Sunken Sealights: Concept & Summary
The original idea for Sunken Sealights was to explore how robots with strict programming handle the lack of utility when their original purpose is no longer required. This coincided with the image of a slug being electrically conductive and slowly the following script and concept video emerged:
Sunken Sealights Script - Initial Draft
“SUNKEN SEALIGHTS”
FADE IN
1 EXT. DAWN - ABOVE SEA
An illuminated buoy at sea is rocked turbulently by the waves of a vast ocean. The sunlight from the rising sun is captured by solar panels on decaying platforms scattered across the distance. A rising wave crashes down on one of the platforms and causes several sections to become unmoored, casting chunks of debris into the sea below.
2 EXT. DAWN - BELOW SEA
Debris from the fallen platform sinks slowly into the sea, including a heavy cable which is blinking intermittently as it coils downwards. In the direction of the cable which stretches further away from the sinking debris there lies a derelict city preserved by a dome of weathered glass. The sunken cable continues to flash, indicating an error due being disconnected from the platform. Other cables which stretch outwards from the city up to the platforms on the surface begin to glow slowly, indicating power is flowing to the city.
3 EXT. DAWN - SUNKEN CITY - ROOFTOP
The cityscape stretches outwards from beneath a thick dome while the details of the sea floor come in and out of view. A robotic automaton with a chasis designed for a specialized field is collapsed upon a pile of wreckage. This automaton, HAYI, is unmoving and without power to function. Markings on HAYI indicate that it was designed for greeting visitors to the domed city. From out of view emerges a sea-slug, a bioluminescent creature of large proportion. The sea-slug approaches the edge of a ledge atop a building before stopping.
Even though the sun is out of view by the leagues of ocean above, the cables which stretch up and around the perimeter of the city carry a flow of energy to the city and a warm glow begins to spread across the panes of the dome like rays of the sun.
4 EXT. DAWN - SUNKEN CITY - FACTORY BRIDGE
Along a scattered plane of debris which links two factories, several sea-slugs cling to scrap materials, some dangle upside down from scaffolding, and some even adhere to the walls of the surrounding architecture as easily as any other surface. As more of the glow expands, these sea-slugs begin to glow in coloration and an visible electric field begins to crackle around them.
5 EXT. DAWN - SUNKEN CITY - ROOFTOP
Once the dome becomes fully illuminated the sea-slug turns to leave with it’s electrical field flickering around it. As it makes it’s way, the automaton is pulled towards the slug by an arc of electricity that emanates from the sea-slug. This electric pull goes unnoticed by the slug, even when the automaton becomes affixed onto it’s body. HAYI comes to life as electricity sparks and swirls around.
Upon powering on, the automaton begins using the display in its head to indicate a desire to greet a human. After a moment to take in the surroundings, the automaton changes it’s displayed images to reflect on the question of where the humans are. The sea-slug pays no attention to the automaton and continues to move slowly away from the ledge until it nears a sun ray that is touching the ground. This ray disapates and a new series of sun rays appear nearby, spurring the sea-slug to move toward them.
CUT TO:
6 EXT. DAWN - SUNKEN CITY - MINING SUPPLIES SHOP / CRASHED TRUCK
Two pulsing eggs which lay upon a crashed truck begin to crack. The two sea-slugs emerge from their respective eggs with tiny sparks swirling around them in infrequent pulses. Due to the weakening durability of the egg shells, and the sea-slugs nascent movements, both of the creatures fall to the street.
Once on the street, we follow their awkward movements towards different objects. One sea-slug moves slowly towards an dimly illuminated object behind a fallen crate marked with a hazard sign, while the other moves towards a toy rocket amidst broken toys and car wreckage. The sea-slug headed towards the rocket begins wrapping its electric body over the toy, causing the sparks of electricity it creates to turn on the toy rocket. Without any means of control or clear way to separate, the newborn sea-slug is sent careening around as the rocket’s erratic movements cause them to ricochet with surrounding objects. The toy rocket ultimately carries the tiny sea-slug far off into the sky.
The second sea-slug approaches a hand-grenade which has spilled from the now revealed dimly illuminated crate that once was within a mining supplies shop. Several other explosives are spilled unto the truck or are scattered in the street around the sea-slug. The electricity that spontaneously appears around the tiny sea-slug increases frequency as it approaches metal and conductive materials around it. These arcs of energy around the sea-slug threaten to ignite the explosives and cause extreme amounts of damage to it and the surroundings. Right as the sea-slug is beginning to ignite the hand-grenade, a spatula is wedged beneath the sea-slug and then flipped with incredible strength into the air.
The spatula used to displace the sea-slug belongs to a cooking automaton, FLIPPER, who is affixed to a wandering adult sea-slug in a similar manner as HAYI. FLIPPER displays several images on the display monitor mounted on its head to indicate that the flipped object is not the correct object needed. The desired object is then revealed to be a burger patty and that FLIPPER is programmed to create burgers. FLIPPER then turns to look at the street with its head displaying a desire for a burger patty to flip. In an abrupt movement, FLIPPER flips the hand-grenade the tiny sea-slug had nearly ignited high up into the air, causing the grenade to collide with the distant FACTORY BRIDGE and causing notable damage. FLIPPER evaluates what has happened, indicates that the hand-grenade is not a hamburger patty, and seeks more objects to flip as the sea-slug moves up the street.
7 EXT. NOON - SUNKEN CITY - STREET
HAYI moves along a street surveying the buildings for any signs of human life as the sea-slug they are attached to moves along. While passing a ruined antique store HAYI sees a pile of objects and its silhouette appears vaguely humanoid to HAYI. HAYI waves enthusiatically yet the silhouette remains unresponsive. As HAYI’s hand moves through the air more frantically, it makes contact with a rapidly hurling and still ensnared sea-slug on a toy rocket, causing them to spin out of control and into the stack of objects which had created the silhouette. HAYI indicates on their screen that they are upset by this discovery, but no less deterred in attempting to find humans to welcome to the dome.
The sea-slug that HAYI is affixed to continues to move through the street seeking sunlight patches. Another sea-slug comes into view with its own powered automaton, CHIPS, with a deck of cards in hand and a spread of playing cards in front of them. The sea-slug CHIPS is affixed to is trapped by fallen debris and wreckage and is struggling mostly in vain to break free from the debris. Above these two is a twisted chunk of factory equipment that is slowly slipping from the active crumbling building supports. As HAYI approaches atop their wandering sea-slug, CHIPS spots them and quickly tucks their cards away. CHIPS motions out to HAYI asking them for help.
HAYI questions if CHIPS is human.
CHIPS indicates they are not human and are in fact an automaton, just the same as HAYI. CHIPS then reaches out expecting a hand in return.
HAYI expresses disappointment and then asks CHIPS where the humans are, not extending a hand towards CHIPS and seemingly unaware of the predicament that CHIPS is in.
CHIPS frustratingly indicates a lack of knowledge as to where the humans are and supposes that they’ve all likely died. CHIPS, out of patience, once more extends their hand to HAYI
HAYI is startled by the notion that all the humans could be dead, and begins searching more frantically, stretching arms outwards to lift up debris around them. This wastes precious time, as CHIPS becomes more and more out of reach while HAYI is worked up and distracted. CHIPS reaches out with more urgency as the factory equipment lurches outwards further. CHIPS is unable to reach HAYI, and in a sudden effort the sea-slug that CHIPS draws power from breaks free of the debris without the automaton. This also causes more instability in the building as CHIPS switches offline. The suspended factory equipment falls down alongside other wreckage, obscuring all but one of CHIPS arms.
HAYI looks back to see the pile and displays remorse on the display monitor mounted on its head. HAYI wavers in the display of confidence in finding humans. The sea-slug that HAYI is affixed to slides into a darkened and delapitated mall nearby.
After all of the factory equipment and building supports settle into a larger pile the newborn sea-slug that sought the hand-grenade emerges from the rubble. The sea-slug slinks down to coil around CHIPS arm, which is the only part of the automaton exposed from under the debris. As power is returned to CHIPS, they flail their arm wildly.
CUT TO:
8 INT. NOON - SUNKEN CITY - MALL, SHOPS
Within a dark mall HAYI is pulled past scavenged shops and long abandoned facets of human life within the domed city. Occasional hanging lights low enough to the sea-slug are flickered on by its electricity as it passes. The first flash of overhead light reveals a broken and vandalized statue of a man atop a miniture replica of the domed city. HAYI does not recognize the figure or symbols painted around them.
The next flash of light reveals a silhouette that HAYI enthusiastically waves to, but a subsequent flash of stronger nearby lighting reveals the silhouette to be a heavily damaged automaton. With this increase in visibility HAYI is able to observe evidence of a centuries old human struggle that likely damaged the automaton in the process.
8 INT. NOON - SUNKEN CITY - MALL, FOOD COURT
FLIPPER is led by their sea-slug through the same dimly lit mall as HAYI, though their immediate surroundings are of a food court infested with decaying coral, some of which is growing out of long deceased human corpses. FLIPPER hovers their spatula reluctantly over a nearby corpse, but their attention turns towards a food serving station that their sea-slug begins pulling them towards. A large burner is prominently displayed on the signage above the station and FLIPPER waves their spatula towards the station enthusiastically.
9 INT. NOON - SUNKEN CITY - MALL, SHOPS
HAYI continues to be pulled along the abandoned mall, encountering a new historical detail in the form of a crustacean mutated humanoid corpse near an overturned medical terminal under a series of posters advertising a promising future for all of mankind through dramatic hybridization with local marine fauna and flora. Within the fallen materials near the overturned station is a folder of documents that HAYI reaches out for. Unable to firmly grasp it, the folder opens and spills its contents out as the sea-slug pulls HAYI away, but the scattering papers reveal that any dissenting workers were marked for terminantion.
10 INT NOON - SUNKEN CITY - MALL, FOOD COURT
FLIPPER and their sea-slug are nearing the food station, but to FLIPPER’s dismay the sea-slug diverts in direction just short of allowing FLIPPER to reach any of the ingrediants behind the counter at the food station. The sea-slug pulls a frantic FLIPPER away from the food court and towards the SHOPS
11 INT NOON - SUNKEN CITY - MALL, SHOPS
HAYI holds their head which flashes combinations of images attempting to reconcile the events of the day in their mind. HAYI’s sea-slug pulls them along the upper section of shops and towards a staircase leading to a lower level full of similarly abandoned and in disarray shops.
FLIPPER desperately flips anything and everything within reach with their spatula, ignoring the arcs of electricity that soar over them to illuminate dazzing arrays of lights and sparks from the aging lighting aparatus that stretches above them.
HAYI is distracted from their ruminations by the awareness of bright flashes of light below them that their sea-slug is leading them towards by descending the stairs.
FLIPPER is unable to relieve their anxiety of missing their chance of fulfilling their intended programming that they begin smashing their spatula into the ground without any consideration towards the damage done to the spatula.
HAYI sees FLIPPER desperately and erraticly smashing a spatula into the ground, takes note of the inscription on FLIPPER that indicates they are a cooking automaton, and realizes they are experiencing a similar freakout as HAYI
FLIPPER is jostled out of their panic by the sudden sound of metal banging. FLIPPER disoriently turns their head around to look at the source of the noise, and in the process drops their dilapitated spatula to the ground. FLIPPER sees the source of the sound as HAYI banging a closed fist into their head. Once HAYI seeins FLIPPER is looking their way they cease their banging and slowly begins to wave towards FLIPPER.
FLIPPER waves back, and both automatons exchange images of salutations and gratitude towards each other. HAYI’s sea-slug begins to pull them away in a different direction from FLIPPER while FLIPPER’s sea-slug continues to send arcs of electricity upwards. The two automatons part ways from one another. FLIPPER realizes that they no longer have their spatula, and look around for it desperately for a moment before pausing. They reflect and then rip the apron from their chasis and toss it to the ground. In this act FLIPPER becomes aware of the sea-slug’s electric arcs causing brilliant displays of light to appear far above them. FLIPPER looks up and allows themselves to relax for the first time, content to let their sea-slug take them into a new future.
12 EXT. DUSK - SUNKEN CITY - STREET
From within the collapsed wreckage overtop of CHIPS tiny cracks of light begin to form. Then the entire wall of debris is lifted by HAYI and cast aside before HAYI reaches a hand out towards CHIPS to help them up. CHIPS gleefully accepts HAYI’s hand and is pulled on top of HAYI’s sea-slug, causing ripples of it’s electricity to surge around it. The small sea-slug which had coiled around CHIPS arm, uncoils and wraps around HAYI’s hand, linking the two automatons hands together. Each automaton’s head flashes images of merriment and gratitude.
PAN UP
A distant silhouette of the damaged FACTORY BRIDGE far off on the horizon reveals illuminated shapes of sea-slugs. As the day ends and sunlight ceases to be collected, the pulses of electricity from the platforms at the surface begin to come into the city with less regularity. As the pulses fade the shimmering light collected around the dome fades, and as the last pulse comes in all of the lights in the city go out. The sea-slugs illumination along the distant FACTORY BRIDGE also begin to fade until they can barely be seen.
FADE TO BLACK
Sunken Sealights Early Concept Video