Casper Andreas on A Four Letter Word

AThe romantic comedy A Four Letter Word centers on Luke, a promiscuous gay man who tries to make a relationship work after being told that he's a gay clich?. But Luke's new boyfriend is no saint himself and the relationship seems headed for certain disaster. Luke finds little help in his partnered friends, who are dealing with their own relationship issues.

If Luke sounds a little familiar, it may not be simply because he reminds you of someone you know. The character appeared in actor/director Casper Andreas's first feature film, Slutty Summer.

"I don't really think of it as a sequel because it's a different story, " says Andreas, "mostly focused on one character who had a smaller part in Slutty Summer. Now Luke is the main character, and there are a bunch of new characters."

Despite the less in-your-face title, Andreas describes Four Letter Word as "fluffier" than his debut film. "With that title, some people were disappointed Slutty Summer was so serious. Because there's a lot in there about relationships and monogamy. So this new film has its serious moments, but it has more big laughs."

Another thing different this time around is that the multi-talented Andreas, a veteran of New York theater who also starred in Slutty Summer, stayed behind the camera this time around.

"I felt that character's storyline had ended," he explains. "I really loved just focusing on the directing. And the editing is fun, though this time I worked with an editor."

Having that kind of support was a huge leap for the independent filmmaker, who shot his first feature for under $35,000 -- pocket change by even indie standards, let alone Hollywood. In addition to having the luxury of a much bigger budget on "A Four Letter Word," Andreas had the benefit of technical innovations.

"If we had this budget in 2003, we still couldn't have made such a good film then," he says. "It's pretty amazing how cameras and technology get cheaper. Technically, this film is about 10 times better than 'Slutty Summer'. The sound is better, and we had more options in post production."

Andreas also worked with a co-writer for the first time on the film. "I actually had a completely different project in mind," he explains. "I wanted to a straight drama for a change of pace. But when I told Jesse [Archer, the actor who plays Luke] that I wanted to continue Luke's story, he was very eager to get going on that. He asked to help me write the script ... because the character is based on Jesse in many ways. I think we complemented each other in good ways. He's very funny, and I was more concerned with the structure."

Andreas admits that some of his own life is reflected in the script. "The couple who are trying to live together are very much based on different stages of my life. One is very easygoing and one is controlling. When they fight, it's kind of like I'm arguing with myself!"

When it comes to off-screen conflict, Andreas says though both he and Archer had strong opinions about the script, the collaboration went smoothly. "I told Jesse at the start, if we disagree then I win," he laughs. "I like to be in charge."

Although sanguine about the harsh realities of independent filmmaking, Andreas is eager to get to work on filming that drama he postponed.

"Gay independent cinema is not necessarily lucrative, so we'll see how long I can keep it up, " he chuckles. "I feel very privileged to be able to do this now, so I have energy because of that. I have a lot of ideas and a lot of films I want to make. So I want to get the next film shot, so I can make the one after that!"