CONVENTIONAL FILM NORMANYO ELIZABETH

 

The hotel ballroom buzzed with artificial excitement   booths lined with horror merchandise, faded posters, and aging actors behind plastic tables. Among them sat Rachel Milligan, once the star of a cult slasher film. Now, she smiled politely behind her booth, surrounded by fans dressed as the killer from her one-hit movie. Her makeup was immaculate, but her face told a different story. Her lips were swollen and strange, as if stretched too far in a desperate attempt to stay relevant. Her eyes sparkled with the practiced cheer of someone who’s been smiling too long.

“Hi, how are you?” she greeted each fan like a broken record, signing autographs and taking selfies. “Thank you so much.” Each camera flash hit her like a jolt, a reminder of who she used to be. The fans adored her   or rather, the version of her frozen in  time  but their words barely registered anymore. One girl gushed about how iconic Rachel’s death scene was. Another just wanted a selfie to complete her Instagram cosplay set. Behind the table, Rachel's fingers twitched. She was still. Smiling. Hollow.

Between fans, she whispered to herself in the mirror propped on her table. “I’m not old,” she muttered. “I’m... I’m timeless.” But her reflection didn’t agree.

Later, in a quiet hallway away from the convention floor, Rachel stood before a bathroom mirror, eyes glazed. The fluorescent lights flickered. Her makeup was beginning to melt, and with it, her facade. She opened her bag.  Inside tissues, pills, a journal. “I used to have things to say,” she whispered. “I used to matter. Now... now I’m drowning in silence.”

Her thoughts spiraled. She imagined herself still trapped in her one big   scene  always screaming, always dying, over and over again.

Then, someone knocked. She quickly wiped her face, forced her swollen lips into a smile, and returned to the floor. Back at her booth, a man dressed as the killer from her film waited for her. He stared without blinking. She stared back.

BEGINNING

A horror  convention  crowded, noisy, and artificial in atmosphere.  Rachel Milligan, once a cult horror actress, now sits behind a booth, aging but hiding it behind flawless makeup and forced smiles.  Melancholic and ironic.  Rachel is celebrated, but not truly seen. Fans adore a version of her from the past, not the person she is now. There’s a  disconnect   between her public image and her private reality. Her looks and legacy are slipping, but she's clinging to both.

MIDDLE

Rachel retreats to a bathroom, away from the crowd. Here, her mask begins to crack both literally (melting makeup) and emotionally. Tissues, pills, a journal   hinting at anxiety, depression, or possibly addiction. These are tools to manage the unraveling. She questions her worth “I used to matter.” She feels trapped, reliving the same iconic scream-death scene, now symbolic of her own emotional stagnation.

END

Return to Convention: Despite her internal breakdown, she returns to her booth, reapplying the mask the smile, the cheer, the role. A   man  dressed as the killer from her film stares at her. This moment blurs fiction and reality, symbolizing her entrapment in her past role. Click. Click. Click. The flashes continue. The fans cheer. But Rachel is emotionally invisible, crumbling quietly.

TYPES OF SHOTS USED IN THE FILM

Long shot talks  about horror convention setting it shows artificial, overwhelming atmosphe

Tracking shot, moving toward Rachel at her booth, it builds focus, isolates her emotionally

Medium Close-Up, Rachel’s face and smile it reveals tension beneath her perfect makeup

POV Shot, from Rachel’s eyes  fans,  flashes it Immerses us in her experience

Close  shot, her twitching fingers, bag items it symbolizes anxiety and hidden struggles

Extreme Close-Up, eyes, lips, whispering it shows deep emotional pain and vulnerability

 

What was good  Story Strengths

Emotional Depth: The story powerfully explores aging, fame, identity, and loneliness. It’s not just about a horror actress  it’s about what happens after the spotlight fades.

Psychological Horror: It cleverly flips the genre the true horror isn’t a killer, but time, irrelevance, and being trapped in your past.

Symbolic Writing: The story uses metaphors like the melting makeup, camera flashes, and mirror reflections to show inner conflict and decay. Subtle and effective.

Show, Don’t Tell: We don’t get long inner monologues   we see her twitching hands, forced smile, and cracked makeup. This makes the story cinematic.

 

Shot & Cinematography Strengths (as imagined)

Mirror Shots: Very effective for inner conflict and dual identity. Rachel’s reflection becomes a second character.

Flash Montage: Using a strobe-like series of flashes to show emotional collapse is visually strong and symbolically loaded.

Isolation via Framing: long shots that place Rachel alone behind her table work well to show her fading into the background  even while she's in plain sight.

What Could Be Improved  story Weaknesses

Lack of Plot Progression: The story is emotionally rich but narratively static  Rachel doesn’t really change, act, or make a major choice. She breaks down, but then just returns to the same place.

No Clear Resolution or Twist: A good short film often needs a punch either a surprising turn or a defining action. Here, it ends where it began: she’s still stuck.

Repetition Without Payoff: The fans, the smiles, the flashes — while atmospheric, can feel repetitive without escalation or a moment of confrontation or choice.

Shot / Direction Weaknesses (if filmed as imagined)

Too Reliant on Close-Ups & Mirrors: While effective emotionally, too many close-ups and mirror shots might feel visually repetitive without dynamic variation.

Missing a Climactic Visual Moment: A stronger ending  for example, the killer-costumed fan reaching out or Rachel snapping in some way  could have elevated the story visually and emotionally.

Could Use More Visual Contrast: The story stays visually muted (booth, hallway, mirror). Adding one bold visual  like a dreamlike sequence, flashback, or surreal breakdown could give the short more depth and range.

 Overall Thoughts — If This Were a Short Film

Director’s Vision: It’s clear the director would be focused on internal emotional decay rather than action. A slow, haunting tone  more psychological than literal horror.

The story feels influenced by films like Black Swan, The Wrestler, or Sunset Boulevard   where aging performers confront the loss of identity. Performance Driven: This would be an actor’s piece — with strong emphasis on micro-expressions, stillness, and subtle breakdowns. Minimal dialogue, heavy on facial emotion.

Audience Reaction: Critics and film lovers would appreciate the layered storytelling and symbolism.

Casual viewers might find it slow, lacking in traditional plot or payoff.

A beautifully haunting concept that uses visual storytelling and symbolism to explore the emotional horror of fading fame. With a bit more narrative drive and a sharper climax, this could become a powerful short film about identity, time, and performance.

Protagonist: Rachel Milligan a forgotten scream queen

Goal: To remain relevant / feel seen and remembered

Antagonist (with set principles): Time, fading fame, the public's obsession with her past self

Willing to struggle: She continues appearing at conventions, hiding her sadness behind makeup

Situation of win or lose: it all emotional breakdown in the bathroom   is she still someone, or is she lost forever?

Resolution of principles:  No external  resolution  the story ends with her returning to the loop. The difference in principle (being timeless vs being forgotten) remains unresolved, making it a tragic loop ending

 

PRODUCED BY : MALI ELFMAN, MICHAEL MAY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: ZEKE PINHEIRO 

MUSIC BY: THE NEWTON BROTHERS 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPH: ZACH VOYTAS

EDITED BY: MIKE SMALL

https://youtu.be/oIWRI1g_NFE?si=J_4SxiInQ2ad1SZ2