1> From your studio, reflect on an aspect of two other students/group’s media work on the website in terms of specific insights they produced about a key idea addressed by the studio? 

Sonny Vaughn (by Aditya Karatagi)

Sonny Vaughn, written, edited and directed by Aditya Karatagi made me physically uncomfortable from the jolts and movements and cuts between shots. What I found the most interesting about Adi and his process with his short film was that he looked into music to use prior to even creating a storyline. Similarly to my short film, Adi’s Sonny Vaughn was “an exercise in style and mood” (via. Adi’s reflection on the Uncomfortable Filmmaking studio site) rather than a narrative-based storyline. What I found very insightful was the way he edited very much coherently with the music that he chose. Audio is something that I want to work on in future films and projects, so this aspect of his film stood out to me. The music in Sonny Vaughn is very experimental and electric, which really tied in with the intention of causing discomfort and eeriness. I think it worked well especially because the entire film was built based upon this genre of music too. The music really added to Sonny Vaughn as it quite literally evoked a sense of paranoia and dizziness alongside the jolty movements of the camera. I really enjoyed Sonny Vaughn, and it definitely succeeded in making me physically uncomfortable. 

The It Girl (by Sarah Goh)

Conceptually, The It Girl directed, written and edited by Sarah Goh really stood out to me. This studio theoretically taught us the rules of filmmaking so we would know how to subvert these rules. What The It Girl did was took the trope of the archetypal ‘It Girl’ character and subverted audience expectations. We’re made to feel empathetic, but also critical of this character. This was done specifically through subversion of genre, jumping from the audience’s expectations of a lighthearted romance to a sudden jump to surreal horror (knives, fake blood and green colour grading!). I think this jump from one genre to the other was uncomfortable in itself. It builds up audience expectations by encouraging us to root for them to be a couple. This included typical tropes such as sharing music taste, a house party, and a wingman friend. Once we’re built up to the height of romance, it suddenly shifts dramatically. Colour grading changes and The It Girl stabs the boy who likes her. Alongside the subtitles as commentary, we are made to empathise with the It Girl, but we’re confused and made uncomfortable because she physically hurt a likeable character. By the end, there is no conclusive ending, and you’re left to sit with the feeling of shock and confusion. I genuinely loved The It Girl, and I may be biased because I was on set and saw just how hard Sarah planned, worked and delegated to make filming go smoothly, but I truly think that the concepts worked well theoretically and in practise to create an entertaining and subversive short film. 

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2> Choose one other studio from this list (we suggest selecting a studio that you would not normally be interested in). Then describe a key idea that you think the finished media/studio work communicated with reference to two specific examples (i.e. particular individual/group works) – Please note the name of the studio and the name of the work

ANOTHER STUDIO – Shock! A New Horror

The Newsroom (directed and written by Jasmin Gould)  

What I noticed that made The Newsroom differ from a lot of traditional horror films is that it takes place in a more common space (a newsroom, workplace break room, not associated with horror), utilises silences, and most of the sound effects used were not typical to horror until around the halfway point of the short film. I thought it was interesting how it flips the expectation of a woman getting attacked at night to her attacking him back, but it’s also interesting how it doesn’t paint her as strong or liberated. She is filled with remorse. It demonstrates an internal conflict, rather than an external threat. Despite overpowering a man, she is still a victim. One of the biggest subversions in contemporary horror is subject matter, so the focus on the themes of misogyny and victim blaming are what really defined it as a contemporary work of horror. 

Gooey (directed and written by Luciana Nicolaci)

I think that the acting in Gooey plays a significant role in making the audience feel scared, when I watched it I felt like something was looming. Throughout it there is a build up of tension through the tense acting style used by the characters, but it doesn’t feel like it does it the way a traditional horror movie does it. There was a lot of relatable dialogue, but it was flipped on its head and felt unfamiliar. The tropes of a creepy house, unfamiliar family members, mystery and goo (unidentifiable fluids/textures) all came into play. But somehow, this short film felt different from horror films I’ve seen. I feel that this short film was a representation of difficult family conversations and awkward family gatherings but with something deeper and darker at the centre of its story. The main character is also still alive at the end and it leaves us with questions after watching.