Out of Body (Horror Short Film)
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Thriller
A sheltered woman is haunted by a suffocating spirit that preys on her deepest fears and insecurities. With her body and soul at risk, she must summon all her inner strength to resist both the demon and her manipulative date, all while confronting her own anxiety and societal pressures.
Out of Body (Horror Short Film)
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Thriller
Green Light
This campaign raised $21,936 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
178 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A sheltered woman is haunted by a suffocating spirit that preys on her deepest fears and insecurities. With her body and soul at risk, she must summon all her inner strength to resist both the demon and her manipulative date, all while confronting her own anxiety and societal pressures.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Out of Body" begins with an innocuous Friday night date. Lily, a young and sheltered woman, desires to remain outside of her house and escape her controlling father's influence. She aims to utilize the limited freedom she possesses by expressing her sexuality and independence with her date, Adam.
Adam is a nice enough guy, who seemingly has honest intentions, so Lily confides in him and reveals her sexual fantasy. She wants to have sex with him inside his van. Adam hides his initial excitement and even expresses some hesitation but cannot turn down this opportunity.
As they progress into the back of the van, Lily senses a dark presence hovering over them. She isn't certain that what she's seeing is real: a possessed vagrant. Whenever Lily makes contact with its dreadful eyes, Lily's soul is pulled out of her body against her will.
Lily tries to convince Adam that there's someone, something outside but the spirit's sudden disappearance whenever Adam looks for it makes Lily doubt her own reality. Lily struggles against Adam's growing expectations of sexual fulfillment and the spirit's heightening grip on her to save her body and soul from being taken.
The style of "Out of Body" will be largely informed by the feeling of being trapped. Our film takes place mostly inside and outside a van physically but the spiritual/possession aspect of the story also speaks to being violated. We want to capture the discomfort of having boundaries crossed in both the physical and spiritual planes.
For the physical world, we'll alternate between close shots and long shots. The close shots will be used for building intimacy between the characters as well as showing how private spaces are required to feel safe. The long shots will be used to show the isolation and danger of being in a removed location.
For the out of body spiritual world, we'll be using the Halo FX filter that clearly presents the central image but blurs out the border in a circular pattern giving it a "halo" effect. This presents our main character's "soul" clearly whereas her environment will be blurred out as if everything else around her is uncertain and chaotic.
Static shots will convey the paralyzed feeling of feeling trapped physically in the van but also the helpless feeling of one's soul leaving the body. Moving shots will be used to convey the vagrant's movements and POV much like how "Jaws" utilized the POV shot to create a sense of danger for its victims.
As "Out of Body" takes place at night in a secluded area with little lighting, the darkness will be our friend here.
The film will utilize a lot of shadows. Our characters will be draped in shadows during the intimate moments and the only sources of light will come from the mimicked headlights of the van or from a nearby streetlamp. Our intent is to increase the idea of things looming in the shadows.
Shadows will also correlate with how much integrity our characters invoke. Lily will be lit where we can see her expressions and sincerity whereas Adam will be a bit more shadowy and the vagrant will be completely immersed in darkness except for its eyes.
The spiritual world will be lit and not as shadowy as the physical world. Our intent with the spiritual realm is to invoke chaos and confusion from the POV of Lily and the spirit.
"The film’s genesis began when I personally had to get out of a possessive and invasive close friendship. After consoling with my friends and hearing about their similar experiences, I felt compelled to make a film that explores the subject matter.
With this horror film, we strive to bring a unique and wild ride to the audience, one that speaks to our real life terrors and experiences. My team is currently in talks with producers who are interested in developing horror feature films, and this short will prove that we’re capable of bringing something bold and refreshing to the genre."
Joseph Le, Film Director
Lily
An independent spirit who is always looking for ways to break free from parental control and explore her innermost desires. She works as a secretary at a corporate law firm and often suppresses her own self-expression in order to meet the expectations of her workplace. On the side she works as a freelance photographer and anonymous webcam girl.
Adam
A young man in his early twenties who works as an urban planner for a large corporate company, feeling isolated and disconnected from his colleagues. Gifted with a smooth tongue, Adam thrives talking down frustrated clients and timid customers off the ledge. Despite his initial charm, his kind exterior has a limit and he'll switch from good cop to bad to get what he wants.
Possessed Vagrant/Lurker
A homeless woman is possessed by a spirit that originally belonged to a woman mistreated and forced into prostitution. She gained a special ability to possess the bodies of other people and has used this power to travel the world in search of a better life. Despite her struggles, she continues to look for a life she believes she deserves.
As Asian-American filmmakers, we know the pressure to comply with authoritative figures such as our parents and teachers. While this can be a positive quality, this piety can also instill in us a belief that our wishes and desires aren’t important enough to voice. There’s a Japanese proverb that encapsulates this pressure to conform, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” This belief can be so ingrained in us that it seeps into our other relationships.
We’ve all been on bad dates and many of us may have experienced pressure to consent to another person’s wishes. For many of us, it’s not our first instinct to stand up for ourselves, especially when our internal voices cast doubt on whether we’re actually being wronged in the first place. This film is about that internal struggle to speak up for ourselves.
Currently, the project is fully casted! We've cast wonderful actors and actresses for our film and we couldn't be happier with our talent.
We're stoked to have Lestonja Diaz as our Lily. Lestonja's an incredible actress, who blew us out of the water with her take on Lily. She's known for her role in NASHVILLE starring Hayden Panettiere, "My Teacher My Obsession" which you can find her on Netflix, and her debut feature film "The Otherkind" which will premiere later in 2023.
We're incredibly grateful to have Curtis Lum as our Adam. Curtis gave us an Adam with many layers and you can see his talents in a variety of shows including, "Titans," "The Good Doctor," and "The Night Agent."
As you all know, movies are expensive, even short ones. We've provided a breakdown as to how the funds will be allocated. Most of the budget will be going towards the cast and crew, including the director of photography, assistant camera operators, and actors ($9410). The runner up in our budget is the location, including insurance ($7500). The rest of the budget will go towards the frills such as production design ($1300), catering and transportation ($1100), music and sound ($900), and licensing ($150).
COVID Safety
The health and safety of our cast and crew is foremost in our production. We will verify that the full cast and crew is vaccinated before the start of production.
Approach to Intimate Scenes
We’ll be hiring an experienced intimacy coordinator to make sure that the actors feel safe and comfortable during rehearsals/shooting. We will have a closed set with only essential crew members and use camera tricks + implied nudity during the sensitive scenes. Nobody will be pushed beyond their limit. Our workplace will safe and consensual for everyone.
1. Follow this campaign and stay up to date with any news and goals we may share! You can also follow us on Instagram @outofbody.film!
2. Contribute and pledge. Seed and Spark requires at least 80% of our goal in 30 days to receive any of the funds we raise. We have a number of incentives for all budgets. Even a few bucks will make an impact. Your support is greatly appreciated.
3. Spread the word. Even if you can’t donate, sharing our campaign is a great way to support indie filmmakers. Please share via social media, email, word of mouth, or however you can! Feel free to copy/paste these sample Instagram posts:
Support filmmakers @josephle_art @ryankimwrites @cinathewarriorprincess by supporting their indie short horror film @outofbody.film on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/out-of-body#story
I'm terrified to see the horror project @outofbody.film by @josephle_art @ryankimwrites @cinathewarriorprincess produced by @teamredpro — Support them if you can on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/out-of-body#story
.jpg)
Thank you for supporting us. Truly. We believe we have a unique story to tell and it literally cannot be made without your backing. We’ll do our best and make something that all of us can be proud of.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $7,500
We need to be able to control our environment, hence a closed location we'll have all to ourselves.
Director of Photography
Costs $2,700
We want this not only to look good but look right in terms of mood and tone.
Make-up Artist
Costs $2,000
We need more than powdering and a bed sheet for our spirit/monster.
Costume and Wardrobe Designer
Costs $600
Our devil doesn't wear Prada but we want to dress everyone according to our color palette.
Lead Actress
Costs $1,805
Tribute for our scream queen.
Leading Actor
Costs $1,805
Tribute to our scream king.
Supporting Actors
Costs $500
A little support goes a long way.
Music and Sound
Costs $900
Silent horror movies sound like a fun experiment but nah.
Production Design
Costs $1,300
Make-up, wardrobe, and props oh my.
Catering and Transport
Costs $1,100
Gotta eat and move.
Licenses
Costs $150
Did you hear that? We need you to.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
JOSEPH LE (Film Director)
Joseph is an award winning director based in LA with over a decade of creative agency experience working with clients like SONY, BETHESDA STUDIOS, and PUMA. He’s mostly known for his genre-busting action design (Shang-Chi, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Knights of the Zodiac).
His martial arts hood drama, Twisting Tiger, explored the shared struggle and cultural tension between the Black and Asian gang community. It won the Warner Media Action Short Film Competition in 2022. Currently, he’s managing an action filmmaking group called Team Red Pro which has garnered over 129k followers on Instagram and 56k subscribers on YouTube.
RYAN KIM (Writer + Producer)
Ryan is a Creative Writing MFA graduate from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He developed a feature length script and pitched to multiple executives in the inaugural Giant Leap Accelerator program and was a Nickelodeon Writing Program Semi-Finalist. He's had short fiction published in Lunch Ticket, Ariel Chart, Hidden Chapter, and The 22 Magazine, and non-fiction published in Reclaim, Popula, RipRap, and Ricepaper.
AIMEE HAWKINS (Producer)
A creative, high-spirited and detail-oriented leader, with a passionate drive to build empowering human experiences. Possesses a strong background in Project Management, Team & Client Relationships, User Experience, Design, and Writing. Produced Team Red Pro’s action musical, Mulan: An East Side Story.
CINA MCKENNA (Executive Producer)
A team player who works in front of and behind the lens. Cina is a creative director and performer for film, tv, and independent projects. A stunt double for Obi-Wan, Black Panther, Westworld and more, she is mostly working as a stuntwoman based in LA. However, she loves to be useful on any Team Red set!
KHOI NGUYEN - Director of Photography
Born and raised in Saigon, Khoi came to the U.S. when he was 11. Combining his experience of growing up in two different cultures, he finds a distinctive perspective in the way he photographs life.
Khoi is mentored by Johnny Jensen, A.S.C. on his path as a cinematographer. He earned an MFA in Cinematography from Chapman University. Some films that heavily influenced his art are “A Woman Like Me” by Alex Sichel, “Homme Less” by Thomas Wirthensohn, “Columbus” by Kogonada and “Little Miss Sunshine” by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Out of Body" begins with an innocuous Friday night date. Lily, a young and sheltered woman, desires to remain outside of her house and escape her controlling father's influence. She aims to utilize the limited freedom she possesses by expressing her sexuality and independence with her date, Adam.
Adam is a nice enough guy, who seemingly has honest intentions, so Lily confides in him and reveals her sexual fantasy. She wants to have sex with him inside his van. Adam hides his initial excitement and even expresses some hesitation but cannot turn down this opportunity.
As they progress into the back of the van, Lily senses a dark presence hovering over them. She isn't certain that what she's seeing is real: a possessed vagrant. Whenever Lily makes contact with its dreadful eyes, Lily's soul is pulled out of her body against her will.
Lily tries to convince Adam that there's someone, something outside but the spirit's sudden disappearance whenever Adam looks for it makes Lily doubt her own reality. Lily struggles against Adam's growing expectations of sexual fulfillment and the spirit's heightening grip on her to save her body and soul from being taken.
The style of "Out of Body" will be largely informed by the feeling of being trapped. Our film takes place mostly inside and outside a van physically but the spiritual/possession aspect of the story also speaks to being violated. We want to capture the discomfort of having boundaries crossed in both the physical and spiritual planes.
For the physical world, we'll alternate between close shots and long shots. The close shots will be used for building intimacy between the characters as well as showing how private spaces are required to feel safe. The long shots will be used to show the isolation and danger of being in a removed location.
For the out of body spiritual world, we'll be using the Halo FX filter that clearly presents the central image but blurs out the border in a circular pattern giving it a "halo" effect. This presents our main character's "soul" clearly whereas her environment will be blurred out as if everything else around her is uncertain and chaotic.
Static shots will convey the paralyzed feeling of feeling trapped physically in the van but also the helpless feeling of one's soul leaving the body. Moving shots will be used to convey the vagrant's movements and POV much like how "Jaws" utilized the POV shot to create a sense of danger for its victims.
As "Out of Body" takes place at night in a secluded area with little lighting, the darkness will be our friend here.
The film will utilize a lot of shadows. Our characters will be draped in shadows during the intimate moments and the only sources of light will come from the mimicked headlights of the van or from a nearby streetlamp. Our intent is to increase the idea of things looming in the shadows.
Shadows will also correlate with how much integrity our characters invoke. Lily will be lit where we can see her expressions and sincerity whereas Adam will be a bit more shadowy and the vagrant will be completely immersed in darkness except for its eyes.
The spiritual world will be lit and not as shadowy as the physical world. Our intent with the spiritual realm is to invoke chaos and confusion from the POV of Lily and the spirit.
"The film’s genesis began when I personally had to get out of a possessive and invasive close friendship. After consoling with my friends and hearing about their similar experiences, I felt compelled to make a film that explores the subject matter.
With this horror film, we strive to bring a unique and wild ride to the audience, one that speaks to our real life terrors and experiences. My team is currently in talks with producers who are interested in developing horror feature films, and this short will prove that we’re capable of bringing something bold and refreshing to the genre."
Joseph Le, Film Director
Lily
An independent spirit who is always looking for ways to break free from parental control and explore her innermost desires. She works as a secretary at a corporate law firm and often suppresses her own self-expression in order to meet the expectations of her workplace. On the side she works as a freelance photographer and anonymous webcam girl.
Adam
A young man in his early twenties who works as an urban planner for a large corporate company, feeling isolated and disconnected from his colleagues. Gifted with a smooth tongue, Adam thrives talking down frustrated clients and timid customers off the ledge. Despite his initial charm, his kind exterior has a limit and he'll switch from good cop to bad to get what he wants.
Possessed Vagrant/Lurker
A homeless woman is possessed by a spirit that originally belonged to a woman mistreated and forced into prostitution. She gained a special ability to possess the bodies of other people and has used this power to travel the world in search of a better life. Despite her struggles, she continues to look for a life she believes she deserves.
As Asian-American filmmakers, we know the pressure to comply with authoritative figures such as our parents and teachers. While this can be a positive quality, this piety can also instill in us a belief that our wishes and desires aren’t important enough to voice. There’s a Japanese proverb that encapsulates this pressure to conform, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” This belief can be so ingrained in us that it seeps into our other relationships.
We’ve all been on bad dates and many of us may have experienced pressure to consent to another person’s wishes. For many of us, it’s not our first instinct to stand up for ourselves, especially when our internal voices cast doubt on whether we’re actually being wronged in the first place. This film is about that internal struggle to speak up for ourselves.
Currently, the project is fully casted! We've cast wonderful actors and actresses for our film and we couldn't be happier with our talent.
We're stoked to have Lestonja Diaz as our Lily. Lestonja's an incredible actress, who blew us out of the water with her take on Lily. She's known for her role in NASHVILLE starring Hayden Panettiere, "My Teacher My Obsession" which you can find her on Netflix, and her debut feature film "The Otherkind" which will premiere later in 2023.
We're incredibly grateful to have Curtis Lum as our Adam. Curtis gave us an Adam with many layers and you can see his talents in a variety of shows including, "Titans," "The Good Doctor," and "The Night Agent."
As you all know, movies are expensive, even short ones. We've provided a breakdown as to how the funds will be allocated. Most of the budget will be going towards the cast and crew, including the director of photography, assistant camera operators, and actors ($9410). The runner up in our budget is the location, including insurance ($7500). The rest of the budget will go towards the frills such as production design ($1300), catering and transportation ($1100), music and sound ($900), and licensing ($150).
COVID Safety
The health and safety of our cast and crew is foremost in our production. We will verify that the full cast and crew is vaccinated before the start of production.
Approach to Intimate Scenes
We’ll be hiring an experienced intimacy coordinator to make sure that the actors feel safe and comfortable during rehearsals/shooting. We will have a closed set with only essential crew members and use camera tricks + implied nudity during the sensitive scenes. Nobody will be pushed beyond their limit. Our workplace will safe and consensual for everyone.
1. Follow this campaign and stay up to date with any news and goals we may share! You can also follow us on Instagram @outofbody.film!
2. Contribute and pledge. Seed and Spark requires at least 80% of our goal in 30 days to receive any of the funds we raise. We have a number of incentives for all budgets. Even a few bucks will make an impact. Your support is greatly appreciated.
3. Spread the word. Even if you can’t donate, sharing our campaign is a great way to support indie filmmakers. Please share via social media, email, word of mouth, or however you can! Feel free to copy/paste these sample Instagram posts:
Support filmmakers @josephle_art @ryankimwrites @cinathewarriorprincess by supporting their indie short horror film @outofbody.film on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/out-of-body#story
I'm terrified to see the horror project @outofbody.film by @josephle_art @ryankimwrites @cinathewarriorprincess produced by @teamredpro — Support them if you can on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/out-of-body#story
Thank you for supporting us. Truly. We believe we have a unique story to tell and it literally cannot be made without your backing. We’ll do our best and make something that all of us can be proud of.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $7,500
We need to be able to control our environment, hence a closed location we'll have all to ourselves.
Director of Photography
Costs $2,700
We want this not only to look good but look right in terms of mood and tone.
Make-up Artist
Costs $2,000
We need more than powdering and a bed sheet for our spirit/monster.
Costume and Wardrobe Designer
Costs $600
Our devil doesn't wear Prada but we want to dress everyone according to our color palette.
Lead Actress
Costs $1,805
Tribute for our scream queen.
Leading Actor
Costs $1,805
Tribute to our scream king.
Supporting Actors
Costs $500
A little support goes a long way.
Music and Sound
Costs $900
Silent horror movies sound like a fun experiment but nah.
Production Design
Costs $1,300
Make-up, wardrobe, and props oh my.
Catering and Transport
Costs $1,100
Gotta eat and move.
Licenses
Costs $150
Did you hear that? We need you to.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
JOSEPH LE (Film Director)
Joseph is an award winning director based in LA with over a decade of creative agency experience working with clients like SONY, BETHESDA STUDIOS, and PUMA. He’s mostly known for his genre-busting action design (Shang-Chi, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Knights of the Zodiac).
His martial arts hood drama, Twisting Tiger, explored the shared struggle and cultural tension between the Black and Asian gang community. It won the Warner Media Action Short Film Competition in 2022. Currently, he’s managing an action filmmaking group called Team Red Pro which has garnered over 129k followers on Instagram and 56k subscribers on YouTube.
RYAN KIM (Writer + Producer)
Ryan is a Creative Writing MFA graduate from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He developed a feature length script and pitched to multiple executives in the inaugural Giant Leap Accelerator program and was a Nickelodeon Writing Program Semi-Finalist. He's had short fiction published in Lunch Ticket, Ariel Chart, Hidden Chapter, and The 22 Magazine, and non-fiction published in Reclaim, Popula, RipRap, and Ricepaper.
AIMEE HAWKINS (Producer)
A creative, high-spirited and detail-oriented leader, with a passionate drive to build empowering human experiences. Possesses a strong background in Project Management, Team & Client Relationships, User Experience, Design, and Writing. Produced Team Red Pro’s action musical, Mulan: An East Side Story.
CINA MCKENNA (Executive Producer)
A team player who works in front of and behind the lens. Cina is a creative director and performer for film, tv, and independent projects. A stunt double for Obi-Wan, Black Panther, Westworld and more, she is mostly working as a stuntwoman based in LA. However, she loves to be useful on any Team Red set!
KHOI NGUYEN - Director of Photography
Born and raised in Saigon, Khoi came to the U.S. when he was 11. Combining his experience of growing up in two different cultures, he finds a distinctive perspective in the way he photographs life.
Khoi is mentored by Johnny Jensen, A.S.C. on his path as a cinematographer. He earned an MFA in Cinematography from Chapman University. Some films that heavily influenced his art are “A Woman Like Me” by Alex Sichel, “Homme Less” by Thomas Wirthensohn, “Columbus” by Kogonada and “Little Miss Sunshine” by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton.