HOAX
The final project for (my favorite course) Visual Storytelling was to create a 6-7 minute short film alongside a group of 8 in just 5 weeks.
Course
Visual Storytelling
Year
2024
Have you ever wanted to finally stand up to the bully who made your life hell?
Hoax follows the story of a girl who does exactly this, with a little help. Fawn is a painfully shy university student who gets tormented for being “weird”. Finally, she's had enough and puts her faith in an ancient satanic curse to possess her ability to carry out her sick revenge. Following the curses law, she touches the devil's stone at exactly 03:33, or so she thinks. Fueled by her new wicked powers she goes on a killing spree.
Was she hexed by the devil or hoaxed by herself?
WATCH HOAX
PRE-PRODUCTION
For HOAX, I worked in a group of eight to bring a modern thriller to life. Our biggest challenge in pre-production was narrowing down our ideas- we all agreed on the thriller genre, but had many directions to explore. After several brainstorming sessions, my groupmate Nara and I pitched a concept inspired by the ancient myth of Segovia’s aqueduct, which sparked a series of myth-based pitches. Ultimately, we chose Imara’s story about a girl so trapped by bullying that she curses herself, setting the tone for a dark, emotional narrative.
From there, we tackled all key pre-production deliverables in just two weeks: a professor-approved script, character bios, shot list, storyboard, script lining, breakdown, and tagging report. I took the lead in organizing the group across all phases- coordinating schedules, managing casting and extras, securing props and locations, and keeping the workflow on track.
Those two weeks were intense, with 15-hour days that pushed us creatively and logistically, but the experience was incredibly rewarding and solidified my passion for filmmaking and being a part of creative projects.
see the process of HOAX coming to life!
POST-PRODUCTION
Post-production for HOAX was by far the most challenging phase of the project. As part of the editing team alongside Narayanne Preis, Asia Zanoni, and Imara Haggarty, we encountered several obstacles that required quick problem-solving and adaptability. After reviewing the footage, we realized some scenes needed to be re-shot due to technical issues like poor lighting, incorrect camera settings, background noise, and unnatural performances. Scenes filmed under our university’s fluorescent lighting proved especially difficult to work with in post.
I was responsible for sourcing all the sound and music for the film-a process that involved hours of searching through copyrighted tracks to find the perfect fit for the tone. Assembling the final cut took countless hours in the editing booth, but the effort was well worth it. Despite a few technical limitations, we’re proud of the final result. We applied class concepts and incorporated professor feedback to create a compelling psychological thriller that keeps viewers on edge from start to finish.
