“Talentless” by Jeff Perreca

Beyond the Short Official Premiere

When a new procedure is invented that can take one person’s talent and implant it into someone else, a struggling artist must decide if she should continue pursuing her dreams or sell her talent to the highest bidder.

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.

From The Director

“Talentless marks my directorial debut. It’s also the very definition of a passion project. I wrote, directed, produced, edited and even colored the film myself. Why was I so driven to tell this story? 

Because in many ways, the decision the main character Lucy grapples with is one every creative eventually faces. Speaking as someone who’s spent over fifteen years in the world of Advertising, it’s one I struggled with every day. 

Pursue your dreams or sell your talent to the highest bidder? 

Every creative at one point will feel like a sell out. Every creative will face the same fork in the road — do I follow my passions or do I choose money and security? 

That notion inspired me to write a sci-fi film that plays in the tone of Black Mirror where people can literally buy each other’s talent. This idea resonated with every member of our fantastic cast and crew, including our lead actress Shanica Knowles (Hannah Montana, Young and the Restless) who wrote and produced an original song for the film. She will tell you herself that Lucy’s story is also her story in so many ways. 

Talentless was an ambitious first move. It boasts several locations, the performance of an original song and an original score. Yet, my belief in the idea pushed me every step of the way to craft a visually compelling story that will stick with you and have you wondering one simple question — how much is my talent worth?”

— Jeff Perreca

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credits

Writer, Director, Editor and Colorist: Jeff Perreca | @jperreca | www.jeffperreca.com

Producers: Jeff Perreca and Anissa Williams

Cast: Shanica Knowles | @shanicaknowles, Raquel Gardner, Reign Morton, Katie Enright and Aiko Johnson.

Cinematography: Russell Kawaguchi

Assistant to the DP: Marri Cabellero & Penny Lee

Composer: Sandro Morales Santoro

Casting Director: Anissa Williams

"Bought Me Out"
Written and performed by Shanica Knowles
Produced by Caleb Middlebrooks

Sound Mixer: Blake Christain

Supervising Sound Editor and Re-Recording Mixer: Sam Casa

Key Make Up Artist: Vera Orellana

Key Hair Stylist: Tai Phillips

Key Grip: Kyle Anderson

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