Robert Altman, Mike Leigh, Joe Swanberg, the Duplass Brothers
Directors
MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE directed by Lynn Shelton starring Sean Nelson, Basil Harris and Calvin Reeder with Jeanette Maus written by Shelton, Nelson, Harris, Reeder, Maus shot by Benjamin Kasulke additional camerawork by Nate Miller, Lynn Shelton and Elie Goral sound by Vinny Smith music by Ted Speaker production design by Jasminka Vukcevic edited by Lynn Shelton and Sean Donavan produced by Lynn Shelton and Mark Price
Festivals
SXSW 2008 Ashland Film Festival 2008 Sarasota Film Festival 2008 Atlanta Film Festival 2008 IFFBoston 2008 Maryland Film Festival 2008 Seattle International Film Festival 2008
About me: Click HERE to see cool production pix by our talented stills photographer Elie Goral!
...a well-executed dissection of a particularly complicated male friendship.
- Michael Tully, Hammer to Nail
...Brilliance shows that you can be creative and revolutionary in your filmmaking approach without throwing out all the rules of simple drama.
- Mark Bell, Film Threat
The performances by Sean Nelson and Basil Harris seem deceptively casual and understated, but beneath the surface a very real tension exists between the two that simmers without ever erupting and exploding into a contrived denouement.
- Dan Nuxoll, Rooftop Films
The sense of improvisation is so strong and the film so gorgeously shot that you’ll feel like you’re tagging along on Eric’s weekend in the country.
- James McNally, Toronto Screenshots
For a film with virtually zero action, Shelton is able to create a sometimes remarkable volume of visual comedy...it’s a nicely rendered, novella-esque character study with some impressive naturalistic performances.
- Karina Longworth, spout.com
the film: "Two ex-buddies and an enigmatic third wheel spend an awkward weekend chopping wood, matching wits and ultimately embarking on a late-night, booze-soaked cougar hunt."
Writing in collaboration with the film’s performers, Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger), Basil Harris (We Go Way Back, Awesome) and Calvin Reeder (Little Farm, June & July), director Lynn Shelton takes a cinema verite approach to this, her second narrative feature. The deftly improvised performances create a nuanced portrait of the unspoken intricacies of male friendship.
the director: After a dozen years spent acting for the stage, and a decade more learning the ins and outs of cinema as an experimental and documentary filmmaker (The Clouds That Touch Us Out of Clear Skies, The Fruits of Our Labors) and as an editor (Outpatient, Hedda Gabler, Measure), Shelton wrote and directed her first feature-length film upon invitation from The Film Company, a nonprofit film studio. The result, We Go Way Back, premiered at the SLAMDANCE Film Festival in 2006 where it picked up the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography. It won those same awards at the Polish Torun Film Festival TOFFI, where it was also granted the Award for Best Director.
the cast and crew: To create a performance-friendly on-set atmosphere, Shelton condensed her crew down to three key artistic collaborators: the cinematographer and sound designer from We Go Way Back, Benjamin Kasulke and Vinny Smith, and talented production designer Jasminka Vukcevic. (Mascot, camera operator and P2 wrangler Nate M. Miller kept the set interesting.) Rather than writing a script and then searching for the right actors to fill the predetermined roles, the characters and plotline of MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE were custom-built around its stars. Mark Price and Ted Speaker round out the team as co-producer and composer, respectively.
for sales and festivals, contact: lynn shelton at seashel@earthlink.net
Recently uploaded is Shooter Jamie King’s feature STEAL THIS FILM II, a follow-up to his first film about film piracy, the torrent phenomenon and questioning the battles between new and old methods of distribution.
I just came to look at the page and see what was new and I got hypnotized by that slide show, and I really wanted to leave but I just couldn't look away...
