Occult TV Pilot 

‘Bella’ 
Competition - British Animation Film Festival 
Deadlines - 8th May - college 
Kayleigh Bowen 
 
Competition info: 
The British Animation Film Festival aims to provide creators with a 
platform to show their films and an audience to view them. They work 
with a script company called ‘ScriptUp’ who sponsor some awards such 
as Best Unproduced screenplay. 

 
 
   
 
Idea outline: 
‘Occult TV’ is an anthology series based on true crime, horror movies 
and horror novels. Each episode will showcase two shorts showcasing 
one idea through both. I plan on producing the pilot episode’s short 
‘Bella’ which will tackle the mystery behind the case of ‘Who Put Bella In 
The Wych Elm’ 
   
 
Their rules are as follows. 

 
  
The college rules are. 

 
My target audience. 
My target audience is seventeen to twenty-year-olds as they are most 
likely to have not heard of the cases I will talk about within the series, 
They are also less likely to think critically about horror as a genre and 
therefore it will give me a chance to show them just how dark real life is 
and why it inspires horror. 
  
Production schedule. 
 
Date/Wee Plan  Finished 
k 

13/01/20  Begin work on context, plan out the entire project, first weekly   
blog. 

20/01/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog. 

27/01/20  Complete a weekly blog, finish topic and target audience   

research, get constructive peer criticisms. 

03/02/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog. 

10/02/20  Complete a weekly blog, finish conventions research, including   

test shoots, get constructive peer criticisms. 

17/02/20  Half term work: ​Improve previous work and catch up to the rest   
of the class. 

24/02/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, complete narrative 
and character work, get constructive criticisms. 

02/03/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, complete location 
research and tests as well as script work, get constructive 
criticisms. 

09/03/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, complete 
mise-en-scene, props, storyboard, opening/end credits, get 
constructive criticisms. 

16/03/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, complete pitch prep, 
pitch and plan, get constructive criticisms. 

23/03/20  Get feedback, pitch in a group, complete production schedule,   

organising filming, actors. 

30/03/20  Complete a weekly blog, begin filming   

06/04/20  Easter work:​ FILM   

13/04/20  Easter work:​ FILM   

20/04/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, film and edit, get 
constructive criticisms 

27/04/20  Get feedback, ask marking teacher (James) for help utilising   
feedback in work, complete a weekly blog, film and edit, get 
constructive criticisms 

04/05/20  8th May - production deadline.   

Feedback / Re-shoots, a weekly blog 

11/05/20  11-12th View production with a group, feedback form completed   

for final evaluation. 
Tuesday 19th final evaluation. 
2 working days to improve if close to the higher grade. 

18/05/20  22nd May - final edit deadline   

Tuesday 19th final evaluation. 
Marking week. 

25/05/20  Half term.   

01/06/20  1-3 das working on work to improve the grade if possible. Leave   
on 3rd June 2020. 
 
Notes from context work: 
I wanted to create an anthology horror series along the lines of ‘The 
Twilight Zone’ or ‘Masters of Horror’. I sent out a survey on which 
episode should be first. The series will be titled ‘Occult TV’ as that 
describes what it is, in summary, it is an occult or otherworldly television 
show designed to deconstruct fear and terror while still leaving some 
mysteries as to what truly goes on within the world the show takes place 
in. 
 
The options I gave people were: 
~Masked Inhumanity - An episode based on masked killers from movies 
such as ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, ‘Halloween’, ‘Friday the 13th’ etc. It 
will focus on the mindset of the killer. 
 
~Don’t Watch The Tapes - An episode based on the movie ‘The Ring’ and 
the Japanese original ‘Ringu’ which will also utilise elements from ‘The 
Blair Witch Project’ 
 
~Bella - An episode based on the story of 'Who put Bella in the Wych 
Elm' but taking from what might have led to her fate. 
 
~Clowning Around - An episode based on 'Killer Klowns from Outer 
Space', Stephen King's 'IT' and serial killer John Wayne Gacy. This 
episode would focus heavily on coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. 

 
The survey allowed me to focus on producing the episode people 
showed the most interest in, which was ‘Bella’. 
 
Why Do I Think This Episode Should Be Produced: 
I believe that my project should be produced as it will bring more 
light to the horror genre and its subgenres. I also think it would be able 
to get young adults (17-25) engaged in horror in a better way as my 
approach is not to create fear but rather, intrigue. It will also allow me 
to further improve my ability as an animator and artist. 
 
Social context: 
As stated previously the episode ‘Bella’ tells what I think happened 
before four boys found the body of a young woman in a Wych Elm tree 
in Hagley Wood. I think it will be able to shed light on just how much we 
truly don’t know about this true crime case and as it is targeted at 
young adults who wouldn’t know too much about the case or the time 
the body was discovered it can help shed light on a fairly cold and 
long-forgotten case. 
 
Outline of the episode: 
Up in Hagley Wood, four boys found a body in a tree. How did it get 
there?