A Self-Funded Film
Emerge is a self-funded fashion film built around makeup, movement and the streets of New York. Created during the pandemic, it reflects a moment when public space and human connection had taken on new tension and significance.
Nathan Byrne directed and edited the film as a study of two figures moving through a gritty, unfamiliar environment. Ryan Burke’s makeup and ODNA’s choreography established the characters and their physical language, while Mark Sherman’s cinematography placed them against the texture and movement of the city.
The edit treats the performers’ movement as a conversation, gradually revealing the connection between them. Without a commercial brief or product message to satisfy, the collaborators were able to follow the visual idea wherever it led.
Visual effects were central to building the world of the film. Rousselos Aravantinos extended the imagery through compositing and color, integrating the performers with an atmosphere that feels both recognizably urban and slightly otherworldly. The breakdown below shows how the original photography evolved through the finishing process.
With the picture largely established, duotone audio group and Fischer King created an original score shaped around the choreography. Found and non-instrumental sounds were resampled as musical foley, connecting the performers’ gestures directly to the soundscape.
Emerge brought together the parts of the work Nathan values most: direction, performance, editorial rhythm, image-making and close collaboration with artists across disciplines.