Masque Stars Short Film

Masque Stars

Creative Direction & Vision for Filmsupply EditFest

Project Overview & Logline

• Title: Masque Stars

• Format: 4K Master with an Analog-Inspired 8mm Aesthetic

• Genre: Indie Psychological Thriller / Sci-Fi

• Role: Creative Director

“The Masquerade is an old rite — steal a soul, box it, wear it.”

Masque Stars was conceived and structured as a gritty, surreal thriller trailer series for the Filmsupply EditFest challenge. The narrative centres on a woman hunting the clandestine cult that stole her identity, only to face a chilling realisation: they didn’t take who she is, but who she was about to become.

Creative Direction & Conceptual Approach

1. Aesthetic Strategy: Bridging Digital Precision with Analogue Grit

To elevate the project beyond a standard stock-footage edit, the creative direction leveraged a tactile, retro-futuristic aesthetic.

• Texture Over Polish: We merged crisp 4K delivery resolution with heavy analogue 8mm emulation—incorporating organic film grain, light leaks, gate weave, and chromatic aberration. This visual dissonance mirrors the protagonist’s fractured psychological state.

• The “Boxed Soul” Motif: Visual metaphors were established early through recurring framing devices—boxes, frames, and apertures that trap light and shadow, symbolising containment, identity commodification, and ritualistic entrapment.

2. Pacing & Editing Architecture: Cross-Cut Suspense

In alignment with the EditFest challenge requirements, the edit relies heavily on relentless, rhythmic cross-cutting:

• Thematic Juxtaposition: Fast-paced, kinetic action cuts are juxtaposed with lingering, unsettling macro shots of ritualistic objects and archival textures.

• Sonic-Visual Synergy: The editing rhythm locks tightly to a tense, industrial-organic soundscape, using abrupt cuts on action beats to disorient the viewer and build sustained psychological dread.

3. Narrative World-Building

Working with curated footage from diverse global contributors, the creative direction demanded a unified narrative spine. Through careful color grading, precise audio design, and narrative pacing, disparate cinematic sources were fused into a cohesive, high-stakes universe where identity is both currency and weapon.

Credits & Details

Additional footage courtesy of FilmSupply and its contributing filmmakers: Amazing Factory, Andrew Q Holzschuh, Anton Josef, Chris Leclerc, Christian Schilling, Cody Strout, Daniel Carberry, Daomay Keo, Dylan Hahn, Elevate Cinema, Evolve, Force, Henry Dean, Ian Kammer, John X Carey, Justice Brooks, Michael Throne, Mission Ranch Studios, Nick Colombini, Philip Casey, Raekua, Ruslan Aksenov, Simon & Paul, and Vonas.