The Crimson Hummingbird

### **THE CRIMSON HUMMINGBIRD**
**A Film/TV Treatment**

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### **1. LOGLINE**

A protective ten-year-old boy must save his younger sister after she uncovers a mysterious, powerful artifact in a desolate convenience store, awakening the ancient, predatory hunger of its silent owner.

### **2. SYNOPSIS**

On a bleak autumn evening in Winnipeg, ten-year-old LEO reluctantly follows his bright, eight-year-old sister, MIRI, into a dilapidated 24-hour convenience store. The store, owned by the unnervingly still and silent MR. CHEN, feels like a place outside of time, thick with dust and a palpable sense of dread that Leo feels in his bones. While Miri is drawn to the candy, Leo is unsettled by the store's decaying atmosphere and the watchful, light-absorbing gaze of Mr. Chen. After a tense transaction at the counter, Miri discovers a "treasure aisle" in the dim, forgotten back of the store. There, nestled amongst cheap trinkets, she finds a small, exquisitely carved crimson hummingbird. The moment she touches it, a low, supernatural hum fills the air, and the artifact seems to pulse with an inner light. Their discovery does not go unnoticed. Mr. Chen appears behind them, his quiet façade melting away to reveal a chilling, predatory smile. The store's atmosphere shifts, the lights dimming as if life is being drained from the room, and Leo realizes with icy certainty that the store is a trap, Mr. Chen is a hunter, and the hummingbird is the bait.

### **3. CHARACTER BREAKDOWN**

* **LEO (10):** Weary beyond his years, observant, and fiercely protective of his sister. He is our anchor to reality, an anxious kid who can sense the wrongness of the world far better than the adults around him. He carries the weight of responsibility and is driven by a deep-seated need to keep Miri safe.

* **MIRI (8):** A spark of vibrant innocence in a grey world. Her curiosity and wonder are her defining traits. She sees magic where Leo sees danger, making her both the story's heart and the unwitting catalyst for the horror that unfolds.

* **MR. CHEN (60s-70s):** The proprietor. A figure of "bone and shadow," he moves with an unnatural silence and watches with an unnerving, bird-like stillness. He is an ancient entity disguised as a man, a patient predator who has been waiting for someone like Miri to awaken his prize. His silence is more terrifying than any threat.

### **4. SCENE BEATS**

* **ESTABLISHING THE WORLD:** EXT. WINNIPEG STREET - DUSK. The wind is a physical force. The sky is a bruised purple. The world is grey and dying. LEO (10), hunched and wary, stands beside MIRI (8), a small, bright spot of color. The convenience store's neon sign, ‘OPEN 24 HOU RS’, flickers like a weak pulse. Miri begs to go in; Leo, tired of fighting, agrees.

* **ENTERING THE TRAP:** INT. CONVENIENCE STORE. The door’s bell is a weak, tinny jingle, immediately swallowed by the thick, sweet, musty air. The light from the buzzing fluorescents is sickly and yellow. Dust motes dance like tiny planets. It’s a place of decay and stillness.

* **SEPARATION AND OBSERVATION:** Miri makes a beeline for the candy aisle, a flash of red hoodie disappearing behind shelves. Leo lingers, his anxiety palpable. He notices the details: a jagged crack in the linoleum, a sagging rack of outdated magazines. The low hum of a cooler is an undercurrent to a deeper, thrumming energy he can feel in his chest.

* **THE WATCHER:** From the shadows behind the counter, MR. CHEN emerges. He is unnaturally still, his dark eyes absorbing the light. He doesn't greet them. He simply stands, hands clasped, watching Miri in the distance.

* **THE UNSETTLING TRANSACTION:** Miri brings her candy and a faded comic book to the counter. The tension is thick. Mr. Chen’s gaze is fixed entirely on Miri, his movements slow and deliberate as he rings her up. His voice is a dry rasp. Leo steps closer, a silent, protective gesture.

* **THE LURE OF THE FORGOTTEN:** Miri, change in hand, insists on exploring the "treasure aisle" at the back. It's even dimmer here, the shadows deeper. The air smells of dust and old metal.

* **THE DISCOVERY:** Tucked behind other forgotten junk, Miri spots it: a CRIMSON HUMMINGBIRD. Carved from a dark, polished stone, it seems to glow with an inner light. It is beautiful and strange.

* **THE AWAKENING:** As Miri reaches for it, Leo feels a faint vibration in the air, a low hum. He tries to dismiss it. Miri’s fingers close around the bird. The hum intensifies, becoming a deep, resonant THUM that vibrates in their bones. The bird's color deepens, as if it has taken a breath.

* **THE REVEAL:** A dry throat-clearing sound. They whip around. Mr. Chen stands at the end of the aisle, having moved without a sound. His eyes are locked on the hummingbird. A cold, mirthless smile touches his lips.

* **THE TRAP SPRINGS:** The atmosphere in the store plummets. The lights seem to dim, the shadows lengthen and deepen. Mr. Chen's face is no longer passive; it holds a chilling, ancient hunger. The thrum from the bird seems to match the frantic pulse in Leo's throat.

* **CLIFFHANGER:** Leo tries to tell Miri to put the bird back, but he is paralyzed by fear. Mr. Chen takes a single, deliberate step forward, his terrible smile widening. The crimson hummingbird in Miri’s hand emits a sharp, impossible CHIRP, like the sound of shattering glass. They are caught.

### **5. VISUAL STYLE**

* **COLOR PALETTE:** The exterior world is desaturated and cool—a palette of concrete greys, bruised blues, and the muted browns of dying autumn. This starkly contrasts with the interior of the store, which is bathed in a sickly, monochromatic yellow-green from the aging fluorescent lights. The only points of vibrant, saturated color will be Miri's red hoodie and the deep, pulsating crimson of the hummingbird, making them both targets and focal points in this decaying world.

* **LIGHTING & CINEMATOGRAPHY:** The lighting will be high-contrast and expressionistic. Deep, oppressive shadows will dominate the frame, especially in the back of the store, making it feel as though the darkness itself is alive. The camera work should feel claustrophobic and subjective, often staying close on Leo’s anxious face or using handheld movements to reflect his unease. Conversely, shots of Mr. Chen will be static and deliberate, emphasizing his unnatural stillness. We will use extreme close-ups on details—the dust, the crack in the floor, the intricate carving on the bird—to build a tactile sense of dread.

* **OVERALL FEEL:** The tone is a blend of grounded, working-class realism and supernatural horror, in the vein of early Guillermo del Toro or *Pan's Labyrinth*, where childlike wonder collides with tangible, ancient evil. The sound design will be critical, emphasizing the oppressive silence broken only by the hum of electricity, the whisper of the wind, and the growing, supernatural thrum of the artifact. The goal is to create a modern, dark fairy tale, where a trip to the corner store becomes a descent into a nightmare.