The Big Show

‘The Big Show’ is a short film, satirising British television and its approach towards the current cost of living crisis. The story follows Jamie, a recent university graduate, who’s struggling financially after being fired from his job. In his desperation, he calls into a 70s-style game show that promises a big cash prize, however when he arrives all is not what it seems. Having to endure the creepily jovial host, while competing against a struggling single mother, Jamie’s guilt and disorientation grow the more he participates in the game, all of which is under the watchful eye of the man in the audience, who seeks nothing but entertainment.

Tackling themes of spectacle and media exploitation through the lens of current affairs, this piece initially took shape as a parody of the “Spin to Win” segment on ‘This Morning’, where the prize was having four months of bills paid. This dystopian game inspired our attempt to depict the absurd and often dissociative experience of having to participate in a system that offers little opportunity to make ethical choices.

Director / Writer / Production Designer

Lily Thetford | lthet001@gold.ac.uk

Producer

India Akca | iakca002@gold.ac.uk

Cinematography / DOP / Set Dresser

Dhruv Narain | dnara003@gold.ac.uk

Editor/ Set Dresser

Isabel Cruttenden | icrut001@gold.ac.uk

Sound Designer / Recordist / Art Director

Lola Panic | lpani001@gold.ac.uk