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ARTIFICIAL EXISTENCE

LOGLINE: A mother desperately yearns to escape an oppressive dystopian society where humans have merged with machines and life is automated by artificial intelligence, but her family would rather live in technological comfort than escape with her into the unforgiving wilderness.

SYNOPSIS: In the not too distant future, humans have merged with machines. Microchip implants have made it possible for everyone to be connected to the internet, and each other, at all times. Talking has become a minor inconvenience, instead people telepathically send messages to one another (TK’ing). The average person now spends more time engaging in a virtual reality than they do their own and when they do engage with reality, it’s augmented. This connection to the digital world runs so deep that disconnecting from the network has become a social taboo. Your whereabouts are to be known and shared at all times. This is a world where every single citizen has every comfort and convenience provided to them. This is the world Evelyn desperately wants to escape. . .

Everyday is the same for Evelyn and is planned out by her A.I. personal assistant. Feeling imprisoned, Evelyn begins to break from her normal routine. She shows up to work late. She stays out at night feeding the homeless (those who refuse microchip implants), which is illegal. As a result, Evelyn is forced to attend mandatory psychiatric treatment. At this point, she decides to escape the system and go live in the wilderness with a rumored commune up north. Evelyn refuses leave without her son, but her husband will not allow her to take him away.

Genre: Science Fiction
Running Time: 19’31”
Aspect Ratio: 1:2.39
Screening Formats: 2K 5.1 DCP, ProRes.
Sound: 5.1 or Stereo.
Shot on Arri Alexa, 24p, original format 2.8K ANA
Language: English.

Director’s Statement

 

With the rapid development of technological progress over the last few years, the world is becoming increasingly more Orwellian in nature. We are gradually slipping from a physical reality into a digital one. I wrote, Artificial Existence, to explore a version of the future where we have allowed technology to control us and every aspect of our lives, but no one seems to notice or care that their freedom and humanity has been gradually traded away for comfort and convenience. One mother sees the dystopian prison for what it is and longs for her and her family to escape it. It is my hope that the film would make audiences more cognizant of some of the potential risks technology threatens us with.

Society seems to act retroactively about technology as we are seeing with social media, and we may not have that luxury over the next generation. It’s not that I am against technology, I believe we have to be careful with how we use it. It can be used to empower or to oppress, to bring us closer or to divide us, and if we are not careful it could easily rob us of our humanity. It seems like many of these issues dealt with in Artificial Existence are being ignored in general and that is what I have attempted to capture and communicate with this film.

Sé Marie Volk – Evelyn

After earning an acting degree in 2011, Sé Marie Volk began her film career as a stunt double for Rachel McAdams and Vinessa Shaw. She then transitioned into acting full-time, leading several feature films to major film festivals, including “Career Opportunities in Organized Crime” (South by Southwest Film Festival 2016) and “Careful Not to Cry” (Toronto International Film Festival 2017).

In 2020, Sé starred in a live Zoom play titled “Water Child”, which featured an international cast and was critically praised as the first live Zoom theatre production, and she produced/directed/starred in an original web series titled “A Very Covid Christmas”, which won three 2021 Telly Awards. She was also the winner of the 2020 international Glorioso Casting One Minute Monologue Competition.

Sé can be seen in the upcoming feature film “Unsinkable” about the aftermath of the Titanic, as well as the comedy feature film “Movers Ultimate”. She currently studies with The Markland Studio in Los Angeles.

Charles Mengine – Adam

Charles started acting as a child and was featured in such films as “Milk Money”, “Striking Distance “, and “Only You”. He moved to New York to study at The Neighborhood Playhouse in Manhattan. After the Playhouse, Charles worked on the television shows “Guiding Light” and “The Good Wife” for a number of years in various background roles. He also worked on many off Broadway theater productions. The plays “Snake in Frigde” and “No Sex Please We’re British ” being the two he is most proud of. After living abroad in Rome, Italy for six years he returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh and has been working on commercials, industrial films, and independent films in the Pittsburgh area. He was also featured in Netflix season two of “Manhunt”.

John D Marshall – Writer / Director / EP

John D. Marshall is a writer/director based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Drawing from his diverse background in commercial production and VFX/post, he released his debut narrative short, Artificial Existence, in 2021 after three years of development.

John is currently developing a feature film and a television project to add to his expanding body of work.

Mark Chapman – DoP / Producer

Mark Chapman is a filmmaker and photographer located in the Pittsburgh area. The desire to create has pushed Mark to explore different formats. Whether it is producing a local artist’s music video, working with corporate clients to develop safety and training videos, creating travel documentaries all around the world, or developing an immersive video and photography exhibit for the Yellowstone Arts Museum, Mark is always searching for new stories to tell and creative boundaries to push. You can view more of Marks work at Life is Art’s website.

Katie Mielo – Producer

Katie Mielo is a Pittsburgh based video producer with a career spanning 8 years. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Television and Video Production from Robert Morris University, Katie hit the ground running as a production assistant right out of school, and accelerated her career into production coordinating on various projects. Katie went on to work as Production Secretary on the major motion picture A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. As a full time producer, Katie, works with high end clients and strives for professionalism and creativity in all aspects of her projects.

CREDITS

 

STARRING:

SÉ MARIE VOLK – “Evelyn”

CHARLES MENGINE – “Adam”

JONAH RENSI – “Seth”

RORY MARSHALL – “Jaxon”

PAUL GUGGENHEIMER – “Dr. Erickson”

ALISHA WESTERMAN – “Scarlett”

AND KATHERINE KENNARD – “A.I.”

 

ADDITIONAL CAST:

ROSIE KOSTER

BILL KUZMIREK

GRACE LOPICOLLO

SUSIE GARRISON

JOSEPH KLEPPICK

MONA BAPAT

SPECIAL THANKS

 

Brad Grimm

Glenn Syska

Danny Haritan

Chris Hampel

Jon Radermacher

David Jamison

Helena Vanhala

Patricia Then

Lynne Moidel

Robert Morris University

 

 

WRITER / DIRECTOR / EP – JOHN D. MARSHALL

PRODUCED BY – KATHERINE WITHROW & MARK CHAPMAN

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – JARRETT RICE

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY – MARK CHAPMAN

PRODUCTION DESIGNER – CHRIS FRANK

MUSIC SUPERVISOR – JASON DEUTSCH

MUSIC BY – LÔR, RICH BRADFORD, MATT BRADFORD, MATT GRAMC

1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – LUKE KEIBLER

ADDITIONAL 1st AD – MAX CIANCI

MAKEUP ARTISTS – DANIELLE MOCK, SHAWN WALLISCH

GAFFER – NATHANIEL PETERS

1st AC – BRETT WAGNER

2nd AC / SWING – NOLAN DUNCAN

ARRI TECH – TROY BOGDAN

Hilerie Klein

Breanna Marshall

Ryan Kroboth

Jim McClain

Chris Frank Sr

Meg Frank

Tom Frank

Peggy Cygnarowicz

Lorenzo Lampthwait

Adam Solar Rides

 

 

EDITOR – JOHN D MARSHALL

SOUND RECORDIST – JASON DEUTSCH, RICH BRADFORD, MATT GRAMC

SOUND MIXING – LWG PRODUCTION, MATT GRAMC

SOUND DESIGN / SOUND EDITING / FOLEY – LWG PRODUCTION

VFX / COLORING / FINISHING – CINEPHORIA PRODUCTIONS

SET DECORATOR / PROP DESIGN – JARRETT RICE

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS – EVAN SZEJKO, MIKE SPINOS

CAMERA & LENSES FURNISHED BY – CINEFIT, INC., THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT

GRIP & ELECTRIC PROVIDED BY – MIDWEST GRIP AND ELECTRIC, LED BY LIGHT