After Party is a psychological horror short written and directed by Ben Grace, born from an experiment in what was then emerging digital filmmaking technology.
In 2014, having recently acquired a Canon 5D Mark II, Ben began exploring the possibilities of Magic Lantern and RAW video. What started as a series of camera tests quickly developed into the idea for After Party — an opportunity to put the new equipment through its paces while creating a film with its own distinctive visual identity.
The resulting short is a tense psychological horror set largely under the cover of darkness. Much of the film was shot at night, while some sequences were deliberately filmed during the day and transformed through grading to convincingly replicate nighttime photography. The process became as much an exploration of the capabilities of the camera as it was an exercise in filmmaking.
After Party premiered in the UK in November 2014 during Southampton Film Week, where it was officially selected for the SFW: Shorts competition and competed for Best Film. The following month it was accepted into TOFF: The Online Film Festival for its December edition of Short Film of the Month.
In January 2016, the film was acquired for distribution by CryptTV, the Los Angeles-based horror production and distribution company co-founded by Eli Roth and Jason Blum.
What began as a camera and workflow experiment ultimately became a fully realised psychological horror film, marking an early example of Ben’s interest in using emerging filmmaking technology as a means of discovering new visual possibilities.
AWARDS
Horror Online Art Film Festival 2015
Official Selection
TOFF: The Online Film Festival 2015
Film of the Month (Nominated)
Southampton Film Week 2014
Michael Fuller Award for Best Film (Nominated)