Young filmmakers make Horror Films at Ghosts of Mandurah

The first Ghosts of Mandurah: Filmmaking After Dark workshop was a bloody good night of creativity, filmmaking and horror.

I spent three hours mentoring young directors, writers, actors and creators as they worked together to create their own short found footage horror films using mobile phones.

The idea was to give everyone the freedom to experiment. We had props to spark ideas, familiar Mandurah locations to explore and plenty of opportunities to play with lighting, sound, camera angles, suspense and storytelling.

Rather than giving the participants a finished story, I wanted them to make their own creative decisions and see where their ideas took them.

And they came up with some great stuff.

It was fantastic watching the groups take an idea, turn it into a story and then actually get out there and shoot it. There was plenty of experimenting, plenty of laughs and, of course, plenty of horror.

Most importantly, they were making films.

That's what I love about workshops like this. Give young creatives a bit of space, some encouragement and a mobile phone, and you never quite know what they're going to come up with.

And now I'm looking forward to round two tonight.

More young filmmakers. More found footage horror. More creative chaos.

Bring it on.

If you’d like to follow my filmmaker journey, from behind‑the‑scenes moments through to festival screenings, subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I’ll be sharing updates, insights, and the creative process as the documentary comes to life.