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The Mould on the Wall

A small mould growth begins to have mind-altering effects on the tenants of a Sydney share-house.

  • Joseph Michael
    Director
  • Joseph Michael
    Writer
  • Joseph Michael
    Producer
  • Scarlett Potter
    Producer/First Assistant Director
  • Saxon Cook
    Key Cast
    "Matt"
  • Taliesin Don
    Key Cast
    "Amy"
  • Ziggy Tow
    Key Cast
    "Kev"
  • Nathan Rathsam
    Director of Photography
  • Tamasin Stanton
    Costume and Production Designer
  • Joseph Michael
    Editor
  • Ramón Briant
    Music Composer
  • Chrissy Voltis
    Second Assistant Director
  • Vanessa Colleen
    Second Assistant Director
  • Alexandra Anoneuvo
    1st AC
  • Vanessa Le
    Art Department Assist
  • Oscar Browne
    2nd AC
  • Sinclair Suhood
    Gaffer
  • Steven Khoury
    Location Sound Recordist
  • Danny Fong
    Sound Mixer & Editor
  • Rachael Porthouse
    Script Supervisor
  • Caitlin Michael
    Makeup and Hair
  • Tamasin Stanton
    VFX and SFX
  • Nathan Rathsam
    Colourist
  • Kai Brand
    Set Photographer
  • Ocean To Stable
    Catering
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror, Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 30, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    7,500 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.44
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Technology Sydney
Director Biography - Joseph Michael

Joseph is an emerging Writer, Director and Producer from the southern suburbs of Sydney. He studied Media Arts at the University of Technology Sydney, 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.

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Director 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.