Moment Summary

The moment I will turn into a series of shots and then compile into a video sequence is when my protagonist Dr. Alexei Petrovich Romanov’s guilty conscience and internalized conflict with the reality his government is forcing him to create comes to a critical mass, leading to a panic attack in the middle of a meeting with his colleagues at the Soviet AI development base in Siberia. Alexei rushes out of the conference room and hides in a bathroom stall, hoping in the back of his mind that his colleagues won’t report him for his erratic behavior. He is able to calm down while alone in the bathroom, after which he flushes the toilet and grunts when someone walks in. His attempt to keep up appearances seems to be successful. He rejoins the meeting as if everything is fine and apologizes profusely. After the meeting, Alexei stares at the conference table for a while and makes up his mind to begin planning his alterations to the Soviet AI Ivanov.

Most of the shots will be focusing on Alexei, making very clear the mounting anxiety and self-consciousness he feels, the terror in his eyes as he races to the bathroom, and the tension and desperation while in the bathroom to not scream or do anything that will bring any more attention to himself or make his internal conflict obvious to his colleagues. During the panic attack, his face should become more red, contrasting with the greenish-blue hues of the bathroom. This whole moment should be somewhat reminiscent of a silent/minimal sound horror film, except for a persistent ringing that Alexei hears during the panic attack and his deep breaths to calm himself down. However, the toilet flush and grunts are meant to lighten the mood a little as well, almost giving the audience whiplash with the sudden shift in mood.

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