‘Brilliant Minds’ Director/EP Blends Reality Show Vibes With Story Of Healing

Brilliant Minds Executive Producer DeMane Davis sits down with The Contending to discuss her direction of “The Contestant.”

Truman Show syndrome leverages the great 1998 Peter Weir film to describe a very modern, and very serious delusion. As in the Jim Carrey film, the victim believes their full life to be a staged reality show. They also believe that they are constantly being watched via cleverly hidden cameras. Perhaps not so surprisingly to some, men experience this delusion in greater numbers. Yet, NBC’s Brilliant Minds explores this condition by recreating the perceived reality of Lauren B, wonderfully played by Molly Bernard.

Directed by series executive producer DeMane Davis, “The Contestant” illustrates the intense angst and harm that can come to someone suffering from Truman Show syndrome. Davis brilliantly (pun fully intended) recreates Lauren’s reality with her pink-tinted lens and other camera effects. That shift helps the viewer understand the depth of Lauren’s delusion.

These are but a few of the subtle directorial touches Davis employs. Her guidance evolves the episode into a sensitive story of healing.

“We’re allowed to have a patient perspective that really puts you inside the head, the heart, the mind, the body of the patient. That in itself is just so creative, something that showrunner Michael Grassi and pilot director Lee Tolan Krieger came up with, and it gives directors a lot of freedom,” Davis explained. “So you’re constantly thinking of new ways to portray these conditions in camera. That’s super exciting. You don’t really get that kind of freedom on other shows.”

Director DeMane Davis made a major splash at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival with Lift, starring Kerry Washington. Since that film, Davis shepherded several episodes of some of television’s most acclaimed series including Queen Sugar, How To Get Away With Murder, and the limited series Self-Made. The latter netted Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer a richly deserved Emmy nomination.

Here, in an interview with The Contending, Brilliant Minds “The Contestant” director DeMane Davis describes her close ties to and strong belief in the NBC series. She talks about her vision for “The Contestant” and the thrill of working with such a talented cast, including lead Zachary Quinto, guest star Molly Bernard, and new recurring star Bellamy Young. She elaborates on the mechanics of visually realizing the depth of Lauren B’s delusion. Finally, she talks about the importance of role playing when treating someone with a mental illness and what’s next for her on Brilliant Minds.

Brilliant Minds and “The Contestant” stream exclusively on Peacock. New episodes air Monday nights on NBC.