SHOOTING GHOST

CONCEPT
A children’s action/adventure with meta and scary fantasy elements.

PITCH
During Halloween, an aspiring young filmmaker gathers his friends to shoot a low budget horror movie, but finds himself in encounters with real ghosts and possessed actors. One sheet can be downloaded here!

SYNOPSIS
MIKE, 11, just moved in with yet another strange foster family. In a new city where he doesn’t know anyone, except his new found friend — The stray dog: Holliday!

When Mike then is forced to go with his younger foster sister – Jenn – to play hide and seek, they find a box with voodoo-dolls and pictures of the old western legends Stagecoach Mary, Belle Star and Frank Butler. This marks the starting point for an exciting adventure…

Jenn tells Mike the old legend of Stagecoach Mary, which has been told in generations in the city: About 100 years ago, a poker tournament was arranged, where all bets was placed in solid gold – and the winner was to take it all! Among the contestant was the first female Afro-American western hero – Stagecoach Mary! Mary was accused of cheating through magic, by using voodoo-dolls to control her opponents, so she could win the tournament. No evidence could be presented, but the tournament had to be closed down. In the turmoil that proceeded, all the gold at stake disappeared. Gold that has never been found since – so the legend continues to live on even today and many people still dreams about finding the gold.

Mike is fascinated by the story, and by using the voodoo-dolls he and Mary found, they manage of call forth the old western legends and have them possess the body of their foster parents. This leads them on to a treasure hunt to an abandon ghost town, where they have to undertake yet another voodoo-ritual which opens a gateway back to old west.

The adventure continues when they, in their efforts to find the spot where gold is said to be buried, has to live through wild horse chases and duel with real cowboys. During the course of the story they also meet with the real source of the poker tournaments voodoo-curse, a curse that needs to be broken. Mike also gets to see his real parents again, make new friends – before the treasure hunt continues…

DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Synopsis (first draft):            April, 2011
Revisions (Treatments):            2011-2012
Revisions (Script format):         2012
Page one re-write (synopsis)       2013
Revisions:                         2013-2014
Financing ready script:            October 2014
Shooting script:                   January 2015

The concept was first drafted as a meta/horror film in a synopsis format by Tomas Amlöv and the revised in a numerous revision in treatment, outline and script format – by Lars Norberg. In 2013 it was decided that it needed a page one re-write and Tomas Amlöv the drafted a new synopsis, that targeted the film as a children or family action/adventure story. Lars Norberg will now be assigned to do a page one re-write based on this synopsis. 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION & CREDITS
Title:           SHOOTING GHOSTS
Status:          Development
Prod start:      2016
Completion:      2017
Genre:           Children | Action/Adventure | Fantasy
Budget:          $1 Million
Length:          Expected 95 min
Language:        English
Writers:         Tomas Amlöv, Lars Norberg
Producers:       Tomas Amlöv
Casting:         Key casting begin in early 2016 

TARGET AUDIENCE
Shooting Ghosts is targeted to children aged 6-12, as the core audience – but aims to be a film for the entire family. 

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