In many ways filmmaker Shane Carruth, 31, didn't make "Primer;" he lived it for two years. As screenwriter, editor, composer, lead actor and director, Carruth oversaw virtually every aspect of pre- and post-production for the sci-fi thriller which will open at E Street Cinema on Friday.
"It must really pretentious to see one name in front of all those credits," admitted Carruth over the phone. "But you have to realize with as little money we had there was no choice."
Before delving into filmmaking Carruth was a computer engineer who virtually taught himself to switch fields. After writing the screenplay for "Primer" over the course of a year, he spent the next year filming his screenplay and going through a process he described most succinctly as "hell."
"We had to do one take of every scene and use a rigid storyboard, which had problems," explained Carruth. "Whenever there was a continuity error, like someone is wearing different ties in a scene or a camera got blown, things became very frustrating. Post-production was especially hard. I discovered I was using the wrong materials for editing; while I was acting as foly in my apartment."
The unique style of cinematography on display in "Primer" is also proved to be a byproduct of the constraints put on Carruth by his $7,000 budget.
"I decided on using 16mm early on in production," reflected Carruth on the choice. "Initially, I wanted to film on digital, to match a computerized score I had intended to use, but it just didn't seem to work right. I knew 35 mm stock was too expensive, but I also wanted to do overexposure and color timing with the film. So I decided to film with a 16:16 ratio, which I was most comfortable with."
Repeatedly in the film viewers see displays of Carruth's engineering roots as the character he portrays, Aaron, acts alongside David Sullivan's Abe. They start off the film as confidants spouting off technical information and relating to each other through a shared frustration to improve their station in life. Their life changing invention, the titled "Primer," appears to wedge their relationship but also accentuate many of their similarities.
"With Aaron and Abe I roughly wanted to create two characters who were essentially the same guy but with drastically different lives," Carruth said. "For instance, while Aaron is raising a family and has a lot of responsibilities, Abe has people over crashing on his couch for the night."
One of the fundamental strengths of "Primer" is its realism, and lack of overly dramatic dialogue. The fact that its two main leads work regular 9-5 jobs and are not world-renowned scientists adds an extra layer to engage the audience. The plot itself is what Carruth specifically refers to as one of the strongest elements of realism in the film.
"I read a lot of non-fiction before starting on 'Primer,'" Carruth stated. "John Bardeen invented the transistor by accident while doing experiments with new vacuum tubing. This sort of discovery happens at every step of innovation; new inventions pop up due to side effects with really common experimenting."
The awards and promotional buzz lavished upon "Primer" after winning the Grand Jury Prize for Drama at the Sundance Film Festival didn't surprise Carruth too greatly. In fact, it could be said that he envisioned his film making a name for itself on the indie film circuit."
"When I finished writing the screenplay, I liked it a lot," Carruth said. "Later, after two years of editing, I realized it was slowly coming back to my original idea of what sort of film I wanted it to be. Then I thought, 'Maybe there's a chance here. Maybe I can get it into a festival like Sundance.'"
Currently, Carruth is focusing on getting back to writing screenplays. In the works is a love story about an oceanographer prodigy set off the coast of Southeast Asia.
Thanks to a decidedly positive notch under his belt with "Primer," Carruth's future looks bright with possibilities.
