Raffles Crew Film Showcase: Celebrating New Filmmaking Talents

Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Betty Ding (25A01B)

All photographs courtesy of RIAC and Mr Tay Li Cheng, screenshots courtesy of Raffles Crew.

This is the first — and quite possibly the last — Raffles Crew Film Showcase.

To clarify: this is the first-ever showcase by Raffles Crew, one of the newly merged CCAs formed in 2025 from the union of Audio Visual Unit and Raffles Film Society. Titled “Facets”, this year’s film showcase proudly presents six original films from filmmakers past and present – including two thesis films by the final batch of Raffles Film Society.

There was a palpable buzz in the PAC on the 30th of May: friends and family have come together in anticipation to watch what has been in the works for many months. As the lights dimmed and a pre-show montage of the graduating batch of Film Soc played, a hush fell over the audience, all eyes fixed on the screen as they awaited the first thesis film.

Thesis Film 1: How To Make A Haunted House (HTMAHH) (2025)

A student in a school uniform carries boxes filled with decorations and supplies, walking past a whiteboard covered with notes for a fundraiser project, including plans for a haunted house and various activities.

A classroom door creaks open, and our protagonist, Bridget, enters the room with piles of decor in her arms and a beaming smile on her face.

Directed by Mysha Farouk (25S03C), the film tells the story of Bridget, who finds herself the only person in charge of making the Haunted House for the School Fundraiser Fair. Without any manpower or guidance, she opts for an online guide. Picture this: Bright colours fill the screen, jazzy music plays in the background, all while an animated narrator recounts Bridget’s seemingly unsuccessful attempts at crafting something truly scary.

But sometimes, accidents happen. Sometimes, your decor mysteriously vanishes. Sometimes, you fall and bring all your streamers crashing down. Sometimes, you follow shady online guides and summon the supernatural – which all happens to Bridget.

What begins as a comedic film quickly takes a darker turn, especially in the final scene, where Bridget’s Haunted House is hailed as a resounding success according to the visitors, all thanks to the very convincing presence of a realistic dead body.

Mysha shared how she intended for the film to bring the audience on an emotional rollercoaster. Blending two genres was a way to achieve that, which ultimately led to the creation of this comedy-horror short film. The HTMAHH booth deliberately hides the change in genre from the audience; if you’ve paid attention, you’ll notice that the monster only appears at the booth after the showcase.

A display featuring a sign that reads 'Haunted House', a vintage TV set, colorful fabric draped on a table, and a poster for the film 'How to Make a Haunted House'.

Two women pose together smiling, one holding a bouquet of flowers, in front of a backdrop featuring a haunted house theme and promotional materials for the film 'How To Make A Haunted House.' — HTMAHH’s booth, before and after

That’s just one of many examples of the HTMAHH team’s attention to detail. Mysha highlights a particular scene: after the decor comes crashing down, there isn’t a shot of Bridget picking everything up. Instead, there is a shot of all the decor stacked neatly next to a mannequin. It might seem like a continuity error at first glance, but it’s a deliberate choice to subtly foreshadow the supernatural occurrences to come.

Jonell Leong (25S03O), the assistant director of HTMAHH, shares how making chaos look effortless is anything but: In the scene where Bridget trips and sends all the decor falling, there were actually five crew members pulling the strings (literally) to ensure everything would fall in time.

“That scene was held together by sheer dreams, hope and willpower,”
Mysha Farouk (25S03C), Director of HTMAHH

It was a delicate balancing act between making sure the strings would not snap mid-take, while making sure things fell with just the right amount of force. And with the scene designed to be shot in a single take, everything had to go right the first time. Which, of course, never happens.

A panel discussion featuring the cast and crew of 'How to Make a Haunted House' during the Raffles Crew Film Showcase, with visual elements from the film projected in the background. — The HTMAHH team during the Q&A segment

Reflecting on the entire filmmaking process, Mysha explains how HTMAHH unexpectedly parallels the team’s own journey: “Figuring out a story about this girl who didn’t know how to make a haunted house, it kind of mirrors us going into this film not knowing what to expect, especially since this is a genre we haven’t practiced much during practical sessions in CCA (…) Bridget is kind of like all of us in the end (minus the dying part of course).”

It’s not surprising – when you pour so much of yourself into your work, it’s only natural that it becomes a part of you.

Other Films: Gone Fishing (2022), 5pm (2024) and Featherweight Architect (2025)

The next film screened was Gone Fishing (2022), about a boy and his special bond with his fish, Garfunkel. Unlike HTMAHH, while there are no supernatural elements, there is a sprinkle of magic realism (spoiler: the fish speaks). It felt like a coming-of-age story, and explored what it means to let things go. In a way, it also felt like a reference to Raffles Crew’s 2025 unofficial mascot (spoiler again: it’s a fish).

5pm (2024) tells a heartwarming story of a mother and daughter on their journey home at 5pm. The film gently explores the realities of dementia and how it shapes, strains, and ultimately deepens their relationship. A cassette tape becomes a poignant symbol, allowing the mother to hold on to some of life’s most cherished moments even as others begin to fade.

Featherweight Architect (2025) presents something closer to home: chronicling the life of an Olive-Backed Sunbird seen in Block A. Directed by Raffles Crew’s teacher-in-charge, Mr Tay Li Cheng, the film is a quiet meditation on how nature endures, even in the unlikeliest of places.

Untitled Noir (2025)

Title card for 'Episode 3: Untitled Noir' featuring decorative borders and vintage film grain effects.

It’s clear that Film Soc has a legacy of producing emotional, heartfelt short films. Not the Batch of ‘25, however: imagine more genre-hopping chaos and humour. Untitled Noir (2025) is a perfect example.

“Bring five friends together, and one ends up dead.”

Directed by Zach Lim (25S05A) under Adam Waffle Productions (where the origin of the name remains a mystery, how apt), Untitled Noir follows a seemingly experienced private investigator who seeks to solve the murder of a dear friend in a classic whodunnit. Untitled Noir has all the elements of, well, a Noir film: think black-and-white cinematography and high-contrast lighting.

At the same time, the film spins the genre on its head. Just as a character is accused of murder, the scene cuts back to the coloured screen, framing the accusation as a round of voting in Among Us.

If you think about it, Among Us does make a perfect modern-day whodunnit. A century ago, it was candlelit drawing rooms and detectives in trench coats. Today, it’s crewmates (haha), impostors and emergency meetings. Safe to say, Untitled Noir cleverly blends both worlds into one exciting mystery (which you can watch here!).

Thesis Film 2: Untitled Western (2025)

Title card for 'Untitled Western' by Raffles Crew, showing a hallway illuminated by bright light with the title in bold, red text.

The first thing you hear: footsteps echoing off the floor. Then he enters the frame: Jack Clark in a cowboy hat, walking in the bright red sunset. It’s not quite the Wild West, but Untitled Western wastes no time dropping you into its world.

Inspired by the Roblox game “The Wild West”, Untitled Western is another production by Adam Waffle Productions that explores genres with their own twist. This film follows the legendary bounty hunter Jack Clark, as he tracks down the slippery bandit known as Neng.

The Untitled Western team during the Q&A segment

Interestingly, there is some lore behind the characters: Zach and Marcus Khoo (25S07A), assistant director and sound engineer of Untitled Western, share how Jack Clark and Neng actually originated from characters created in a video-making workshop they attended before joining Film Society. Somewhere along the way, the characters evolved into what they are today, and now, they’ve gunned their way to the big screen.

It soon becomes evident that this is not a typical Western film. Just as the music swells and Jack Clark finally confronts Neng, he steadies his aim, narrows his eyes, pulls the trigger, and…

…completely misses Neng. In the blink of an eye, Neng has blinked away. (Surprise: the bad guy can teleport.)

In traditional Western fashion, Jack Clark and Neng face each other in a shoot–off. The anticipation builds: shots flit from eyes to twitching fingers, to the gleam of the guns in their holsters. The music rises, the air thick with suspense. With a well-calculated move, Jack Clark finally defeats Neng, ending the film and the showcase with a bang.

“Don’t Dream It’s Over”, not “Don’t Dream, It’s Over”

As the credits for Untitled Western roll, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House plays in the background, followed by a simple line on screen: “In honour of Raffles Film Society.” It’s a stark reminder that this doesn’t just mark the end of the showcase; this marks the end of an era.

A group of students poses on stage after a film showcase, holding bouquets of flowers. The backdrop features stage lighting with red curtains. — The final batch of Film Soc, Batch of ‘25

“It feels bittersweet, because this is the last batch of Film Soc. They did such a good job with closing off the journey and the legacy of Film Soc. It’s bittersweet, but I’m really proud of them.”
Chandrasekaran Shreya (24S06A, Chairperson of Film Soc ‘24)

Bittersweet. It’s the word that surfaces again and again when the members talk about the showcase. There’s a lot of joy in presenting the fruits of your labour, but that joy is laced with the quiet ache of finality. Because when the curtains close, it marks the silent ending of their CCA journey, and a goodbye to a beloved CCA name.

Speaking with the crew behind the film, it is clear that when it comes to filmmaking, time flows differently. “We now understand why people say time flies differently in the editing suite,” says Jonell, explaining how the editors would spend five hours in the editing suites and leave “feeling aged”.

Time is slippery, too. William Tan (25S03Q), the director of photography for Untitled Western, shared how it often felt as if they were already two hours behind schedule even before starting.

More importantly, time is fleeting, with every minute on screen built on hundreds. Behind a six minute film is six months of hard work: ideating, writing the script, designing props, filming, sound engineering, editing the footage again and again… Speaking from the audience’s point of view, Natasha Lim (25S05A) summarises it nicely: “I think it’s a lot of hard work and dedication that we don’t really see. We only see the final product, but when we watch the film showcase, we realise how much work goes behind this.”

Perhaps for this specific showcase, it feels more bitter than sweet. Moving forward, it seems that Raffles Crew aims to pivot more towards short-form storytelling. A merger comes with its benefits, but it’s hard to be excited for the future of the new CCA when you feel that you are losing your own.

“There’s a battle ahead, many battles are lost/ But you’ll never see the end of the road while you’re travelling with me.”
Lyrics from ‘Don’t Dream it’s Over’ by Crowded House

Still, it’s not truly over. Film Soc and AVU will still live on, just under another name with a different curriculum. It’s no secret that the Film Soc side wishes for the creative side of the CCA to flourish, although whether it has to take a backseat ultimately depends on the direction of the new batch.

On the bright side, “Facets” might mark the end of an era, but it also ushers in a new age: The golden age of Raffles Crew.

In filmmaking, a director is never truly able to translate their vision on screen, and they rarely get to tell the story exactly the way they imagined. Sometimes the ending changes, sometimes we don’t get closure. Yet, we keep filming anyway, and we sit back to appreciate as the credits roll. Because even if things don’t go as planned, it still means something. It still matters.