Reality is a Meme: An Interview with Lyndon Horsfall
By: David Briggs
(Originally posted February 20, 2012 on Tri-City Film)
Posthuman, a web seriesproduced by DragonGem Productions, presents a world where characters appear to be perpetually on the verge of danger, where morality becomes increasingly relative depending on how much information one gains. From the privileged denizens of Capital City, to the paupers and degenerates who scrounge in the Ghetto, times are tough.
Rising from the ruins of recent riots and horrible atrocities within the Ghetto is Charlie Porter, “private investigator.” Charlie, played by Jason Martorino, is a classic noir hero who would have felt at home in the pages of Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler. He drinks, he smokes, and he dons a cool fedora. When svelte femme fatale Ricky Reynolds walks in, Charlie hesitates to buy what she’s selling. Rightly so, because one gets the feeling, so well expressed by the Dream Man in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, that “she’s filled with secrets.”
Rising from the ruins of recent riots and horrible atrocities within the Ghetto is Charlie Porter, “private investigator.” Charlie, played by Jason Martorino, is a classic noir hero who would have felt at home in the pages of Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler. He drinks, he smokes, and he dons a cool fedora. When svelte femme fatale Ricky Reynolds walks in, Charlie hesitates to buy what she’s selling. Rightly so, because one gets the feeling, so well expressed by the Dream Man in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, that “she’s filled with secrets.”
It seems that characters harbouring secrets is par for the course in the world of Posthuman. Lyndon Horsfall, who
writes and directs the series, realizes that such uncertainties add a tinge of shade to the character’s interactions. For Lyndon, science fiction should strive to emphasize how characters relate under unpredictable circumstance. And the Posthuman landscape is anything but predictable. “The idea of the series is that there’s a subculture of people called memes who may be forming a revolution” he explains. Charlie’s mission is to discover who (or what…) these memes are. In the process, he begins to
question his own past and struggles to maintain a firm grip on what he
perceived was his reality.
Forging well-rounded characters is paramount for Lyndon. Because of this, he resists the temptation to rely too heavily on what could be perceived of as the typical trappings of many Sci-fi stories—an overreliance on futuristic technology. “I’ve always said that too many people make science fiction about spaceships and laser beams, when really the best science fiction isn’t about that at all,” he says. “It’s about having an
interesting way to explore the human condition.”
writes and directs the series, realizes that such uncertainties add a tinge of shade to the character’s interactions. For Lyndon, science fiction should strive to emphasize how characters relate under unpredictable circumstance. And the Posthuman landscape is anything but predictable. “The idea of the series is that there’s a subculture of people called memes who may be forming a revolution” he explains. Charlie’s mission is to discover who (or what…) these memes are. In the process, he begins to
question his own past and struggles to maintain a firm grip on what he
perceived was his reality.
Forging well-rounded characters is paramount for Lyndon. Because of this, he resists the temptation to rely too heavily on what could be perceived of as the typical trappings of many Sci-fi stories—an overreliance on futuristic technology. “I’ve always said that too many people make science fiction about spaceships and laser beams, when really the best science fiction isn’t about that at all,” he says. “It’s about having an
interesting way to explore the human condition.”
And when making science fiction on a poverty row budget, one must get creative in order to effectively sell audiences on your future visions. Lyndon explains how he and fellow producers Jason Martorino and Anil Ibrahim “have these huge ideas, but how do we visually represent them with no budget? The main thing I want to focus on is the characters, how they develop, and what brought them to this point in the story.”
To bring the story to life, Lyndon and the crew at DragonGem Productions made excellent casting choices. Many low-budget productions stagger dangerously close to absurdity due to poor performances. Thankfully, Posthuman avoids this. As mentioned, producer Jason Martorino plays a perfect down and out PI in Charlie Porter. Will van der Zyl creates a gritty portrait of Porter’s
sleazy accomplice. Amanda Phillips plays Ricky, and she clearly enjoyed performing the neo-noir banter. Joanna Haughton, who has graced the frames of many an indie production, plays Dorothy Ascher, who Lyndon promises will reveal some shocking truths in upcoming episodes. The very talented Sara Mitich plays Gina, who carries her own secrets and works to shore up a painful past. There is more to Gina than meets the eye, as she so eloquently explains to Charlie: “I’m not some poor ghetto girl you can fetishize and forget about."
To bring the story to life, Lyndon and the crew at DragonGem Productions made excellent casting choices. Many low-budget productions stagger dangerously close to absurdity due to poor performances. Thankfully, Posthuman avoids this. As mentioned, producer Jason Martorino plays a perfect down and out PI in Charlie Porter. Will van der Zyl creates a gritty portrait of Porter’s
sleazy accomplice. Amanda Phillips plays Ricky, and she clearly enjoyed performing the neo-noir banter. Joanna Haughton, who has graced the frames of many an indie production, plays Dorothy Ascher, who Lyndon promises will reveal some shocking truths in upcoming episodes. The very talented Sara Mitich plays Gina, who carries her own secrets and works to shore up a painful past. There is more to Gina than meets the eye, as she so eloquently explains to Charlie: “I’m not some poor ghetto girl you can fetishize and forget about."
You can’t beat a line like that, and when Sara delivers it you feel the sting. When
she first read the breakdown for Posthuman, Sara was “immediately
intrigued” by the project. “I love the Sci-fi genre,” she says, “but the character description for Gina was what reeled me in. She’s a tough as nails, revolutionary leader, but she is also so vulnerable at moments, and it’s those moments of struggle that I adore finding and working through.”
Indeed, the characters in Posthuman are all multi-dimensional. In part, this is due to their living in interesting times, within a society torn apart by violence bolstered by a massive divide between the rich and poor, a divide maintained by a draconian border patrol. Yes, you can travel to the Ghetto, but good luck returning to Capital City. This lack of fluid mobility reflects in the characters, who are often arrested by their own pasts, or by a future they believe they have little hope of shaping.
The idea for the series came from a collection of Lyndon’s scripts. After years of
writing, he had amassed a stack of Sci-fi manuscripts and was unsure how to
develop them further. He decided to plumb the pages for the brightest ideas and
themes—a piecemeal Sci-fi operation. After much thought and imagination, he
cobbled these gems into a new script, which became Posthuman.
He revealed his new creation to Jason Martorino, who immediately shared Lyndon’s enthusiasm for the project. Jason was “a big supporter from the beginning,” explains Lyndon. “From day one he was the one pushing me to go forward with it.”
she first read the breakdown for Posthuman, Sara was “immediately
intrigued” by the project. “I love the Sci-fi genre,” she says, “but the character description for Gina was what reeled me in. She’s a tough as nails, revolutionary leader, but she is also so vulnerable at moments, and it’s those moments of struggle that I adore finding and working through.”
Indeed, the characters in Posthuman are all multi-dimensional. In part, this is due to their living in interesting times, within a society torn apart by violence bolstered by a massive divide between the rich and poor, a divide maintained by a draconian border patrol. Yes, you can travel to the Ghetto, but good luck returning to Capital City. This lack of fluid mobility reflects in the characters, who are often arrested by their own pasts, or by a future they believe they have little hope of shaping.
The idea for the series came from a collection of Lyndon’s scripts. After years of
writing, he had amassed a stack of Sci-fi manuscripts and was unsure how to
develop them further. He decided to plumb the pages for the brightest ideas and
themes—a piecemeal Sci-fi operation. After much thought and imagination, he
cobbled these gems into a new script, which became Posthuman.
He revealed his new creation to Jason Martorino, who immediately shared Lyndon’s enthusiasm for the project. Jason was “a big supporter from the beginning,” explains Lyndon. “From day one he was the one pushing me to go forward with it.”
Creating and producing a web-series offers great challenges and rewards. At the time of writing, there are seven episodes, all of which can be viewed from the Posthuman site. “I try to get them out as quickly as I can,” Lyndon explains, and since the project found legs,
they’ve been running on a fairly regular production schedule. When one episode is shot, another one is in post-production. Between producing, directing and writing, Lyndon always has something on the cook. And the episodic production allows for a great deal of freedom.
“This is the first time I’m working in a serial format,” enthuses Sara, “and to be honest, I love it. Yes, we shoot randomly, about once every month or so, but that allows us to take time to really work on each episode; to discover those little moments that a rushed filming schedule wouldn’t necessarily allow us to have. Don’t get me wrong, if I could spend every week filming an episode, I would in a heartbeat, but our sporadic shooting schedule has it’s benefits.” One such benefit, she explains, is that “everyone is open to new ideas and is willing to do whatever it takes—and, in my opinion, that’s what makes great filmmaking.”
they’ve been running on a fairly regular production schedule. When one episode is shot, another one is in post-production. Between producing, directing and writing, Lyndon always has something on the cook. And the episodic production allows for a great deal of freedom.
“This is the first time I’m working in a serial format,” enthuses Sara, “and to be honest, I love it. Yes, we shoot randomly, about once every month or so, but that allows us to take time to really work on each episode; to discover those little moments that a rushed filming schedule wouldn’t necessarily allow us to have. Don’t get me wrong, if I could spend every week filming an episode, I would in a heartbeat, but our sporadic shooting schedule has it’s benefits.” One such benefit, she explains, is that “everyone is open to new ideas and is willing to do whatever it takes—and, in my opinion, that’s what makes great filmmaking.”
This free exchange of ideas, and the ability to take the time to develop characters and themes, was also what turned Lyndon onto the idea of a web-series. “I would recommend a web series because it’s cheap and you have total creative freedom,” he says. Unlike a feature, you can work on your own time and still produce content for people to see. It’s not like you have to dedicate a year or so before you see the final product. For those thinking of embarking on a similar path, Lyndon encourages them to make the first step. “I would totally recommend it.”
Since it’s online, the series also has a greater chance of reaching audiences. With each new episode, this audience grows, and Lyndon says that he enjoys hearing feedback from fans. When the Grand River Film Festival selected their nominations for the best locally produced short film this year, two episodes of Posthuman made the list, and won the category. Lyndon is very grateful to have the opportunity to work with such talented people who help materialize his Sci-fi visions. With such a dedicated team, and the encouragement of his family, friends, and girlfriend Liz, he plans to produce more episodes, and ideally, one day, release the series on DVD. The future appears bright for this futuristic tale.
Since it’s online, the series also has a greater chance of reaching audiences. With each new episode, this audience grows, and Lyndon says that he enjoys hearing feedback from fans. When the Grand River Film Festival selected their nominations for the best locally produced short film this year, two episodes of Posthuman made the list, and won the category. Lyndon is very grateful to have the opportunity to work with such talented people who help materialize his Sci-fi visions. With such a dedicated team, and the encouragement of his family, friends, and girlfriend Liz, he plans to produce more episodes, and ideally, one day, release the series on DVD. The future appears bright for this futuristic tale.
