MAS.S64 - Pods

THE POODS

DeokKyu Chung

FACT SHEET

Title: PODS

Genre: SCI-FI

Language: English

Production Year: 2023

Format: Digital

Production Country: The United States of America

Est. Length: 2 mins

Directors: Deok-Kyu Chung, Chanwoo Park, Seojeong Yun

LOGLINE

In a world without humans, a vast factory produces intricate [PODS] that recreate glimpses of everyday human life. Observing through the lens of surveillance, the audience discovers the world behind the facility and must question the implications of these simulated realities.

DIRECTORS' STATEMENT

Evocative Framing

In the distant future, we may become obsolete, but our emotional imprints and the traces we leave behind will remain.

The goal of the project is to capture human activities without the presence of the subject. And to question the preservation of our emotions and the physical spaces associated with them.

Modes of Preservation

Can A.I. construct a physical copy of our world? Are Dioramas or Digital Twins fact or fiction? As technology advances, it challenges our understanding of authenticity and blurs the lines between the "real" and the "fake," prompting us to reevaluate our perception of what is truly original.

MAIN CHARACTER

The scene unfolds from the perspective of the surveillance camera, with an unknown figure observing from behind the screen.

SCIENCE REFERENCES

TIMELINE

SCALES & DOMAINS

The EARTH

In the foreseeable future: 2030, the world has been struggling with an energy crisis from the depletion of fossil fuels and the consequences of pollution, extreme weather events, and overpopulation, causing widespread social problems, poverty, and economic crises.

Organization [EARTH], formerly known as the UN, has declared the failure of Nationalism, which has led to more conflict and isolationism during the past years. And forces a new social construct of the [GLOBE], which emphasizes the interdependence of nations and the need for cooperation, and a single unified political system. Destructive technology has reshaped how people think about citizenship, democracy, and even human identity. Decision making and democracy are challenged. The rise of social media and other forms of digital communication has made it easier for people to spread misinformation and propaganda. In addition, the growing influence of big data and artificial intelligence may also undermine the principles of democracy by concentrating power in the hands of a small elite.

The BUILT SPACE

[98.2%] of the population now live in [BARRACKS], a hyper-dense city built upon submerged cities below. A big contrast to the flashy, fragile, and glazed buildings in the past, the [BARRACKS’] appearance is thick, windowless, and barren, a choice to fight against the salty humid atmosphere and the occasional extreme weather events that occur outside the shell.

The term “ground level” has been replaced by “sea level”, the harsh and the lowest level of the [BARRACKS]. It frequently gets submerged during high tides and is destined to be underwater within a couple of years.

“A ghost city of a population of 50 million.”

Physical space is scarce, and the active mobility of humans is almost non-observable. People have voluntarily demobilized themselves for efficiency and pleasure. People are caged and hooked on [SKINS], a device that feeds an alternate reality through screens above their heads. [SKINS] were distributed to the public as basic human rights by [EARTH]; it has purposed to be “SAFE, CLEAN, and JOYFUL.”

TIP of the ICEBERG: Somewhere in the timeline when the story begins

Growing interest and investment in human digitalization and the occupation of the digital realm has led to complete human digitalization; the scientific field has finally achieved its ultimate goal in human longevity through digitality. The world is based on the idea of transhumanism, with the complete absence of humans in the physical world. As the importance of physicality diminishes with the increase in occupation of the digital realm, humans are transferred into the digital realm, existing as data. The transfer of Financial Capitalism to Spiritual Capitalism took place as the science and technology industry had expected, bringing the ultimate Transhumanism.

SCENE SCRIPT PRELLUDE

PRELUDE

Eerie ambient music. Short montage. Clips used are, human vlog footage from 2020’s and some footage from 80’s (Koyaanisqatsi) and cross over of a video of pod floating inside a pod connected with cables (like a womb).

With close-up of human figure, audible heartbeat gets louder, Also clock ticking, and foot steps to add intensity. (giving a feeling the time for human has ended)

After the final click Everything blacks out, silhouette of human disappears, cable drops.

SCENE SCRIPT POODS

[S1] GREEN POD. Joy, Table by the window, Birds chirping

SLOWLY ZOOMING (uncomfortably) CLOSE ON THE COFFEE CUP. A steaming hot coffee is in a white cup on top of an antique wooden table with ornamental legs. In the out-focused backdrop, shows a glimpse of aqua-green wallpaper and green linen curtains swaying in the breeze. Distant sound of birds chirping.

RAPID ZOOM OUT, RE-FOCUSING ON THE WINDOW. A wooden framed window placed on a green wall is widely open. Beyond the window is an augmented nature projected on an LED screen. ON SCREEN. Trees gently sway. Momentarily the screen glitches to a BLUE screen. CAMERA BLACKS OUT.

[S2] BLUE POD. Sadness or Depression, Tiled Bathroom, Distant sound of ventilation fan and water dropping

CLOSE ON THE WET SINK. Water drips from the sink nozzle. Hair in the sink with a hair dryer on the bathroom vanity top. Double toothbrush holder with single toothbrush. CAMERA TILT UP (SLIGHTLY). A small part of a bathroom shelf and a mirror show up. An orange colored medicine container on the shelf. Fog on bathroom mirror. Water dripping sound continues with a distant sound of a ventilation fan.

CLOSE ON THE SHOWER BOOTH. Steamed, water splashed out of the booth. Wet bath mat on the floor with foot marks. Louder ventilation sound with distant water dripping sound.

[S4] RED POD. Love, Bedroom, Distant sound of heart beating

ZOOMED IN SHOT SHOWING A RED BED AND A CRACKED WALL BEHIND. Bed not made. Red/ Pink hairy/fluffy comforter with wrinkled sheets on the water bed. Black lace underwear on the edge of the bed. Crack in the wall revealing a glimpse of the factory(structure/industrial lighting)

ZOOMED IN SHOT OF A FLOOR WITH THE EDGE OF THE BED(BLACK LACE UNDERWEAR). A trail of underwear-black lace bra and black boxer-on the red fluffy carpeted floor. Reddishblack wine bottle on the floor, not far from the black boxer.

SCENE SCRIPT FINALLE

[ALL] FIXED CAMERA. MINIMAL MOVEMENT AND ZOOM-IN / ZOOM-OUTS.

[F1] INT. Factory & Conveyor System

SPLIT SCREEN MONTAGE. CAMERA IS STATIC. LEFT: Shots of the vast facility. A fog portrays depth. RIGHT: Montage of close-ups of the hyper-mechanical conveying system. Mixed audio of ambient factory and busily moving machine parts.

[F2] EVALUATION

CLOSE-UP OF THE CONVEYOR BELT, THE MOST BOTTOM PART OF THE THREE PODS FITS WITHIN THE FRAME. Three PODS glide from right to left on top of the conveyor belt ZOOM IN ON THE LABEL(SCREEN). On the bottom center of the POD, there is a small screen, a written text depicting the mood & scene for the pod. “JOY. Drinking coffee on a sunny day. ~~~” On the same screen, an illustration of a [heart] pounds rapidly with sound effects. FIXED FRAME. Another POD smoothly glides into the frame. On the screen, “[something unamusing or problematic].” The [heart] beat fades till it stops. The text on the screen changes to “DISPOSAL.”

ZOOM OUT. A device pushes the POD off the main conveyor belt to another belt behind.

[F3] END OF JOURNEY

CAMERA FOLLOWS THE POD. While the POD glides on this conveyor belt from left to right, in the background, thousands of archived (shelved) pods are revealed. At the same time, robot arms disassemble the POD to its barest, just remaining its structure. At the end of the conveyor belt, the POD drops to a flaming furnace.

STORY BOARD

STORY BOARD POODS

MOOD BOARD

DESIGN PRODUCTION