The Black Hole

A 30 something man, Charlie, is working the night shift. He is very tired and has had a long day already. Everyone else has gone home and he has a huge pile of copying to do, with important deadlines for the next day. He is dazed from sleep deprivation and spinning out a little from his coffee high, necking Pro Plus and washing it down with his 5th cup. The room is atmospherically lit with the sodium glow of florescent lighting and we get a real sense of repetition, monotony and a man who is completely bored with his job - on the edge of quitting but with nowhere else to go. Without warning the copier begins to shake and make strange noises, the scanner flashes repeating over and over, but nothing is coming out of the printer. Charlie is clearly annoyed, hitting the machine and punching buttons. The copier suddenly goes silent and still - Charlie throws his hands up in frustration. Out of desperation he kicks the copier and it spits out one A3 print of a large round black spot centred on the page. As he moves the paper his coffee cup falls into this black hole. Slowly he edges towards the copier - a low angle shot from the POV of the hole sees him step into frame. He peers over into the hole wondering where his coffee cup has gone. Inquisitively he rolls up his shirtsleeve and gingerly moves his hand towards the hole - his fingers twitch as they near the black ink. Unbelievably Charlie's hand sinks straight into the printed page just like it was an Acme toy hole from a cartoon. He puts his arm further and further in until its right up to the elbow, fishing around for his coffee cup. The copier jerks to a halt - Charlie pulls his arm out with a sudden movement, slightly freaked out. The cup is in his hand - he clicks it a few times staring mystified at the hole. We now watch as Charlie discovers what other fun he can have with the hole. He sticks the piece of paper up on the vending machine and pulls out a bar of chocolate to eat. Charlie begins to think. What practical uses could this hole have - is there any way that he could make this gift from the photocopier gods work to his advantage. Will greed get the better of him?
Directors: Philip Sansom , Olly Williams
Actor: Napoleon Ryan