The Self (short horror film)

[@maddieleigh-jx6jb]

Atmospheric, good use of the whistling, made it sound bleak and haunting , creepy as hell. A really great film

[@tuomassssss]

Hello everyone, this is Tuomas, one of the film's creators. I can't believe that we've gotten thousands of views and tens of comments (no I'm not trying to be sarcastic, my only other video with anywhere near this level of success is on a niche historical topic). Thank you all for the support. While the description has been promising another film for a year now, we still have not even begun to shoot anything else. Instead, I am considering re-editing "The Self" to improve the flow and pacing. I also want to give an especially big thanks to everyone who noticed the sound design, which was something that both Luke and I put a lot of time into conceptually, and I am very proud of how it turned out; but is also an area where I really hope to add to the cohesiveness and flow of the piece in any possible re-edit. Again thanks to everyone here on this page, it really means a lot.

[@benzobc4l284]

Tuomas Sivula fantastic! I didn't understand the ending though but other than that I love it. Instead of editing it again. Film a sequel!!

[@scottwoodman4655]

Tuomas Sivula great job man very well done

[@BurmaStar]

Excellent

[@missywalker864]

Tuomas Sivula where was the plot?

[@missywalker864]

Tuomas Sivula maybe I just don't understand it.

[@AmeeraDavis-m]

the sound of the whistling was lit

[@missywalker864]

mia valenciax I did like the whistling.

[@neardeathexperience2095]

Ikr

[@michaelhawkins3256]

I loved it

[@darrenp428]

I agree, think he is running from himself instead of facing himself. Just like a metaphor for life, facing up to what you have done. My theory anyways.

[@marysutton434]

LOL

[@bearelectric-ig8qu]

That whistling in the beginning made my dog act up barking at everything. Lol

[@bubbledreams6382]

That was pretty good. I expected the usual horror ending of the guy turning around and the monster is standing there, and presumably it gets him. The ambiguity and whistle were quite creepy.

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@lawanyac2893]

Don't go alone. Yourself will come with you

[@seriousmoonlight4546]

deep meaning in that one..very good! Who wouldn't be terrified by their own doppelganger ?

[@daniellew3260]

When ur trying to avoid someone at a party whos wearing the same outfit

[@biancaray1381]

Jesus!

[@lazalaza4957]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@marysutton434]

LOLOLOL

[@tietjen666]

Learning to accept one's self is a high order human endeavor. I think most of us kinda just leave it at vague notions of preferences, denials and assumptions. Unsuccessfully running from yourself in the woods is a good metaphor. Well done. And the esoteric nature of this topic was well underscored by the soundscape. Nice job! Yup. Keep it up.

[@apputaiparambil]

fantastic concept, good light and sound effects.

[@caleb9151]

Fantastic film. The lighting, the scenery, the whistling. It was all so beautiful and peaceful.

[@sudokshinamannachatterjee8893]

Yess....you really can't run away from yourself...face it

[@D1Im]

If You try to hide from yourself, you will get lost in The dark.

[@undeadondine1977]

Wherever you go, there you are; well done 👍

[@marysutton434]

Well said.

[@paulchristman2456]

Good and unsettling. Reminds me of a very old Twilight Zone episode starring Vera Miles set in a bus depot. I seriously appreciate the LACK of a last-second jumpscare. That became way trite eons ago. I can't understand why so many YT horror short makers continue to make use of it. Thanks again.

[@icepelt1001]

This is so well done! I really like the continuity of the whistling tune and how it's used so simply throughout the film.

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@Onlypeachy]

Excellent short! And I like the fact that it didn't have any dialog. Sometimes that can make or break a movie.

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@random_meta]

"It follows" forest edition

[@Bumblebee7558]

Random Meta 😂😂

[@nathant1042]

Gosh darn it. Now you got whistling lol. I would have ran up to myself and and said. "Stop following me, I mean you! Whatever! Whaaaat dooo you waaaaant!!!! LoL.

[@AdrianIan3]

I really appreciate this. It's almost dream-like. As if it has a deeper meaning. He goes to the woods- where most people go to self reflect, and he got scared of what he saw. He was running from himself. Or, it's an evil clone that's hell bent on killing and replacing him, who knows? lol

[@robspencer35]

He should have crashed through the thickets Toward "himself" the first time he saw him, saying "Hey bro, how are we doing?!" 😉 Well done, Luke, Tuomas and everybody else involved in making this film! 👍

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@paulsturek8598]

The whole thing with doppelgängers freaks me out . If a horror short exposes a fear in me then it did it’s job !!

[@kimberlyjones8185]

I thought it would be a scarier ending than this!

[@bubbledreams6382]

Kimberly Jones scary as in the doppelgänger grabs and eats him? I don’t think it’s about that, the point is he’s stuck with this person following him. It’s about the suggestive creepiness.

[@melindaahmed1392]

Awww he forgot his apple

[@MadameLacrymosa]

Thoroughly unsettling. Well done!

[@zeluisglen]

Excellent! Like an M.R. James ghost story, being pursued in the dark....

[@vnblogs1085]

Whistling sound is greatly & than title short movie The Self Amazing & brilliant 👌👌❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@trishazechel8402]

Wouldn't you know, your out in the woods enjoying the birds, the tranquillity and having a bite to eat. Then all of a sudden the mood is spoiled..Having your other half hunt you down..DANG!!

[@benzobc4l284]

4 out of 5 stars. Love the simple yet chilling concept.

[@NotEvenScary]

I honestly love this. Footage doesn't need to look like like it's from a Christopher Nolan film to have a good concept behind it. It's simple, and it doesn't try to be something it's not. It might not be the prettiest film, but on conceptual design this film has a style that I appreciate; I can't quite put my finger on what I like about it exactly, so I have to imagine that's why I like it. Well done!

[@patriciac1987]

Fascinating and creepy at the same time, well done!

[@Beevenhouse]

At first, I thought, 'A lonely walk in the forest, how nice.' But that quickly changed to, 'I don't like this! Get me out!'

[@graciebuglife8919]

When he was looking through the binoculars the thing I thought of immediately was “riissseeee anddd shineeee”

[@billybees3796]

The whistle song was beautiful

[@michaelclemons8298]

Dang. And I thought that you were on the right path if you found yourself.

[@boogerjones3445]

I am both irritated and frustrated by the ending, which means it's damn good. It gives the impression that indeed it was not one vision of himself, not one entity, but each he was was something new. Why is that? Is it splinters of his psyche? The ghosts of the forest taking on the image of the living entity it's seen? Perhaps even a species of creatures that camouflage or adopt their prey's appearance to seem less threatening (squirrel looking like a squirrel... probably unnoticeable to the squirrels, but humans have that X-factor that makes it obvious).

[@davidtrueslayor7474]

People should really be nicer to themselves however when running away from ones problems the difficulty with that is wherever we go there we are.

[@06385sheri]

Fantastic film!! Loved it. No jump scares or cheesy special effects. I love it when a film is exquisite in it's simplicity. Thank you. Look forward to seeing more of your films.

[@montonee78]

Great job!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@darkearl1]

Great idea; well executed.

[@reksub10]

I like the idea,,similar too the ancient Australian aborigines concept of "the walkabout" where a young teen ,ready to be a man ,has to walk in the desert until he meets himself..its not meant to be scary though,its a learning ritual....anyway nice sound effects ,I also liked the open ending.was he meeting himself spiritually?was he being followed by a demon shape shifting,or a murderous twin whom he'd met who wants his life and will then after getting comfortable in his new home starts to kill the family..maybe that could be part two....

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@dr.t1793]

Finaly he realized how scary he looks like😂

[@marysutton434]

🤣😭

[@archanagaikwad1407]

😜😜😂😂🤣🤣😆😆

[@artist92543]

He should have offered part of his sandwich to that little bird.

[@azuredystopia3751]

Sound design is amazing.

[@galenjoyce8452]

This reminds me of David Paulides's Missing 411 series. I really enjoyed it. Good work.

[@colleenwoods7590]

The distorted whistling just drove me crazy I couldn't watch the rest of this.

[@Cognac-k1k]

Nice fresh grass,good for grazing!

[@3344TJ]

This is unique and the execution of the concept is great! Thanks for the upload!

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@caleb9151]

Also it had a cool conflict. It was character vs self. His wiser and or future self seemed disappointed in himself from the past. He regretted something like decisions or events that had occurred previously in his life. (Thats just my theory by the way.)

[@bashirmuhammad8181]

Good effort.Quite professional. Do some more.

[@ichabodheranow4546]

This seems very much like a kind of psychedelic trip (mushrooms most likely, but possibly acid), where the only way so escape the fear is to realize that each of them is you, and you have to choose which one to center on. Once you do, they all come back together... I've had that experience more than once on mushrooms....

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@manojus6592]

Appreciated you're one man army performance.

[@artforinsatiablecuriosity3613]

loved it...visually beautiful...the sound was awesome, the story has great originality and it really creeped me the frig out!

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@graciebuglife8919]

Also this vid is me chasing after guys who don’t like me

[@JumpRopeQueen]

Oh man!This totally freaked me out! Well done! Like Invasion of the body snatchers or They Wait! Really liked this!

[@tonyd9455]

I've never ran from myself, so this had no meaning to me.

[@videoallanpoeproductions4907]

Conceptually very good... The shaky camera work was a distraction along with the overblown audio effects with the "normal" activities, footsteps, handling and and zipping his backpack etc. Thanks, Vapp..........

[@johnmiller3269]

"Hey, I'm your long lost twin brother! I just wanted to meet you in the creepiest way possible!"

[@curtchildress7160]

Interesting, and well played out. I'm sure everyone is wanting to know what really happened when the two identical "selves" finally met and made contact!!! ...The nature of the film suggests that their meeting wasn't exactly a joyous reunion!!!

[@endunit5631]

Great job, whistling is creepy haha

[@CoolBreez3007]

i enjoyed it...beautifully filmed!

[@krystal1261]

most of us are running from our selves

[@OriqinLCinema]

Wow that's deep

[@DarkHeartedMusician]

Very true, Krystal.

[@john1653]

@@DarkHeartedMusician Oh man, shut up and stop kissin' up to her.

[@john1653]

But I agree...you are pretty hot. Maybe not smokin'...but hot.

[@DarkHeartedMusician]

John I don't kiss up to anyone. Period. Krystal's gender/appearance is irrelevant in my agreement with the statement that she made.

[@bubbledreams6382]

This poor guy, looks so sweet, I just want to hug him. Why did this get so many down ratings? People are dumb. They would rather watch another meaningless flick with the monster identical to all the others, with the big black eyes and deafening shrieks. Nobody gets implied horror or atmosphere. Folks, he went out for a nice hike when he sees an exactly identical twin following him, no matter where he goes he can't get away from it and now he's lost in the woods at night with the doppelganger.

[@rameshjagtap5130]

Well written and directed Simplicity but carefully. Weldone. Praise.

[@hercules1073]

Stalked by ones own self in the forest...interesting, frightening...intriguing... I was certain it would end with with the actor being coached into the afterlife after an accidental death of which he was unaware. Very twilightzonesey :)

[@unicornsteaks6769]

People always suspecte this kid would one day hurt himself. LOL. I enjoyed it.

[@Aqibali-jt7eg]

instead of running away,he should face them

[@billybees3796]

Love doppelganger stories this was gnarly good Thanku man

[@FilmmakingMan16]

This is a masterpiece!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Great job!!👌🏼👊🏼

[@lorieakin1771]

Well, that tune is stuck in my head now. 😂

[@marysutton434]

Mine too.

[@michaelhawkins9344]

Amazing,on point I am running 💨 from my self

[@billybees3796]

The Samba classic shoes were popular when I was a kid,never had a pair though

[@blairmacewancrosbie8646]

oh, whistle and i will come to you my lad......................very good indeed. great concept ,well executed.

[@hoellenkatzlehensmarr6036]

As for the technical side of the movie, it's very well executed in every way! And as for its contend, supposedly one cannot occupy the same space with oneself in the same timeline and dimension...

[@janicemarch5680]

One thing we all for sure, we could never run away from.ourselves, I admired whoever made this movie, it's very realistic with a small message, "We got to deal with ourselves, no way around it." 😆 lol

[@loknloll]

Wherever you go, there you are.

[@maliceburgoyne495]

Constructive criticism: Do not fall into the trap of trying to make unique opening film credits. Do small-medium letters in a typecast color that fade in or out slowly at screens center. This is often overlooked. Sounds crazy but a professional big-budget film will spend a million+ dollars on design, color grading and visual effects to get theirs right. Do not try to compete with some $1000 over the counter editing software. The end credits were fine but they need to scroll slower and be smaller. Wardrobe imho is the most often overlooked aspect of all indie filmmaking. What a character wears is a form of powerful nonverbal communication and makes him a "character". Even the whites showing from socks will draw the eyes. Same for a simple hat logo or watch. Those subtle details are powerful enough for a viewer to judge a characters past/present/future without them even knowing it. Do not ever under plan this. This was a well filmed, acted and edited short. Clearly you have an excellent grasp of the craft for your age.

[@JohnnytheYouKnowWhat]

The footsteps at the beginning of the video were off and not in sync when he was walking. Was that intentional? Because if it was that would be a really interesting idea.The other auditory sounds were quite cool. I especially liked how the music seemed to be a warped echo of the whistling from the beginning. The idea in and of itself was fantastic.

[@tuomassssss]

Hi, I'm Tuomas and I did the sound. The official answer on the footsteps is that they are intentionally out of sync if you want them to be (i.e. it was a lazy mistake like so much else that went into this film). Since you noticed, the music actually doesn't just seem to be warped from the whistling, the melody line contains only samples from the whistle (mostly reversed and looped so as to be unrecognizable). I'm glad you liked it!

[@kathleenpecoraro2625]

I used to never get involved with the comment section. Once I did though I really am glad I did, because for example, this video I didn't get it at first. Reading everyone's comments helped me greatly. Now I'm going to go back and watch it again and I am sure I am going to enjoy it even more. I liked it even though I was confused so now.....so thanks everyone who comments and I'm glad to be amongst those who do take time to comment. Going to go watch it again now!!!!!!!!!!! Bye!!!

[@businessconsultancy3308]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZuzpoxojtSKhbM

[@ciaranponchomann3044]

A nice allegory on the fears of self-identification. Not a bad film! If there's one thing I can critique, it's the sound effects. They really do sound like they were added in post.

[@k8fearsnoart]

Wow! That got really creepy, really fast, and I kept wondering if there was just the one, or was each sighting a different self, or was it...well, yeah. REALLY, *REALLY* GOOD!!!

[@samuelcadigal8373]

i love this short filmmmmmmm,thank you for making this film

[@YiYiKok]

Well done! Especially the lighting...I can learn from you. We also make various short film, mostly short horror.

[@aliraza-qh2rl]

One of theeeeeee nice short movie.. hv a fantastic idea.. nice work of director and beautiful axpression of the actor. Love from Pakistan. Dr raza

[@robertlucas1808]

Lonely woods. What better, or worse place than to face yourself. Shocking 🙀

[@septemberquest6393]

Like Larson did a fairly good job on this short... concept is good...the wooded area scenario worked well...loved the eerie whistling tune throughout the film...ending leaves the viewer questioning meaning behind the character and his apparent doppelganger ...which leaves the mystery of it all...is it his imagination...his self conscious,an evil entity of the forest mimicking his presence,...that should be left to the viewer...good job.👍

[@StupidEarthlings]

I think I missed the point. the whistling got a little annoying about 1/2 way through, so I had to turn the volume off.

[@maryannemoll]

Imagine all those wealthy, retired, and lonely boomers going to Bali or the South of France or to Italy or to an ashram in India or some other place just to “find themselves,” and this happens to them.

[@exreality]

nice build up of tension in this

[@geraldojorgedalmaschio9648]

The short horror films says: never go into the woods.

[@Aqibali-jt7eg]

why he gone so deep in this thick forest alone???

[@gillesdia9191]

Interesting idea. Why run away? It would be interesting to meet one's self, wouldn't it?

[@MrBracey100]

Except for the fact that the other never showed any sort of friendliness. He refused to wave back when waved at and his expression through the binoculars was unpleasant at best and sinister at worst.

[@Mislav24]

Really creepy and interesting short horror movie. Really intense atmosphere, great locations and camera work. Keep up the good work, you are talented. I will definitely check out your other videos.

[@519forestmonk9]

Could be a David Paulides story. Good job. Although I would've liked a bit more resolution with a punch at the end. Please continue making films!

[@davids2139]

Always like a new concept.

[@harrytaylor1589]

Moral of the story...don't drop acid and go tripping in the woods alone

[@johnbowman1076]

Reminds me of being a teenager on acid on a golf course. One "tough guy" (who had been arrested like 5 times already) was freaking out about possibly getting caught for being on the course after dark.

[@aprilhobbs25]

Now how tf it go from sunshine & bright, to pitch black dark? It'd be easier to believe if we had something that gave us a hint of passed time other than light changing. Overall it was really good though...kept me interested & left me dumbfounded that's not an easy task. I liked it...my only complaint is one mentioned earlier! Tfs & keep em coming

[@Blayde925]

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and think you should make more. A bit of constructive criticism, if I may. From a viewer/audience perspective, this film could have been cut by at least 1/3. I loved your wide-angle establishing shots, but one would have been sufficient, two absolute max. The protagonist running through the woods was, again, excellent. However, I felt that it went on a little longer than absolutely necessary. You run the risk of losing your audience if a tense chase scene goes on for too long. Overall, great concept and well done.

[@tuomassssss]

Christopher Akers Thank you very much, for both liking the film and your advice. Watching it again a year later, I can imagine cutting even more than a third of the runtime and ending up with a better film. I think we ran into this trap, if you will, where we loved all of our shots conceptually and had put so much effort in that we wanted to keep all of them. I also hope we have a chance to make more, having had this experience.

[@sagardahije1432]

If once I realize there is someone except me will I have sandwich and Apple