Pump Fake

About the Film

“Pump Fake” was produced entirely within 5 days with a limited cast and crew, as part of my school’s art focus week. Out of the crew, only me and a handful of people having experience with film in the past. Because of this, I chose to write the script and characters based on my friends’ personalities, which allowed the comedy of their interactions to feel organic and natural. Through writing the script and the edit, I was able to explore how comedic timing worked, essentially manipulating the pacing and juxtaposition of scenes to create a visceral reaction (in this case, laughter) from the audience. A lot of the humor comes through the difference in dialogue and action, and I was able to develop my skill as a director through my practice with leading inexperienced actors to deliver comedic lines, which I learned was a harder note to give than I thought.

Director’s Statement

“Pump Fake” is inherently a comedy, a project I worked on with many of my friends and a larger cast than usual. But underneath the unique blend of mockumentary and narrative film, it’s really about how much of our own confidence is from other people deciding to believe in you. Kaden goes from someone who has never touched a basketball to a local legend on the strength of a rumor, and I liked leaning into the importance of side characters’ unique personalities and perspectives on him. I focused on writing a cast of characters that all felt unique and real, which allowed me to develop strong comedic timing through the script alone. I always find “Pump Fake” to have some of my favorite jokes in my films, with it following the path of a kid forging his own identity after being thrust into one expected of him.