The Empties

Two teenagers. Two houses. One night.

Mia is fifteen and invisible at her stepsister's birthday party — bullied online, ignored at home, falling apart in plain sight. Jack is sixteen, clearing up empty bottles left by his grief-drunk dad in a house full of his late mother's instruments.

Neither of them is seen. Neither of them is heard.

Until they find each other — through a garden fence, through song — and end up somewhere no adult knows exists.

THE EMPTIES is a short musical film about the things teenagers carry when no one's looking. About grief and cruelty and loneliness. And about what happens when two people who feel completely alone realise they aren't.

The music is already written. The songs are recorded. Now we need to make the film.

THE FILM

It's the night of Jess's 18th. The party is in full swing. Somewhere in the bathroom, Mia is watching an AI-generated body-shaming video of herself go viral on TikTok, too panicked to tell anyone. Her mum's phone rings out unanswered on the kitchen island.

Next door, Jack is filling bin bags with his father's empty bottles, cleaning up after a man who can't see past his grief. He picks up his guitar and harmonica and starts to play.

Mia hears him from the garden.

They end up in a field behind their houses, at a place Jack has quietly built over time: four walls made entirely from the empty bottles he's collected, surrounding a campfire and an oak tree where his mother's violin rests. It's part shrine, part hideout, part act of transformation — taking the evidence of adult failure and building something beautiful from it.

They throw their phones away. The fireworks go off. They laugh.

THE MUSIC

The Empties features four original songs, written by Noah Jack Bailey and performed by Noah and Amelie Jeram Croft. The songs are already recorded — produced with a heartfelt, live-feel folk sound that mirrors the rawness and intimacy of the story.

The songs are:

'Leads to Why' —Mia's song. Sung in the bathroom and out through the party. Slow folk, longing, a girl searching for her place in the frame.",

'A New Part' — Jack's song. Guitar and harmonica. Written for his dad and sung to him anyway, even though he's asleep.",

'Hold Me On' — The duet. The moment they connect across the fence and into the field. The heart of the film.",

'Your Right Way Ain't Right' — The credits song. Uptempo, hopeful, a declaration of individuality.",

THE METAPHOR

The title says everything. The Empties are the adults — emptied out by grief, by drink, by distraction, by the noise of their own lives. The bottles pile up. The kids carry them out. But in Jack's hands, the empties become something else entirely.

THE TEAM

Al Bailey — Writer / Co-Director Al Bailey has worked in the film and media industry since 2012, with various roles within the sector that notably include programming director of various international film festivals, directing ad campaigns and several directing and writing credits of both documentary and narrative feature film. The Empties will be Al’s first venture into the short story telling format and his passion for well crafted film is what has inspired him to tell a personal story of music connecting two young troubled souls.

Neil Jeram-Croft - Co-Director / Producer Neil is a filmmaker, producer, actor and Full BAFTA Member and founder of Manchester Film Festival. The idea for this film has been percolating in his brain for a few years now, the father of 2 daughters and a former high school teacher, he has seen first hand the destructive influence of social media and is a huge believer in the transformatove power of music and the performing arts. After hearing some of Noah's original songs on Instagram he reached out to Al about collaborating on the project. Al and Neil have previously worked together on the film THE 9th and DTF.

Noah Jack Bailey — Songs, Music, Cast (Jack) Noah wrote and recorded all four original songs in The Empties. He performs them live in the film, playing guitar and harmonica as his character. The songs are not compositions for a character — they come from a real young songwriter finding his voice, which is exactly what the film is about.

Amelie Jeram Croft — Cast (Mia) Amelie has been performing since she was 4 years old and has a passion for musical theatre and film.

Nick Connors — Music Producer Nick produced and arranged all four original songs, giving the film its distinctive live, folk-influenced sound. The film is being made in association with Manchester Film Festival, one of the UK's leading short film festivals, giving The Empties a real pathway from production to premiere and the international festival circuit.

WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

This is a lean, location-based film. No studio. No effects. No spectacle. Just two houses, a back field, an oak tree, and the performances that bring it to life. Every pound goes directly to the screen. We also want to supprt the creative industries in Manchester so will be paying all of our crew living days rates.

Crew ( DOP, sound recordist, AD, production design, Gaffer etc): £3000

Equipment (camera package, lighting, sound): Already sourced Production design (bottle den construction, props, set dressing): £2000

Post-production (edit, colour grade, sound mix, titles): £2000

Festival submissions & DCP creation: Covered Contingency: £1000

TOTAL GOAL: £8000

STRETCH GOAL — £12,000

A live Manchester premiere event, open to all backers at the Listen Back tier and above — exactly the kind of moment the film itself is about. Songs performed live. Film screened. The community that made it, together.

The adults in this film are too busy, too drunk, too distracted, too buried in grief to hear what's right in front of them. You're not.

Back The Empties and you're doing what none of the adults in the film could do — you're showing up. You're making it possible for this story to be told.

Back us today. Share this page. And if you know a teenager who's felt unseen, unheard, or edited out of the frame — this one's for them. Neil Jeram-Croft, Al Bailey & the team behind The Empties.