Sylvia Lyster – 2023000427 1

DSP505 – Screen Business Practices

Assignment 1

West Manor
By Sylvia Lyster

West Manor is about two sisters named Ella and Lilly who are forced to spend a ‘bonding’
weekend away with each other before their brother’s wedding. Their bickering is the last thing
they have to worry about when a mysterious ghost-like figure gets in their way, preventing them
from leaving.
Lilly believes she is the family's disappointment and feels like she is constantly being compared
to her older sister Ella. Because of this, she is rude towards Ella and too stubborn to fix their
relationship.
Ella is a successful businesswoman and is married to her high school sweetheart. Ella would like
to get along with her sister, but her short temper makes it hard.
Sophie is a grieving ghost who desperately wishes for her forgotten ashes to be spread by her
husband’s grave.
My source of inspiration comes from my workplace, at ‘Lacewood at Tuhitarata Estate’. On the
property, they have a beautiful historic homestead. I wanted to create a story based on that
homestead because it is easy to visualize when writing the story, and it is a realistic filming
location. The rooms at Lacewood can be creepy at times, which we all joke about, which made
me think of a ghost story.
When the sisters arrive at the homestead, they go their separate ways, avoiding each other until
dinner. They start arguing during and after dinner. The lights turn off, they decide it is a power
cut, and go to bed without another word. When Lilly wakes up to a ghostlike figure at the end of
her bed, she frantically runs to Ella’s room, dragging her out of bed, wanting to leave. They both
go to inspect their car alarm going off, noticing that the tire has mysteriously popped. Ella
decides to leave it until the morning. Before heading back to bed, Ella goes to the bathroom but
is locked from the outside. She immediately blames Lilly. Ella finds the words “You’ll get the
key when you set me free” carved out of the door. Lilly sees a memorial of the past owners of
the homestead and follows the lights into a bedroom where an urn is underneath the floorboard
with the name Sophie on it. Lilly spreads Sophie’s ashes near her husband's grave in the outside
garden. A key appears on the gravestone. Lilly frees Ella with the key and apologies for her
attitude towards her over the years, and Ella hugs her tightly, forgiving her.