Draft:Phantom Manor – The Bride's song

{{AFC submission|d|v|u=Cornflake000|ns=118|decliner=SafariScribe|declinets=20240828045014|reason2=film|ts=20240616103653}}

{{Draft article|Phantom Manor – The Bride's song|subject=film|brief=yes}}

{{Infobox film

|name = Phantom Manor – The Bride's song

|image =

|alt = Logo for the short film Phantom Manor - The Bride's song.

|caption = Official logo.

|director = Johan Souply

|screenplay = Johan Souply

|based_on = {{Based on|Phantom Manor|Disneyland Paris}}

|starring = {{ubl|Vincent Ronsse|Frédéric Souterelle|Rupert Wynne-James|Vincent Grass|Julie Venturelli}}

|cinematography = Mathieu Muller

|editing = Johan Souply

|production_companies = {{ubl|La Cité Des Rêveurs|A-Squad Pictures}}{{cite web|url=http://www.phantommanor.sitew.fr/|title=Phantom Manor|publisher=La Cité Des Rêveurs|access-date=June 14, 2024|language=fr}}

|distributor = YouTube

|runtime = Approx. 20 minutes

|country = France

|language = French{{cite web|url=https://phantommanorlegends.wordpress.com/tag/phantom-manor-the-brides-song/|title=Interview with Johan Souply (Director of the future short film «Phantom Manor – The Bride's song»)|date=February 5, 2021|website=WordPress|publisher=Phantom Manor Legends|access-date=June 14, 2024}}

|budget = €40,000{{Cite Instagram|last=Souply|first=Johan|user=johansouply|postid=C8JH7FmohJH|title=Il y a 10 ans je sortais une vidéo pour annoncer l'arrivée de Ratatouille aux Walt Disney Studio !|date=June 12, 2024|language=fr}}{{cite web|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-parks/phantom-manor-the-brides-song-fan-film/|title=Fan Film Inspired by Disneyland Paris’ Phantom Manor Nears Completion|date=December 14, 2024|last=Manning|first=Luke|lang=en|publisher=Laughing Place|access-date=December 15, 2024}}
($43,000)

}}

Phantom Manor – The Bride's song, also known simply as Phantom Manor, is a 2025 upcoming French dark fantasy period drama short film written and directed by Johan Souply based on the Phantom Manor attraction in Disneyland Paris. The film stars Vincent Ronsse, Frédéric Souterelle, Rupert Wynne-James, Vincent Grass, Julie Venturelli, and the voice of Bruno Choël. The story takes place in the early 20th century and follows two characters who enter the town of Thunder Mesa in Arizona to investigate the Victorian legend of the Ravenswood Mansion.{{efn|Later known as the Phantom Manor.}}

Phantom Manor is scheduled to be released worldwide on YouTube in 2025 to 2026 after premieres in France and screenings in worldwide film festivals.

Plot

Two people enter the mysterious town of Thunder Mesa, where a young girl tells them that she saw a beautiful young bride in the old Ravenswood Mansion, who had supposedly disappeared 50 years ago.

They decide to investigate to learn more about the town's history, until they finally enter the manor, rumored to be haunted.

Cast

Vincent Ronsse
Frédéric Souterelle
Vincent Grass
Rupert Wynne-James as Henry Ravenswood, a rich western settler born in 1795, living in a manor high on Boot Hill in the town of Thunder Mesa with his wife Martha and his daughter Melanie.
Julie Venturelli as Melanie Ravenswood, the daughter of Henry Ravenswood, a beautiful young woman whose lover Jake was killed on their wedding day.

Additionally, Bruno Choël, the French voice of Johnny Depp and Ewan McGregor, narrated the first teaser posted on October 32, 2024.

Production

=Development=

Johan Souply started writing the script to an unofficial short film based on the Phantom Manor ride in 2020, to celebrate the 10 years of a fake movie trailer based on the ride that he had uploaded on his YouTube channel. This is the longest film he has written, having already worked as a director, producer, and writer with his team for Disney and other theme parks, and other companies such as TF1 and the Eiffel Tower company.{{cite web|url=https://laon.fr/VILLE_LAON_21_WEB/FR/Association.awp?page=18&m=.158.9.133.127&as=7|website=Laon.fr|title=La Cité des Rêveurs|access-date=June 16, 2024}}

He officially announced the project on his YouTube channel in January 2021, and created a campaign on the French crowdfunding platform Ulule with a goal of €10,000. In 3 months, he received 244 % of his initial goal, with a total of €24,428 out of 754 contributions, allowing him to keep scenes that were originally deemed too complex and expensive.{{cite web|url=https://www.ulule.com/phantom-manor-le-film/|title=Phantom Manor le film|website=Ulule|language=fr|access-date=June 14, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://creative-city.fr/phantom-manor-le-film-de-johan-souply-va-apparaitre-grace-au-soutien-de-ses-fans/|title=Phantom Manor : Le film de Johan Souply pourra voir le jour grâce à ses fans|publisher=Creative City|date=April 6, 2021|language=fr|trans-title=Phantom Manor : Johan Souply's film will be released thanks to his fans|access-date=June 15, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.20minutes.fr/arts-stars/cinema/4046583-20230725-manoir-hante-film-fantastique-truffe-references-attraction-parcs-disney|title=« Le Manoir hanté »: Un film fantastique truffé de références à l'attraction des Parcs Disney|last=Vié|first=Caroline|date=July 25, 2023|publisher=20 Minutes|language=fr|access-date=June 15, 2024|quote=Pour voir un film dédié à Phantom Manor, la Maison hantée en VF, il faudra attendre que Johan Souply termine le prometteur The Bride's Song, court métrage en préproduction qu'il est parvenu à financer sur Ulule.|trans-quote=To watch a film dedicated to Phantom Manor, the French Haunted Mansion, we will have to wait until Johan Souply finishes the promising The Bride's Song, short film in pre-production that he has successfully financed on Ulule.}}

The project started to be talked about on internet and in the press. €20,000 more were acquired including over €10,000 for the construction of the sets, and the French production company A-Squad Pictures joined the project and provided Souply with a team and over €100,000 of professional audiovisual equipment.

= Pre-production =

In March 2021, Souply began hiring a crew, and started searching for talent through his YouTube channel.

Pre-production officially started in summer, with Souply's non-profit film production organization La Cité des Rêveurs.{{cite web|url=https://annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr/entreprise/la-cite-des-reveurs-905080263|title=Association LA CITE DES REVEURS à 02000 LAON - SIREN 905 080 263|website=Annuaire des Entreprises|publisher=République Française|language=fr|access-date=June 16, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/hauts-de-france/aisne/laon/ses-parents-laon-il-construit-cockpit-vaisseau-spatial-inspire-star-wars-1748157.html|title=Chez ses parents à Laon, il construit un cockpit de vaisseau spatial inspiré de Star Wars|last=Alberts|first=Jennifer|date=November 12, 2019|publisher=France Info|language=fr|quote=Aujourd'hui, il est à la tête de son entreprise de production audiovisuelle.|trans-quote=Today, [Johan Souply] is head of his audiovisual production company.|access-date=June 16, 2024}} During the rest of the year, the first sets were built, and the cast and crew were almost fully formed.

Initially intended for an October 2021 release, the project got unexpectedly highly slowed and went through development hell due to various reasons, including restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, budget limitations, and most importantly difficulties due to the complexity of the project, with Souply wanting the majority of the sets of the film to be built in studio to authentically replicate the Victorian era and the original sets of the Phantom Manor ride and Frontierland zone, finding locations in France to ressemble Old West settings, using complex custom-made costumes, and a general complex production design.{{Cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=jUS6SgZ5mlw|title=Phantom Manor : Pourquoi c'est long ?|last=Souply|first=Johan|date=September 4, 2022|language=fr|trans-title=Phantom Manor : Why is it long ?|access-date=June 14, 2024|via=YouTube}}

In late 2023, most of the sets finished building, and Souply shared videos of them for the first time.

= Filming =

The first day of filming took place on March 2, 2024 in the Saint-Just cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in France, in Laon, the childhood town of Souply, with the actress Julie Venturelli, and some inhabitants of the town serving as extras.{{cite news|url=https://www.lunion.fr/id562828/article/2024-01-28/ancien-lyceen-de-pierre-mechain-devenu-cineaste-il-recherche-des-comediens-pour|title=Ancien lycéen de Pierre-Méchain devenu cinéaste, il recherche des comédiens pour jouer dans un film à Laon|publisher=L'Union|date=January 28, 2024|language=fr|trans-title="Former Pierre-Méchain highschool student, he is searching for comedians to play in a film in Laon|access-date=June 14, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.lunion.fr/id575697/article/2024-03-04/le-cimetiere-saint-just-de-laon-devient-decor-de-tournage-pour-un-film|title=Le cimetière Saint-Just de Laon devient décor de tournage pour un film fantastique|publisher=L'Union|date=March 4, 2024|language=fr|trans-title=The Saint-Just cemetery in Laon becomes a set for a fantasy film|access-date=June 14, 2024}}{{cite web|url=http://www.phantommanor.sitew.fr/Annonce.f.htm|title=Tournage à LAON : Une association recherche ses futurs figurants !|language=fr|trans-title=Filming in LAON : A company is looking for their future extras !|year=2024|publisher=La Cité Des Rêveurs|access-date=June 16, 2024}}

One week later, Souply posted images of filming on social media, announcing for the first time Venturelli in the role of Melanie Ravenswood.{{Cite Instagram|last=Souply|first=Johan|user=johansouply|postid=C4VOsU4Iuv1|date=March 10, 2024|language=fr|title=🎬📽️ Une image symbolique pour un post symbolique.|trans-title=🎬📽️ A symbolic image for a symbolic post.}}

Filming took place during the rest of the year in studio and in French villages, with some outdoor scenes filmed in the French western-themed theme park of Fraispertuis City.

Souply posted a video for the first time in 2 years in October 2024 to give updates about the project, where he also answered questions that were asked to him on Instagram. He announced that the vast majority of the sets were done, and that the biggest parts of filming would start soon. The last filming set in construction was the 45-feet long façade of the Ravenswood mansion, created from a painting present in the Phantom Manor ride, and built with a team of over 10 people using 5000€ ($ 5436) of wood, with wide shots of the mansion being filmed from a 3d printed 11 square feet model. Due to the important expenses of the project, Souply also announced that a second crowdfunding may be necessary.

Souply later announced in December 2024 that the next part of filming, which will take a week, will be 80% of the final film and will cost an approximate total of {{currency|15000|eur}} ({{currency|15736|usd}}).{{cite web|url=https://radiodisneyclub.fr/johan-souply-realise-un-film-sur-phantom-manor/|title=Johan Souply réalise un film sur Phantom Manor|lang=fr|trans-title=Johan Souply directing a film on Phantom Manor|date=December 13, 2024|last=Héron|first=Esther L.|website=Radio Disney Club|access-date=December 13, 2024}}

Marketing

The first teaser trailer for the project and crowdfunding was posted on the YouTube channel of Johan Souply on February 7, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=32XBWuF-yA0|title=PHANTOM MANOR - The movie Project|last=Souply|first=Johan|date=February 7, 2021|access-date=June 14, 2024|via=YouTube}}

In October 2024, Souply posted a video on YouTube to give news about the project, and announced that a first teaser trailer would be released on October 31, 2024{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=0_OWVFaQagc|title=Phantom Manor : Les bonnes nouvelles !|lang=fr|trans-title=Phantom Manor: The good news!|date=October 19, 2024}}. On Halloween 2024 at 10:00 AM, the first teaser was released, narrated by Bruno Choël.

Themes

One prominent theme is the exploration of human greed and its consequences. The narrative critiques the relentless pursuit of wealth, exemplified by the violent expulsion of an indigenous Shoshone tribe by Americans to exploit their land for precious minerals. This act leads to a chaotic influx of gold seekers, highlighting the moral and social upheaval brought on by the Gold Rush.

The film also addresses the notion of true love and its endurance over time, raising questions about the nature of love and loyalty, and whether love can truly withstand the test of time and adversity.

Family dynamics and the abuse of power within familial relationships are explored through the character of Henry Ravenswood. His authoritarian parenting, infidelity, and violent tendencies create a portrait of familial dysfunction and emotional trauma. The character's strict control over his daughter, coupled with his oppressive behavior, serves as a critique of patriarchal dominance and its impact on individual freedom and well-being.

Release

Phantom Manor is scheduled to be released worldwide on YouTube in October 2025 after private premieres in France and screenings in worldwide film festivals.{{better source needed}}

Initially scheduled for an October 31, 2021 release, the project went through development hell until 2024.

The film will not have any financial revenue, since the rights to the Phantom Manor ride and storyline fully belong to Disneyland Paris.