SHORT FILM EDITING TIPS: THINK LIKE A PRO EDITOR!
In today’s post, I’m critiquing a short film called The Noise—written and directed by one of my Youtube subscribers - Leilane Fallace. She’s made a few short films before, and she generously dropped a comment on one of my videos inviting me to review one of hers.
So here we are!
The Noise is a deeply personal short about ADHD, told without dialogue and shot entirely on an iPhone. I’ll start by sharing my general impressions across four key essential filmmaking pillars—story, cinematography, sound, and pacing—then I’ll do a scene-by-scene deep dive from an editor’s perspective.
Even though I’m analyzing Leilane’s film specifically, I’ll be pointing out actionable tips that are useful for any filmmaker working on short-form content. Let’s dive in!
We’re entering what I call THE DUNGEON - the place where editors crawl into and never come out…
Before we begin, you can watch the full short film “The Noise” by Leilane Fallace below! It’ll give helpful context for everything I discuss.
story
The film follows a young woman dealing with ADHD and overwhelming sensory input—every sound is amplified and intrusive, hence the title The Noise. The setup is simple, but the execution is effective and emotionally resonant.
What stood out to me was how lean this story is. There’s one central character, one core internal conflict, and the stakes are clear. She has access to medication that might help—but there’s tension around whether or not she chooses to take it. That creates a strong internal dilemma that carries the entire film.
✅ Callout: A lot of short films go wrong by avoiding conflict or trying to tell too many stories at once. This film sticks to one clean throughline and is stronger for it.
My only note here: that central conflict could be established earlier to increase emotional investment from the start. We'll get into how in the scene breakdown.
Also, a quick shoutout to the lead actress—she doesn’t speak a word, but everything is communicated clearly through her facial expressions and body language. That’s not easy to do, and it really works.
✅ Callout: Another mistake many filmmakers make is relying too heavily on dialogue when the performance could do the talking. This film smartly does the opposite.
cinematography
I love that this was shot on an iPhone. It’s a reminder that the gear you own should never stop you from making a film. And here’s the thing—it actually looks great! Here’s why:
The camera movement and framing choices are intentional and visually dynamic. You can tell there was thought behind each shot. In particular, the close-ups look soft, cinematic, and emotionally intimate. To acheive this look, Leilane:
Shot on iPhone ProRes Raw and graded in DaVinci Resolve.
Used external iPhone lenses: Moment’s 58mm and the 1.33x anamorphic lens for most of the shots, with a few using just the built-in lenses.
Pro Tip: If you’re an iPhone shooter, use an external lens to make your image crisper and more “cinematic.” Also the cinematic mode on any iPhone can add depth and softness to your image.
The only issue I noticed is in a nighttime bedroom scene—this is where iPhone sensors tend to struggle. The footage looked a little grainy.
Takeaway: If you’re planning to shoot low light scenes on a phone, invest in some basic lighting. You can find solid LED kits on Amazon that make a big difference.
SOUND DESIGN
This is where, in my opinion, the film shines. I’ve said it before: bad audio will RUIN your film. But The Noise uses its sound design not just as support—but as storytelling.
Because the protagonist of this film struggles with ADHD, the sounds in this film are designed intentionally to feel overpowering and heightened. The sound places us directly in the mindset of the character, which was very effective - and a super creative use of sound.
There’s no dialogue in this film, which is actually a smart workaround if you don’t have access to a professional sound recordist. Here’s what Leilane had to say about the sound work of the film:
“I went with no dialogue, partly due to equipment limitations, but also because I’m a Brazilian living in S. Korea, and choosing between Korean, Portuguese, or English is always a struggle. I wanted something that could bypass language altogether (like I did in "How to Survive in the Rain"- a previous short). I also didn’t catch any location sound, so everything was done in post—either downloaded or DIY foley (total disaster haha). Sound design was by FAR the biggest challenge here, especially since it was also my first time using Resolve.”
Well despite the fact that it was the biggest challenge of the film, Leilane clearly paid close attention to it, because the sound became an active participant in the film, and is placed front-and-center, which is also where many beginner filmmakers go wrong.
✅ Callout: Many indie films neglect sound or treat it as an afterthought. Here, sound is the story. That’s a huge win.
That said, I do think there is room for further clarity and specificity when it comes to when the sounds are meant to feel heightened and when they’re meant to feel natural - we’ll explore this in detail in the scene-by-scene breakdown!
pacing
The film clocks in at 8:30, and it’s very well-paced. Every scene has a purpose, and nothing lingers too long. There are a few moments that could be tightened, but overall, the rhythm felt deliberate and engaging.
Pro Tip: Short films often drag when scenes overstay their welcome or don’t move the story forward. This one avoids that by keeping each beat focused and essential.
WRAP-UP OF GENERAL IMPRESSIONS
Overall, The Noise is a fantastic example of how far you can go with limited gear and a strong creative voice. It avoids two of the biggest traps I see in short films: a lack of conflict and neglected sound. Instead, it takes its limitations and overcomes them through creative, intentional choices - strong composition, inventive camera angles & movements, stylized sound design.
Huge congratulations to Leilane for making this film - I genuinely hope to see more films from her—because there’s real talent here.
Now if you want to take a look at my detailed breakdown of The Noise, check out the video below where I go scene-by-scene and cut-by-cut to discuss what worked, and what could be improved. If you’re curious to learn how an editor thinks and approaches a scene, this video’s for you.
Jump ahead at 8:30 for the scene-by-sene breakdown!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, The Noise is a fantastic reminder that you don’t need fancy gear to tell a great story. It avoids two of the biggest pitfalls I see in short films:
Trap #1: A lack of conflict
Trap #2: Neglecting sound designInstead, it leans into its limitations and uses them to its advantage through:
A focused, emotionally grounded narrative
Stylized camera choices (composition, framing, movement)
Inventive sound design - omitting dialogue in favor of storytelling through sound
FREE Filmmaker Scene Breakdown ChecklisT:
I created a completely FREE checklist you can use when going through your scenes so you can apply these lessons to your film! Download it HERE!
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