Opia

  • Aisling Callaghan
The purpose of this short film is to highlight the dangers of the fast increasing advancements in technology, which seem to be further impinging on the public’s privacy with each new gadget. It is set in the near future where the government has implemented the installation of a new video game console, the Opia 2000, in all households; the nation, having become so accustomed to the presence of technology in their lives are unfazed by the introduction of a new gadget. What they are unaware of is that whenever they play a game on or interact with the console it is harvesting information about them which is fed directly to the government.

Over time through the use of nanotechnology, the console has the ability to distort, implant and even erase memories; a method to retain control, sustain consumerism and sate the masses. The name of the console makes reference to the quote made by German philosopher and economist, Karl Marx, when he stated that “religion is the opium of the people”, used in this context to refer to the sedating effects of the console on the brain.

As well as directing, filming and editing the film, I also designed and produced the brand and console itself, including all other props, both digital and physical.

Song: Breach - Everything You Never Had