Zippo Treatment

1.   Eli Samuel Jones ( age 38 ) works as a archivist research analyst, a job that requires him to spend a lot of time with nobody but himself in a small, cramped and artificially lit room. He lives in a decent size home in New Malden ( south west London ) which he used to share with his wife of 4 years. He was married to Poppy Hughes; a 5’7, blonde english national, now 35. The couple got divorced 3 months prior after many failed attempts at having a baby due to Eli’s impotence and infertility. They went to many doctors in an attempt to save their marriage however Poppy left him on the basis of her need to have a biological child. After their divorce Eli managed to keep the house and developed a mild gambling habit, anything to take his mind off the heartbreak. He is also a talented pianist, a skill he inherited from his mother Golden Jones who played piano for an 80’s jazz band called ‘The Baby’s’ 

Our story begins with Eli and Stanley, his friend of 10 years. Eli tells Stanley of a bizarre and rather frightening dream he has been having; a young child of about 8 enters his home dripping in oil and stands about 5ft from him. Eli reaches into his pocket and pulls out a zippo lighter, he flicks it on and uncontrollably begins to move closer and closer towards the child without hesitation. Luckily, as he tells his friend, he has woken up right before the moment the child would have been set on fire but he worries that when he next goes to sleep the dream might complete itself.

Throughout the period of 3 days we follow his descent into madness as he attempts to continue with his life but without falling asleep. We see first hand the effects lack of sleep has on the human body and when it comes to the 3rd day he is clearly loosing his grip on reality. He overwhelms his brain with information on the meaning of dreams and spends hours on the internet, eyes straining so much they turn bloodshot, trying to find an answer.  

The film ends with Eli, barely conscious, opening a letter which comes through his door. Inside he finds a note from Poppy and a pregnancy scan which she claims to be his child.

2.    Our film is going to be in the style of a drama, therefore the plan is to be using a lot of cinematic techniques to create tension and a suspenseful atmosphere to keep the audience engaged at all times. The sections of the dreams will appear more ‘stylised’ to differentiate them from his moments when he is awake, and as he goes crazy the two worlds will become harder and harder to tell apart.

3.    For our casting we will need a middle aged male ( Tom Hardy vibes ) to play Eli, a younger kid and another middle aged male to play Stanley.