Shane Carruth Biography

Date of Birth: 1973

Shane Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but as the son of an Air Force sergeant he grew up all over the United States. He graduated college with a degree in mathematics and went to work as a software engineer. However, he realized he wanted to tell stories, and after beginning a novel, decided he needed to tell the story on film. In his spare time he took film courses and learned all he could about the medium.

Carruth saved up $7,000 and not only wrote, but also directed and starred in his first feature, Primer. With five weeks to shoot, he did just one take of every scene, using a crew of four. For background noise, he ventured into traffic with a DAT recorder and microphone. Post production took two years, but the film, about two young engineers (Carruth and David Sullivan) who work by day for a large corporation and make startling discoveries while conducting extracurricular experiments, won Grand Jury Prize (Drama) at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmography:

Primer (2004)