Logline

A young couple encounters an ancient relic with an eerie offer: trade self-inflicted pain for a surge in social media followers. As the seductive allure of online stardom beckons, they must confront the perilous consequences it brings.

Fact Sheet

Title: Disconnect
Genre: Dark Comedy
Medium: Short Film
Runtime: 6 min (Premiere), 7 min (Director’s Cut)
Country: Australia
Year of Production: 2023

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (Premiere), 16:9 (Director’s Cut)
Frame Rate: 24 fps
Dynamic Range: SDR (Premiere), HDR 2000 Nits (Director’s Cut)
Sound Format: 5.1
Language/Subtitles: English


Production Locations:

  • Perth, WA, AU

  • Gooseberry Hill, WA, AU

Cast

Ben
Maximiliano Laffont

Lisa
Angela Leta Kaye

Crew

Director / Cinematographer / Editor
Clayton Orgles

Producer / 1st AD
Aaron Vanderkley

Production Designer
Aaron Chappell

Gaffer / Camera Assistant
Joshua De Boer

Best Boy
Samuel Chan

Production Sound
Diego Espinoza

Makeup
Hayley Needham

Composer
Joe Louis Robinson

Screenings

📍 Perth, WA, AU
📅 6 Jul 2024 @ 10:30 PM
📽️ Revelation Film Festival (Horror Shorts)
⚫ Event has ended

📍 Perth, WA, AU
📅 24 Feb 2024 @ 6:15 PM
📽️ WA Made Film Festival (Saturday Night Shorts)
⚫ Event has ended
✨ Director’s Cut Premiere

📍 Sydney, NSW, AU
📅 12 Sep 2023 @ 6:00 PM
📽️ Lumix 72 Hour Filmmaking Challenge
⚫ Event has ended
✨ World Premiere

Biographies

Director | Clayton Orgles

Clayton Orgles is an Australian director with a focus on psychological horror films.

Clayton began his career in 2013 by directing music videos, quickly gaining a reputation for his visual storytelling, emotional resonance, and attention to production detail. This led to collaborations with a spectrum of international artists and record labels, providing him with the experience to navigate diverse narrative demands and challenging budget constraints.

Many of his projects, including the popular videos for Black Tongue's "Second Death" and Saviour's "Younger" have attracted hundreds of thousands to millions of views online, underscoring the global impact of his work.

In 2018, Clayton made his film debut with the short psychological drama "Disenthrall," about a game developer whose grief pushes her into a downward spiral where virtual reality blurs with the real world.

This was followed by "Dissociation" in 2023, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Picture in the House," which played at festivals including Screamfest LA, H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, and Revelation Perth.

That same year, Clayton ventured into animation with "Dislocate", earning a spot as a Best Animation Finalist at CinefestOz.

His recent work includes the dark comedy "Disconnect," which won an Audience Choice for Best Short Film at the WA Made Film Festival in 2024. The film explores a young couple's encounter with a relic that grants social media followers in exchange for self-inflicted pain.

As Clayton continues to refine his craft, he remains committed to expanding his directorial scope and bringing innovative, psychological horror to audiences worldwide.

Producer | Aaron Vanderkley

Aaron Vanderkley is a talented and acclaimed producer who graduated from Murdoch University with a Bachelor of Media (Screen Production).

As a versatile and skilled filmmaker, Aaron has been working as a freelancer across Western Australia for over 10 years, delivering exceptional and high-quality content to a diverse range of clients.

He is recognized for his imaginative and captivating Star Trek fan film series, "These Are The Voyages," which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views globally and won numerous international awards.

With his passion for filmmaking and expertise in the industry, Aaron is dedicated to creating projects that are both cutting-edge and captivating, with the goal of entertaining and satisfying large audiences.

Director’s Statement

In today's hyper-connected world, we've become so engrossed in the endless scroll of social media that the lines between our digital personas and our real selves blur—often with unforeseen and unsettling consequences. "Disconnect" is a cinematic exploration of this phenomenon, told through the prism of an enigmatic ancient relic that offers a young couple a dangerous bargain: social media stardom in exchange for self-inflicted pain.

The idea for "Disconnect" arose from my own fascination with the extent to which people go to curate perfect lives online—lives that are often at odds with their real-world experiences. This film serves as an allegory for the sacrifices we make at the altar of online validation. It forces us to confront the questions we often avoid: What is the true cost of social media fame? Are we willing to sacrifice our physical and emotional well-being for likes, follows, and digital applause?

In creating this film, I sought to construct a narrative that mirrors the moral dilemmas of our age, where the boundary between public and private life has nearly dissolved. The ancient relic in the story symbolises timeless human temptations and desires, now magnified by the lens of modern technology. The characters, Ben (Maximiliano Laffont) and Lisa (Angela Leta Kaye), embody the complexities of a generation navigating a world where the personal becomes public, and pain becomes consumable content.

"Disconnect" grapples with the seductive allure of online celebrity and the physical and emotional toll it demands. It takes the audience on a harrowing journey that challenges conventional wisdom about fame, personal identity, and ethical integrity. At its heart, it's a story that pushes viewers to consider whether the life we present online is worth the life we live offline.

As a filmmaker, my aim is to provoke thought, stimulate dialogue, and perhaps even encourage a reevaluation of the choices we make in the ever-evolving landscape of social media. I invite you to watch "Disconnect"—and to question what you would sacrifice for a double-tap.

Frequently Asked Questions // Director Q&A

1. What inspired you to make "Disconnect"?

The inspiration for "Disconnect" sprang from my longstanding curiosity about the impact of social media on our lives, relationships, and self-esteem. This interest became particularly poignant after I decided to quit social media last year. I found that these platforms, once exciting and connective, had devolved into endless scrolls through ads, consuming my time and adding little value to my life.

This experience amplified my curiosity about the dual nature of social media: its power to connect us while also making us feel isolated. Incorporating this modern paradox into a story featuring an ancient, mystical element felt like a compelling and relevant way to explore these themes.

2. How did you manage to complete "Disconnect" as part of the Lumix 72 Hour Filmmaking Challenge?

Taking part in the Lumix 72 Hour Filmmaking Challenge was both exhilarating and intense.

Day 1 was dedicated to pre-production: I brainstormed the concept based on the theme "Broken" and the item "Eggs," and along with my producer, Aaron Vanderkley, we finalised the outline, then fleshed out logistics and planning.

On Day 2, we filmed based on a treatment and shot list, with our cast improvising their lines. I then edited what we had to assess our progress.

Day 3 was grueling but fulfilling. We wrapped up filming, including some crucial exterior shots, and I immediately plunged into a 17.5-hour post-production marathon, making the submission right at the 10:00 AM deadline.

While it was an incredible learning experience, if I could change one thing, it'd be to delegate some post-production tasks to speed up the revision process. Time constraints didn't allow me to check the final export or seek feedback from the team, even though we managed to meet the final deadline with a polished end product.

3. What message are you hoping to convey, and what does the ancient relic symbolise?

The ancient relic in the film symbolises our darker human tendencies to seek easy routes to happiness, often compromising our personal integrity and well-being in the process. Incorporating an ancient element as the catalyst for this modern dilemma adds a layer of timeless relevance, suggesting that the tension between temptation and ethics is not just a contemporary issue but a perennial human struggle. Through the film, I aim to provoke thought on how social media can distort our sense of reality and self-worth. The deteriorating relationship between Ben and Lisa serves as a cautionary tale, pushing viewers to question the extent to which they're willing to sacrifice their real lives for a distorted simulation of our world.

4. How did you approach the character development of Ben and Lisa?

Ben and Lisa were designed to be two sides of the same coin. Ben is more susceptible to the allure of quick fame, while Lisa is more grounded but still not immune to the relic's influence. Their contrasting perspectives serve as a way to explore the broad spectrum of social media's impact on relationships. As their journey unfolds, we get to see how each responds to the increasing emotional and physical toll.

5. What were some of the challenges you faced during production?

One of the main challenges was finding the right balance between comedy and drama, especially given the film's serious themes. Incorporating dark humour and satire in "Disconnect" served as a way to make the film's uncomfortable truths about human behaviour and modern society more accessible to audiences. This element of levity doesn't dilute the seriousness of the issues; rather, it allows us to explore them from a different angle. Comedy often thrives in moments of discomfort, which is exactly where the essence of "Disconnect" resides.

6. How did you navigate the complexities of portraying social media culture in a way that was both authentic and critical?"

For "Disconnect," Aaron and I tapped into our own experiences with social media, which were critical in shaping an authentic portrayal. While Aaron brings an insider perspective, having stayed engaged with these platforms, I took a step back last year, quitting social media altogether. This distance allowed me to examine its impact more objectively, providing a critical lens that was essential in making the film what it is. Together, these dual viewpoints helped us in depicting a social media culture that is both genuine and invites scrutiny.

7. How did you go about selecting the cast for this film?

Because of the time constraints of the Lumix 72 Hour Filmmaking Challenge, we pre-cast versatile actors we'd successfully worked with before, even before finalising the film's concept. In fact, the range of our two actors - Maximiliano Laffont and Angela Leta Kaye - actually influenced how we wrote the characters, allowing us to craft roles that played to their specific strengths. This approach gave us the creative freedom to explore complex themes, confident that our cast could handle the material's emotional nuances.

8. Can you elaborate on the film's title, "Disconnect," and its significance?

The title serves multiple purposes. On a surface level, it reflects the idea of disconnecting from reality and the authentic self, as the characters become more obsessed with their online personas. On a deeper level, it echoes the emotional and relational disconnection that occurs between Ben and Lisa as they become more entangled in their quest for online stardom.

9. Can you discuss the visual style of the film?

The visual style of "Disconnect" is closely tied to the costumes of our main characters, Ben and Lisa. Ben's modern, fast-fashion wardrobe reflects his obsession with contemporary trends, whereas Lisa's vintage attire aligns with her historical interests. These sartorial choices aren't just aesthetic; they serve to underline the contrasting world views of the characters, reinforcing the film's thematic tensions.

In extending these contrasts to the film's broader aesthetics, we employed specific visual techniques for different scenes. Social media interactions are presented through sleek, modern visuals that make use of bright lights and smooth camera movements. On the other hand, moments involving the ancient relic exude a textured, warm, and almost theatrical atmosphere. As the story progresses, the visual elements darken and take a surreal twist, ending with Ben appearing in a completely digital realm. This evolving visual palette aims to immerse the audience in the same complex web of modern digital life and ancient mysticism that ensnares Ben and Lisa.

10. What do you hope audiences will take away from watching "Disconnect"?

I hope that after watching 'Disconnect,' audiences walk away questioning their own interactions with social media and reevaluating the lengths they're willing to go for online validation. If the film sparks a self-inquiry or prompts meaningful conversations about how social media impacts our lives and personal relationships, then I would deem the project a success. My personal aspiration is that viewers will be inspired to seek a healthier balance between their online personas and their real-world selves.

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