Leaning In - A Short Film

We need you in order to help us fund our film 'Leaning in'.

SYNOPSIS

‘Leaning in’ is a satirical thriller, investigating what it takes to be on top in the modern workplace. We watch as Billie, a determined, but self-doubting woman, seeks out confidence and motivation through a self-help podcast, which she develops a para-social tight-knit dependency on. The podcast advises her through her work at the top-ranking marketing firm in London. Helping to counsel through meetings with nepo-babies, the intense watch of her co-workers and her boss’s patronising tone. As the story unfolds, Billie's paranoia grows becoming increasingly sinister in a sudden thirst for revenge, as she intently awaits advice from her digital confidante, to drastic results; questioning who you should really listen to. Lean in, Join us and let us take you on a journey of rage, revenge and revolution. 

SET-IN

‘Leaning in’ is set in the near future, where the dangers of AI technology are increasingly accelerated. Where we see many young people, overworked, stress driven and paranoid. Seeking many of their relationships online, rather than reaching out to friends or family. Podcasts have peaked in popularity, and many people have the facilities to set them up and can give advice to everyone, with any spontaneous sense of direction. We see London as a fast-paced, intense city, where people are having to evolve and become harder and more driven to succeed and survive. 

THEMES

‘Leaning in’ is investigating the themes of AI, parasocial relationships, revenge and ‘cut-off’ culture, through the lens of a young woman's journey and struggle. The female protagonist is unique and nuanced. Representing a woman who is both full of rage, drive, insecurity and surrounded by flaws, a woman who I don't think has been seen on screen before. However, we have not disempowered our female protagonist, instead having her be misled but only by a feeling of injustice. One that I think many women could relate to. These ideas also led into the themes of how productivity culture impacts women differently to men. The podcast itself also functions as a metaphorical device as a means to scrutinise our symbiotic relationship with social media, as there is a noticeable trend online to cut people off with immediate effect, assuming everyone wants the worst for each other, encouraging many to remove people like obstacles. We want audiences to question who they support and why, questioning who we trust, listen to, and how we decide what's right and wrong. 

HOW IT'S SHOT, HOW IT LOOKS AND THE INSPIRATION

The look of the overall film will be intense and intimate. Shot with a lot of close-ups, moving camera shots and whip pans. The aim is to make the audience feel the un-comfortability that Billie herself is feeling, getting more and more strained, shaky and unsettled. The film will appear to be somewhat hollow, and hospital-like, meeting this isolation feeling visually and tonally. You will also be able to see it is shot in London, with many landscapes showing throughout.

Our influences have stemmed from Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker, 2011) meets American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000). HER (Spike Jonez, 2013) meets Decision to leave (Park Chan-wook, 2022). Both thematically and visually, these films have been a huge inspiration. 

MEET THE CHARACTERS

BILLIE: Billie is a determined, well put together, 28 year old young woman, who strives to make the best life for herself as quickly as she can, constantly putting in her best work. She is highly strung with the relationships around her due to her intensity for success, seeking the best possible relationships, friendships and work ethic. She often feels wasted, having this expectation that she should be higher than where she is, being objectified by her hard work at her job. As a consequence, of her relationships with others, she is insecure, seeking comfort in who she is, and what to do. To counter this she seeks motivation through podcasts, which give her courage, confidence and a feeling of companionship. 

RICH: The boss is a louche, well-bread kleptocrat with an underlying laziness that, while ostensibly banal, manifests as exploitative and corrupt. His relaxed exterior, brought on by his life of comfort and convenience, stands in stark contrast to Billie’s rigid professionalism and emphasises the injustice of her situation.

JILL: In the world of the rise of the nepo baby, Jill is rather on-trend. Despite her boss being her dad, she still attributes her triumph to hard work and grinding. Despite this, her actions are filled with well intent, but come off as disingenuous.    

THE PODCAST: "What it Takes to be on Top" by Claire Sigil is a female empowerment podcast targeting "girl bosses" in the making: think vapid self-improvement slogans and surface-level feminism. The podcast is protagonist Billie's daily prayer call: her sole source of confidence and companionship. The voice can switch from soothing to commanding at the flip of a switch, where the audience is fascinated with her power.

MEET THE CREW

Orla Worthington: Director, Co-Producer, Co-Screenwriter

Orla Worthington is an English Director, growing up in Jersey, and then attending her undergrad at The University of Exeter, where she studied her dual degree in Art History, Visual Culture, Film and Tv. Training in art she’s passionate about creating works which are instilled with artistic references. Her undergraduate short film saw her winning the best undergraduate creative dissertation and achieving a 1st class degree. She is now taking a Master's at Met Film School, London, in Film Directing. She is incredibly passionate about representing young anti-heroines who are unafraid of taking up space, unleashing female rage and re-claiming their power through any means necessary. Orla is the primary vision for this story, developing it for many months which has slowly grown and evolved to the current script.

Toby Poole: Co-Screenwriter

Toby Poole is an English screenwriter, growing up in Harrow, then attending St Andrews for his undergrad in English and is currently taking a Master's in Screen Writing in Met Film in London. So far his work has tended to the drama and horror genres, but with heavy doses of jet-black comedy injected in both. What struck him most about Leaning In is when Orla first pitched it to him, and how novel her treatment of its protagonist is. This is a woman who fits the stereotype of a strong independent woman, perhaps even a Yasss queen, but underneath there are intrinsic flaws that bring her so easily to the audience. Her reliance on her podcast and the hold this takes on her mind was there from the beginning and a pleasure to explore as a writer. This metaphorical device acts as a means to scrutinise our symbiotic relationship with social media while lending the piece a sense of heightened tension, perhaps teasing elements of the horror genre. All these things combine to make this short sleek and innovative, which in many ways is the epitome of Orla. It was a joy to help somebody write something they felt so close to and passionate about.   

Cecilia Sallusti: Co-Producer

Cecilia is an Italian-born producer based in London. She graduated from Columbia University with a dual degree in Film Studies and European History and has a keen interest in exploring how national identity is informed by cinematic representation. Her past immersion in high-octane academic and work environments means she has witnessed first-hand how toxic “productivity culture” can be and Leaning In is the perfect vehicle to explore this. She has experience working across diverse creative environments, including film production, news broadcasting, talent management, luxury apparel, and digital media. Her last role was as Associate Producer at Condé Nast Entertainment. She is currently pursuing an MA in Producing at MetFilm School in London.

Maddy Vettorello: Co-Producer

Maddy is an Italian-born Film Studies graduate from the University of Essex. With experience working as a post-production runner for Company3 (Framestore) and a freelance filmmaker and photographer at independent film festivals, she joins the project as an assistant producer. She brings a strong passion for female, queer and family stories, especially those exploring the psychological and socio-cultural dynamics of today's society. In the future, she is keen to pursue a career in producing to improve media literacy and bring marginalised stories to wider audiences.

Eli Raurich: Director of Photography

Eli is a Spanish cinematographer based in London. She holds a degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Her unique academic and professional profile has enabled her to develop an appreciation for minutiae, reflecting her keen eye for visual details. Eli is excited to explore how to breathe life and tension in the harsh angles and grey palette of the office building setting of Leaning In. She is pursuing an MA in Cinematography at MetFilm school, where she has built on her knowledge of colour grading, visual composition and operating Arri Alexa cameras.

WHAT WE HAVE COMPLETED SO FAR

COST BREAKDOWN

We need you to help fund our film. We have predicated how our costs will need to be split and managed, and how your money will be used. We will be filming locally in London, mainly in one location, however, this is London, so sadly it doesn't come cheap, and neither do the incredibly talented actors we will be working with. We are also incredibly passionate about this story and all our hard work living on to be shown in film festivals globally, not only helping us get our foot in the door but to be seen by as many people as possible. This project is our final University Master's project, so we want to make something we can all be proud of, including you.

REWARDS

When donating money towards the film, we feel as though you should be getting something back in return, and because of this, we have created a reward system. We have created 'Lean in, to revenge' business cards and t-shirts that will be randomly sent out to some of those who have donated.

Reminder you’re more than welcome to give as much as you feel; whether it be less than £5 or more than £2000. There is no set amount you have to give, we are appreciative of it all!

MORE REASONS TO BE INVOLVED

Not only is this a final MA project and a keen film festival runner that helps us get our creative starts, but this film is an exciting opportunity to help make something that fulfils audiences' wishes of revenge on tyrannical bosses and nepotistic colleagues, both incendiary issues in our collective consciousness. We believe audiences, particularly young women with strong career ambitions, will engage with these escapist themes, but will also resonate with the feelings of loneliness and perhaps career insecurity that the podcast is feeding on in the fiction. At root, we have all been exploited or felt as though our efforts haven’t been adequately rewarded, and this film gives the audience the chance to experience some vicarious revenge for these injustices. Think about it; who wouldn’t want to be associated with that?

THANK YOU

We as a team just want to say a massive thank you for spending your time and effort to read through this presentation, I hope you enjoyed learning about the film, and feel inclined to donate.