Cerulean web series

When conceptualizing this project we had a super simple idea 'what would happen if you were a puppet to someone's agenda and you didn't know'? During my writing research I came across the word dissociation, dissociation is a disconnection between a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions or sense of who he or she is. From this one word Cerulean was born, basing this story off of a real disorder helped keep the context of the story grounded. The story focuses on a couple, Dr. Rebecca Spring and Keani Vasquez. Dr. Spring, a brilliant behavioral researcher with a great future ahead of her, works for a privately funded think tank conducting research on patients that have volunteered for the program. Unfortunately when you mess with the human brain unpredictable side effects can occur. Due to a violent accident that takes place at the facility the grants dry up and so does her research and career. Her work is her life and she will do anything to make breakthroughs in her field no matter what the consequences. Jump forward 5 years later and she is married to Keani Vasquez, a veteran that has been discharged from the military due to PTSD. They met when Dr. Spring was doing some work with the Veterans Administration (VA). Now Dr. Spring has her own practice and at times works with the police department. She has been conducting her behavioral research in secret, with no resources or readily available patients she begins to experiment on her spouse. Keani being a PTSD suffer isn't sure what's happening and doesn't want her spouse to think she's going crazy so she seeks outside advice from a fringe doctor, Dr. Sayer Gonzalez. Keani confronts Rebecca after discovering clues that suggest her spouse has been doing 'something' to her. From there we start to build on a world that reveals itself in a shocking manner. Why is Dr. Spring doing this to her spouse? What has she made Keani do when she's been under? Who else knows about this? Are there other people out there this has happened to? We look forward to peeling back these layers and exposing the truth to you. This project will have elements that may remind you of Jodie Foster's The Brave One (2007), The Pretender (TV Series 1996-2000), Orphan Black (2013-2017) David Fincher's Fight Club (1999), Park Chan-wook's Old Boy (2005), Lee Jung-beom's The Man from Nowhere (2010) and Christopher Nolan's Momento (2000).

  • Eric Stafford
    Writer
    Guard
  • Magaret Hinton
    Writer
    Guard
  • Phoebe Dunn
    Actors
    Dr. Rebecca Spring
  • Melody Vargas
    Actors
    Keani
  • Paul C. Kelly
    Actors
    Harold
  • Ignacio Garcia-Bustelo
    Actors
    Dr. Sayer Gonzalez
  • Eric Stafford
    Director
    Guard
  • Eric Stafford
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, drama, thriller
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 4, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    3,600 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Eric Stafford

Eric was a crew member of the USS Independence the aircraft carrier used in the film 'Flight of the Intruder' starring Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe. As an extra on set he had a conversation with Danny Glover that set him on his path to becoming an actor. He was awarded Captains Commendations, Joint Services and Sea Service Ribbons for service during Operation Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf. Eric left California for NYC to pursue his acting career and was introduced to the martial art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which he still trains and holds the rank of Brown Belt.
Born in San Diego, CA Maggie spent an extensive amount of time traveling the country with her military parents. Her formative years were spent in New Orleans as she developed as an artist and voracious reader. Growing up with an older brother she dug into his comic book crates, hence her love of comic book films and Science fiction.
Together they are a creative collaborative that lean towards dramatic work with a sci-fi twist.

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Director Statement

We knew going into this project it would be a long uphill road. The original concept and storyline is meant to play out in a Web/TV series format. By creating a series we would be able to delve deeper into the characters backstories and be able unravel the mystery without being rushed or forced. We realized quickly that we wouldn't be able to shoot a proper Pilot without funding, so we decided to write it as a short, something that is possible for us to shoot with no/low budget.