In the movies we often see astronauts in the height of their career or their most memorable moments, such as “Apollo 13” directed by Ron Howard, or fictionalized acts of heroism such as “Armageddon,” but there are very few films that delve into the mind and character of an astronaut. How does this time-consuming and dangerous career affect their personal lives? Are they wealthy? Is life easier? And more importantly, what happens to the astronauts after they come back to Earth? After completing a mission in zero gravity, one of the most dangerous jobs in existence, being away from their families, seeing the world in a new perspective, how do they cope with life on Earth?
A short film being produced in Austin, TX entitled “Flown,” means to shine light on these questions. It is a fictional story about a former astronaut named Jack re-adjusting to life on Earth after a long career in NASA . The story was inspired by these questions and the story was developed through extensive research and one-on-one interviews with former NASA Astronauts. One interview with Flight Surgeon Steve Hart was greatly influential in developing the character Jack after he spoke heavily about how his life was changed after his missions in space.
In “Flown,”our former astronaut Jack is piecing together his life by writing his experiences in a book and making up for lost time with his wife, Mary. He scuba dives alone in the lake adjoining his house to try to recapture the distance and clarity of being weightless in space. The film shows Jack torn between two different worlds; the world of the private relationship (their spouse, family and friends on Earth) and the world of the space crew. He reminisces about his moments in the Soyuz capsule and sleeping in his chamber on the International Space Chamber. The word “flown” is a label used by astronauts and their family to refer an object which has been ‘outside Earth’s atmosphere.’ Since an astronaut spends much of his time either in space or preparing to go to space the title “Flown” describes the weight an extreme experience such as this can leave on a person.
“Flown” is written and directed by Mark Blumberg and will be filmed in Austin from May-June 2015 as his MFA Thesis project from UT-Austin. He is probably best known for a cameo appearance in Andrew Bujalski’s “Computer Chess,” but he has directed and produced several short films and is known for making experimental narratives and by using different production approaches for each project. Mark Blumberg said this about his upcoming film “Flown:”
“[Astronauts] build their life around being people who are at the top of their profession, being trusted to millions of dollars of equipment, but they reach a point where they are forced to retire, what do you do then? 50 is not old, but for an astronaut that is it, they are not going to send you up anymore. All of your friends are at the prime of their careers, but you are at the end.”
“Flown” is currently in pre-production and has launched a Kickstarter campaign. You can learn more about this project by visiting their website and Kickstarter page.
