Firestorm | An Origin Story by Jenny Ciarletto (Mock Movie Trailer/Soundscape/Score)
Channel: jenny ciarletto
Date: 2022-12-27

Gideon Raymond—a longstanding and gifted geneticist at a large biotech company's branch in Boston—is swiftly labeled a liability and fired due to expressing his interest in conducting trials by way of premature human experimentation. He is approached by coworker Doctor Drach who makes him privy to a secret ring of scientists within the company who share the same sentiment. For years, they have been working to perfect a currently uncontrollable and dangerous serum that, when injected into the subject, would alter their genetics to give them personality-based superhuman abilities. Feeling understood and valued, Doctor Raymond willingly joins and alters the serum.

Without access to human test candidates through his former company, Gideon is manipulated by Drach into injecting the serum into his young daughter, Genesis, who subsequently develops the ability to channel and control fire. Ecstatic, Drach sends them both to an island off the coast where Genesis joins 12 other successful subjects being studied. Thrown into an unfamiliar world, a nervous and confused Genesis finds an ally and eventual friend in the ever-so-cynical Samuel—Test Subject Seven—who possesses the power of prophecy via visions in his sleep.

Genesis works hard to unlock new abilities within the other elements. While she cultivates her friendship with Samuel, Gideon's intelligence allows him to climb the ranks and become a leader of the program. After several months of steady progress, feeling the high of his newfound power and control, Gideon realizes he wants more results faster and steers the program towards a new goal— survival. All 12 test subjects that still remain in the program are told they must compete in bracket style battles (weakest against weakest, strongest against strongest) to observe what happens when their powers are used to fight against one another for their lives.

Now being referred to as Test Subject 13 by her own father, Gen is shocked and hurt. He is no longer the man she once knew. With the determination to graduate the program and get the two of them off the island, Sammy (towards the bottom of the bracket) struggles to keep himself alive, but manages to teach Gen (towards the top of the bracket) skills that will keep her winning against the hardest to beat in the program—the balance, control, and utilization of her superhuman abilities alongside her natural abilities of observation and invisibility.

Mentally and physically broken down after mere days of hard battles that have turned them into killers, Gen comes to terms with the fact that she has been manipulated and endangered by her own father. That same night, Samuel has a sudden, layered vision. From the first person, he walks with an older Genesis, seemingly healthy and happy, down a dirt path somewhere in the countryside. However, as he looks into a puddle and realizes his reflection is not his own, the prophecy is interjected by a terrifying vision where Samuel sees his own violent death at the hands of Gideon.

When he suddenly wakes, despite being shaken by what he's seen, he feels a brotherly responsibility to make the hard decision and force the prophecy to come true for her sake (as one part of the prophecy cannot be true without the other). Gen hears his "bad dream" and knocks from her room through the wall. Over walkie-talkie, he tells her that she needs to get out tonight, but doesn't tell her exactly what he saw. Trusting him, they formulate a plan. He tells her she's the strong one out of the two—that she has to follow through with the plan to escape and burn the building down—no matter what. Knowing his survival means Genesis won't have the happy ending she deserves, he stays behind and sacrifices himself in Gen's collapse of the building, which also killed every remaining test subject and doctor, including her father.

Unable to find Sammy, she is heartbroken realizing what he has done to save her. Running on the beach to find a boat to take off the island, a helicopter touches down in front of her. As a man steps out—the same man from the vision— Gen has to face the next part of her journey alone using what Sammy has taught her. Is he her rescuer or a threat?

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CREATIVE PROCESS:

- SFX: most recorded on a cardioid mic and edited by Jenny Ciarletto, some used under Creative Commons License from freesound.org.
- Audio Lines: from Shutter Island (2010), Firestarter (2022), and Teen Wolf (2011).
- Score/Music: created using plugins on Reason. violin played/recorded in studio by Jenny Ciarletto
- Mock Poster Art: photographed on a Panasonic GH5, edited on Photoshop by Jenny Ciarletto, starring my childhood teddy bear, Teddy :)

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Sophomore Year (Sound Final) | MassArt | Film/Video