Apple explores themes of digital privacy in the short film Data Auction. The narrative follows a woman entering an exclusive, opulent auction house where her personal information is sold to a waiting crowd, serving as a cinematic representation of data surveillance concerns.
The project leans into moody lighting and rich interior staging to heighten its atmosphere, utilizing live-action techniques to contrast the character’s mundane record store visit with the intensity of the auction floor. The production was spearheaded by SMUGGLER with creative development from TBWA Media Arts Lab London, supported by Stillking Cape Town and sound design from Barking Owl.
