Private Project

Welcome To The Machine

Shot in 2023 - Finished in 2024 as my Ravensbourne Grad Film.

LOGLINE:
A lonely techno DJ questions his mechanical existence as metal begins to break out of his skin after being forced to employ a sonic algorithm that guarantees success with the crowd... and a ‘supermodel’.

SYNOPSIS
The organic makes way for the artificial as Dean, a lonely avantgarde techno artist, with nothing more than a duvet to separate himself from his tatty apartment floor, is caught off guard by a vivacious and salacious club owner, Mr Glitter, after being instructed to wear a tin man suit and employ a sonic algorithm that guarantees success and acceptance from the dance floor and the attention of his ‘most prize’ customer, Cleo – a silver-licked supermodel.

Disenchanted, Dean complies with the club’s rules caked in silver as he superfluously twists and turns the jog wheels on his DJ deck, watching over the fragments of busting and grinding bodies shimmering under the cold strobes.

Dean quickly falls under the club’s spell, however, after his new identity, moulded by Mr Glitter, receives caws of ovation from the crowd and Cleo. We follow Dean’s descent into the glittery void as he starts to lose his sense of self as the irreversible, metallic, physiological consequences start to break out of his skin.

  • David Rabin
    Director
  • David Rabin
    Writer
  • David Rabin
    Producer
  • Anastasija Jevtejeva
    Producer
  • Clara Brinquez
    Producer
  • Cameron Wight
    Key Cast
    "Dean"
  • Penelope Chappelhow
    Key Cast
    "Cleo"
  • Edward Apeagyei
    Key Cast
    "Damien"
    Gangs of London, The Legend of Tarzan, Medinah, Unwanted
  • Kenton Lloyd Morgan
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Glitter"
  • Scarlett Gardner
    Director of Photography
  • Amber Ravenshear
    Production Designer
  • Xanthe Jaffe
    Costume Designer
    Barbie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, James Bond: No Time to Die
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Drama, Body-Horror, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 18, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Ravensbourne University
Director Biography - David Rabin

Canadian-born director, based in the UK, class of '23 at Ravensbourne University.

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Director Statement

In my formative years, I moved between Canada and England on multiple occasions. From changing primary schools to high schools, my identity has always been in a constant rate of flux as I adapt and readapt in an ever-changing environment; both physically and digitally. Through these culture shifts, I have become extremely hyperaware of both my self, my projected other and its relationship with the immediate environment.

This heightened awareness of my incongruities inspired me to write ‘Welcome To The Machine’; A film that explores the relationship between the self and the other and the effect the capitalist gaze has upon the two.

It challenges the reasons why we might dance to the tune of others; commodifying ourselves; objectifying ourselves; moulding our identity; entering a paradoxical void as we consciously disconnect from self to connect with others in the hope of acquiring a machined idea of success which will, in turn, elicit satisfaction.