On Tuesday, March 11, we held the screening of ShortHaus Cinema’s 2nd Annual Short Film Competition. And the winner is… Makani Stingl!
Makani Stingl
At only 16 years old, Stingl is already an adept filmmaker. Although I expect to see many first-time creators in this competition, Stingl’s submission, Close Behind, is already the third film she’s made with her friends. Stingl does all the writing, filming and editing, and her friends took on the lead and supporting acting roles.
Stingl impressed the audience with her intuitive approach to filmmaking. Just by watching her favorite thrillers, she was able to replicate the tension with carefully framed shots and expertly utilized sound cues.
If you want to start making your own films, be sure to check out Fountaindale’s filmmaking resources. We have tons of books in our collection, LinkedIn Learning tutorials and Studio 300 equipment to get you started on your journey. If you ever want to share your work, be sure to drop in during the next ShortHaus Cinema meetup!
Stingl’s friends and community members came to show support during the screening.
A Thrilling Watch
From the first shot of Close Behind, I was captivated. The film begins with a black screen and a J-cut, where we hear the sound before the corresponding image.
A j-cut is when the audio for a clip starts playing before the video, giving the audience an anticipatory sound cue before we see the action.
The soft sound of a hand against the wall is broken with the click of a light switch, and we’re flooded with light. We’re introduced to the main character in close-up, that same hand following the wall past the light switch; then, by shadows dancing across the walls.
The opening shot
When we finally cut to her, her face is cloaked with a black hood, sunglasses and a soft knitted scarf that she gingerly presses against her face. Suddenly, someone’s coming, a gasp, and she jumps out the window. That wasn’t our main character, after all, but a dark-clothed stranger. Or… was it?
Now, our real main character, Avril, steps through the door. She talks cheerfully on the phone until she notices something. An eerie tune begins to play. Why is the light on and the window open? Her nerves rise, and the sound of her thudding heartbeat fills our ears. Her friend’s voice fades into the background. Staring at the window, Avril tries to process and understand. A loud “Hello?” echoes from the phone, and she’s snapped back into reality. The music and the heartbeats cut out suddenly. Environmental sounds of cars outside return. Avril shuts the window, locks it tight and tries to shake that unsettling feeling.
The rest of Close Behind follows the typical beats of the genre, escalating the tension until Avril comes face to face with her stalker and realizes they might not be so different after all.
The stalker watches, just outside of Starbucks
The stalker is ever present, even in the library
Attention to Detail
Makani Stingl knows the tropes of the thriller genre and uses them all without remorse. The figure clad in black is always standing at a distance, imposing. Nobody else can see her but Avril, her days punctuated by paranoia. But it’s also playful. So mired in the genre, you can anticipate every scene and laugh at obvious missteps and oblivious friends.
Even the book Avril is reading adds to the tension she’s feeling
Stingl uses a series of close-ups to establish each scene before heightening the tension
Stingl’s camerawork is impeccable. The shaky handheld look adds energy to every scene and heightens the tension. Close-ups and establishing shots are used expertly, keeping every moment visually dynamic and full of the texture of everyday life.
The antagonist wears all black, save for a soft knitted scarf
The protagonist wears all white except for that same brown scarf
Careful costuming adds to the visual storytelling, an element often overlooked by new filmmakers. While the stalker is fully clad in black, Avril wears comfy white sweats, clearly denoting their opposition. We see Avril wearing the same scarf we saw the stalker wear, subtly pointing toward the twist ending. And in that final climactic scene, Avril is out running, now wearing black, not the same but very similar to her pursuer.
Avril dons a black coat, signaling her connection to the antagonist
A Future Filmmaker
Most impressive of all? She makes these films just with her iPhone! And not just the filming: All the scripting is done in the notes app, and all the editing is done with CapCut. All the locations used were free and accessible: someone’s bedroom, local parks, a Starbucks and even our lovely library. This just goes to show you don’t need expensive equipment to make great stories.
A lovely use of a sun-dappled corner of our library
Avril fleeing through our 3rd floor stacks
Even the music and sound design, which so perfectly enhances the film, is just using the stock resources available within CapCut. “I searched eerie so many times,” Sitngl said when members of the audience brought attention to her score.
For someone whose only film school has been the movies she watches, Stingl is truly a creative force. I’m excited to see what she makes in the future, and next year’s submitters are going to have some fierce competition.