A Walk-In Nightmare (2025)
For my final third-year project, I explored the theme of nightmares, drawing on my interest in psychological horror and the way the subconscious twists memories into vivid, unsettling stories. The film was structured as a looping sequence of short motifs that blur and transform into one another, echoing the endless, disorienting logic of dreams. At our graduation exhibition, I presented it as an immersive installation across three walls with layered soundscapes which viewers entered through a black curtain, where they were surrounded by shifting visuals and audio, creating the sensation of being trapped inside the nightmare itself.
Hand-drawn poster created in Photoshop.
These two versions document the film’s development and presentation. The first serves as a digital test and showcases the visuals for easy viewing, while the second captures the full installation in its intended environment—a viewing that could only be fully experienced in person, creating a limited, exclusive presentation for the duration of the graduation show.
Concept & Inspiration
In the early stages of the project, I decided to draw inspiration from others to explore experiences beyond my own, so I asked friends and family to recall their scariest nightmares. I then began sketching these ideas to visualise the concepts, using the process to spark new ideas and creativity.
Storyboarding
From early on, I decided I didn’t want to follow the traditional linear approach to storyboarding that I had used in previous projects. Instead, I focused on designing and creating each motif individually, then experimented with arranging and transitioning them to form a cohesive, looping narrative that reflected the disorienting logic of the film.
Character & Set Design/Build
For the characters, I primarily worked with clay, while the sets were built from simple materials such as paper, cardboard, and scraps of fabric and wood. Their designs drew on a mix of inspirations—from TV and film to art and psychological research into dreams—resulting in rough, tactile visuals that reinforced the unsettling atmosphere of the film.
Animation
I animated the film solely using DragonFrame in the stop-motion studio, keeping the filming setup simple and using green screens for most shots. This approach made post-production more flexible, allowing me to experiment with compositions, backgrounds, and effects without having to re-film entire scenes—a crucial strategy for working efficiently under a tight deadline.
Post-Production & Editing
In post-production, I primarily used Premiere Pro, with some work in After Effects, to edit the film. This workflow allowed me to maintain consistency across the motifs and create the smooth, seamless transitions between scenes that I had envisioned.
Installation
For the installation, I had to adapt my original plans to fit the spaces available during the show and ultimately transformed one of the stop-motion booths into an immersive environment. I cleared the equipment, repainted the walls, and added a black curtain entrance to separate it from the main exhibition. Using simple media players and three speakers, I created looping visuals with layered soundtracks that produced a disorientating surround-sound effect. The space felt isolated and eerie, and feedback confirmed the contrasts of quiet and sudden sound worked effectively, making the experience both unsettling and memorable.
