TITLE: THE AUCTION OF TIME
DURATION TARGET: ~8–10 minutes
Characters :-
Auctioneer (Primary Antagonist) : Dhruv
Time Broker (Primary Antagonist) : Aakash
Arya (Protagonist) : Amaya
Meera : Niharika
Zayn : Devansh
Dev : Rudra
FADE IN:
INT. DIGITAL ANALYTICS ROOM – NIGHT
Low-key, cool-toned lighting. Multiple large monitors glow with dashboards:
graphs, heatmaps, charts showing teen screen time.
CAMERA: Wide shot of the room, then a slow push-in.
On the main wall screen:
“Average Teen Screen Time: 5h 32m”
“Reels Watched Today: 1,287,432”
“Peak Usage: 8–11 PM”
AUCTIONEER (stylish, charismatic) adjusts his blazer, holding a coffee cup.
AUCTIONEER
(smooth, amused)
Time. The only thing they don’t truly own…
and the only thing they keep giving away.
TIME BROKER (calm, analytical) types on a keyboard, eyes on data.
TIME BROKER
Ahhh… new clients
Teen engagement is up thirty-four percent.
One hour of their time increases our ad value by over two hundred percent.
Close-up on Auctioneer’s smirk.
AUCTIONEER
They think they’re scrolling for fun.
Every minute they spend…is every dollar we earn
He taps a screen. Profiles appear: MEERA, ZAYN, DEV, ARYA, with metrics.
Meera – “Reels Recorded: 17 | Today’s Screen Time: 2h 10m”
Zayn – “Gaming Session: 1h 12m | Ads Watched: 21”
Dev – “Reels Watched: 143 | Attempts to Post: 9”
Arya – “Today’s Screen Time: 0m”
TIME BROKER
Again the onslaught continues….
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. MEERA’S ROOM – EVENING
Medium shot. Ring light on. Room slightly messy. Meera is recording a dance
reel.
CAMERA: Handheld feel, a bit shaky, like a real phone video.
Meera dances, stops,
checks her phone.
MEERA
Ugh. I blinked. One more.
Montage of FAST CUTS:
Take 7 – hair not right.(adjusts hair) Let’s do that again
Take 11 – someone shouts outside. Meera: SHUT UP!
Take 15 – she stumbles. Ughhh…. not again
Close-up: phone screen – timer at 01:27:18.
MEERA
(Looks at an old post)
“99 likes”. Ahh….. just one more like.
She sighs, tired but obsessed.
MEERA
(muttering)
Just one perfect reel… please.
Her MOM (offscreen) calls from outside.
MOM (O.S.)
Meera, dinner is ready!
MEERA
Two minutes, Ma! Just one more take!
INTERCUT – DATA ROOM / MEERA’S ROOM
Back to the dashboards. Meera’s profile blinks.
AUCTIONEER
(reading)
One hour and twenty-seven minutes of her life… sold.
And in return? Just a few likes?
TIME BROKER
(clinical)
Conversion rate excellent.
Her insecurity guarantees repeat sales.
Close-up on Auctioneer.
AUCTIONEER
She’s not posting reels…
she’s posting her self-worth.
Cut back to Meera forcing a smile in front of the camera.
INT. ZAYN’S ROOM – NIGHT
Screen light on his face. Posters, headphones, cluttered desk.
ZAYN is deep into an online game. Intense music from the game.
Game message pops up:
“DEFEAT. Try Again?”
He slams the desk lightly.
ZAYN
Come on… just one more win. Just one more…
A pop-up:
“Special Offer: Play 1 more hour to unlock EPIC SWORD”
He stares at it.
ZAYN
(whispers)
This upgrade will change everything.
He clicks “ACCEPT.”
Timer in corner: Session: 01:12:09
INTERCUT – DATA ROOM / ZAYN’S ROOM
TIME BROKER
Bid request: one hour of Zayn’s evening…
in exchange for a digital sword.
AUCTIONEER
(chuckling)
Approve it.
If he wins, he plays more.
If he loses, he plays even more.
TIME BROKER
The perfect customer —
frustrated, addicted, hopeful.
Cut to:
Plate of food outside Zayn’s door, untouched.
Homework notebook open, blank.
ZAYN
Five more minutes… I swear…
EXT. SCHOOL BUS – MORNING
Dev sits by the window, airpods in, scrolling reels at high speed.
Close-ups: thumb scrolling, tiny laugh, replay, scroll again.
DEV
(snorting)
Too funny… save… next.
He flips camera, tries a reaction reel.
DEV
(to camera)
POV: You just saw the craziest reel…
He watches it back, grimaces.
DEV
Lighting is weird. Again.
Retakes. Same dialogue, different tone. Over and over.
Phone timer: 00:41:26.
INTERCUT – DATA ROOM / DEV ON BUS
AUCTIONEER
Forty minutes gone.
And just three new followers gained….
TIME BROKER
He doesn’t realize…
he’s the product, not the user.
AUCTIONEER
Mark Dev as high-value client.
Zero willpower. Maximum watch time.
Dev sinks in the seat, still staring at his screen.
EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – AFTERNOON
Peaceful. Trees, students, benches. Natural ambient sound.
ARYA sits under a tree with a notebook, phone face-down beside her. Calm.
CAMERA: Medium shot. Then Arya’s POV of the world.
She looks around:
Meera refreshing her likes page, anxious.
Zayn yawning, rubbing red eyes.
Dev nearly bumping into someone while scrolling.
A group at a bench, all on phones, no one talking.
Close-up on Arya’s thoughtful face.
ARYA
(soft, to herself)
Everyone’s here…
but no one’s really here.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR – LATER
Meera stands near a window, phone in hand, scrolling comments.
Arya walks up.
ARYA
You okay?
MEERA
(distracted)
Yeah… just checking something.
ARYA
How long have you been recording today?
MEERA
I don’t know… maybe an hour?
ARYA
And you got… what?
Likes from people who’ll forget you tomorrow?
Meera looks stung.
MEERA
(defensive)
You don’t get it.
If I don’t post, I disappear from people’s feed.
ARYA
(gently)
And while you’re staying in their life…
you’re disappearing from your own .
Meera has no words. Looks away.
EXT. SCHOOL STAIRS – SAME DAY
Zayn sits slumped, eyes tired, watching a gaming tutorial.
Arya sits beside him.
ARYA
Didn’t sleep?
ZAYN
I had to grind for the new level.
ARYA
Did you win?
He hesitates.
ZAYN
…No. But I’m close.
Just need a few more matches.
ARYA
You’ve been saying “few more” for weeks.
He looks at her, realisation flickering.
EXT. SCHOOL BENCH – AFTERNOON
Dev is editing his reaction reel on the bench.
Arya sits next to him.
ARYA
How many times did you record that?
DEV
(embarrassed laugh)
Maybe… thirteen?
ARYA
And what if it doesn’t go viral?
DEV
Then I’ll try tomorrow.
ARYA
And the day after. And the day after that.
Till all your days are just… attempts.
He stops editing. Stares at his screen.
Close-up: his thumb hovers over “Post.”
INT. DATA ROOM – EVENING
The dashboards show:
Meera – “Reels Today: 19”
Zayn – “Gaming Streak: 2h 03m”
Dev – “Reel Attempts: 13”
Arya – “Screen Time Today: 0m”
Auctioneer leans forward.
AUCTIONEER
Excellent! Very excellent! Time for the final bid.
TIME BROKER
(typing fast)
Pushing premium offers to all active users.
On the big screen we see 3 notification templates being sent.
TIME BROKER
Meera: “Perfect Beauty Look – 24 hours online.”
Zayn: “Guaranteed Win Streak – 24-hour marathon.”
Dev: “Get 10K Followers – stay online all day.”
AUCTIONEER
(thrilled)
One full day of their one short life…
for the illusion of perfection.
Cheap deal.(click enter 3x)
EXT. SCHOOL COMPOUND – SUNSET
Warm light. Students milling around, day ending.
Phones buzz.(individually, 3 times)
CLOSE-UPS:
Meera’s phone: “LIMITED OFFER – Perfect Beauty Look, stay
active 24 hours”
Zayn’s phone: “24-Hour Pro Gamer Challenge – win big”
Dev’s phone: “Flash Offer: 10K Followers if you stay online
today”
Their faces light up greedily… then freeze.
Arya, nearby, notices all three get the same kind of “too good” offer.
She steps closer.
ARYA
(steady, voice clear)
Guys… can you stop for a second?
They look up, slightly irritated.
MEERA
Arya, not now. This is big.
ZAYN
You don’t understand. This is a once-in-a-lifetime upgrade.
DEV
10K followers, Arya.
Do you know what that means?
ARYA
(firm, intense)
Yeah.
It means you’re ready to trade a whole day of your life
for something that doesn’t even exist off this screen.
Silence. She has their attention.
ARYA
Look at yourselves.
Meera, you look more exhausted than a marathon runner.
Zayn, you can’t even keep your eyes open.
Dev, your hands are literally shaking.
Quick cuts:
Meera rubbing her temples
Zayn’s half-closed eyes
Dev’s trembling thumb
ARYA
You’re chasing things that eventually disappear…
and losing moments you’ll never get back.
Meera’s eyes water.
MEERA
I … I just want people to know who I am.
ARYA
Even you don’t know who you are right now.
How will strangers?
(Meera looks away and a tear falls from her eye)
(Arya looks at Zayn)
ZAYN
I thought that if I win the game… I’ll feel good about myself.
ARYA
You’re losing the real game —
your sleep, your health, your peace and most importantly…your life
Dev swallows.
DEV
It’s just one day… right?
ARYA
That one day can change everything.
A day with your family.
A day where you discover something new.
A day….that could change your life.
And you’re ready to give that day…
to a screen?
She holds up her own phone.
ARYA
You can regain money.
You can regain marks.
You can even regain friends.
But time once lost can NEVER….be regained.
She looks at them, then at her phone.
She presses POWER OFF.
INT. DATA ROOM – SAME TIME
All the screens FLICKER.
Arya’s profile:
“User ARYA – Screen Time Today: 0m | Last Action: Power Off”
TIME BROKER
(alert, tense)
She switched off her phone!
That’s rebellious.
AUCTIONEER
(slamming the desk)
No. No, no, no.
One rebel is dangerous.
Rebellion is contagious.
On the wall:
Meera – “App Closed”
Zayn – “Game Exited”
Dev – “App Force Stopped”
TIME BROKER
We’re losing their attention.
We’re losing ALL their time.
Screens show graphs crashing downward.
AUCTIONEER
(angry, but defeated)
They figured it out.
Our business survives…as long as their addiction does.
One by one, the live screens go BLACK.
EXT. PARK – GOLDEN HOUR
Soft yellow light. Arya, Meera, Zayn, and Dev walk together, NO PHONES in
sight.
They sit on the grass.
Meera laughs genuinely. Zayn tells a story. Dev imitates someone. Arya just
watches, smiling.
MEERA
You know… this feels weird.
DEV
What? Sitting without a screen?
MEERA
No.
(smiles)
Feeling… actually present.
ZAYN
I forgot real life has HD graphics too.
They laugh.
Arya looks at them.
ARYA
All of us gave so much of ourselves…
to things that never mattered.
Now, let’s try giving it to things that do.
She leans back, looking at the sky.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. DATA ROOM – DARK
Most screens are off. One small screen still shows global graphs.
Auctioneer stands in semi-darkness.
AUCTIONEER
(quiet, bitter)
Today… we lost.
FADE OUT:
TEXT ON SCREEN:
“The world will always bid for your time.
Choose wisely.”
END