Staccato

Staccato is a short psychological drama set in the world of competitive classical violin. On the night of a career-defining violin competition, an obsessive young musician causes a fatal accident and must choose between confession and the only chance he has left to prove himself. Structured around a single performance of Paganini's Caprice No. 24, the film explores the corrosive effects of perfectionism, the unequal conditions that shape creative achievement, and the extent to which the pursuit of greatness can erode one's humanity. We’re shooting over seven days in Wellington this August with a full crew and auditions scheduled, and we're raising $4,300 to cover the direct costs of production; every dollar goes on screen.

Staccato is written and directed by Byron Bunning, produced by Max Woolf, and shot by director of photography Jackson Borella.

Before developing this project, Byron set himself the challenge of finding a niche he understood intimately and could represent with authenticity.

“Having spent fifteen years as a violinist, including extensive experience as a competitive classical soloist, I have firsthand knowledge of the pressures, expectations, and culture that shape this environment. This experience provides a foundation from which to tell a story that is both emotionally truthful and grounded in lived experience, allowing Staccato to move beyond observation and offer a genuine insight into a world rarely depicted on screen.”

Producing the film is Max Woolf, who brings experience from a no-budget feature film and was, alongside Byron, part of the team awarded the Rising Star prize at the 48HOURS Film Competition.

“I’ve produced a feature and a lot of student sets, and Staccato is the first script that made me stop and think ‘we have to make this properly.’ As producer, I’m the one who turns your support into shoot days; feeding the crew, dressing the theatre, getting us between locations. Every dollar goes on screen, and I keep the spreadsheet to prove it. Twenty-plus students are giving their time for free to make this film; you’d be giving them the chance to do it right.”

Behind the three heads of department is a full crew of over twenty dedicated Massey University students: assistant directors, camera and lighting departments, art direction, costume, hair and make-up, an editor, and an original composer, alongside a completed script, a shot proof of concept, and locked production dates (August 11–19, 2026, Wellington).

We're raising $4,300 to cover the direct costs of production. The team is donating their time. When you give to Staccato, you're directly supporting students; this budget covers only what it physically takes to get the film made:

Catering & craft services: feeding a 20+ person cast and crew across eight shoot days.
Props & production design: hero props including violins, strings, and a custom competition poster, plus dressing for the theatre, rehearsal room, and office locations.
Transport: petrol for moving crew and equipment between our Wellington locations across the shoot.
Wardrobe: concert dress and character costuming.
Hair, make-up & blood FX consumables: an actor's on-screen injuries must stay continuous across every scene, making this a make-up-intensive film.

Staccato follows Will Savant, a gifted but obsessive young violinist competing for a career-defining international scholarship that he believes represents his only path to success. Consumed by the pressure to outperform his rival, Freya, and convinced that talent alone is insufficient in a world shaped by nepotistic privilege and influence, Will pushes himself to a physical and psychological breaking point. On the evening of the competition, a moment of catastrophic recklessness forces Will to choose between accountability and ambition.

The film is built around a single competitive solo performance, with the present-day performance intercut with flashbacks that reveal the events leading up to it. Central to this structure is Paganini's Caprice No. 24, one of the most technically demanding works ever written for the violin, which plays continuously throughout the narrative, shaping the audience's experience of tension and release and providing seamless transitions between performance and flashback.

Visually, the film uses continuous handheld camera movement to reflect the restless, obsessive state of its protagonist, with a high-contrast palette of punchy blues and reds where colour functions as an emotional register rather than a static design choice. A proof of concept has already been shot to verify this kinetic visual tone.

The rationale behind Staccato emerges from a noticeable absence of representation. Stories centered on the classical string instrument community are remarkably rare within contemporary cinema, despite the unique pressures, ambitions, and interpersonal dynamics that define this world. The film provides an opportunity to explore the experience of competitive solo string performance and the immense psychological demands placed upon young musicians pursuing excellence.

Films such as Whiplash and Sound of Metal demonstrate the strong audience engagement that stories about music, obsession, and personal sacrifice can generate. Staccato seeks to contribute to this tradition through a perspective that has received comparatively little cinematic attention, giving the project strong potential for both audience engagement and festival appeal.

Backing this campaign means backing emerging Wellington filmmakers and musicians: a young crew of over twenty Massey University students, local locations from the Kelburn tram bridge to a working theatre, and a lead performance by a genuine violinist. It also means backing the principle that stories about a community should be told with authenticity from within it.