Today, we sat down with Michael Smith, a UF mechanical engineering near-graduate, to discuss his thesis project: “Casey’s Tedious Multimedia Adventure.” CTMA is a short story, a short film, and a text adventure bundled into one program that tells the narrative of a day in the life of Casey. It’s currently available for download from its Facebook page, and the film can be seen on YouTube.
David Hoffman: Thank for taking the time talk with us today, Michael.
Michael Smith: It’s a pleasure to be here, Dick.
DH: My name’s not Dick.
MS: Then you’re fighting an uphill battle.
DH: Tell me about CTMA. Give me a gist of what it’s all about.
MS: No. Just go watch it.
DH: Well, don’t you think you can still enjoy it even if you what it’s about?
MS: No. I don’t think you can enjoy it at all, frankly.
DH: I see your self-deprecation extends beyond your art.
MS: I beg your pardon?
DH: You know, you rag on yourself a lot. Just now and in CTMA as well.
MS: Well, honesty is the best policy.
DH: Tell me about your experience writing CTMA —
MS: You keep calling it CTMA.
DH: Yeah. “Casey’s Tedious Multimedia Adventure.”
MS: Well, it should CTMMA then, shouldn’t it?
DH: Why?
MS: Because, you know, “multimedia.” M-M.
DH: Multimedia is definitely one word.
MS: Yeah, I know, but, you know, multi- is a prefix. It’s a modifier.
DH: I don’t see how that changes the situation.
MS: I think it should be CTMMA.
DH: Well, for one, it’s an extra letter for an already very long acronym. Also, it’s not any more or less ambiguous by just saying CTMA anyway.
MS: OK, I gotcha. That’s fine. You make some very good points. Uh, go ahead, then.
DH: … So, tell me about your experience writing CTMMA.
MS: No, no, please CTMA. I’m sorry I even brought it up.
DH: … OK. Walk me through the process of making … CTMA — start to finish.
MS: Again? I already did it once, you can’t make me do it again.
DH: So, I take it you didn’t enjoy the process?
MS: I learned a lot about myself.
DH: So it was at least constructive?
MS: Yes, but I borrowed the bricks from my ego.
DH: What inspired you to write CTMA?
MS: Now don’t go objectifying them like that.
DH: Who’s the inspiration for Casey?
MS: Noam Chomsky.
DH: No, really.
MS: I mean, he’s the archetypal clever schmuck. You know, Woody Allen or Louis CK but without the diddling.
DH: The clever schmuck seems to have a track record of coinciding with predatory behavior, don’t you think?
MS: I don’t see your point.
DH: Would you call CTMA a biography?
MS: Not for free, I wouldn’t.
DH: Is this based on true experience?
MS: Decline to comment.
DH: Are there any parallels to be drawn with your life at all?
MS: Decline to comment.
DH: What would you call the transition between a ramp and a shooting star?
MS: Decline to comet.
DH: What was the hardest part of writing CTMA?
MS: Getting rejected.
DH: Oh, you mean writing the end of the Glenna scene?
MS: No.
DH: What’s your favorite part of CTMA?
MS: The dread.
DH: I don’t remember feeling any dread in CTMA.
MS: Then you clearly didn’t write it, did you?
DH: Who’re your influences?
MS: Kaufman.
DH: Oh, Kaufman and Hart?
MS: No, no. Andy Kaufman.
DH: You mean, the guy who wrestled women to try and prove they’re the weaker sex?
MS: Um, yeah. Andy Kaufman. I’m pretty sure that whole thing was a joke, though.
DH: Well, you know, he did actually wrestle those women.
MS: Yeah, but like, he wasn’t really sexist or anything.
DH: He just wrestled the women… because it was a joke.
MS: I think your wording’s a bit off there, but you have the gist of it.
DH: Interesting. Any more problematic influences?
MS: Louis CK and Woody Allen.
DH: Ah, right. Brilliant. What’s the biggest difference between you and your character Casey?
MS: Well, I’ve read Vonnegut.
DH: *laughs* So, does Vonnegut have a lot of influence on your work?
MS: Yeah. Yeah, of course…
DH: Do you want to talk about those influences?
MS: Uh, yeah, sure. You know, Vonnegut does a lot of… [voice trails off]
DH: Do you have a favorite work by Vonnegut?
MS: Yes.
DH: You’ve read Vonnegut, right —
MS: Yes, because that’s the joke. The joke is that Casey hasn’t read Vonnegut, and I have, so it’s silly. It’s silly that he hasn’t read Vonnegut, because, you know, that’d be silly.
DH: I thought the joke was that Casey was telling Glenna he read Vonnegut when it’s clear that he didn’t. Like, the irony lies in him not telling the truth.
MS: No, of course, you’re right. Uh, that’s the joke.
DH: …What inspired the character designs for Casey, Linda, Amos, etc. ?
MS: Well, Linda to me is just supposed to be a generic pretty white girl. You know, she’s blonde, with the blue eyes and all that.
DH: So, she’s Aryan?
MS:... you know, the film’s in black and white so it doesn’t matter anyway.
DH: Why is every single one of your design choices subtly problematic?
MS: Decline to comment.
DH: Do you feel like you’ve broken any new ground with CTMA — artistically or thematically, that is?
MS: Nah, turns out “The Inbetweeners Movie” beat me to it.
DH: Isn’t that a movie about high-schoolers?
MS: I don’t see your point.
DH: Alright, before we go, let’s end on some rapid-fire questions. You know, questions that wouldn’t generally fit the flow of our interview.
MS: You mean joke setups that didn’t fit nicely in the script.
DH: I beg your pardon?
MS: That’s a nice change of pace.
DH: Are there any jokes you’re expecting to fly over people’s heads?
MS: Yeah, the funny ones.
DH: One of your scenes plays out a lot like a standup routine. Have I found a metaphor in there?
MS: I think you’ve found the reason I’m single.
DH: What did you get, as an artist, out of writing and producing CTMA?
MS: A migraine.
DH: Are there any secrets to be found in CTMA?
MS: No.
DH: Why don’t I believe you?
MS: Because you were always distrustful from a young age.
DH: Are you proud of the finished product?
MS: If I was proud I wouldn’t have written it in the first place.
DH: Are there any scenes that didn’t make the cut?
MS: No.
DH: So you were happy with the first draft?
MS: No, that’s why I wrote it.
DH: If people like CTMA, how can they find you and more of your work?
MS: 407-35 —
DH: Are you reading out your phone number?
MS: Well, I’m always looking for feedback, you know.
DH: Alright, we’re gonna end it here. Thanks for talking with us, I guess.
MS: My pleasure, Dick.
