Burn House
Hollywood, South Carolina | Film Feature
Horror, Thriller
Last November, Destiny put up $55,000 to produce and direct the first act of Burn House, a psychological horror about healing in a black family told through a distinctly Southern lens. Your contribution would add to her investment and help us finish principle photography of acts 2 & 3!
Burn House
Hollywood, South Carolina | Film Feature
Horror, Thriller
3 Campaigns | South Carolina, United States
16 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$755
Goal: $19,000 for production
Last November, Destiny put up $55,000 to produce and direct the first act of Burn House, a psychological horror about healing in a black family told through a distinctly Southern lens. Your contribution would add to her investment and help us finish principle photography of acts 2 & 3!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis
Zee, a defamed talk show host and social media powerhouse, escapes to her family’s sacred land to salvage her Image. With the help of her camera man and manager, she plans to film her "healing journey and self care retreat". What was supposed to be click bait for her social media followers, turns out to be a fight for her life on blood stained land built on the ashes of a persecuted woman. As Zee defiles the rules of the cabin and continually rejects authentic healing, determined to keep up the facade, supernatural forces arise and the temperature inside the home begins to heat up.
The air grows hotter and her hallucinations intensify until Zee encounters three ghosts from her past; her cousin Kiloh, her ten year old self, and her ancestor Savita, who was burned alive on the land. To survive, Zee must battle not only the supernatural forces but her own unhealed trauma and rage to escape the cabin before she burns alive inside. Burn House explores what happens when one woman’s past, both personal and ancestral, won’t stay buried.
A Word From the Director
Burn House was inspired by atypical horror films like His House and Get Out’s in their intimate expression of theme. This film explores the trauma that festers when characters are forced to confront buried truths. While the horror simmers, Zee’s humorous nature and strained relationships offer comedic relief, echoing the dynamic between Daniel Kaluuya and Lil Rel in Get Out. Like a black, horror version of The Christmas Carol, or more specifically the 1988 film adaptation, Scrooged, Zee is introduced to three ghosts from her past who help her to face parts of herself she’s tried to bury.
As black women raised in the South, Burn House is deeply rooted in the lived experiences of myself and my co-writer, Sh’Kia Augustin. Like Zee, I have fought to overcome the haunting grief of an absentee father, the anger that manifested from it, and I’ve worked tirelessly to break generational curses for my children. For Sh’Kia, Burn House is reflective of her childhood which was shaped by broken family dynamics, imposter syndrome, and the unspoken trauma that followed her into adulthood.
As director, I hope to craft a film that sits with its audience long after the movie is over, igniting within them a desire to step through their own healing fire.
Shooting Act 1
In Hollywood, SC (45 minutes from Charleston), our team set-up camp at this incredible historical site. When the writer's came up with the idea for the story, they never imagined the EXACT location they dreamed up, a cabin right near a dock that leads to incredible calming waters, existed in real life! To make the experience even more of a dream, our hostess, Janie, made us feel super welcomed and so supported!
By the end of the shoot we all felt like family. The work days were long and intense, but shooting near a beautifully scenic dock (with dolphins swimming in the water) made it almost feel like we were on vacation. Hopefully, the joy we felt filming Burn House comes across to our viewers, when they're not jumping or gripping their pillows rooting for Zee's survival!
Finishing the Movie
Once we successfully raise our next installment of funding, we'll book Airbnbs and hotels to provide cast and crew with housing. Our production designer and costume designer will begin collecting the pieces they need to rebuild the world we created last fall. And then we'll all drive to Hollywood, SC this Fall to finish filming the movie. It will take approximately 10 additional filming days for us to complete principle photography.
Once we're done filming, we'll begin the post production process. We'll leverage our fully shot production to raise finishing funds which will allow us to pay our editor, our VFX team, our music composer, colorist, and graphic designer to wrap up the movie. Then we'll be ready to submit Burn House to film festivals!
Film Festivals & Distribution
Our hope is that it will screen at the American Black FF, the Austin FF, the Athena Women's FF, the San Francisco FF, and Martha's Vineyard African American FF, to name a few. While attending the film festival, we plan to connect with distributors and land a distribution deal with a streaming platform like Hulu, Peacock, or Amazon Prime. Then Burn House will be available for the world to stream and enjoy!!!!
CAST
ZEE - Lirelle Gardere
DOUG - Dorian Herring
PHOENIX - Whitney Morrow
KILOH - Erwin James Jacob
MARABELLE - Mia Alexis Reese
TERRAN - Zach Humphrey
LITTLE ZEE - Kinsleigh Boyd
VANESSA - Robin Hailey
and...
SAVITA - Natacha Ellie
IG: @burnhouse_movie and @hushgirl_des
Seed & Spark link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/burn-house
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast Day Rates
Costs $2,500
The project is signed with SAG-AFTRA and so we will be paying all of the cast union rates for the days they work.
Crew Day Rates
Costs $6,000
These costs are essential to hire an experienced production team to efficiently and professionally complete principal photography.
Production Design Purchases
Costs $2,000
We're filming the entire movie in one cabin and so it has to pass both as a home from the late 1800s and a vacation destination in 2027.
Wardrobe Purchases & Rentals
Costs $2,000
As with production design, we need to purchase wardrobe that appears to be from the reconstruction error and from modern-day stores.
Hard Drives (Video and Audio File Storage)
Costs $500
Shooting on an Arri Alexa Mini creates pretty large files. To save the video files, and to create back-ups, we need heavy duty hard drives.
Breakfast & Lunch
Costs $2,000
We will be feeding our cast and crew both hot breakfasts and hot lunches each day to keep them fueled and energized!
Equipment Rentals
Costs $1,000
We're renting an Arri Alexa mini and lighting equipment from Jeffrey Griffith (our DP) and will rent audio equipment from our sound mixer.
Housing for Cast & Crew
Costs $3,000
Our out of town cast & crew will need housing while we're in Hollywood, SC.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
As independent filmmakers, my team and I understand the importance of creating our own opportunities and being scrappy to bring our stories to life.
After meeting Sh'kia during production of my short film, Talk Black, which she starred in, she and I decided to collaborate virtually on the screenplay for Burn House. She'd written, produced, and starred in multiple projects and I knew she would have the dedication it took to see any project through from ideation to completion. Two years of writing and rewriting later, we landed on a draft we felt excited to take into production.
Once in pre-production, both of my amazing associate producers, Stephanie and Soleighta, managed logistics that I did not have the capacity to take on while prepping the creative aspects of Burn House. They made sure we were fed and safe, not to mention they got the team what we needed to give a tiny budget movie big budget production value!
Jeffrey Griffith, one of my favorite DP's ever, worked on multiple other projects with me so we were able to tap into our natural flow of communication for shot composition, blocking, lighting, etc. Not to mention, he's hilarious and has his own grip van and an Arri Alexa Mini!
Now, Lirelle! Her natural charisma brought the role of ZEE to life in a way that made me feel like she'd become the character right before my eyes. Her natural acting style makes the film so engaging and such a joy to watch! She and the rest of our incredibly talented cast made production so easy as they amplified the story and never missed a beat.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis
Zee, a defamed talk show host and social media powerhouse, escapes to her family’s sacred land to salvage her Image. With the help of her camera man and manager, she plans to film her "healing journey and self care retreat". What was supposed to be click bait for her social media followers, turns out to be a fight for her life on blood stained land built on the ashes of a persecuted woman. As Zee defiles the rules of the cabin and continually rejects authentic healing, determined to keep up the facade, supernatural forces arise and the temperature inside the home begins to heat up.
The air grows hotter and her hallucinations intensify until Zee encounters three ghosts from her past; her cousin Kiloh, her ten year old self, and her ancestor Savita, who was burned alive on the land. To survive, Zee must battle not only the supernatural forces but her own unhealed trauma and rage to escape the cabin before she burns alive inside. Burn House explores what happens when one woman’s past, both personal and ancestral, won’t stay buried.
A Word From the Director
Burn House was inspired by atypical horror films like His House and Get Out’s in their intimate expression of theme. This film explores the trauma that festers when characters are forced to confront buried truths. While the horror simmers, Zee’s humorous nature and strained relationships offer comedic relief, echoing the dynamic between Daniel Kaluuya and Lil Rel in Get Out. Like a black, horror version of The Christmas Carol, or more specifically the 1988 film adaptation, Scrooged, Zee is introduced to three ghosts from her past who help her to face parts of herself she’s tried to bury.
As black women raised in the South, Burn House is deeply rooted in the lived experiences of myself and my co-writer, Sh’Kia Augustin. Like Zee, I have fought to overcome the haunting grief of an absentee father, the anger that manifested from it, and I’ve worked tirelessly to break generational curses for my children. For Sh’Kia, Burn House is reflective of her childhood which was shaped by broken family dynamics, imposter syndrome, and the unspoken trauma that followed her into adulthood.
As director, I hope to craft a film that sits with its audience long after the movie is over, igniting within them a desire to step through their own healing fire.
Shooting Act 1
In Hollywood, SC (45 minutes from Charleston), our team set-up camp at this incredible historical site. When the writer's came up with the idea for the story, they never imagined the EXACT location they dreamed up, a cabin right near a dock that leads to incredible calming waters, existed in real life! To make the experience even more of a dream, our hostess, Janie, made us feel super welcomed and so supported!
By the end of the shoot we all felt like family. The work days were long and intense, but shooting near a beautifully scenic dock (with dolphins swimming in the water) made it almost feel like we were on vacation. Hopefully, the joy we felt filming Burn House comes across to our viewers, when they're not jumping or gripping their pillows rooting for Zee's survival!
Finishing the Movie
Once we successfully raise our next installment of funding, we'll book Airbnbs and hotels to provide cast and crew with housing. Our production designer and costume designer will begin collecting the pieces they need to rebuild the world we created last fall. And then we'll all drive to Hollywood, SC this Fall to finish filming the movie. It will take approximately 10 additional filming days for us to complete principle photography.
Once we're done filming, we'll begin the post production process. We'll leverage our fully shot production to raise finishing funds which will allow us to pay our editor, our VFX team, our music composer, colorist, and graphic designer to wrap up the movie. Then we'll be ready to submit Burn House to film festivals!
Film Festivals & Distribution
Our hope is that it will screen at the American Black FF, the Austin FF, the Athena Women's FF, the San Francisco FF, and Martha's Vineyard African American FF, to name a few. While attending the film festival, we plan to connect with distributors and land a distribution deal with a streaming platform like Hulu, Peacock, or Amazon Prime. Then Burn House will be available for the world to stream and enjoy!!!!
CAST
ZEE - Lirelle Gardere
DOUG - Dorian Herring
PHOENIX - Whitney Morrow
KILOH - Erwin James Jacob
MARABELLE - Mia Alexis Reese
TERRAN - Zach Humphrey
LITTLE ZEE - Kinsleigh Boyd
VANESSA - Robin Hailey
and...
SAVITA - Natacha Ellie
IG: @burnhouse_movie and @hushgirl_des
Seed & Spark link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/burn-house
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast Day Rates
Costs $2,500
The project is signed with SAG-AFTRA and so we will be paying all of the cast union rates for the days they work.
Crew Day Rates
Costs $6,000
These costs are essential to hire an experienced production team to efficiently and professionally complete principal photography.
Production Design Purchases
Costs $2,000
We're filming the entire movie in one cabin and so it has to pass both as a home from the late 1800s and a vacation destination in 2027.
Wardrobe Purchases & Rentals
Costs $2,000
As with production design, we need to purchase wardrobe that appears to be from the reconstruction error and from modern-day stores.
Hard Drives (Video and Audio File Storage)
Costs $500
Shooting on an Arri Alexa Mini creates pretty large files. To save the video files, and to create back-ups, we need heavy duty hard drives.
Breakfast & Lunch
Costs $2,000
We will be feeding our cast and crew both hot breakfasts and hot lunches each day to keep them fueled and energized!
Equipment Rentals
Costs $1,000
We're renting an Arri Alexa mini and lighting equipment from Jeffrey Griffith (our DP) and will rent audio equipment from our sound mixer.
Housing for Cast & Crew
Costs $3,000
Our out of town cast & crew will need housing while we're in Hollywood, SC.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
As independent filmmakers, my team and I understand the importance of creating our own opportunities and being scrappy to bring our stories to life.
After meeting Sh'kia during production of my short film, Talk Black, which she starred in, she and I decided to collaborate virtually on the screenplay for Burn House. She'd written, produced, and starred in multiple projects and I knew she would have the dedication it took to see any project through from ideation to completion. Two years of writing and rewriting later, we landed on a draft we felt excited to take into production.
Once in pre-production, both of my amazing associate producers, Stephanie and Soleighta, managed logistics that I did not have the capacity to take on while prepping the creative aspects of Burn House. They made sure we were fed and safe, not to mention they got the team what we needed to give a tiny budget movie big budget production value!
Jeffrey Griffith, one of my favorite DP's ever, worked on multiple other projects with me so we were able to tap into our natural flow of communication for shot composition, blocking, lighting, etc. Not to mention, he's hilarious and has his own grip van and an Arri Alexa Mini!
Now, Lirelle! Her natural charisma brought the role of ZEE to life in a way that made me feel like she'd become the character right before my eyes. Her natural acting style makes the film so engaging and such a joy to watch! She and the rest of our incredibly talented cast made production so easy as they amplified the story and never missed a beat.