Interview With Four Eyed Monsters,
Filmmakers : Arin and Susan (added
May 17, 2007) &
T-Shirt Giveaway below...
 [Wendy
at Dreamish.com] I have been watching the
progress of Arin and Susan with their project, the Four
Eyed Monsters film, for quite a while now. They have been
showing their story through podcasts, blog posts, and newsletter
updates. They have been using just about every media available
to help with exposure for their work. They have presented an intriquing
way to gain the interest of their audience. They are determined
and creative. However, they still need help.
The internet has allowed people to decide what they want to watch
and hear while pushing aside much of the pre-processed material
that tends to get thrust out into the public. Arin and Susan have
gained many fans on their own without the usual distribution methods
and old dictated process of having a film created and made available
to the public.
Along their journey, they also selflessly
help to promote others in the music and media world.
We have all been there... in the beginning
of starting our own lives... and finding someone to share our
lives with in a relationship...
I wanted to share Arin and Susan's
story with you, so I asked to collaborate on an interview with
them....
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com]
When did your journey begin with the Four
Eyes Monsters project?
[Arin Crumley] Well I guess pretty much when
we met each other in September of 2002. But we started working
on the film to convey our experiences around November of 2003.
Finished a rough cut about a year later, showed the rough cut
at Slamdance 2005, then showed a less rough in our self distribution
theatrical release in September of 2006 and finally had a final
cut we released on the DVD off our website on March 31st of this
year. So its been a long road.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] When
you started the project, did you have any experience or education
in the film field?
[Arin Crumley]
I had a lot of technical experience in shooting
and editing video and Susan had been learning for a year. She
has a fine art background and I didn't go to college.
 [Wendy
at Dreamish.com] With
Episode
1 "In the beginning", you expressed how you were
creative, but not able to find a way to communicate it. How have
things changed since the beginning, now that you have given everyone
a window to view your world and your relationship.
[Arin Crumley] Hmm.
Still trapped inside the confines of my brain. But I guess maybe
I've let others peer in?
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] In
Episode 1, you mentioned how you started your project. Did you
quit your jobs to be able to work as needed on the project? How
many hours a day did you tend to put into the creation process?
[Arin Crumley] Well this
project has been 10 to 18 hour days or longer for about 3 and
a half years. Yes, I know, crazy. But sometimes we'll take a day
off for rest or for paid work. But no real jobs. Just "gigs"
basically. But this is like once a week at the most, and more
for Susan then for me, I pretty much never take gigs anymore,
there just isn't time. So we go without money if we have to.
 [Wendy
at Dreamish.com] In
Episode 1 & 2
"The Investment", you mentioned how financing the
film was done by using credit cards and help from family. Were
you aware of how much it would cost to create this film? Was it
impossible to get any financial investor backing for your project?
[Arin Crumley] Yes,
it was impossible to get a financial backer. We had no track record
of any kind. No script. No indication that we had anything. Just
some ideas in our heads. And further more, to have tried to first
convey this all to some backer would have killed our process.
Similar to the reason we don't have backing for our next project.
And if we can't even get backing for our next project, surely
there is no way in gods name we could have done it for our first.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] Was
the Four
Eyed Monster website created in the beginning of the project?
Did you design and set it up yourself?
[Arin Crumley] We
made www.foureyedmonsters.com
a few weeks before going out to slamdance in 2005. We needed a
place for their site to link to. The way back machine has a pretty
funny early version of our site. It was nothing like the RSSing,
podcasting, blogging, open source 2.0 mega word press site we
have today.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] What
other types of internet avenues did you use? (I remember trying
to make it to the Second Life screening, but my computer wouldn't
cooperate while in there.) Which avenues were the most valuable
to bringing new viewers? What seemed to be the hardest to deal
with?
[Arin Crumley] Podcasting.
Simple. That is the future of entertainment. Bits of media that
come to you automatically if your subscribed. No TV channel has
that. No major studio has that. No radio DJ has that. When we
make a new video or have a new trailer or post a new short episode
or have a video invitation, our subscribers get it. They've basically
pleged by subscribing that they want to hear from us. They want
to know what we are up to and see what ever we make and put up
there. It's the single most powerful thing we've done online and
it's the reason we were able to do everything else we've done
online. Once you have a fan base, you can mess around, experiment,
do crazy things like screen the film in the 3D world of Second
Life and have avatars sitting in theater seats in a virtual space.
That was probably taking things too far by the way, but it's been
fun experimenting in this world of media and technology innovation
that is being re-invented before our eyes.
 [Wendy
at Dreamish.com] In
Episode
3 "Pretend", I love how you show the real and genuine
side of working on the project through these episodes. You started
developing problems in your relationship due to the stress involved
in getting the film ready for the Slamdance film festival. Is
there anything you would have done differently if you got to do
it all over again?
[Arin Crumley] Relationships
and projects are not the same thing. But at the time the Episode
3 material was filmed, we thought they were the same thing. That's
how in it we were.
 [Wendy
at Dreamish.com] Along
came...
Episode 3.5,
Episode
4 "Waiting For Crumley",
Episode
5 "Losers",
Episode
6 "Inside the Acting Studio",
Episode
7 "If you give a mouse a cookie..." and
Episode
8 "The Family Meeting"...
You show how you had a stalled moment,
a rollercoaster ride of emotions, exhaustion, a break in trust during
your trip to Slamdance, and relationship breakdowns. They are dramatic
episodes showing what can happen in the film industry. Do you feel
as though you were taken advantage of since you were new to the
process? Would you have contracts and specific roles written up
in the future and do things a bit more formal?
[Arin Crumley] No.
I don't plan to use contracts in the future. In fact, I plan to
get even more organic with the collaboration. And I think the solution
to the credits problem is meta data. That's all everyone wanted.
They just wanted a way to know who was in-front and who was on set
for every scene. Our next project is going to have meta data like
that. And then there can be no credits because it's all accessible
online.
They say it's bad to wait until a project is done to then go in
and try to get contracts, I agree, if you have a normal project
with normal roles, absolutely, but if you want to be fluid, I stand
behind not asking people to sign until the end, that way you can
know for sure, it hasn't hurt the work in anyway.
The other thing to do is have people sign something the moment you
meet them. Honestly, I've done that too, had people sign releases
when they come to the audition, then forget all about it.
Bottom line, contracts are weird. They just are. They rub everyone
the wrong way. They keep people awake at night. Why, because they
relate to money. Which is ridiculous to have had a problem with
a film like Four Eyed Monsters that has made no money to speak of.
But the second your relationships start having this clinical monetary
tinge. That's when it gets weird. And that's across the board. Susan
and I deciding to marry our finances turned into problems. Actors
wondering what their financial compensation for their contributions
would be caused problems. And I'd even go as far as to say our connection
with our audience has been slightly offended due to us selling t-shirts
and DVDs and soon downloads of our feature film. I wish there was
another way. I have a big problem with money and what it does to
social and collaborative dynamics..
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] You
created these podcast episodes with some incredible music. Did you
have pay to use the music or was it a collaborative co-promotion
arrangement?
[Arin Crumley] Oh my god,
more on the money tip. Now so far that's all been fine. Indie bands
are completely fine trading exposure for use of music. They are
in the same situation as us, they are running from obscurity and
chasing exposure to avoid curling up and dying.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] The
DVD is now available with original artwork, all of the episodes,
and more. I am anxious and look forward to receiving the copy I
have ordered. How are things going with this part of the process?
[Arin Crumley] As
of May 15th we've sold 750 DVDs. We are pretty happy about that.
But the goal is to sell 5,000 during 2007, so we have to pick up
the pace if we are going to get there. That will get us out of debt
from making the film. And our future goal will of course be to make
more projects once we are in the clear from this one.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] Your
vision is something that will inspire many people. What are you
doing these days to move forward?
[Arin Crumley] Well
I've been writing tutorials for other filmmakers on our website
and collecting ideas and experiences for our next project. Susan
has been doing photo documentation of various things and editing
a bunch of material we will be posting later. And finally, I try
to constantly zoom out. I've been studying the way our financial
system works, how it really works and the corruption there and also
paying way more attention to world politics. So what does it matter
to be making personal work in a world where humanity is clearly
sick on a larger societal scale. Well the answer I have thus far
is that if individuals were okay in their lives, if they were okay
in their relationships, maybe we wouldn't have the genocidal and
self destructive human race. Maybe we would have a loving-caring,
and understanding human race.
[Wendy
at Dreamish.com] Thanks
Arin!
Arin and Susan are very talented and can use everyone's support.
:)
-
Visit
the Four Eyed Monsters website - Watch the Film Trailer- Order the
DVD & t-shirts
- Visit
the Official MySpace for Four Eyed Monsters
- Visit
Wendy on Myspace
*Tshirt Winner: Cliff Williams
_______________________
|
Arin Crumley
/ Susan Buice |
|
| Four Eyed Monsters |
 |
|
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