With such evocative references to classic horror cinema, it’s easy to get swept up in the leading impact of the visuals, with the filmmakers enchanting viewers much in the same way an apparition or witch hexes unassuming commonfolk. One clear point of inspiration appears in the use of close-ups, isolating parts of the performers’ faces. In the visual’s opening moments, Zoe’s eyes, lit up in a cool blue, float in the sky like the moon. Much like the iconic red lips that open The Rocky Horror Picture Show, such extreme close-ups create a strange kind of intimacy. We see one part in sharp detail without any sense of the whole person, immediately establishing a surreal, unsettling tone. This bleeds into the later clips, where quick flashes of the performers’ faces—Zoe bathed in a moonlit blue, effie in Suspiria-esque red—disorient the viewer, creating that intoxicating feeling of passion and vulnerability. When one becomes so wrapped up in another, you become completely transfixed and immersed. The space surrounding the performers also reflects this. The set is minimally dressed with a bed, unfussy red satin sheets and a TV showing static— completely disconnected from the outside world. This is only further heightened by the use of the black void set. When it came to setting up these shots Mayah expanded on this, saying:

An evocative visual motif appears in the use of fruit, which takes on a presence of its own—almost a performer in its own right. Fruit, as a symbol, has long been tied to sexuality and desire, and the pomegranate, in particular, carries mythological associations. It’s hard not to think of the Greek myth of Persephone. Tempted by hunger, she accepts Hades’ offer of pomegranate seeds, an act that binds her to the underworld. This allusion deepens the video’s mythic atmosphere. In a moment charged with both hunger and lust, effie and Zoe tear into opposite sides of the fruit, mirroring Persephone’s fatal bite; they both succumb. When asked about the choice, Grace Stewart, the music video’s director, responded:

“The pomegranate motif comes from the lyric, “you feed me pomegranates, and turkish delight.” It encapsulates lust, desire and sweetness. I find still life a great source of inspo, I love how each thing adds to the story. They’re biting into a pomegranate, I think the rest is up to the audience’s interpretation.”

Mythical allusions are also made throughout— specifically the archetypes of the witch and the vampire. In the shots of effie running in the bush, she is bathed in harsh white light creating intense shadows, making it hard to know where nature begins and she ends. When we make it inside the spirit’s lair, there is a costume change to a slip dress, red lips and shots that highlight effie’s red claw-like nails. The close-ups of effie’s hands around Zoe’s neck highlight Zoe’s vulnerability, which feels incredibly vampiric in imagery. On some of the thematic influences on the visuals, Grace notes:

“It was never explicit what effie’s character was. But yes, vampires and witches were definite inspirations through-out the whole thing. A lot was found through costuming on the day. effie and I both brought heaps of different options, and we just played dress ups! Together we created these bewitching characters, allowing Zoe and effie to embrace different versions of themselves..:”

The supernatural figure’s liminality feels especially significant in its broader rejection of conventionality—both in relation to queerness, more generally, as well as effie isobel’s identity as a gender non-conforming artist. With this in mind, who this story is told by becomes incredibly relevant. The cast and crew were made up, almost entirely, of women and gender diverse folks. Creating a safe environment that honours and celebrates queer and feminine experiences is essential to achieving authenticity, rather than commodification. When asking effie isobel about this experience on set, the artist shared:

“It was an incredibly special experience to have been able to create this clip with an almost entirely female cast and crew. Exploring themes of sexuality and power is a vulnerable space, particularly when there are also themes of queerness. In a world where sapphic relationships are commodified and fetishised in such a detrimental way, it was important for everyone that the day we filmed the shots of Zoe and I together felt really safe. There are worlds within my creative practices where surrounding myself with other queer folks and non-male people creates an environment of togetherness, shared experiences, where everyone has a voice, that’s what the Moon Made clip needed to be.”

Mirrors feature prominently in the visuals of ‘Moon Made‘. As an object of reflection, mirrors can both evoke a sense of agency – power realised through self-awareness – or it can signal a sense of entrapment by being concerned with the gaze of another. Laura Mulvey’s famous essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ (1975) discusses how, in canonical films, the visual spectacle of ‘the feminine’ has been heavily crafted by male filmmakers to serve masculine narratives. This analysis critiques ‘the feminine’ as something to be understood through how it tends to ‘the masculine’. In ‘Moon Made‘, the expression of feminine sensuality is something that stands against nothing but itself, staring itself in the mirror with a joyous celebration of its power. In having effie’s dressing table almost overflowing with mirrors, her face can be seen at every angle. Seeing the entire person, from all angles, separates it from being an act of physical curation. But rather, a radical acceptance of all of that stares back at her. One of the ways the director fostered a safe environment, which in turn translated to authentic storytelling, was through valuing the time spent with her cast and crew between takes. This captures how filmmakers can create feminine and queer sensuality in a way that promotes agency and authenticity for such experiences. Director Grace Stewart added:

“It’s a vulnerable thing for anyone to start openly and proudly embracing another side of themselves, and it was important to me that effie felt comfortable in the environment to do so. I put more focus into feeling rather than story, filling the time between takes with discussions of femininity and queer experiences. It built trust and resulted in a finished product I don’t think you’d be able to achieve on a bigger scale. That’s why indie film-making is so important.”

‘Moon Made‘ achieves something both aesthetically charged, through rich and informed visuals, and politically potent, through platforming queer femme creatives and stories. In more recent interpretations of Mulvey’s seminal text, cultural critics discuss the idea of ‘queering the gaze’ as an important way to de-center convention as it relates to heteronormativity broadly. The shots of intimacy between effie and Zoey focus on the touching of ring-adorned hands, effie running her claw-like finger nails through Zoe’s long hair, effie softly touching Zoe’s face. There is a tenderness working to queer the gaze, injecting a feminine spirit of power— soft, but deadly. This also serves the horror elements of the music video. With the tenderness the spirit shows Zoe, it makes the scratched face she ends up with even more jarring. Collaboration and community is also something integral to ‘queering the gaze’ as it opposes the idea of the gaze as something singular and fixed. Born through an openness and spirit of collaboration, Jada Zilm, the production designer, speaks to the collective nature in which the cast and crew worked on creating the world of the shoot:

“When I entered this project, effie and Grace had curated a very detailed and playful mood board for me to work with… With these images in mind, the props on hand, and Mayah’s brilliant cinematography and lighting, we were able to paint the frame for effie and Zoe’s gorgeous performances. Getting to work and collaborate in such a feminine environment is rare to come by and such a treat! I hope more projects like this have opportunities to exist, grow, and flourish.”

‘Moon Made‘ is a bite-sized spectacle of visual flair that celebrates queerness, sensuality, and the kind of horror that never sacrifices style for substance. Through its highly stylised aesthetics and championing of queer femme stories, the work captures a feeling of freedom and revelry over neat resolutions. An ethereal presence that both beckons and haunts, mirroring the liminality of queerness and desire.

Here is the official video for “Moon Made“

Music Video Credits

Director & Props: Grace Stewart. Cinematographer & Gaffer: Mayah Salter. Gaffer Assist: Zac Steele. Production Design: Jada Zilm. Title & Graphics: effie isobel. Starring: effie isobel and Zoe Taylor. This video was made on the traditional Country of the Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains and the artist would like to pay respect to Elders past and present.