Perhaps the worst part of love is the heartbreak that comes after a failed romance. While some struggle to move on from it, and others manage to rebuild their lives, others can be so downtrodden and depressed from the pain of a failed relationship that they’re driven to dangerous extremes.
Such a scenario takes place throughout the award-winning dark comedy web series SAD MOTIVATOR, created by Nathan Alan Bunker (who also co-stars, more on that ahead).
The series’ first season of 7 episodes is now streaming on its official web site and Youtube page. In addition, Bunker hopes to gain funding towards production of 10 more episodes for season 2, which promises even more mayhem, murder and dirty little green blobs.
SAD MOTIVATOR stars Timothy Ryan Cole as Kevin, a guy whose life has been turned upside down when his girlfriend suddenly breaks up with him. Emotionally shattered, and desperate to turn things around, Kevin encounters a little green blob (think Slimer from the GHOSTBUSTERS films) named Mark (voiced by Bunker) who seeks to help him get back on the right track.
Unfortunately, Mark turns out to be a highly destructive force in Kevin’s life, as well as the lives of those around him. Mark encourages Kevin to take some highly dangerous, and quite possibly, deadly, measures in order to fall in love again.
Among his first victims is Mary (Renee Dorian), who ends up being seduced, and ultimately, tormented by Kevin. Mary’s roommate Sasha (Amanda Bauer) tries to watch out for her, only to become Kevin’s next target.
Rounding out the cast is Ben Begley as the unusually upbeat Detective Grumble, a cop who’s got a propensity to talk endlessly about how the world at large can be a happier and peaceful place, unlike most grizzled gumshoes. As Bunker further describes him, he’s “the guy you want to avoid at a party.”
For Bunker, the concept for SAD MOTIVATOR, as well as the genesis for his diabolical character, had its roots in, of all things, his many efforts to entertain his girlfriend. “I would walk around our apartment like a frail old man, hiking my pants up high and cocking my arms like T-Rex, and say weird things in Mark’s voice,” he remembers.
It was during those moments that the real potential for SAD MOTIVATOR began to take shape. “Half the time she would laugh because it was funny, and the other half she would laugh because it was too disturbing,” adds Bunker. “We both agreed it would be a fun character to explore so from there I wrote out 4 short episodes that turned into 7.”
Having been inspired by such filmmaking legends like Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock, Bunker was also influenced heavily by the distinctively cinematic storytelling approach they took to their works.
It was a style he sought to apply to each episode of SAD MOTIVATOR, and one that he feels makes his series unique from most web series currently online.
“I think what sets this project apart from other web series out there right now is the cinema-style storytelling we used,” Bunker says. “A lot of projects right now are straight-to-camera narration or over-the-top, improvisational comedy. I wanted to try something a little different rather than setting up a camera and seeing what happens.”
The end result was a series that employed a highly structured, yet incredibly effective, production style.
“I think this is a little more controlled and planned out than other projects I’ve watched recently. I enjoy improv but felt it really wouldn’t fit the storyline. It’s all about control,” adds Bunker.
SAD MOTIVATOR is also unique in how it transcends mere comedy, spanning multiple diverse genres while winning a wide range of fans. “We also had a great time exploring the darker side of comedy. It’s been interesting to see the various genres our viewers have classified this project under; ranging from thriller to horror to comedy and strangely enough even to sci-fi,” Bunker says.
Another inspiration, both as a filmmaker, and for his portrayal of Kevin’s evil green blob, was the classic 1991 thriller THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and in particular, Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning turn as Hannibal Lecter.
Although that famed character was a key influence for Bunker as he worked on developing his depiction of Mark, he adds that his villainous character’s intentions are far more self-serving than those of Lecter in the classic thriller.
“The creepy voice and confidence seemed necessary to counter Kevin’s uncertainty,” adds Bunker. “The only difference is Hannibal Lecter had more intent and knowledge while helping his ‘friend’ in need. Mark has none of that. He just goes for what he wants rather than what can help.”
For Bunker, the task of finding great actors to fill the roles depicted in SAD MOTIVATOR was made easier thanks to two important elements: his longtime relationships with Begley and Dorian, and especially, the hard work and talent of the series’ casting director. “Our fantastic casting director Andrea Rueda knew Tim (Cole) from previous projects she had cast and thought he would be perfect for the role, which I definitely agreed with,” he says.
Bunker marvels at the depth and range Cole brings to his depiction of Kevin. “Tim brings the hopelessness to Kevin that makes you want to cheer for him but can easily flip the switch and make the audience question why you even like him,” Bunker adds. “Ben and Renee have been close friends and actors I could trust for years now. We’ve worked on a number of projects and I had them in mind for their characters practically from the start.”
Finding the actress to play Sasha, though, was more of a challenge. “The only person who needed to go through a casting process was Amanda, but that process was pretty limited,” recalls Bunker. “Andrea showed me clips from previous projects she had been in and we both agreed Amanda would be perfect. We contacted Amanda’s agent and asked if she would be interested. And luckily she was.”
With the casting process out of the way, an even bigger challenge awaited Bunker and his team filming all 7 episodes of SAD MOTIVATOR. Despite having no production budget and limited access to filming locations, Bunker made the most of those constraints.
“We had zero budget to work with, and the project was written with this in mind, so we used a lot of familiar locations we were comfortable with and had access to,” he says. “My apartment was the main location, a park down the street, another person’s apartment; we tried to make it as easy as possible.”
Although the production process proved to be successful, the location-based shooting approach to shooting each episode took a significant toll on Bunker’s cast. “The first day was just Tim in the apartment all day,” Bunker remembers.
“We shot all of his alone scenes or scenes with Mark for the entire season that day, so it was a lot of ‘okay, after scene 1 from episode 2, we’ll move to scene 7 from episode 5. Cool?’ Tim was a trooper and his performance was great, but it’s not the most ideal way to film.”
SAD MOTIVATOR, and its seamless mix of comedy and suspense elements, has appealed to an incredibly diverse set of audiences. “I thought for sure it would hit the 18-24 year old frat boy demographic, but we’ve noticed more viewers over the age of 30 watching the show more and more,” Bunker says.
The wide appeal of SAD MOTIVATOR lies especially in the journey of its main character.
“The goal of the show was to see if we could have the main character commit the ultimate evil deed and yet have the audience still root for him, and I think we achieved that,” Bunker adds. “The Internet allows people to explore and we were able to take the chance and I think we’ve gotten a great reception.”
Through the story of a young man who tries his best to find romantic fulfillment and happiness in his life, albeit through highly disturbing methods, season 1 of SAD MOTIVATOR proves that no matter how desperate or hopeless things seem to be, and no matter how high the odds are stacked, there’s still hope for people to turn their lives around – even for the show’s protagonist.
Says Bunker: “…People aren’t always as evil as you think. Addiction can turn someone into a monster but that doesn’t mean they are truly that person for life. They can still be saved, and we tried to show that side of the story.”
(Note: Bunker says that all 7 episodes of SAD MOTIVATOR are closed-captioned.)
ON THE WEB: www.sadmotivator.com
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/sadmotivator
The first episode of SAD MOTIVATOR can be viewed here:
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