If it's all starting to sound like one perennial afterparty, that's just a bonus. None are trained actors but merely used themselves as a way to cut costs, or, as Bujalski wryly puts it, "Because I knew I would turn up on time and do what I was told". And of the themes, Mark Duplass is equally dry. "It's easy to keep your budget down if you're making a story about relationships and using yourself and your girlfriend in the lead roles." he notes.