The Story
Logline: When a routine night shift at a seedy hotel turns deadly, a meek bellhop is forced to confront two armed criminals—and risk his life to save the hotel and the woman he’s secretly fallen for.
Synopsis: Hotel is a dark-comedy crime thriller that follows John, a down-on-his-luck night manager who's pressured into taking his co-worker's shift after already working a full day himself. If dealing with irate guests and degenerates wasn't enough, John's luck takes a turn for the worse when a pair of armed thieves show up looking for the partner who double-crossed them during a heist.
Caught in the middle, John finds himself falling for Ally, a woman who sees something in him that he doesn't see in himself. As the night spirals further out of control, Ally inspires John to finally stop playing it safe, stand up for himself, and fight for the life he wants.
The Influences
Hotel has the feel of a late-night cable movie and is inspired by the neo-noir action thrillers of the 1990’s, in particular the films of Carl Franklin and John Dahl.
The Characters
John - A burnt out night manger working his third shift in a row. He's tired, frustrated, and just wants to read a comic and grab a few winks before his morning shift. He dreams of one day becoming an artist, but that dream seems too far out of sight. For now, he's stuck making minimum wage and dealing with the worst of people.
Ally - A sex worker who’s trying to get out of this life. She knows how to handle people and has found a niche at the hotel. Once she saves up enough money, she’s packing up and leaving this world behind. Her latest customer just might be her ticket out of here…
Terry & Clark - Two thieves on the hunt for their partner who double crossed them in a robbery. Terry, the older of the two, is the strong, silent type. Clark, the younger one, is impulsive and has a bad cocaine habit. They’ll do anything, including murder, to get their stolen score back.
Fred - A former associate of Terry & Clark’s. Thinking he was smarter than his partners, he ripped off the cash from their latest heist and split. If he had more than a double digit IQ, he might have gotten away, but his penchant for cocaine and booze cloud his judgment.
Keith - John’s degenerate coworker. He’s supposed to be working the front desk, but getting drunk with his girlfriend—and possibly getting laid—sounds a lot more appealing tonight. He convinces John to cover for him for “five minutes,” but knowing him, there’s no telling when—or if—he’ll be back.
Carol - An irate and impossible-to-please guest of the hotel. She paid good money to stay here and the service is awful. Her toilet is flooding and no one’s answering the phone downstairs. If this continues, she’s going to have a word with the boss in the morning and someone is getting fired!
Hotel is set to be filmed entirely on location at the Historic Cary House, a Victorian-style hotel built in 1857 in Placerville, CA. The film is set in the 90’s and the Cary House is the perfect backdrop. Not much needs to be changed in terms of production design. These images of the property highlight its unique charm, including a draw gate Pacific Elevator and hand-made stained glass windows..
The Location
Seedy, empty, gritty. This is the real world with real stakes. The lighting shouldn’t be too dramatic. The interior of the hotel is the main character and should be showcased.
Mood and Tone
Hotel looks like a late-night HBO or Cinemax movie from the 80’s/90’s. Shot 1.78 with spherical lenses and with the intent to create a “pan and scan” version for the VHS/Laserdisc home video market.
Visual Scale
The colors throughout the hotel are mostly brown, red, and green. They contrast each other and should be well defined, but never too muted or poppy. The characters are still neutral in color, except for the roof top scenes with the red neon sign.
Color
Music
Hotel has a moody and thematic score, featuring electrical guitars and piano.
The Team
Producer
Nicole Lasso Polo is an emerging producer drawn to stories that illuminate the human condition, challenge conventions, and offer catharsis. Originally from Panama City, Panama, Nicole graduated Cum Laude at the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Narrative Production. Since then, she has produced two features and multiple short films, exploring themes of identity, grief, gender, and trauma. Currently, she is a Producing Fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory.
Director of Photography
Emily Marquet (she/her) is an emerging cinematographer currently studying for her MFA in Cinematography at the prestigious AFI. Notable work as a Cinematographer includes the award-winning indie feature films Withdrawal (Best Cinematography - Queens World Film Festival) and Shanidar (Best Cinematography - Chicago Women’s Film Festival). Notable short films include In The Dark, The Gallery, Untouchable, Infinity Girls, Snowfall, Wildman, and Academic Support.
She studied acting at NYU Tisch School of the Arts before moving behind the camera. Following NYU, she established a performing arts program at the Louverture Cleary School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, developing and directing original adaptations of theatre in Haitian Kreyol, including world premiere Shakespeare adaptations. She holds an MA with Honors from London Film School. Highlights from her film and tv career while working in the UK include The Crown (Netflix), Slaughterhouse Rulez, Tell Me Everything (ITV), and Criminal Record (Apple TV), as well as many other indie shorts and features. She believes cinema is one of our most powerful tools for communicating ideas, emotions, empathy and the sublime.
Director’s Statement
Writer, Director, and Producer
Alexander Misiti is a filmmaker and voice actor with a BA in Film Production from Emerson College. Introduced to the work of George Lucas at a young age, Alexander quickly became captivated by stories of heroes, villains, and the worlds that exist between them. In third grade, his teacher encouraged him to start making movies with his family’s camera. He’s been telling stories ever since.
Hotel is inspired by Alexander’s time working as a night manager at the Historic Cary House Hotel, as well as his lifelong love of action-adventure films. At its heart, however, Hotel is deeply personal. The story explores the struggle between the life we dream of having and the fear and uncertainty that can keep us from pursuing it. It’s a story about feeling stuck, finding the courage to move forward, and discovering that sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in our way is ourselves.