2006 ♦ 7:59 ♦ produced by Pamela W. Coughlan ♦ directed by William R. Coughlan

A campaign appearance by an up-and-coming politico takes a turn for the bizarre, and only one woman sees the truth. But will anyone believe her?

WINNER: BEST SCI-FI NATIONAL FILM CHALLENGE 2006

OFFICIAL SELECTION GEORGETOWN/ADAMS MORGAN FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2006

OFFICIAL SELECTION SCIENCE FICTION SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2007

OFFICIAL SELECTION SFF-RATED FILM FESTIVAL 2008 (ATHENS, GREECE)

Director William R. Coughlan and producer Pamela W. Coughlan reteam to helm this sci-fi short for the National Film Challenge, from a script by frequent Tohubohu editor Larry Contratti. Produced entirely from October 20th through the 23rd, “Machinations” marks Tohubohu’s third entry in the competition.

TOHUBOHU PRODUCTIONS presents  “MACHINATIONS”  starring ANDRA WHITT  RYAN MULKAY  and HUGH HILL  featuring EMILY SKELTON  STUART SCOTTEN  and NELLO DeBLASIO  edited by LARRY CONTRATTI  WILLIAM R. COUGHLAN  director of photography ADAM YOUNG  music by BRIAN WILBUR GRUNDSTROM  executive producers BJORN MUNSON  WILLIAM R. COUGHLAN  written by LARRY CONTRATTI  produced by PAMELA W. COUGHLAN  directed by WILLIAM R. COUGHLAN

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“Machinations” was really the result of a lot of elements hitting at just the right time. Not only had we developed our core troupe to the point where we felt we could handle just about anything the National Film Challenge could throw at us, but we had access to a pool of new talent (both in front of and behind the camera) that we were eager to tap into. With production happening on the verge of the 2006 elections, it seemed natural that we would try something topical (hopefully without becoming dated too quickly). Given our production constraints, however, we wanted to keep the scope intimate, to make the story more about people than larger events, something we wouldn’t be able to convey convincingly at this scale. But even so, our guiding principle was to ensure that the film was not dependent on any “gimmick” or gag (a common flaw in low-budget sci-fi attempts); while we were intent on developing our characters, we wanted to be certain that such development was derived from the plot, and not vice-versa. With some truly phenomenal graphics to set the scene and an original score that beautifully accents the film’s arc, we ended up with one of our strongest efforts to date.