Exclusive Interview with Lynn Shelton

We asked our friend Lynn Shelton (My Effortless Brilliance, Humpday) some questions for our readers via an interview. I can remember discussing the new DIY filmmaking movement with her right before she would start her 2nd feature, My Effortless Brilliance, also right around the time we started our first one, Cookies & Cream. The camaraderie was contagious and inspiring. It was surreal to turn on OnDemand and watch MEB, not long after she revealed to us her plans to change her direction and try out a new, improvised, and fully collaborative approach to filmmaking.

For those that aren't as familiar with her story, Lynn Shelton grew up in Seattle, studying acting, painting, poetry and photography in her formative years. After a decade spent acting for the stage, she attended the MFA program in Photography at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She then spent a decade 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), before writing and directing her first feature-length film upon invitation from The Film Company, a nonprofit film studio. The result, We Go Way Back, premiered at SLAMDANCE 2006 where it picked up the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Award for Best Cinematography.

Her second feature film, My Effortless Brilliance, premiered at SXSW 2008 and screened at a bevy of festivals across the country. The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Direction at the Atlanta Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by IFC Films. Humpday, Lynn's third feature starring Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard, premiered at Sundance early this year. Our chat with her, after the jump:



OneWayTV: Your last two films (Humpday, My Effortless Brilliance) focus on male relationships. What draws you to that subject?

Lynn: "Every time a human being wants to connect to another human being, it's never a simple endeavor. If it's two straight guys we're talking about, it seems like the relationship is often especially fraught with layers and complications, which I seem naturally attracted to. That being said, I'm also looking forward to exploring the complications of female relationships and female-male relationships at some point as well."

OneWayTV: In regards to an on screen relationship, how far is it safe to go, both physically and emotionally?

Lynn: "It's absolutely essential to me that my actors (as well as everyone else on my set) feel emotionally and physically safe at all times. I absolutely will not push an actor to go somewhere or do something they are not 100% comfortable with. Inviting actors into the project as true collaborators at a very early stage seems to encourage a level of commitment and engagement that gives me what I need from them as a director."

OneWayTV: How does utilizing improvised scenes influence your camera frame set up and motion?

Lynn: "I feel like I am improvising as a director in a way that is parallel to the way the actors are working. I need to be very 'on my feet' when on set, flexible enough to adjust as the scenes evolve."

OneWayTV: What's been your experience with the online distribution of My Effortless Brilliance? Is that a model you will seek for your future work as well?

Lynn: "I want folks to see my films. After a theatrical release (in an ideal world), having the film available for viewing on both DVD and digital download would be my ideal. Basically giving folks as many options as possible for viewing it. If online distribution is the only option, I'll take it!!! By the way, My Effortless Brilliance will be available on DVD starting November 17th."

OneWayTV: How important is it for filmmakers working on low to no budget films to participate in the film festival circuit?

Lynn: "The film festival circuit is often the only opportunity that a filmmaker will have to present their film in theaters. It is also an incredibly essential networking platform. Facebook and Myspace are great but there's nothing like a little face-to-face interaction with other folks who live in the DIY filmmaking trenches with you."

OneWayTV: Is it okay for you to reveal to us when the DVD release for Humpday will be?

Lynn: "Mid-November!"

OneWayTV: What are you working on now?

Lynn: "I'm in the midst of editing a 12-episode web series called '$5 Cover Seattle' for mtv.com. It's a postcard from Seattle via a slice of our indie music scene: 12 bands are represented via musical performances interwoven with vignettes that provide a glimpse into their creative processes and their everyday lives. Look for it online at the end of January 2010!"

For more on Lynn, visit her SITE.

To track Humpday and receive DVD news go HERE.