I just now thought of the idea. But I am going to make a space opera. The only detail I have decided for the movie is the face that it will revolve around a large artifact in space slowly making it's way to a colony.
I just now thought of the idea. But I am going to make a space opera. The only detail I have decided for the movie is the face that it will revolve around a large artifact in space slowly making it's way to a colony.
How about actually reading some serious sci-fi? Asimov, Herbert, Vonnegut, Harrison, Wells, Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, McCaffrey, Niven, Card, Sagan - and that's a small sampling of my favorites.
I think exactly that subject was addressed in MULTIPLICITY.As always in filmmaking, never make a copy of a copy.
I have completed a short sci fi story, that could be expanded to feature length.
But it does not fit your conditions. It takes place in a contemporaneous setting on earth; nor is the central theme an artifact.
Your idea of an artifact seems similar to the meteorite-hurtling-toward-earth idea. Earthlings must scramble to save the planet. The rate of its approach would inform the main clock.
My story was necessitated by a social perspective that could only have been demonstrated by a non-human sentient being, which necessarily implies sci fi. The core idea dictated the genre, and the plot was a by-product of this.
If you want to see an example of budget sci fi done by a master, I recommend Solaris, by Tarkovsky, the Russian version.
What social perspective could only be demonstrated by non-human sentient beings?
No one? C'mon folks, help a guy out.
What is a space opera?
Star Wars was a space opera, just like westerns are/were called horse operas.