The car had barely stopped before junior Christopher Sainz was jumping out and running into his house after filming. In the editing zone, Sainz looks up at the clock. Only a few more hours to the deadline. 

Sainz raced the clock to submit his short film entry for Horror Fest on Nov. 3, a competition held amongst audio video productions classes in SISD. Every year students submit their own films competing to have the best film and win the most awards.

“I competed in Horror Fest because I thought it would be a fun challenge for me, and it was,” Sainz said.

Sainz first began the process of assembling a crew and writing the plot of the movie, but dealt with problems early on.

“The initial idea was gonna be something different but my writer kept ghosting me so I had to change on the quicks,” Sainz said.

Even while in production for the film, Sainz faced more troubles with his crew.

“The most difficult part of creating this project was finding a crew and staying on task,” Sainz said. “What made me overcome this struggle was being more strict with my crew.”

Despite the struggles, this production was one of his favorite moments, not just because making this film was his passion, but because of all the memories he got to make with everyone that was a part of creating that film.

“My favorite part of filming was the jokes and laughs we had and being able to direct my first movie,” Sainz said.

Although he had an original plan for “LoveSick,” Sainz wasn’t a fan of the way things were coming out due to a small time frame to finish the film. Regardless of his doubts, Sainz submitted the film by the deadline to be viewed live at Horror Fest. 

“It made me very stressed cause it wasn’t going the way I wanted it,” Sainz said. “I had a month to film and edit but I did it in about five days.”

Although Sainz didn’t receive an award for his film, Sainz reflected on the experience and continued to carry hope for the next Horror Fest. 

“When LoveSick didn’t win any awards it was very emotional for me cause there were films that were worse than mine and it made me feel some type of way. But, all in all, I will win next year,” Sainz said.