Still only twenty at the time, he wrote the film's script in six months. Before working on "Begotten", he had previously made several short films such as "Implosion" (1983), "Spring Rain" (1984), and "A Taste of Youth" (1985). These were well-received, and gave the director the experience and insight he needed while working on "Begotten". Merhige developed the film's script with members of Theatreofmaterial, who worked as both cast and crew during production. They decided that the film should be silent and that they would strive to evoke what the director called "emotions on the fringes", which they felt were avoided by most directors and artists. In preparation for writing the script, Merhige and members from Theatreofmaterial performed intense, ritualistic breathing exercises as a group. As Merhige explained, "We would breathe to the point of hysteria and create these moments of panic. Afterwards, we would analyze what the experience was all about. It was an intimate science." He brought portions of the script to the cast members and began a process of rehearsals followed by group discussion and reflection on the material as it took shape. Over a period of four-and-a-half months, the group gradually translated the script's abstract ideas into more concrete, enactable scenes, though Merhige emphasized that the rehearsals were focused on group cohesion rather than precise choreography. Merhige later revealed to "UltraCulture" host Jason Louv that he strove to imbue the film with the same ritualistic and tribal aspects associated with alchemical and hermetic traditions. To that end he worked closely with the film's cast, experimenting with various techniques such as hypnosis and meditation in order to help the cast achieve a mental state of what he called "universal stream" rather than having the actors simply mimic those aspects.