Lightmare was inspired by a group of youths who used to race motorcycles by my house. They would sometimes ride when I was trying to get my young daughter to sleep and caused great aggravation for me. The neighbors became quite worried as well and eventually the police were engaged to stop the racing, unsuccessfully. Stories began to spread about who the youths were and what poor conditions their parents were raising them in. The film attempts to capture the anxiety of the neighborhood, using negative space as a mask to subvert the audience’s expectations of horizon and depth.

In contrast, much of the content underscores the triviality of the perceived threat. High levels of film grain enhance the effects of pareidolia, paralleling the human impulse to create stories for the unknown riders.

Lightmare was shot on Fomapan R100 Super8mm with in-camera double and triple exposures using the Zenit Quarz 1x8s-2 camera with Kaccema reloadable cartridges. A mixture of lab and home-processing techniques were used. Further matting effects were added in post-production. Final audio mix by Emeen Zarookian.