Sion Dalais and co-conspirators are doing a movie of my Ambergris novella “The Transformation of Martin Lake” as a student film project. After they’re graded on it, it might well make its way onto YouTube. Here’s the intro for it.

Jeff

OPENING CREDITS OVER THE FOLLOWING SCENES

INT. MARTIN LAKE’S HOME STUDIO. DAY
A simple square room, dim light spills in from the sole window. A small table stands near the closed door. MARTIN LAKE, a man in his late 20s sits in front of a blank canvas on an easel. He looks tired and is dressed in simple, grubby clothes marked with paints of various colours. Leaning against the walls are paintings in various stages of completion.

EXT. STREET. NIGHT
A masked WOMAN in her mid 30s dressed in a well cut, dark trouser suit and a masked young man stumble in a dark corridor. They stand under in a pool of light from a street light as they kiss passionately. The woman grasps the man’s mask.

INT. MARTIN LAKE’S HOME STUDIO. DAY
Lake is staring at the canvas, he ponders what to paint. He looks forlorn. Lake rummages through his art supplies, frustrated that he can’t get started, that he has no inspiration. He gets more and more angry until he slashes the canvas with a knife.

EXT. STREET. NIGHT
The young man removes his mask. This is VOSS, he is in his early 20’s, the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. He is dressed smartly, a simple black suit. He and the woman are both standing, panting with lust. The masked woman moves towards Voss, and they embrace. She clamps a cloth over Voss’s mouth.

INT. MARTIN LAKE’S STUDIO
Lake pushes the easel over which knocks papers off his desk.

INT. DARK CORRIDOR. NIGHT
The masked woman is dragging a clearly drugged Voss along a corridor.

INT. MARTIN LAKE’S STUDIO
Lake notices a red envelope on the floor amongst the papers that fell.

INT. THE PERFORMANCE AREA. NIGHT
The woman is laying out Voss on the plinth. She strips him and covers him in a red cloth.

INT. MARTIN LAKE’S STUDIO
Lake opens the envelope and reads the invitation within. He drops the invitation on a table as we move in to read it. The writing fades before our eyes.

FADE TO BLACK.

TITLE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF MARTIN LAKE