Video

A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

by Rusty Sheridan

QUICK INFO

"A Declaration of Independence" is a short narrative comedy written, directed and edited by Rusty Sheridan. The film was Sheridan's thesis film in UNC Greensboro's MFA in Film & Video Production program and was featured on UNC-TV's North Carolina Visions series.

SYNOPSIS

Mortimer J. Simpkins (aka 'Morty') is a would-be filmmaker whose dreams are as large as his collected debt, and his passion and commitment to becoming one of the greatest filmmakers of all time is only hindered by his questionable artistry and rough-and-tumble production team which includes his niece, homeless men and others with similar amounts of film experience. Through a series of personal challenges, Mortimer is able to realize what is important to him, and what might be larger than any film he could ever make.

TEASER TRAILER

Click on the video below to view the trailer for "A Declaration of Independence"

CREDITS

Writer, Director, Editor: Rusty Sheridan
Cinematographer: Erik Murphy
1st AD: William S. Davis
Starring: Chris Walters, Emerald Robinson, Yul Vasquez

GALLERY

"A Declaration of Independence" Production Photos

DIRECTOR'S ESSAY

"A Declaration of Independence" by Rusty Sheridan

I began my filmmaking career with a featurette that slowly festered in my mind for many years preceding production. Many filmmakers, and indeed many artists of other media as well, will tell you that their earliest works are weak, or at least mildly embarrassing. This is due to the fact that art and life itself are completely intertwined. Just as we grow older and develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as human beings, so too do our artistic creations continuously evolve. Imagine where you were in your life 5 or 10 or 20 years ago, and think about how your own personal tastes and choices and values have adapted as time went on. The oeuvre of the artist is no different. And although I acknowledge that my mind and body will continue to evolve, and the art that I create—the product of my mind and body—may continue to evolve, I will always be proud of and honored by my first film. Who knows what the future may hold, but in many ways my first film is my Opus, as it remains the most personal and autobiographical of all the projects I have created thus far.

The film is a comedic narrative about an aspiring independent film director named Mortimer (Morty for short). Morty has high aspirations and seemingly noble goals, but he is young and overly self-confident about his abilities to achieve his dreams. Over the course of the film Morty encounters the obvious obstacles like running out of money, being dumped by a girl, and receiving misguided advice from the wrong people. But the main obstacle Morty encounters is his own naïve misunderstanding about what he really wants in life. Mortimer’s journey becomes one of discovery of who he really is and what he wants to accomplish.

Mortimer J. Simkins and Rustam J. Sheridan are intimately connected (although I like to think I am much better looking, no offense to the actor Chris Walters who portrays Mortimer). Morty begins the film as a lost man-child, and my own goals and worldview changed very rapidly as I became an adult. Even when I decided that I knew what I was going to do with my life (pursue filmmaking), the motivations behind the decision were not immediately apparent to me, at least not consciously. But as I approached the end of my tenure in the M.F.A. program in film production at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and thought turned to my Thesis production, I began to question my past objectives and started down that same path of discovery that Mortimer encounters in the film.

The title of the film is of course a triple entendre referencing 1) independent film production as opposed to studio film production, 2) one’s personal declaration of being a unique human being, and 3) the historical document written by Thomas Jefferson, “The Declaration of Independence”. Like Mortimer, I share an affinity for history, politics, and philosophy. Mortimer explores his affinity through characters and plots dealing with revolution and the independent spirit inherent amongst early American Patriots. And ultimately I have done the same thing, for Morty’s film is my film. To further accentuate the link between Mortimer and me, the role of Jefferson Payne (an amalgam of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, 2 important 18^th century revolutionaries) in Mortimer’s film “We The People” is played by yours truly, Rusty Sheridan. Like Francois Truffaut the actor playing the part of film director in “Day for Night”, I felt it important to play the part of the revolutionary for Mortimer myself. We are inextricably linked, Mortimer and I. His film is mine, mine is his, and we are both manifestations of the independent filmmaker, the independent American, and the independent individual Self.

I fondly reflect on “A Declaration of Independence” not just because of the near and dear nature of the subject matter, but also because I am proud of the logistical feats pulled off over the course of the production. Like most young adults exiting college, I faced seemingly insurmountable financial obstacles as I segued into the “real world”. And like Mortimer, I struggled to procure the necessary elements that I needed to shoot a 30-minute film with scores of logistical challenges. Some notable logistical challenges were:

1-finding 100+ actors for the crowd scenes

2-convincing municipal officials to let me fire an 18^th century replica musket rifle downtown

3-creating the illusion of a large-budget studio picture for Morty’s big budget film, “Liberty Shrugged”

All of which were done, of course, on a shoestring (nay, an aglet) budget. It took a while, and I would frequently have to halt production for a time while I went to work freelancing on NASCAR commercials or shooting wedding videos to raise enough funds to get back to shooting my own film. The pressure and stress of all of those challenges were extraordinarily frustrating. But all of those challenges paled in comparison to the greatest of all challenges faced by the independent filmmaker, and it is solving that dilemma that has been the greatest success that I have taken from this film. That challenge was finding a team of reliable individuals who shared my passion and desire for making movies. As proud as I am of my spirit of revolutionary individualism that is inherent to my psyche, I am open and honest about needing help to execute my thematic vision. And I found that help with my key crew, including Director of Photography Erik Murphy and Assistant Director William S. Davis. “A Declaration of Independence” became the first Yellow Arrow narrative film production, even before there was a Yellow Arrow Film. And over 4 years later, “A Declaration of Independence” is a fond memory of the past, while Yellow Arrow Film, Inc. is moving towards the future.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Rusty Sheridan was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to South Dakota before living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He received bachelor's degrees in philosophy and mass media communications from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master's degree in Film and Video Production from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Along with his production company Yellow Arrow Film, Inc., Sheridan is a film professor at The Art Institute of Charlotte and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His award-winning film work has been featured in festivals nationally and internationally, on television and in galleries. In addition to his film career, Sheridan has remained politically active, running for political office at the mayoral and senate levels.

Rustam

INFORMATION

To read a Q&A with director Rusty Sheridan for UNC TV's North Carolina Visions series, click here.

For more information on "A Declaration of Independence" or to contact the filmmaker, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This comprehensive demo reel displays all areas of company's film work including music video, documentary, experimental and narrative works.

Yellow Arrow Film is:
William S. Davis
Bradlee Crawford Hicks
Nathan Jordan
Erik Murphy
Rusty Sheridan

A teaser for the video art piece "The Oregon Trail II", detailing the use and misuse of stereotypes throughout the history of American cinema. All footage shot on location in Charlotte, North Carolina by Yellow Arrow Film, Inc.

Conceptualization, Director, Editor: William S. Davis
Cinematographer: Erik Murphy
Props/Set Design: Bradlee Hicks and Christian Domarus
Talent: Rusty Sheridan, Bobby Blue, Shaun Donaldson, Sharan Downes, Chris Walters