Close-up of a book titled “Roses in the Walls” resting on a red patterned fabric surface, photographed at an angle with warm, softly lit surroundings.

Roses in the Walls Short Film

I created Roses in the Walls, an experimental short film exploring a distinctive home within the Joshua Tree desert through haunting visuals and atmospheric sound.

details

Role:

Direction, Cinematography, and Editing

Team:

Solo project

Deliverables:

• Experimental short film (2:15 runtime)
• Original visual composition and atmospheric audio

Results:

Created a contemplative visual piece exploring the relationship between architecture and landscape through cinematic storytelling.

Rocky desert hillside with scattered boulders and gravel under a pale blue sky, featuring a small lizard perched on a sunlit rock in the foreground.
Close-up of an ornate cream-colored chandelier detail, featuring layered curved panels and gold-toned decorative accents with floral motifs, softly lit to highlight texture and craftsmanship.
Weathered desk standing on curved legs in a desert landscape, surrounded by sandy ground, cacti, and scrub plants, with rocky hills and a rustic structure in the background under bright daylight.
Close-up view of piano keys showing alternating white and black keys, softly lit with a shallow depth of field that emphasizes texture and pattern.

Opportunity

A personal filmmaking project exploring narrative storytelling through environment and sound alone, without dialogue or human subjects.

  • Discovered a distinctive Joshua Tree property during personal travel, featuring desert-worn objects and unexpected juxtapositions that created strong visual tension
  • Identified an opportunity to explore cinematic storytelling through composition, texture, and atmospheric sound rather than traditional narrative structure
  • Sought to examine the relationship between inhabited space and the surrounding desert landscape, using environmental detail and sound design to convey mood and meaning

approach

I captured footage during daylight hours to emphasize the stark desert environment, shooting in RAW format to preserve flexibility for color grading and tonal control.

  • Focused on deliberate visual composition highlighting distinctive property elements, including a school desk, religious iconography, a weathered piano, and desert-worn objects
  • Designed an atmospheric soundscape in post-production, juxtaposing children's laughter against the abandoned desk and desert wind to create emotional contrast
  • Edited at a contemplative pace to support a meditative viewing experience, color grading in DaVinci Resolve to enhance desert tones and overall atmosphere
Two woven fabric hammocks with fringe details hanging outdoors between posts in a desert setting, with sandy ground, flowering shrubs, and low hills in the background under bright daylight.
Outdoor statue of the Virgin Mary with hands clasped in prayer, standing among sunlit desert foliage and flowering shrubs, rendered in warm earth tones with a calm, contemplative presence.

Outcome

Completed an experimental short film that sustained viewer engagement through environmental storytelling, sound design, and deliberate pacing.

  • Created a meditative visual narrative that explored overlooked spaces and suggested hidden histories through composition and atmosphere alone
  • Sound design and pacing worked together to maintain tension and interest without traditional narrative devices
  • The project represents a personal creative exploration and has been prepared for film festival submission, showcasing independent storytelling and cinematic craft

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