Home | TheMouldontheWall

A FILM BY JOSEPH MICHAEL

TRAILER

SYNOPSIS

Matt lives with his careless roommates Amy and Kev in a share house in the inner-west suburbs of Sydney. When a sinister mould infestation takes root in their abode, Matt is quick to suspect that it may have more harmful effects. Taking initiative despite still remaining weary of the mould, Matt attempts to clean it off, however he soon realises that this endeavour may be harder than he thought.

Matt tests alternate cleaning methods and starts to notice that both Kev and Amy have become ‘infected’ when they start acing out of character. As Matt becomes certain that the mould has not only caused his roommates’ mind-controlled hypnosis, but may also be putting their lives at risk, he soon becomes even more determined to eradicate it before it’s too late.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

The Mould on the Wall takes much inspiration from my experience living as a tenant in Sydney during recent extreme weather events, such as La Niña. I have experienced a number of summers of torrential rain, and this has constantly produced growths of black mould where I reside, in addition to the ominous potential of it provoking serious respiratory illness.

I wanted to recreate this experience as I have found it to be a very common one amongst friends, families and colleagues who rent, and further combine this experience with the dynamic interactions of living with roommates. It seemed only natural to fuse this experience with the thriller or horror genre, as at times, I'm sure many of us have felt that the fungi we see within the world has a scarily supernatural element to it. Upon discovery of the Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis fungi, I took inspiration in how it mind-controls (and eventually kills) bullants in some forests around the world. Imagining what it might be like if black mould in the home worked like 'Cordyceps' did, was an exciting concept to explore when conceptualising the project.

Much of the cinematic inspiration of the film stems from the work of many 'post-horror' practitioners, including Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Jordan Peele, Jennifer Kent, and Julia Ducournau. I absolutley love how these filmmakers prioritise the psychological to generate horror, as well as leave the viewer with a satisfying yet open ending, and I just had to attempt to implement these features into the final film. I also wanted to fuse this modern take on the horror genre with elements of the comedy, with the film attempting to take into account the absurd and the exaggerated, in order to provide a sense of comic relief amongst this common household problem.

A huge thank you to the cast & crew of the film, I could not have made this (and had so much fun making it) without each of your talents, motivation, and energy.

- Joseph

KEY CREW

Joseph Michael

Writer, Director, Producer, Editor

Joseph is an emerging Writer, Director and Producer from the southern suburbs of Sydney. He studied Media Arts at UTS, where his background in filmmaking stems from cinematography and editing. Joseph has had experience shooting various short films and music videos, recently serving as a 1st Assistant Director too. The Mould on the Wall is his directorial debut and was made as part of his Honours post-graduate degree.

Scarlett Potter

Producer, First Assistant Director

Scarlett is a film director, producer and all-round creative. A lover of local and amateur arts, she prioirtises weaving diverse narratives that blend stylistic artistry with grounded emotion. With a passion for community, Scarlett has spent time collaborating and working with non-for-profits, such as the Australian Irish Film Festival, and working on various short films about Sydney life.

Nathan Rathsam

Director of Photography

Nathan is a Gadigal based cinematographer and photographer. Mainly working on music videos and TV commercials, Nathan has a wide range portfolio, exploring his creativity and style through these mediums, in addition to live music photography. Nathan has shot with bands such as dust, Press Club, DZ Deathrays, Last Dinosaurs, and more. He is very excited to share The Mould on the Wall as his first narrative short as a DP.

Tamasin Stanton

Costume Designer, Production Designer, VFX & SFX Artist

Tamasin is an artist, filmmaker and writer based in Sydney. Known to her followers as 'Vasternous', Tamasin has studied at UTS and AFTRS, building credits such as Twice as Many Stars and Terrence. Tamasin's work has been part of various showcases at UTS and ArtExpress, and has recently worked alongside Photoplay and ARACOURT for ABC Me's The Disposables

Ramón Briant

Composer

Ramon is a Sydney based multi-instrumentalist musician, producer and composer. He graduated with a diploma in composition and harmony at the Nueva Escuela De Música Popular (Argentina) in 2020 and a Bachelor in Music and Sound Design from UTS. He has produced music and audio content for the likes of FBi Radio, ABC and other local independent artists. He also produces, releases and performs his own music under the alias NÒMAR.

CAST

Saxon Cook

as 'Matt'

Saxon is a 22 year old actor from Maroubra, Sydney, whose passion for acting followed numerous stints on camera, and warking various crew roles alongside Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy and Claudia Karvan in Bump Seasons 1 & 2. Saxon lovs spending his time at the beach and playing social sports with friends and family. Saxon continues to study acting and plans to play challenging characters to tell unique and meaningful stories.

Taliesin Don

as 'Amy'

Taliesin has a wealth of experience as an actress studying in both New York and Sydney. She can be seen most recently in the lead role of Rachael Porthouse's upcoming short film Reception, following a guest star appearance in an upcoming Pilot, as well as credits like New Who vs Old Who and I am Woman by Unjoo Moon. She is passionate about telling intersectional feminist stories that have positive & empowering narratives.

Ziggy Tow

as 'Kev'

Ziggy has been acting for 24 years. Ever since he was born he has been practicing for the role of 'Kev', the silly stoner who enjoys goofing around and being funny. Everyday Ziggy wakes up and practices, he has practiced so much he doesn't know where the border of Kev begins and Ziggy ends. After finishing the film, Ziggy went for a long walk to contemplate the direction of his life.

BEHIND THE SCENES

CONTACT

Joseph Michael

josephmichaelfilm.com

joseph.michael3011@gmail.com / loungeroomrpoductions@gmail.com

+61452530114

Instagram - @josephmichael__ @themouldonthewallfilm

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Mould on the Wall was filmed in Sydney, Australia in the suburb of Annandale. Pre-production began in two months ahead of production, which took place over a four day period, from the 24th-27th of August. Post-production was spread over a two month period, utilising the digital edit and colour grading suites at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The final runtime is 15 minutes and 40 seconds.

This film was shot on the ARRI Alexa Mini LF with Zeiss CP.3 Lenses.

The Mould on the Wall was produced in partial fulfilment to the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) at UTS.

UTS Project Supervisor - Matthew Dabner

CREDITS

Written and Directed by

Joseph Michael

Produced by

Joseph Michael

Scarlett Potter

Starring

Saxon Cook

Taliesin Don

Ziggy Tow

Nelson Pittar

Charlotte Knoke

Freya Jarrett

Director of Photography

Nathan Rathsam

Costume & Production Design by

Tamasin Stanton

Edited by

Joseph Michael

Music by
Ramón Briant

First Assistant Director Scarlett Potter

Second Assistant Director Chrissy Voltis, Vanessa Colleen

First Assistant Camera Alexandra Anoneuvo

Second Assistant Camera Oscar Browne

Gaffer Sinclair Suhood

Location Sound Recordist Steven Khoury

Sound Editor & Mixer Danny Fong

Script Supervisor Rachael Porthouse

Production Assistant Danny Fong

Makeup and Hair Caitlin Michael

Art Department Assistant Vanessa Le

VFX and SFX by Tamasin Stanton

Colourist Nathan Rathsam

Set Photography by Kai Brand

Catering by Ocean To Stable

Special Thanks To

Sasha Jessop

Anthony & Karina Michael

Rachael Porthouse

Tara Finn

Nick Di Quattro

Nick Henderson

Marcus Eckermann

Cato Klafas

The FASS MediaLab Team

‘Documentary Narrator’ created with generative AI through 'FineShare Online Voice Changer'

Filmed in Annandale, NSW

The filmmakers would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land on which this production was filmed. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded.

A FILM BY JOSEPH MICHAEL

TRAILER

SYNOPSIS

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

KEY CREW

CAST

BEHIND THE SCENES

CONTACT

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PRODUCTION INFORMATION

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CREDITS

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