Embedded Files
Synopsis
Synopsis
A woman inherits a house with a bad past and believes it to be haunted. She tries to sell it but is unable to, so hires three men to come in and eat the ghosts. A man then kills the women and turns her into a ghost to repopulate the house for business.
The film opens with a woman at her wits end living in a haunted house she previously inherited. After putting up with the chaos for long enough she wants to take action, introducing her to the depths within the world of the paranormal. Unaware she is being targeted, a company reaches out offering to clear the ghost issue in which there’s a catch: the company needs to stay in business.
Script Breakdown
Script Breakdown
Themes:
Trust
Life
Death
Conflict:
After 'cleaning out the ghosts' the house needs new ghosts so that the men don't go out of business.
Resolution:
Jacob kills Michelle in order to re-seed the house with new ghosts and keeps himself and the three men in business.
Initial Script
Initial Script
SCRIPT
FADE IN:
INT. OFFICE - EVENING
The office is a dark and gloomy place. The desk is old, wooden, and covered with occult and satanic bric-a-brac.
JACOB leans back in his chair.
JACOB
I want to set the record straight.
My associates and I, we don’t do
exorcisms. We don’t penetrate the
veil of the unknown to contact the
spirits of the past. We just eat
ghosts.
Across the table MICHELLE nods.
MICHELLE
I think that’s what I need.
Michelle pulls out a manila folder and begins to spread out
the contents on the desk in front of Jacob.
MICHELLE (CONT’D)
I inherited a house.
Jacob reaches into the pile and pulls out a photo of the
house. It is old and creepy-looking.
JACOB
And you think it’s haunted?
MICHELLE
I’ve heard stories about it for
years.
JACOB
Noises in the night? Visions? That sort of thing?
MICHELLE
Yes.
JACOB
Have you checked it for gas leaks?
MICHELLE
Excuse me?
JACOB
Carbon monoxide poisoning. A lot of
these old houses have little leaks,
letting out toxic fumes.
MICHELLE
That sounds dangerous.
JACOB
It is. But at low levels it doesn’t
kill. It just causes
Hallucinations.
MICHELLE
Like voices and images.
JACOB
Exactly.
MICHELLE
But this house has a history.
Michelle pulls out a newspaper clipping from the folder. The
headline proclaims a multiple homicide. The photo in the news
article is the house.
JACOB
Now this... this is interesting.
MICHELLE
I think it was a house on the
Underground Railroad or something.
Michelle shows Jacob more documents. Photos of crime scenes
and old newspaper clippings.
JACOB
Go on.
MICHELLE
There was a raid or something and a
lot of people were massacred. A
guest house full of people was
burned to the ground.
JACOB
Fascinating.
MICHELLE
No one has lived in it for more
than a year. People go insane and
kill their families.
2.
JACOB
Are you sure it isn’t something...
hereditary? I hear depression can
run in some families.
MICHELLE
My family is screwy, but not that
screwy.
JACOB
You are, of course, unbiased.
MICHELLE
I have a realtor who will take it
off my hands, but I need to make a
show of faith first.
JACOB
I’m not sure I understand.
MICHELLE
If I can say I’ve done something to
get rid of them, you know, the
ghosts, it will help me unload the
thing.
JACOB
Ah. So you need to clean the house.
MICHELLE
That’s it.
JACOB
I would like to do a little more
research on the property, but, yes,
I believe my associates and I can
take the case.
MICHELLE
Thank you. This means so much to me.
JACOB
Believe me, this arrangement should
be... mutually beneficial.
Jacob holds up the picture of the house.
JACOB (CONT’D)
Yes, this house looks quite lovely.
3.
The photo of the house stands in the frame. The image slowly
begins to fade.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HAUNTED HOUSE - AFTERNOON
The same house as in the picture, this time real. The wind
blows the grass and the trees.
Michelle walks up the path to the house. She stops and looks
at the sky. Dark, heavy clouds are moving in.
She fumbles with the keys to the door and goes inside.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE FRONT HALL - CONTINUOUS
Michelle stands in the front hall. It is an old and creepy
house; the only sounds are of an old grandfather clock
ticking. She walks through the house, looking at all of the
old, dusty furniture.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The light slants into the room through the antique windows as
dust drifts through the air.
Michelle opens an old liquor cabinet. She takes out a tumbler
and holds it up to her face. She wipes it off with her sleeve
and pulls out a half-full bottle of whiskey. She pours
herself a drink, takes a swig, and makes a face as it burns
the back of her throat.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Michelle lifts the cover off of an old chair. Dust goes
everywhere. She sits down and looks out the window, taking a
sip of the whiskey. A shaft of waning afternoon light cuts
through the clouds and shines on a chair. The light is warm
and inviting. She relaxes into the chair and drifts off to
Sleep.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
BOOM!
Michelle wakes up with a start and looks around.
4.
Darkness is everywhere. The wind is blowing more audibly now
and there is a distant sound of thunder.
BOOM!
Another sound comes from the front door. Michelle walks
toward it.
BOOM!
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE FRONT HALL - CONTINUOUS
The front door of the house swings open on its own. In the doorway is a dark silhouette. It moves toward Michelle.
MICHELLE
Hey you can’t just-
As the shadow gets closer to her, she realizes it is Jacob.
JACOB
I’m sorry. The door was stuck.
Michelle lets out a nervous laugh.
MICHELLE
It-it’s okay. I fell asleep.
JACOB
Of course you did.
Jacob holds up two bags of fast food.
JACOB (CONT’D)
I brought some dinner in case you
were hungry.
MICHELLE
You know, that sounds great.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Michelle and Jacob sit around a table, eating fast food by
candlelight. The sound of the storm outside is getting worse.
JACOB
You were right about this house. It
has quite the history. Really
fascinating.
5.
MICHELLE
Mom would never say anything when I was growing up, but Dad... Dad
would tell me stories about it.
JACOB
Were you scared?
MICHELLE
Terrified. He told this one about
how his great uncle kept hearing
voices in the walls.
JACOB
It was probably just rats.
They hear a faint scratching noise. Michelle looks around,
startled. Jacob keeps eating his food, completely unaffected.
JACOB (CONT’D)
If it sounded like that, it was
definitely rats.
MICHELLE
I don’t know if that makes me more
comfortable or not.
A doorbell rings. Jacob looks at his watch.
JACOB
And that should be my associates.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE FRONT HALL - NIGHT
Jacob opens the door to three tall, gaunt PASTY WHITE MEN in
suits, trench coats, and dark glasses. A flash of lightning
shoots through the sky behind them.
JACOB
Right on time.
The three men glide past the two people and into the house.
MICHELLE
These are your associates?
JACOB
It takes a special person to eat
ghosts.
Michelle and Jacob watch the pasty white men walk through the
house. The men sniff the air and make a soft hissing noise.
6.
MICHELLE
I’m not sure what I was expecting,
but this is a notch or two up in
terms of creepy.
JACOB
I prefer to think of my associates
as eccentric, not creepy.
MICHELLE
As long as they get the job done, I
don’t care.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE STAIRWAY - NIGHT
One of the pasty white men walks up the stairs, sniffing the
air.
JACOB (V.O.)
Despite what you might think,
ghosts are actually very rare.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
One of the pasty white men walks slowly down the hall,
dragging his long pasty fingers along the wallpaper.
JACOB (V.O.)
If someone develops a taste for
spirits, that person spends a lot
of time simply looking for food.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE BEDROOM - NIGHT
One of the pasty white men gently caresses a pillow.
Something scuttles for a second. The pasty white man turns
and looks at a little bureau. There is a CREEPY DOLL sitting
on the bureau.
The pasty white man touches the doll. Something moves in the
darkness. The pasty white man throws his head back and makes
a loud shriek.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE FRONT HALL - NIGHT
Michelle looks to Jacob.
MICHELLE
What was that?
7.
JACOB
Pay dirt. There’s a basement in
this house, right?
MICHELLE
Yes.
JACOB
We should probably hide there for a
few minutes. Things are about to
get exciting.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE BEDROOM - NIGHT
All three pasty white men stand with their backs next to each
other, forming a little triad.
They lean back their heads, open their mouths, and let out
long, loud, harmonic screeches.
Screaming white ghosts seep out of the walls as they are
sucked into the mouths of the pasty white men. The wails of
the dead mix with the screeching of the pasty white men.
INT. HAUNTED HOUSE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Jacob and Michelle stand in the basement. They look at the
ceiling, listening to the muffled ruckus.
JACOB
You know how ghosts are made?
Michelle shakes her head.
JACOB (CONT’D)
There are two factors - the place
and the person. The place needs to
be one of death and fear.
Sacrificial rocks. Battlefields.
And some houses. We’re in a place
like that. But the person... the
person needs to die confused and
frightened, not fully understanding
what is happening to her.
Michelle stares at him, glassy-eyed.
JACOB (CONT’D)
For example, if someone is
poisoned, there is a fairly solid
chance the person will come back as
a ghost.
8.
Michelle starts to wobble. Jacob begins to walk away from
her, up the stairs out of the basement.
JACOB (CONT’D)
Usually when we find a suitable
haunting place, we like to seed it
with new souls. You’re lucky enough
to be the first.
Michelle tries to follow Jacob up the stairs, but can barely
stand. She begins to convulse slightly as Jacob reaches the
top of the stairs. Michelle lurches towards him, but
collapses on the stairs and slides back down to the ground.
Jacob reaches the top of the stairs and turns to Michelle. He
looks down on her and smiles. She can only muster a moan.
Jacob looks down on Michelle.
JACOB (CONT’D)
Thank you so much for finding this
house for us.
Michelle makes a guttural groan.
JACOB (CONT’D)
Yes, I had a splendid evening, too.
Rest assured, we will meet again.
Probably for dinner. Oh, speaking$
of dinner, I have to go or there
won’t be anything left.
Jacob smiles and, for a moment, his face flashes with pasty
white hunger and rage.
Jacob closes the door, leaving Michelle alone in the dark.
FADE TO BLACK.
Character Development
Character Development
Jacob
Jacob
Jacob is a protagonist in our film who "helps" Michelle throughout the short film. We picture Jacob as a very extravagant loud person who stands out from a crowd however later in the film we learn this is a façade that he puts on to hide his past trauma where he lost his mother. Jacob is the owner of his ghost-eating business. He is known to have a sarcastic and passive-aggressive personality and takes his business seriously with a blatant disregard for the things that he does for his company.
Michelle
Michelle
Michelle is the main protagonist who the story revolves around. We imagine her as a very average woman with nothing very outstanding or unique about her. This will make her contrast against Jacob. We imagine her to act and dress slob-like at home and not care about her appearance but when she leaves the house she looks very well put together. Overall she is a very smart individual but she is very nervous and anxious. Michelle lives alone in the house she has inherited.
Three men
Three men
The three ghost eaters don't show any personality because their sole purpose is to do their job and then exit. They will look very pale and bald with blank expressions on their face until they eat the ghosts, they eat the ghosts by sucking them up into their mouths to remove them.
Ghosts
Ghosts
The ghosts are not explored in our short film so we haven't given them much of a personality or backstory. We will style them visually to look ghost-like through makeup, mannerisms and editing. Several ghosts in various outfits/looks. They hide as much as possible from the ghost eaters but tend to torment the owner of the house.
Structure and Scene Development
Structure and Scene Development
Here we used millanote in order to gather our ideas and start to visualise them in accordance to the script and a baseline understanding of it. We managed to break it down into 3 main sections and then into two parts each which allowed us to get a start into the deeper understanding of our ideas for the overall look of the short film.
ACT 1A
ACT 1A
Start the short film with an introduction to the house to build tension, maybe we see something from one of the stories Michelle was told as a child. Need an introduction to it being haunted, Michelle needs to be scared.
Michelle sitting at home reading through a solicitors letter and a letter from the loved one she has lost (inherited the house from) while researching the property.
Letter that comes through the door is a basic business card with just a name and address.
ACT 1A
ACT 1A
The film opens with Michelle, in the kitchen on the phone with a relative talking about how the tormenting from the ghosts is getting worse. We see that things are being moved around, shadows are following her, her reflection has company and drawers are flying open which is becoming too much for Michelle. Being targeted by ghosts is no longer her only problem as a set of eyes is watching this happen, anonymously posting a business card with just a name and address, through the door.
ACT 1B
ACT 1B
Michelle goes and visits the house and has a flashback to her dad telling the stories of the house being haunted and as she enters she has an experience with the ghost,
Looks up the address and leaves her house with a folder containing the information about the house.
Michelle arrives at Jacobs shop to ask for help.
ACT 1B
ACT 1B
After a little self debate and research, Michelle visits the address on the card and meets Jacob at his company where Jacob's skittish and snarky behaviour goes unnoticed by Michelle who decides to hire Jacob and his crew. A date is now set for the team to clear the current ghosts from the house.
ACT 2A
ACT 2A
Michelle meets Jacob for the first time, Jacob hides some files on the desk as Michelle enters the building and in the paperwork that you see him hide, you can see an image of the old house.
Jacob gives Michelle an introduction to the business and what they have managed to do in the past to encourage Michelle to use his business.
Michelle and Jacob go to visit the old house.
ACT 2A
ACT 2A
Michelle goes back to the house slowly walking to the door, fumbling with the keys when trying to open the door. Obviously in distress towards the house situation, Michelle takes a breather and looks up to the sky where she can see a storm brewing, the door opens and Michelle enters the house.
ACT 2B
ACT 2B
This is the first time we see Jacob in the house with Michelle and you can see that Jacob isn’t scared by anything that is happening around him.
Michelle invites Jacob to eat and they discuss more about the house and the history of the house.
Michelle asks Jacob about the scar that is visible on his chest and this is where we learn Jacobs backstory and the reasoning for him being in the business that he is in. we learn about how Jacob was in a car accident and his mother died.
ACT 2B
ACT 2B
Jacob arrives with food (unknown to Michelle, the food has been poisoned). Conversation takes place between the two, stopping briefly when a noise is heard coming from the house. Shortly after finishing their meal, the three men arrive and abruptly start the job after Jacob lets them in.
ACT 3A
ACT 3A
Enter the three ghost eaters
Scream from one of the ghost eaters
The old ghosts get removed
ACT 3A
ACT 3A
A montage of the three men scouting around the house ensues and eventually a scream is heard from one of the men. Jacob then ushers Michelle into a room further away from the men as they gather to summon and eat the ghosts. Jacob then vividly begins to explain how his business, via replanting a ghost back into the house after they remove the previous ghosts. At this point Michelle begins to panic realising that the reason of her feeling so ill after the food is because Jacob tampered with it. Feeling woozy and in pain, Michelle stumbles behind Jacob as he is leaving, she falls to the ground. Michelle eventually passes away and this re-seeds the house with ghosts for future occupants.
ACT 3B
ACT 3B
Enter the basement monologue
The ghost eaters poison Michelle and kill her to re-seed the house with ghosts to allow Jacob to stay in business.
We see two females standing still in dresses, ankles down (identical) then we see Jacob open the locket around his neck to reveal an image of his mother who looks just like Michelle
When Jacob closes the locket, the screen turns to black and the credits start.
ACT 3B
ACT 3B
The film fades to black and we then see Jacob on the phone in his office having the same conversation that he had with Michelle with the next occupant of the house.
Moodboards/Colour Scheme/Tone
Moodboards/Colour Scheme/Tone
Jacob
Michelle (at home)
Michelle (outside)
Old house EXT
Ghost Eaters
Old house INT
Michelle's house INT
Jacobs office
Dining Hall and Kitchen
Old House EXT
Jacobs Office
Old House
Ghosts
Living Room
Room Michelle Dies in
Jacob
Michelle
Three Ghost Eaters
Overall plot
Further Ideas development
Further Ideas development
This was produced after doing some research.
Lighting -
The lighting used in the short film will be a mixture of natural light from things such as windows and scenes being shot outdoors and we will also used additional constant lighting when on set, these lights will be LED panels, these will be used rather than box lighting as we are able to have more control over the amount of light produced, the direction of the light and the colour of the light. They can also be used on specific settings to create different effects such as a lightning effect which we can use for some of the scenes in the old house to create lightning where there is none or where the natural lighting is not enough. The light from the LED panels will made to look natural through the scenes where harsh lighting is not wanted.
A change in lighting can be used to show a change in emotion for example as Michelle discovers the house is haunted there could be a shift in the lighting to show a shift in the mental state of Michelle. The lighting in this scenario could go from being well exposed to low-key lighting.
Audio -
In our final edit, we will add Foley sounds to the film. Some of this we will get from free sound sites and others we will create ourselves.
We will find some Infrasound to add to different parts of the film to create tension without the audience being able to hear anything.
For dialogue, we will use the dialogue spoken while we are filming. This will be getting recorded on both a normal camera microphone and a Rode Mic to allow us to get better quality sound.
We will used wind in the final edit when there are ghosts around, the wind will only be quiet but it will just give a hint to the audience that there is something else in the scene without needing to show the ghosts themselves.
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