Director’s Statement

The idea for MISTER OBSOLETE began with a simple question: what would happen if humanity created a god-like super intelligence so advanced that it could know everything, predict everything, and guide us toward our optimal lives? The promise would be irresistible: a life free from confusion, wasted effort, and regret. Why would someone not accept such guidance?

This question led me to the character of Henry P. Jones, a struggling writer who refuses the guidance of this all-knowing system. Henry clings to a deeply human belief that a meaningful life is not something that can be calculated, but something that must be discovered through experience, failure, and uncertainty. The System’s prescribed path also contradicts everything he believes himself to be. His stubborn resistance raises an uncomfortable question: when the world tells us we are mistaken about who we are, should we listen, or hold fast to the story we tell about ourselves?

Henry’s struggle will feel familiar to many artists. The impulse to express one’s perception of life persists regardless of recognition, financial reward, or societal validation. For some, creation is not a career choice but an essential part of being human.  

The long path to completing this film has only made its themes more immediate. We now live in a moment when advances in artificial intelligence are beginning to challenge the role of human creativity itself. While these technologies may become powerful tools, they also raise profound questions about authorship, originality, and the future of artistic expression.

MISTER OBSOLETE explores that tension. It asks whether the messy, irrational drive to create, the same force that has propelled human imagination for centuries, still has a place in a world increasingly shaped by these new technologies.

Ultimately, the film is a small tribute to that stubborn human impulse: the refusal to stop imagining, even when the world suggests we should.

The Team

Peter T. Ruocco - Director/Writer

Peter Ruocco is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he did his undergraduate work in Theatre at the University of Alaska and received an MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Hawaii. His background as a theatre performer and director laid the foundation for his transition to working behind the camera. Over the past 15 years he has directed, shot and edited short and long form narratives, documentaries, TV shows and commercials. His work has been featured on KQED, NPR, PBS, CBS and in film festivals across the US. In 2021 he was Director of Photography and Editor for the film adaptation of Lauren Gunderson’s one person show The Catastrophist. He served as Director of Photography for the PBS travel show 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes and Destinations and is currently a cinematographer for KQED's Check Please Bay Area. Most recently his short documentary Taken for a Ride, about the failure of the SF Taxi Medallion Sales program, played in festivals in SF and NY.

Zac Jaffee - Henry P. Jones

Zac Jaffee’s numerous television and film credits include Black Rabbit, Best Medicine, The Artist, Godfather of Harlem, Hustlers, Marry Me, The Blacklist, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, Ripley, New Amsterdam, Law & Order, Seasoned, among others. He has worked with award winning filmmakers such as Steven Zaillian, Gus Van Sant, McG, Lorene Scafaria and Guillermo Navarro and shared scenes with the incredible acting talents of Andrew Scott, Tom Hollander, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Owen Wilson, James Spader, Kathryn Grody and Mandy Patinkin, among others. Regional acting credits include Magic Theatre, B Street Theater, Marin Theater Company, and Z Space, among others. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he splits his time now between New York and the West Coast.

Erica Mae McNeal - Surrogate Counselor/Ms. Vera

Born and raised in Colorado, Erica Mae McNeal moved to California to pursue a career in acting. She studied at AMDA College of the Performing Arts, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting.

Since graduating, McNeal has appeared in a variety of film, television, and commercial projects, including a nationwide commercial campaign for Samsonite and an appearance on the Emmy-winning comedy series Abbott Elementary. Her screen work also includes an independent feature film starring Eric Roberts, along with several additional independent features and short films.

In addition to her on-screen work, McNeal has performed on stage in productions such as The Anatomy of Grey and A Midsummer Night's Dream, continuing to develop her craft across both classical and contemporary theater.

Cliff Traiman - Director of Photography

Cliff Traiman is an award-winning Director of Photography and Film-Maker with over twenty years working as an industry professional.  With a background in English Literature and Still Photography, Cliff brings a story-tellers perspective to his craft - shooting everything from high-end corporate pieces to national spots as well as both narrative and documentary feature films. His clientele include such companies as Apple, Google, FaceBook, SalesForce, Twitter, NBC, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, MicroSoft, and The San Francisco Giants.  

Cliff is also an owner of The Little Giant Lighting & Grip Company - one of Northern California’s largest rental houses. He lives in San Francisco, CA with his son Theo, and a very needy beta fish. 

Chris Houston - Composer

Chris Houston is a composer, keyboardist, and sound designer. He performs and records as Implied Music. He is the veteran of decades of solo and ensemble performances as pianist, guitarist, and music director in ambient, jazz, rock, traditional, and classical styles.   

Chris has produced music for picture and stage for over forty years. He has credits for theater composition and sound design in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and nationally. Chris has scored feature and documentary films. He has developed library music for PBS television and NPR radio. He is the recipient of seven ASCAP Plus awards, five Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle Awards for composition.

Jacquelyn Scott - Costume and Production Design

Jacquelyn Scott works as a production designer and scenic designer for theater and film across the Bay Area. For theater, she has done scenic design, properties and special FX. Her work has been seen at American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Playhouse, Magic Theatre, Shotgun Players, and Z Space. As a production designer, she has created worlds for feature films, short films, music videos and commercials.  As a member of Five Ton Crane, an Oakland based artist collective, she has worked on several large scale pieces brought to Black Rock City, Golden Gate Park, and featured in The Smithsonian American Art Museum.