Seeking Sensation
About:
In the near future, social media has reached its logical conclusion: humanity is literally living their lives for the approval of other people. The platform Looksy allows users to experience other people's memories and physical sensations as if they were their own via recordings known as Povies. The popularity of these Povies makes way for a lucrative industry, as many of the people that record Povies become celebrities overnight.
21-year-old Trinette Mackenzie is not one of those people. She is just one Povie addict among many, losing herself day and night in the memories of those with more glamorous and exciting lives than her, all to cope with the disappearance of her missing older sister, who tried and failed to become a Povie star herself. But one fateful day, she meets Sebastian "Bash" Mercado, the creative director at Looksy, who sees potential in Trinette and promises her greater ease in finding her sister using the money and connections that come with being a Povie star.
And thus begins a partnership between Trinette and Bash, with Trinette as an up-and-comer in the Povie industry and Bash as her mentor and guide through the world of Looksy. Unfortunately for Trinette, however, each day proves more difficult than the last, as the Povie industry is far sleazier than it looks, Bash's actions and intentions grow increasingly unpredictable, and the whereabouts of Trinette's sister are far more complicated than anyone could've guessed...
Seeking Sensation
By Jake Linas
Genre: Science fiction, Thriller
Format: Novella
Publication Status: Self-Published
Intended Audience: New Adult, Ages 18 to 30
Comparable Films / Books:
Strange Days, Ex Machina, Children of Men
Content Considerations
Content Warnings:
- Violence or weapons, Injury, death, or gore, Sexual content or intimacy, Mental health crisis, Substance use or addiction, Strong language, Discrimination or hate speech
Additional Notes:
- The actor that plays Bash Mercado MUST be of Hispanic or Latin descent. Similarly, the actor for Trinette's sister MUST be either a trans actress or female-presenting if otherwise gender-nonconforming.
About the Author
I'm a 25 year old Chicano author, screenwriter, and film lover from the US-Mexican border. I have completed 2 novels and am working on both a short story anthology and numerous screenplays. My favorite genre to write and watch is science fiction. I have also worked as a production assistant on multiple short films, music videos, and even a few feature length films. My goal is to direct my own films someday, but I am more than excited to see what my fellow filmmakers have in store for adapting my novella for this contest!
Short Film Adaptation Idea
A trailer containing the following scenes from the story in no specific order: Trinette showing Bash the photograph of her sister ("You'd remember her if you saw her. Anyone would"), Trinette standing in the hallway at Looksy HQ where numerous Povies are playing on different screens simultaneously, Trinette's eyes glowing bright yellow due to the Povie lenses, Maurice preparing Trinette and Liam for their first shoot, Maurice telling Trinette and David to take a break from Povies ("You give that moment to someone else, it won't be the same getting it back. If getting it back is even an option"), the concert-goers with colorful glowing eyes attacking each other in the convention center lobby ("I know why you're here. You want to give those tourists behind your eyes the best view possible"), Lynn Valentine's Povies from her first-person POV ("Not gonna lie...I'm pretty nervous about doing this...Hope you guys enjoy!"), the Povie of Mr. Kelly getting taken hostage by the Macintoshes, and numerous shots of Trinette wearing the headset reacting to whatever Povie she is experiencing.
To elaborate on the 3 films I chose as a reference for this one: I've always imagined an aesthetic similar to Children of Men: a lot of gray and blue to emphasize the dreary and bleak setting, a lot of background activity for immersive worldbuilding, and the sci-fi elements are more understated and realistic, such as sporadic holographic billboards and screens rather than an abundance of them like in Blade Runner. Strange Days has a pretty identical premise to this story, except that one depicts the memory-reliving technology as a street narcotic rather than a legal drug akin to social media, but I recommend that one as inspiration for the first-person POV sequences and similarly grimy and understated world aesthetic as Children of Men. Ex Machina I mainly recommend for the sleeker indoor aesthetics and synth soundtrack; that and I've always pictured Oscar Isaac in the role of Bash Mercado. So definitely good luck finding someone who's an Oscar Isaac type.
Because I only vaguely described the scenes I believe would look good in a trailer, feel free to reach out and ask for further elaboration! And feel free to request another scene be added on top of the others or in place of one of those already listed, especially because I imagine not all of it will be accomplishable with a short film budget. Electronic music is mandatory for the trailer as well due to the cyberpunk setting, preferably on the more ominous side. It can have lyrics (one song I always thought represented the story well is "New Gods" by Grimes; if you guys can somehow use this in the trailer, that would be amazing but no worries if you cannot) but that part isn't mandatory. Instrumentals work fine so long as it's electronic.
