Cast:

James Castle, Natalie Barker, Peter Halpin 

and Juliana Lisk.

Puppeteer:                          

Camera:     

Assistant :                            

Production/Design:              

Colourist:                             

Audio Mix:                            

Music & Soundscapes: 

Written, directed and edited by Roland Denning    

Smart Speaker

SMART SPEAKER (2025, 24’ 21”) 

When Dave's sister gets the council to install a smart speaker to look after him, they have little idea of the horrendous form it will take. 

A comic, philosophical enquiry into  AI, ageing, consciousness and possible demonic possession.

Dave is played by James Castle, who also featured in my documentary The Society For The Protection Of Unwanted Objects.

SMART SPEAKER follows on from my found footage films - Everything Is Under Control, Your Order Is Now Complete and Everything We Know About You, pursuing that enquiry into the relationship between humans and new digital technology. 

The Smart Speaker in question is Alfie, an AI in the form of a ventriloquist’s dummy. Alfie’s voice is in fact the computer synthesised female voice I used in the found footage films but with the pitch dropped - this voice appealed to me for the place it occupies in the ‘uncanny valley’ - at times it can seem credibly human, but at other times the veil drops and it is obviously a machine.

The film dabbles in a variety of genres - horror, sci-fi and British sitcom - but the issues continue those raised by the previous films - machine consciousness, data collection and social control.

The film was shot on a minuscule budget in my own home. Enormous thanks to all those who helped to make it happen.