Shock! A New Horror!
One of the main ideas of this studio was looking at the horror genre, specifically ‘post-horror’, and exploring how directors showcase stories that often project specific themes, or current cultural and /or socio-political issues. In a traditional sense, this is often demonstrated through various horror elements such as cinematography, sound, lighting, and performance. I thought it was really amazing to see everybody’s takes on this ideology. Each one approached various themes and socio-political issues in such a unique way, and I believe they all steered away from the typical horror tropes we see in traditional horror films.
One of the projects that stood out to me for this studio was He Sucks, written and directed by Jazmin Lissarrague. The story centres around a girl named Mary, tormented by her vampire boyfriend James. Throughout the film, metaphors are sprinkled through to express their toxic relationship, notably, the idea that James is literally sucking the life out of Mary. Through visual appearance, Jazmin utilises the character of Mary to encapsulate the deterioration and suffocating feeling of being trapped in an abusive and intense relationship. Through utilising a German expressionist visual style to demonstrate this notion, specifically through colouring the film in black and white and using shadows, it calls back to traditional vampire films such as Nosferatu whilst also simultaneously breaking down the stereotype of the conventionally attractive brooding vampire we commonly see in films. Jazmin essentially combines the tactics of expressing post-horror through a traditional visualistic style. With this, she is able to create an antagonist that is both mysterious and uncomfortable to watch, highlighting the films primary theme.
Another project that stood out to me was The News Room, written and directed by Jasmin Gould. This film explores the male dominated journalism industry , and the taboo topic of rape culture. This story centres around Sarah, a morning news anchor who is tormented by her actions after a haunting interaction between a famous politician. To encompass the protagonist’s sense of isolation, Jasmin utilises an effective combination of tight frames, muffled voices and ambient noise to create a distorted feeling. As the story unravels, Sarah’s sanity declines, with the themes of gender imbalance and victim blaming being evoked in doing so. The ending draws on a lot of key ideas of post horror, specifically through cinematography and lighting, creating a dark and suspenseful tone that builds up to the film’s climax.
The other studio I decided to take a look at was Uncomfortable Filmmaking. This studio gave students the opportunity to create something that subsides from traditional film conventions. One of the projects that stood out to me was Do Geese See God, written and directed by Phoebe Hewertson, Jaden Arendtsz, and Joey Barclay. The film tells the story about a man who feels disconnected from reality. I especially loved how they filmed the footage in reverse to push forward this narrative, with the main actor walking forward whilst everyone else is acting in reverse. This implementation is oddly fascinating, and a great visual technique to use to express this topic.
Another addition to the studio that I enjoyed was Sonny Vaughn. The story follows a masked man who walks around Melbourne CBD, awaiting for his next target. As he waits, his paranoia increases. I think that the film withholds the ambiguous and unsettling tonality that potentially comes with producing an uncomfortable film. This can be particular evident through the use of quick camera movements. The implementation of ‘gorilla’ style filmmaking captures the protagonists stress levels gradually increasing throughout the film.