I’ll give you a hint on what makes a great short, in my humble opinion. Have something to say…about humanity, if you will. David Ramer’s Data Not Drama opens on the insane life of a social media influencer, and then the twist…
Jenessa Miller (Alexa Poveromo) is an influencer on her channel, Data Not Drama. It’s a lifestyle channel based on new tech hitting the market. She’s got 2.8 million people watching her every move, and today her product segment isn’t going the way she wants. It’s just her and a camera, running the whole one-woman operation. She needs help.
That night, an email lands in her inbox asking whether she’d be interested in reviewing a humanoid robot personal assistant designed specifically for influencers. Yes, please. When the box shows up, it’s time to pull out her camera and document everything. Covered in all-black cloth, the robot gets activated, and Jenessa asks it to do menial tasks, like folding laundry. Slow but effective, which means great content. All goes well until Jenessa brings home a date for the evening.
A shadowy figure looms in the doorway in a tense moment from Data Not Drama.
“That night, an email lands in her inbox asking whether she’d be interested in reviewing a humanoid robot personal assistant designed specifically for influencers.”
Data Not Drama starts with the typical social media influencer story, trying to squeeze a two-hour video shoot into a five-minute short. If you’ve seen as many short films as I have, you’ve seen this story a lot. Then enters the robot…ok…seen that. Then the date…jealous robot…got it. And now the twist. Didn’t see that one coming. Mind you, this is not a comedy sketch; it’s a twist that speaks to the human heart and makes the journey worthwhile.
In short films, story is always king. Made for under $500, the film earns a pass on its cornucopia of shortcomings, of which it has very few, and leaves us with a memorable tale. Alexa Poveromo is perfect as Jenessa and carries the emotional throughline to the very end.
For screening information, visit the Data Not Drama official website.
"…Didn't see that one coming."
