THE ARTIST’S SIGNATURE written byJohn Kennellbased upon the novel “Contact” byCarl Sagan

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch,you must first invent the universe.

Carl Sagan

THE ARTIST’S SIGNATUREFADE IN:EXT. SPACESilently, a half empty world appears in the center of theframe; cold, distant, alone, and embedded in an ocean offeatureless black space.The intense dayside glare drowns out any hint of citylights on the night side. The stars are likewiseinvisible.The planet’s rotation is compressed from hours to secondsas day rolls upward, through sunset, into night. Asidefrom its spin, the planet is motionless, a great stone inspace.Beneath its paper-thin atmosphere the interlocking shapesof land and ocean are familiar. This is Earth. A faint lens flare flickers off oceans as clouds andcontinents pass, tapping out a hidden language of nature.FADE IN the sound of OCEAN WAVES, rising and falling withthe ebb and flow of unseen surf. The waves are low-pitched and muffled, as if heard from underwater. An UNKNOWN MAN speaks in a dispassionate monotone, like apatient interviewer at a debriefing.UNKNOWN MAN (V.O.)What do you see? An UNKNOWN WOMAN answers, robotically, as if compelled toobey a command.UNKNOWN WOMAN (V.O.) A door.FADE TO BLACK.The ROAR of the WAVES continues through the fade,becoming steadily louder.UNKNOWN MAN (V.O.)What’s behind the door?UNKNOWN WOMAN (V.O.)Nothing.