Synopsis

Sudden destruction shatters the American dream. Jude Cobain leads an army of survivors in the subway tunnels of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan island.

Fighting cannibals, disease, nuclear winter, and starvation for six years has left Cobain doubting the worth of his own life. The finer traits of humanity are fading from the group of men surrounding him, and Cobain realizes that mere survival is not enough.

Rachel, a passionate violinist, has been struggling to protect a group of young musicians in the basement of a destroyed school of music on the north part of the island. They are artists, musicians, and fine people; but death is hovering near as the elements close in around them. Rachel sends one of her own to find the famed leader, Cobain, and ask for his protection.

A defected soldier, Moran, leads part of Cobain’s army into rebellion, and then unites the cannibal remnants to fight with him against Cobain.

Battling his way to Rachel through the subway tunnels, Cobain discovers that Humanity is worth every sacrifice; and in saving her, he saves himself.

Short Interview

In order to better position the screenplay on the web, I asked a producer I know if he would do a little interview. He obliged. Thanks, Joe!

Okay. So, While the Music Lasts. I assume it’s horror considering there’s zombies and it’s the end of the world?

It totally could be a horror.

I’m kind of hoping the director will tend more towards thriller / action and less toward horror. There’s obviously a lot of disturbing violence, but to me, the story is more important than the violence.

What exactly is the state of New York? Like no power, or they have some power? Has it been raided?

This is a post-apocalypse setting and it is after nuclear war – after a lot of cataclysmic natural disasters as well. New York has been without power for months at least. There’s snow and nuclear winter.

Most people have died from starvation. Anyone that’s going to die from the war, or the aftermath of the war has died. What is left is a group of longer-term survivors during an unending winter in New York.

What’s the most important scene in the film to you? The scene that stands out the most?

It’s a memory scene. Where the main hero is remembering the old man who paid for his education and encouraged him. The kid and the old man are at the park and the kid is pretending to direct an orchestra or symphony that he had seen while he’s feeding the ducks and the geese. He’s carefree, and it’s before the apocalypse. The scene shows the person he was going to be: the love for music and art and love for people and beauty. After this everything falls apart, but this scene gives you context for the hero and who he will be after this time of stress.

What was the apocalypse like… because the movie doesn’t show that? I mean, was it abrupt, or was it a slow death?

The apocalypse is based on a bunch of dreams that I’ve had since I was 8 years old–

Just tell me what the apocalypse was like – what you imagined it being like.

What I see happening is a rather precipitous nuclear war between America, China, Russia, and some of the Middle Eastern Countries. The result is that most of our main cities and most of our eastern and western seaboard are destroyed. Most people have died, but there are pockets of survivors that are rebuilding. There’s not really enough left for our opposition to want to even occupy. There’s not enough left of them either. The war is devastating for the whole world and so the people in the screenplay are not so hopeful about finding other survivors, as much as they are just trying to make it.

Are the zombies more desperate-violent or violent just because they’re a little crazy?

So I don’t actually think of them as zombies. I think of them as regular human beings that during starvation resorted to eating other human beings. I guess it’s scientifically understood that cannibalism can result in something similar to mad cow disease.It has actual physical symptoms of shaking and insanity and not feeling pain, seizures. I spent some time, when I was younger, living on an island where cannibalism was a thing. I saw these symptoms firsthand: I saw a man, who had become a cannibal, seizuring and six other men trying to hold him down. That sight just really kind of imprinted on my brain and inspired the cannibals in the screenplay.

What do you feel the message of the story is?

I’d say the message to While the Music Lasts is found in T.S. Elliot’s line (The Dry Salvages), “…you are the music while the music lasts.” It’s this idea that there’s a lot more to being a human being than staying alive. You need to maintain your humanity. The idea of cannibalism is really an allegory for living at the expense of other people – of devouring the weak and the helpless in order to live the lifestyle you want to live. The point of the story, and the poem by Elliot, is that to be truly human, you must be good. Be selfless, lay your life down for other people, especially the weak and the helpless — and in doing this the music becomes fantastic, memorable and the epic piece of art we’re all hoping to hear and see.

What would you guess the rating of the film will be?

I would guess it will be R-rated. Yeah.

Do you have any ideas about what might happen next in the story?

I assumed that with the addition of art and music Cobain (the hero) and the surviving group of humanity will begin to rebuild in a bigger way than just survival. Education will resume. You know — our music will go on — there will be marriages and children, winter will eventually fade and life will go on.

Is there any part of the film that you think would be especially difficult to convey?

I think it would be easy to focus on the violence and the cannibalism – the sort of thrill and horror of a post apocalyptic situation — instead of focusing on the energy and effort it takes to hold onto your humanity and become greater rather than less. It is my hope for the film that this idea will be communicated.

Considering it’s called, While the Music Lasts, I’m assuming music is probably a pretty big part of the film?

Yeah, music is a big thing. The Heroine is a violinist playing at the moment that World War III takes place. Originally, when I wrote the script, I was in contact with Alena Baeva, who is still a world-famous violinist, and she was interested in the lead Leading Lady role, but that’s been a while now. Anyway, it was written with her in mind, but no promises were made on either side. A lot of the teenagers in the film –her students– are also fantastic musicians and artists.

OK, thanks Rebekah. This sounds like an epic big screen movie.