foureyedmonsters

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

Risselada — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:00:47 GMT

iwouldbeanoutlaw:

howdy,

This is kind of more like a reponse then a question. First of all, this must be so weird for me or anyone else in the world to be able to take this giant leap to look at you and your lives as you've shown them, its incredible, its beautiful art...so thank you.

I wanted you to know Susan there is someone out there who whole heartedly indentifies with your fatal flaw... I too have the curse. But I want you to know you have been an inspiration, but however inspiring I HAVE THIS DAMN FATAL FLAW! Excuse the sound of anger and frustraion... OK

I will let you know if I ever find a cure.

Damn Arin, you seem like a trutly wonderful guy. You are both beautiful....and **** I sound like a creep again.

Anyways the reponse...

I am currently in a relationship running fairly parallel to your foureyedmonster episodes. We are going on three years now, ...'my guy', he's amazing and I love him...And when we first got together we we're so invigorated and simply right...fucking inspired. Now I feel like we've hit this wall...we are no longer inspiring eachother, and I feel as if I need to get away from him to get any of my shit figuired out, or maybe if I had more space or time to myself I would be able to get some art done. I've had some amazing idea's...but thats just what they are...idea's.

At the same time I am having this struggle because he is my best friend, he is my lover, he is my family, he is me... I know we are suffering the same feelings, neither of us can cope. But, do I leave, can I honestly walk away from the most amazing fucking person/things I have seen/met/experienced/looooved? I have never gone so far as Susan to even get the balls to kiss anyone else, but i've thought about it, I feel, young, and sexed... and I want change....or do I, you know?

I simply can't figure it out, and humans as a general rule they think they want soemthing...and then they get it...and then are they any happier? or do they want something else.

where is the end of the earth?

am i dying alive or can art still be evoked from this lifeless monster.

better yet, can love survive...

your sad sap friend,

nicole.

p.s. good luck to you both, i hope you both find what you're looking for.

I'm curious about this fatal flaw. What is it??

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

iwouldbeanoutlaw — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:42:31 GMT

iwouldbeanoutlaw:

howdy,

This is kind of more like a reponse then a question. First of all, this must be so weird for me or anyone else in the world to be able to take this giant leap to look at you and your lives as you've shown them, its incredible, its beautiful art...so thank you.

I wanted you to know Susan there is someone out there who whole heartedly indentifies with your fatal flaw... I too have the curse. But I want you to know you have been an inspiration, but however inspiring I HAVE THIS DAMN FATAL FLAW! Excuse the sound of anger and frustraion... OK

I will let you know if I ever find a cure.

Damn Arin, you seem like a trutly wonderful guy. You are both beautiful....and **** I sound like a creep again.

Anyways the reponse...

I am currently in a relationship running fairly parallel to your foureyedmonster episodes. We are going on three years now, ...'my guy', he's amazing and I love him...And when we first got together we we're so invigorated and simply right...fucking inspired. Now I feel like we've hit this wall...we are no longer inspiring eachother, and I feel as if I need to get away from him to get any of my shit figuired out, or maybe if I had more space or time to myself I would be able to get some art done. I've had some amazing idea's...but thats just what they are...idea's.

At the same time I am having this struggle because he is my best friend, he is my lover, he is my family, he is me... I know we are suffering the same feelings, neither of us can cope. But, do I leave, can I honestly walk away from the most amazing fucking person/things I have seen/met/experienced/looooved? I have never gone so far as Susan to even get the balls to kiss anyone else, but i've thought about it, I feel, young, and sexed... and I want change....or do I, you know?

I simply can't figure it out, and humans as a general rule they think they want soemthing...and then they get it...and then are they any happier? or do they want something else.

where is the end of the earth?

am i dying alive or can art still be evoked from this lifeless monster.

better yet, can love survive...

your sad sap friend,

nicole.

p.s. good luck to you both, i hope you both find what you're looking for.

you know like thoes houses of mirrors where you walk in and you see yourself and you look like someone else but everything else is you....i feel kind of like that when i watch your video's.

its too bad this discussion board is closed and this may never be read.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

iwouldbeanoutlaw — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:55:16 GMT

howdy,

This is kind of more like a reponse then a question. First of all, this must be so weird for me or anyone else in the world to be able to take this giant leap to look at you and your lives as you've shown them, its incredible, its beautiful art...so thank you.

I wanted you to know Susan there is someone out there who whole heartedly indentifies with your fatal flaw... I too have the curse. But I want you to know you have been an inspiration, but however inspiring I HAVE THIS DAMN FATAL FLAW! Excuse the sound of anger and frustraion... OK

I will let you know if I ever find a cure.

Damn Arin, you seem like a trutly wonderful guy. You are both beautiful....and **** I sound like a creep again.

Anyways the reponse...

I am currently in a relationship running fairly parallel to your foureyedmonster episodes. We are going on three years now, ...'my guy', he's amazing and I love him...And when we first got together we we're so invigorated and simply right...fucking inspired. Now I feel like we've hit this wall...we are no longer inspiring eachother, and I feel as if I need to get away from him to get any of my shit figuired out, or maybe if I had more space or time to myself I would be able to get some art done. I've had some amazing idea's...but thats just what they are...idea's.

At the same time I am having this struggle because he is my best friend, he is my lover, he is my family, he is me... I know we are suffering the same feelings, neither of us can cope. But, do I leave, can I honestly walk away from the most amazing fucking person/things I have seen/met/experienced/looooved? I have never gone so far as Susan to even get the balls to kiss anyone else, but i've thought about it, I feel, young, and sexed... and I want change....or do I, you know?

I simply can't figure it out, and humans as a general rule they think they want soemthing...and then they get it...and then are they any happier? or do they want something else.

where is the end of the earth?

am i dying alive or can art still be evoked from this lifeless monster.

better yet, can love survive...

your sad sap friend,

nicole.

p.s. good luck to you both, i hope you both find what you're looking for.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

Brandonburchard — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:34:07 GMT

After watching your podcasts numerous times everytime I wonder to myself "Why is it I want you two to be together so bad?". Ive never met you, I dont know you by anything other than what your podcasts have shown me but I cant imagine a world that you two wouldnt be together in. I cant really say you seem perfect for eachother as I wouldnt know, I guess I wanted to know if Arin would ever give your intimate relationship a second chance? It just seems so wrong for you two not to enjoy the problems and joys of life together, no matter how enjoyable or miserable things end up. Is it not fact that you two would want to experience these problems together rather then anyone else in the world? Dont you both think about eachother almost everyday? If you two do still question your relationship is it truly over? these question are keeping me bogged down and I cant seem to bring them up with anyone other then you as you've experienced a living, breathing, and dieing relationship. I just want to keep my relationship from spiraling downward (Although I highly doubt it would ever happen). Im hitting about the age you two were when beginning your relationship. I was the same as Arin before I met my other, weve been together for almost 2 years. sorry for such a long response, your movie has opened my eyes in sooo many ways I couldnt begin to describe how you both have effected me. Also are you ever going to Florida for anything in the future it would be nice to actually talk and meet you guys in my lifetime. Hopefully this question will reach you and Im not too late. Please give these questions some thought, if your relationship was to continue I think I could continue my life knowing that if Arin and Susan can get over there differences, anyone can!

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:32:10 GMT

Untitled from susanbuice on Vimeo.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

xannalee — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:46:33 GMT

Thank you for taking the time to read my questions. I have 3:

1. You opened yourselves up to public scrutiny through your project. While it seems that the response has been positive in general, do you find the self induced publicity invasive at all?

2. Since your romantic relationship has apparently concluded it seems like the public responses have centered around that ending. However I always felt like the whole ‘point’ of the project (if there is just one) was not necessarily your specific romantic relationship but the exploration of communication and peer interaction in general. Am I off here?

3. With the assumption that the exploration of communication was key to the project- Have you learned anything about communication that you’ll take with you in later relationships, romantic or otherwise?

Best wishes to you both. I see so much of myself in you Susan and so much of both my current boyfriend and an ex in you Arin- watching you both feels like watching my own life sometimes. I wonder how many other people have gone through similar experiences. I can't decide if it makes me feel less special to know my experiences are not unique; or if it makes me feel relieved to not be alone.

Did you ever get out of credit card debt?

djskype — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:56:49 GMT

Did you ever get out of credit card debt?

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

roozoe — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:22:15 GMT

Hi,

For Erin: At the beginning of the movie you were mostly doing marriges and were unhappy in it though you made little efforts, at the end you seem to travel and helping out in what you really want to do. How do you feel this project kick started you into what you've wanted to do for a while ? How did Susan affect your motivation and getting things through ? Was it chance that she arrived at the right point of you life or did you really push each other.

For Susan: How has this project affected your direction ? You were always an artist, but you are portrayed as a visual artisit, now you're in film. Do you plan on going back to visual arts? How has this experience changed your perspective? Do you think you would you still be a struggling waitress?

This relationship clearly made you push each other further creatively. I would like your thought on it and how ultimatly you pushed each other too far, spent too much time in the claustriophobic enviroment. Could the relationship have been saved with the big fat cheque mentionned earlier, or without the movie, if you kept your day jobs and made slow little podcasts ?

Good luck in all your projects,

with Love,

Gabriella

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

arincrumley — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:04:49 GMT

EmoGirl2008:

I want 2 know what is love between a human and a Four Eyed Monsters ?

a love triangle? or a threesome?

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

arincrumley — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:21:19 GMT

I have a couple 'nuts and bolts' questions for you.

-Does the credit card monster still exist? Or are you both seeing the light from under that mountain (particularly in funding from FEM but probably from other sources as well)?

Currently the credit card monster does still exist. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We're still awaiting payment from various distribution outlets that we've sold rights to and as those come through big chunks of debt will be neutralized. We should be entirely out of debt by February 2009 and all the debt will be absolved by revenue streams coming from Four Eyed Monsters. That's really exciting. I know it seems very mechanical but the idea that an act of creativity can have value and can be enough to pay for itself and you while you're working on it makes me want to giggle hysterically. I think one of the problems Arin and I have suffered from and a major problem for a lot of creatives I know is feeling that you shouldn't be compensated for your creative work or that you won't be even if you deserve to be. I think we all intellectually understand that we should be able to support ourselves with our filmmaking, music making or art making or whatever it is we're compelled to do, but for a long time I haven't felt on, an emotional level, that I deserved that or that it was even possible. Clearing out that block is the first step to financial success and freedom. I am now beginning to find budgets for projects I want to work on and I foresee actually earning income out of making films and music videos.

-What is the actual timeframe of the last several episodes in particular? I haven't kept up with regularity, but I did notice the gap in anything being released, yet the timeframe I percieved is a little confusing to me (ie. episode 8 seemed to be less than a year from the release of the last several episodes yet more than a year seemed to have elapsed in that time.)

Episode 9 picked up where episode 8 left off. When episode 8 was posted it discussed events that had happened about a year earlier. There were a lot of logistical reasons why we halted in producing episodes but I think the main reason was that the story we needed to tell was still playing out. Even though where episode 9 picked up had by that time happened 2 years earlier we were about to the tell the story of how things fell apart, but when we first tried editing that stuff we were in the midst of that story occuring. It was almost impossible editing that footage because it all pointed to what was happening in our relationship at that time. A year or more elapsed between episode 8 and 9 because we broke up, kept working together, started dating other people, kept working together etc. We were feeling our way through everything, trying to understand who we were to each other. When we edited the new episodes, 9,10 and 11 were about events that had taken place about 2 years prior, episodes 12 started where episode 11 left off covered about a 2 year period of time after that, then episode 13 covered the following year and caught up to where we were in November of 2007.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

arincrumley — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:03:49 GMT

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

arincrumley — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:40:35 GMT

rachellehcar:

Through it all do you have one favorite moment in time?

Rachellehcar,

Good question. I don't know about one. But a I can say a few that were really exhilarating, the time I stalked susan as she left her work and sent her the pictures in her email and our first date which ended my sexual dry spell in a glorious wonderful experience. Also then when we decided that life had brought us an opportunity to tell a crazy story and that this might be the only opportunity that we'd have and we had to take it and jump full force into telling our story. And then again when we got into slamdance and also when we were invited by YouTube to be the first feature length film posted to YouTube and we started seeing we started seeing the view count sky rocket and spout dollars come flying in. Those are just a few of the many highlights for myself.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

EmoGirl2008 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:07:25 GMT

I want 2 know what is love between a human and a Four Eyed Monsters ?

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

opalexian — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:58:51 GMT

Hi guys. Thank you so much for being so open and sharing of your life together. I think that everyone could learn something from it, but that in particular more withdrawn, creative types can look at it and feel like we're not alone. That's truly a gift to the world.

I have a couple 'nuts and bolts' questions for you.

-Does the credit card monster still exist? Or are you both seeing the light from under that mountain (particularly in funding from FEM but probably from other sources as well)?

-What is the actual timeframe of the last several episodes in particular? I haven't kept up with regularity, but I did notice the gap in anything being released, yet the timeframe I percieved is a little confusing to me (ie. episode 8 seemed to be less than a year from the release of the last several episodes yet more than a year seemed to have elapsed in that time.)

Thank you again, I really look forward to your other projects, especially the Burning Man project!

-lisa

Re:In the end

susanbuice — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:45:25 GMT

pola16-7:

Hi Suan & Arin,

I can´t help myself feeling a little sad and lost while your "project" finally came to an end. To me it was nothing but touching.

Although, I guess, everybody was hoping for an "happy end" (better: no end) it came differently and now I´m left behind with shattered feelings that are hardly to describe. What about you two?

Have your expectations, your hopes or your fears (as long as you can describe them for yourself) been fullfilled?

How would these sentences end?

"We started it, because...."

"We hold on to the project, because..."

"We brought it to an end, bacause..."

In the end, wasn´t there I kind of fight between you both, something like a need to show "I´m stronger than you" ? Has there been jealousy or rivalry between you (as the two main actors) at any time?

For me the last episodes have been nothing like that kind of fight, a fight that Arin finally lost because he continued to refer to his love (and his being a monster) instead of referring to individual needs and breaking out.

Susan, are you "the winner" because you were the one who broke out and brought it to an end?

Arin, do you feel left behind because she did it like that?

And the most important question, of course: Today, at this moment while your reading this, do you still love each other?

I would be really glad if you could find the time to answer some of my questions.

Thank you for your inspiring work. I wish all the best to you both!

Pola

Hey Pola, these are really thought provoking questions. I'll do my best to answer them. First I will try to finish your sentences and then I will try to address some of you questions about power struggle because I think they're really good.

We started it because we loved each other and we loved to be creative together.

We hold onto the project because I'm personally terrified of letting it go. When I think about four eyed monsters ending and my affiliation with Arin ending it spirals me into terror and self doubt. The questions that come to mind are 'how will I make stuff on my own?, how will I be financially self sufficient?' Really logistical questions about my survival as an independent being plague me but I don't think those are the real questions that bother me, I think my brain is just seizing upon rational problems to express a much deeper loss that my intellect can't really wrap itself around. It's a return to the same problems I had before I met Arin. This crippling self doubt about my abilities as a creative and as a self sufficient valuable person. When Arin fell in love with me it helped me see myself as someone valuable and love-able. When we started working together it gave me a sense of purpose. I was happy and creatively fufilled. This underlying terror and self doubt never left me though ( l call it my FATAL FLAW), our interaction together alleviated it and even distracted me from it for a good while. Ultimately I think it was partly this problem I had before I met Arin the contributed to our spiral into an unhealthy relationship and the break up because he couldn't prevent those problems from coming back and eventually our being together became an obvious crutch for me emotionally and it became impossible for me to try to resolve them on my own in the context of the relationship.

We brought this to an end because we were relying on each other too much to be everything to one another. Our dependence on each other became crippling and as much as the crippled part needed the relationship it was making us so unhappy that we had to end it so that we could continue to develop, grow and change.

A power struggle did ensue, on my behalf, because of this feeling that I needed Arin much more than he needed me. I also just felt terrible that I relied on him for so much. I didn't really dislike or dis-love Arin, I resented him because I was growing to dislike myself so much and I believed he was disliking me too. At a certain point I felt like Arin no longer saw what he found valuable or love-able about me when we met, I felt like he was disliking me for the same reasons I disliked myself. He was like a constant mirror of everything that was wrong with me. I'm not sure if that was me projecting emotions onto him or if he felt that way too sometimes, like I was some steaming pile of shit in the middle of our loft. I definitely don't feel "I won". During the dying of our relationship I felt like we were both cosmic losers. In the end if anyone 'won', though I'm not sure I even believe in that as a concept, it 's Arin. He has been doing great since our break up, he's traveling around and constantly meeting new people and working on projects he's passionate about and he seems really free and happy I'm the one that's still wondering what to do with myself. Even though I'm deeply in love with someone else right now I'm terrified it will go to hell in a hand basket no matter what I do, that I have a self destruct button and that the FATAL FLAW will slowly rot the love from the inside out . Even though I think Arin and I are both better for having broken up I still feel incredibly sad that it didn't work out. I think I'm afraid it means nothing will ever last.

I'll always love Arin. Our relationship made us family. I think as we've been apart some distance has slowly inched its way in and we may at some point be more like family members who only see each other every few years at some random reunion who don't really know each other super well but none the less are strangely bonded together by family ties or we may remain close friends that in linked in with each others lives. I really don't know. I do know that love never ceases between 2 people. Relationships change and what you desire of someone changes, and even emotions around the love might change but love remains no matter what.

In the end

pola16-7 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:59:40 GMT

Hi Suan & Arin,

I can´t help myself feeling a little sad and lost while your "project" finally came to an end. To me it was nothing but touching.

Although, I guess, everybody was hoping for an "happy end" (better: no end) it came differently and now I´m left behind with shattered feelings that are hardly to describe. What about you two?

Have your expectations, your hopes or your fears (as long as you can describe them for yourself) been fullfilled?

How would these sentences end?

"We started it, because...."

"We hold on to the project, because..."

"We brought it to an end, bacause..."

In the end, wasn´t there I kind of fight between you both, something like a need to show "I´m stronger than you" ? Has there been jealousy or rivalry between you (as the two main actors) at any time?

For me the last episodes have been nothing like that kind of fight, a fight that Arin finally lost because he continued to refer to his love (and his being a monster) instead of referring to individual needs and breaking out.

Susan, are you "the winner" because you were the one who broke out and brought it to an end?

Arin, do you feel left behind because she did it like that?

And the most important question, of course: Today, at this moment while your reading this, do you still love each other?

I would be really glad if you could find the time to answer some of my questions.

Thank you for your inspiring work. I wish all the best to you both!

Pola

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:21:08 GMT

sega123:

hey so i want to know is whats next are you guys thinking about doing another project?

how has it been since the dvd came out?

Things have been good since the DVD came out. Arin actually left NYC and has been traveling around working on various films and and has been working hard on From Here to Awesome since he left. I wrote and directed a short film called 'Smothered' for the International Pancake Film Festival which is on my youtube channel (youtube.com/susanbuice) and I'm currently on post production for a music video I wrote and directed in which Arin was the DP for a band called Woodpecker. I'm also on pre-production for another music video. I'm working on a script for a vampire film in which the vampires are the main characters. Arin and I actually will be working on a film together out at Burning Man this year which will be a sort of research documentary that will then become the basis for a narrative film we will work on together in the coming year. It's definitely going to be different than FEM but we work really well together and know that we can make something really unique and potentially powerful if we do this next project together.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:03:55 GMT

elevatorself:

Susan, are you still working in the sex industry? If so do you still enjoy it in the same way? -even though you and Arin have broken up and moved on.

Also, I just wanted to say that you and Arin have been a huge inspiration to me. I really appreciate the work you two have done, and the openness and honesty that you gave in your footage.

Thanks! I'm not currently working in the sex industry though there was a brief period in time that I tried to do it after are break up to earn cash. It didn't end up being super profitable for me because my personality isn't really in salesman ship and you really have to be good at convincing people to give you their money as a stripper, as in I'm sure many other professions. If I had excelled at earning high dollars I might have continued to enjoy it. At first when I did it, it felt really good to 1. bring money into our operation instead of just spending it 2. do something that was purely my idea 3. strike out and gain some independence and 4. get some outside male attention. This quickly faded. Even while I was with Arin the positive things I gained from being a stripper ceased to really satisfy me because they were all fairly superficial fixes to much deeper problems that I was having with myself as an individual and as a person within the context of the relationship I was having with Arin. I was pretty over the stripping well before we broke up.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:46:35 GMT

rachellehcar:

Through it all do you have one favorite moment in time?

My favorite moment in time was probably when we were corresponding through videos when I was in Vermont and then again when I got back and we first started talking. That was all when the relationship was on the up and up still, it was really great. I was crazy about Arin and he seemed to feel the same. Also when we were creating the first 8 episodes and theatrically distributing the film was a good time, there was a lot of rough spots mixed in but Arin and I were really inspired to get the episodes up and to get the feedback and reactions of people back. Then that leading into us doing theatrical screening of the film made me feel really great. It was a really exciting time.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

sega123 — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:39:38 GMT

hey so i want to know is whats next are you guys thinking about doing another project?

how has it been since the dvd came out?

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

elevatorself — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:41:05 GMT

Susan, are you still working in the sex industry? If so do you still enjoy it in the same way? -even though you and Arin have broken up and moved on.

Also, I just wanted to say that you and Arin have been a huge inspiration to me. I really appreciate the work you two have done, and the openness and honesty that you gave in your footage.

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

rachellehcar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:48:15 GMT

Through it all do you have one favorite moment in time?

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

arincrumley — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:20:29 GMT

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:03:30 GMT

a few questions about Four Eyed Monsters asnwered from susanbuice on Vimeo

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

stequoianie — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:27:32 GMT

i would absolutely Love to watch this video, but it's unavailable (?). either way, i'm re-doing what might be a Love story from the very beginning, i.e. starting with the first email. so it's about to become a lot more intelligible. thanks ;)
*s

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

susanbuice — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:27:02 GMT

Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

stequoianie — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:53:21 GMT

I know this may be somewhat of an innapropriate question for this discussion, because it's not a question directly about the film, but it IS for Susan and Arin. Here goes.

I'm in the process of launching my own many-eyed monster (I didn't even know about yours until the other day: WOW), and I was wondering if you could help me promote?

basically, my monster is a reality webshow (beyond reality webTV, because it includes videoskypes, emails, voicemails, twitters, Facebook wall comments, etc.). and the webshow a real long-distance relationship between myself and a boy in New York. we've finished a season, so to speak, and new content will be released daily (we videoSkyped weekly, and there are some damn good ones, plus everything else in between.) I'm calling it "this might be a Love story":

ThisMightBeALoveStory.blogspot.com

what do you think? if you're willing to help me, I'd want to make it as easy for you as possible - perhaps I could write a post for your blog? or...?

either way, thank you for your time!
*Stephanie

Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008

paul — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:25:40 GMT

UPDATE: Because of a change in availability, Susan & Arin will be taking questions through July and August 2008

This discussion is open to whomever would like to ask Arin and Susan questions about Four Eyed Monsters (if you want to catch up, buy the DVD from Borders Books or watch the video podcasts). Arin and Susan have total discretion over which questions they choose to answer, and will be checking into this discussion frequently thru June and July.

By way of a brief introduction (Arin & Susan feel free to make any corrections), Arin Crumley and Susan Buice made the movie Four Eyed Monsters--an autobiographical story about how they fell in love, unlocked each other's creativity and began, well, making Four Eyed Monsters--in 2004. It premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2005 and, although loved by festival audiences, it failed to get traditional distribution. In November 2005, they launched a video podcast on iTunes the same day the video iPod launched (brilliant). Episodes 1-8 are about the tumultuous making the movie and were Internet sensations. Along the way Arin, Susan and an army of supporters (special nod to Brian Chirls) pioneered self-distribution and marketing with grassroots screenings of the movie, selling DVDs and being the first feature film to debut on YouTube (self-indulgent nod to your sponsor, Spout), among a slew of other efforts.

Episodes 9-13 of the Four Eyed Monsters video podcast premiered in May 2008. They are a jarringly intimate conclusion to Arin and Susan's relationship and Four Eyed Monsters, a title that no longer represents a movie but--for lack of a better term--an experience. One that, for many, represents a major landmark in the potential of filmmaking in the Digital Age.

I'll get things kicked off here with some questions that have been on my mind:

1) This may be impossible, but could you try to describe what your lives might look like had you premiered your movie in 2005, sold it for $100,000 to a distributor, and gone back to NY with a fat check. I guess I'm looking for what would be better and what would be worse?

2) Susan, in episode 12 you described you and Arin as "the unit," which I think meant your solidarity in making Four Eyed Monsters happen. But on a personal level you wanted to be out of your commitment to Arin. In trying to gain control over your own identity, you say the only thing you had control over was sex. Stripping, seeing other men, possibly even withholding sex from Arin--were your only ways to escape the unit. Why is that?

3) Arin, the movie involves a lot of re-creations of real events, but at some point you started whipping out a camera to film actual conversations. When did you decide to do that? And, with the recent episodes, what was it like using "really" real footage--particularly of Susan telling you she's lost feelings for you and wants to be with other men--versus footage based on something real?

4) Now that the end is on the horizon for Four Eyed Monsters, will you two still be partners in your next project? Or--to use a music industry term--are we going to see "solo albums" coming out?