trapped | special effects short

“Trapped,” a Video & Film Production course assignment, concentrates on the application of special effects to an abstract concept. The found footage infuses Duncan McDowall’s “Painted” with Warner Brothers “Beware the Big Bad Wolf” starring Daffy Duck. The unique sound of Floating Points’ “Sais” sets the musical ambiance of this haunting piece.

The short depicts a woman haunted by memories of her deceased grandmother she misses desperately. Her mind is tormented and trapped in the corridors of the abandoned apartment building she played and danced with her grandmother long ago. The woman experiences a pain that tears at her core; she feels as if a vicious wolf is gnarling at her. She longs for her grandmother so profoundly that her mind and spirit are perpetually immobilized.

Special effects accentuate Saykaly’s choreographic movements through explosive percussive gestures, soft sparkles of light, and spectacular particle rays.