Obsession

Obsession

From Golden Horse Productions:

Synopsis

Sam Preston finally has it all... He just received a promotion to vice president in a
prestigious company and his girlfriend of six months, Sara Michaels, is the best thing to
come into his life... ever. But there is something else, Sam has a secret. A secret he hides
from everyone around him, including his best friend Jerry Marsh. Sam has been withdrawn,
unwilling to venture out of his new home to enjoy the company of his friends. They wonder
why Sam has changed rom a social happy bachelor to a quiet recluse. When Sam finally
relents and agrees to join his co-workers in a congratulatory drink at the local bar, they see
a glimmer of hope for the old Sam... or at least they think they do. When Sam accidentally
leaves his cell phone behind, Jerry sees an opportunity to return it and pay a visit to Sam
and Sara. When he arrives, he finds more than he bargains for and it may cost someone
their life. Who will pay for discovering Sam's obsession?

About the Story

The concept of Obsession came during a conversation between Poultry and Prejudice
director Sherry Teleky Waple and editor, Tom Richards, Jr. Richards came to Waple with
this wild story about a man who appears to be your average, ordinary Joe. He has a good
job, nice house, good friends and a beautiful woman. However, there is more to this
average Joe. He has a dark secret that not even his best friend knows about.

The initial idea started with this dark secret being somewhat of a “Twilight Zone” meets
“Mannequin” concept. “When we first discussed the story, Tom thought it would be really
cool to use an actual mannequin as part of the main character's secret. He gave me an idea
that I could visualize then I just rolled with it.” Within two hours, Waple had written her first
official screenplay. “It wasn't difficult. After talking with Tom, I pretty much had the entire
story in my head and it was just a matter of putting it on paper. However, I am used to
writing novels, not screenplays and there is a huge difference” explains Waple. Novels must
have much more detail so that the reader can visualize what the writer is trying to convey.
Screenplays need very little detail, but must have strong dialogue. It is the director and
actors' jobs, together, to get the audience to see what the writer is trying to portray. “I think
I did a descent job for my first attempt at screenwriting” admits Waple. Richards loved the
initial draft and planned to shoot the film in the fall of 2004 acting as director and Waple as
producer and writer.

The fall of 2004 rolled around, but Richards, who also performs in a rock band, found that
he would not have the time or money to bring this film to the screen. Waple approached
Richards, asking for permission to direct and produce the film that Richards no longer could
do himself. Richards gave Waple the go ahead and Waple revisited the script. In looking at
it again, Waple thought the initial concept for the ending was a bit over the top and worked
on rewriting the script to put more of a subtle spin on the ending. “I didn't want the audience
to know everything up front, but I also did not want them to feel confused in the end.”
Waple struggled with getting the perfect dialogue and story flowing in the right direction and
asked for the help of Glenn McQuaig who was found during the casting for Obsession . “I
wasn't looking for a writer at the time, but in speaking with McQuaig, it appeared that his
ideas would lend themselves well to the script and I asked for his assistance.” Seven drafts
later, the mannequin was eliminated, and a new concept was born. Obsession was finally on
its way!