Directed by Xander Copp, Carter is an adaptation of the classic H.P. Lovecraft tale which tells the story of Carter, a grief-stricken young man, and his mentor Warren, an elder female professor of the occult, as they search for a portal to the underworld in an abandoned cemetery. What they find will shake them both to their very core.

February 2025

While I was initially brought on board as an editor, my role quickly evolved and expanded to include title design, poster design, as well as becoming a co-producer of the film.

Title Design

The earliest title design explorations took inspiration from the posters and title sequences of classic horror films of the 1970s and ‘80s. In particular, Dan Perri’s iconic work for The Exorcist, which is reflected in those early explorations.

The director wanted something that evoked the feel and vibe of those 70s films, while also nodded to the occult nature of the story and its Lovecraft origins. He wanted the type to feel weathered, eerie, and reflect the palette of the film.

After several rounds of explorations we settled on a typeface that the director felt properly evoked the film’s tone: a customized version of the Weiss Initialen typeface. We then worked through tens of different variations of yellows before settling on the perfect hue for the final lockup, as well as various levels of distress and aging to the letters. In addition, special attention was paid to replicate the optical distortions of 70s and 80s printed materials, including subtle chromatic aberration and colour misalignment.

With the title design settled upon, the next stage was coming up with how we were to incorporate it into the film. Being a short, we knew we couldn’t spend too much time on the title sequence, but also felt having a title sequence was key to setting the tone and mood of the film that was to follow.

Taking inspiration from the lanterns that featured throughout the film, I designed a sequence in which the letters appear to flicker into existence, before resolving to the final title lockup all the while eerily inching closer together. Again, careful attention was paid to add optical errors reminiscent of 70s title design - including gate weave, bloom, and chromatic aberration - and to evoke a tone and mood that was appropriate and eschewed the usual cold nature of digital typography. We wanted everything to feel like it could have been hand animated and optically composited into the film.

End Credits

In addition to tackling the film’s main titles, I also designed the films end credit sequence. This required digging out the old type specimen books to search for something that was more suited for end credits, while also maintaining that gothic, Lovecraftian tone. Ultimately, this lead us to ITC Usherwood, designed by the legendary (Canadian) type designer Les Usherwood. As with the main title, careful attention was paid to add subtle “optical” details such as bloom and gate weave to not only evoke the credit sequences of the past, but to also remove the cold digital feeling inherent in digitally animated sequences.

One of my favourite subtle details we added to the credit sequence was having the final credit have a subtle fade to purple before fading out completely.

Poster Design

With the film’s title lockup finalized we moved into the process of designing a poster that evoked the setting as well as the supernatural nature of Carter and Warren’s quest.

The first poster made use of on set photography provided by the production photographer Suchaina Mehan.

For the second poster, the image the director had envisioned simply did not exist amongst the on set photography. As such, I endevored to create a composite image making use of on set photography, still images extracted from the film itself, and stock photography.

Festival Selections and Awards

Since its initial debut at the 50th Annual Boston SciFi Film Festival, Carter has continued to play the festival circuit and continues to screen in festivals across North America.

Official Selection

50th Annual Boston SciFi Film Festival (World Premiere)
Toronto Short Film Festival (Canadian Premiere)
Toronto International Spring of International Horror and Fantasy 
Toronto Indie Horror Festival
Pasadena International Film Festival (PIFF)
Crypticon Seattle Horror Convention and Film Festival
Chicago Horror Film Festival
Toronto Horror Film Festival
Film Invasion LA Film Festival
Cabin in the Woods Film Festival (Pacific Northwest)
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival (Providence, sister fest)
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival (Portland, flagship fest)
HorrorHaus Film Festival

Awards

Winner of the "Echo of Evil" Award for Best Sound Design - Toronto Horror Film Festival
Winner of the Filmmakers Award - Outstanding Short Film (Horror) - Film Invasion L.A. Film Festival