1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I’m a writer and comedian based in central New Jersey. Some of my work has been published by The Onion and ClickHole, as well as featured on Adult Swim. I was interested in performing before ever doing filmmaking, but I’ve been making shorts with my friend and writing partner Brendan O’Hare since we were teenagers. Over time both of our skills honed and we started putting our shorts on YouTube, which can be seen here. 

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

I Seem To Have Difficulty is based on a character from Brendan and I’s scripted fictional podcast This Is Branchburg, produced by Tim Heidecker and Dave Kneebone from Abso Lutely Productions. Over time I began developing this character, “Difficulty Man”, more and more through live shows and another video released last summer, I Have The Chance To Play With Ninja. 

The initial idea for this particular short was putting Difficulty Man in a public setting to see how people would react to him in real life, outside of a comedy show. Fair to say everyone hated him. The idea evolved in real time during the town hall when I realized I wouldn’t be called on for questions, so I tossed the original script I had planned and just disrupted the town hall outright. In retrospect, what happened is definitely more in line with the character. 

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

I would say the biggest challenge was editing the raw footage without having an emotional reaction to it anymore. It was physically unsettling having 100-150 people boo at you, which shook me up for a day after, and I couldn’t return to the footage without cringing for a few weeks. Once I got over that it became fun to edit.

The part of the creative process I enjoy most is working with my friends. We (Brendan, Chris, Adam) all met in a packed, railcar diner an hour before the town hall to plan how things were going to be filmed. It was pouring rain outside and we were all huddled in a booth eating eggs and drawing on napkins. It felt very serious but for the silliest outcome. That’s my happiest memory from this process. They did such a fantastic job catching everything on film, which made editing such a breeze. A close second is finding a connection or way to cut that you didn’t plan for in the editing room, and it works out better than planned. That’s again, thanks to those guys.

 4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I recently watched Sansho The Bailiff (1954), a beautiful, heartbreaking story directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It’s about two aristocratic children from 11th century Japan separated from their family and forced into enslavement. The viewer follows both siblings’ lives throughout their captivity and their attempt to escape. It’s a semi-long watch, but everything they’ve experienced all culminated at the end for me. It’s absolutely heart wrenching. 

I also watched Ada (by Eleanore Pienta) earlier this spring on NoBudge, and really loved that. It reminded me of Monsieur Hulot, but Ada being this aggressive and determined character. The story is simple in the best way, it’s a really great watch. Also always love any Ike Ufomadu appearance. 

5) What’s next for you?

Not sure, right now I’m just tending to my vegetable garden. I also work with a homeless outreach organization called SHILO (Supporting Homeless Innovatively Loving Others) in central New Jersey. They do incredible work developing relationships and providing resources to the homeless community here, and are close to achieving nonprofit status. If you enjoyed watching my short, which was also entirely filmed in central New Jersey, I sincerely hope you can chip in whatever you’re comfortable with to help SHILO buy food, sleeping bags, toiletries, and other essential items here for communities in need. 

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http://youtube.com/BrendanandCory

IG: @CorySnearowsk

Twitter: @CorySnearowski