XOXO, FLAVERY

Role: Editor, Technical Director
Director: Shreya Walthati
Year: 2025
Format: Short Documentary

  • XOXO Flavery is a short documentary following Auckland musician Finn Lavery—also known as Finn John Henry Lavery, Flavery, and a few other aliases—as he prepares to debut his song XOXO. The film explores a quiet but universal challenge faced by many creatives: the fear of sharing their work with the world.

    Rather than focusing on a traditional backstory, the documentary captures Finn in the present moment, examining his identity as an artist and the internal barriers that have delayed releasing his music. Through candid conversation and glimpses into his creative process, Finn reflects on perfectionism, self-doubt, and the vulnerability that comes with putting something personal into the public eye.

    Balancing humour with honesty, XOXO Flavery presents an intimate portrait of an emerging artist navigating the tension between creative ambition and the fear of being seen—revealing that the hardest part of making art is often letting it go.  

  • Camera: Canon C100, Sony A7IV, Sony FX series
    Audio: Multitrack recording using radio and digital systems
    Monitoring: Sony Imaging Edge mobile monitoring
    Lighting: Practical lighting and small LED fixtures
    Software: Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects

  • Director/Producer: Shreya Walthati

    Cinematographers: Reed Snell, Liam Davison, Jin Kang and Shreya Walthati

    Sound Engineer: Liam Davison

    Gaffer: Jin Kang

    Editor: Reed Snell

Development Process

Concept

XOXO Flavery began in pre-production when director Shreya Walthati proposed focusing on Finn in the present moment rather than telling a retrospective story. This approach allowed the film to explore Finn’s identity as an artist, his creative process, and the internal barriers that had delayed him releasing music. 

Production

Filming took place primarily in Finn’s room, creating an intimate setting but also presenting technical challenges due to the limited space. With only a few crew members able to fit inside at once, communication with the director had to happen from outside the room. A one-way communication system using a DJI wireless microphone receiver allowed instructions to be relayed during filming while keeping the set clear.

Technical Set up

The documentary used a combination of cameras to capture both interview and performance footage. Interviews were recorded on a Canon C100, while performance sequences were filmed using Sony A7IV and FX-series cameras to create a more dynamic visual style. Wireless monitoring through Sony’s mobile app allowed the crew to review footage remotely during the shoot.  

Post-production

The edit focused on balancing Finn’s humour and playful personality with the vulnerability and self-doubt that often accompany creative work. Some planned visual ideas were adapted due to time and spatial constraints, but the final film retains the spirit of the original concepts while staying grounded in the documentary’s central theme: the courage it takes to share creative work with the world.