The Shasta Triangle (2019) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Paula returns to investigate her father's notebook, and unexplained events lead the group to consider whether she crossed between versions of the woods.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

The Return and the Notebook

Paula returns to Shasta after years of studying her father's work. She and Sam begin testing the notebook's directions in the woods.

Key Events

• Researcher's Journal Entry — An October 1995 entry describes a researcher using ancient science and a timetable of unusual sounds. Location: Unspecified
• A Father's Long Absences — The entry acknowledges that the researcher's absences cause pain for his daughter, Paula. Characters: Paula Location: Unspecified
• Paula Studies His Work — Years after her father's disappearance, Paula has studied his work. Characters: Paula Location: Unspecified
• Return to Shasta — Paula returns to her hometown to complete one last step in her investigation. Characters: Paula Location: Shasta, California
• The Woods Investigation — Paula and Sam set out to test the directions and predictions in her father's notebook. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• Alicia's Camera Offer — Alicia offers to pay Paula to decode the notebook on camera. Characters: Paula, Alicia Location: Unspecified

An Unsettling Expedition

Alicia joins through a payment agreement, and the group enters the woods without phones or cameras. Strange sounds and static accompany unexplained events, while Meredith is taken away and Charlie disappears.

Key Events

• The Group's Agreement — Paula accepts a deal for Alicia to pay the group as they investigate together. Characters: Paula, Alicia Location: Unspecified
• Entering Without Devices — The group leaves phones and cameras behind and follows the notebook's instructions. Characters: Paula, Sam, Alicia, Meredith, Charlie Location: Woods near Shasta
• Unexplained Sounds — Strange sounds and bursts of static accompany events the group cannot explain. Characters: Paula, Sam, Alicia, Meredith, Charlie Location: Woods near Shasta
• Meredith Is Taken Away — Meredith becomes distressed and is taken away from the group. Characters: Meredith Location: Woods near Shasta
• Charlie's Disappearance — Charlie later disappears during the group's investigation. Characters: Charlie Location: Woods near Shasta

The Disappearance Revisited

Paula recalls the sound that preceded her father's disappearance and her fall from her bike. Sam reveals a second notebook and proposes that Paula may have crossed from another version of the woods.

Key Events

• Sam Explains Their Reunion — Sam explains that he and Paula had reconnected before the trip. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• Paula's Childhood Memory — Paula recalls falling from her bike after a sound struck while she was with her father; when she awoke, he was gone. Characters: Paula Location: Woods near Shasta
• A Second Notebook — Sam reveals that he obtained another notebook, said to belong to Paula's father, from a DARPA contact. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• Comparing the Notebooks — The group compares the books while considering the strange events. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta

A Possible Way Back

The group considers whether two worlds and displaced versions of Paula and her father could explain the events. Paula believes she does not belong in this world, while Alicia pushes to continue the experiment; the story ends before its outcome is shown.

Key Events

• Another Version of the Woods — Sam proposes that Paula may have vanished from another version of the woods and arrived in this one. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• The Hide and Seek Tree — Paula says the Hide and Seek Tree was not there before her father disappeared. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• Two Worlds Considered — The group considers two worlds in which different versions of Paula and her father may have been displaced. Characters: Paula, Sam Location: Woods near Shasta
• Paula Questions Her Place — Paula concludes that she does not belong in this world. Characters: Paula Location: Woods near Shasta
• The Experiment Continues — With three sound events remaining, Sam suggests sending Paula back; Alicia insists on continuing for proof, and the group prepares to choose another location. Characters: Paula, Sam, Alicia Location: Woods near Shasta

Story Breakdown

• A Father's Research — A journal connects ancient science and scheduled sound events to a researcher whose absences trouble his daughter.
  • Sound Timetable — The October 1995 entry describes a timetable of unusual sound events.
  • Paula's Absence — The researcher recognizes that his long absences are painful for Paula.
• Return to Shasta — Years after her father's disappearance, Paula returns to complete one last step in her investigation.
  • Years of Study — Paula has studied her father's work since he disappeared.
  • Back to the Woods — Paula revisits the place she had sworn to avoid.
• The Paid Investigation — Alicia's offer brings her into Paula's notebook investigation and establishes a group expedition.
  • Camera Offer — Alicia offers Paula money to decode the book on camera.
  • Witness Agreement — Paula agrees to a deal in which Alicia pays the group to enter the woods together.
• Unexplained Events — The group follows the notebook without phones or cameras as strange sounds accompany events they cannot explain.
  • Static Bursts — The investigation is accompanied by strange sounds and bursts of static.
  • Group Disruptions — Meredith becomes distressed and is taken away, while Charlie later disappears.
• Paula's Disappearance — Paula's memory and Sam's second notebook connect the investigation to her father's disappearance.
  • The Childhood Sound — Paula recalls falling from her bike after a sound and waking to find her father gone.
  • The Second Notebook — Sam says he obtained another notebook, attributed to Paula's father, from a DARPA contact.
• Two Versions of the Woods — Sam proposes that Paula came from another version of the woods, and the group considers the possibility of two worlds.
  • The Missing Tree — Paula says the Hide and Seek Tree was absent before her father disappeared.
  • Displaced Versions — The group considers whether different versions of Paula and her father were displaced at the same time.
• An Unfinished Return — Paula concludes that she does not belong in this world, but the group has not yet completed the experiment.
  • Three Events Remain — Sam suggests that the remaining sound events may offer a way to send Paula back.
  • Proof or Passage — Alicia insists on continuing for the potential discovery and proof as the group prepares to choose another location.

Directed by

Barry W. Levy

Key Cast

• Dani Lennon — Paula
• Deborah Lee Smith — Charlie
• Madeline Merritt — Meredith
• Leah Ann Cevoli — Radio Dispatcher (voice)
• Barry W. Levy