Black & Blurry:
Audiovisual Immersion on Sleep Paralysis
SOUND DESIGN
FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY
VIDEO EDITING
PIXILATION
COMPOSITION
A collaborative short film and sound design project focused on translating the conceptual attributes of 'Black' & 'Blurry' into the visceral, immersive experience of sleep paralysis.
Team
Duration
Links
0105
BRIEF & CONTEXT
This project originated from a challenge within the Sound Design course to explore storytelling and advanced techniques in audio recording & manipulation. We were tasked with translating two abstract and challenging attributes—"Black" and "Blurry"—into a cohesive, visceral audiovisual narrative.
OBJECTIVE:
move beyond simple audio/visual representation and translate the attributes "Black" and "Blurry" to create a short, immersive experience.
0205
DESIGN METHODOLOGY
BRAINSTORMING
Ideating various concepts for the words 'black' & 'blurry'.
STORYBOARDING
Defining the narrative storyline & sketching shot sequences.
PRODUCTION
Acting.
Shooting.
First Cut.
Re-shooting.
VIDEO EDITING
Compilation.
Sound Design.
Visual Manipulation.
Final Cut.
SOUND DESIGN
Recording sound.
Audio Manipulation.
Adding music.
0305
CONCEPTUAL FOCUS
Our aim was to accurately depict this eerie and disorienting experience. Through sound design and manipulation, pixilation, and first-person POV filming, we sought to evoke the distinct emotional cocktail of dread, discomfort, and confusion associated with this phenomenon.
Sleep paralysis:
a state that occurs when a person wakes up but the body's natural paralyzing mechanism remains active. This leaves the per conscious yet temporarily unable to move/speak, often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations .
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BLACK: darkness, dread, oppression, and menace
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BLURRY: disorientation, confusion, and a distorted perception of reality
0405
FINAL FILM
0505
REFLECTION
This project was a powerful exploration of visceral storytelling mainly through the medium of sound. I was thrilled to further explore the world of audio-visual collaboration, discovering just how impactful sound design is in creating stories, ambiences, and emotions.
I got to play around with recording, layering and manipulating audio until I could genuinely generate feelings of dread, confusion, and discomfort.
I also picked up pixilation (a kind of stop-motion filming technique ) and discovered the secret to finishing a massive, experimental shoot in just two hours! It proves that with smart thinking, small teams can pull off big, complicated ideas.