Beyond Haunted:
Where They Lived
Beyond Haunted: Where They Lived was an original play written by Jake Richardson, my co-coordinator of Youth Dramatics. Directed by myself and Jake, it was a partnership with Bethlehem Academy, which is a historical landmark in Elizabethtown, KY. Below, you’ll find a video trailer produced, filmed, and edited by myself. This trailer was made as a promotional material for the event, and raised over $600 for Youth Dramatics.
About a year after, as I continued practicing my skills with the Adobe Creative Suite, I updated the main promotional material used to promote the show: the trailer, to compare how far I’ve come and what I would have done differently.
Below, you’ll find the original trailer edited during the initial social media campaign, and the newer edit on the right.
The Trailer
This trailer above was my favorite part of our social campaign when it came to Beyond Haunted. It was my first time ever making something like this, but I wanted to make something special for my kids to remember this incredible thing we put together, as well as promote it!
When I remade it, I was in a stage of making things more serious which I think is where the newer version falls a bit. That very last moment, when one of my students claims “this floor sucks” is one of my favorite moments in the trailer. If I were to remake it once more, I would add that back in. Looking back on both of them, it’s fascinating the differences between the work I’ve created and knowing that I would always make changes is one of my favorite parts of being an artist.
The Concept
Beyond Haunted: Where They Lived was designed to be an interactive full scale theatre production. When we secured the space, it was recommended that we do something akin to a haunted house. Looking to be more creative, and out, Jake and I began to create an immersive theatre experience in which audience members would follow the scenes as they flowed throughout the house. This gave audience members a chance to see the historical sight, while also following the same actors through an immersive story. We used back passageways and connected rooms to hide tech, and move characters into their next performance space.
