SHOWSTOPPER
Horror-Musical short film with a built set
Production Designer, 2025
"A young woman is trapped in the clutches of a musical-obsessed serial killer, having to perform for her life to free herself from the perfection she is expected to achieve."
Directed by Jack Zatkowsky - Director of Photography Ava Freeman - Written by Will Chialdikas - Production Designer Finley Stone
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The first time I read the script for Showstopper, the location was set for a small, dingy basement. I wanted to take it one step further than that and change the setting to an abandoned theater, and that is exactly what we did. I worked with the writer and the director to integrate this idea into the script.
There are two primary sets in Showstopper: the theater and the dressing room.
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We found an event space on campus that we thought would be a good foundation for our theater set. (Pictured left)
We also found a storage room nearby that we could turn into the dressing room. (Pictured right).
Renders created in SketchUp based on measurements taken from the location, pictured below.
Floorplan and elevations, drawn in VectorWorks.
We had to construct several custom flats to accommodate the steps on the stage, as well as the low ceiling. We also built an 18' wide proscenium arch.
We used trim to create a diamond pattern on a set of doors that would go at the back of the theater.
I also designed custom wainscoting and had it cut on a CNC machine.
We constructed all pieces in the shop before transporting it all to the other side of campus. The arch was made to be detached in several spots, as to assure it would fit through the doors of our filming location.
We had to make sure everything was painting before taking it to the location, as we were not allowed to paint on sight.
With the help my lead scenic, we painted a simple wood grain texture on the base of all of the flats, as well as the doors, proscenium arch, and columns.
Our backdrop artist, Sage Park, painted a large drop to hang behind the stage to add depth and realism to the space.
Production Designer: Finley Stone
Art Director: Alyssa Cahan
Set Decorator: Karim Fatkhutdinov
Property Master: Grant Pierson
Construction Coordinator: Megan Snetsky
Lead Scenic: Ryan Favors
Backdrop Artist: Sage Park