“Stardust” by Anne Berry

Beyond the Short Official Premiere

Stardust is an experimental exploration of birth, death, and rebirth.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

Synopsis

When a star begins to die, it does not just disappear abruptly from the universe. It wanes and cools gradually, in a process that takes up to a few billion years.

Every living thing on our world shares traces of the original stars that gave our planet the ingredients of life. Regardless of politics, culture, or identity, we all share an irrevocable bond from the moment we are born to the moment we too, die.

Stardust is an experimental exploration of birth, death, and rebirth. Like stars, each human comes into this world carrying collective elements of our past. Invariably at the end, this too is shared, and those that carry on after us bear the mark of our memories.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

“The idea for Stardust came around when four collaborators (Anne - Director, Karen - our make-up artist extraordinaire, Amanda - our talented photographer, and Reina - a gifted member of the Hong Kong Ballet), all ended up working together on various projects, in some capacity. As four female creatives who ended up on quite a few commercial projects together, we wanted to just do something fun and free for ourselves - a way to experiment and not have to worry about consequences.

We were interested in the idea of an empty void for creation. We had a simple set, and each of us could bring our own ideas to the project - all revolving around the idea of "Stardust". In many ways, it was like residue from a cosmic explosion creating a single planet.

To create a series of "constellation" effects on camera, we used very fast vintage Leica and Minolta glass from the 70's to have a dirtier image that flared like stars, while accompanying it with the modern Laowa 33mm f/0.95 to really bring out the unique make-up on our dancer.” —Anne Berry

credits

Artist - Reina Sawai @reinasawai

Director - Anne Berry @annecberry @capsulefortyeight

Art Direction - Amanda Kho @akhokho and Anne Berry @annecberry

Director of Photography - Ian Wong @sakeq

Camera Operator - Kevin Cheung @novisuals

Editor - Anne Berry @annecberry

Graphics - Ahyoon Kim @ahyooniee

Gaffer - Domingo Lamarre @domingo.lamarre

Production Assistants - Marlise Chu @marlisechu, Zachary Berkenkotter @zach.berk, Ryan Casberg @casberg_ryan

Makeup Artists - Karen Yiu @karenpaint @hongkongmakeupartist @xjcgalaxy, Holly Lo, Carmen Lau

Still Photography - Amanda Kho @akhokho

Photography Assistant - Tory Ho @toryho

Studio Sponsorship - Grey Haus Studio @greyhaus.studio

Equipment Sponsorship - Laowa by Venus Optics


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