, and funding.

shit is getting... oh so real.

IT BEGINS! (again on this site!)

[from tumblr post on 3/5/11]

in deciding to let KNIFE naturally become the larger project it demands (needing much more money than i could dream of possessing… haha), about a month or so ago, i half-shifted gears and set my sights on a project that suddenly started nagging at me.

i kept referring to it as plan b, something i would do if KNIFE were to not get off the ground immediately. it would be something i would dabble at, keeping it just about ready to go if and when i needed it - if things started to look bleak.

as ideas started to come, this plan b took on a critical mass and i could not escape its gravity. it was shaping into something with all the ingredients i would need to make it my first feature: small cast, one location, and it moved in a way which would allow me to shoot it quickly, probably in about two straight weeks. most importantly, it tapped into some of my core passions and fears. i was falling in love with it.

it became my plan a.

it became PASSAGE.

and i just finished the first draft.

for the moment, i don’t know how to feel. i’m more than slightly exhausted having just saved and emailed the document to myself for backup after two weeks of intense and extended writing (waking up at 3pm today didn’t help either. haha). it came out pretty rapidly and i obviously glossed over more than one section (or three or five…), but even still, this is the closest i’ve come to capturing the original intent of what i set out to do.

it needs work, but i’m beyond excited.

a day or two of rest, then back to work!