Private Project

A Week With Rebecca

A robotics company executive pushes for the development of an android companionship model and unexpectedly spends a week with her.

  • Marcus Shenn
    Director
    A Whetstone and Mortar
  • Marcus Shenn
    Writer
    A Whetstone and Mortar
  • Matthew Marder
    Writer
    Shifter
  • Matthew Marder
    Producer
  • Nika Burnett
    Key Cast
    "Rebecca"
  • Phil Kruse
    Key Cast
    "Ryann Lansing"
  • BZ Cullins
    Key Cast
    "Dr Benton"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    110,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Hong Kong
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Ari Alex Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    240:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Marcus Shenn

Marcus Shenn is a filmmaker based in Paris. Having made films in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, Marcus aims to further his experience by directing in France. For inspiration, likes to speak with and understand people from all walks of life. He directed the short film, A Whetstone and Mortar, which was selected by a number of film festivals. Marcus also studied at the International Academy of Film and Television and the American Film Institute. Currently, he is working on developing a script for a feature length project.

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Director Statement

The Rebecca character originally came from an idea I once had about a companionhip robot that was designed to please it’s human creators and which it did a good job. But the robot was actually miserable on the inside. It alludes to the idea that we wear masks all the time just to make the day go smoother. It’s perhaps just a matter of time before robots will cater to the emotional needs of humans. And what then ? Will they become disposable just like the items today ? Or will they also have their own point(s) of view? These were the themes I had wanted to explore in this short. It’s my hope that the Rebecca character as a robot will have proved charming enough for people to remember her. We had to truncate it very much to get it to its current length but the movie is still a bit longer than the usual short movie length.
https://vimeo.com/463706542/f0a632278a