On Tuesday, March 11, we held the screening of ShortHaus Cinema’s 2nd Annual Short Film Competition. And the winner is… Makani Stingl!

a teen girl smiles at the camera holding a small ticket that reads "1st Place"

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!

Seated audience smiling and talking to each other

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.

graphic illustration of a J-cut. The sound and video clips are separated into layers, with the audio layer beginning further left on the timeline than the video layer.

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.

film still depicting closeup of a hand switching on a light switch

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.

film still with heavy vignetting depicting a black silhouetted figure standing outside a window, framed by blue sky

The stalker watches, just outside of Starbucks

film still depicting a dark figure standing in the distance, past rows and rows of library stacks

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.

film still depicting a closeup of a sun dappled book being held open

Even the book Avril is reading adds to the tension she’s feeling

film still depicting a closeup of a teen girl wearing a Champion sweatshirt and holding a Frappuccino with both hands

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.

film still depicting a figure clad in black with a knitted brown scarf around her neck. It is a dark lit night scene in a suburban neighborhood.

The antagonist wears all black, save for a soft knitted scarf

film still depicting teen girl walking toward camera in a park setting. She is wearing a white sweatshirt and a brown knit scarf around her neck.

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.

film still depicting a night scene lit only by one street light and soft lit garages in the distance. A teen girl wearing a black coat and white sweatpants in running away from the camera.

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.

film still depicting closeup of shoes running across the red floor, obscured by a chair leg in the foreground

A lovely use of a sun-dappled corner of our library

film still depicting a low angle shot of a teen girl running from the camera, surrounded by shelves of books on both sides

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.