machina, the movie
High Concept, Tiny Critters
With a profound love for the moving image, it was only a question of time before I would write my own film script.
Machina is an unashamedly high concept sci-fi action story concerning nanotechnology. It covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of what could happen in a future world where nanotechnology was the rule. It is fiction, but born of real world developments. If you would like to know more about the present day realities of nanotechnology, follow the link on the left to the Royal Society who have extensively studied the potential of this emerging technology.
If you are interested in buying this story, a PDF version of the complete script is available on request.
machina - logline:
A brilliant young man, a nanotechnology scientist, is coerced by the military into making an intelligent weapon to kill their enemy. When the weapon becomes indiscriminate, billions are killed, leaving the survivors to hide in vast underground cities. The scientist's nightmare gets exponentially worse when he discovers that the military have an ominous plan to enslave the survivors.
machina - synopsis:
War is raging. With increasingly sophisticated weapons being used, time is running out for one side - the Military turn to the scientist, Storm Blue. Brilliant but naive, Storm is forced to help the Military create the ultimate weapon: powerful microscopic killing machines. Left with no choice, Storm creates this terrifying new weapon, and together with an old girlfriend and Cirus, a sadistic soldier, they turn the tide of the war in their nation’s favour. But, in a scene of unprecedented disaster, the nanoweapons mutate, destroying most of humanity on the surface of the planet, including Storm’s old friend.
The survivors, ignorant of the truth, are forced to live in giant underground cities. Storm, devastated, is desperate for redemption. Adding to Storm’s guilt, a feisty detective has connected Storm to a recent victim whilst investigating a string of gruesome killings. In a flash of inspiration, Storm creates a new breed of microscopic machine that will allow the survivors to return to the surface of the planet, freeing them from their underground hell. However, Cirus and his minions have other plans. Intending to use Storm's new technology to enslave humanity, Cirus captures Storm and the detective and exposes the city's inhabitants to a twisted form of Storm’s technology.
In a sequence that begins a multi-layered climax, Storm uses his latest invention to transform his own biology, allowing him to perform a superhuman escape from Cirus and to rescue the detective. After a ballistic battle against Cirus, Storm leaves Cirus to suffer a terrible fate whilst he and the detective race against time to stop the population from being destroyed by Cirus’s handy-work.
In a scene of heightened emotional intensity, Storm realises he must sacrifice himself to save what's left of humanity. He does so, leaving the world free to live on the surface again. The detective becomes a leader and symbol of hope for mankind, carrying her mysterious unborn child – could the technology she carries somehow have given Storm another shot at life? It’s rare that such a highly visual, action rich story contains such rounded characters. Combined with themes that touch on guilt, loss, and redemption, Machina is an epic journey of the imagination.
Image: The Soul of a Machine by BJ Gibb