Ivory Wave - Arthouse horror short

Ivory Wave is an experimental horror short that unsettles an audience while asking them to empathize with sudden tragedy. Much of Ivory Wave appears to be dreamlike- suspended somewhere just outside the bounds of reality. The film asks the viewer to surrender themselves to the immersive story. The slight disorientation that is presented mirrors how one might feel when in a drug-induced state. Brilliantly, the film surrenders itself to this disorientation as the lead loses himself to grief and substance abuse. Shot on 35mm film with an array of color palettes that shift from dreamy and pulsing to a more limited grayscale, director James Quinn is able to maintain an eerily soft quality throughout the film. This contrast reflects the story presented, giving a sympathetic edge to the horrors revealed to the viewer. Though disturbing and uncomfortable at times, the film is profound and sympathetic. How are people able to function and process the horrors of this world without “help?” How do our ethics bend to accommodate for unbearable pain and can we be more understanding of the stresses that push people to seek out the things that can theoretically “help?” Ivory Wave asks the audience to consider these weighted questions while simultaneously submerging themselves in a narrative that defies life itself. The music for the film was composed for string quartet and bespoke modular electronics. The score was conducted, and the live electronics were created by composer Leanna Primiani. The score was recorded live by the Lyris String Quartet on the Newman Scoring Stage on the Fox lot in Los Angeles, CA.