The Wet Hum
Corey observes the quiet decay of his world and a familiar face, Rachal, as a subtle, unsettling distortion in reality becomes increasingly apparent, underscored by the relentless autumn rain and an unidentifiable, metallic scent.
# The Wet Hum
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a bleak, decaying world, two estranged friends reunite by a river, only for one to discover the other is an unwilling conduit for a reality-distorting phenomenon that is slowly erasing their world.
## Themes
* **Apathy vs. Awareness:** The tension between the societal pressure to ignore unsettling truths and the personal horror of perceiving them.
* **Emotional Erosion:** The slow decay of human connection, memory, and vitality under an oppressive, unseen force.
* **The Unseen Threat:** Explores fear and paranoia when the source of societal decay is intangible and just beyond the edge of perception.
## Stakes
The characters risk losing not only their sanity but the last vestiges of their humanity to an encroaching, indifferent force that is quietly erasing the world they once knew.
## Synopsis
On a cold, grey day, COREY sits listlessly on a concrete bench by a sluggish river, the world around him muted and decaying. He spots RACHAL, a former friend, her bright orange parka a jarring splash of color against the gloom. Once vibrant, she now seems adrift and haunted.
Their reunion is strained and awkward, filled with unspoken history and allusions to a "situation" that has settled over their lives like a fine ash. As they talk, a low, mechanical hum starts up from across the river, a sound that has become a part of their daily life but still grates on the nerves. Rachal is visibly unnerved by it.
Corey, who has been experiencing strange visual distortions, asks Rachal if she ever feels like "there's something else" present. To his horror, she confirms his fear, admitting she feels it "all the time." As rain begins to fall, she recounts a disturbing story of seeing an old woman in the city, humming to a dead bird in her hand, a chilling example of the creeping numbness infecting their society.
As Rachal stands impassively in the downpour, Corey sees the distortion again—a clear, shimmering ripple in the air emanating directly from her. In a moment of terrifying clarity, he realizes the pervasive hum and the visual ripple are connected, and Rachal is a quiet, unwilling conduit for this unknowable force. He is paralyzed, caught between the instinct to reach out to his friend and the terrifying fear of what she is connected to, leaving them both isolated in the rain as the silent, strange phenomenon pulses between them.
## Character Breakdown
* **COREY (Late 20s):** Worn down, observant, and internally wrestling with the creeping apathy of his world. He's lost his former energy and is now defined by inertia and a quiet, gnawing anxiety. He tries to rationalize the strange occurrences as exhaustion or tricks of the light.
* **Psychological Arc:** Corey begins in a state of resigned inertia, passively observing the decay around him while trying to deny the unsettling reality he perceives. By the end, he is forced into a state of horrified awareness, recognizing the phenomenon is real, tangible, and directly connected to someone he cares about, leaving him paralyzed by the terrifying implications.
* **RACHAL (Late 20s):** Once quick-witted and decisive, now distant and fragile. Her bright orange parka is a last, defiant vestige of her former self, but her demeanor is resigned and haunted. She seems more attuned to the "hum" and the "ripple," acting as a reluctant focal point for the story's central mystery.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE GREY WORLD:** EXT. RIVER EMBANKMENT - DAY. Corey sits alone, numb to the damp cold. The world is muted, grey. A bruised apple in a puddle symbolizes the pervasive decay.
2. **A SPLASH OF ORANGE:** Corey spots Rachal at a distance. Her bright orange parka is a stark, almost violent contrast to the gloom. Her nervous energy is palpable.
3. **STILTED REUNION:** Rachal approaches. Their conversation is awkward, full of pauses and allusions to an unspoken "situation." They are ghosts of their former friendship.
4. **THE HUM BEGINS:** A low, mechanical hum starts across the river. Rachal flinches, a flicker of fear in her eyes. The sound is an oppressive presence.
5. **THE FIRST RIPPLE:** Corey asks Rachal if she ever feels like "there's something else." He sees a shimmering distortion in the air. She confirms his fear: "All the time."
6. **THE RAIN AND THE STORY:** Rain begins to fall. Rachal recounts a disturbing story of an old woman humming to a dead bird, a symbol of the creeping societal numbness.
7. **THE UNWILLING CONDUIT:** Corey sees the distortion again, this time clearly and undeniably emanating from Rachal as she stands impassively in the rain. It pulses like a bruised heartbeat.
8. **PARALYZING REALIZATION:** Corey understands the hum and the ripple are connected, and Rachal is its conduit. He wants to act but is frozen by fear, trapped between connection and contagion. The final shot is of them, separate, in the relentless rain, the ripple behind Rachal a silent, terrifying presence.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will employ a desaturated, high-contrast color palette dominated by greys, muted blues, and damp concrete textures. Rachal's orange parka will be the only vibrant color, often feeling alien and out of place, drawing the eye and emphasizing her isolation. The cinematography will utilize shallow depth of field to isolate the characters from their decaying environment. The "ripple" effect will be subtle, like heat-haze or a fleeting lens aberration, making the audience, like Corey, question if they are truly seeing it.
The tone is one of quiet dread, psychological horror, and existential melancholy. It is a slow-burn narrative, focusing on atmosphere and subtle performance over explicit action. It aligns with the unsettling, near-future dystopias of **Black Mirror**, the societal apathy of **Fahrenheit 451**, and the atmospheric dread of Andrei Tarkovsky's **Stalker**. The sound design is critical, with the persistent, low-frequency "hum" serving as a constant, oppressive character in the soundscape.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a bleak, decaying world, two estranged friends reunite by a river, only for one to discover the other is an unwilling conduit for a reality-distorting phenomenon that is slowly erasing their world.
## Themes
* **Apathy vs. Awareness:** The tension between the societal pressure to ignore unsettling truths and the personal horror of perceiving them.
* **Emotional Erosion:** The slow decay of human connection, memory, and vitality under an oppressive, unseen force.
* **The Unseen Threat:** Explores fear and paranoia when the source of societal decay is intangible and just beyond the edge of perception.
## Stakes
The characters risk losing not only their sanity but the last vestiges of their humanity to an encroaching, indifferent force that is quietly erasing the world they once knew.
## Synopsis
On a cold, grey day, COREY sits listlessly on a concrete bench by a sluggish river, the world around him muted and decaying. He spots RACHAL, a former friend, her bright orange parka a jarring splash of color against the gloom. Once vibrant, she now seems adrift and haunted.
Their reunion is strained and awkward, filled with unspoken history and allusions to a "situation" that has settled over their lives like a fine ash. As they talk, a low, mechanical hum starts up from across the river, a sound that has become a part of their daily life but still grates on the nerves. Rachal is visibly unnerved by it.
Corey, who has been experiencing strange visual distortions, asks Rachal if she ever feels like "there's something else" present. To his horror, she confirms his fear, admitting she feels it "all the time." As rain begins to fall, she recounts a disturbing story of seeing an old woman in the city, humming to a dead bird in her hand, a chilling example of the creeping numbness infecting their society.
As Rachal stands impassively in the downpour, Corey sees the distortion again—a clear, shimmering ripple in the air emanating directly from her. In a moment of terrifying clarity, he realizes the pervasive hum and the visual ripple are connected, and Rachal is a quiet, unwilling conduit for this unknowable force. He is paralyzed, caught between the instinct to reach out to his friend and the terrifying fear of what she is connected to, leaving them both isolated in the rain as the silent, strange phenomenon pulses between them.
## Character Breakdown
* **COREY (Late 20s):** Worn down, observant, and internally wrestling with the creeping apathy of his world. He's lost his former energy and is now defined by inertia and a quiet, gnawing anxiety. He tries to rationalize the strange occurrences as exhaustion or tricks of the light.
* **Psychological Arc:** Corey begins in a state of resigned inertia, passively observing the decay around him while trying to deny the unsettling reality he perceives. By the end, he is forced into a state of horrified awareness, recognizing the phenomenon is real, tangible, and directly connected to someone he cares about, leaving him paralyzed by the terrifying implications.
* **RACHAL (Late 20s):** Once quick-witted and decisive, now distant and fragile. Her bright orange parka is a last, defiant vestige of her former self, but her demeanor is resigned and haunted. She seems more attuned to the "hum" and the "ripple," acting as a reluctant focal point for the story's central mystery.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE GREY WORLD:** EXT. RIVER EMBANKMENT - DAY. Corey sits alone, numb to the damp cold. The world is muted, grey. A bruised apple in a puddle symbolizes the pervasive decay.
2. **A SPLASH OF ORANGE:** Corey spots Rachal at a distance. Her bright orange parka is a stark, almost violent contrast to the gloom. Her nervous energy is palpable.
3. **STILTED REUNION:** Rachal approaches. Their conversation is awkward, full of pauses and allusions to an unspoken "situation." They are ghosts of their former friendship.
4. **THE HUM BEGINS:** A low, mechanical hum starts across the river. Rachal flinches, a flicker of fear in her eyes. The sound is an oppressive presence.
5. **THE FIRST RIPPLE:** Corey asks Rachal if she ever feels like "there's something else." He sees a shimmering distortion in the air. She confirms his fear: "All the time."
6. **THE RAIN AND THE STORY:** Rain begins to fall. Rachal recounts a disturbing story of an old woman humming to a dead bird, a symbol of the creeping societal numbness.
7. **THE UNWILLING CONDUIT:** Corey sees the distortion again, this time clearly and undeniably emanating from Rachal as she stands impassively in the rain. It pulses like a bruised heartbeat.
8. **PARALYZING REALIZATION:** Corey understands the hum and the ripple are connected, and Rachal is its conduit. He wants to act but is frozen by fear, trapped between connection and contagion. The final shot is of them, separate, in the relentless rain, the ripple behind Rachal a silent, terrifying presence.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will employ a desaturated, high-contrast color palette dominated by greys, muted blues, and damp concrete textures. Rachal's orange parka will be the only vibrant color, often feeling alien and out of place, drawing the eye and emphasizing her isolation. The cinematography will utilize shallow depth of field to isolate the characters from their decaying environment. The "ripple" effect will be subtle, like heat-haze or a fleeting lens aberration, making the audience, like Corey, question if they are truly seeing it.
The tone is one of quiet dread, psychological horror, and existential melancholy. It is a slow-burn narrative, focusing on atmosphere and subtle performance over explicit action. It aligns with the unsettling, near-future dystopias of **Black Mirror**, the societal apathy of **Fahrenheit 451**, and the atmospheric dread of Andrei Tarkovsky's **Stalker**. The sound design is critical, with the persistent, low-frequency "hum" serving as a constant, oppressive character in the soundscape.