'Suspiria' (1977) dir. Dario Argento is one of the most impactful horror films of the 20th century. I'm inspired by its themes of femininity, the colour palette and cinematography work, and the sound design.

'Bones and All' (2022) dir. Luca Guadagnino has quite opposing themes to 'Suspiria.' The sound design is very inspirational to me as, despite it's opposing visuals and themes to 'Suspiria,' the use of breath throughout creates a lot of tension. I also love the neutral cinematography and how it uses muted tones to highlight the—very minimal—gore.

'Raw' (2016) dir. Julia Ducournau is quite similar to 'Bones and All' as it is a coming of age horror with references to hunger and cannibalism. I love the use of themes as a metaphor, and will be taking inspiration from this writing style.

'Saunt Maud' (2019) dir. Rose Glass is a religious horror about the obsessive aspects of religion and death. I will be referencing this when producing the cinematography, creating suspense, and when writing the script. There is a duologue between Maud and G-d that has hugely inspired a major part of my film.

'Hereditary' (2018) dir. Ari Aster is possibly my favourite horror film. I love how it is mainly character driven, and how the fear is produced through the lack of control that the characters experience. The cult is written incredibly well, and this devotion has impacted the way I will be writing religion in my script. I also love the score and will potentially be using a song in one of my main scenes.

'The VVitch' (2015) dir. Robert Eggers is also a religious horror, specifically about how religion impacts women. Misogyny has been prevalent throughout all of history, and people often have used religion to justify it. Like 'Saint Maud,' there is a scene where the main character, Thomasin, has a conversation with Black Phillip, a goat that represents the devil. This is a huge piece of inspiration for my main scene in my film.

'Mother' (2017) dir. Darren Aronofsky creates true feelings of torture in the audience. Mother, the unnamed protagonist, has the things that she loves and feels safe in torn away from her — her husband, her house, and, eventually, her baby. As an audience, we genuinely feel the suffering inflicted on her. There is incredibly cinematography, sound design, and writing used to create these feelings. Religious imagery is also used, as this is a reference to the story of Adam and Eve. These themes are very inspirational to me and I will be referencing them throughout my production process.

'The Haunting of Hill House' (2018) dir. Mike Flanagan is a story of grief and loss. I love how fear is inflicted on the audience through the usage of hidden things in the background. Leaving the audience without answers is often scarier than giving everything to them, and this show does that perfectly. This use of suspense and not knowing has inspired my writing process greatly.

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." -Song of Solomon 2:15

The foxes are representative of destruction and how, when following a particular religion — specifically Abrahamic religions — the concept of "sinful" desires and actions can be harrowing. The shame that festers from being raised to believe in sin "spoils the vines". In other words, people carry this shame with them and it can lead to being stuck in a vicious cycle. There are many different ways to interpret Song of Songs, and this text has often been twisted to encourage shame in some communities, however, I wish to use this quote at the beginning of my short film to share the difficult balance between religion being both a destructive practise and healing practise.

In terms of religious and generational trauma — a motif I intend to share throughout this film — I plan on using this idea of shame being carried through faith (and in ethno-religions, literally through bloodlines) to portray how societal and religious reinforcements of this concept really can "spoil the vines". Similarly, how generational trauma being passed on can rot our perceptions of faith. Religion can be fickle, tender, and this film shall be a projection of my personal perceptions of these concepts and experiences.

To create contrast and to explore character in a way that hones a deeper sense of vulnerability and connection with the audience — allowing them to project onto and relate to the character — I plan on using vivid colours during intense moments throughout the short film. Cinematographer, Luciano Tovoli, is renowned for his use of light and colour in 'Suspiria' (1977) directed by Dario Argento. This era of technicolour in horror can also be seen in 'Carrie' (1976) directed by Brian De Palma. When faced with the term "technicolour" in cinema, I think of the innocent 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937) and 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939). To subvert from this childlike expectation and transform it into something that provokes deep emotion and potentially even fear inspires me greatly in planning this film.

Within this use of vivid colour, I plan on using chiaroscuro lighting techniques to create an even sharper contrast between the softness of the more monotonous shots, allowing the film to evolve into something striking. The stark visual contrasts reflect on the dual nature of the film's themes.

As I plan out these uses of light and colour, I am drawn to German Expressionism of the 1920s. Throughout this style, artists abandon accurate representations of a physical form in favour of exaggerations and distortions that carry greater emotional expression and impact. When reflecting on how our emotions often distort our perspectives, I am interested in the prospect of using distorted imagery, as well as colour, to further portray the experiences of the protagonist.

The main character will be named 'Naomi', after Ginsberg's mother whom the poem is dedicated to.

These themes are prevalent in my script, however, they are not as effective at sharing the religious aspect I'm aiming for in an accurate way, so I will be rewriting this scene.

Changing it from killing the fox to finding it shares the concept of the taxidermic fox and the religious meaning behind this. This plot point needs to be established quickly as I only have 5 minutes to share the meaning behind the story.

This scene is much more effective as the first, as it absolves Naomi from a lot of the blame, and places it on this manifestation of "G-d."

The duologue reflects how people use religion to justify people experiencing harm or death, and this is a topic I’d like to touch upon in my film.

The character’s conflict and the main thing challenging her belief, is the justification of violence through religion, and how people bend what these texts say to justify what they’re doing.

I'll also be able to focus it on character and how Naomi comes across as a reflection of our modern times. Religious war, conflict, and oppression is still rampant in the world, and to increase the impact this film has on people, having our protagonist have explicit beliefs that shall be challenged in a way that also criticises the current state of our world, and hopefully allows people to reflect on their own ignorance, internal biases, and challenges their perspectives. I want to include dialogue as a major theme without relying on exposition. Dialogue is not information, dialogue is character, so showing Naomi's beliefs through action rather than entirely basing it on dialogue may be a challenge, but I believe that it is a much more effective storytelling technique.

Despite this, I have decided to use the title 'Taxidermist' as I feel it is simpler and also highlights the significance of the fox symbolism. I also think that people will further understand this title, and to someone who doesn't know much about faith, it simplifies it so they can understand the concept better. This title has eerier connotations, fitting to the thriller genre.

The title card follows the first scene, which is quite vague in terms of what is happening and a little bit confusing. The title clarifies what is taking place and sets up the idea behind the whole film!

I have grown up around many different beliefs, specifically Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. I have seen firsthand how religion can support people through tragedy and loss. I have also witnessed family members and friends experience discrimination and abuse because of their own identities and beliefs. I want this film to challenge people's perspectives on religion and their internal biases.

I only have 5 - 10 minutes to share my thoughts on such a huge topic, so I am going to focus primarily on the glamorisation of suffering in religion and how religious guilt & trauma can stay with people for the rest of their lives. I love religious thrillers such as 'Midnight Mass' and 'Saint Maud', both of which also touch upon these topics, and will be using them as inspiration for the production of my film. As well as this, I love the concept of consumption as a metaphor for both love and suffering. This contradictory metaphor was the first idea that blossomed this project into what it is now. The shows 'Hannibal' and 'Yellowjackets' share this metaphor, though both in very different ways, and are a very large piece of inspiration for this film.

Overall, I will be using a range of metaphors, visual storytelling, and aspects of the thriller genre to share the message of my film. I love when films are open to interpretation and have open endings, and considering I don't have much time to discuss a huge message, I believe that this will be the most affective course of action. Having an open ending and attempting to make the plot relatively universal will hopefully give the audience an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.

I will be presenting this character myself through a voice over. The song 'Ptolemaea' by Ethel Cain is inspired by Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy' — specifically 'Inferno'. Ptolemea, named after Ptolemy, is a circle in Hell in which traitors reside. This is a reference to the character in the song abandoning her faith and being deemed a traitor by her family. The distorted voice throughout is supposed to be the voice of Isaiah, a character based around the Israelite prophet, but also a representation of the darkness and trauma that can come from religion. This song, belonging to the concept album 'Preacher's Daughter' is about being consumed by religious guilt and trauma, specifically as a woman. Hayden Anhedönia, the artist behind the pen-name 'Ethel Cain', created this album with the intent of turning the concept and storyline into a horror film in the future. This entire album has inspired my creative process since the beginning of this production.

The concept of personifying religious trauma and comparing it to being in the ninth circle of Hell is very inspiring to me. The distorted voice of this character within these two films and this song have aided my process of creating my own character of "G-d". Additionally, in Judaism, G-d is never presented in an image. The Torah specifically forbids this as G-d is incomparable and cannot be compressed into something else. In the Ezratic story, G-d is only present if you choose to see Him. Since the voice of G-d cannot be compared or even described, this distorted effect will share that it is not a human voice, but also that it isn't truly G-d and is instead a representation of religious trauma and the suffering people justify with religion.

I have chosen 'Abbey' by Mitski as the song to play over the title card. The song's lyrics ("I am hungry / I have been hungry / I was born hungry / What do I need?" and "There is a light, I feel it in me / But only, it seems, when the dark surrounds me / There is a dream and it sleeps in me / To awake in the night, crying set me free / And I awake every night, crying set me free") relate heavily to the themes of the film. I feel that these lyrics link to feeling trapped, empty, and isolated—all feelings that Naomi experiences throughout the story. The instrumentals are also quite haunting. Opening only with vocalisation, the sounds reflect these feelings while also enhancing the discomfort both Naomi and the audience feel.

Choices for the soundtrack include 'Bloodfest' and 'Digestivo Pt. 2' by Brian Reitzell, from 'Hannibal'; 'Hail Paemon!' by Colin Stetson, from 'Hereditary'; 'Maxine Meets Pearl' by Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe, from 'X'; 'God On the Couch / Blake Portent' by Adam Janota Bzowski, from 'Saint Maud'. These scores all come from horror films/shows that I believe build tension and suspense, while also broadening the emotional connection the audience has to the characters. For example, 'Bloodfest' by Reitzell is haunting with it's strings, reverb, and high tones, and as the song progresses the main melody remains but gets slower and less layered, before returning back to its original state. This song is truly harrowing, but it also contains a deep sadness. It portrays the emotions of the protagonist who is discovering how he has been deceived by someone he trusts, and the intense regret he feels. It is incredibly sad, with elements of styles typically within the horror genre. I believe that a song such as this one would fit very well within my film, because though Naomi is angry and afraid, she's also experiencing intense regret, sorrow, and realising that she has also been deceived.

An artist with religious themes I have taken lots of inspiration from is Ethel Cain. Her concept album 'Preacher's Daughter' shares some of these themes of feeling isolated and trapped within religious guilt. The songs 'August Underground' and 'Televangelism' may find their way into my film during the editing process. I'm not choosing exactly which ones right now, as though I can plan the scenes out, draw storyboards, and see them unfold in my head, I believe that it will be best to follow my instincts when editing to see which songs truly fit the best and are the most effective.

A motif throughout my short film is the character of "G-d" being shown, not physically, but through the sound of another set of breaths. In Hebrew, the word for "breath" is intertwined with the concept of "life". There is a common phrase meaning "breath of life" (נִשְׁמַת־רוּחַ חַיִּים). In the story of Genesis, G-d breathes life into dust, forming a living soul. G-d is often referred to in Abrahamic religions as YHWH — YH, an inhale, and WH, an exhale. Jewish people believe that this name is too holy to be spoken aloud, and that every time we breathe we are connecting to G-d through His act of creating life. This representation of G-d through breath has been a theme throughout my script. As I will not be representing "G-d" physically through a person, and instead through a distorted voice, this use of sound design will allow me to share His presence in Naomi's life in a way that aligns with the themes of the film, while also creating a sense of discomfort and fear.

The Torah prohibits making images of G‑d because, when G‑d spoke to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai, as Moses points out, “you didn’t see any image.”

In the first scene of the film, Naomi is completely silent. The only sounds to be heard are the sounds of nature around her, then, the sound of the suffering fox. In the following scene, we hear her rapid breaths as she feels sorrow for what she has done. This use of quiet in the first few scenes of the film is incredibly intentional. Her beliefs make her small, shrouded. Her feelings are not explicitly translated through her words, but through the sounds she makes. In the second scene, there is a moment where footsteps can be heard throughout Naomi's house — these footsteps are a representation of her guilt and the shame her beliefs inflict upon her. The footsteps gradually get louder, before ending with a thud. The quickening pace and gradual building of sound shall create panic in Naomi, and also in the audience. There is also a thud in this scene. The thud is intended to feel like a stomach drop — the feeling of regret that hits you when you realise you have made a mistake. A quote I love is "horror is making a mistake and living with the consequences", which has impacted my writing process on this film very much. The thud triggers her prayer, and her realisation that she should be asking for forgiveness instead of sitting in her sorrow.

This use of sound has aided my goal of avoiding too much exposition. A flaw in my scripts in the past has been using too much exposition, and I find that in horror it is a major issue. The concept of not knowing can be even scarier for audiences than directly telling them something gory or terrifying has happened. This is often why open endings work so much better in horror, as the audience is left fretting over what could've happened. A great example of a film without exposition that often leaves the audience wondering is 'The Shining' (1980) dir. Stanley Kubrick, which is considered one of the greatest horrors of all time. Kubrick is an incredible writer, leaving many scenes up to interpretation which leads to true horror. The film '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) is also a great example of this lack of exposition. Using sound to share emotion, plot development, and character will ultimately make my film stronger overall.

I believe that this location will be more effective in terms of visual storytelling, as it ties into the southern Gothic aesthetic which a lot of films, such as 'The Beguiled' dir. Sofia Coppola (2017), use as a way to portray the limits that are constricting these characters. Minimal colour is used, and the palette tends to be a range of greys and browns. I plan on using these southern Gothic visuals, while also contrasting with what audiences would traditionally expect. As aforementioned, I plan on filming at sunset. Hopefully, there will be slight hues of pinks and purples. These tones will beautifully match the fake blood that I will be using once Naomi has consumed the taxidermic fox. This colour palette both begins and ends the film, as it has a kind of cyclical structure which shall reflect the tether that religion has on people and how they struggle to be free from their beliefs.

The other scenes in the film will be at my house. This is because I want to portray the concept of someone's comfort and safety being intruded and permanently altered. Naomi's safe place — both her home and her faith — has been altered by the experiences taking place in the film. A place once religious, almost, for her has been ruined by the religion itself. It's both a metaphor of her faith slowly degrading, and how religious and generational trauma stay with people.

In terms of transitions, I'll be ending a few scenes with a fade to black. This is a bleak transition, which, similar to the netural toned scenes, shares the hollow and emptiness that Naomi feels from her beliefs.

I'll need to add a few sound affects, and, of course, the soundtrack and score during the editing process. The sound effects include heavy footsteps and thuds, which I will record using my microphone after filming and align with the footage. The score and soundtrack will be finally decided during the editing process, as I want to ensure that the songs correctly align with the scenes and events. One experimental process is the distorted voice of "G-d". Here, I plan on using Logic Pro X's distortion affects to alter the sound of His voice. The voice will also be added post-filming, as I will need to correctly align it with the footage and, of course, edit it to create this uncomfortable affect.

In the first few scenes, I will have Naomi dressed in light blue as this is a very significant colour amongst Judaism. It is a symbol of holiness and a connection to G-d. Since the structure is cyclical, Naomi will be wearing these same clothes in the final scene when she is covered in blood. The red of the blood opposes the blue colour. This costume is intended to share how Naomi will always be connected to her faith, even now that it has been damaged beyond repair.

Naomi's colour palette begins to change in the fourth scene. Here, I plan for her to wear darker clothes, but still clothes that have elements of blue. Scene 3 shares how Naomi has been questioning her beliefs for a while, and her outfit in Scene 4 confirms that her faith is being chipped away at.

In Scene 6, Naomi will be wearing pyjamas. The colour palette here is not as significant, as the colours of the clothing will be drowned out by the opposing red and blue lights that are used throughout the scene. The most significant thing is the vulnerability that her outfit shows. Seeing someone in their pyjamas can be quite an intimate thing, not shared with the general public. This shows her trust for G-d and how He, regardless of her wilting faith, still has complete control over her. It implies that during her moments of anger towards him, she is being entirely honest and knows that G-d will always have control over her, and that she is going to do all that she can to overcome this.

In Scene 7, I plan for Naomi to wear all black. She understands G-d now and knows that He lives inside of her as He lives inside all of humanity, even if only in a morphed and inaccurate way. Black does not absorb light, meaning that as Naomi comes to terms with the fact that He will always be with her, He will never effect her in those same ways again. Her past beliefs will linger, but in every future moment she will create new beliefs. Black juxtaposes what is typically expected here. Often, black is used to represent darkness and negativity. Here, it is a positive thing. Naomi is moving on from this humanised version of "G-d" and settling into who she is.

I want Naomi to wear different clothes in every scene to share the passage of time. I intend to highlight how this story takes place over a longer period of time, accentuating how Naomi's feelings and experiences interrupt her life significantly. This technique also creates distance between who Naomi is in each scene — this emphasises the changes that Naomi experiences.

I will begin filming on the 11th of February. In the morning, I will take some photographs for my storyboard for Scene 1, 5, and 8. Then, during the day, I will record videos with my Samsung NX1000 camera for Scene 5 (the dream sequence). Hopefully the lighting is bright and the hues are diverse. If this is not the case, and I find that the footage is not bright enough, I will refilm on the morning of the 14th of February. In the evening, I will record Scenes 1 and 8. Again, the lighting and colour palette for this scene is very specific, so if it is not accurate to my desires, I will refilm these scenes on the 18th of February.

• 12th February

On this date, I plan to edit the first scene together using CapCut. This includes colour grading, audio changes, cutting and rearranging a few moments, and creating the title card and introductory quote. I will be using Canva's video templates to create the title card, but adding my own unique twist onto this. As previously mentioned, I love how Richard Siken uses colour in his poems and I will be taking inspiration from his use of yellows throughout his writing. Yellow often symbolises danger, something falling out of place. Therefore, I plan on using yellow text for this title card. As for the quote intro, I'll be using the text function on CapCut.

• 13th February

I have planned to record my voice overs on this day. I'll be using a Blue Yeti microphone and Logic Pro X to create a distorted, low voice, as well as an upbeat radio voice. I want all voices throughout the film to be my own, to link back to these feelings of isolation and—in a way—delusion that Naomi has throughout the film. I am very inspired by the films 'Donnie Darko', 'The VVitch', and 'Saint Maud' in creating this voice, as well as the song 'Ptolemaea' by Ethel Cain.

• 15th February

On the 15th, I will be recording many scenes. I have planned this with my camera operator and she will be aiding me with many scenes, as some are handheld whereas some need a tripod. Some shots also include zooms which I would be unable to do without a camera operator. We plan to film scenes 2, 4, and 6. These all need to be filmed after sunset, so we are basing our meeting times around this—predicted at around 5:30pm.

• 16th February

As I will have 5 scenes filmed by this point, I will continue editing the scenes using CapCut. I will begin adding music to the film as well. So far, I have settled on 'Shiizakana' by Brian Reitzell, originally from the 'Hannibal' soundtrack.

• 17th February

I have agreed to meet with my camera operator again on the evening of the 17th. Again, this scene needs to be shot post-sunset, so the times will vary. We will be filming scene 7. I will continue editing this until our next meeting on the 23rd.

• 23rd February

By this date, I plan to film scene 3. This one is easier to manage as it will be filmed during the daytime. We have planned to meet at 2pm to begin this process! Before this date, I need to have a few props prepared: a newspaper article and two drawings (one of the fox, another of some kind of religious image). I have already begun planning the visuals for these props and will have them completed by this date.

• 24th - 28th February

Once everything has been filmed, I will edit everything together. I may need to add some sound effects using my microphone. I will process these through Logic Pro X to ensure the sound quality and effects are accurate to my vision. I will be using lots of echos and distortions. I also need to add the supers into the film, and I will be using the CapCut text feature to apply this. Colour-grading should also be done, as aforementioned, and I plan on adding some grain and highlighting certain colours in specific scenes to develop upon my storytelling techniques. The soundtrack will also be added—I am currently balancing using 'Abbey' by Mitski as a titular song, or 'Crazy' by Patsy Cline as an auditorial motif. I plan on having all the editing and filming completed by the 28th.

As she encounters a fox herself and consumes it as an act that is intended to reflect on how our human nature often contradicts with religious "rules", and also as an attempt to step into the powerful shoes of G-d and truly understand His message. Essentially, what she want comes at a cost: as she tries to understand G-d, she is faced with the reality of her own humanity. Her actions intentions and results are contradictory.

Naomi's obstacle is coming face to face with who she is, and in turn who G-d must be.

• The negative impact religion can have and how the guilt and trauma from these experiences can stay with people for the rest of their lives.

What is the theme?

• If G-d is who a lot of people say He is, then He is the opposite of what most would expect. G-d would be a manifestation of people's fears and feelings of no control.

My perspective on the theme is...

• Using religion as a fear mongering technique, to induce guilt or shame, and to justify cruelty and suffering should not be as common nor as normalised as it is. G-d is said to be benevolent, but people so often misuse these religious texts to inflict pain and harm. I feel that we need to release the notion of religion as anything but poetry: a guide for some to use in times of need, not to induce or justify cruelty. Religion is disproportionately negatively used against marginalised communities, and predominantly in the west, to justify discrimination against other cultures. If G-d were to be an accumulation of these things, He would not be someone people wish to dedicate their lives to. Hopefully, this film gives people the opportunity to reflect on how their internal biases and beliefs affect those around them, as well as themselves.

I have added a dream sequence inspired by ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001) dir. Richard Kelly. The film has a character “Frank” who is the protagonist’s hallucination who guides him to do a series of horrible things that will eventually rewind time. The voice is very distorted and in the film, Frank says “Wake up.” to Donnie several times. I was hoping to add a dream sequence to share how Naomi’s experiences are following her around and she cannot let them go, but couldn’t find a way to link it. Now, I have found a way to link it to the conversation Naomi has with G-d. I’ll be using sound effects of footsteps and a door opening and closing to link the dream back to Naomi’s reality. The words “Wake up” are used, like in Donnie Darko. G-d tells Naomi to wake up in her dream, which makes the following scene much more understandable while also adding an emotional weight to Naomi’s character. This also relates back to the concept of G-d constantly being with Naomi. At the beginning, in the serenity of nature, this is a comfort, but as the plot unwinds it begins to feel suffocating.

Overall, I’m much prouder of this script and think that it adds much more development, emotion, and understanding to the film.

I have finally decided on what music I will be using: 'Crazy' by Patsy Cline will be used in scene 1, then will be repeated a few times throughout the film as an auditorial reminder of the events in scene 1, and how Naomi's guilt is following her. Songs from the 60s (and pre) are frequently used throughout horror as the recording is often lower quality and contains imperfections. This scratchy quality of old recordings creates an eerie feeling that something is wrong. I also love the lyrics to this song and feel that they align with Naomi's internal path and how she feels deluded and her sense of reality has shifted.

Throughout the editing process, I have added a few bits of distortion to this song to highlight the feeling of something being wrong. Additionally, I have added glitches in the visuals of these moments of distortion. As it is quite challenging to share visually and without dialogue, where Naomi's connection with G-d lies, these glitches imply cracks in her stability and relationship with her religion. I also intend for them to be a reminder that G-d is with her, watching her. It, like the distorted sound, creates feelings of discomfort and unease.