In March of 2006, a few sites reported receiving a miniature CD disk via postal mail from the Hanso Foundation. On the disk, was a low resolution copy of a Dharma Procedure film for an unknown station referenced as The Goblet. In the film, a new character, Dr. Samantha Grey, instructs occupants of the Goblet Station on matters related to maintenance and aquatic research activities related to the station. Criticism of the film rested in the fact that it too closely mirrored the only other known Dharma film at the time, the original Swan Orientation film, and in the seemingly amateur level acting present in the film's only character. Under a heavy shadow of doubt, the film still gathered a lot of attention, and questions regarding its authenticity were hotly debated. Theories ranged from it being fan made, to it being part of some official alternate reality game that would explain it's weaknesses, to being a cut piece of some official production for the show itself. Most of this debate ended in early April, when the matter of the Goblet film was brought up and addressed on the official LOST Podcast with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Both denied ever seeing the film, or there being any official involvement in the creation of the Goblet Procedure video. So, where did it come from... and why?

I know it seems out of place to revisit such an old, forgotten... and largely irrelevant mystery of the expanded LOST zeitgeist, but I thought it might be fun to look back and to clear up the matter for those with whom the mystery still lingers. The Goblet Procedure Film was conceived, shot and edited by yours truly, Sledgeweb, in late January of 2006. The shoot took place in one night, in a conference room of a hospital using a simple lighting setup, and one camera. For the shoot itself, I was accompanied by my film production partner, and my wife - who was sadly coerced into playing the part of Samantha Grey (her forced mechanical delivery was an attempt to cover up her subtle southern accent, since many people knew I was from Kentucky - ironically, myself not having too much of an accent). It was altogether a very rushed project, so the concept behind the story of the film was put together quickly, and with little depth. After a couple months of editing and effects work, the film was distributed to several websites via mail - none of which had any involvement or insight into the film's production. It was meant to be a viral entity from there, which initially worked well - until it was so quickly debunked in the official podcast (thanks guys).

So, the obvious question many of you will ask while reading this, is... why? Why go through the efforts to create a fake Dharma film, then distribute it in secret, only to have it debunked and not address it until the final season? Hmmm, those are tough questions you ask. I'll try to explain as best I can.

As many of you know, I do some side work in independent film. It is actually the thing I most love doing, and wish I could do more of. In 2002, I had shot a very amateur level independent film called Beneath the Mask: Portrait of an American Ninja - which had way more success than anticipated - despite all of its faults. After that, my film partner and I did some television commercials and corporate videos to craft our production skills and gain more experience. This was successful, and we started planning for our next creative narrative film project (what we really longed to do) towards the last half of 2005. Unfortunately, that fell apart when my wife and I made plans to relocate from Lexington, Kentucky to the DC area in Maryland. We wouldn't have time to begin work on our next narrative film project, but my film buddy and I still wanted to do something creative with our experience before I left. Both being fans of the show, and the expanded universe contained in the alternate reality efforts the launched during the mid-season hiatus, we decided to create a fan tribute to the mythology of LOST. One thing we both appreciated about LOST and the ARG, was the blurring of lines between reality and fiction - and the continuous mystery of the show. In that tradition, we decided to release the film as a viral video and let it works its own way into that mystical and confusing world of all that is LOST. We realized that almost as big a part of the show itself was the fan interaction, theories, hoaxes and debate that ran all over the internet. Therein, we saw a unique opportunity to actually participate in being a part, as fans, of all those things that together become the unique totality experience of LOST. So, in one last creative project before I left (literally shot the day before I left town), my film partner and I quickly put together the concept, materials and script and began work on the Procedure Film. It was a last chance for us together to explore our passion for film making, and our love for the entire embodiment of the spirit of LOST. Admittedly, there was also a feeling of mischievous and mayhem that was a bit fun.

The concept behind the film was that a separate station exists, called The Goblet (using the constellation theory of station names that had emerged at the time - this being well before we knew of other station names), that was responsible for maintaining a containment field in a marine research zone. Having already been through an orientation film, this was to be a Procedure film geared to that tasks required of the Goblet inhabitants... with the idea, that this station was headed by a different representative of Dharma, Samantha Grey. Of course, at this point, we had only seen one Marvin Candle film, so it seemed likely that other films might feature a different spokesperson. The film warns about a breach in the containment field that could subject other personnel on the island to danger if test subjects were to escape. This was meant as a possible explanation for the Dharma Shark. In addition, the film references a secondary security system that forms a perimeter around the island to keep subjects from escaping should the containment field fail - it is strongly advised that because of this, personnel are not permitted to enter the water. This was meant as a possible explanation for the mysterious drowning of Joanna. Of course, warnings are also given against using the Dharmatel system for personal use, or to contact the outside world - due to a risk of a repeat of the "incident". A fun side production note, I originally planned for Samantha Grey (originally Emily Tesla) to wear an eye patch - which was to reference the glass eye found early in Season 2. However, when I mentioned this to my production partner, he laughed it off as being "too over-the-top - even for LOST". Of course, I had to chuckle when we finally met Patchy in the show later on.

So, now you know the story behind the mysterious Goblet Procedure Film. Mystery solved! I hope nobody is too sore about the whole thing. I did feel bad, because the possibility came up that I was behind the film early on - and AstroJones (one of the recipients of the film via mail) staunchly denied that I could have had anything to do with it. So, I sort of had to just let him go on that... and never told him about the film until a year ago or so. Fortunately, he has handled it well. Although, come to think of it, he isn't helping with the site this year at all. Hmmmm. Anyways, my apologies as well to the other recipients of the film. I hope having read this, everyone understands that whole thing was done in good humor, and in a true (if not unique) spirit of LOST fandom.

Full screenplay:

FADE IN:

Title screens for Dharma Initiative and Goblet Station

int. FACILITY

DR EMILY TESLA with the DHARMA INITIATIVE stands before the camera in a white lab coat marked with the GOBLET logo. She holds a pointer in her right hand, and wears a white patch over her left eye. Nearby, stands an easel with a map of an island and a black card also imprinted with the GOBLET logo. The environment is simple and sterile.

Greetings, I am Doctor Samantha Gray, and this is the procedure film for Station 5 of the Dharma Initiative. By now, you and your team should be familiar with the history and current operations of the project.

You are presently located in Station 5, also known as the Goblet, and will remain at this post for the next 675 days. Your team will be conducting tests and collecting data in support of the Dharma Initiative's aquatic research experiments.

Each morning, your team will be given a specific set of instructions through the microcomputer located within the Goblet station. These instructions will vary according to the experiment and data needs required for a particular test. It is vital that you follow the given instructions precisely, with no variance, in order to ensure the safety of your team and the success of the project.

You are restricted from using the computer for any purposes other than receiving instruction and submitting accumulated data. It is paramount that you do not attempt to use the computer to contact the outside world or personnel located within other stations. Doing so could disrupt protocols in place intended to prevent a repeat of the incident.

In addition to executing the instructions given to you each day, your team is responsible for maintaining the electrical containment field which confines test subjects within the marine research zone. It is recommended that your team alternate between maintenance and research duties on a weekly basis. It is most important that the containment field is not permitted to fail. A breach in the containment field would place other personnel on the island in grave danger. In order to prevent test subjects from escaping into open waters should a breach occur, a secondary security system has been installed in a perimeter around the island. Although your team will be required to enter the water in order to maintain the containment field, it is highly advised that you do not venture too far from shore due to the nature of the system.

Congratulations to you and your team, and thank your for your continued service to the Dharma Initiative. Namaste, and good luck.

:fade to black