Video by: DarkHeartProductions
Video Description:
-YouTube Awards 2007 - Top Six Finalist, Best Short Film
-WINNER: Fitzroy Short Film Festival (Melb, Aus)
-WINNER: DearCinemaFest Short Film Festival (Int.)
and more...
Mr Roberts finds himself awoken inexplicably in a white room. A man sits before him at a desk and in between them stands a black button. If Mr Roberts pushes it, he will receive a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. Or he can take the key to the door and leave penniless. The catch? Pushing the button will result in the death of a human being. What would you do?
EDIT 1: Some people have observed a similarity in the premise of this film and an revival episode of The Twilight Zone in 1986. Please note (1) We had never seen the episode and only learned of it long after we'd finished the film. (2) The Twilight Zone weren't the first to do it. There was a short story before that, which was in turn based on an old premise called the 'Faustian Bargain', around since the 16th century (deal with the 'devil'). An almost identical premise exists in several cultures. Richard Kelly is even making a film with this premise called 'The Box'. (3) Our film is similar in premise, but different in plot, characters, dialogue, aesthetics, setting, moral meaning, religious undertone, twist etc. Each version, including ours, aims to bring something new to an old idea. Please have the respect to not accuse us of plagiarism.
Additionally, we have no particular religious affiliation; this is a fictional work and its ideas are designed to encourage thought and debate, not comment on any particular theology.
Our first professional short film. We made it for $200 and shot it on the stage of our old school in Melbourne, Australia. Fortunately, professional actor Robert Grubb agreed to act in it for free after reading the script. This film took nearly a year to put together, working on it in stages and creating the 'white' effect on a home PC. Please note that the younger actor, unlike his father Robert Grubb, has no formal acting training whatsoever.
The Making of "Black Button" is now on YouTube.
Two of our other shorts have been released on YouTube, 'Campsite' and 'The Window'. Click on our profile if you'd like to see them and subscribe for updates on new films. Thanks!

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Tags: black button crandles dark drama faust film grubb heart intense productions short  black button short film See more videos uploaded by DarkHeartProductions

Comments for this video on YouTube

Array ( 15 hours ago by thelastdragonite)

Nasty... :P But I think you did good thing... This kind of girl is not women which I would like to spend rest of my life with... btw. of course you didn't cheated on your taxes? :P

This was such bull. ... ( 14 hours ago by Edengoth)

This was such bull. Using a fear of hell to make people act a certain way. Assuming human life is worth protecting. Human life is pointless. We can give it whatever pretty meaning we want, but we are just a tiny piece of something more, and each person, each speck, returns to the ground after death. The soul is to make people feel special. Humans are not special.

thats was freakin ... ( 14 hours ago by metacognition13)

thats was freakin AWESOME! what more can i say?

ur an idiot, haha ( 14 hours ago by mariaisat)

ur an idiot, haha

what if the deal ... ( 11 hours ago by donotfeedthetroll)

what if the deal was world peace for one person dead? what if it cured all diseases, what if it eliminated poverty and all the suffering around the world? what if it eliminated racism and religious hatred? would you push it?

i think yes.. ( 9 hours ago by ElcurionExodus)

i think yes..

soooo good :) ( 9 hours ago by itsevcha)

soooo good :)

thelastdragonite, ... ( 9 hours ago by mynameisthomasveil)

thelastdragonite, that's right, I didn't cheat. Interestingly, many people were willing to kill others during the Cultural Revolution in China because they thought it was for the good of the country. And yes, some just did it for material gain. I think if the goal is to save others that is noble, but the only life you can only really choose to sacrifice in good conscience is your own. ChadAndSam, interesting point. Maybe it was a test for me all along, not one for her.

I wouldn't even ... ( 9 hours ago by JamesWorldStudios)

I wouldn't even take the suit case if it were $1 billion dollars, I don't need money to have fun... People only think about money, or fame. It's kinda lame.

no, because people ... ( 9 hours ago by JamesWorldStudios)

no, because people will never change.

Edengoth, while I ... ( 7 hours ago by lawsonbutcher)

Edengoth, while I agree with you in that I don't like using fear to make people act a certain way, I do think life is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. How can you say you are not special? How can you say that every day in life is not a beautiful gift for us to enjoy? You must feel insignificant as a person because thats what you project to the world (i.e. we're "specks", not special); You're a very special person and until you realize that you will be just a speck. Wake up.

... Goth. ( 7 hours ago by Montanaboyeli)

... Goth.

Yes,for that I ... ( 7 hours ago by Iken69)

Yes,for that I would be even willing to die myself

Forgot what the ... ( 7 hours ago by Spuddfluff)

Forgot what the name of a test was but this scientist dude asked strangers with no knowledge of what the experiment was and told them to ask someone questions and every time that person got a question wrong they had to give the person an electric shock and increase the voltage, the shocker was given the choice to leave but was encouraged to keep shocking, the experiment was repeated by many people in many places and less than 1% stopped the shocking so far, so don't kid yourself about morals.

This is a new ... ( 6 hours ago by ilovewii29)

This is a new glitch, released several hours ago! Simply post this message onto 10 Other videos, and log onto CP Within 120 Seconds. If done correctly, you should have over 100,000,000 Coins, AND Membership! It really works! I did it, and I was amazed that this actually worked! Try it yourself!

In this type of ... ( 6 hours ago by malachiparker1985)

In this type of situation, the end never justifies the means. World peace, all disease cured, no more poverty or suffering, no racism or religious hatred, all for the price of one single life. I wonder, if the life that was taken was from a family member, would you push the button? If all those wonderful things were accomplished by simply murdering one person maybe an old man, a mother of two, or even a child, would you push the button?

In the end we are ... ( 5 hours ago by 0nly0neWay)

In the end we are all dead because all humans have committed sin. It is not just killing another human being, it is resisting and avoiding God's want for a relationship with us. We can't earn our way to salvation by not pressing the black button for we have all pressed the black button of sin on our own lives. Only Jesus Christ can erase our death, reuniting our relationship with God. It is not by works we have been saved but through faith in Jesus Christ.

wow ( 5 hours ago by mypatronusisanotter)

wow

Wow is right ( 5 hours ago by namestook)

Wow is right

Oh, I am a happy ... ( 5 hours ago by Edengoth)

Oh, I am a happy person. I live what I do have while I can. I just mean the *preservation* of human life isn't a very good goal. People are horrible no matter how good things get, and we've trashed the earth. Just the idea that life is SOOOO precious and important is folly. In many parts of the world, people don't live to see adulthood. Life, by virtue of it being life, dies. I think it's worth a lot less than 10 million.

We are all going to ... ( 3 hours ago by Yuns36)

We are all going to die, just face it. Stop arguing about that xD

Yeah, you can ... ( 3 hours ago by xLightFilmsx)

Yeah, you can definitely tell the young man doesn't know how to act. But the old dude is awesome.

nice job ( 3 hours ago by CMxPROD)

nice job

well done ( 2 hours ago by leaherss)

well done