Unit 8 Brief

The Phone Call

Celluloid Scream Horror Film Festival
"Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival is an
annual celebration of the best in classic and contemporary
horror cinema. Recently ranked as one of the Best Horror
Festivals in the World by Dread Central, Celluloid Screams
showcases a diverse lineup of films, from the hottest new
horror features and genre discoveries to terrifying short
films from the fearmakers of the future. Over the years, our
festival has attracted special guest appearances by iconic
directors and stars of the genre, including John Landis, Brian
Yuzna, Frank Henenlotter, Ben Wheatley, Reece Shearsmith &
Steve Pemberton, Catriona MacColl, Aaron Moorhead & Justin
Benson and many more.
Founded in 2009, the festival has become a destination for
horror fans seeking the very best the horror genre has to
offer. In its short history, Celluloid Screams has premiered
such high-profile films as Paranormal Activity, Mandy, The
Witch, The Void, Train to Busan presents: Peninsula, The
Autopsy of Jane Doe, Goodnight Mommy, The Editor, Creep 2, Raw
and The Endless (to name but a few) and has an ongoing
commitment to emerging genre talent."

Dates, Deadlines and Fees

There are two meetable deadlines before the festival begins.

May 31st 2021 is the "last chance deadline" and June 30th 2021
is the "final deadline". The festival takes place October 21st
- 24th 2021. Depending on the dealine, the entry fee varies in
price. The "last chance deadline" costs £35 where as the
"final deadline" is £40. These prices are higher than the
Frightfest prices, but I still think they're reasonable
considering the size of the festival.
"We have a strong commitment to emerging genre talent and
every year our short film programme reflects the very best
work from the fearmakers of the future. Short films are
presented before every new feature film in the festival and
receive significant exposure and praise from our audiences, as
well as being eligible for our short film jury awards, placing
your work in front of influential industry professionals."
Location

Showroom Cinema
Paternoster Row
England S1 2BX
United Kingdom

Project Concept

My final idea is a horror comedy where, despite all the

killer's attempts, the main characters is completely oblivious
to the fact someone is trying to kill him and unaware of what
is going on. After receiving a phone call from a mysterious
stranger, things start to get weirder and weirder as the
killer hunts him down. However, he is completely unaware of
this. The less the character notices the mor annoyed and
harder the killer tries.
I will have all the actors necessary, as I am planning to play
the main character myself. Because the killer wears a mask, he
can be played by multiple people if one provides the voice. I
made this decision because I plan to have the first act take
place in my home, so it would be easier to have the killer
played by my brother for these scenes. For the scenes taking
place in college, the two people I asked said that they would
be happy to help. All locations are very accessible and are
easy to get permission for, the locations are my house, the
classroom, and the forest next to the college. I do believe
that I can achieve this during the set time frame, the
previous unit might not count towards my grade, but they have
taught me how to manage my time effectively. I do not believe
that my film would offend anyone, I am doing my best to make
it comedic and enjoyable for most audiences.

The Phone Call

Rules

1. Short films must be between 1 - 30 minutes, feature films

must be between 60 - 150 minutes
2. Films that are submitted must of been filmed after October
2019
3. Selected films must be in the DCP format
4. Must have all necessary clearance to submit film
5. Celluloid can retain submitted films for archive
6. Do not send EPKs
7. Separate fee for each entry

Target Audience

My goal is to make my film for all to enjoy but it is mostly

targeted at the teen/young adult demographic (14-25). This is
because I believe they are more likely to enjoy the mix of
humour and horror in this film.

Legal and Ethical Issues

My project has been heavily inspired by the opening scene of

Scream, killer scares victim over the phone before killing
them. It has been done as a comedy before as well, Scary
Movie. However, I do believe that mine will differ in many
ways as I plan to introduce more fear tactics used by the
killer and to expand it to outside of the house.

Throughout the film only a prop knife will be used, never a

real knife. This is to limit the possibility of an injury on
set. There is a scene filmed in the woods, I will do my best
to limit the damage caused to the plants and wildlife
habitats.

I will be filming a scene in the college classroom. I will ask

anyone who appears in any of the shots if they are ok with
appearing in the background before I start filming. This is to
ensure that everyone is ok with being in the film in some
form.
This project does deal with a dark topic, serial killers. Some
audiences may find this offensive as the film is a comedy and
think that it is making fun of the topic. My goal is to make a
film for all to enjoy not to mock a serious topic.

This is my final project of the year, so I am planning to be

as professional as possible to get everything I need done.
This also means that I will do my best to not make a negative
impact on anyone else’s work as we are all in the same boat.