The Series

The Show

The Town of Franklin

The Projectionist is set in the timeless and picturesque town of Franklin, USA. The sleepy community of Franklin exemplifies classic Americana - summer fairs, harvest festivals, Main Street parades, white picket fences, and brunch on Sunday after church. A boomtown at the turn of the century, as most towns of its ilk were, Franklin would go through everything from debilitating depressions, to post-war explosions. One step forward, one step back. The town never really changed much because of, or perhaps despite, this. One day however, The Projectionist arrived in Franklin, and something did change. Something you couldn’t put your finger on. Something on the wind – a feeling. The town soon took on a strange ethereal quality, like that of a dark fairytale.

The slightly askew setting of Franklin allows the surreal vignettes of each episode of The Projectionist to take on an element of the fantastic without betraying their dramatic punch.

The State Theater

Standing like a dark sentinel on Franklin’s Main Street is the seemingly ancient State Theater. Originally built in the late 1920s as an opulent cathedral for the relatively new form of entertainment called “moving pictures”, the State Theater was the pride of the booming town. Through the Golden Age of Hollywood, the State would become much more than just a theater; it was a symbol of culture, community, and progress. But all things must pass, and eventually the State was abandoned. It became little more than a relic; a monument to a decadent decade and left to decay. After years upon years of neglect, the State was bought and restored to its classic movie palace elegance by a mysterious out-of-towner named Cole Kirwin.

The State now offers an exclusive black-tie dining and theatrical experience each week. It is the hottest ticket in town among the wealthy and powerful. Because of this, theater passes are not usually easy to come by... unless, of course, you are meant to have one. Arriving at twilight on a strip of red carpet in front of polished brass doors, guests are soon ushered in and seated at chic tables in front of a large silver screen as they are treated to a five star meal. Shortly thereafter, Cole Kirwin takes the stage; performing the duel duties of the dinner theater host and… projectionist.

The Projectionist

The enigmatic Cole Kirwin, the host and projectionist for the State Theater, takes the bright spot-lit stage each week to introduce his audience to his cinema selection. It is during this expository monologue that Cole selects his quarry. Locking eyes with this individual, Cole seems to no longer speak to the audience as a whole, nor about the movie to be shown. He speaks directly to the lone audience member. It is as if Cole is peering into their very soul. Then, just as strangely as the one-sided dialogue had begun, it ends. Cole then closes his speech before bounding from the stage to applause as he heads to the projection room.

The Vignettes

Upon leaving the week's showing at the State Theater, the audience member singled-out by Cole Kirwin will soon find themselves in a strange, unsettling, fantastic, and yet somehow believable situation that closely mirrors the theme of the film that their host had described earlier.

This bizarre adventure often employs elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery. These are stories of ordinary people dropped into extraordinary situations. Often, these situations do not end well - making them like good old campfire stories. And the paramount tenet of The Projectionist is: tell an interesting, and compelling story.

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Format

Episodes will be approximately 15 minutes long; with the individual vignettes being 4/5 of an episode, and the Cole Kirwin/State Theater frame story being the remaining 1/5 (or 12 and 3 minutes, respectively). All guest stars will pass through the State Theater and have their vignette introduced by Cole Kirwin. Generally, we will begin with the State Theater and Cole Kirwin, before moving to the vignette. Most episodes will end by returning to Cole Kirwin and revealing a small piece of his mysterious back story.

The anthological nature of the series allows curious viewers who stumble upon the show for the first time to have a satisfying entertainment experience without being being penalized by not knowing major dramatic beats of extended storylines.

What truly sets The Projectionist apart is the enigmatic State Theater owner, Cole Kirwin. The mystery as to who or what he is, why he is doing what he is doing, and how he is doing it, acts as a reward for fans of the show who watch every week. The hopes of piecing together the underlining Cole Kirwin puzzle also compels those same fans to continue to watch in subsequent weeks.

Tone

The Projectionist tries to create a timeless feel. Great care is being taken to not call attention to one specific time period or another. The stories represented in The Projectionist are mostly serious dramas, with the overall mood of each episode being somewhat dark, but not depressing.

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Show Philosophy

The Projectionist is a show that employs the style of drama consistent with morality plays. Generally, the characters do not learn a lesson, or they learn that lesson too late; leading to tragically ironic or dark twist endings. This will have affect the audience in a positive way, and keep them watching each week.

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Episodes in Development

Lonely Street

Rachel Dyers is a young woman who is so involved with the use of her cell phone that she has isolated herself from the world outside of it. One strange night, she will find out what happens when the world she has taken for granted disappears.

The Man Who Sold Fear

The story of a sleazy door-to-door security salesman who brokers in the commodity of fear... that is, until he comes across one particular home. It is here that he will be taught a lesson in fear he soon won’t forget.

All That Glitters

Young playboy Avery Nance has just learned that his millionaire uncle, Lincoln Coolridge, has passed away. Mr. Coolridge has left everything to Avery in his will. Here’s the catch. Avery must spend an entire night locked in a room with his uncle's corpse.

The Sisyphean Effect

It is Halloween night in the small town of Franklin. Town drunkard Alan Dinsmore wanders down an empty street only to find himself thirty years in the past - a night of tragedy in Alan's childhood. Will he be able to change the future?

A Wedding Gift

Sean and Tess Craig, just married, find themselves walking through the woods one particular evening. The only thing is, they can’t remember how they got there, nor why a dark figure in a rumpled suit seems to be following them.

The Bells at Midnight

A tragic accident, long ago, took James Webster's hearing. But hope is on the horizon as he decides to partake in an experimental procedure that could ultimately give him back his lost sense. As a wise man once said, be careful what you wish for.

The Audition

Aging actress Melissa Baker is auditioning for a role that will get her back to the big time. But a mysterious business card and her insecurities about her fading youth will lead her to make a fateful decision.

The Well Dressed Man

One gloomy evening, aged industrialist Robert Franks and his moribund wife, Rose, receive an unwelcome, but not wholly unexpected, visit from a mysterious caller - the well dressed man!

Looking In

A hopeless voyeur is forced to step out from behind the safety of his camera to rescue a neighbor from a seemingly terrible fate. He soon finds out, however, that he is the one being watched.

Radix malorum

Three old office friends, Ethan, Amelia, and Joe, share a quiet drink together after everyone else has left Joe's fancy dinner party. But suspicions are soon raised when a radio report claims that a resident of Franklin has won the lottery and tickets from the weekly office pool cannot be found.

Station Identification

One stormy evening, an arrogant college student is driving down a lonely stretch of road. As the car radio begins to go on the fritz, one signal breaks through the static. A signal that seems to be a broadcast... from the future.

Footprints

A suicidal man investigates a strange wail in the woods outside his home one snowy day. He soon encounters strange footprints in the snow that seem to appear and disappear at random as he is led deeper and deeper into the woods.

The Stolen Child

Thomas is an embarrassment to his family. Years ago, he squandered his talents, and became an apathetic failure at life. Things soon change when his exact double slowly begins to steal his identity.

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