Inflection
Narrative Short Film
Derek, a young man facing the crushing weight of academic failure, is haunted by guilt from a near childhood loss. As the world dismisses him, he must confront his inner self and seek secure help to choose life.
About
Inflection explores the private struggle between memory, identity, mental health, and faith as one young man reaches a breaking point. Moving between moments from his childhood and his academic dismissal years later, the film gives physical form to the internal voice that has grown alongside him that is questioning his worth, his relationships, and the places he turns for help. Naturalistic scenes give way to a stark black-and-white infrared hallway where past and present begin to overlap, turning an internal conflict into something visible. At its center, Inflection asks what remains when familiar sources of security fail and where a person can turn when their own mind no longer feels like a safe place.
Development
Inflection was developed from an original concept by Justin Singer, who served as writer, producer, director of photography, and editor. The project moved through multiple years of development, pre-production, principal photography, and post-production, with Justin overseeing much of the production process while coordinating collaborators across departments.
As producer, Justin managed casting, scheduling, budgeting, production planning, documentation, and the transition from production into post. The film’s final stages brought together editing, color, sound, music, visual effects, and animation, with each area shaped through continued review and collaboration before final delivery.
Origins
Inflection grew from personal experiences that remained with Justin for years before becoming part of a film. Its earliest roots trace back to an anointing service held for his mother during her battle with cancer, a childhood memory that later became central to the story. Years afterward, Justin’s academic dismissal from college gave new weight to questions of failure, guilt, identity, and the thoughts people carry privately through difficult moments.
After returning to school to study film, those experiences began to find a form on screen. A difficult interaction following a campus worship service became a catalyst for developing the story, connecting experiences separated by years into the foundation of Inflection. Elements of those memories were ultimately reshaped through fictional characters, settings, and visual storytelling to explore the conflict between internal thought, human support, and faith.
Production
Production on Inflection brought together more than 20 crew members and performers ranging from lead and supporting roles to younger actors and large groups of extras. Filming took place across four locations and seven production days, with additional needs ranging from tightly scheduled live-event filming to a full overnight shoot.
The production was coordinated through casting and auditions, rehearsals, location permissions, availability forms, schedules, call sheets, breakdowns, budgets, and department planning. Weekly meetings connected the producer, director, assistant director, unit production manager, and other collaborators as the project moved toward principal photography. Because scenes involved different time periods, younger performers, live environments, specialized cinematography, and elements being captured for later visual-effects and animation work, each production day required a different combination of cast, crew, equipment, and preparation.