Preston Chen

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A man with curly hair and a nose ring stands against a dark blue wall with graffiti. He is wearing a white dress shirt, a patterned tie, and a black leather jacket with white contrast stitching.
A man with curly shoulder-length hair poses against a solid dark brown background. He is wearing a formal black suit with a white shirt and patterned tie, layered under an oversized black leather jacket featuring white stitching. He has several rings on his fingers and an ornamental belt buckle.
A low-angle shot of a man with curly hair looking off to the side while leaning against a dark maroon wall. He is dressed in a white shirt, a black tie, a black suit jacket, and a black leather jacket with visible white stitching.

Preston Chen

0%

0%

A man with curly hair and a nose ring stands against a dark blue wall with graffiti. He is wearing a white dress shirt, a patterned tie, and a black leather jacket with white contrast stitching.
A man with curly shoulder-length hair poses against a solid dark brown background. He is wearing a formal black suit with a white shirt and patterned tie, layered under an oversized black leather jacket featuring white stitching. He has several rings on his fingers and an ornamental belt buckle.
A low-angle shot of a man with curly hair looking off to the side while leaning against a dark maroon wall. He is dressed in a white shirt, a black tie, a black suit jacket, and a black leather jacket with visible white stitching.

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The Method

Short Film

Director

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Overview

Overview This short film was my submission for the prestigious USC Film School, a highly competitive application process with tens of thousands of applicants each year. The prompt was simply "A secret," which allowed me to creatively interpret and craft a story. The challenge was to create a short film under 2 minutes with 15 seconds of credits, blending cinematic visuals with an impactful narrative. Challenges & Approach With a tight deadline, I gathered my high school friends to bring the concept to life. My main goal was to impress the admission officers with stunning cinematography, editing, and color grading, while also telling a unique story about two friends scheming to get free food on DoorDash. Inspired by shows like The Boys , I added a plot twist that would leave viewers shocked—a karmic ending where both characters’ heads explode. Perhaps this ending might've been too graphic, but this was my way of leaving admission officers jaw dropped and thinking "What the F*CK just happened?". I want the viewers to interpret what happened and create a conclusion themselves.

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Category

Short Film

Role

Director

Visual

Preston Chen

Preston Chen

Format

Preston Chen

Client

Date

December 2024