Behold The Ghost

The highly anticipated debut short film from award-winning music video director Jesse Taylor Smith. 

THE PROJECT

Siblings from a colonial New Zealand household discover one snowy night that they are orphans. They are haunted by the ghost of their abusive Father and grieve his death in devastatingly different ways. The film sends powerful social message about family violence: Intolerance hurts everyone and haunts everyone. Behold The Ghost will be an eerie and mystical work of expressionist cinema, a small voice in a big movement and the team behind the film are motivated to ensure it leaves a lingering impression.

THE PEOPLE

Writer/Director Jesse Taylor Smith will be supported by iconic cinematographer Alun Bollinger MNZM, films shot by Bollinger include Heavenly Creatures, Vigil and Goodbye Pork Pie. The films score will be written and performed by celebrated composer Grayson Gilmour, winner of 'Best Score' at the 2012 NZ Film Awards and 'Best Original Music' at the APRA Silver Scrolls. Organising the ambitious production will be the NZFC appointed Producer and Production Manager David Goldthorpe, a long time theatre and event producer and sought after locations scout and manager for features and television.

THE PLAN

The production has already garnered financial support from the New Zealand Film Commission based on the quality and vision of the script. Jesse began working on the screenplay after his nomination and placing at the Berlin Music Video Awards. After a marathon two years of development the script has garnered critical praise and the endorsement of major players in the industry.

"Quite rarely, a film project leaps out for the sheer brilliance of its vision. Jesse Taylor Smith's 'Behold the Ghost' is such a project. It brings together so much - an unnerving story, a vital subject, and a unique but informed visual imagination. This will be at once a very Kiwi film and a universal tragedy. The extraordinary team that has assembled here assures something powerful is coming."

- Anne Kennedy, Award-winning, novelist, poet and screenwriter

THE PROGRESS

We have secured most of the film's budget through the New Zealand Film Commission's Fresh Shorts scheme. We have also attracted some amazingly generous support from Avalon Studios and Red Rocket Rentals. All of the attached key creatives including Alun and Grayson have agreed to work on the production pro bono because they believe in the film's message and vision. The support from the Film Commission means we will be able to make the film but we need to make the most of it to realise the full potential of this amazing opportunity. This is where the Boosted campaign comes in.

YOUR PARTICIPATION

We would like to invite you to participate in helping us make this unique and exciting film. We are almost over the line but are running a 21-day donation-based campaign to raise $8,000 to complete the budget. Boosted is an all-or-nothing platform, if we don't reach the target in 21 days we don't receive a single cent. Please help us reach this final goal before principle photography starts in August. All donations mammoth or minimal are hugely appreciated.