Shock! A New Horror

Coalescence follows the journey of an aspiring young artist, Lana, as she is confronted by her darkest desires for fame and success when her house-sitting favor turns sour. Throughout the making of this short horror film, I hope the piece could captivate audiences by exploring the universal theme of self-discovery through the lens of psychological suspense.

Firstly, to fully immerse the audience in Lana’s journey, I would emphasize a slow-build atmosphere of suspense, using subtle shifts in lighting, color, and sound to suggest that something is off. For example, the first shot of this film is a close-up of Lana looking forward uneasily, and it serves as a visual motif that reappears in the later part of the film. As the story progresses, the audience is forced to connect with our protagonist through this close-up, as Lana’s surroundings become darker and more oppressive, the tension rises, mirroring her inner turmoil. Lighting is powerful in setting the tone, especially in a horror film where shadows and darkness represent the unknown. Initially, the lighting around Lana is neutral, however, as her descent begins, the lighting design gradually shifts to more shadow-heavy, high-contrast setups to create an oppressive atmosphere. Moreover, certain colors could reflect specific aspects of her psyche (Fu, 2016; Ammer, 2021). For example, reds might subtly appear in the background to represent her suppressed desires, while cold hues like deep blues and purples (such as the one when Lana opens the door of the secret room for the first time) have an unsettling, eerie quality, creating an atmosphere that feels unwelcoming, almost haunted.

Secondly, to communicate the film’s message—that unexamined desires can consume us—we use symbolic horror elements that reflect Lana’s psyche rather than overt jump scares. In this film, the paintings – whether they are Lana’s or Ashlyn’s – are a perfect device that externalizes those desires. The abstract drawings, in some ways, reflect how her internal struggles manifest in her environment, we could suggest that the horrors Lana faces are a product of her mind, leaving viewers to question how much of what they see is grounded in reality. The audience therefore becomes a silent observer of Lana’s psychological unraveling, making them question their own hidden thoughts and fears. This approach, where viewers are as invested in Lana’s choices as she is, would keep them engaged throughout, heightening the emotional weight of the film’s message.

Attending the studio exhibition and seeing the other works has also inspired with their unique ways to tell the stories and engage with the audience. For example, in the short film Homesick, it uses minimum dialogues and repetitive visuals to convey the redundancy of life under the lockdown policy, even with the aids of technology advancements such as virtual reality. The inserts of virtual reality are simply powerful to allow the audience the see the world from the protagonist’s perspectives, building the connection between them. Another film that intrigued me is The Phantom Redemption: I was amazed by how the filmmakers were able to build a reliable concept of parallel universe and use AI generate contents and incorporate real actor to add a humanistic touch.

The most successful aspect of this filmmaking process is that we were able to collaborate closely throughout the entire process and contribute with our respective visions and strengths. The most problematic aspect of this work would be the abstract nature of the central piece, Ashlyn’s paintings, could indeed pose a significant challenge in terms of clarity and audience engagement. Since abstract art is open to a wide range of interpretations, there’s a risk that viewers might not understand its intended significance in the story or its connection to Lana’s psychological journey. While ambiguity can enhance a psychological horror film, too much abstraction can leave the audience feeling disconnected or confused. There’s a delicate balance between leaving elements open to interpretation and providing enough guidance so the audience feels they understand the stakes and meaning, which I hope to find as I learn more about horror filmmaking.

Therefore, if I were to continue working on this film, I would use more visual and sound cues to subtly guide the audience’s interpretation. For example, as Lana’s emotional state changes, adding distinct audio cues like whispers or unsettling sound effects when she’s near the painting could hint that it has a life or power of its own, representing her darker desires. Additionally, brief, dreamlike flashbacks or distorted memories triggered by the painting could give insight into why she’s drawn to it.

Crafting a horror story centered on abstract themes and visual symbolism teaches me that connecting with an audience often requires appealing to their senses and emotions, not just their logic. By carefully layering lighting, sound, and color shifts, we definitely learned more about how to create a psychological landscape that the audience can feel rather than simply understand, making the experience more visceral and engaging. I also started to realize that every element on screen needs to serve the story’s emotional core. With an abstract concept like the paintings in this story, I realized how essential it is to ensure that every visual and auditory detail supports Lana’s inner conflict (Sichna, 2019). Moreover, the entire production design process has also taught me to be more determined in actualizing our vision, as it has been challenging to collect paintings that would work for this film.

A key takeaway about working collaboratively on this film is the value of open communication and shared interpretation. Since the film’s concept relies heavily on symbolic elements, our collaboration required a mutual understanding among the team—especially between the director, cinematographer, production designer, and sound designer—about how each aspect contributes to the story’s psychological depth. Working together on a concept with so much ambiguity underscores the importance of flexibility and adaptability. Therefore, one of the most important lessons I learned through this process regarding how to work collaboratively is that being open to adjustments—while still aligning everyone on the core story and character intentions—leads to a richer, more cohesive film. In essence, collaboration around a shared vision strengthens the story, creating an end product that’s deeper, more layered, and more engaging than any single team member could achieve alone.

Reference list:

Ammer, S. M. E. I. “Content analysis of lighting and color in the embodiment of fear concept in horror movies: a Semiotic approach.” Information Sciences Letters 9.2 (2021): 135-142.

Fu, Xiangyi. Horror movie aesthetics: How color, time, space and sound elicit fear in an audience. Northeastern University, 2016.

Sichna, Khrystyna. “Concerning the Issue of the Horror Films Basic Philosophic and Aesthetic Categories Distinguishing.” Вісник Київського національного університету культури і мистецтв. Серія: Аудіовізуальне мистецтво і виробництво 2.1 (2019): 50-58.

I hope that On with the Prancing is able to engage its audiences through its uniqueness in plot and character. True to the diversified nature of post-horror, it blended absurdity, normality and suspense in such a short piece. I believe that the final product was able to be effectively unique, and was successfully able to create an atmosphere that feels both familiar and unsettling. The final product is individual in its portrayal, using the setting as a standard backdrop while juxtaposing it with a narrative that is bizarre and absurd. The characters also contribute to this contrast, embodying traits that challenge conventional expectations in a way that keeps viewers engaged. David Church describes that “Post-horror’s difference from more conventional horror films is primarily one of tone” (2021, p.11) and as is clear, our piece was far from akin to traditional horror films.

In leading up to the studio exhibition, we had expressed concerns within our group that the audience may not recognise the purposeful ridiculousness, but luckily they engaged how we hoped when watching. 

The singular most successful aspect of On with the Prancing was in the pacing and structure. Though it was the longest of our whole class, I didn’t feel like it dragged on, or had any unnecessary moments. The narrative begins at a slow but deliberate pace, allowing for a gradual build-up of tension and stakes, which I think made it more intriguing. It is initially confusing and unclear, but as the story unfolds, the audience is able to realise what was meant. We had a detailed and long script to work with, with some charges to the storyline being made in post-production, which ultimately improved the flow of the project. This structure may not appeal to the taste of everyone, as in short films it is often preferred to begin with some sort of action for immediate engagement, however I felt that it was very well suited to the story to present it in this way, as it is legitimate to the experiences of the protagonist.  

I personally felt that the most problematic aspect of the finalised version of On with the Prancing was in its overall communication of the idea/story. Partially due to the fact we weren’t able to be completely loyal to the original script and plan – having to cut some moments to minimise the length of the project, I did feel as though some understanding was lost. While I had a good understanding of the narrative, it was inherent due to the time spent working on the project, whereas I saw that after the exhibition, the one piece of criticism people I spoke to had was that they didn’t really get it without an explanation. I think it can be difficult when an idea makes sense to you to be able to recognise where the story might be unclear to an audience who is uninformed about the elaborate details (as any audience is). 

If I were to continue working on this film, or to redo something relevant to my specific role as Production Designer, I would place a heavier focus on creating the car interior setting. On our shooting days I did actually dedicate time working on the set, so more accurately I would want to have it more represented in the film. In the finished product, I felt as though the idea that the protagonist was living in his car and was in a desperate position doesn’t really come across visually, and so I felt like my work was neglected in this aspect of the production. When I am viewing media, I find the intricate Mise-en-scène details to be striking, and demonstrate the difference between good and excellent pieces. “Mise en scène is the unspoken language of your film.” (BACKSTAGE, 2023, subsection 2) Although it can be more difficult to involve setting shots in short films, as the limited timeframe means there is less time to waste, I do think it would have enhanced the final product and made some narrative elements more clear.  

My experience in this studio has shown me the significance of going outside of your comfort zone/trying new things, especially as someone still developing in my identity as an artist. As it was, I had limited experience working in the horror genre, so by choosing this studio, I wanted to challenge myself. Although writing is my favourite and most experienced aspect of any production, it felt completely new and much more challenging for me. Despite its dissimilarity to the things I usually create, I have really enjoyed the studio and working on the major project. My experience here has really shown me the need to extend myself, which is something I will remind myself of in my future.

One key takeaway about working collaboratively is in its inherent nature, the importance of compromise. This was one of my first times getting to work on a major project in a group rather than on my own, and there were a lot of benefits, but also some negatives. Working in this setting was really well suited to me, as in the entire production process there are many tasks I am not interested in, nor good at – so this meant I got to focus on the things that I do enjoy. Having a group made up of people with different experiences and abilities made the process unique to those I’ve done in the past. However, I am someone who always has a strong stylistic vision, which I am usually able to completely indulge in, so it was interesting in this instance to make compromises/agree with things I wouldn’t typically choose. But I do think, ultimately, that this is what benefits collaborative projects – it is not the vision of one person, but the combination of everyone. 

REFERENCES:

Church, D. (2021). Apprehension Engines: Defining a New Wave of Art-Horror Cinema. Post-Horror: Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, p. 1-26 

Lutes, A. (2023), BACKSTAGE, What is Mise en Scène? A Guide to Impactful Visual Storytelling

https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/mise-en-scene-definition-examples-75967/#section1

Reflection

In our final work, Trance, we hope to shed light on mental health, encouraging viewers to empathise with the confusion and isolation that can come when having mental illness. Observing the audience at the exhibition, I briefly saw how the audience was trying to engage with the film, visibly concentrating, and trying to piece together the disordered reality of Sam’s world. Trance stands as an art-house horror piece within the genre of “post-horror” where it focuses more on the visuals and is  “less narrative-driven, more prone to focus on symbolism and metaphor.” By prioritising the atmospheric visuals through Sam’s eyes focusing especially on lighting and setting, we allowed the audience to confront the emotional weight of mental health struggles through the unsettling visuals.

One of our most successful aspects of our finished work would be our use of bold, colourful lighting used throughout the film. Through the use of coloured gel lighting we were able to create a surreal, dream-like atmosphere that disconnects both the character and the audience from a grounded sense of reality. I felt this was shown especially in the forest location in our film. “Post-horror films that use wild, unpopulated landscapes as an effective adjunct to their minimalist form” and by using the lights in the large park atmosphere created an unsettling dream-like reality. I also thought the lighting was used effectively in the hallway scene where Sam is walking down the hallway towards the red light.This contrast between the red light and the green towned hallway heightened the unsettledness of the scene and their skewed perception of the world around the character.

One of the most problematic aspects would be our time management. When first creating our plans for shooting and allocation days to film we were not being realistic and we then realised that we were falling behind almost everyday of our initial planned shooting schedule. Due to this we had to allocate additional days to film and while we realised our problem and planned what we were going to be able to shoot in a more realistic manner, we didn’t get to film some of the scenes that we had hoped to include in the short film which I felt had importance to the film.

I think we could do some more improvement on the sound editing. I felt like some of the audio editing choices we made sounded a bit too jarring and out of place when watching it during the exhibition such as a few of the sound effects and audio included in the dinner scene. I think we could utilise and play around with  some audio effects such as  fading to make it sound less jarring. I also feel we could work more on the colour grading to make all the scenes look slightly more cohesive. Due to time constraints, I felt we were not able to play with audio and colour grading as much as we wanted to.

The key takeaway from this studio has been the realisation of how deeply a genre can be explored, particularly in horror, which offers a broad spectrum of storytelling possibilities. I realised this when exploring the subgenre of post-horror, which I had little understanding of before. Movies like Hereditary and The Babadook redefine horror by incorporating elements of drama and existential dread, challenging audiences to confront deeper fears and anxieties without the need for conventional scares. Post-horror “often eschews genre tropes in favour of social realism and psychological themes.” This approach can be far more unsettling, as it lingers on human emotions and mental states. Through this studio, I’ve come to appreciate post-horror’s ability to not only to scare but also to explore complex emotional and psychological issues in ways traditional horror typically avoids. While this has helped in creating Trance, This knowledge will stick with me for any future post-horror works I create or get to be a part of.

One key takeaway from working collaboratively on a short film is the vital role of clear and consistent communication. Effective communication ensures that everyone understands the creative direction, avoids misunderstandings, and allows for smooth problem-solving. I was fortunate to work with a group of strong communicators who ensured that everyone was aligned on our roles, goals, and creative direction throughout the whole process of creating Trance. This clarity made it easier to handle challenges and adapt quickly to changes, especially with a few different issues relating to scheduling and planning coming up unexpectedly where communication was crucial to making sure we were back on track. Through this process, I realised how clear communication not only prevents misunderstandings but also builds a sense of trust. I cant emphasise enough how comfortable and supported I felt working with everyone on Trance, which allowed me to bring the best version of myself to every shoot and meeting and I hope to bring these values onto the next media project I am a part of.

References 

Church, David. Post-Horror : Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, 2021. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rmit/detail.action?docID=6425053

I called it ‘post-horror’ – and now I’ve created a monster, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/02/i-created-a-monster-how-post-horror-it-comes-at-night-a-ghost-story?CMP=share_btn_url

The Emergent Trend of Mainstream vs. Art-House Horror Films, https://danielhassall.medium.com/the-emergent-trend-of-mainstream-vs-art-house-horror-films-7096f9a9ed3e

Reflection

We finally finished Raptured last week, we spent 6 weeks making it, and had a difficult time making it from filming to post-production editing, and while I think there is still some room for improvement in some parts of the film we are all very happy with it overall, as evidenced by the audience reaction at Tuesday’s show. It’s a simple story told in a lighter, more humorous camera language, from the interesting camera work to the sound effects, which in my opinion are the attraction points. The main focus we wanted to convey about the studio came across well on this film, we created an advanced horror film also known as post-horror, Church (2021) mentions that these films blend art-house cinematic styles with de-centered genre metaphors, placing lingering fear and visual restraint over audio-visual impact and gruesome disgust. After I attended Tuesday’s exhibition, I have a better understanding of what we have been learning this semester. I was impressed with each film, the colors to the music of the films were outstanding and there was no shortage of ideas that caught the eye. In fact, I was a little bit nervous when I saw our group’s work, I was a little bit worried about whether our film would be successfully shown in this cinema and be accepted by the people, but halfway through the film the whole cinema was filled with laughter and I knew that my worries were unwarranted, and our work successfully brought joy to everyone.

When I watch our movies, sometimes it reminds me of those movies that are full of black humor and tension, such as the Cabin in the Woods, Juan of the Dead, and other well-known movies, these movies all have a common element that is with a certain degree of irony, this element makes the movie seem to be full of wit, this is also existed in our movies, we purposely make the sound effects, the action in some places to be very This creates a contrast with the tense atmosphere, which is also an important factor in making the movie enjoyable. We had a lot of lightning in the movie, and every time there was lightning I added a thunder sound effect, which, combined with the serious expressions of the characters, made the movie very funny. Gillota (2023) suggests that for most of the major period, humor was an important part of horror, and that the ludicrous part of horror existed outside of the narrative and thematic concerns of the text.

My role in this movie was to record the audio and post-production sound design, and of those parts I think the most successful part was the post-production sound design, but the most worthwhile part of the improvement was also the sound design. Kattelman (2022) points out that the soundtrack in horror films is so important to the overall success or failure of the genre. I added a lot of different sound effects to the movie, such as rain, wind, and the sound of turning a book, which sounded great throughout the movie and added to the immersion of watching the movie. I think I did a good job in adding some basic and simple sound effects, but I lacked some inspiration for some complex sound effects, I’m not quite sure what kind of sound effects to add in order to make the whole movie more natural, I think this is mainly due to the fact that I don’t involve enough in this kind of horror movie and lack of experience, I think I need to watch more movies of different genres in order to increase my knowledge, and likewise, this is something I need to pay attention to in my media studies in the future.

The most important point I learned from this studio experience is to always keep a positive mindset, in fact our first shoot was disastrous to say the least, we were confident at the beginning and we spent a whole day shooting that part of the shoot, but then Tim and we were both very unhappy with the footage after watching it, so all those shoots were nixed and we needed to to shoot everything again, which was definitely frustrating and disappointing. However, we did not let this put us off, and after discussing it we all adjusted our mindsets and planned how to shoot the rest of the film, and from then on it went very smoothly and we ended up with a production that we are all proud of, having a positive mindset is very important when things get tough.

For me, one of the most important points in collaboration is to always have a clear plan, always keep communication with others, from props preparation to scene setup, planning all of these in advance will greatly improve our efficiency, and asking for advice when we encounter difficulties is never a bad thing. I am so happy to have been part of this group and to have worked with them, this experience has been invaluable to me.

References

I hope that my final work engages with my audience through the thematic and visual elements of our film. I feel that the contents of our film really aligns with what post horror is, which is described by Church as ‘far more accurately described as an aesthetically linked cycle within the longer and broader tradition of art-horror cinema…’. This highlights that post-horror is not a new genre or subgenre but rather a new stylistic approach to horror, which is what I feel we really focused on here. After attending the studio exhibition, I felt that we really engaged our audience and I feel that they understood our themes through the acting and visual elements of our film. For example I feel that the lighting made the character feel separated from reality and out of place in their own world which I felt our audience really understood. We chose to make our film very stylised to ensure that we had a clear vision and to ensure that our audience would understand our film not only through the acting, but through the lighting and sound choices. 

The singular most successful aspect of the finished film would be how well the lighting turned out for us. During the pre-production process, Amelia made it very clear about the visual styles that they wanted for the film and we all worked really hard to achieve that. A big inspiration for lighting and colour in our film was Dario Argento’s ‘Suspiria’ (1977) as the red is a great symbolic tool in horror films to represent danger, death, and uncertainty. We thought that the red colour would work really well with our film as it makes the character feel lured to places, and that they are trapped or in danger or in an unsettling place. Upon watching back the footage, I thought that the way we chose to light the shots was really successful and really elevated our footage.

The singular most problematic aspect of our finished work would be time management. During filming, I felt that our schedule was quite tight and we didn’t have much room to reshoot or have room to creatively rethink shots without it taking up a majority of our time. Sometimes this led to going a bit overtime when shooting or not getting all of the footage that we were aiming for for that shoot. In order to fix this problem, we had to schedule a few more filming days to ensure we had all of the footage that we needed and had time to reshoot scenes if we needed.

If I was to continue to work on our group’s project titled ‘Trance’, some of the core things I would want to improve on or extend would be working on the special effects and colour grading. There were some special effects such as the reflection in the mirror scene and even some of the masking that could have been a bit more polished however we were still happy with how it turned out. We did colour grade a lot of the film, however, due to time constraints we weren’t able to colour grade the whole film and mainly focused on the ending scenes because the colour grading was fundamental to them, if I was to keep working on the film, I would colour grade more scenes to ensure that everything looks as balanced as possible. After attending my studio exhibition, it became very obvious to me that some of the audio at the beginning of the film was out of sync, such as the breathing not matching up, and I would like to also continue to work on that to make it feel as professional as possible. Kattelman describes sound as something that ‘enhances the film viewing experience by not only heightening the intellectual meaning conveyed by the images but also adding a layer of invisible communicative embellishment that helps the viewer to decode the film by offering auditory cues to unseen bits of the narrative.’ I feel that this really inspires me to continue working on the sound and ensuring that it is the best it can be because it is so integral to a story.

One key thing that I have learnt from this studio experience is how to define ‘post-horror’ and understand its conventions. In the week two reading, Ryan describes post horror as ‘complex psychological story, emotional impact and meticulous production design’. I feel that I would be able to take this idea with me in order to understand genre conventions and how to tell a story that is stylised and has a lot of depth. I feel that after doing this class, I have a much greater understanding of genres and how to tell stories. Through learning the difference between horror and post-horror by exploring conventions, and experimenting with class workshops such as our scriptwriting workshop and the camera operating workshop, I feel a lot more confident in these areas and I feel that I can take these very useful skills into future media practices. 

The key takeaway that I have from working collaboratively is how important communication is. My group was really great at communication which was so important to ensure we had all of our documents completed and that filming would go as well as it could. Working collaboratively also ensured that our workload was spread evenly and we could help each other out where we needed. I really enjoyed working in a group to produce a film because it also gave us the opportunity to learn from each other and teach each other new skills that we can take with us into future media projects which was a really great experience. 

Bibliography 

Church D, (2021), ‘Post-Horror: Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation’, Edinburgh University Press, ProQuest Ebook Central, accessed 25 October 2024, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/RMIT/detail.action?docID=6425053

Goldsmith, B and Ryan M.D, (2018), ‘Australian Screen in the 2000s: Haunted Art House: The Babadook and International Art Cinema Horror’, Springer International Publishing, ProQuest Ebook Central, accessed 10 October 2024, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rmit/reader.action?docID=5161149

Kattelman, B (2022), ‘The sound of evil: How the sound design of Hereditary manifests the unseen and triggers fear’, The Ohio State University, Horror Studies, Vol 13, accessed 25 October 2024, https://doi.org/10.1386/host_00050_1

FINAL FILM

Engaging Audiences and Reflecting Studio Themes: Insights from the Exhibition

In terms of the studio prompt and description, the final work created an emotional and psychological depth; this included the viewer to go through an emotional journey along with the characters within the film. This was achieved by allowing the audience to connect with the story on a deeper level and not just through shock and fear. This links back to class studies on post-horror films with elevated styles, such as Hereditary and The Babadook, which created an emotional baseline where the focus is suspenseful and meaningful storylines. In terms of readings for this semester, Jacob Neisewander’s reading ‘Midsommar’ and the phantom genre of elevated horror discussed connections to emotional depth and mentioned ‘Midsommar’ as being films that were ‘evaluated horror’ that play on emotional and psychological journeys through human experiences, I think this relates to the work as those themes relate to relationships and personal, emotional narratives of our main character finding solace in a cult to pursue her dreams of fulfilling a career in the music industry.

The film created was divert to what we typically think of when we hear horror, these would usually contain jump scares and horror stereotypes of the typical jock and final girl. Post-horror created a different atmosphere rather than diverting to traditional scares or gore. The psychological elements put a big emphasis on tension and unease. For this, Murray Leeder’s reading ‘It Follows’ explained how horror has subverted into a slow-moving rather than fast-paced horror. Our film avoided traditional horror setups by creating some tension in scenes that built up over time to the finale in the end scene as the supposedly ‘threat’ was built up over time, which created a different type of experience for those watching.

Another factor was pushing boundaries in style and structure with what would have been typically the horror film we know of. The uncommon structure and narrative played on the audience’s expectations with the story. The last reading is by Amanda Howell, ‘ Haunted Art House: The Babadook and International Art Cinema Horror’. Howel relates to the movie ‘The Babadook’ as focusing on psychological themes with metaphors that play as the film progresses. The reading relates to the work created as it reflects that horror can explore an emotional aspect as opposed to traditional horror. The final film had similar themes of internal struggles of our main character wanting to pursue her dreams and struggling with her inner self to give herself up to a cult to obtain her wants and needs. The connection, therefore, had a psychological and emotional depth that could resonate with an audience, with mental health or societal fears playing a factor.

Highlighting the Successes and Challenges in My Process and Final Work 

The most successful aspect of the work would have been scene 1, the music video scene. As a group, we captured the best shots and audio recordings, which allowed us to edit and produce a fantastic scene. We had a variety of scenes to choose from and great audio recordings to work with. One of the most problematic aspects would have been filming and editing scenes 2 and 3. These two scenes include the neighbourhood outdoor scene and the night party scene. For the outdoor scene, just filming the scenes for continuity seemed to be an issue as the weather was not the greatest, causing an outcast with the sun. In terms of audio recordings, capturing clear audio in one take was difficult with the constant wind blowing and external neighbourhood sounds. We combated this by doing as many takes as possible to allow us to have a variety to choose from once in the editing phase.

Key Improvements and Extensions for Enhancing My Media Piece

A core improvement that could be worked on would be the party scene; having extra casts to make the room seem fuller and busier could have helped improve the scene. Another improvement would be to film more angles for that scene, as we had limited choices during editing. Enhancing these aspects would strengthen the scene and make it flow better. Another element would be a better understanding of audio in a more technical, in-depth way; these will include details on the microphones and techniques in various environmental settings. I would research and test shoot with different handlings, such as wind and rustling on clothes, and see what works best. I think audio is a significant factor in a film, so if I were to work on the media piece again, I would want to improve it even more.

Key Takeaway from My Studio Experience for Future Practice and Thinking

A key thing I learned from my studio experience is handling audio while on a film set. Given that this was my first time in charge of such a role, I had some difficulties; however, it taught me skills I can apply to future projects. These things included collaboration and using actors; I was hesitant and shy to ask certain crew members to move in a way that would not disrupt my the audio being recorded or to simply ask actors when they needed to speak louder and more clearly. Partaking in this studio helped me feel more confident in a filming space by speaking out and feeling more confident with using all the film equipment.

Essential Insight on Collaborative Work

One key takeaway I took from working collaboratively was clear communication. This included understanding everyone’s expectations and goals. Communication during this project reduced the chance of miscommunication and mistakes and allowed us to solve any issues we had as a group quickly. These factors are therefore things i will defiantly take away from working on this project this semester.

Word Count :912

References

Jacob, N 2019, ‘Midsommar’ and the phantom genre of elevated horror’, The Observer.

Leeder, M 2017, ‘It Follows by David Robert Mitchell’, Middle West Review, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 201–204.

Howell, A 2017, ‘Haunted Art House: The Babadook and International Art Cinema Horror’, Australian Screen in the 2000s, pp. 119–139.

⊱ ─── Special thanks to our incredible cast,  crew and our director. Everyone’s dedication, commitment and creativity allowed us to produce an amazing film that i am proud of ─── ⊰

Shock! A New Horror
Putt-Putt Quanpadung – Aberrant

Reflection

I hope that my group’s final work, Aberrant, engages and communicates with the audience in a way that they have a better understanding of what post-horror is and that horror does not need to be gory, have a jump scare or other aspects of traditional horror films. Rather horror can be focused on the emotional resonance, cinematic style and tone and psychological aspects.
I want to firstly talk about the emotional resonance. We wanted the audience to connect with the protagonist’s, Mia, ambition and exhaustion with the work she has put into her work but still being undermined by others in the industry. Seeing Mia struggle to get that breakthrough. By conveying her determination could create empathy and allow the viewers to reflect on what the cost of ambition is, which is exhaustion and self-doubt.
We also wanted to communicate the importance of knowing that there’s dangers in things like cult because they prey and thrive on vulnerable people. Margaret Thaler Singer who is a leading psychologist in cult studies often targets those who are emotionally vulnerable. Cults offers emotional promises, a sense of purpose, belonging and self-worth (Singer and Lalich, 1995). I consider that one of the themes of the film is to show how far someone might go to feel valued, showing the risks people take to get there.
Visuals, sound design and pacing also plays an important role in post-horror films. We really wanted to capture that in Aberrant. In our film, we wanted those aspects to evoke Mia’s weariness and the dark allure of the cult. This tends to keep the audiences emotionally invested while emphasizing Mia’s internal struggles.
Most problematic aspect:
I think that the most problematic aspect of Aberrant is that we had to change up how Taylor had intended the film to be. Many first-time vieweres struggled to follow along the story because there was not enough contextual clues for the audience since they were subtly put in the film. If you do not pay attention to the film, the audience might be lost on what is going on and understand what the relationships between characters and also the situations each scene is meant to be. In post-production, we had to remove ourselves as the creators of the film and put ourselves into the shoes of an audience to understand what we had to fix.
Most successful aspect:
David Church in the book Post-Horror: Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation discusses how important subtle but atmospheric dread is to post-horror film (Church, 2021). The most successful aspect of Aberrant is how effective the tones and vibes we were able to achieve in our film. A lot of horror film, whether its traditional horror or post-horror, starts off light-hearted and with some humor in it and I think that we captured that in our film with the music video scene and also the scene with the two sisters, Mia and Kaylen, walking along the street having a casual conversation. As the film goes on, the more eerie it gets.
Time was a big issue for us while filming Aberrant. Because of this we had to rush through a few scenes, which resulted in most scenes not having enough coverage from different angles. This affected the post-production process incredibly because we did not have as much creative freedom with editing as we would have liked to. One of the scenes we had a lot of problems with was the walking in the neighborhood scene. We did not have enough different angles to play around with it to make the scene go smoother. So if we were to work on the project again with more time I’d speak to my group to get more coverage of it. We thought we allotted enough time on film shoot days, but things that were out of our control happened which hindered our filming a little bit.
One key thing I have learned from this studio experience that I will take into my future practice is that to be open to learning. Because I have had no prior experience in film making, other than making an interview-style short documentary, I was a little bit lost when we formed the group. I did not know what to do, but Taylor was extremely helpful the whole way through. I learned a lot from him and his friends while being on set. I learned alot from being on set for Aberrant. One key takeaway about working collaboratively is that communication and being there for each other is so important. Communication is so important in collaborative work. Communication, whether that be talking or listening significantly how smoothly filming can go. Addressing challenges like resolving conflicts, something happening that hinders our progress of filming and coordinating with cast and crews can change the way filming goes drastically (Clevé, 2012). Because of the long shoot days and challenges we faced, there was a possibility of the situation turning sour, but I think that we handled it well and helped each other out a lot when one of us needed help. Since I was the production designer and manager, I tried my best to help manage it and kept the environment as good as I possibly can. Another thing that I took away from this studio experience is preparation is so important.

References:
Church, D 2021, Post-Horror : Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
Cleve, B. (2012) Film Production Management. CRC Press.
Singer, M.T. and Lalich, J. (1995). Cults in Our Midst. Jossey-Bass.

I am proud to say that we had a relatively smooth pre production and production experience, thanks to proper planning, effective communication, and a clear understanding of our goals as a group. One of the primary things I wanted to achieve with our final work was to create a film that not only engages the audience but also forces them to confront their own inner darkness. By doing so, I hoped to connect with viewers in a way that makes them realize that everyone is capable of immoral acts, even if their intentions aren’t necessarily evil. This concept aligns with the studio’s key concern, which is, as Jennifer Kent notes, “Just because it’s a horror film doesn’t mean it can’t be deep” (Ryan & Goldsmith, 2018). We worked with the idea of “post-horror,” a genre that challenges traditional horror tropes and attempted to offer something much more emotionally and intellectually engaging to the audience.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the studio exhibition, but looking at the studio website I could see the other groups films. I loved the way that the films explored deeper themes and strayed away from generic jump scares, focusing instead on building tension and dread. This idea of “elevated horror” or “post-horror” has become a significant topic in modern cinema discussions. It is a genre that blends art-house aesthetics with horror conventions, as seen in films like ‘The Witch’ and ‘Midsommar’. These films are often minimalistic and slow-paced, allowing room for the audience to sit with their emotions and reflect on the characters’ psychological states. They stray from conventional horror techniques, focusing more on themes like grief, trauma, and existential dread. ‘Midsommar’ is a great example of this, showcasing a disturbing narrative that intertwines beauty and horror to unsettle the audience in new ways. This trend of combining art cinema with horror, also receives pushback from critics who feel that it unnecessarily separates certain films from the genre. As Neisewander (2019) argues, “classifying horror films as ‘elevated’ simply for including metaphor and possessing basic characteristics of art-house cinema is not only snobbish but also silly”​.

One of the most successful aspects of our pre-production process was the scheduling. From day one, I focused on creating a schedule that would keep everyone on track but also allow enough flexibility to accommodate for any unexpected issues. For instance, on the second shooting day, our sound designer Serrina was unable to attend, which could have been a huge setback. However, because I had built extra time into our schedule before the actors arrived, we had the room to adjust. Eloise stepped in to help with the sound, and the production continued without any delays. I am particularly proud of how well my scheduling and call sheets allowed the rest of the team, especially Kayla, to work efficiently and creatively without the typical pressures of time constraints. This attention to detail ensured that both cast and crew had regular, timed breaks for food and rest, contributing to a stress-free environment that allowed everyone to do their best work. I also set up a budget document and carefully tracked to purchases so that we could split the costs evenly. As Chen discusses in ‘Budgeting and Cost Control in Film Production’, “many filmmakers overspend due to poor planning, which can be avoided by adhering to well-established production protocols, such as call sheets and detailed schedules, ensuring both efficiency and cost-effectiveness” (Chen, 2023)​.

However, the unexpected workload, particularly in the early stages of pre-production, led to several late nights and caused me to reflect on my time management. While I am usually good with planning, this project highlighted areas where I can improve, particularly in making the shooting schedule earlier to avoid last-minute scrambles and adjustments. As a group, we also had to navigate the unreliability of our sound designer. This was a lesson in overplanning for emergencies and last-minute changes, as it reinforced the importance of having backup plans in place for key roles.

If I were to continue working on this media piece, there are a few key areas I would want to improve and extend. Firstly, I would like to explore the characters of Ashlyn and Lana further, their dynamic is compelling, and I believe additional scenes showing their lives at school and the aftermath of Lana’s breakdown would add more depth to the story. I believe that these extensions would allow us to see more of their emotional journeys and would strengthen the audience’s connection to them. On a technical level, I would focus on refining the dialogue and improving the lighting in some of the darker scenes. Some of the footage came out grainier than expected, which took away from the polished aesthetic.

One of the most important things I’ve learned from this studio experience is the importance of industry-standard practices, particularly when it comes to paperwork and safety measures. I took great care to ensure that all necessary forms; talent consent forms, call sheets, and safety reports were prepared and ready ahead of time. This not only made the process smoother but also gave the team peace of mind, knowing that everything was organised and accounted for. This is something I will undoubtedly carry forward into future projects. Understanding the importance of detailed scheduling, safety protocols, and clear communication has been one of the key takeaways from this experience.

Working collaboratively on this project was also a new experience for me. In the past, I’ve often taken on the roles of writer and director, which allowed me complete control over the creative direction. This time, however, I had to step back and trust my team, which was initially difficult. Learning to trust my team and focus solely on my role as producer and production designer was a good lesson and it taught me the importance of understanding and supporting someone else’s vision rather than pushing my own ideas and input, I realized that collaboration can lead to a more diverse final product, as it is a combination of everyone’s ideas. As D Church notes, these types of films often require a collective vision, one that “strays from the assembly line and overpitched archetypes” to create something more original and emotionally meaningful.

References

Course readings:

Church, D 2021, Post-Horror: Art, Genre, and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Neisewander, J 2019, ‘Midsommar and the phantom genre of elevated horror’, University Wire, 10 September.

Independent research:

Chen J (2023) Budgeting and Cost Control in Film Production: Balancing Creativity and Financial Viability, Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Budgeting-and-Cost-Control-in-Film-Production%3A-and-Chen/1b4ce19b9bfc3ac30cdf2976bb9780fd2a9291c3

In its showing at the studio exhibition, I hope that our short film Coalescence communicates the characteristic ‘lingering dread and visual restraint’ (Church, 2021, p.1) of post-horror. To a large extent, the script relies on the carefully veiled jealousy and infatuation within the protagonist (Lana). Using camera techniques – such as extreme close-ups and long takes – to try and place the audience within the point-of-view of our protagonist hopefully speaks to the stylistic elements of post horror, but also as a means to draw audiences into the world of the film. By being placed right into the scene of these two intense emotions – jealousy and infatuation – I hope that a sense of unease can be evoked, almost like the viewers are intruding on a private moment. Other integral elements of our final work such as the lighting, editing, and sound design also hope to achieve this same goal of engaging audiences through building suspense and tension instead of ‘shock and disgust’ (Church, 2021, p.10). It is hard to observe whether one is experiencing tension, so seeking out the effectiveness of our goals mainly came in the aftermath of the studio exhibition. Being able to talk with peers outside of the studio for feedback was affirming in regard to these overarching objectives.  

A stand-out aspect of our finished work that I believe was successful was the combined use of lighting and set design to communicate a dreamlike and surrealist environment. The maximalist, art filled living room combined with the soft, yet vibrant purple lighting of the dresser scene emits the visual of a decentred reality but also marks an integral turning point in the plot. Further, bathing the simple yet lived-in art studio with an intense red light transforms the space into one that feeds off the distress and inner desires of our protagonist. Being that the environment is what taunts and drives our protagonist to a point of no return, this focus on the aesthetics was highly considered by the team. Conversely, the most problematic aspect of the short film was probably the grainy footage of the blue gallery scene. Due to the extremely low lighting, it was hard for both our cinematographer and I to notice the effect of the ISO when monitoring each shot on my phone during the shoot. While I believe our editor and sound designer were able to draw attention away from this detail, there is still the concern of audiences noticing the inconsistency and being taken out of the moment.  

If we were to continue working on the media piece, the core things I would want to work on would be our sound design and colour grading. Though I am content with the current state of these two elements, I think further experimentation could take our final piece to the next level. Kattelman (2022) highlights the importance of sound to the viewing experience not only as a means for enhancing the narrative, but also to elicit a ‘physical or psychological jolt to the viewer’ (p.134). In the scenario of continued refinement, we could have either found a composer or created a piece ourselves for the score instead of sourcing pre-made music. This could not only make it entirely unique and associated with our work but may also follow the narrative in a more personal and nuanced way. Additionally, if we had the opportunity to spend more time learning the ropes of colour grading, I believe we could have enhanced the surrealist aspect of our world even more; creating more of an impact in those moments where our protagonist loses touch with reality.  

From this studio experience, one key thing that I have learnt and will continue to consider moving forward is the importance of planning. Not only can the process be applicable to any aspect of creation, but it is also both relevant to personal and group endeavours. Admittedly, prior to the beginning of this project I had never gave planning that much thought past a few dot points and was often unorganised because of it. Thanks to our production manager and the cooperation of all team members, being a part of a thoroughly planned assignment made me realise how beneficial it is. Of course it is less stress-inducing, but it also opens up the opportunity for more creative energy and making to take place. For instance, after wrapping on our first day of shooting early due to the considerate schedule, we were able to experiment more with multiple camera angles for a certain scene that ended up making all the more difference to the tone and style of the final piece of work.  

In the aftermath of this project, a key takeaway about working collaboratively is the value of honest and reciprocated communication. Particularly being in the position of the director, making sure that everyone is on the same page was crucial in ensuring that the creative vision was successfully portrayed. To take on the mindset of ‘if teammates are not looking out for, or willing to help out, each other, the team will fail when any one member fails’ (Marks et al., 2001, as cited in Driskell et al., 2018) can only be achieved through a strong bond with maintained verbal interaction. I believe our open and constant stream of communication was the key component towards our success as a group and allowed us to work as a more cohesive unit that held each other accountable. 

References: 

Church, D. (2021). Apprehension Engines: Defining a New Wave of Art-Horror Cinema. Post-Horror: Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, pp. 1-26 

 Driskell, J. E., Salas, E., & Driskell, T. (2018). Foundations of Teamwork and Collaboration. The American Psychologist, 73(4), 334–348. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000241 

 Kattelman, B. (2022). The sound of evil: How the sound design of Hereditary manifests the unseen and triggers fear. Horror Studies, 13(1), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.1386/host_00050_1 

Aberrant – Taylor Zenelovski (Shock! A New Horror)

Aberrant, the film can be accessed here.

A promotional poster I produced for Aberrant.

A modified version of the poster promoting the Shock! A New Horror exhibition, appeared throughout the media area on campus.

Reflection

I viewed the key concern of this studio of how the genre of horror is understood, rather than ‘post-horror’ being a contemporary genre, which is often associated with elitist and prentntious connotation. Our group film, Aberrant embodies the nature of post-horror through its ability to unpack relatable, contemporary issues, encapsulated through “lingering dread” (Church, 2021), apparent both in the internal, often ‘real world’ conflicts of the stories, as well ‘conventional horrors’ on screen.

Intended to be exhibited at our university screening, the main target audience for Aberrant are young and aspiring creatives. As writer and director of the film, I wanted to develop a story that is a testimony to those who desire to be in the creative arts industry, yet may feel pushback or discontent. Drawing upon conversations I’d had with my peers and reflecting upon my personal experiences, I developed a story that encapsualtes the fears and anxiety of never living up to your aspirations. Aberrant does not only engage its audience through its relatable storyline, but also through its familial envornemnts. Set to be a product of the time, Aberrant acts also a reflection of the current cultral zeitgeist and ‘Gen-Z’ culture. Adopting concepts from post-horror films such as We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, which effectively depicts the internet as a place for youths find a “sense of belonging- community” (Feil, 2022), Aberrant’s lead character finds this in a similar online space, where she feels far more understood than the world around her. In addition to addressing the generational concerns of loneliness and online spaces, the film engages its audience through current references embedded throughout the dialouge, and even opening on a parody of a contemporary pop song.

The most successful aspect of Aberrant is how it is able to effectively achieve its distinct tone. Church stresses the subtle, atmospheric dread distinct t0 post-horror, and I believe I was able to effectively achieve this while also smoothly transitioning from different tones. The first act begins rather comedic, slowly shifting into something more serious. At the mid-point of the film, the ‘cult scene’, which intends to create “foreboding ambience” (p.1), happens when the main character is at a vulnreble place. Met with a chilling original score, she is engulfed in darkness, standing parralell to a mysterious, untrustworthy masked person. To amp the tension being established in the scene, as a director I wanted to “maximize conflict” (Chon, 2021, p.81) between the two characters, the main character afraid to follow the process of the cult while the masked person goes to unstelling lengths to encourage them. While this scene “instills a deep sense of anxiteity” (Church, 2021),  comedic and campy elements are embedded throughout this scene to maintain the sense of unseriousness established in the former half. As this scene weighed heavily of the actors to successfully achieve the inteded eerie, yet almost theatrical tone, it was in my role as a director to have thorough discussions with talent about the story, helping them to understand the conceptual and tonal framework developed by the group.

The most problematic aspect of Aberrant is how the context of the story is provided to viewers. While I initially wrote the script intending to be mysterious and misleading, after the fine-cut screenings, many first-time viewers struggled to follow along the story, as the contextual clues are subtly embedded throughout the dialogue. Without closely following the film, it can be difficult to pick-up on the relationships between characters and circumstances. I’ve tried to apply the framework that a director should play the roles of the viewer’s “eyes and ears” (Chon, 2021) throughout production, and while I believe I applied this in some aspects, I could’ve paced the script less tightly and make the character motivations and relationships clearer. While in a longer context, or as a proo-of-context this may be more appropriate, it didn’t translate as well in a short-film format.

Time became short on time most filming days, which resulted in most scenes having minimal coverage from different angles, becoming Aberrant’s biggest setback. This became difficult in the editing process, as we didn’t have much freedom to explore different cuts. If I were to work on the project again, I’d thoroughly discuss with my cinematographer and continuity assistant about the various angles I’d want certain scenes to be recorded, ensuring more coverage. This would result in a more detailed shortlist and continuity sheet. In our final product, some scenes did not turn out as tight or cinematic as I would’ve liked, as we didn’t have the right coverage to achieve the intended look and feeling.

This course lead me to take on my biggest directorial and leading role yet. The production of Aberrant had me leading both talent and crew, communicating my ideas effectively with collaborators to achieve the vision I had in mind. Being present, affirmative and communicative (both listening and talking), I learned was essential in accomplishing the project aims. Solid preparation, ensuring my crew and talent all have a strong understanding of their individual roles, and alleviating the anxiety and stress I’d felt myself in the surrounding days of production was vital. Making sure I was in a positive mindset myself I found was essential in running a productive and passionate team, ready to perform their best.

It was vital to maintain “the crew’s aura of commitment and optimism” (Rabiger, 2007, p.334), which was achieved through the help of production manager Putt-Putt, whom I generally shared the role of assistant director with. Running a small crew with long shoot days and large responsibilites, there is a possibility for the energy to quickly sour, and it was an upmost priority of mine to not let this happen. It is in the scope of responsibility for the crew to maintain the wellbeing of themselves and those around them, which we fortunately were able to preserve. While there are many more technical aspects of collaboration I strengthened my understand of working on Aberrant, my key takeaway has been something more philisophical- collaboration at its heart, is a process of curiosity and creative trial and error. Many of the obstacles faces during production were solved through the respectful, and productive conversations and practices between group members, which was vital to both producing a technically and creatively successful body of work.

References:

Church, D 2021, Post-Horror : Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Cohn, L.M. (2021) ‘Adjustments and run throughs’, Directing Actors, pp. 143–151.

Feil, C. (2022) ‘we’re all going to the world’s Fair’ is a game-changing horror movie for the ‘extremely online’ generation, The Daily Beast. Available at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/were-all-going-to-the-worlds-fair-is-a-game-changing-horror-movie-for-the-extremely-online-generation/ (Accessed: 25 October 2024).