SUSPENDED LIFE
Project narrative
Created for a Vietnamese horror feature film, Suspended Life is a practical fetal sac prop designed to exist physically within the scene. The piece combines a sculpted fetal form with a translucent, flexible membrane, allowing its silhouette and internal structure to remain visible under low-key cinematic lighting.
Context
PAFX Studio received the initial creative direction from the film’s director and translated it into a functional, camera-ready prop. The object needed to feel fragile and organic while remaining durable enough to be handled during filming.
Creative intention
The design explores the unsettling space between protection and confinement. A fetal form appears suspended inside a transparent sac, turning an image associated with the beginning of life into something unfamiliar and quietly disturbing. Rather than relying on graphic detail, the effect is built through translucency, physical weight, distorted proportions and the way light travels through the material.
Role of PAFX
Working from the director’s original idea, PAFX Studio was responsible for the complete creation of the prop—from visual development and material testing to sculpting, fabrication, assembly, colouring and final preparation for filming.
Scope of work
Creative Development Material Testing Clay Sculpting Prop Fabrication Silicone and Latex Work Assembly Colour and Surface Finishing Camera-Ready Preparation
Process
The fetal form was developed in clay to establish its anatomy, posture and proportions. Silicone, latex and supporting materials were then combined to create the finished components and the flexible outer membrane. The surface treatment was kept translucent so that the internal form could remain visible without appearing overly clean or artificial. Colour, liquid and surface variation were adjusted to give the prop greater depth under production lighting.
THE LAST SIGHTSILICONE PROSTHETIC INJURY MAKEUP