When two young TV journalists with contrasting personalities discover a device that reveals the future wherever it's pointed, they're thrust into a high-stakes race to expose a government conspiracy before it's too late.

SYNOPSIS:

COMPS: This near-future screenplay evokes the time-bending suspense of “Edge of Tomorrow,” the political paranoia and humor of “Enemy of the State,” and the unwavering determination of a higher calling seen in "Broadcast News."

A STORY FOR TODAY: The dismay of watching the erosion of trust in the press inspired me to write this screenplay. My aim is to pay tribute in an entertaining way to the brave journalists who risk it all to hold the system accountable.

19 FINALIST AWARDS INCLUDING: The Red List (Sci-Fi Top-5 Features), Stage32 LookBook (Double Recommend), Final Draft (Semifinalist), CineStory (Semifinalist)…

Act 1:

On a fateful morning, the top-secret FSA agency tests a futuristic Camera-like prototype powered by exotic Element 115. Positioned at a Phoenix hotel, the Camera's creator enters a meditative state, tuning his mind to the harmonic ‘universal frequency’—the 432Hz ‘OM’ sound. This condition activates a neural link with the device, enabling the user to see the future simply by pointing the Camera at a spot and adjusting the time.

FSA head, GENERAL ALEXANDER NARUS (60s), initially designed the camera as an intelligence tool. But its true potential as an Orwellian spying device of terrifying capability becomes evident when it is used to follow the leading presidential candidate into a hotel room days before a pivotal election. Footage of future, seemingly compromising events captured by the Camera, leads the candidate to inexplicably exit the race, sending shock waves across the nation.

Meanwhile, at a small Salt Lake City TV station, WES (20s), a gifted but reticent cameraman and meditation practitioner, dreams bigger than shooting stories about bears eating from dumpsters, but a past tragedy holds him back. His co-worker, JOSIE (20s), an ambitious production assistant, has her eyes set on becoming an investigative TV reporter, elevating her from the fluff pieces she’s typically assigned. Like Wes, she has her own secrets and feelings of self-doubt that she struggles to conceal.

After learning of impending layoffs, Josie jumps at the chance to investigate a possible career-making hot tip happening on the city's historic bridge. She implores the reluctant Wes to investigate with her. Together they become the first news crew to arrive at a chaotic scene and witness the bridge plunging into the river gorge below, wiping out a government detail transporting the Camera to the DoD. Amidst the chaos and smoke, the Camera is lost, landing in the unsuspecting hands of Wes and Josie.

Act 2:

Breaching journalistic ethics, they carry the Camera back to the station, expecting to turn it in later. But Wes’s curiosity overwhelms his restraint. Frustrated at his inability to activate the Camera, he draws on his meditative practice and unwittingly activates the device, not knowing it can only be unlocked when synced with the user’s unconscious.

Driven by their need to prove themselves to the station’s higher-ups, they use the Camera’s godlike ability to scroll through future events to uncover not only the brazen attack orchestrated by a rogue CIA team on the convoy transporting the Camera, but also a sinister conspiracy masterminded by General Narus. Narus's scheme involves manipulating the electoral process to install a puppet president, eliminate the CIA, and secure himself as the head of national security under the guise of "protecting the nation." Their investigation connects to the opening teaser, when they realize the Camera was used by the general to undermine the principled candidate's campaign, ensuring his exit.

As Wes and Josie's investigation deepens, they are targeted by assassins deployed by both Narus’s FSA, and the rogue CIA commander, CHRIS SPEARS (50s), with each faction vying for control of the device. Forced to rely on the Camera's ability to predict the assassins' moves, Wes and Josie survive a battle but are forced to go on the run.

The confrontation has brought the two closer, fostering an unexpected bond of affection, trust, and mutual respect. Though neither will admit it, their relationship has blossomed beyond just being office colleagues. The Camera has not only turned into a tool for uncovering government treachery, it has become a catalyst for their personal growth.

Act 3:

Time is running out as the election ticks closer. Making matters worse, the assassins have resurfaced and are closing in. However, a fellow meditator and excentric co-creator of the Camera, MENLO PINSKY (60s), appears on the scene. He reveals that simply exposing the plot will not stop Narus’s quest in time. Pinsky’s bold solution: Wes and Josie must convince the principled ex-candidate to re-enter the race. This would restore the original timeline and allow the future to play out unimpeded. However, it would contradict everything Wes has been taught about journalistic objectivity. At first, he adamantly refuses. Josie and Menlo counter his reluctance by arguing that without their involvement, free speech and investigative journalism would die—contending that sometimes, prioritizing the greater good is essential. Despite the grave danger associated with this path, Wes ultimately agrees.

Their resolve is tested when their clandestine meeting with the ex-candidate is ambushed by the sudden arrival of FSA and CIA assassins. A breathtaking chase comes to a climactic pause on a windswept mountain top. It's a pivotal moment where Wes's lingering traumatic past—having watched helplessly as his father fell to his death while covering a story—collides with Josie's unwavering ambition. But it's Josie's steadfast drive to expose the truth and protect freedom of speech, which served as Wes’s father’s northern star, that reignites the spark within Wes, pushing him through his emotional block, giving him the courage to confront his past and pave the way for their escape.

Fueled by their grit and resolve, Wes and Josie concoct an ingenious plan to peek into the future and unmask Narus and Spears’s conspiracy. They successfully broadcast the footage, leading to the villains' arrests and the ex-candidate's shocking return to the race.

The impact of Wes and Josie's actions has not only transformed their relationship and careers, but altered the course of a nation. As newly-seasoned reporters, they stand side-by-side, Camera in hand, ready to face whatever challenges and moral dilemmas lie ahead. For they have become defenders of a higher truth — that of a free press and the sanctity of facts — the foundational pillars of our democratic ideals.

– The End.