The Slide Carousel
In the dusty aisles of a Winnipeg thrift shop, two strangers uncover a carousel of forgotten memories and find themselves projected into each other's orbit. A broken machine sparks a conversation about what we keep, what we leave behind, and the unexpected clarity of a summer afternoon.
# The Slide Carousel
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
An aimless recent graduate, paralyzed by the uncertainty of her future, discovers a vintage slide projector full of a stranger's memories, leading her on an impromptu road trip with a quirky IT technician to find meaning in a forgotten story—and a direction for her own.
## Themes
* **The Paralysis of Choice vs. The Freedom of Chance:** The story contrasts the overwhelming, paralyzing weight of life's big decisions with the liberating power of a small, spontaneous, and seemingly random choice.
* **Curated Reality vs. Unfiltered History:** It explores the tension between our modern, highly curated digital lives and the unfiltered, imperfect, and permanent nature of analog memories, suggesting there is beauty and honesty in the mistakes.
* **Finding Meaning in the Discarded:** The narrative champions the idea that purpose and connection can be found in forgotten objects and overlooked histories, turning someone else's "junk" into the catalyst for a new beginning.
## Stakes
At stake is Casey's chance to break free from her post-graduation paralysis and find a spark of purpose before succumbing entirely to aimlessness and anxiety.
## Synopsis
In the oppressive heat of a Winnipeg July, CASEY (22), a recent Art History grad drowning in post-college anxiety, seeks refuge in a cool, cluttered thrift shop. Aimlessly wandering, she discovers a vintage Kodak Carousel slide projector, complete with a tray of old slides. Intrigued by the tangible piece of history, she struggles to make it work.
She is helped by GEOFF (23), a pragmatic but charming IT tech who knows the machine's quirks. Together, they bring the projector to life, casting images of a forgotten family's past onto a hanging trench coat. As they click through the slides—a washed-out barbecue, a serene lake, a blurry dog—they begin to connect, sharing their own anxieties and philosophies. Casey confesses her feeling of being adrift and useless, while Geoff explains his choice to abandon a high-pressure engineering career for the "manageable chaos" of fixing laptops.
The discovery of a striking slide—a young woman looking determinedly off-camera, holding a map on the hood of a car—captures their imagination. They collaboratively build a narrative for her, a story of escape and adventure. The final slide reveals their protagonist's destination: a hand-painted sign for the "B-Side Diner."
A quick search on Geoff's phone reveals the diner is now a ruin just a forty-minute drive away. Seizing the moment, Geoff proposes a quest: a road trip to find the spot where the story ended. For Casey, this is a tangible plot line in a life that feels devoid of one. She agrees.
They buy the projector and step back out into the heat, which no longer feels so oppressive. As they drive out of the city, leaving Casey's half-packed apartment and anxieties behind, she embraces the simple, profound act of moving forward into an unknown, unscripted future.
## Character Breakdown
* **CASEY (22):** A recent Art History graduate, sharp and witty but internally adrift. She is overwhelmed by the "what next" void of adulthood, and her anxiety manifests as a physical and emotional inertia. She intellectualizes her fears but craves a simple, tangible direction.
* **Psychological Arc:** Casey begins in a state of passive paralysis, waiting for an external force to assign her a purpose or a "plot line." By the end, she has been galvanized into action by a small, shared discovery, actively choosing to pursue a moment of unknown adventure. She trades waiting for seeking, embracing the "manageable chaos" Geoff represents.
* **GEOFF (23):** A former engineering student, now a self-assured IT technician. He is grounded, observant, and finds satisfaction in fixing small, tangible problems. He has already made a major life choice to prioritize his own well-being over external expectations, making him a quiet foil and guide for Casey. He is practical but possesses a deep appreciation for stories and a latent sense of adventure.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE REFUGE:** Overwhelmed by the oppressive Winnipeg heat and her own anxiety, Casey ducks into a dim, cool thrift store.
2. **THE RELIC:** She discovers a bulky Kodak Carousel slide projector, a machine from another era, and is drawn to its tangible history.
3. **THE CONNECTION:** Casey meets Geoff when he helps her get the projector working. Their initial exchange is witty and slightly skeptical.
4. **INSTANT GHOSTS:** They project the first slide—a faded family barbecue. They are captivated by the act of witnessing someone else's lost memories.
5. **SHARED VULNERABILITY:** As they view more slides, the intimacy of the experience allows them to open up. Casey admits her post-grad paralysis; Geoff shares his philosophy of "manageable chaos."
6. **THE PROTAGONIST:** A slide of a mysterious, determined woman on the hood of a car appears. Together, Casey and Geoff begin to build a narrative for her, an act of shared creation.
7. **THE DESTINATION:** The final slide reveals a hand-painted sign for the "B-Side Diner." The fictional story suddenly has a real-world destination.
8. **THE QUEST:** Geoff discovers the diner is a nearby ruin and impulsively suggests they drive to it, framing it as the adventure Casey has been waiting for.
9. **THE DECISION:** Casey makes an active choice. Instead of retreating into her anxiety, she agrees. They buy the projector.
10. **THE DEPARTURE:** Casey and Geoff leave the shop and get into his car. As they pull into traffic, the city's oppressive weight feels lifted, replaced by the promise of a small, shared adventure.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will contrast two distinct worlds. The film opens with the hot, over-exposed, and humid glare of a Winnipeg summer, emphasizing Casey's feeling of being overwhelmed. The thrift store interior is its opposite: cool, dark, and cluttered, with a timeless quality. Light here is motivated by dusty shafts from high windows and the single, intense beam of the projector, which cuts through the dark and illuminates dancing dust motes. The projected slides themselves will have a nostalgic, warm, magenta-shifted patina of aged Kodachrome film.
The tone is grounded, contemplative, and character-driven, finding quiet magic in a mundane setting. It blends dry, observational humor with a sincere exploration of millennial anxiety. Tonally, it aligns with the dialogue-driven connection of Richard Linklater's **Before Sunrise**, the nostalgic, analog aesthetic of **Kodachrome**, and the gentle, indie sensibility of a film like **Paterson**.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
An aimless recent graduate, paralyzed by the uncertainty of her future, discovers a vintage slide projector full of a stranger's memories, leading her on an impromptu road trip with a quirky IT technician to find meaning in a forgotten story—and a direction for her own.
## Themes
* **The Paralysis of Choice vs. The Freedom of Chance:** The story contrasts the overwhelming, paralyzing weight of life's big decisions with the liberating power of a small, spontaneous, and seemingly random choice.
* **Curated Reality vs. Unfiltered History:** It explores the tension between our modern, highly curated digital lives and the unfiltered, imperfect, and permanent nature of analog memories, suggesting there is beauty and honesty in the mistakes.
* **Finding Meaning in the Discarded:** The narrative champions the idea that purpose and connection can be found in forgotten objects and overlooked histories, turning someone else's "junk" into the catalyst for a new beginning.
## Stakes
At stake is Casey's chance to break free from her post-graduation paralysis and find a spark of purpose before succumbing entirely to aimlessness and anxiety.
## Synopsis
In the oppressive heat of a Winnipeg July, CASEY (22), a recent Art History grad drowning in post-college anxiety, seeks refuge in a cool, cluttered thrift shop. Aimlessly wandering, she discovers a vintage Kodak Carousel slide projector, complete with a tray of old slides. Intrigued by the tangible piece of history, she struggles to make it work.
She is helped by GEOFF (23), a pragmatic but charming IT tech who knows the machine's quirks. Together, they bring the projector to life, casting images of a forgotten family's past onto a hanging trench coat. As they click through the slides—a washed-out barbecue, a serene lake, a blurry dog—they begin to connect, sharing their own anxieties and philosophies. Casey confesses her feeling of being adrift and useless, while Geoff explains his choice to abandon a high-pressure engineering career for the "manageable chaos" of fixing laptops.
The discovery of a striking slide—a young woman looking determinedly off-camera, holding a map on the hood of a car—captures their imagination. They collaboratively build a narrative for her, a story of escape and adventure. The final slide reveals their protagonist's destination: a hand-painted sign for the "B-Side Diner."
A quick search on Geoff's phone reveals the diner is now a ruin just a forty-minute drive away. Seizing the moment, Geoff proposes a quest: a road trip to find the spot where the story ended. For Casey, this is a tangible plot line in a life that feels devoid of one. She agrees.
They buy the projector and step back out into the heat, which no longer feels so oppressive. As they drive out of the city, leaving Casey's half-packed apartment and anxieties behind, she embraces the simple, profound act of moving forward into an unknown, unscripted future.
## Character Breakdown
* **CASEY (22):** A recent Art History graduate, sharp and witty but internally adrift. She is overwhelmed by the "what next" void of adulthood, and her anxiety manifests as a physical and emotional inertia. She intellectualizes her fears but craves a simple, tangible direction.
* **Psychological Arc:** Casey begins in a state of passive paralysis, waiting for an external force to assign her a purpose or a "plot line." By the end, she has been galvanized into action by a small, shared discovery, actively choosing to pursue a moment of unknown adventure. She trades waiting for seeking, embracing the "manageable chaos" Geoff represents.
* **GEOFF (23):** A former engineering student, now a self-assured IT technician. He is grounded, observant, and finds satisfaction in fixing small, tangible problems. He has already made a major life choice to prioritize his own well-being over external expectations, making him a quiet foil and guide for Casey. He is practical but possesses a deep appreciation for stories and a latent sense of adventure.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE REFUGE:** Overwhelmed by the oppressive Winnipeg heat and her own anxiety, Casey ducks into a dim, cool thrift store.
2. **THE RELIC:** She discovers a bulky Kodak Carousel slide projector, a machine from another era, and is drawn to its tangible history.
3. **THE CONNECTION:** Casey meets Geoff when he helps her get the projector working. Their initial exchange is witty and slightly skeptical.
4. **INSTANT GHOSTS:** They project the first slide—a faded family barbecue. They are captivated by the act of witnessing someone else's lost memories.
5. **SHARED VULNERABILITY:** As they view more slides, the intimacy of the experience allows them to open up. Casey admits her post-grad paralysis; Geoff shares his philosophy of "manageable chaos."
6. **THE PROTAGONIST:** A slide of a mysterious, determined woman on the hood of a car appears. Together, Casey and Geoff begin to build a narrative for her, an act of shared creation.
7. **THE DESTINATION:** The final slide reveals a hand-painted sign for the "B-Side Diner." The fictional story suddenly has a real-world destination.
8. **THE QUEST:** Geoff discovers the diner is a nearby ruin and impulsively suggests they drive to it, framing it as the adventure Casey has been waiting for.
9. **THE DECISION:** Casey makes an active choice. Instead of retreating into her anxiety, she agrees. They buy the projector.
10. **THE DEPARTURE:** Casey and Geoff leave the shop and get into his car. As they pull into traffic, the city's oppressive weight feels lifted, replaced by the promise of a small, shared adventure.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will contrast two distinct worlds. The film opens with the hot, over-exposed, and humid glare of a Winnipeg summer, emphasizing Casey's feeling of being overwhelmed. The thrift store interior is its opposite: cool, dark, and cluttered, with a timeless quality. Light here is motivated by dusty shafts from high windows and the single, intense beam of the projector, which cuts through the dark and illuminates dancing dust motes. The projected slides themselves will have a nostalgic, warm, magenta-shifted patina of aged Kodachrome film.
The tone is grounded, contemplative, and character-driven, finding quiet magic in a mundane setting. It blends dry, observational humor with a sincere exploration of millennial anxiety. Tonally, it aligns with the dialogue-driven connection of Richard Linklater's **Before Sunrise**, the nostalgic, analog aesthetic of **Kodachrome**, and the gentle, indie sensibility of a film like **Paterson**.