A Collapsing World (2011)
Fantasy/Drama/Mystery/Thriller/Romance
(Ranked # 5 on DEP's Best Short Films)

Director:
Jimmy E. Ramirez

Writer:
Jimmy E. Ramirez (story/screenplay)

Producers:
Jimmy E. Ramirez
Dino Ramirez
Stephen Lira
Rafael Ruiz

Editors:
Jimmy E. Ramirez
Rafael Ruiz

Premise:
The story's main structure is centered around four main stages in the film. These stages are:
1. Life
2. Dreams
3. Memories
4. Death

Ramirez has said that this upcoming short film is mostly based on his perspective on life, which is the main reason for the four stages. "There was one point in my life where I actually felt like I was going to die. It was the worst feeling I've ever felt in years." says Ramirez.

Development

Jimmy E. Ramirez began writing the story's basic structure in June of 2010 where he was first inspired by a few fantasy films dealing with the dream state. The short film's story is slightly based on two ideas which deal with the world falling to corruption and suddenly collapsing little by little, and the feeling of death.

Screenplay

He began to write the screenplay in July, which showed strong emotions dealing with real life issues. But he took a break to think of more ideas. In late August, he wrote a synopsis for the short film, explaining in detail more about the film's main story. On September 3, 2010 he began adapting his earlier screenplay. As of September 14, 2010 the screenplay is almost done. Ramirez says that he nailed the emotional tone of the film, featuring so much emotion mixed with a certain shadowed and mysterious vibe to the story's structure. In the screenplay, Ramirez included a couple of the dreams he has had in his life. As of October 10, 2010 the screenplay is said to be having a makeover, in which Ramirez will take out the scenes he doesn't like, and include more ones that he does in order to make the short film more emotional on high standards. As of January 1, 2011 Ramirez is planning on rewriting a scene in the screenplay where a character is suicidal. "There is a scene that I wrote in the script where the main character tries talking his younger brother out of committing suicide. and I wanted to go back to that scene and add more to it to make it more emotional, to let the viewer know what's truly collapsing in the main character's life." States Ramirez.

Release Date:
April 2, 10 & 11-15, 2011 (Puente Hills Mall)
2011 (Internet Release) in talks

Status:
completed

Trailer:
A Collapsing World Trailer

Influences

Film
Christopher Nolan's 2010 Film "Inception"
Alan Parker's 1982 Film "Pink Floyd: The Wall"
 Richard Kelly's 2001 Film "Donnie Darko"
Cameron Crowe's 2001 Film "Vanilla Sky"
M. Night Shyamalan's 1999 Film "The Sixth Sense"
Vincent Ward's 1998 Film "What Dreams May Come"
Peter Jackson's 2009 Film "The Lovely Bones"
Terry Gilliam's 2009 Film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"
Marc Forster's 2005 Film "Stay"
Darren Aronofsky's 2006 Film "The Fountain"
Darren Aronofsky's 2000 Film "Requiem for a Dream"
Clint Eastwood's 2010 Film "Hereafter"
Martin Scorsese's 2010 Film "Shutter Island"
Christopher Nolan's 2000 Film "Memento"
 Ridley Scott's 1982 Film "Blade Runner"
 Ron Howard's 2001 Film "A Beautiful Mind"
Tarsem Singh's 2000 Film "The Cell"

Television
Robert Florey's 1959 Twilight Zone Episode "Perchance to Dream"
Eric Kripke's 2007 Supernatural Episode "What Is and What Should Never Be"
Steve Boyum's 2008 Supernatural Episode "Dream a Little Dream of Me"
Paul Stewart's 1962 Twilight Zone Episode "Little Girl Lost"

Art
Salvador Dali's1931 Painting "The Persistence of Memory"
Edvard Munch's 1893 Painting "The Scream"
Vincent van Gogh's 1889 Painting "The Starry Night"

Music
Pink Floyd's 1979 Song "Another Brick in the Wall"
Coldplay's 2005 Song "White Shadows"
Brand New's 2007 Song "Jesus Christ"
Pink Floyd's 1979 Song "Comfortably Numb"
Radiohead's 1992 Song "Creep"
 Coldplay's 2002 Song "Clocks"
Coldplay's 2008 Song "Viva la Vida"
 Radiohead's 1998 Song "No Surprises"
Radiohead's 1997 Song "Paranoid Android"

Photo Gallery:
(4 photos)