Oni (The Demon Reimagined)

In the spring of 2026, my wife told me about a local film festival hosted by the Hill Country Council for the Arts. At the time, I was busy preparing for a spring Market Day and trying to finish a large painting, Mourning Morning, which can be seen in the Fine Art section of my website.

I decided to put the painting aside and embarked on a mad rush to create a short film, The Demon—Reimagined. Because of the limited time frame, I knew I would not be able to shoot any original footage. Instead, I returned to my electronic music roots and approached the project through sampling, reimagining something old to create something new.

The festival offered no monetary prize, and the film was not intended to be sold as a commercial product. Because of this, I felt that using the sampled material was morally acceptable within the context of this personal, experimental project.

Oni (The Demon)

An oni (OH-nee) is a kind of yōkai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves, deep within mountains, or in hell. I had seen a 1972 Japanese stop-motion short film called Oni (The Demon) in some of my social media feeds and was imdiatly in love with look and haunting puppets telling the story. Directed by acclaimed puppeteer Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is a haunting adaptation of a 12th-century Japanese legend, featuring unique puppet animation and horizontal glass sets.

The Plot (source IMDB)

The film follows two brothers who live with their sick mother in rural Japan. While hunting for deer in the snowy mountains, a terrifying oni (a mythological Japanese demon or ogre) suddenly attacks and grabs the younger brother. The older brother acts quickly, severing the demon's arm with a bow and arrow to free him. While celebrating their escape and taking the severed, monstrous arm back home, the brothers make a grisly discovery regarding the true nature and origins of the demon.

The Film Production

As I mentioned, this project was a mad dash to the finish line. Because I have a background in audio production, I decided to focus much of my attention on the film’s sound and music. I edited the original footage down to its essential story and converted it from its original 4:3 aspect ratio to a modern 16:9 widescreen format.

I then replaced the Japanese subtitles with English intertitles, creating the appearance of an early silent film. To further transform the footage, I applied a dithering effect using a free browser-based service called Dithering Studio.

The effect gave the film a completely different look and atmosphere. I created multiple layers using different dithering algorithms and blended them with the original, undithered footage. These layers faded in and out according to the film’s sound and music, occasionally introducing brief flashes of color.

Lastly—and most importantly—I asked my wife and my older son to help record the voice-over performances. We remained faithful to the original script while giving the film our own interpretation.

The Film Festival

The night was cool and perfect for watching films outdoors. I was surprised by how strong all of the entries were. Many young filmmakers from UTSA participated, along with others from around the area, making the evening fun and full of unexpected turns.

My personal favorite was A Terrible Day for Lee Breezy, directed by filmmakers Ireland Robinson and D. Stainfield.

My older son was initially reluctant to help introduce our film because he did not feel that his voice-acting contribution warranted the recognition. Ultimately, he decided at the last minute to join me. Although the experience was clearly intimidating, I could also tell that he enjoyed being part of it. (Picture below)

The People's Choice

To my shock and delight, our film was selected by the audience as the People’s Choice winner. The audience included the other filmmakers participating in the festival, which made the recognition feel especially meaningful.

Admittedly, we may have had a slight hometown advantage. We live just down the street, and several of my friends and neighbors were in the audience. Still, a win is a win, and I will gladly take it!

Below is the majestic item bestowed upon me for receiving this prestigious award.