Mirror is a short psychological horror film that explores the fragile boundary between reality and illusion through the lens of Soviet Montage Theory. The story follows a woman haunted by her own reflection, where the mirror becomes both a gateway to the spirit world and a symbol of inner conflict.
Through rapid cuts, close-ups, and fragmented imagery, the film visualizes the protagonist’s mental disarray as she drifts between consciousness and dream. Inspired by Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, Mirror uses montage editing to build emotional tension and manipulate perception.
Blending the expressive rhythm of Soviet montage with the subtle unease of Chinese psychological horror, the film replaces jump scares with symbolic visuals, rhythmic pacing, and contrasting colors. Cold, muted tones define reality, while warm, distorted hues reveal her descent into the surreal.
Ultimately, Mirror invites viewers to question what is real and what lies beyond the reflection—suggesting that sometimes, our greatest fear is not what we see, but what we are becoming.
As the editor of Mirror, I was primarily responsible for shaping the film’s rhythm, emotional tension, and visual coherence through the use of Soviet Montage techniques. My goal was to ensure that every cut carried narrative significance rather than merely connecting shots, allowing editing itself to become a storytelling device.
To achieve this, I studied Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin and applied its principles—such as rhythmic cutting, dynamic pacing, and juxtaposition of contrasting images—to evoke emotion and psychological depth. For instance, during the protagonist’s breakdown (2:55–3:02), I used a rapid sequence of close-ups on her face, hands, and mirror reflections to externalize her inner chaos. I also incorporated slow-motion contrasts to highlight her shifting perception between clarity and confusion.
Beyond montage, I worked extensively on color grading and visual effects in Adobe Premiere Pro to emphasize the film’s duality between reality and imagination. Using Lumetri Color, I gradually reduced saturation as the protagonist descended deeper into her dream world, while altering highlight tones to distinguish the cold, grounded reality from the warm, distorted dream sequences. Subtle Gaussian blur effects were used to simulate dizziness and disorientation, such as in the waking scene (2:21–2:22), adding mystery and emotional resonance.
When reshoots became impossible due to actor unavailability, I resolved continuity challenges by digitally reframing and resizing shots to smooth transitions—particularly in the mirror-blood sequence (0:20–0:26). Additionally, I implemented sound bridges to connect scenes while maintaining the abrupt rhythm characteristic of Soviet montage.
Through these processes, I not only enhanced the film’s visual and emotional impact, but also helped define its thematic core—the psychological tension between reflection and reality. Working under creative and technical constraints, I learned to adapt, innovate, and communicate effectively within the team, turning editing into both an expressive and problem-solving craft.