January 9th a very special independent film project had its virtual world debut at the Sundance Channel screening room in Second Life.

Four Eyed Monsters is the labor of love of Arin Crumley and Susan Buice, two 20-something Brooklynites who met online, digitally documented their relationship, and turned it into an art project that’s become a contemporary reassessment of love, relationships, and creative collaboration in the new media-saturated world of MySpace and digital video.

Part documentary, part reenactment, Four Eyed Monsters blurs the lines between filmmaker and audience, story and reality, lover and collaborator, and finished work and ongoing project. In the process Arin and Susan have created a new model of transparent filmmaking and community that’s evident on their website, foureyedmonsters.com, where community resources and a series of behind-the-scenes video podcasts keep fans and viewers in the loop not only about the film and opportunities for involvement, but about their relationship and creative process, and the joys and pains of both.

Opting for grassroots digital promotion, Arin and Susan have promised to screen the film in any US city with 150 requests, and they were visionary enough to add the virtual world of Second Life to their request map, where it is currently the sixth most requested "city" behind New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle.

Arin and Susan will be present throughout the Second Life screening, first in live video to introduce the film, and then in avatar form to hang out with the audience and give a running director’s commentary about Four Eyed Monsters, answering questions and responding to opinions in realtime text chat. For fans who haven’t had a chance to see the film at a local theater, this will be their first opportunity not only to see the film from their own home, but to actually spend time interacting with its creators.

With the recent explosion of socially and creatively empowering sites like YouTube and MySpace, and even more recently the beginning of multi-purpose multiuser graphical environments like Second Life, it’s not too much to say that the Four Eyed Monsters premiere in Second Life will be a meditation on how we’re learning to live, love, and create things differently in a world where the web and its influence are felt everywhere, but not yet culturally digested. A true boy-meets-girl and falls in Love 2.0 story that speaks to our time in a way that other contemporary art works haven’t yet.

The Sundance Channel screening room (see attached photos) will fill up its 50 seats on a first come, first served basis, but don’t worry because Four Eyed Monsters will also be shown simultaneously at up to 20 other independently operated theaters and screening rooms in Second Life, and will be shown again in rotation at the Sundance Channel screening room. Check www.sundancechannel.com/secondlife later this week for a list of Second Life locations and availability.

About FEM:
In September of 2002 Arin Crumley & Susan Buice met on the internet and decided to make a rule to not speak when they met in person as they built their romance. This lasted for 4 months while their relationsip solidified communication through drawings, notes, videos, instant messaging, and having sex but never speaking. In November of 2003 they began creating a film based on their non-verbal life experiment and a year later it was accepted into the Slamdance Film Festival where it premiered to sold out audiences and went on to tour over 20 film festivals winning audience and jury awards along the way. October 12th 2005 they launched their video podcast on the same day apple computer released the video capable iPod which launched them into the spotlight as filmmaker embracing a new medium and their subscriber base flourished. In January 2006 in collaboration with the Withoutabox Distribution Lab they launched a "quest for requests" asking the subscriber base of the video podcast to provide their zip code if they were interested in seeing the feature film. In September of 2006 the film played in the 6 cities with the most requests every thursday evening and each week pulled in a stronger crowed then the last proving a new model for theatrical exhibition. Now with over 1 million total views to their ongoing video podcast they will soon be posting episode 9 to their video podcast. Most recently they won the Undiscovered Gems Showcase winning the Sundance Channel Audience award which entitles them 50,000 cash they are putting towards their credit card debt as well as 50,000 dollars further distributing the film.

About Sundance Channel:
Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all unedited and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture of NBC Universal, Showtime Networks Inc. and Robert Redford. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel’s website address is www.sundancechannel.com.

About The Electric Sheep Company:
The leading provider of virtual world content and services. ESC constructed the Sundance Channel screening room and is producing the Four Eyed Monsters virtual premiere. Information and portfolio at www.electricsheepcompany.com.

About SL:
Second Life is a 3D online world whose content is entirely created by its users. Sign up for a free account at www.secondlife.com.