Overveiw

Short film My Pal & Me written and directed by Olivia Warner is about 21 year old Andie,, who drifts through life on autopilot. Her life consists of a small flat, a now dead goldfish, and her cleaning job at the grand home of Mrs. Collins. Enough to get by, but not enough to feel alive. When Andie’s AI earpiece assistant MyPal gets a new upgrade, it quickly becomes a lifeline, offering guidance and reassurance. Feeling confident with MyPal by her side, a genuine friendship begins to form with Sonia, a fellow cleaner with dry wit and easy warmth. But Andie's growing reliance on MyPal's unconditional validation has begun to cloud her judgment. When Sonia makes an offhand joke about their Mrs. Collins Picasso sketch, Andie mistakes it for a shared invitation and steals the painting. The stunt backfires, both are fired, and Sonia walks away with something more wounding than anger. Pity.

Alone in a near-empty flat, having sold her furniture to keep her MyPal subscription running, Andie turns straight back to the AI to make sense of it all and MyPal obliges, gently absolving her of any wrongdoing. She didn't need Sonia anyway. Andie is back to square one, empty flat, empty fishbowl, but at least she has MyPal to keep her company.

What We Could See

JAW came onto this project from the early stages of pre-production, helping to source locations and cast while working closely with the wider creative team to shape how the film would come together.

Our main role on the project was leading the cinematography and lighting, with JAW responsible for both DPing and gaffing the entire film. From developing the visual approach in pre-production through to executing the lighting and camera work on set, we worked across departments to make sure the creative vision remained consistent throughout.

The project is a great example of what can be achieved when a larger group of creatives come together, with close collaboration between direction, camera, lighting, production, art department and cast. It also demonstrates JAW’s ability to step into a project beyond a traditional production role, supporting both the practical and creative sides of bringing a film to life.

Credits