Title
"Jump Scare"
Logline
A film in which a man with a recently diagnosed heart condition is haunted by a supernatural entity that wants to literally scare him to death.
Final Shooting Script
TBW (To Be Written, although I have made a start, see: https://bomyburghfilm2.blogspot.com/2018/08/bsa-204-week-7-jump-scare.html)
Character Bios
The Marine
The protagonist of our story, this military man is forced into early retirement when he suffers a heart attack, after surgery he starts experiencing supernatural encounters with a being that is putting a lot of pressure on his heart. Tired of his doctor's seeming incompetence and due to his growing suspicions the man decides to investigates only to find himself the latest in a long string of heart surgery patients haunted by the mysterious entity.
He is a man determined to find solutions, but also someone who struggles with the sudden shift in his world. He's used to being capable and reliable, now he has to adjust to a new world where running is dangerous for him and where he feels himself becoming more and more insignificant. He's a strong man forced into a weak body and he's having trouble with the transition.
The movie sees him starting to accept his newfound situation, the arc set-up is one in which he has to come to accept his new state of being and learn to live a happy life and not drive away those closest to him. This is of course cut short along with a vital artery when he dies.
The Doctor
A man who isn't particularly attractive but who every woman in the world seems to have a crush on. The doctor made a deal with a demon to provide it weak-hearted targets in return for his supernatural sex appeal.
He struggles somewhat with the immoral choice that he's made, it's also sent him down a dark path in which he has become a sex addict. By the point that he is confronted buy two of his patients he has grown tired of his situation and feels the fleeting relationships that he has are empty and meaningless.
He agrees to help, even though knowing that he will lose his sex appeal, his arc is one of coming to accept who he really is and not rely on the superficiality that his increased sex appeal offered. At the end of the film he encounters a cleaner who walks in on them slaying the demon and his charms are no longer effective, he has selflessly sacrificed his own power to help others, at the end when his powers don't work The Nurse is still into him, saying it's because of his actions and personality, not due to his artificial charm.
The Ex-Patient
A diagnosed schizophrenic who has earned himself a restraining order because of an attempt to confront the doctor, who slept with the patients' wife at the time of his surgery.
He has become a recluse in his fight for survival, he has devised different ways of avoiding the entity and not getting killed by its frights. Strategies like always listening to music, never shaving, not having reflections or sharp objects in his house and turning corners slowly.
This character is a shell of his former self and has become a mess in his efforts to stay alive, he is at the end of his rope but believes that his strategies are working. He has a long standing relationship with the entity, which he simply addresses as Scary Face.
The Nurse
The Nurse has a relationship with the doctor character but he cheats on her with someone else, leading her to become somewhat depressed and ends up helping The Doctor's displeased patients. She is young and finds herself in a situation that she doesn't fully understand, her relationship with the doctor is strained but even after what he did she finds it hard to dismiss his unnaturally effective charm.
It adds comedy to the scenes with all four characters, especially the interrogation scene, but it also leads The Nurse to become a stronger individual, she is the one in the third act who point out the monster can be killed and ultimately the one most intent on doing so.
The Demon
A supernatural entity that is too weak to collect souls properly like others of it's kind, it instead feeds of those naturally weaker - people with heart problems and pays it's dues by scaring them to death.
Artistic Intent
I have a very clear idea of what I want in my head, it will take some careful wording though.
Production Design Concepts
The entity itself will play off horror movie tropes - specifically the type of designs usually seen in jump scare filled movies where the monster's basically just a scary face. This is alluded to by the Ex-Patient character who calls the entity Scary Face.
The creature designs from Sinister (2012) and Insidious (2010), who are essentially just a scary face in a suit.
I am also taking inspiration from creepy-pastas and internet jump scare videos, things like Jeff the Killer (those kind of creepy smile stuff, so maybe my monster has a smile, then again the idea is that he is weak in comparison to his peers so maybe he's sad instead).
Intentions for Sound Design
One of the big sound design elements I intend to incorporate is the constant presence of a heart beat which is a very important thematic connection to the plot. This relates directly to the main character's own heart, so it grows faster or slows down depending on his emotional state. This of course stops when The Marine dies, it returns threefold when the other three characters start moving the plot towards is climax, transitioning into a musical piece with an 80's synth inflection as the characters engage in a suit-up montage.
Musically I want to go with something like Alfred Schnittke's orchestral works, something I stole from Yorgos Lathimos, one of my primary stylistic inspirations. He uses the piece String Quartet No. 2: I. Moderato in The lobster, this is the same piece I am currently using for the opening, that which transitions into String Quartet No. 2: II. Agitato as the title appears on screen.
For most of the jump scare sequences music will be absent and quieter noises of foliage and ambient noise will be amplified to increase the suspense in these scenes.
References and Influences
I want to take inspiration partially from the films of Yorgos Lathimos (The Losbter (2015), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)), but of course the whole idea comes from modern supernatural horror films like Sinister, Insidious and that sort. Saw (2004) (the original) is also an inspiration I think, because of how fun it is with it's set-ups and sequences. The execution in later scenes might lean more heavily to the style seen in that movie too.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
At the moment the only thing I can think of is that it could cause problems for people with actual heart conditions, this is a small concern however because all horror movies that rely on jump scares do that in my mind.
Script Breakdowns
I'll do it when I have a script
Hypothetical Budget
Need to make a start on this (obviously)
Storyboards/Shotlists/Camera and Lighting Plans
I am very eager to start story-boarding and more-so to make an animatic with sound of the opening sequence to create a good representation of what exactly I want the final product to be.
Resources Required
I will need to make a prosthetic of some sort for the heart surgery scene, the clothes and equipment (like a scalpel) will also be tricky to sort out. At the moment my chief concern is the practical effect, which along with the animatic is the next thing I want to get sussed.
Shooting Schedules/Draft Call Sheets
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Location Information
Locations I need:
- Doctor's Office
- Hospital
- Main character's home
- Past Patient's home
- Surgery Room
Risk Assessment
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Other Relevant Paperwork and Release Forms
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