Viewfinder

Overview

Viewfinder is a short experimental film centered on the eerie aesthetics of obsolete media technology. Shot using a cassette video recorder, the footage was then re-recorded through the camera’s own viewfinder using a modern digital recorder. This layering of devices produces a visually and sonically unsettling effect: crackling audio, soft and desaturated blue-gray imagery, and an indistinct, dreamlike blur that obscures detail and identity.

The film captures everyday scenes across the University of Maryland campus, gradually shifting from bright outdoor spaces filled with movement to cold, empty interior hallways. As the lighting fades and the compositions become more claustrophobic, an uneasy presence emerges— reinforced by abrupt cuts, bursts of static, and the mechanical sounds of tape moving through the camera body.

More than a narrative work, Viewfinder is an exploration of format and sensory atmosphere. By foregrounding the unique artifacts of cassette-camera playback, like the lens' distortion, tape noise, and tactile machine sounds, the film uses its medium to build tension and evoke a quiet horror that feels both intimate and uncanny.