Go Ahead.  HATE Yourself.

Reader Comments

1. indiemaker0583 10/06/2008 @ 10:48am

   Wow. Thanks for posting that. Shame though.

   I fucking hate “the ending.” Terrific short film, terrific acting (rare for shorts), very beautiful and naturalistic.

   I was laughing my ass off, loving it, until those final 5 seconds. The film worked better has an awkward and pathetic scene of some guy making one last desperate attempt to win their girl’s heart back.

   I kind of wanted him to fail. I hate guys who “write songs.” Fucking toolbox guitar singer songerwriters. ugh, gag on my own vomit. But I could also relate. I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic and I’ve put myself out there plenty of times in some crazy, tacky manner.

   But in reality, it doesn’t work so well and this short almost did what few shots can do, created a “real” emotional reaction from. My eyes were welling up, thinking this guy was just going to get crushed.

   But no, the song worked. Lame.... Fucking lame…

2. Zak Forsman 10/06/2008 @ 11:57am

   thanks for watching indiemaker. My name is Zak and I’m the filmmaker who made this little… experiment. let me share with you how we arrived at the conclusion we did. this film originated out of a desire to explore the nature of past relationships having defined and prepared us for marriage. we did not write a screenplay, let alone dialogue. and that is my personal method for attaining that naturalism you responded to. even given a screenplay, I opt to toss the words allowing the underlying intentions to be our guide. So I create a framework on set for guided improvisation, where the actors are encouraged to follow their objectives for the scene without fear of judgement for the choices they make. There are no creative “mistakes” on my set because we are actively fostering an environment for the “surprises” that make these tiny human details so compelling.

   in the case of IFHY, after having had the song played for her, the actress decided to leave the mug behind purely in the moment.  after that take, she said she felt that she needed to leave him with something. in the interest of pursuing something real, I needed to respect the “truth” of that event. Allowing the characters’ personal history to cut through the tension in that moment felt very real and spontaneous to me so I trusted the actors and let them guide me as much as I was guiding them. It is my philosophy to entrust the actors with true ownership their characters. People have asked me if Ron and Carol get back together after this exchange. I don’t think they do. But I do think Carol is given pause and reassesses the new relationship she is about to enter, even if just for a brief moment at the top of a staircase.

   That being said, a film like this asks an audience to drape their own experiences upon it, and demands the sort of reaction you had, indiemaker. that kind of engagement is essential. Whether you approved or disapproved of the characters’ actions, i’m glad you were invested enough to come down on one side or the other. i’m thankful for that.

   Again, thanks for watching. I appreciate all comments and feedback. I for one think “Fucking Lame!” would look hilarious at the top of the poster! do you mind if i quote you? haha! Thanks again!

3. indiemaker0583 10/06/2008 @ 12:07pm

   Thanks for commenting back, Zak.

   Again, I think it’s a beautiful piece. I almost regret writing such a response. But I’m glad you could see it all as a positive thing and a rather sarcastic sense of humor that doesn’t nessecarily translate well on forum boards.

   It definitely created a reaction for, if not a semi violent one, and that’s what we as film makers can really ever hope for.

   I can’t be critical of the film in technique to any degree, it’s a really accomplished piece.

   And that’s the odd thing about film, it’s your story, or in this case, yours and the actors. How can a person complain about a story that someone else has created? It’s not my place to tell someone else “what should happen” in THEIR story. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be theirs.

   But the film does feel incredibly authentic. If only we could all be so lucky to find actors so talented?

   Best of luck in your future endeavors, I look forward to seeing more from you, do you have anything posted for viewing elsewhere?

4. BlackIrishBastard 10/06/2008 @ 1:35pm

   In the words of Tim and Eric: Great Job!

5. ScottF 10/06/2008 @ 8:54pm

   Looks really nice and indeed quality acting.

   My only issue was the strange vignetting that happens from time to time. Not sure if its in the film or is a youtube compression issue, but it kept distracting me from otherwise great looking shots.

   Best of luck on future films!

6. Zak Forsman 10/07/2008 @ 10:15am

   thanks for the continued comment everyone. we recently won the Downtown Film Festival’s Director’s Prize… here’s a short video on that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpNoUmXJRU&fmt=6

7. Aceholeo182 10/07/2008 @ 12:18pm

   Excellent, Excellent, Excellent.

   Can’t wait to see future stuff. It is refreshing to hear a director like you having such faith in the actors and their objectives in the scene. That kind of commitment is becoming very rare.

8. MavisFan 10/07/2008 @ 5:03pm

   was that a harrison ford smile at the end of the song? Great job and congrats on the award.  Hope to see more of your work in the future.

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