paul
Posts 247
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6/6/2008 4:25 PM
posted awhile ago
Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008
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 They are a jarringly intimate conclusion to Arin and Susan's relationship and Four Eyed Monsters, a title that no longer represents a movie but--for lack of a better term--an experience.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?
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stequoianie
Posts 2
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6/7/2008 6:53 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008
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
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elevatorself
Posts 1
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7/11/2008 5:41 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:Susan & Arin answer your questions - June/July 2008
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.
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