Student Short Film – “The Echo Lens

Description

Student Short Film – “The Echo Lens”

Casting for a 2nd Year Salford University psychological thriller short film shooting in and around Manchester / Salford.

Logline
A skeptical young woman signs up to test a revolutionary new therapy device, but soon realises the process is erasing her personality.

Roles

Maya / The Echo
Gender: Female
Age Range: 20–30

Maya: Our protagonist is Maya. She is sharp, observant, and ‘prickly.’ Visually, we are dressing her in baggy, layered clothing. She is literally hiding her body from the world. Her flaw is that she equates ‘help’ with ‘control.’ She refuses to let anyone in, which is why she notices the uncanny valley in the simulation before anyone else. She is the only thing in this movie that feels messy and real.

The Echo: This is a 92% accurate simulation of Maya, stripped of the ‘negative’ traits. To distinguish the performance, the Echo will maintain unbroken eye contact and speak with a perfectly smooth cadence. The horror is in the missing 8%. The Echo cannot use sarcasm or irony. It replies to emotion with pure logic. It doesn’t fight Maya; it invalidates her. If Maya screams, the Echo just smiles and asks, “Why are you choosing to be difficult?”

Elias
Gender: Male
Age Range: 20–30

He is the ‘perfect’ boyfriend. He never raises his voice; he speaks in therapy-speak. Visually, he is the opposite of Maya. He wears perfectly fitted, clean lines. His tragedy is that he isn’t trying to be evil; he just values peace over truth. He doesn’t want to understand Maya’s pain; he wants to solve it. He is the one who pushes her toward the machine because he wants a girlfriend who fits as perfectly as his clothes.

Key Information
Filming Dates: 16th March – 2nd April (TBC)
Location: Manchester / Salford

Unpaid roles – food, travel, copy and credit provided.