Synopsis

Growing up in the upper middle class always came to Carl as a great bore. He had friends who weren’t so fortunate and their lives always seemed to intrigue him. Unlike Carl, they had to fight and work hard for everything. Nothing attracts Carl more than a good grind. The thrill of having to fight for what he wants always felt like a reward far more valuable than something handed to him. Maybe that’s why he can’t get enough of poker. 

A woman who didn't have it easy growing up. She always promised herself the finer things in life and worked very hard to get them. The fear of living in poverty both haunts and motivates Lisa's tireless ambition. Lisa lives for the thrill of closing a deal on a new piece for her gallery.  The thrill of watching her bank account grow, by the thousands.  To Lisa, there is no end to success. There is always another level to reach. 

Lisa met an equally ambitious man, Carl Jones. Soon after, they married. Everything was thriving, they were living in a budding upper-middle class neighborhood, with Lisa bringing in more of the money. Carl's new friend Jacob introduced him to the dark world of poker and Carl developed an addiction to high stakes gambling. At first, Lisa and Carl enjoyed the fruits of his winning spree until Carl's luck ran out and their luxurious lifestyle started to fade right before their eyes. Lisa had to act fast or everything would be gone. But Lisa may have gone too far because Carl is dead. Lisa is left behind, sinking in the deep dark abyss of guilt. Will she ever get out?

Jacob is a quick witted smooth man. Street smart with charisma. Knows how to talk his way in and out of anything. He has a true gift of persuasion. Jacob's one weakness: he can't seem to pass up a good deal. One that pulled him and his best friend Carl into a deep gambling addiction. Jacob managed to control his urges, but Carl got in too deep. Jacob blames himself for Carl's addiction. Jacob has recently discovered he has another weakness: Carl's wife, Lisa. He fears he may have gotten Lisa pregnant something he never meant to happen, but doesn't regret the undeniable bond they both share. 

After the death of his daughter Layla, Agent K developed an obsession with death and among other things…resurrection. His usual chipper, charming, better than ever personality has taken a dark flavor. He teeters along the lines of a quick witted comical jokester to a seeping sinister creep, revenge rotting his soul. 

One day after a mission his best agent, mysteriously drops dead and hours later resurrects himself. Fascinated, Agent K. began a secret investigation on that agent. Agent K performed countless inhuman experiments eventually resulting in the permanent death of the agent. Agent K went on a massive hunt for this particular rare gene. He found that it is a common mutating gene found in certain African American men descending from ancient tribes that predate North American colonization. He then found the only left man to still carry the gene, Carl Jones who just happens to be the reason for his daughter Layla’s death. 

Eureka Bauer was your average girl aspiring to be a dancer. She wasn't the best in her class, but certainly the most creative. Some people hated her for it. That all changed one day after dance class. Eureka was pushed by a jealous classmate into a nearby lake. On the way down, she hit her head on a rock. Eureka sank deep into the mysterious blue waters and didn’t come to surface until ten minutes later. When she did resurface, her eyes had changed to a bright coral blue and her hair a copper red shade. She leaped out of the water and rejoined her friends. Surprisingly she didn’t remember a thing. But Eureka had somehow gained a new ability to regenerate and heal herself. 

Years later, that same jealous friend and Eureka fought. Eureka healed instantly, but her friend did not. Eureka lost her dance scholarships and endorsements and her career went down overnight. The jealous friend’s parents threatened to expose Eureka’s strange ability to heal and regenerate. Eureka was facing serious jail time. One day after court, Agent K showed up and offered her immunity in exchange for her service in the CIA. 

Within a couple of months, Eureka had a new identity and a new life as Vivica Falcone. On the surface she had everything. Endless money, clothes, cars, all the things she would ever need. Vivica and Agent K had become very close; she was like a second daughter to him. However she secretly resented him for her contract and the binding clauses. They stated the following: Never fall in love, Never have close friends and Never reveal her true name. Vivica and Lisa have become good friends and Vivica wants to come clean to her new friend. Will Vivica breach contract? 

After years of countless missions and killings Melina met the love of her life, Agent Jack Roby. The only man immune to her electric currents. Together they had been planning to take out Agent K however he learned of their plans. Due to the binding clause in Melina’s contract which states that if she were to ever go rogue, any and everything she loved would be destroyed by her own hands. Agent K sent Melina on a mission to kill Roby. Something she has never really recovered from. But her vow remains the same. Agent K must die by her hands. But since she has met Carl, something in her has awakened. Something she can’t quite put her finger on…but what she does know is that this is her ticket out. Seeing the tracker in Carl’s chest set off a deeply visceral passion to annihilate Agent K. She can’t let Carl fall victim to Agent K’s madness. 

 Donald was recruited during his first year of Pre-Med when a crazed gunmen attacked the University during a football game. Donald took down the gunmen using a machine gun he made out of recycled metal. At the time Agent K ’s daughter was attending the University and on the cheerleading team when the attack occurred. Amazed, at Donald’s raw talent, Agent K managed to convince him to join the CIA. However, Donald was not so keen on joining having just killed another human being. The torment of taking another life weighed heavy on Donald for weeks. He couldn’t stomach what he had done, despite saving Layla(Agent K’s daughter) and the hundreds of others who attended the game. His life was never the same after that day. The only peace he managed to find, was through weapon design and manufacturing. He couldn’t drop the fascination with creating weapons that didn’t actually kill but only disabled humans. This fascination grew into a life long mission to preserve life and its many forms in which is comes. He changed to a vegan diet, started a garden and adopted many pets. Donald was just about to move to the countryside and build a house by a lake when he learned that someone had stolen the same machine gun he used to take down the gunmen and committed a murder. The thief claimed Donald had sold him the weapon, days prior. Donald was now facing serious time behind bars. In the knick of time, Agent K showed up for one last effort. Desperate, Donald agreed to join the CIA but only under one condition, he would never have to kill another human being. 

For the past five years, Banks has regretted working under Agent K’s supervision. His obsession with resurrection and countless torturous experiments has driven Banks to return to his original dream and escape the madness before it is too late.  

 Life was good until Alejandra’s daughter Layla turned 18, moved out and started dating Carl Jones, a reckless underground poker player. Alejandra saw less and less of Layla. The bond between Alejandra and Layla weakened. To top it off, Alejandra’s husband Agent K. also became distant, completely absorbed into some irate mission that he couldn’t disclose to her. Alejandra loved working as a doctor, but it kept her away from her husband. It was especially difficult when it came to the lonely nights when he wasn’t around. Alejandra took up a new hobby in martial arts training to let off some steam. One day Layla turns up missing. Then dead. That dreadful day started to rot her heart. Alejandra doesn’t blame Carl as she warned Layla about the dark world of gambling, but she does blame Agent K. for not protecting Layla like he should have. For that, it’s hard to forgive him. 

Born in Paterson, NJ, I always knew I wanted to work in the arts. During my early years, while attending The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, a lifelong struggle was awakened. I was constantly reminded of my ethnic background and worried about this being the basis of my acting career. My last semester scene study class was purposely arranged so that the majority of the students were African-American. I was told this was a strategic plan to give a taste of what students would experience post-graduation in the real world. This left an unsettling feeling in my heart. I thought, “Isn’t acting about portraying the truth in the human experience? Why should my entire career be centered around my race?” After confronting the department, I was told "If you don't like the roles we give you, then write your own". It was then that I was motivated to study screenwriting. In 2020, I earned an MFA in Screenwriting from David Lynch Screenwriting program in Fairfield, IA. During my time in Fairfield, I discovered that I was not just a screenwriter, but also a director. I wasn't just satisfied with just writing a script. I would dream about the shots I wanted to get and the production process.  I decided to establish my own production company, Monae Productions. And so, that was the beginning of BLUFF. I told myself, that if I can complete a short, then I am a real director. BLUFF the short was shot in 2021, it had a small premiere in the local theater in Fairfield, IA. Afterwards there was a Q&A, to which one of the viewers asked, "Is there more?". I thought, "Carl is dead, what do you mean more?" Little did I know, that would be the beginning of BLUFF the series. 

Ruben Grafe is a filmmaker from Houston, TX who has worked in the documentary space in Austin for three years with the mission of telling raw impactful stories on the streets in the Austin Metro. He has worked with multiple companies producing projects for businesses as well as collaborative short-form documentaries with MyPoint.TV.

In Boston, he has worked on multiple short-form creative projects including a superhero web series set to be announced next year. Now he works hands-on with producers in New York helping in the pre-production process which is what he loves aside from documentary work.

Jonathan Bain am a 24-year-old DP and music video director based in the greater New Jersey/NYC area. Taking the untraditional route, I fell in love with photography back in HS just from finding an old Canon T3 in my house. My passion for film can go even further back to the countless hours of movies I would watch with my dad growing up. I went to college as a criminal justice major and realized I greatly loved creating films. I mainly became music videos, working with clients like Dreamdoll, G4 Boyz, JI the Prince, Niki Minaj, Meek Mill, Ne-Yo, and many more. 

Working on many different productions as a Camera Operator and occasional Key Grip jobs, I soon realized my main love is for the building blocks of what makes an image. The lighting, the units used, the lens choices, everything that comes down to the final product of what people see on screen and how they feel connected to it. I've had the pleasure of DP projects such as multiple award-winning Butterfly Effect, CBS Sports mini-docs for black history month, sections for One Championship, and a recent spot for a 50 Years of Hip Hop ad.

I love to pull inspiration from other artists, paintings, and random life encounters, and mix them with a surreal style that leaves the audience to interpret the final message.This most recent upcoming project with Desiree is my favorite to date. Her unique concepts and amazing story telling will be something amazing and I feel the need to push myself to tell her story in the best way possible.