EYE
CATCHER
LOG LINE
A creatively blocked painter unwittingly unleashes a demonic muse, an Eye Catcher, into his home, sparking a twisted surge of inspiration. But now he and his beloved wife and child are trapped in his home, where he must complete a masterpiece by dawn or his family pays the ultimate price.
FORWARD
I love hidden things.
The feelings we bury,
the secrets we conceal,
and the monster in the shadows.
This fascination laid the foundation for my short film, EYE CATCHER, and now fuels a terrifying feature version.
EYE CATCHER the movie scrutinizes the darker side of creativity...the sometimes deadly relationship between an artist and his muse. No one has seen a muse like this. It traps you, it inspires you... and it preys upon you. And it hides.
I’ve seen many horror movies and TV shows that hide creatures and ghosts for us to find on re- watch. But I haven’t seen one featuring a demon that can camouflage itself and nestle in unexpected parts of the frame. This muse, the “Eye Catcher,” awakens our species’ earliest and most primal fear: that we are being stalked by something we cannot see, which is much closer to us than we realize.
In EYE CATCHER, the unseen is not just a source of terror, but also a wellspring of revelation— terrifying and emotional epiphanies. EYE CATCHER is a psychological exploration of the artist's mind, a family's resilience, and the unseen forces that shape our creativity and our mental health. Watch closely.
Jeremy Shipp
STORY
SUMMARY
EYE CATCHER follows GAVIN SHEPPARD (40), a painter crippled by creative block. His life takes a dark turn when he inadvertently invites a demonic entity into his home, disguised as an inspiring muse. This entity, the Eye Catcher, manipulates reality and warps Gavin’s home into a nightmarish prison, trapping his family—his wife JULY (38) and their cleft-affected son LIAM (11) —inside. The Eye Catcher ignites a twisted wave of artistic inspiration in Gavin, demanding that he paint a masterpiece by dawn, or he’ll lose his soul and his family will die. No pressure.
Gavin’s struggle with this evil muse mirrors his internal strife; Gavin is torn between his ambition and devotion to his family. As July and Liam are drawn into this ordeal, they each react in their own way to the growing horror. As the deadline for his masterpiece looms, Gavin must make a choice that will alter his family’s fate forever.
THE MONSTER
WHO HIDES
THE EYE CATCHER
In EYE CATCHER, the monster camouflages itself, lurking in surprising places...just like anxiety. Hiding a monster in a movie has great precedent, from PREDATOR, to subliminal glimpses seen in THE EXORCIST, to the myriad “hidden ghosts” in THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and BLY MANOR, and the terrors concealed in the dim recesses of HEREDITARY. But in each of those cases, the search for the hidden monsters is secondary. Not here. EYE CATCHER puts us on alert and has us scouring the environment, like our characters, for a glimpse of our enemy.
This will enhance audience engagement and foster a dedicated fan base, who will be eager to discuss the film’s secrets on comment threads and subreddits. The Eye Catcher will be among movies’ greatest monsters.
THE SHORT FILM
EYE CATCHER is a proof of concept short film that explores the themes of anxiety and the unseen, drawing inspiration from my personal experience with anxiety, (and with losing anxiety medication).
Link to the film is HERE:
STYLE
& TONE
CAMERA
In the look book for EYE CATCHER, the camera and lens strategy is integral to the film's narrative, reflecting the protagonist's journey from a blurred perception to clarity. Initially, longer lenses create a shallow depth of field, mirroring the painter's unfocused world and setting a suspenseful tone. As the story progresses and horror escalates, we’ll ratchet up the rack focuses, signaling Gavin’s growing awareness to his situation (and his failings).
In the climax, wider lenses bring both foreground and background into clear view, echoing Gavin’s gained wisdom and offering viewers a better chance to spot the hidden monster. Additionally, strategic long takes are used to signify key moments, like our painter’s time-compressing "flow states” as well as protracted moments of tension, in scenes where the viewers’ eyes are free to rove the frame in hunt of the monster. These long takes also serve a practical purpose, because they save time and money!
COLOR
Taking inspiration from the paper art picture (seen in the short film, it plays a prominent role in the feature), green, gold, and light blue are our “noble” colors; they suggest plants, sunlight, and water. Taken together, that gives us GROWTH. Wisdom. This is where the movie will lead Gavin, and us.
In our first act, these colors are scarcely present, as a muted, desaturated palette dominates the film's early scenes.
As Gavin's story unfolds and the horror escalates, the color palette evolves,
introducing hotter, angrier reds and oranges signaling the presence of a malignant, supernatural force.
In the film's climax, as Gavin gains wisdom, the noble colors gradually become more prominent. The desaturation gives way to a balanced and brighter color scheme, bringing the greens, golds, and light blues to the forefront. This progression signifies Gavin's growth and understanding.
Strategic color cues, like the use of red in THE SIXTH SENSE to indicate the presence of a ghost, are employed to hint at the hidden monster, engaging the audience in a deeper level of visual storytelling.
MUSIC
We already know who the composer will be: Tom Schraeder, who wrote the music for the short film, as well as the terrifically scary score for the disturbing movie, THE DARK AND THE WICKED.
Links to his work (including the soundtrack to the short film), are here:
THE CREATURE
The Eye Catcher is a demon that began, once upon a time, thousands of years ago, as a human. Its embrace of the darkest of magic and spirits has mutated its form into a hideous, insectile silhouette. When we finally get our full look at the creature by the movie’s end…we’ll wish we hadn’t.
IN PROGRESS:
CANTINA CREATIVE
For the feature version of EYE CATCHER, Cantina Creative is set to bring their exceptional visual effects expertise to bear, elevating the film much like they did with the short. Known for their high-end design and creative VFX solutions, Cantina Creative has a notable reputation in the industry, having worked on significant projects such as Marvel Studios' LOKI, where they designed, animated, and composited a range of compelling time-travel story point graphics.
Cantina Creative's ability to blend storytelling with technical prowess is evident in their past projects, ranging from feature films to commercials and video game cinematics. Their list of projects is stunning. From THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER to FREE GUY to AVATAR: THEY WAY OF WATER, their talent for creating immersive and story-driven visual effects is a perfect fit for EYE CATCHER.
Cantina Creative will help make the greatness of this film inevitable.For more on Cantina Creative, visit their website here: cantinacreative.com
CONTACT
Anonymous Content
Ryan Cunningham
rcunningham@anonymouscontent.com
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