The Ledger: The pilot episode is the first step in the creation of a large-scale science fiction series, in which Cardano’s blockchain technology plays a key role. In the universe of the series, humanity discovers an alien device on Mars — a node of an interstellar decentralized registry that stores the history of long-lost civilizations. This device transmits information using the blockchain principle and marks the beginning of the first contact between humans and cosmic intelligence. The project aims to position Cardano at the heart of a global cultural phenomenon through storytelling that connects real-world technology with a cosmic scale. The pilot episode will be filmed with a highly skilled crew and will serve as the foundation for future series expansion, NFT collections, interactive experiences, and community building across the Cardano ecosystem. This is not just a TV show – it is a strategic investment in the cultural perception of blockchain, where Cardano is presented as a backbone of interstellar truth, transparency, and synchronization. Through the premiere episode of The Ledger, we’re not merely crafting a narrative—we’re envisioning a future where blockchain technology and decentralization fundamentally transform human progress and reshape the history of an entire galaxy.

No major TV series or film has integrated blockchain as a central theme, leaving a gap in media that could inspire and demystify this transformative technology. Current sci-fi often ignores blockchain’s potential to reshape history and power structures, limiting Cardano’s mainstream visibility. "The Ledger," a pilot episode, "Red Silence," fills this void by depicting a Galactic Ledger discovery on Mars, mirroring Cardano’s decentralized ethos. Funding this 90-minute sci-fi pilot positions Cardano as a media pioneer, delivering the first community-funded, blockchain-themed series. This project amplifies blockchain awareness, engages global audiences, and risks being lost to centralized studios without Cardano’s support. By leveraging its treasury, Cardano can redefine entertainment and cement its innovative legacy.

The project " The Ledger” promotes the perception of Blockchain as a cultural engine that connects it with art and human values. Through an emotional and visually impactful film presenting themes such as decentralization, identity and trust, the project will engage new audiences – artists, thinkers and the general public, outside the traditional crypto and tech community. This broadens access to Cardano, increases its recognition and stimulates cultural conversations related to its mission.

Project Milestones: "Red Silence" Pilot Episode

Overview The milestone schedule for the 90-minute pilot episode Red Silence of The Ledger outlines key phases—pre-milestone, pre-production, filming, and post-production—spanning approximately 12 months after a 3-6 month pre-milestone phase. This ensures high-quality execution of the $3,580,000 (7,160,000 ADA) project with responsible resource management.

Pre-Milestone

Research of World-Class Subcontractor Studio

• Research to select a world-class subcontractor studio to execute the project.
• Duration: 3-6 months

Milestone 1: Pre-Production and Script Development

Details

• Description: Development of the overall script of the pilot episode, casting, locations, development of technical and visual style, storyboards.
• Duration: 3-4 months
• Result: Completed script, conceptual designs, ready crew, and preparatory materials for shooting.

Milestone 2: Filming and Production

Details

• Description: Filming the pilot episode – exterior and studio scenes, CGI green screen filming, filming dialogue and key visual effects.
• Duration: 3 months
• Result: Raw video and audio material, satellite visualizations, base for VFX and editing.

Milestone 3: Post-Production and Effects

Details

• Description: Video and audio editing, visual effects (VFX) creation, color correction, music, final sound design and subtitling, preparation of marketing materials and contracts, publication, promotion, and final financial report.
• Duration: 4 months
• Result: Ready-to-broadcast pilot episode (about 90 min), trailer, teasers, and NFT concepts for the community.

Justification

Rationale This schedule provides a clear division of key phases, allowing for effective management of time and resources to implement The Ledger with high quality and responsible spending of funds.

Cost Breakdown: "Red Silence" Pilot Episode

Overview The 90-minute pilot episode Red Silence of The Ledger is a feature-length sci-fi production launching a blockchain-themed series depicting humanity’s discovery of a Galactic Ledger node on Mars. This cost breakdown itemizes expenses for subcontractor-led production and core team oversight over a 12-month project timeline, beginning when funded and spanning Month 1 to Month 12. The subcontractor, a world-class movie studio, will execute pre-production, principal photography, and post-production, while the four-person core team—Martin Marinov, Liliya Atanasova, Lazar Sapundzhiev, and Georgi Dimitrov—provides creative oversight, subcontractor coordination, budget management, casting, and Cardano community engagement. Costs are estimated in USD, based on industry standards for a VFX-heavy, 90-minute pilot, with a total budget request of $3,580,000 (7,160,000 ADA at $0.50 USD), including a 10% contingency. Core team costs are separated to reflect their distinct role in strategic management, leveraging their movie production knowledge while relying on the subcontractor for execution.

1. Subcontractor Production Costs ($2,500,000)

Total: 5,000,000 ADA

a. Pre-Production ($450,000, Months 1–3)

• Script Development ($50,000): Writers’ fees for finalizing the 90-minute script, with core team input (Marinov, Atanasova) to ensure blockchain themes.
  • Justification: Critical for narrative clarity and franchise alignment.
  • Breakdown: 2 writers at $25,000 each for 3 months.
• Casting ($60,000): Casting director fees, guided by the core team (Dimitrov) to select four leads and supporting roles.
  • Justification: Strong talent drives series potential.
  • Breakdown: Casting director ($40,000), auditions/travel ($20,000).
• Production Planning ($100,000): Producer, line producer, and production manager salaries, coordinated with the core team (Atanasova).
  • Justification: Ensures efficient subcontractor execution.
  • Breakdown: Producer ($50,000), line producer ($30,000), production manager ($20,000).
• Pre-Visualization and Storyboarding ($40,000): Artists for storyboards/animatics, approved by core team (Marinov).
  • Justification: Reduces reshoots for VFX-heavy scenes.
  • Breakdown: 2 artists at $20,000 each for 2 months.
• Studio and Location Scouting ($50,000): Fees to secure a soundstage and desert locations, overseen by the core team.
  • Justification: Essential for Martian authenticity.
  • Breakdown: Scout team ($30,000), travel/permit fees ($20,000).
• Concept Art and Design ($50,000): Designs for cave, spacecraft, and node, approved by core team (Marinov).
  • Justification: Guides set and VFX coherence.
  • Breakdown: 3 artists at $16,667 each for 2 months.
• Legal and Insurance ($100,000): Insurance and legal fees for contracts and permits.
  • Justification: Mitigates production risks.
  • Breakdown: Insurance ($70,000), legal services ($30,000).

b. Principal Photography ($1,050,000, Months 4–5)

• Cast Salaries ($300,000): Fees for four leads and supporting cast for a 4-week shoot.
  • Justification: Attracts series-caliber talent.
  • Breakdown: 4 leads at $60,000 each ($240,000), supporting cast ($60,000).
• Crew Salaries ($350,000): Director, cinematographer, production designer, VFX supervisor, and support crew.
  • Justification: Ensures high sci-fi production values.
  • Breakdown: Director ($100,000), cinematographer ($70,000), production designer ($50,000), VFX supervisor ($50,000), others ($80,000).
• Equipment Rentals ($150,000): Cameras (e.g., ARRI Alexa), lighting, and sound gear.
  • Justification: Delivers cinematic Martian visuals.
  • Breakdown: Cameras ($70,000), lighting ($50,000), sound ($30,000).
• Set Construction and Props ($150,000): Martian cave, Ares One interior, and props (e.g., node, suits).
  • Justification: Immersive sets enhance realism.
  • Breakdown: Cave set ($80,000), spacecraft interior ($40,000), props ($30,000).
• Location Fees and Logistics ($50,000): Studio and desert location costs.
  • Justification: Balances practical and studio shooting.
  • Breakdown: Studio rental ($30,000), location fees ($20,000).
• Wardrobe and Makeup ($50,000): Space suits and makeup for cast.
  • Justification: Enhances character authenticity.
  • Breakdown: Wardrobe ($30,000), makeup ($20,000).

c. Post-Production ($750,000, Months 6–10)

• Editing ($100,000): Editors and suites for a 5-month phase.
  • Justification: Ensures pacing for 90-minute runtime.
  • Breakdown: 2 editors at $50,000 each for 5 months.
• Visual Effects (VFX) ($400,000): VFX for Martian landscapes, cave, and node, approved by core team.
  • Justification: Critical for sci-fi credibility.
  • Breakdown: VFX studio contract ($350,000), rendering ($50,000).
• Sound Design and Mixing ($100,000): Sound effects and Dolby Atmos mixing.
  • Justification: Immersive audio enhances experience.
  • Breakdown: Sound design ($60,000), mixing ($40,000).
• Music Composition ($50,000): Score for sci-fi tension and emotion.
  • Justification: Elevates emotional stakes.
  • Breakdown: Composer ($40,000), recording ($10,000).
• Color Grading and Mastering ($50,000): Final polish for broadcast standards.
  • Justification: Ensures network-ready quality.
  • Breakdown: Colorist ($30,000), mastering ($20,000).

d. Additional Costs ($200,000, Months 11–12)

• Marketing and Promotion ($100,000): Teaser trailer, pitch deck, and promo materials, coordinated by core team (Atanasova).
  • Justification: Drives network and community interest.
  • Breakdown: Trailer ($60,000), pitch deck ($20,000), assets ($20,000).
• Distribution Consultant ($50,000): Manages network pitches, guided by core team.
  • Justification: Increases series pickup chances.
  • Breakdown: Consultant fee ($50,000 for 3 months).
• Subcontractor Management Fee ($50,000): Studio’s overhead for coordination.
  • Justification: Covers subcontractor administrative costs.
  • Breakdown: Flat fee ($50,000).

2. Core Team Oversight ($600,000, Months 1–12)

Total: 1,200,000 ADA

Core Team Salaries ($480,000) Compensation for the four-person core team (Martin Marinov, Liliya Atanasova, Lazar Sapundzhiev, Georgi Dimitrov) for a 12-month period, overseeing subcontractor activities, maintaining creative vision, and engaging with Cardano stakeholders. Responsibilities include:

• Martin Marinov (Creator/Lead Visionary): Guides story/script to align with blockchain philosophy (Galactic Ledger), approves creative decisions (e.g., VFX, sets), engages Cardano community via updates and events.
• Liliya Atanasova (Production Organizer/Co-Screenwriter): Coordinates core team and subcontractor communication, manages logistics (e.g., studio visits), co-writes script for emotional depth.
• Lazar Sapundzhiev (Accountant/Logistics Associate): Prepares and tracks budget, ensures financial transparency for Cardano, supports administrative tasks and franchise concept development.
• Georgi Dimitrov (Casting Director): Oversees casting to select international talent, contributes to franchise concept, ensures performers match creative vision.
• Justification: The core team’s expertise in movie production concepts and blockchain philosophy ensures the pilot reflects the franchise’s vision and Cardano’s goals, despite limited hands-on experience. Their oversight is critical for subcontractor alignment, community engagement, and series planning over 12 months.
• Breakdown: 4 members at $120,000 each for 12 months (20 hours/week at ~$96/hour, reflecting consultant/executive producer rates for knowledgeable but non-execution roles).

Travel and Meetings ($80,000) Travel for studio visits, Cardano events, and network pitches, plus virtual collaboration tools (e.g., Zoom, project management software).

• Justification: Enables hands-on oversight, community engagement, and pitching across 12 months.
• Breakdown: Travel ($60,000), tools/subscriptions ($20,000).

Administrative Support ($40,000) Legal and accounting support for core team contracts, Cardano reporting, and franchise IP management (e.g., protecting Galactic Ledger concept).

• Justification: Ensures compliance and safeguards franchise potential.
• Breakdown: Legal ($25,000), accounting ($15,000).

3. Contingency (10%) ($310,000, Months 1–12)

Total: 620,000 ADA

Reserve Covers unforeseen expenses (e.g., reshoots, VFX overruns, delays, or core team travel extensions).

• Justification: Mitigates risks in a 90-minute, VFX-heavy production with subcontractor coordination over 12 months.
• Breakdown: 10% of subtotal ($2,500,000 subcontractor + $600,000 core team = $3,100,000).

Total Budget Request: $3,580,000 (7,160,000 ADA)

Summary

• Subcontractor Production Costs: $2,500,000 (5,000,000 ADA)
  • Pre-Production (Months 1–3): $450,000 (900,000 ADA)
  • Principal Photography (Months 4–5): $1,050,000 (2,100,000 ADA)
  • Post-Production (Months 6–10): $750,000 (1,500,000 ADA)
  • Additional Costs (Months 11–12): $200,000 (400,000 ADA)
• Core Team Oversight (Months 1–12): $600,000 (1,200,000 ADA)
• Contingency (Months 1–12): $310,000 (620,000 ADA)

Justification

The $3.58M (7,160,000 ADA) budget supports a 90-minute, VFX-driven pilot that delivers cinematic quality, scientific realism, and blockchain-themed storytelling, positioning Red Silence as a network-ready product and the first decentralized-funded series. The core team’s $600,000 over 12 months ensures strategic oversight, leveraging their movie production knowledge to align the subcontractor’s work with the franchise’s vision and Cardano’s innovation goals. Costs are optimized, with community-driven promotion reducing post-production expenses, and the budget reflects the 12-month timeline driven by funding approval. Note: ADA amounts are based on 1 ADA = $0.50 USD and may be adjusted at funding to maintain USD equivalence due to price volatility.

Project Schedule: "Red Silence" Pilot Episode (~12 Months)

Overview The project schedule outlines the 12-month timeline (Month 1 to Month 12) for delivering the 90-minute pilot episode Red Silence of The Ledger, starting after the pre-milestone phase. It details team sizes and durations for key phases—pre-production, principal photography, post-production, and marketing/knowledge base—ensuring efficient resource use for the $3,580,000 (7,160,000 ADA) budget.

Total Team Size and Duration

Team Size

• Core Team: 4 members (part-time, 20 hours/week for 12 months), with 1-2 members active per deliverable in later stages.
• Subcontractor Crew: ~50 peak (Months 4–5), averaging ~15-20 across 12 months, scaling to ~5-8 for promotional tasks and ~1-2 for knowledge base.
• Total: ~54 peak, ~20 average, ensuring efficient resource use.

Duration

• Overall: 12 months (Month 1 to Month 12)
  • Pre-production: Months 1–3 (core team + ~15-20 crew).
  • Principal photography: Months 4–5 (core team + ~40-50 crew).
  • Post-production: Months 6–10 (core team + ~10-15 crew).
  • Marketing/knowledge base: Months 11–12 (core team + ~5-8 crew).

Justification The 12-month timeline balances the 90-minute pilot’s complexity with efficient crew scaling, leveraging a small core team for oversight and a subcontractor for execution. The team size aligns with industry standards for sci-fi pilots, optimized to deliver a $3.58M project with maximum impact.

Our Core Project Team has sufficient knowledge and moderate experience in filmmaking, which is more than enough to supervise the Project and follow the production process by constantly engaging with the Movie Studio specialists to assure alignment with the initial concept and the end goal of the Project. A team assigned from the sub-contractor with experience in cinema, screenwriting and visual arts will implement the project in stages - from script and filming to post-production and distribution.

Maintenance Plan: "Red Silence" Pilot Episode

Overview The maintenance plan for the 90-minute pilot episode Red Silence of The Ledger outlines responsible parties, costs, funding strategies, and sustainability rationale to ensure ongoing impact post-production. This plan supports the $3,580,000 (7,160,000 ADA) project’s legacy as the first community-funded, blockchain-themed TV series, leveraging Cardano’s decentralized ethos.

Responsible Parties

Production Company

• Oversees distribution, marketing, and knowledge base updates, with a designated project manager and marketing lead.

Distribution Consultant

• Manages network pitches and industry outreach.

Cardano Community/Intersect MBO/Cardano.marketing

• Drives decentralized promotion, hosts digital assets, and supports governance-driven follow-ups.

Key Contact

• Martin Marinov and the Core Team, responsible for coordinating maintenance efforts and reporting to Cardano stakeholders.

Maintenance Costs

Aggregate Cost

• $16,800 over 2-3 years ($13,000 for pilot, $2,600 for trailer, $1,200 for knowledge base).

Funding Strategy

Cost Offsets

• Licensing or co-production deals from networks/streamers post-pitch.
• Residuals from the initial Cardano budget (e.g., contingency funds).
• Cardano community micro-grants or NFT-based crowdfunding for minimal expenses (e.g., hosting, updates).
• Community-driven promotion, which incurs no direct costs.

Sustainability Rationale

Long-Term Impact The pilot episode Red Silence is designed as a self-contained pilot with minimal maintenance needs, as its primary goal is to secure a series order, after which industry funding will sustain further development. The Cardano community’s decentralized support ensures ongoing visibility and engagement at negligible cost, leveraging platforms and governance structures already in place. By integrating blockchain-based promotion (e.g., NFTs) and open-source knowledge sharing, the pilot’s results align with Cardano’s ethos of decentralization, fostering a lasting legacy as the first community-funded, blockchain-themed TV series. This approach minimizes financial dependence while maximizing impact, ensuring The Ledger remains a catalyst for cultural and technological innovation.

This is yet to happen😉

💸Funding:
Secured budget approval from Cardano/Intersect MBO and timely fund disbursements to cover production costs (e.g., cast, VFX, sets).

📝Script and Creative Vision:
A finalized, polished script for "Red Silence" that balances character-driven storytelling, Mars exploration, and blockchain themes, with alignment among director and producers on tone and style.

🎭Talent and Crew:
Cast for main characters and an experienced crew (director, cinematographer, VFX supervisor, production designer) to deliver a high-quality sci-fi pilot.

🎥Equipment and VFX:
High-end cameras, lighting, and sound gear for filming, plus a robust VFX pipeline to create realistic Martian landscapes, cave interiors, and the alien Galactic Ledger node.

🏜️Locations and Sets:
Access to a soundstage or location for the Martian cave and plains, plus materials for constructing sci-fi props (e.g., space suits, alien node).

🎬Post-Production:
Editing suites, sound design, and a composer for a score to ensure a polished final product, with sufficient time for VFX integration.

⚖️Legal and Regulatory:
Filming permits, production insurance, and contracts for cast, crew, and intellectual property (e.g., SpaceX references) to avoid legal delays.

👨‍💻Cardano-Specific Requirements:
Community approval of the budget proposal and script alignment with blockchain themes (decentralization via the Galactic Ledger) to satisfy funders.

📆Production Timeline:
A coordinated schedule aligning cast, crew, locations, and post-production to meet deadlines for delivery or network pitches.

📢Marketing and Distribution:
A teaser trailer and pitch deck for promotion, plus a strategy to pitch the pilot to networks or showcase it within Cardano’s ecosystem.