CINCH
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Sci-Fi
A peek behind the psychological curtain of the fashion modeling world: A designer, rather than altering clothes to the model, alters the model to the clothes. When she hits the runway, the audience doesn't see her scars. In our ozempic-filled world, CINCH wages a war on impossible beauty standards.
CINCH
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Sci-Fi
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,555 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
175 supporters | followers
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A peek behind the psychological curtain of the fashion modeling world: A designer, rather than altering clothes to the model, alters the model to the clothes. When she hits the runway, the audience doesn't see her scars. In our ozempic-filled world, CINCH wages a war on impossible beauty standards.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our short film script for CINCH was nominated for Best Short Screenplay at Austin Horror Film Festival 2025.
THE STORY
A model books a last minute gig to work with one of the world's top designers. During her fitting, moments before hitting the runway, the mysterious, silent-genius designer is unhappy with how the garment falls on her. When he pulls out the scissors, the last thing she expects him to alter is her own body.
It would’ve been horrifying, except for how pleased the designer looks… What girl wouldn’t do anything for an opportunity like this? When she hits the runway, the audience is obsessed.
They don’t see the scars - to them, she is perfect. When she returns to the dressing room and sees all the other models around her, she realizes this is what success looks like.
WRITER'S STATEMENT
"In high school I had my growth spurt. A male classmate would repeat to me daily “you should be a model!” My response was always “no, it’s a toxic industry” - how did I know then? Maybe it was episodes of America’s Next Top Model or articles about diets and women’s bodies in Tiger Beat Magazine.
When I moved to New York after college to pursue a career in the arts, I got scouted by a photographer.
He saw something in me. He thought I was beautiful. It felt good. We got to work on portfolio photos. After each photoshoot he would always give me advice...lose weight, pluck this, fix that. One day he took a tape measure and measured from the top of my shoulder to the middle of my breast: “your nipple is too low - it should sit here” - and he pulled my breast up to a perky, perfect spot. I believed him.
In my 30s now, I look back and think - how did that teen who knew the dangers of this industry get so sucked in to where I actually thought this photographer was helping me?"
-Arielle
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
The fashion and modeling industry is one of the least regulated in the world. Most modeling gigs are unpaid– whether just a day player for a studio session or walking for Gucci, Prada, or LV.
Models have no HR departments to protect them, no unions to fight for them, and the industry has made little effort in the last century to update its standards or safeguard the well-being of its artists.
Most models we’ve spoken to, of all intersectionalities, have a story of the day they were manipulated, dismissed, and dehumanized by the designers and advertisers who only see them as props, not people — living mannequins molded to fit someone else’s vision.
Our mission is to begin a long overdue conversation about the expectations models are held to.
They aren’t just unachievable- they’re impossible.
-Ally
MAKING THE FILM
We are shooting mid-February over two days and, although this is a proof of concept for a feature, we aim to create a strong, high-caliber, horror short that will have its own festival run. Horror is a genre with a fierce fan-base and our team is led by a director and DP who've recently shot a horror film so we anticipate a successful reach.
Most of our budget needs land in Special Effects Makeup, which are being done by the incredible Beatrice Sniper. We require top-notch practical effects to land the story and we are so thrilled Beatrice is on board. Our location needs are another price point - we are seeking a warehouse location with a greenroom area. The better the location, the less production design we need to do, so we are putting a significant amount of the budget towards location to ensure creative and physical safety.
STRETCH GOALS
We have some incredible financial producers already on board and are only crowdfunding for the remaining production but if we reach our stretch goals we can get started on post production as soon as we wrap!
If we reach $17,000 - post production is funded
If we reach $18,000- post production + festival submissions are funded
If we reach $20,000 - post production, + festival submissions + PR marketing team can be brought on to further our reach!
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
In addition to contributing to our Seed&Spark, we would appreciate it if you would SHARE our campaign and show support on social media! Below are some examples that you are welcome to copy and paste or edit as you see fit :)
Join me in supporting CINCH a body horror short about the dangers of the fashion modeling industry!
If you’ve ever been negatively affected by impossible beauty standard, join me in supporting CINCH - a horror short that shares a psychological peak behind the curtain of the fashion modeling industry. It’s time to make a change.
Produced by an all-woman team, CINCH is a body horror short that explores the psychological and physical effects that models experience in the fashion modeling industry.
Hashtags:
#indiefilm #horror #horrorfilm #bodyhorror #filmmakers #crowdfunding #cinchthefilm #sfx #seedandspark
We can’t wait for you to join our team!
Follow us on IG @cinchthefilm
If you have any questions please feel free to contact [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SFX Makeup Kit, Materials + Artists
Costs $3,900
Body horror depends on good quality practical effects - this is where the bulk of our budget must go to make the stakes and events land.
DP + Camera
Costs $2,500
Our DP (who has worked with our director on a horror short previously) needs a great crew and ambitious gear to make our film come alive.
Location
Costs $3,000
This is a NYC-based film so to shoot in an authentic NYC warehouse is expensive (but worth it!)
G&E
Costs $2,000
Moving DMX lights will help us create a fashion runway affect to sell this dream-turned-nightmare our lead experiences.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want our set to be safe and protected.
Crafty/Meals
Costs $1,200
We need to keep our team fed + energized during the shoot. If you have restaurant connections who may want to help please email us!
Transportation + Van Rental
Costs $400
If you have a van we can borrow we'd love to chat!! We need to transport equipment as well as our team to subway stations if we wrap late.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our creative team makes up a powerhouse of creativity, ambition, and risk taking individuals backed by a collective three decades in the industry. Through our passion, vigor, and desperate love of horror we plan to execute this film in a way that makes people uncomfortable, question themselves, and start to take action.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our short film script for CINCH was nominated for Best Short Screenplay at Austin Horror Film Festival 2025.
THE STORY
A model books a last minute gig to work with one of the world's top designers. During her fitting, moments before hitting the runway, the mysterious, silent-genius designer is unhappy with how the garment falls on her. When he pulls out the scissors, the last thing she expects him to alter is her own body.
It would’ve been horrifying, except for how pleased the designer looks… What girl wouldn’t do anything for an opportunity like this? When she hits the runway, the audience is obsessed.
They don’t see the scars - to them, she is perfect. When she returns to the dressing room and sees all the other models around her, she realizes this is what success looks like.
WRITER'S STATEMENT
"In high school I had my growth spurt. A male classmate would repeat to me daily “you should be a model!” My response was always “no, it’s a toxic industry” - how did I know then? Maybe it was episodes of America’s Next Top Model or articles about diets and women’s bodies in Tiger Beat Magazine.
When I moved to New York after college to pursue a career in the arts, I got scouted by a photographer.
He saw something in me. He thought I was beautiful. It felt good. We got to work on portfolio photos. After each photoshoot he would always give me advice...lose weight, pluck this, fix that. One day he took a tape measure and measured from the top of my shoulder to the middle of my breast: “your nipple is too low - it should sit here” - and he pulled my breast up to a perky, perfect spot. I believed him.
In my 30s now, I look back and think - how did that teen who knew the dangers of this industry get so sucked in to where I actually thought this photographer was helping me?"
-Arielle
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
The fashion and modeling industry is one of the least regulated in the world. Most modeling gigs are unpaid– whether just a day player for a studio session or walking for Gucci, Prada, or LV.
Models have no HR departments to protect them, no unions to fight for them, and the industry has made little effort in the last century to update its standards or safeguard the well-being of its artists.
Most models we’ve spoken to, of all intersectionalities, have a story of the day they were manipulated, dismissed, and dehumanized by the designers and advertisers who only see them as props, not people — living mannequins molded to fit someone else’s vision.
Our mission is to begin a long overdue conversation about the expectations models are held to.
They aren’t just unachievable- they’re impossible.
-Ally
MAKING THE FILM
We are shooting mid-February over two days and, although this is a proof of concept for a feature, we aim to create a strong, high-caliber, horror short that will have its own festival run. Horror is a genre with a fierce fan-base and our team is led by a director and DP who've recently shot a horror film so we anticipate a successful reach.
Most of our budget needs land in Special Effects Makeup, which are being done by the incredible Beatrice Sniper. We require top-notch practical effects to land the story and we are so thrilled Beatrice is on board. Our location needs are another price point - we are seeking a warehouse location with a greenroom area. The better the location, the less production design we need to do, so we are putting a significant amount of the budget towards location to ensure creative and physical safety.
STRETCH GOALS
We have some incredible financial producers already on board and are only crowdfunding for the remaining production but if we reach our stretch goals we can get started on post production as soon as we wrap!
If we reach $17,000 - post production is funded
If we reach $18,000- post production + festival submissions are funded
If we reach $20,000 - post production, + festival submissions + PR marketing team can be brought on to further our reach!
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
In addition to contributing to our Seed&Spark, we would appreciate it if you would SHARE our campaign and show support on social media! Below are some examples that you are welcome to copy and paste or edit as you see fit :)
Join me in supporting CINCH a body horror short about the dangers of the fashion modeling industry!
If you’ve ever been negatively affected by impossible beauty standard, join me in supporting CINCH - a horror short that shares a psychological peak behind the curtain of the fashion modeling industry. It’s time to make a change.
Produced by an all-woman team, CINCH is a body horror short that explores the psychological and physical effects that models experience in the fashion modeling industry.
Hashtags:
#indiefilm #horror #horrorfilm #bodyhorror #filmmakers #crowdfunding #cinchthefilm #sfx #seedandspark
We can’t wait for you to join our team!
Follow us on IG @cinchthefilm
If you have any questions please feel free to contact [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SFX Makeup Kit, Materials + Artists
Costs $3,900
Body horror depends on good quality practical effects - this is where the bulk of our budget must go to make the stakes and events land.
DP + Camera
Costs $2,500
Our DP (who has worked with our director on a horror short previously) needs a great crew and ambitious gear to make our film come alive.
Location
Costs $3,000
This is a NYC-based film so to shoot in an authentic NYC warehouse is expensive (but worth it!)
G&E
Costs $2,000
Moving DMX lights will help us create a fashion runway affect to sell this dream-turned-nightmare our lead experiences.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want our set to be safe and protected.
Crafty/Meals
Costs $1,200
We need to keep our team fed + energized during the shoot. If you have restaurant connections who may want to help please email us!
Transportation + Van Rental
Costs $400
If you have a van we can borrow we'd love to chat!! We need to transport equipment as well as our team to subway stations if we wrap late.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our creative team makes up a powerhouse of creativity, ambition, and risk taking individuals backed by a collective three decades in the industry. Through our passion, vigor, and desperate love of horror we plan to execute this film in a way that makes people uncomfortable, question themselves, and start to take action.