“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.
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
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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