CAPTCHA

Split into three structured chapters which explore observation, intimacy and expressionism, CAPTCHA is a hypnotic journey following an expressionless test subject as he seeks purpose in the mysterious facility he inhabits, encountering a peculiar woman in the process. Is it simply an elaborate stimulus test or is it something more?

  • Mathew Francis
    Director
  • Mathew Francis
    Writer
  • Lachlan Kendall
    Producer
  • Ankush Singh Khanchi
    Key Cast
  • Josephine Gazard
    Key Cast
  • Sofia Goncharova
    Key Cast
  • Mathew Francis
    Director of Photography
  • Lachlan Kendall
    Sound Designer
  • Jean Pang
    Costume and Production Designer
  • Lachlan Kendall
    1st Assistant Director
  • Lachlan Kendall
    Co-Editor
  • Mathew Francis
    Co-Editor
  • Kian Jahromi
    Camera Assistant
  • Alex Roberts
    Gimbal Operator & Photographer
  • Joshua Baker
    Gaffer & Assistant Gimbal Operator
  • Acacia Simmons
    Sound Recordist
  • Joseph Wilson
    Assistant Sound Recordist
  • Joshua Solomon
    Script Supervisor
  • Quinten Vanrooy
    Pre-Production Script Supervisor
  • Liam Campbell
    Production Assistant
  • Nicholas Baker
    Labourer
  • Roy Fennis
    Poster Graphics
  • Adiari Ezekiel-Hart
    Sountrack
  • Addy From Deep Place Recordings
    Sountrack
  • Aiden Ramm
    Extra
  • Alex Hutchison
    Extra
  • Ben Brown
    Extra
  • Jakob Taylor
    Extra
  • Jean Pang
    Extra
  • Joshua Baker
    Extra
  • Joshua Solomon
    Extra
  • Lachlan Kendall
    Extra
  • Lauren Taylor
    Extra
  • Liam Campbell
    Extra
  • Max Hawley
    Extra
  • Oliver White
    Extra
  • Zan Tha Kyaw Nyun
    Extra
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 9, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,100 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Canberra
  • St Kilda Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    June 10, 2023
    Australian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Canberra Short Film Festival
    Canberra
    Australia
    November 17, 2023
    Winner: Canberra - Best Sound
  • Melbourne Cineverse

    March 10, 2023
    Best in Show - Online Showcase
Director Biography - Mathew Francis

Mathew, a filmmaker and cinematographer, hails from a Croatian/Australian background and is reputable for his recent award winning short film, CAPTCHA. With a solid foundation in photo media, he excels in giving life to the underlying thought processes and layered elements that shape each shot. The outcome is a final product that invites viewers to uncover richness with each subsequent viewing.

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Director Statement

CAPTCHA offers viewers a continually evolving and personalized experience with each viewing. The core objective was to allow audience members to attribute varying cognitive and emotional significance to different elements, fostering individual perspectives. This is achieved through intentional choices, such as the creation of a characterless character, a recurring plot structure, and unfamiliar, symbolic locations. Every design decision reflects a search for escape from suffocating surroundings, including through the use of music, characters, cinematography, sound, and locations.

Written in mid-2021 with partial input from primitive artificial intelligence, CAPTCHA predates the advent of more advanced chatbot software like ChatGPT by a full year. Against the backdrop of the subsequent Hollywood writers' strike, it stands as a poignant reflection on the swiftly evolving landscape of AI, underscoring the considerable advancements the technology has taken since its inception, and the accompanying anxiety it causes for practitioners within the industry.