Trimming Insecurities
2025 • Short Film • Drama
A young man's visit to the barbershop becomes more than a routine haircut as he begins to confront the insecurities shaping how he sees himself.
Runtime: 12 min | Available on YouTube
the first rep
Trimming Insecurities was more than a short film - it was my first real step as a filmmaker. Here's a look at where I was, what I didn't know yet, and the rep I needed.
WHERE I WAS
This was the first short film I wrote and directed from beginning to end. I made it during my senior year of college, at a point where I was still learning what it actually meant to tell a story through film.
WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW YET
Looking back now, I can see that I didn't yet have a strong understanding of things like subtext, character depth, or how to build a story around a deeper emotional idea.
THE REP I NEEDED
At the time, I was focused on something much simpler: Could I take an idea and actually make a film? Could I write it, plan it, cast it, direct it, edit it, and finish it? That was the rep I needed.
WHERE THE IDEA STARTED
The original idea came from a quote that stuck with me: “If you hang around the barbershop long enough, sooner or later you’re going to get a haircut.”. - Denzel Washington
What I took from that was the idea of consistency. If you keep showing up, keep working, and keep putting yourself in the right environment, eventually something happens. That thought gave me the starting point for Trimming Insecurities. At the time, I wasn’t thinking deeply about metaphor, theme, or subtext. I just knew I had an idea I wanted to turn into a film.
Learning by making
MORE THAN A YEAR
The project moved through pre-production, production, and post-production over the course of more than a year.
The process of making Trimming Insecurities ended up teaching me more than the story itself.
LOCATION LOST
About a week before filming, we lost our original location and had to adapt quickly.
3 DAYS BECAME 1
What was supposed to be a three-day shoot eventually became one long production day.
THE TAKEAWAY
That experience showed me how much filmmaking depends on preparation, patience, communication, problem-solving, and being able to adapt when the plan changes. A lot of those lessons only became clear because I actually went through the process.
PREMIERE
FROM FINISHED FILM TO
July 19, 2025 • Studio on Market • Wilmington
Finishing the film was one milestone. Putting it in front of an audience was another.
On July 19, 2025, I held a premiere for Trimming Insecurities at Studio on Market in Wilmington.
For more than a year, the film had existed as an idea, a script, footage, edits, problems to solve, and something I was constantly trying to finish.
Then suddenly, people were sitting in a room watching it.
That experience changed the way I thought about completing a project. A film doesn't only become real because you export the final cut. There's another moment when you release it, share it, and allow other people to experience something that once only existed in your head.
Holding that premiere gave the entire process a finish line
I could actually see.
WHAT I SEE NOW
When I look back at Trimming Insecurities now, I can see its limitations. The story isn't as layered as the stories I want to tell today, and there are choices I would approach differently. But that's also why I don't want to hide the film. It gives me a reference point.
It shows me what I understood then, what I didn't understand yet, and how much more intentional I've become about story since.
SEE WHAT CAME NEXT
WHAT ARE YOU?
The next step in my growth as a writer/director
