Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1109293
C A P T I V E S T A T E | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 9 These were the first lines featured on a multimedia storytelling website that was created by director Rupert Wyatt for the film Captive State. Having worked with Rupert before, I have come to expect the substantial amount of visual detail he immerses himself in when starting a project. Our creative partnership began a few years back on a remake of The Gambler. We have collaborated on other projects, including a TV series called Echo Chamber and a Fox Features film for the DC Universe, Gambit. Unfortunately, neither project came to be, but we have had great fun conceptualizing together and have developed a confidence and trust over the years. Rupert's site featured a vast collection of research ranging from photographs, musical inspirations, paintings and graphics: Images that mixed science fiction with the real world. Primitive architectural wonders alongside renderings of fantasy cities. Anatomical oddities of all types. Video clips of violent street protests. Hostage negotiations. Domestic strife. Images of high- A. THE CLOSED ZONE PERIMETER WALL GRAFFITI. GRAPHICS LAYOUT BY KAREN SORI. B. THE CLOSED ZONE PERIMETER WALL GRAFFITI. PRINTED PANELS ADHERED TO SUBWAY TRACK PLATFORM WALL. LOCATION SET PHOTOS BY DAWN SWIDERSKI. "The only science fiction in this story is the assumption of extraterrestrial life capable of unopposed invasion and prolonged occupation. All other aspects are based on hard fact." tech equipment from eras gone by. Walled cities and devastating sink holes. Visual moments of sorrow and joy. Tonally it ranged from menacing to hopeful. There was even a bizarre sound bite featuring an angry ostrich warning call (if you haven't heard it, I encourage you to Google it). This was not going to be a typical science fiction story and I couldn't wait to dive in deeper. Grounded in Reality Co-written by Rupert and Erica Beeney, the film takes place nine years in the future after a peaceful but overwhelming invasion and occupation. An alien species, while not in evidence on a daily basis, exists on earth. In the depths of a Chicago winter, the central part of the city is closed off to all human access. Within this closed zone, sink holes bellow mysterious steam into the atmosphere. Modern technology has been rendered obsolete. Intimidating drones keep a watchful eye. Humankind is seemingly inert and literally powerless. Held captive. But an insurgency is on the rise.