BEFORE THE MECHANICAL MAN
DIRECTOR / WRITER
Due to USC copyright laws, the following is a 30-second clip of the film. Please contact for the entire film.
In the face of a terminal illness, Roy, an engineer and father of two, builds an animatronic duplicate of himself. Gripped by the fear of leaving his children in the void of an absent father, he envisions his mechanical replica as a surrogate capable of carrying out his paternal responsibilities posthumously.
Can technology fix all of our problems?
Before the Mechanical Man is a short film created at the end of my first year at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Growing up in an age of technology, I always embraced new products and how they would make our society more efficient and connected. However, as I studied the ethics of computer science and the impact of social media and artificial intelligence, I realized that people often use these tools as an escape rather than a way to push themselves further.
In my filmmaking journey, I’ve been passionate about using film to communicate important ideas about technology in an entertaining and informative way. I believe that we need to think ethically about the technology we use in our daily lives, as we are often consumed by the battle for attention, no matter the cost. “Before the Mechanical Man” is my response to our society’s increasing disconnection due to the influence of AI and social media.
Technology can’t answer our questions about who we are and what we are capable of; only we can.