PRE-ASSESSMENT REVIEW

PRE-ASSESSMENT REVIEW OF PROJECT PROPOSAL

Name: James Gallifent

Project proposal Title: Grace horror idea

Context

Project Proposal

1.1  How are you using a range of critical and contextual perspectives within the development of your personal proposal? Give examples.

I think I have contextualised my work by completing in-depth research and incorporating several elements of my inspiration’s work into my own.

In my first proposal, it stated that I would complete the editing of photos to a cinematographic standard. I soon realised this was a much harder feat to accomplish than I had first thought. In order to adapt my ideas, I researched better ways to go about producing the quality I needed. This led me to look up various new techniques, such as the tutorial I used to create mist.

1.2 How are you using detailed analysis and evaluation to clarify the development of your person project proposal? Where is it evidenced?  Give examples.

As mentioned before, I didn’t have the skills to produce edited photographs to the standard I thought I could at first, which led me to ask myself what standard I could produce. This led me to look up various new techniques, such as the tutorial I used to create mist.

Research

Primary and secondary

2.1 How are you using wide-ranging and in-depth research to support the development of your personal project? Give examples.

My first piece of research analyses previous film posters and what common motifs are present, which enabled me to develop film posters of my own. I experimented with different fonts before I found one which was suitable for me to use.

2.2 How are you using analytical and evaluative skills to develop a range of creative solutions? Give examples.

After reflecting upon the work of photographers, such as Gregory Crewdson’s work, I evaluated what I thought was good about the work and what I thought didn’t work. This allowed me to gain a better perspective on what works and what doesn’t in the wider photography community. As well as known photographers, I used to give feedback on my peers’ work for them, which also help me overcome my own creative problems using techniques they used in their work.

After reflecting upon my own work, I noticed several drawbacks to my work, which I then swiftly adjusted- as seen on the reflection page of my blog. This happened with 3 of my film stills and 2 of my film posters. I can be quite critical of my own work, which can sometimes lead to me drastically changing it. This happened with a lot of my drawings before I took any photographs.

Problem Solving

Theory and Practice

3.1 What complex practical and technical problems are you solving within your project? Give examples.

Before starting this project, I hadn’t done a huge amount of photography before, so, nearer the start of this whole course, I had some technical problems with my camera- just because I hadn’t gotten used to using it quite yet. This problem soon became obsolete as I practiced with the camera and improved.

Another technical problem I overcame was my use of Adobe Photoshop CC. Previously to starting this course, I had only used a basic version of Photoshop, years ago, for basic tasks- like creating a logo. I had a limited knowledge of how to use the updated version of Photoshop, but, after watching tutorials on Lynda.com and reading tutorials on DIYPhotography.com, I quickly improved. One such technical problem like this was the mist used in several of my photographs. I had no idea how to create convincing mist, so I took to the Internet and found a very helpful tutorial, which helped. As well as using the Internet to help, I asked my peers for advice on using Photoshop.

3.2 How are you solving complex theoretical problems within your project? Give examples.

Theoretical problems I had over the course of this project, mainly included not having the skill to complete tasks, like the ones described above, which were overcame using a mix of Internet help and peer advice.

Planning and Production

4.1 How are you demonstrating the ability to efficiently plan, organize and produce a personal project within the agreed time frame? Give examples.

At the start of the project, I had a timetable that helped me to compartmentalize my tasks. The Gannt chart I produced at the start of the project was helpful at the start, but I started doing tasks that deviated from its first draft, so I also had a physical diary on my phone of daily tasks I needed to complete. Without this, I would have likely become overwhelmed.

Practical Skills

Refinement and Realization of Ideas

5.1 How are you exploring, adapting and applying a range of practical methods and skills in the realization of your personal project? Give examples.

At the start of the course, Photoshop and, to some extent, photography itself were relatively new to me. They were the techniques I chiefly used in the realisation of the project. I did indoor and outdoor photography shoots. I experimented with props, such as fake blood. The technique to creating mist on Photoshop CC was a new one for me. These things are documented on my blog.

Reflection and Evaluation

Project Development

6.1 How are you maintaining detailed critically evaluative and reflective records of the development of your project? Give examples.

Over the course of the project, I reflected upon and evaluated my own work, with my analytical thoughts being documented on my blog. In addition to this, I received valuable feedback from my peers- also documented on my blog. I created a questionnaire which I used towards the end of my project to great effect. An example of the template I used can be seen on my blog.

6.2 How are you demonstrating that you are using evaluative and reflective skills to make perceptive decisions in support of your project? Give examples.

Final Presentation and Audience Consideration

7.1 What strategies are you considering to use to present your project?

All the work I have completed is presented on my blog. I could also print a select few photographs out onto photographic paper.

7.2 How will you present your work in a skillful and proficient manner?

Give examples.

All the work I have completed is presented on my blog. I could also print a select few photographs out onto photographic paper.

Who is your specified audience and how will you engage them with your work?

My target audience is teenagers aged 15-20, with an interest in horror films, or photography. I want to chiefly engage their attention with an eye-catching film poster that I designed, with the stills from the proposed film below it, or around it.

WORK

For my research, practical work, bibliography, glossary and my final photographs, please refer to the pages (links above).

PROCESSES

STILLS FROM PROPOSED FILM - PROCESSES

I started the process using Adobe Photoshop CC. Above is the original image.

Firstly, I changed the Brightness/Contrast. I decreased the brightness and increased the contrast slightly to soften the image and to start to slightly make the image more cinematographic.

Secondly, I adjusted the image using the Curves tool. I created an 'S' shape using this tool, which then brought the colour out- making it more prominent.

Thirdly, I adjusted the colours using the Colour Balance tool. I increased the levels of greens and yellows to further accentuate these colours.

Next, I adjusted the colours again using the Hue/Saturation tool. I decreased the Master saturation a bit and changed the yellow saturation levels too. At first, when using these tools, I was experimenting a little bit to see what kinds of effects I could accomplish.

After that, I added a new, separate layer. I then overlayed this layer onto the previous one and subsequently used the Burn tool to darken the trees in the background. This would make it seem like they are shrouded in mist.

Then, I created the mist in a separate layer, labelled 'Mist'.  The process for making it can be seen below the process for this photograph. It took a lot of trial, error and tutorials, but eventually I managed to find a satisfactory outcome.

The next step in the editing was to duplicate the mist layer and to distort it slightly. I moved the second mist layer up underneath the trees and made the mist thinner.

With the mist in its correct place, the next phase was to get the lighting and colours right. I used the Curves tool to bring out more of the shadows to attempt to make the photograph more like an image from a film.

I decided that I wanted more colour in the photo, so I used the Hue/Saturation tool. I increased the saturation of the green and yellows to bring out the colour in the grass, whilst retaining the darkness of the trees in the background.

Next, I used the Brightness/Contrast tool to see what the effect was on the fog in the background was.

In order to complete the photograph, I thought I should make it slightly darker so it wouldn't be too light in comparison with the other photographs. I still wanted it to feel like part of the series. So lastly, I used the Brightness/Contrast tool to adjust the lightness of the image.

MIST - PROCESS

The mist seen in several of the film stills was fairly tricky for me to produce. As stated above, it took a lot of trial, error and tutorials to reach an outcome that I liked.

This is what the finished layer looks like.

The first step in creating mist is to apply a clouds filter. To do this I selected the top layer and proceeded to click on Filter > Render > Clouds.

Having made sure to have clicked on the top layer, the next step was to convert that layer for smart filters. To do this I clicked on Filter > Convert for Smart Filters.

After this, I blurred the clouds onscreen using the Gaussian Blur tool. This can be found at Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. I set the radius to 45 pixels, as seen above.

Next, I clicked on the smart filter icon on the mist layer, then used the gradient tool to create a gradient from bottom to top.

Afterwards, I moved the mist into its correct position (at the bottom of the photograph) and distorted it to fit the image properly. To do this I clicked on Edit > Transform > Distort.

And lastly, I used the smudge tool to better distort the mist and to make them look more like mist.

The result was a subtle, but effective, mist layer.

STILLS FROM PROPOSED FILM - PEER FEEDBACK

After asking several of my peers and friends about my film stills, I am better equipped to adjust and improve my designs.

STILL 1

After asking some people about this photo, I found out some interesting thoughts about it.

The majority of people liked the location and the visual aesthetic of the house. Some people mentioned that the ivy on the front of the house makes it seem more creepy than it actually is.

One person made an interesting comment about the shape of the house, which nobody else picked up on. They said that the spikes and the pointed, jagged shape of the house gave it an imposing shape that seemed to create some hostility to the picture.

I received mixed feelings about the inclusion of Grace in the picture. Some people said she seemed a bit out of place, but others said she added to the creepiness of the photograph. However, most people agreed that she needed to be a bit darker and more faded, to accentuate the ghostly quality to her.

Another point that most people agreed upon (myself included) was the fact that the picture was too bright. The majority of people I asked commented on the sky being too light and, in order to better match the tone of the story, suggested that it should be darkened.

STILL 2

This photo was well-received by most people I asked.

Most people said that they liked the aesthetic and feel of the photograph, stating that the atmosphere created by the mist and fog really captured the eerie quality that I was going for.

Most people also liked the way that created the mist and fog surrounding the trees. They said that the darkened trees really bring them out and makes them easier to see.

After explaining the story in relation to this picture, a few people did argue that this picture wasn't really relevant to the story. Almost everyone did say that they liked, nonetheless.

STILL 3

The majority of people liked this photo, due to the creepy, horror-like quality that the hand coming over the edge of the bath induces.

Most people liked the way that the mist at the bottom was more prominent than previous photos. However, on the other hand, most people did notice that I had been using the same mist in all the film stills.

After comparing this photo to the film poster I created using a similar image, some people noticed that there were less trees in the background of this photo than the poster. They liked that it cleared up the background a bit and made the focus more on the bath.

Some negative points mentioned include:

• The sky is a little too bright
• The vignette is too noticeable

STILL 4

After showing some people this photo, the majority agreed that, compared to previous photos, this photo was a little lacking in creativity. Many people said that it was a little boring.

A few people commented on the appearance of the mist again. Some people said that, in this instance, it wasn't needed and perhaps I was using it a bit too often. They said that the appearance of the gravestone made it sufficiently creepy without the mist.

However, there were some positive thoughts to take from their feedback. Some people said that they liked the darkness surrounding the characters and the location.

STILL 5

The majority of people I asked liked the setting and the idea behind this photo.

In this instance, people liked the way the mist complemented the photo and added to the visual feel of the photo.

Some people said that the blood on the characters' clothes didn't look right. Having been told this, it does look a bit too bright. Some adjustments should be made accordingly.

STILL 6

The majority of people liked this photo. They said that the location really complemented the look of the photo.

They liked that the mist was more subtle than in previous film stills. Some people also noticed that Grace's body was similar to that of one of the film posters, in which her body had multiple faded versions around to give the impression she was ghostly. Those who noticed this said they liked the way I've done her dead body the same way. It gives a sense of continuity throughout all the photos.

No one commented on the vignette, which was commented on negatively in previous photos.

STILLS FROM PROPOSED FILM - SELF REFLECTION

After producing these film stills it is important to reflect on how well they worked.

STILL 1

This film still is of the house that the characters in the story are moving into.

I think that the house has an idyllic quality to it and that it is easy to believe that people would want to move there. At the same time, I think that the aesthetic of the exterior is not unlike that of similar types of houses found in other horror films, making it an ideal location for the concept of my idea.

The trees and other foliage surrounding the house give the impression that the house is in a secluded location that, I think, adds to its visual appeal.

The mist at the bottom of the photograph creates an eerie atmosphere, which complements the tone of the story and the proposed film. It is subtle, which complements the rest of the image well, because, if it was to prominent it would become a focus for the audience. This would detract from the main focus, which is, of course, the house.

In the window, viewers can see Grace faintly. This shows the audience that she has an ominous presence and adds to the image, because the way she is presented in the image is subtle and not the focus of the image. Her not being a focus of the image suggests that she is discreet and, therefore, more of a threat to the characters, as they don't always know she's there.

There are things about this photograph that I dislike, however, including the brightness and the vignette.

In this particular photograph, the vignette around the edges of the photo doesn't work. It isn't subtle enough. The viewers can clearly see it which detracts from the realism of the photograph. I always put a vignette around my photographs, because it usually focuses attention on the centre of the photograph, but this one is too obvious. In order for the vignette to work, the brightness of the sky would have to be darker, so the vignette itself would be less obvious.

This brings me on to my next point- the brightness. The sky is very bright. After having already edited this photo, I can clearly see that the brightness is not concurrent with the tone of the overall story idea.

STILL 2

This photo is of the main characters walking their dog, before they meet Grace.

This is my favourite photo that I have taken for this project.

The fact that this photo has colour is a dichotomy to many of the other photos (with most of the film stills having simple colours, like black, grey, brown, and some green). Lighter greens and a hint of yellow and blue can be seen in this photo, which could be seen to represent the fact that the story is in its early stages at this point, when the characters were still innocent as to what the house really is and before they have met the primary villain of the story.

The colours are reminiscent of the grass, sky, trees and mist are reminiscent of a dewy, misty morning. The mist itself seems to keep mostly to the edges of the photograph, which effectively frames the photograph. This mist and the fog in background by the trees help to remind the viewers that, although this particular photograph is of a seemingly innocent event, the tone of the overall concept is supposed to be a creepy one. Mist is ever-present in all these photographs to act as the constant reminder of the eerie nature of the proposed film idea.

The way the trees are 'burnt' in the background gives the impression to the viewers that they are shrouded in fog- aided by the brightness of the areas surrounding the trees. Fog has a ghostly quality to it which could be seen to mirror Grace- as she is supposed to be a spirit herself.

STILL 3

This photograph is supposed to represent the first moment in the story when Grace reveals herself to the main characters and starts becoming violent.

The photograph is similar to one of the previous film posters, however it isn't as bright as the poster. I think that the film poster's darkness complements the tone of the story better and works better as an image, than this particular photograph. Despite that, this photo still emulates the eerie quality that is present throughout the story- through the use of mist to emphasise the main focus of the picture (the bath) and to create a creepy atmosphere. The addition of mist to the photograph adds to the visual aesthetic of the photograph.

The bloodstains on the side of the bath are suitably subtle enough to create a feeling that something dreadful happened at the site of the bath.

The sky doesn't look quite right. It's a bit too light compared to the bottom of the picture, which looks darker. This makes the photograph look slightly uneven. Something that also looks uneven is the way that I 'burnt' the sky in Photoshop. This will have to be adjusted accordingly.

STILL 4

This is a photo of the main characters discovering a lone grave on their property, which belongs to a girl called Grace.

Although this moment would be quite important in the proposed film, it appears quite drab in photographic form. There isn't a lot happening in this photograph.

The text on the gravestone isn't very visible. The photo would have to be zoomed in to see the writing. Although I wanted the text to be subtle, I didn't want it to be too subtle as to make it invisible.

In order to make this photograph a little more interesting, I added the mist to, again, create an eerie quality to the photo and to act as a reminder to the creepy nature of the film- even in moments when Grace isn't around.

I think this is the weakest photo I have taken for this project.

STILL 5

This photograph acts as a representation of one of the occasions that Grace attacks the main characters.

The setting for this photo was a path in Polesden Lacey surrounding by trees that seemed to loom over the path, creating a tunnel-like appearance. I thought this would be a good location for a chase scene in the proposed film. Trees looming over the path creates a feeling of hostility, as it almost seems like the trees are staring at you and warding back. The is would be an almost perfect atmosphere to match the tone of the story.

The mist in this photo is very subtle, just visible at the bottom of the image and at the top. It frames the action in this photo.

I wanted the villain, Grace, to be more visible in this photo, but, after several attempt at taking the photograph to this effect, I realised that this was very hard to achieve. With the characters running, there was a slight irritation in the making of this photograph in the form of blurriness. There were several instances in the making of this photo where I took several unusable photographs- due to the fact that the people in it were blurred.

STILL 6

This is a photo of the moment when the characters finally defeat Grace at the end of the proposed film story.

The statue, for me, provokes images of a graveyard, which would be fitting as the villain has been defeated- effectively dying. It also provides a solemn atmosphere, accentuated by the characters looking down at Grace. It appears to almost be a sombre, sad photograph- despite the fact that this should be a happy moment in the story. I think this works well to create an image that has is visually appealing.

The fact that photograph was taken on a small hill gives the feeling that the characters are slightly raised. This, in turn, gives the impression that Grace is rising up- accentuated by the various faded images of Grace rising up from her dead body. Although it is hardly noticeable, Grace's body is slightly distorted by a watery effect, which is fitting because, according to the story, the event that caused Grace being turned into a supernatural spirit was her death by drowning.

The mist used in this photo appears to be wrapping around the hill the scene is set on, and, therefore, appears to encircle the centre of the photo. This makes the centre of the photograph the focus of the picture.

The vignette in this photograph can be seen a little bit at the top of the image, which detracts a bit from the main focus of the photograph, but I don't think this is an issue in this photo as the trees at the top of the photo obscure the vignette slightly. I think the vignette works well to frame the photo and to mark the centre as the focus of the viewers' attention.

STILLS FROM THE PROPOSED FILM IDEA

In order to display some of the key moments from the story, as suggested above in the outline of the story, I took various photographs around my chosen location of Polesdon Lacey in order to create these 'scenes' from the proposed film.

The main characters' (Chaz and Brooke) first view of their new house

Chaz and Brooke exploring their new surroundings

The main antagonist (Grace) begins to awaken

Chaz and Brooke discover a lone grave on their property and begin to investigate

Chaz and Brooke are attacked and chased by Grace

At the climax of the story, Chaz and Brooke stand over a defeated Grace

GRACE POSTER DESIGNS - ADJUSTMENTS

As part of my peer feedback, some people suggested some adjustments that could be made to improve the posters.

Original

With adjustments

Original

With adjustments

PEER FEEDBACK - FILM POSTER DESIGNS

PEER FEEDBACK
After asking some peers for feedback on the initial posters I've designed so far, I have gained some insight as to what some people may think of my ideas.


POSTER DESIGN 1
A majority of the people I asked about this design, liked the use of the tree as a backdrop. They thought it was suitably creepy for a horror film and hinted at the English countryside setting.

However, people did say that it doesn't really provide much, if any, insight as to what the film is about. This could lead to some confusion as to what the poster advertises.

The tagline of the film received mixed reactions- with some saying it was good and some saying it was too long and doesn't relate to what is going on in the rest of the poster. Overall, people thought the idea behind this poster was good, but they didn't think it worked as an advertisement to my story.


POSTER DESIGN 2
This poster design was better received than the first one. People commented saying that they liked the way in which the tagline and title complemented each other. The inclusion of the bath gives more of an indication as to what the film is about- especially with the tagline. Surprisingly, not that many people recognised the tagline. I know the phrase 'Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn't wash her face' from a children's story I read when I was younger, but not that many people had heard of it before.

People liked the way Grace looks in the poster. It suggests a supernatural element to the story, which was what I was going for.

However, something some people commented on negatively was the light. A lot of people thought that the poster was too light for a horror film and didn't reflect the mood of the proposed film. I will take these suggestions into account when I come to improve these bits of work.

People did think that it was an improvement over the last poster.

POSTER DESIGN 3
In regards to the lighting of the previous posters, people thought that this poster was a significant improvement over the others as the darker light of the poster better represented the mood of the proposed film.

Almost everyone liked the creepiness of the hand coming over the edge of the stone bath. Some people also commented on the bloodstains on the bath. They said this was a nice effect and added to the mood of the poster.

Some constructive criticisms that were mentioned include the following: the vignette (darkness around the edges of the poster) is too dark and not subtle enough and the writing at the bottom is too bright.

People said that the writing at the bottom of the poster made it look more professional- as with all of the poster designs.

INITIAL FILM POSTER IDEAS SELF REFLECTION

INITIAL FILM POSTER IDEAS REFLECTION

After producing these designs it is important to reflect on how well they worked as posters.

Tree idea

POSTER DESIGN 1

This poster design has an interesting backdrop with the large tree, which is equally eerie and beautiful. Its long, spindly branches are not uncommon in other horror posters, which means the genre of the film is fairly recognisable at a glance.

The red colour of the title suggests there might be an emphasis on blood in the film- as the colour red is an indicator of blood, violence and death. The fact that it is a different colour and size to the tagline means that it stands out and viewers' gaze is immediately drawn to it. However, there are some negative points to be made about the title though. It is situated over part of the tree, which does make it more difficult to read than if it was against the plain sky.

The tagline is relevant to the story as it is what the main antagonist supposedly says in the story. This provides the viewers with context.

The writing at the bottom of the poster makes the aesthetic of the poster more professional, as this font and type of writing is always seen at the bottom of movie posters.

Stone bath idea

POSTER DESIGN 2

This poster design has a different visual look than the previous poster, which plays to its advantage as it looks like more of a horror than the previous poster design. It is light and has a nice backdrop, which presents a dichotomy to the plot of the film. The plot of the film is quite dark. This fact can both be seen as a positive and a negative, due to the fact that horror films are supposed to be dark and the fact that this is light might put people off.

The inclusion of the stone bath presents a better backdrop than the tree, because, although the tree in the previous poster design has a fairly creepy look, the stone bath is more relevant to the story- as the main antagonist is said to have died in a bath.

The main title and the tagline of the proposed film has been tweaked a little bit from the previous design. The tagline is in a different font (the same font as the title). This creates a little bit more conformity for the title, which, overall, makes it seem more like a proper movie poster title. The word 'dead' has been highlighted in a red colour, which further indicates the fact that there will be both blood and death in the film- both of which are pillars of the horror genre, because they are both expected and essential to the genre. The tagline itself looks more dynamic than before, as the separate lines of the tagline are in different positions, which gives the illusion of movement.

The blurry, faded multiple Graces in the movie poster suggest a supernatural element to her character. I wanted to give the viewers the impression that there was something ethereal to her character to give the viewers some context as to what the film is about.

As with the previous poster, the writing at the bottom of the film poster provides the poster with an overall more professional look than without it.

Stone bath with arm idea

POSTER DESIGN 3

This poster has a completely different feel than the other posters. This different feel as been created by drastically altering the brightness of the poster. This has had the effect of creating a moody, dark-looking poster which better encapsulates the tone of a horror film than the previous posters. The lack of brightness of the poster makes it easily recognisable as a horror film.

Unlike the previous posters, this poster design doesn't explicitly show the main antagonist- instead it shows just an arm. This is both creepy and has the added effect of producing some suspense and, possibly, some fear amongst the viewers of the poster, because they don't know what the main antagonist looks like. The arm coming over the side of the stone bath is a suitably creepy indication of what occurs in the plot. This visual style of the arm coming over the side of an object is not unlike another horror film -'The Ring'. It was an inspiration for the idea of my story.

The dried bloodstains on the side of the bath are very subtle, which creates the notion that something awful happened at the site of this bath. It provides the viewers, again, with some context as to what the plot is about- without giving too much away about what actually happens. This balance is very beneficial to a good movie poster, as it would intrigue viewers enough that they would want to see the film- which is the basic idea behind movie posters.

As with the previous poster, the writing at the bottom of the film poster provides the poster with an overall more professional look than without it.

GRACE FILM POSTERS

INITIAL FILM POSTER IDEAS

After taking some photographs at Polesdon Lacey, I have produced some initial movie poster designs for my proposed film idea.

Tree idea

Stone bath idea

Stone bath with arm idea

GRACE INITIAL MUSINGS

INITIAL PITCH
For one of my interviews for university, I was asked to bring a screenplay pitch to demonstrate my creativity. I chose to write a small pitch about this horror film idea, revolving around a girl called Grace who drowned and came back to haunt her old home. The pitch is as follows:

It’s a supernatural horror focusing on the conflict between a newly-wed couple and a vengeful spirit of a drowned girl.

In a semi-rural English town, a newly-wed couple move into a new home to start a new chapter in their lives. They soon discover that the house is not all it seems to be, as it is home to a vengeful spirit of a young girl who is hell-bent on defending the house against its new residents. She was the daughter of a young woman who was left by her husband for a younger girl. This left the woman in an emotionally vulnerable state of mind, which led her to start to rely heavily on alcohol. Her daughter was neglected and mistreated and eventually the woman cracked and drowned her young daughter, whilst reciting the ‘Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn't wash her face’. As she died a violent death, Grace’s spirit remained in the realm of the living to terrorise new occupants of her house. The couple have to somehow find a way to stop Grace, holding on to their humanity and each other as they do so. The more they investigate, the more truths about the house’s history they find. This leads them to believe that they only way to stop Grace, is by killing the woman that originally killed her- Grace’s mother, Heather.

From this initial pitch, I realised that I really liked this idea and, thus, ideas stemmed from this screenplay pitch.

INITIAL ROUGH STORY

From my first brief pitch about this idea, I created a rough outline of what I envisioned a finished film or story about this idea to look like.

A newly-wed couple (Chaz and Brooke Wilson) move into a new house soon after their wedding in order to start the next stage of their life. They are first seen on the road, talking and laughing whilst on their way to the new house. As they pull up to the driveway, those of keen eyesight can briefly spot a girl standing at one of the top floor windows of the house.

The couple unpack and explore the house. Apart from a few puddles of water, everything is fine and this remains so for the first couple of weeks of the residence. One day, as Brooke is taking a bath, she closes her eyes and relaxes into the bubbles. She hears creaking, so opens her eyes. However, she sees nothing so closes them again and starts to relax once more. This is followed by more creaking. She opens her eyes again and is shocked to see a little girl standing in the corner of the room. After the initial shock wears off, she settles down, but is noticeably a little scared. She asks the girl her name, to which the girl replies: ‘Grace.’ Brooke asks her how she got in to which Grace replies ‘I live here, silly.’ This confuses Brooke who tries to tell her that she doesn’t and that she and Chaz live there. This upsets Grace and, as she starts screaming, her face becomes greyer and she becomes drenched in water, with her mouth opening wider than should have been possible.

The camera cuts to Brooke opening her eyes, gasping for breath and sitting up out of the bath. There is water all over the floor and her husband is sitting with her, clutching her hand- clearly concerned. He says that she must have hit her head and gone underwater. Brooke tries to convince him of the little girl, but Chaz doesn’t believe her. She eventually concludes that she must have hit her head, even though, in her head, she knows what she saw. Brooke seems to be the only one who notices some strange things happening around the house and Chaz refuses to believe that there’s anything wrong. This results in a few arguments and puts a strain on their relationship.

As the days go by, both Brooke and Chaz begin to notice strange happenings around the house. They hear a child reciting ‘Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn’t wash her face’ in the night. Whenever a supernatural occurrence happens (such as wailing, belongings flying of their own volition, etc), they are accompanied by the presence of puddles of water- indicating Grace’s involvement in them. The Wilsons call a plumber who inspects the pipes and find nothing out of the ordinary.

After this, Grace becomes more aggressive and starts attacking them during the night. They barely manage to escape and after a few nights like this they book a room in a nearby motel. They start investigating the house’s past and look through county records and old internet sites to try to piece together the history of the house. It’s there that they learn about the house’s sinister past. Earlier in her life, when she was in her early 30s and Grace was 7 or 8, the previous owner’s husband (several decades ago) of 11 years left her for another woman. This event left her mentally unstable and prone to aggressive outbursts of anger. She began to drink heavily and neglected her daughter. One day, she drowned her daughter whilst reciting the ‘Patience is a virtue...etc’ phrase. Chaz and Brooke are horrified and livid at their salesman, who neglected to mention this when they bought the house. They confront him at his office and he is apologetic and points them in the direction of the previous owner of the house- Heather Pastor. The Wilsons decide to pay her a visit in the care home for the mentally ill where she resides. They believe that as long as Heather lives, so does Grace.

Upon arriving at the care home, they discover that the woman (Heather Pastor) is wheelchair-bound and seemingly unable to move. Her mouth is agape and she can only make gurgling sounds (noises one would make if drowning). Upon further inspection, the couple notice a puddle of water around the wheelchair.

Suddenly, Heather’s body jumps up and violently assaults Chaz, all the while wailing in her gurgling voice. Chaz fights back, but is overwhelmed by Heather (who is possessed by the spirit of Grace). The nurse attending to Heather screams, which prompts hospital guards to burst into the room. They pry Heather off of Chaz and try to hold them back as the nurse and the Wilsons make their escape. As they leave the room, Heather tears the guards apart and flings their lifeless bodies across the room. During the fight, the nurse had managed to call the police. The Wilsons run hand-in-hand towards the exit, with Heather in pursuit- levitating off the ground hurtling towards them with one arm outstretched. They manage to reach the exit and fling open the doors. The police, who had arrived shortly before, start shooting- not realising who is coming out. Chaz is caught in the leg and falls. Brooke screams and tries to help him, but Heather reaches him first. Heather claws at Chaz a bit, before being shot in the head by one of the police. (The camera could follow the bullet as it torpedoes towards her head). Heather’s body crumples to the ground and, what seems like bathwater, gushes out of her body- indicating that Grace is finished.

A few close-up camera shots of the shocked police and couple could follow this. A monologue in Chaz’s voices starts in these close-ups.

Cuts to Heather’s room in the care home, where there is blood and water everywhere along with the bodies of the guards. The shot fades and cuts to the care home several days after the ordeal, where everyone is going about their daily business now the Heather/Grace has gone.

Cuts to people gently lowering Heather’s body in an unmarked grave- whilst Chaz and Brooke look on.

Cuts to the couple signing the papers that put the house back on the market.

Cuts to Chaz finishing off writing a note, as the monologue finishes as well. He leaves it on the kitchen table, for the next owners of the house to find. The note’s title read:

‘A warning

To whom it may concern’.

In the monologue, he recounts Grace’s grisly demise and warns of the possible dangers of the house- even though everyone believes Grace to have disappeared.

Back in the kitchen, Chaz hears Brooke’s voice telling him to hurry up. The camera follows Chaz as he leaves the house and meets his wife. The drive out of the driveway behind a couple of mover’s vans. The camera turns back towards the now empty house. Cuts to the front hallway, cuts to the kitchen, cuts to the living room (with each cut, a new room is displayed), as serene music plays. Cuts to the bathroom last. In the corner of the bathroom, those of keen eyesight can briefly see a small puddle of water.

Credits roll.

After the credits roll, Grace’s voice can be heard over the black screen reciting the ‘Patience is a virtue...etc’ phrase. After the phrase finishes, the screen cuts immediately to a close-up of Grace’s face looking out the top floor of the window.

'GRACE' KEY MOMENTS IN THE STORY

The rough outline of the story gave me the opportunity to pick out the key moments in the story.

> Chaz & Brooke arriving at their new home for the first time.

> Brooke meeting Grace for the first time.

> Initial supernatural occurrences, such as levitation & breaking of household objects.

> Grace becoming more aggressive in her acts of the supernatural.

> Chaz & Brooke arguing about the existence of Grace.

> Grace violently attacking Chaz & Brooke, leading them to flee the house.

> Chaz & Brooke researching the history of their home.

> Flashback to Heather drowning Grace.

> Chaz & Brooke meeting Heather for the first time.

> Heather attacking Chaz, the nurse & guards in the hospital for the mentally ill.

> Heather chasing Chaz & Brooke outside.

> Heather getting shot by the police outside the hospital.

> Chaz writing the warning back at the house.

> Chaz & Brooke leaving the house, as Grace looks on from a window.