2. SYNOPSIS
• Inspired by the story of the Copper Family, ‘Silhouettes’ revolves around a group of four
adolescents who decide to explore a derelict structure that is apparently haunted, according to
rumours. One of the adolescents captures images of the location on his camera and, whilst
studying the images on his computer later on, he notices a shadow hanging or falling from the
ceiling in one of them. Over an extended period of time, the teenager grows exceedingly paranoid
and becomes convinced that his life is in danger. His mental state worsens until he begins
hallucinating, hearing voices in his head and engaging in increasingly odd behavior.
• The character does not recover from the initial shock of seeing the apparition in the picture he
took. The short film concludes with the character continuing to suffer from psychosis and facing an
uncertain future, therefore an ambiguous ending will be present. The ‘Problem’ within the short film
is never resolved in any way.
3. CHARACTERS
• Hector
• The main protagonist of the film, Hector is a former bully victim who is introverted and socially awkward.
He commonly expresses concern over his own future and appears depressed most of the time. The
opening scene for ‘Silhouettes’ depicts him fleeing in terror from an unknown presence, which will most
likely intrigue the audience as my short film will jump straight into the action. The character’s mental
state worsens throughout the course of the film.
• Logan
• One of Hector’s friends who has a troublesome personality and is intensely irritating. He commonly
expresses curiosity over almost any unusual event in his hometown and is generally not respected or
trusted by his friends who often get into trouble due to his actions. Within the film, he convinces his
friends to explore the location that is seemingly haunted.
• Sean
• Hector’s best friend. He is a highly intelligent individual, although he appears to be perturbed about his
own life. He is quite apprehensive, and visiting a brooding location proves to be an issue for the
character.
• Trey
• Trey is the younger brother of Sean. He is resented by his older brother because of his irritating
personality.
6. GENRE
• ‘Silhouettes’ is a psychological horror film, therefore it will explore the increasingly
unstable mental state of its protagonist as opposed to featuring supernatural elements,
unlike most films released in recent times.
• My short film will rely solely on the psychological and emotional status of the main
character in order to evoke fear within the audience. The audience should find that they
are able to relate to the character and his ordeals because common fears are explored
within ‘Silhouettes’ and the darker aspects of the human psyche (which most people are
likely to deny) are revealed.
• The short film will contain characteristics of the subgenre of psychological horror, most
notably plot twists. The film is very likely to confuse the viewers who will focus entirely on
a character whose perceptions of reality are distorted by hallucinations and a severe
mental disorder.
• Psychological horror films tend to provide little focus on situations such as attacks by
ghosts, demons etc. and instead explore the internal battles of the character(s), most of
which can never be won.
