About this project

It started with a peaceful lake house and the dream of making a film. “The Diary of Eloise Painter” is a suspense thriller about a couple who go up to a lake house trying to make their relationship work. While they are there strange things start to happen. “The Diary of Eloise Painter” is a short film shot on HD with a professional and talented crew. When you see the film you will be amazed with what we were able to do considering the resources we had available. You will be inspired by mornings at Pell Lake. The Creative Team met the rest of our crew on set and were blessed with an excellent Sound Engineer, Matthew Freed who came in from the Twin cities area; Michael Pisani a Gaffer who hustled and lit our film; Michael Scott a Grip from St. Charles who became inspired on set; and Kelly Bush who ensured our actors always looked their best. We can’t say enough about this crew, they all came together as strangers and came away from this experience as friends. They brought magic to this movie.


We plan on submitting the final product to numerous film festivals which accept short films. We also have industry contacts and will seek distribution of the film. 



ABOUT THE CHARACTERS: 

Taylor means well, only he drinks too much. He doesn’t understand his girlfriend’s moods or the strange happenings around him. Instead of trying to solve them, he finds solace in alcohol. He is a hard worker, who hasn’t always been lucky in love. While he acknowledges the hard realities around him, he is a dreamer at heart and a touch of the romantic.


Melanie is sensitive and arriving at the house on Pell Lake sets her on edge. She is surrounded by loneliness. Her boyfriend doesn’t seem to understand her. She can sense things. While at the lake house, she finds The Diary. As she reads the entries she finds parallels between Eloise and herself. These similarities frighten her and Taylor’s lack of understanding finally sets her over the edge. 


Eloise Painter died a long time ago, leaving behind an old diary and a faded photo. She lived in this house for years and watched her husband Hoyt slowly fall into despair. No one knows what truly became of Hoyt and Eloise but memories of them still linger in the house. 



THE CAST: 

Carolyn Jania (Melanie): recently graduated from Butler University as a Theatre Major where she appear in such plays as Beckett's 'A Piece of Monologue,' Chekhov's 'The Bear,' and as Bianca in 'The Taming of the Shrew.' Wilder in 'Wilder' this past weekend in the Theatre of Women III Festival. On-Camera work includes webseries 'Bumblestash,' Linny in 'Death by Broadcast,' and various student films. Carolyn looks forward to beginning her professional career in Chicago. 



Jake Kaufman (Taylor) is excited to be a part of "Eloise." He has been a working actor in Chicago for several years, appearing in numerous locally produced stage and improv shows, films, commercials and print ads. He has studied Theatre at the University of Notre Dame and various acting and improv techniques at the Acting Studio, iO Chicago, and Center Theatre. In addition to his acting, he is co-producing a web-series and writing a feature script.

Project location: Chicago, IL

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ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM:
AARON EDWARDS (Director of Photography) is a multidisciplinary visual artist with work that ranges from digital filmmaking to oil painting. Aaron's work focuses on motion design and cinematography to create independent films, music videos, broadcast spots, and show openers. 



DANIEL RYAN (Director) is an independent filmmaker and visual artist from Chicago, IL. Along with installation art for galleries and shows, Daniel focuses his creative energy on developing short films as well as collaborating with various musical acts; his latest being a recent effort with Interpol. 



LANCE ELIOT ADAMS (Screenwriter) was born and raised in Chicago. He is at home in the thick of it whether he’s feeding the crew or writing his next screenplay. His screenplays have advanced to the Quarterfinals at the Slamdance Horror Screenplay Competition, The Bluecat Screenwriting competition, The PAGE International Awards and the Finals at Paranoia Fest. The Pell Lake experience has taught him a lot, which will translate to his next screenplay. 



ROBERT W. ROBBINS (Producer) is the founder of Sang Arts: a multi-disciplinary communications studio with a focus on brand management. Sang Arts fuses their philosophy of Form and Function with a client’s mission to help them create a more fluid and profitable relationship with their customer base. He produced, and directed some of the largest art happenings, fashion shows and multimedia events in Chicago.