Title: Pianissimo
Role: Production Designer
Director: Kim Chan Woo
Year: 2025
Type: DePaul MFA Directing Program Student Short Film
Logline: After losing his hearing on the day of a career-defining audition, a pianist must adjust to an unfamiliar silence and find a way to perform against impossible odds.
concept
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This board set the foundation for the film’s overall design. I pulled references that felt personal to the character and also tied to music. The goal was to create a space that felt personal but slightly disordered, representing the deterioration of the protagonists' hearing. The palette leans into neutrals to create a sense of normalcy but I included the red to add tension and the muted blues to represent the nagging feeling of melancholy the protagonist holds.
process
Working with a limited budget and filming on location in a house, I focused on selecting and arranging props to enhance the story and reflect the characters. Much of the furniture was already part of the space, so my attention was on the smaller details that would make each scene feel lived-in and visually cohesive. The photos below highlight some of the props I worked with and how they contributed to the film’s aesthetic.
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1. Layered elements such as marked-up scores, a half-finished coffee, and a hearing-loss brochure to reflect Kevin’s current struggles and daily routine. Every item serves as a subtle narrative cue, exploring the vulnerability of the protagonist.
2. Other personal items like sheet music, books, tossed clothes, and an unsolved Rubik’s cube to represent the protagonists' current mindset and internal struggles.
Behind-the-scenes 3.1.25
Video made with a point & shoot digital camera.
Production stills from the short film, Pianissimo.
Director: Kim Chan Woo
Director of Photography: Chaz Zombolas
Production Designer: Sophia Phillips Diaz
