THE ORIGINAL COPY

A film about the future

coming soon

from writer/director John Harden

— now casting, crewing & seeking locations —

please see below

contact filmmaker

#TheOriginalCopy #TheLastProduct

Production Diary

What happens to the world when everything is free?

THE ORIGINAL COPY begins with a break-in at the Louvre museum: an event that resembles a crime, but is in fact revealed to be an elaborate prank. It become clear that the Louvre caper is a harbinger of a coming technological and societal revolution. A tech company has created a consumer device that can reproduce any object, in unlimited quantities, at virtually zero cost. Society reels as the value of physical goods is suddenly reset to zero.

THE ORIGINAL COPY is my documentary about the future. Or, a future. The guiding aesthetic: make a Ken Burns film, only sci-fi. The finished film will run about 15 minutes. A bite-sized epic! This standalone work is also part of an envisioned larger project.

The film is being made incrementally: the first day of shooting was in late 2023. As I prepare to shoot additional material, I'm looking for talent, locations, crew, and VFX people. I'll put up more details here as I go.

Drop a line if you'd like to get involved.

Mailing list sign up to receive updates on the project.

My Ko-fi: See the sausage being made and chip in to help us make it.

Thanks!

NOW CASTING the following roles. Paid. SF Bay Area. Shoot dates are tentatively planned for late 2024. Headshots & resumes, but I'd particularly like to see your work (reels). Please send everything here.

MICHAEL MASUDA (40s, American of Japanese descent) CEO of a powerful tech company. Handsome, charismatic. A little intoxicated by his own genius.

JANE PEARSON (30s, white, American) Idealistic, passionate. As Chief Communications Officer she put Michael's utopian dreams into words. Fell in love with the message, and the man.

THE PRESIDENT-DIRECTOR (50s, French nationality) Chief administrator of the Louvre Museum. Precise, professional, no-nonsense, not amused. Must speak fluent French.

RYAN KUTTNER (60s, American, any ethnicity) Silicon Valley techie to the core. Rich, retired, but retains a boyish energy. Likes "disrupting" things.

LOCATIONS NEEDED — The closer to Santa Rosa, CA the better. The good news: shoot duration for any given location is one day only. Free is good. Support the arts!

MODERN FARMHOUSE Minimalist artsy/rustic interior (or dressable as same) with countryside views

THE PRESIDENT-DIRECTOR'S OFFICE Desk, bookshelves, fine art. The office of an important man.

AUDITORIUM Really just need a stage + seating where something like a TED talk or a tech-company product release might take place

MODERN HOUSE INTERIOR Like where a rich tech guy might live. Mid-century modern would be perfect.

ART MUSEUM Any clean, empty space with high ceilings that we can dress up as part of a gallery (Found! We had our first day of shooting at the Museum of Sonoma County in the fall of 2023.)

Contact me if you have suggestions for/access to any of the above. And imagine seeing your name in the credits of an obscure short film!