FILM // ART DIRECTION

FADE: a horror short film

It’s always there, lurking, just beyond the edge of the light… waiting for the sun to set… waiting for us to turn out the lights.

Featuring NICK VALINSKY

Written & Directed by SAM FLEGAL

Produced by NICOLE BERGMANN & JESSIE RAND

Edited by JESSIE RAND

Art Direction NICOLE BERGMANN

Director of Photography JUSTIN ROXBOROUGH

Our team set out to create an under 3 minute horror short film — something cinematic that could be plucked out of a feature film itself. We decided on a single location, with a single actor, no dialogue, and a focus on lighting techniques. We started with a script written by our director Sam Flegal and began the process of storyboarding. We built the closet walls and distressed them using different techniques to make them look worn-down and diseased. I was in charge of art direction and set decoration. I scoured thrift stores for props for the set and weathered everything accordingly. We held auditions and found our actor, Nik Valinsky, who embodied exactly what we were looking for. I sourced his costume from local thrift stores, dirtied and distressed the pieces — apocalyptic was the goal. We collaborated on the make-up/blood/bruising to ensure it was realistic. Our director of photography, Justin, did an amazing job rigging all the lighting to tell the story and soon we watched our short come to life from behind the camera.

Posters, title cards, and thumbnails for FADE were also designed by me. Check out some pictures from behind the scenes below.