Interviewing Christopher Forsyth from "Bright Falls" the prequel to Alan Wake

2 Jun, 2010

If you haven’t heard of Bright Falls then a plague on your house. Too harsh? That’s how I roll when it comes to being under a rock nowadays, now get thee to Brightfalls.com and watch the episodes!

After watching Bright Falls, which is a live action prequel to the game Alan Wake, I was once again amazed by the Xbox team. They had released Assassin’s Creed II: Lineage in the same fashion, as a live action prequel, and it was met with huge success but that goes without saying. Assassin’s Creed is a big deal around these parts.

What’s interesting is that Alan Wake isn’t part of a blockbuster franchise like Assassin’s Creed, and yet the production company created six mini-episodes to intrigue and draw people in to the game before its release. Perfect example of viral marketing because, at this point, Bright Falls is more widely talked about than the game Alan Wake itself! Partly due to the amazing acting and production.

Fans and fangirls alike have been talking about Christopher Forsyth’s performance as Jake Fischer, a reporter who meets a mysterious end in the movie. He brought a very intense performance that was tempered with a wary confusion and horror about what was going on, and it grips the viewer into wanting to find out with him.

I got a chance to talk to Christopher about Bright Falls and his own personal theories about what was going on, a surprisingly deep and informative look into Jake Fischer, and how exactly he got his hair to stay so carelessly tousled.

Could you have known that your role in Bright Falls would have taken on such a cult status amongst gamers in this short amount of time? You’re more talked about than Alan Wake himself!

Christopher Forsyth: I honestly never expected this kind of response, Sarah, – it’s taken me a little by surprise. I’m really thrilled, and grateful of course, that viewers have responded so well to the character of Jake, and to the series in general. We continue to get emails from fans who want to know what happened to Jake, hoping that they will see more of him, and that he is, or will be, “ok”. It’s wonderful that fans of the series feel so connected to him, and are so invested in his journey and his outcome. That kind of response is tremendously rewarding as an actor, and it makes the work all the more fulfilling.

How long have you been acting? Has your life changed drastically from any career choices that you’ve made?

CF: Well to your first question: I started doing theater as a child, and have continued to do it off and on throughout my life. I grew up in a small farm town in the Midwest, but there was always some sort of community theatre to get involved in, in addition to school theatre productions. I didn’t get involved in doing Film or TV until about 5 years ago when I lived in Austin TX for a couple years. I’m a singer / songwriter and musician also, and I’d gone there originally to pursue musical interests, but while I was there I ended up doing a few small indie films also.
Austin is a very art-friendly city, and it’s a hotbed for independent film and music. From there, one thing led to another, and eventually I moved to LA where I currently reside.

To your second question – well that depends on what you mean by having your life changed. From a career standpoint, no – no particular role has dramatically changed my life in that way….not yet anyway. Most of the films I’ve done thus far would fall into the category of “Independent Films”.
I really like that space, because some of the projects are so vividly colorful and fulfilling, and the creative minds behind them aren’t afraid to take risks. The stories are generally more raw, gritty, and just more realistic, relatable and engaging. I have been fortunate (for the most part), to have been involved in really good quality projects with talented people, and as a result, to play some very interesting characters with a lot of depth. I put a lot of time and research into preparing for some of these roles, and those experiences, while not necessarily “life changing”, have indeed had an impact on me, and have in some cases, altered my perspective on things.
Those types of experiences can be very fulfilling. As a result, I think the thing in me that has evolved the most, is my radar (and desire) for really good quality material. Really good writing always gets me very excited.

How did you manage to obtain your role as Jake Fischer in Bright Falls? Had you ever heard of a prequel to a video game? It’s usually video games getting adapted instead.

CF: The project was cast by Mary Vernieu. She’s a very well known and respected Casting Director in the industry with over 160 film credits to her name, including many high profile award winners, so her name lent a lot of credibility to the project right up front. Mary was seeing a variety of actors for all of the roles, and I got a call from my managers that she wanted to see me for the lead role of Jake. After an initial read with her, she scheduled a second meeting for me with the writers – Phillip Van (who also directed) and Mat Bunnell, the Artistic Director Nate Able, and the series producer Joyce Chen. Phil and I worked on a few of the scenes together, and there were some chemistry tests with some of the actresses who were reading for the role of Ellen. A couple days later, they called and offered me the role.

To your second question, no I’d never heard of a “prequel to a video game”. I’m no advertising expert, but I think it’s safe to say that the world of advertising has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and continues to do so. Back in the “stone age”, when there were only three or four major networks, and a more manageable number of print publications that had demographically well defined subscriber bases, it was far easier for advertisers to get their product in front of potential consumers.
Today, with hundreds of cable channels, thousands of magazines and print publications, and most importantly the internet – with millions of different web properties, all vying for the attention of a finite number of eyeballs, it’s must be an incredible challenge for advertisers.

They’re dealing with a much more bifurcated consumer market, and they’re looking for increasingly creative ways to get in front of consumers. We will probably be seeing a lot more of this type of thing. I think if it’s done correctly, something like Bright Falls can be a real home run. People love the Bright Falls series, and word of it has spread virally all over the internet, generating a lot of interest in Alan Wake.
The key difference between Bright Falls and your typical TV Ad, is that people actually WANTED to watch bright falls (and even though the first installment is over, people continue to want more). The flip side is that I don’t think it’s an easy thing to accomplish. It’s a marriage of two different worlds – advertising and traditional storytelling. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any other example of something like this that was highly successful. They probably exist, but it’s not commonplace yet.
I think it’s a really tricky thing, and it only works if all the pieces really come together perfectly. You’ve got to have a great story, a great cast, high production values, and a really sharp creative team behind it all.

How long did the series of short videos take to film?

CF: Things moved very quickly actually. We operated under very tight time constraints, and pulled some long hours. But the fact that it was able to move so quickly was due in large part I’m sure, to all of the planning that went into it before hand. I don’t know for sure, but I think pre-production started during the tail end of last year, and we filmed in February. The series was completely through post production and released in its entirety by mid May. So everything moved quite quickly.

Did you watch your performance in Bright Falls after it was released? If so, did you notice anything left out on the editing floor that you spent a lot of time on?

CF I did watch Bright Falls. I’ve never been particularly fond of going back and watching something that I’ve done. I like to be really immersed in a film when I watch, and the suspension of disbelief required to do that is kind of shattered when you’re staring at your own face. In addition, part of what makes watching a film such a great experience, is living vicariously through a character that you really identify with.

With something like Bright Falls, I’ve already lived through the storyline as the character during filming. On top of that, I put a tremendous amount of time and energy into preparing for every role I play, and once I’m finished with filming, I’m really done with that character. I’m not that person anymore, and I don’t necessarily like to go back and revisit that. Having said all of that, (and this is a real testament to this particular series), I did enjoy watching Bright Falls after it was done. Bright Falls was very well written, and because of this, watching it is a very engaging and immersive experience. It was intriguing, mysterious, and really made you think. It had so many really interesting and quirky characters (including the town itself), that I was still able to really enjoy watching it.

Could you possibly explain your thoughts on the ending of Bright Falls and the fate of Jake Fischer. Was it interesting to play something of an antagonist?

CF: To your first question: Sure, but with the caveat that it is all pure speculation. The story was definitely written to be open-ended, mostly because by design, it was crafted to whet the appetite of viewers and lead them into the video game. But I also know that it was written to stand on its own as a story. Answering all of the questions at the end of the series would have bored viewers, I think. Leaving it open ended, as such, has sparked the curiosity and speculation of a great many fans of the series. Frankly, I don’t think there is any conclusive answer to your question at this point, but there are several possibilities.

From Jake’s point of view, he has no idea what is happening to him during the story, and since we are living through him, we don’t either. But I can tell you that there are several possibilities running through his head. The theory most often profered is that Jake is being taken over by the dark evil presence lurking in the forests of Bright Falls. In light of the game that follows, this seems a likely possibility. If this is the case, we certainly have no conclusive evidence (like his body for example) that Jake is “dead”. Quite to the contrary, because of his mysterious disappearance, and the body bag coming up from the lake, we might be led to believe that he is now part of the “dark side”.

Some have gone on to speculate that Jake will become Alan’s arch nemesis in the next installment of the game. The truth is, we simply don’t know, and won’t unless there is a continuation of the series. Another distinct possibility is that none of what we see actually happened. This could be true under two different scenarios.
First, we know that Jake is on medication, which he ran out of just as he was driving into Bright Falls. So there is the possibility that whatever he is going through is a direct result of withdrawal from those meds – it could all be one big hallucination. Another strong possibility supporting the idea that none of this ever really even happened (and this ran through my mind as Jake), is that maybe when he hit the deer, it caused severe head trauma. Maybe everything that we see from that point on is all hallucinatory and is only happening inside his mind. He may have stumbled from his car after the accident, wandered out into the woods, and be lying out there somewhere suffering from internal bleeding in his head causing him to experience these wild hallucinations. He could be dying out there in the woods, and this is part of the dying process.

As for MY thoughts on the fate of Jake Fischer….well I think he’s definitely still alive. He is slowly being possessed by this dark presence, and not willingly mind you, but at this point the darkness is winning. There is a fierce struggle going on, and whether Jake comes out a victor, or eventually completely succumbs to the darkness is yet to be revealed. Maybe Jake is tempted by the power of the “dark side” and eventually joins willingly as it’s leader until such time as Alan is able to get through to him and save him. Ok – I’ve gone way off on a tangent here with wild speculation, but the point is – we don’t know, and wont unless the series continues.

To your second question: Yours is a very interesting perspective. I’d never really considered Jake in terms of protagonist or antagonist. From a writer’s perspective, I do certainly think in those terms, but as an Actor, I rarely, if ever, do. I look at the characters actions, and the circumstances surrounding them, and try to understand why they do and say the things they do. From a story perspective I don’t see Jake as an antagonist in this instance. I don’t think Jake is the one in control when he does the things he does. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that he has no idea what he does when he is “possessed”, which is why he tapes himself to the refrigerator and video tapes what happens. He wants to know what is happening when experiences these episodes of lost time. From Jake’s perspective, (and maybe this is just me defending the character), the darkness is the antagonist.

What was interesting, and challenging, about playing this character, was the overall character arc. I’d never played a character before that started off relatively “ok”, and descended into what was either mental madness or possession, while at the same time having no idea what was happening to him. Complete and utter confusion, frustration at the loss of control, and raw fear of something much more powerful than himself – these were all at play. Jake was trying to figure out what was happening through his rational writers mind, and was, at the beginning, a little bit seduced by things that were happening that were outside the world of rational thought. But as things spiraled out of control, it wasn’t seductive anymore, and he just wanted out – but by that time it appears to have been too late.

Did you have a stylist? Your hair is really nicely coifed!

CF HA! Indeed, there were very talented people behind the hair, makeup, and wardrobe. But sometimes, it needs to go a step further. I’m a stickler for realism, so there were times, like for example when Jake had just woken up in the woods, when I just picked up whatever natural “ingredients” I could find on the forest floor beneath my feet, and infused my hair with it, (much to the horror, I think, of the makeup and hair people!) But little things like that can really help inform the character and the scene, although it can be a bit tough later to get it all out in the shower!

Did you receive any cool perks after working with the Xbox team?
Oh yes….free XBOX games for the rest of my life, free XBOX Live GOLD account for the rest of my life, and a free upgrade in XBOX systems every time there’s a new model released….for life, all topped off with a miniature sized Jake action doll!
……
……
……

KIDDING! I didn’t get those things…but they were very generous. I got a few games for free that I hadn’t played before, and most importantly a free copy of Alan Wake of course.

What other projects do you have lined up and would you want to do another video game adaptation again?

CF: I shot a film in January this year, just before shooting Bright Falls that I am still busy working with. We’re in post production, and I am currently in the studio recording a song for the end of the film. It was a particularly special project for me, because it marks the first time I “executive produced” a film. It’s a story about an ex-con, Ethan, who has just been released from prison, and about how he tries to deal with reintegration into society, and back into a family that has moved on without him during his absence.

He had only done 4 years out of his 15 year sentence, partially because he gave up some information to the authorities to get out early. Ethan has big plans for change, and genuinely good intentions upon his release, but things aren’t exactly as he had imagined they would be from inside prison. He has lost his long time girlfriend to someone who was previously very close to him – leading to feelings of betrayal. He has lost his place in the family, and the family business. His relationship with his brother, who he was formerly extremely close to, is fractured. And on top of all of that, he is suspected by former crime partners of being a snitch. Things definitely don’t go as Ethan had hoped.

It’s a redemption story, and an interesting look into a world that many of us don’t often see from a completely transparent perspective. Besides crafting a compelling story, one of THE most important things to all of us with this project was that it be a very truthful representation of life as an ex-con just released from prison. It’s one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in terms of playing a character, and a very eye opening one with regards to the falsity of many economic stereotypes. The story takes place in San Pedro and Wilmington near the Port Of LA – a very economically challenged area. I spent a lot of time there getting familiar with the town.

I also went and spent a day inside the California Maximum Security State Prison in Lancaster CA, which was under lock-down for a severe incident that had happened a few days earlier. I got to experience and see pretty much every aspect of prison life in that facility, from inside the cell to the parole process, after which we were able to interview a few of the parolees. A few days later I spent time inside the Federal Prison in downtown Los Angeles. Those were some very eye opening experiences. We’re all familiar with the stereotype of hardened criminals inside these prisons that do harm to others just for personal gain. Most of us tend to categorize every prison inmate into the same stereotype. But what is often forgotten I think, is that there are those on the inside that are not ‘bad’ people – they are good people who made bad choices under the harsh economic realities they were surrounded by, and driven by the basic need to survive – which is something most of us don’t have to consciously think about too often.
This is a story of one such individual, and what it’s like to try and turn that around upon release from prison. The system is definitely stacked more heavily against you once you’ve gone down that road. The film should be complete in about 6 to 8 weeks, and we’re looking forward to a strong festival run after that.

Beyond that, I am currently putting the finishing touches on a feature film screenplay that I’ve been writing for some time. It’s a dark dramedy – a drama / comedy with a lot of dark humor in it. It’s a passion project of mine, and a story that is very close to me. There are parties already interested in the script which is very exciting, but this is one script that I am not interested in selling. I intend on making this film, so I will be working very diligently to make that a reality. When I have spare time (if that ever happens) I will also be in the studio recording more music.

To your second question – sure, I would do another video game adaption or prequel if the project was right. I love good storytelling, regardless of platform or distribution method. Any time I get my hands on a well written script, or get the opportunity to work with talented people, I am always excited about that.

What kind of hobbies do you have? Do you play games or write in a blog?
Well, obviously music is a big thing for me, and I love to read, a LOT. I also live a couple blocks from the Pacific Ocean, so I’m addicted to boogie boarding and surfing, (though I’m not a natural at the latter, and have yet to stay up on the board for any significant amount of time!) Because the Malibu Mountains are right next door, I do a lot of hiking, and some mountain biking.
I started on getting my scuba certification last fall, but that got put on hold when I signed on with the film I did in January, so I will be picking that up again this summer. I also love to travel. I just got back from a snorkeling trip off the coast of Maui. I’ve done quite a bit of reef snorkeling, and this was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. From what I was told while there, Maui is right in the migratory path of giant sea turtles, and I kept hearing that I’d probably see them while over the reef, but I didn’t….until the very last day.

They were absolutely magnificent animals, breathtaking really. They move in slow motion, and they look EXACTLY like they do in the film Finding Nemo, right down to their large glassy eyeballs. You could actually swim right along side them, and reach out and touch their shell, and they’d stretch their neck out and turn to look at you….I almost half expected one of them to let out with some laid back surfing lingo like they do in Nemo. It was amazing.

And this is mandatory for GGS: If you could choose one person, one song, and one weapon to have with you while you fight against a horde of zombies, who and what would they be?

CF: One person? Yoda
One Song? Well this is particularly difficult. Gun to head, off the cuff, spur of the moment…something atmospheric like “Taboo” (by Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn & Peter Gabriel)
One weapon? Oh man. Well zombies don’t have normal human weaknesses. If I could only pick one weapon, I’d default to a sword, or more specifically – if I had the choice – something like the kusarigama, which is kind of a multi-function unit! These types of weapons are not dependent on any finite power source (like a chainsaw for example), or a finite ammunition source (like a gun). If used skillfully, they’re very effective and energy efficient, only occupy one hand (unlike a rifle or shotgun), and should really never fail you or jam like a gun could, and you don’t have the issue of re-load time.

Thanks so much for your time, Chris! I really liked Bright Falls and your smoldering intensity. Don’t mind me — that’s just my fangirl coming out.

CF: Thanks Sarah! It’s been a pleasure talking with you also. Thanks for having me!

Visit Chris’ website at Christopherforsyth.com to catch up on his latest films and projects. He’s a kickass musician, too, with some tracks that’s available for you to listen to!