Metalism - 2026 Graduation Film
Highlight Stills and Behind the Scenes Shots
'Metalism' was a graduation film I worked on as Art Director in 2026, following the story of two boxers inside a dystopian cryptocractic world that has brought its population to desperation.
Dir. Edward Rastall
'Metalism' tells the story of Kyro and Arya, two amateur fighters in the sport of METALISM, a new strain of cybernetically enhanced boxing that is as much a draw for glory seekers as it is brutal. This promise of glory is rooted deep in Kyro's mind, and begins his dark descent into over-augmentation.
'Metalism' was one of two graduation films I held major roles on, the other of which being By Her Wounds. Being a production of that same scale, it had just as much ambition and planning behind it, forming a culmination of months of work and planning.
The pull 'Metalism' had on me when it was first pitched was the world the writer-director had envisioned, this intricate and gritty future dystopia, where iron ruled and blood was a currency paid upwards by the downtrodden of that society.
This drew me to assume the role of Art Director on this project, where I was one of the foundational members behind the set build, which constituted our entire area of filming for 'Metalism' - every inch of its world fabricated by our art department within our dedicated AUB Elliot Road studio.
The other members of the art department who helped with the creation of this monumental set, as well as the rest of the crew, can be found listed in the IMDb page linked below.
The entirety of Metalism was shot within one of AUB's Elliot Road Studios, meaning every space seen within the film - the gym, the locker room, the apartment Kyro and Arya share - were all designed and built bespoke by our art department, tailored to our directors vision.
Over a dozen wooden flats measuring up to six feet tall, or eight feet in some cases, were affixed together to create the walls of these spaces, and decorated to fit the world we intended to create.
The set of 'Metalism' incorporated a platform within its largest room, the boxing gym area, which was upheld by metal support poles and accessible by a wooden staircase we had made bespoke for the set. This feature gave this specific space an aspect that no other project of our year group had touched upon - verticality. This gave the set a heightened sense of space, one which we could still access to decorate and detail appropriately to the setting.
Best AI Website Creator