Private Project

Short Fuse

During the cost of living crisis a grieving widower installs a new AI powered smart meter but soon finds himself in a battle with the evil device set on controlling the house.

COLOUR GRADE NOT YET FINALISED

  • Louis Mateu
    Director
    The Widow
  • Louis Mateu
    Writer
    The Widow, Come Home
  • Gabriella Montrose
    Producer
  • Louis Mateu
    Producer
    The Widow, Come Home
  • Mohan Patel
    Key Cast
    "Richard"
  • Sam O'Riordan
    Cinematographer
  • Rich Allen
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 20, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    3,700 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Louis Mateu

Louis Mateu is a Scottish Director/Writer & Actor based in London.

Louis' first acting credit in the industry was as 'Sweaty Kriegie' in Apple TV's 'Masters of the Air' He played Sweaty Kriegie opposite Austin Butler and Callum Turner across three episodes of the show.

His debut feature script 'Into the Stars' placed in the Quarter final of Screencraft and in the second round of the Austin Film Festival.

More recently he filmed a role in Amazon MGM's 'The Rings of Power' Season Three, due for release on 11th November 2026.

Short Fuse will be his second time behind the camera as the Director.

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Director Statement

I'm sure no one in the UK has anything nice to say about the energy companies; profits over people, and families deciding if they can even heat their homes in winter. I’d be shocked if they weren’t conniving some plot to incorporate AI into their smart meters imminently.

This idea came to me after I rented a room from an elderly lady, at the time her energy company were pushing to install a smart meter even though she had no interest and no understanding of it.

Fast forward to my current flat which came pre installed with a 'smart' meter and yet every month, without fail, the energy company emails and texts asking me to submit meter readings. But they were sold as never having to submit meter readings again...which begs the question; why install them at all?

So yeah? I guess you could say 'this time, it's personal'...