Production Notes: A New Perspective

07 December

Written by Lauren Saccone

It’s easy to lose track of things. People, obligations, dreams… they can slip away if you don’t keep an eye on them, and work to keep them in your life. In between working on promoting Dostoyevsky Reimagined: The Making Of Notes From The New World and investigating the disappearance of our screenwriter Robert Hurley, I lost my focus.

That’s not to say I stopped working or researching; far from it. But I became so fixated on the strange and supernatural aspects of the story (Hurley’s strange vanishing act, the reports on the cult he was involved with, and all those dark omens) that I neglected some of the more comprehensive and realistic theories floating around. Thank goodness for Tomasz. His research into the mystery surrounding Hurley and what really happened behind the scenes of Notes From The New World has been indispensable, and could be the key we’ve been looking for all along.

In a word, I was so caught up in look for some sinister supernatural answer to the mystery that I neglected an obvious angle: human nature. Tomasz’ theories have shed light into darkened corners of this strange story, and brought the whole team firmly back to reality.

While I was pursuing rumors about the cult (not to mention dealing with some truly unsettling emails from a person (or persons) claiming to be Robert Hurley himself), Tomasz took it upon himself to analyze the footage and notes taken during production. He pored over reports and meticulously went over every minute of the video production journals.

Tomasz’ results are insightful to say the least, and exhaustively break down all the journals recorded during production. In order to give you the full scope of his work, I’ll be going through each journal in turn. This way everyone following this story will be able to understand Tomasz’ conclusions.

But in a nutshell, Tomasz is dubious about the whole ‘occult’ theory. He thinks the real perpetrator of the crime was the Russian mafia. What it all comes down it, as far as he’s concerned, is money: Hurley was involved with Natalia, an enigmatic and troubled prostitute. Eager to get out of the life she had fallen into and seeing a way out via Robert Hurley’s love for her, Natalia did a foolish thing: stole money from the mafia boss.

Video Journal #4
(extract)

Video journal #4
(Julia is confronted)

Video Journal #4
Vitaly confronts Julia

Natalia should have guessed that her decision would end badly; Tomasz believes that when she took that money, she sealed her fate — and Hurley’s as well. Both were killed by the mafia, as punishment for their crime and a warning to all those who might try to take from the Russian mob.

But the criminals had not counted on Hurley’ film. The movie wasn’t yet finished, and people would come looking for the finished script and its erstwhile screenwriter. That’s when, according to Tomasz, a great idea emerged: the Russian mafia looked through Hurley’s notes in his apartment, and discovered his fascination with the ominous cult. Here, they had found the perfect patsy for their crimes.

VM Productions’ staff is about to enter Robert Hurley’s studio.

VMP’s Josh was bitten by the thugs (hired by the Mob?)

Moving quickly, the group ransacked Hurley’s apartment and setting the stage for an elaborate scheme. It was in their best interests if the film crew believed Hurley and Natalia were alive and hiding from the cult, rather than the victims of organized crime. With this in mind, they left behind only those pieces of evidence that would push the theory of the cult’s sinister plans. With the murders effectively wiped away amid confusion and intrigue, the Russian mafia could continue the charade that Hurley was simply in hiding instead of buried in an unmarked grave.

What does this mean? That Hurley’s entire disappearance has been an elaborate ruse, that the clues were planted to throw people off of the real story, and that I (and a lot of other people) have been chasing ghosts all along.

Tomasz presents some compelling evidence, which I will break down video by video in future blogs. But I’m not sure I’m totally convinced. It makes sense, and part of me would love to believe the answer has finally been discovered. But another part of me can’t help but wonder; there are so many strange events and coincidences surrounding Hurley’s disappearance. So I’ll look into Tomasz’ interpretation of the events… but I’m still keeping my mind (and eyes) open.

And as always, if you know anything about Robert Hurley’s disappearance, please get in touch.