2084 is an experimental sci-fi/comedy that was shot in my living room with a cast of three, a crew of one, and a budget barely big enough for pizza. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
In 1994, I watched Byrne Offutt perform a bizarre and hilarious sketch that pitted a back-woods simpleton against a faceless overlord (inspired by George Orwell’s Big Brother). I loved it, and desperately wanted to shoot the story as a futuristic psychological face-off between man and machine. I wanted the finished short to feel epic, but there was no way we could afford to build the necessary sets, so we shelved the idea… for twenty years.
Last year, I found myself reading several articles about the dangers of artificial intelligence, along with many news postings about our government’s morally-murky use of technology . It was clear that Byrne’s sketch had never been more relevant. It was time to revisit 2084! Fortunately, having to build the sets was no longer necessary thanks to the current crop of visual effects software. I realized I could shoot the entire film against a green screen in my cramped living room, and then build the futuristic environment on my iMac. While I had no prior experience using 3D software, I hoped I could teach myself along the way.
With this in mind, I asked Byrne and his equally awesome comedy partner, Bob Levitan, if they were interested in bringing 2084 to the screen. They jumped in, I hung some green fabric in front of my sofa, we ordered pizza, and 2084 was born!
Hope you enjoy it!
Taz
TazGoldstein.com | Facebook | Twitter