Private Project

Planet 342

When the flagship of the AI-integrated Elohim species stumbles upon scientific anomalies, its crew goes rogue and ventures to the edges of the Universe. But while pursuing the truth, they clash against a dark force and the horrific mutations it generates.

  • Davide Baresi
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay, Television Script, Treatment
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Drama
  • Number of Pages:
    64
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - Davide Baresi

Have I wasted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or "is this the start of something wonderful for me"?

This is the question that I keep hearing in my head since November 2018, when I quit my PhD (with full scholarship) at the University of New South Wales to start my journey into screenwriting.

As a child, I remember entertaining older friends with made up role-playing games, inspired by board games like HeroQuest and StarQuest. Soon, though, that joyful freedom got replaced by a more ‘serious’ self that led me to graduate in Psychology and in Management, with the goal of fostering the co-operative model of enterprise and its potential in creating a more equal and inclusive society.

During college, though, Ian Fleming’s and J.K. Rowling’s books relit my thirst for creative endeavors. I started tinkering again with characters and stories, until I felt I couldn’t hold off anymore. I had to choose between a promising academic career that felt right but not true, and the forgotten dream of a child with a vivid imagination.

In taking that decision I was certainly ‘influenced’ by my mother’s passing, and by the fact that during her last few weeks ‘La la land’ came out. I ended up watching it seven times in less than a month.

Since then, I’ve drafted several projects, completed my first TV series, and started a career as a videomaker while learning filmmaking. But the road ahead isn’t easy nor straightforward, and that question keeps playing in my head.

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Writer Statement

My mother’s passing was a real shock for me, and the attempt to fit that event inside a meaningful narrative still haunts me to this day. The struggle to make sense of ourselves and of our reality in the aftermath of life-changing events is something that permeates the story and characters of Planet 342.

The spiritual quest for an existential meaning; the fascination with the fabric of our reality and the wonders of space exploration; the attraction for the supernatural and its potential explanations; and finally the passion for the progressive ideals of social justice. These are all elements that constantly mix inside me, inspiring the stories I write.

Planet 342 originates, yes, from a dream I had, but also from the feeling that, while we’re on the verge of huge scientific and technological revolutions (eg. Quantum Physics and AI), their consequences are still mostly uncertain. After all, despite all our progress, we are becoming more and more detached from each other and from the environment around us.

This is why I strongly believe that a large-scale, epic quest like Planet 342 is the type of story that can inspire us with the wonders of Space and help us focus on our common goals in the pursuit of a greater meaning. A story, though, that can also forewarn us on the dangers lying within a technological progress that is not equalled by a spiritual evolution.