I was talking with Women of Horror featured actress, Melanie Robel, when a tall, lanky, bearded man in a Hawaiian shirt strolled purposely towards us. Edward X. Young, stood out from the typical, black clad, horror convention crowd as he moved  through the halls of the Famous Monsters of Filmland show like a man on a mission. He was in fact looking for some of his co-stars from Cameron Scott’s production POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021, which was set to resume production right after the show’s conclusion on Sunday. After running into Melanie, Edward learned that most of the cast had taken a break and gone out for a bite to eat. That was when Melanie said, “You really need to interview Ed! He’s a great actor and he’s doing special effects work as well.” 

Although he looked familiar, I couldn’t place the name. Still he was confident and well-spoken, and Melanie’s contagious enthusiasm quickly led to a conversation. It only took a couple of minutes for me to realize that Melanie was right. There was more to this man than just great taste in shirts!

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Nic - Edward, it’s not often that you find an actor who also works as a special effects make-up artist. Which one did you start out as?

Ed - Professionally, I started out as an actor about five years ago. However, as a kid growing up, I was more interested in creating the special effects and the prosthetics. When I was in my teens I was fascinated by the work of Tom Savini and I tried to duplicate the effects that I saw him create. So you could say I started out with the effects. In fact I used to make Super 8 films when I was in high school. I wanted to not just be an effects artist, but also a director and I guess you could say that I’ve evolved into an actor as I’ve gotten older. Now I’m an actor who also does special effects.

Nic - What kind of effects do you specialize in?

Ed - Well with all due respects to the CGI effects experts out there who I’ve worked with, I’m firmly rooted in the practical effects. I’m an old fashioned, retro effects kind of guy. I like the messiness. You can have the computer create an effect or you can be on the set covered in fake blood, and it just always seems more authentic and fun that way.

Nic - So how did you get you get back into the film business both as an actor and a special effects artist?

Ed - I started acting again in 2005; it was a late in life thing for me since I was in my mid-forties then - that shows there’s always hope! (laughing) I was involved as an actor in the movie SEA OF DUST, which is being released world wide on August 10th. It’s a tribute to the Hammer Studio films and Tom Savini is in it as the starring villain Prester John, an evil demon incarnate. It’s a period piece and we were lucky enough to also get Ingrid Pitt from THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, and of course we worked with some terrific make-up people like Josh Turi. Even though I was an actor in SEA OF DUST, I learned a lot from him.

Then I kind of graduated into doing the special effects for films when I was working on a movie a couple of years ago called THE GREEN MONSTER, not to be confused with the Red Sox and Fenway Park! (Laughs) It was made by Untold Horror and Scream Kings and it was definitely inspired by the Rob Zombie movies. In it, I play a character who’s kind of redolent of Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding and Bill Moseley’s Otis Driftwood. The movie was a real guerilla production, well made but very low budget, and while we were on the set they had a need for someone to create some make-up effects and they didn’t have anyone around who was capable of doing the effects they needed. It was a gore drenched horror film and I told them that I’d read the script and knew what they were looking for and that I could do most of it. So I did it. I got some nice stuff in there too; disembowelments, stabbings, throat slashings, a great gunshot to the head. A lot of good stuff! (Laughing again) I really only did that because I had to, but my reputation started to proceed me and people had heard that I’d done a good job on THE GREEN MONSTER and so I’m frequently asked to do them now.

Nic - Let’s focus a little more on the acting side of your career. What are some of the other films you’ve been in since your return to acting?

Ed -Well SEA OF DUST is the one coming out right now. I also worked on ONLY GO THERE AT NIGHT Parts One and Two. Then I did THE GREEN MONSTER…. You know, I’ve done twenty five films and all but two of them are horror films. Here at the Famous Monsters convention I’ve got the movie EMERGING PAST where I play father Cole, he’s an exorcist. I also do all of the special effects for that film so I’m rather proud of that picture. The producer of that film, David Lee Madison, then cast me in his movie MR. HUSH. I get to play the lead and title role, and I must admit that I’ve played the lead a couple of times, but it’s my first titular role where my character is the name of the movie. MR. HUSH is my biggest film to date and in addition to the lead role I was also in charge of the special effects. I had to beg off on doing all of them because it’s difficult to try and play a lead who is an elegantly dressed, Victorian styled gentleman and at the same time do all the gory effects. So I differed to my team of special effects experts who worked with me. They were my posse: Kiara Fattorusso, Rob Brown, and my wonderful fiancée Susie Palermo.

I’m really proud of MR. HUSH both as an actor and for the work that we did on the special effects for that film. The movie is having a grand release on October 22nd and it’s having its own convention: Mr. Hush’s Weekend of Fear! We shot the film primarily in Pennsylvania and we’re having the convention at the Best Western Motel in Matamoras, Pennsylvania October 22nd through the 24th. We’ll have a lot of guest celebrities there including Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees in FRIDAY THE 13TH), Brad Lorey (Michael Meyers in HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION), Scream Queen TIFFANY SHEPIS, and Stephen Geoffreys (Evil Ed from FRIGHT NIGHT). It was a real thrill to work with all of these people, but especially Stephen; I’m a fan of his work in FRIGHT NIGHT and in that film he plays Chris Sarandon’s evil henchman and in MR. HUSH he plays my evil henchman so it is a weird dream come true! Also, David Lee Madison is the writer/director of MR. HUSH and his favorite movie of all time is FRIGHT NIGHT. In fact his daughter, Amanda, is named for Amanda Bearse (Amy Peterson in FRIGHT NIGHT) so this was a labor of love for him. It’s a retro horror film and I’m honored that he trusted me with the lead role in it and the special effects. It’s a great film and the convention is going to be a real blast.

Nic - Are you in production on any films now?

Ed - I am! As soon as we finish here at Famous Monsters, I’m off to work with writer/director Cameron Scott on his film: POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021, which features a lot of great talent like Melanie Robel, Michelle Shields, Scream Queen Linnea Quigley, Jim O’Rear, and Jessica Cameron who co-stars with me in MR. HUSH.
 
Nic - What about some of your non-horror roles?

Ed - Well you can see me online in MEGA MAN written and directed by Eddie Lebron. It’s based on the first three games of the MEGA MAN video game series. I play Dr. Light, the creator of Mega Man. Eddie Lebron is an absolutely brilliant filmmaker. In fact I think he’s the next Stephen Spielberg. He’s young and extremely talented. He’s a writer, director, special effects artist and cinematographer. Eddie’s also currently editing MR. HUSH.

Nic - As an actor what do you find to be most challenging?

Ed - That’s a tough one! I think my biggest challenge is that I studied acting and filmmaking in my youth and I didn’t stick with it then. You know when I was younger I dreamed of being in horror movies. I wanted to be the next Christopher Lee or Vincent Price. I made Super 8 movies and drawing my own horror comics as a kid and when I was in high school. Then I got into college at Seaton Hall University and the professors… well they mind-fucked me! They convinced me that if I was going to be an actor then I should be a serious actor. I should do Shakespeare, I should aim for “higher notions” (does air quotes and shakes his head) like working on Broadway or in television. They tried to get me to put the notion of doing horror films behind me. That kicked the passion out of it for me and combined with family pressures to get a “real job” (more air quotes) took the wind out of my sails.

I was getting a lot of lead roles in plays out of college. I was doing Repertory Theater and doing the Shakespeare; I was even the lead in CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD. I was being taken rather seriously and I was doing the serious acting. But I put it on the shelf and it drifted away because I’d lost that passion I had for it. So for me the biggest challenge was that I found myself 45 years old, I’d been working as a journalist in New Hampshire for a number of years, nasty divorce, economically ruined, and in this electronic age I found my sources of revenue disappearing. The paper and the magazine that I worked for both went under and I found myself out of work and feeling pretty low.

Well a friend of mine from college, Bill Temeny, whom I hadn’t talked to in about 14 years, found me through the internet and he urged me to try acting again. He’s been working as an actor out in Hollywood since the time I was working as one in New York and he kept encouraging me to get back into acting. He said you can do anything you want and you have enormous freedom to express yourself. Of course I hadn’t acted in two decades, so getting back on that horse was quite the challenge for me. I didn’t know if I could do it again so the biggest challenge for me was overcoming those fears.

What’s ironic was that now I go to auditions and if it’s a horror movie, I get cast before I walk out of the studio. If I go to anything else the tell me “don’t call us, we’ll call you!” (Laughing).

So now I’m living my childhood dream and if I could say one thing to anyone listening it would be don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams! If they are your dreams then there may be a reason you feel that in your heart. I am getting to where I always wanted to be. I’m a lead horror actor and a special effects make-up artist. So go for it! If you can believe it, you can conceive it, then you can do it!

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Related Links:

http://www.myspace.com/edwardxyoung
http://www.facebook.com/people/Edward-X-Young/746786459
http://www.mrhush.net
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1980137
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Hush-the-movie/310235707819

Cheerleaders have a definite appeal for many people. They are lots men’s fantasy, as well as the start of more than one young girl’s dreams of stardom and fame. They are also a lot of fun to watch being chased through the woods by a psycho killer. At least that’s what writer/director Kerry Beyer was thinking when he made his feature film debut with SPIRIT CAMP. The tribute to 80’s slasher flicks may have been made as a low budget, independent feature, but Beyer put the time and energy into making the film the right way and that effort shows on the screen with clean crisp audio, great cinematography and of course… lots of cheerleaders!

As well as a filmmaker, Beyer is also a professional photographer whose work has appeared in magazines such as Vogue and Allure and he uses those skills when he steps puts on his hat as cinematographer to good effect. B Movie Man had a chance to talk with Kerry about his work both behind the camera and in front of it and even found out the story behind why the doctors told his family “the good news is it’s a tumor.”

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Nic- Kerry can you tell us a little bit about your new film SPIRIT CAMP?

Kerry- Spirit Camp is a horror/comedy with an old school 80's slasher feel. It's essentially "Friday the 13th" meets "Bring it On!" Hot cheerleaders hacked up at camp.


Nic- So where did you get the idea for SPIRIT CAMP?

Kerry- I love 80's horror, and I really wanted to make a contemporary film that had that same old school feel. The 80's horror films were fun, they had lots of boobs, they weren't as concerned with FX, and in many instances the stories were more of a "who dun it?" The original "Friday the 13th" is that way with Mrs. Voorhees as the killer. Of course I needed hot girls to complete the formula, and with the success of movies like "Bring it On" and the huge cheerleader fetish market, I felt like there was definitely an audience out there that would respond to the film. Every guy that I mentioned the concept to grinned and was like "I wanna see that." And with hot cheerleaders running around in short skirts, I had no shortage of guys wanting to work crew.


Nic- What was the most challenging part of making SPIRTI CAMP?

Kerry- We shot 70% of the film outside at night, on location... one of the things you are not supposed to do as an indie film - so, the most challenging aspect was coordinating the schedules of 25 actors, getting them to the set, housing and feeding them.


Nic- How long did it take you to make the film?

Kerry- A long time, lol... we broke filming up into essentially a series of short films - filming on location for a week at a time. We'd come back and regroup, and I'd make more props, and wardrobe etc, and schedule the next outing a month or 2 later. So, we filmed over the course of a year or so. Then did pickups and SFX shots. I had the rough cut done in less than a month, but the sound design and score took about 8 months. Then a few months to design all the artwork, the DVDs, and do the final 5.1 mix and color grading, etc. I didn't have a team of post production departments, so I was handling every aspect of post while still running my photography studio full time - didn't leave much free time.


Nic- I understand that there is quite a story involving your Mother and the film’s production. What happened that made people say “The good news is it’s a brain tumor”?

Kerry- My mother was handling all the catering and craft service for the film - the girls nicknamed her our Spirit Mom, and she definitely kept us from starving. She actually assisted quite a bit on 2nd unit, pulling focus or holding a boom, and even helped with some of the pyrotechnics. One day she collapsed in the grocery store and was rushed to the hospital under the assumption she was having a stroke. After a ton of CAT scans and MRIs, the Doctor came back as said "The good news is it's a brain tumor.... we can fix that." It's a scary proposition, because most people diagnosed with a brain tumor are dead in 6 months statistically, but fortunately, she had a benign meningioma. It was a tumor about the size of a golf ball that was pressing on her motor core. She was scheduled for surgery a few days later, they removed the tumor, and she was back in her room and alert an hour after surgery. I've actually got an interview with her right after surgery on the Spirit Camp DVD. I was like nothing had happened... you would never think that she had just had major brain surgery. Needless to say, I'm very thankful to still have my parents in my life.


Nic- In addition to your work behind the camera, you’re also an actor. How do you think that affects you as a director and is it difficult to direct scenes when you’re in them?

Kerry- I think my experience in front of the camera has been invaluable to me as a director. My time on other sets allowed me to see where filmmakers were doing things right, and where they were making mistakes. So that gave me the experience to run a great set, stay on time, and on budget. Plus, as an actor, I knew the way I liked to be treated by a director. I feel my job as a director is to provide an environment where the actor is comfortable and can do their best work. I know exactly what I need from them to tell the story, so my job is to guide them and help them achieve the best performance that they can do. Also, during the writing stage, I act out all the parts myself so that I know they are "actable" and that I'm not writing dialogue that can't be said naturally.

The thing that was difficult about acting and directing this film in particular was that I was so involved behind the camera since I was also the DP. So, when I left operating camera to step out in front, my focus would always be split between my performance... what the camera guys where doing, and what the other actors were doing. It think it took a few times for John to get my camera style down when I was acting, but he snapped into the groove pretty quickly... any time you see me on screen, John Lansch is probably operating, and I think he did a great job.


Nic- You’re also an accomplished photographer, can you tell us about some of your work in that field?

Kerry- I have been working as a still photographer for over a decade now, and my work has been published in Vogue, Lucky, Allure, The NY Times, Vintage Guitar, and countless other magazines and ad campaigns. That has been a huge help for me as a cinematographer... knowing how to compose, light, and shoot. Working with models, or working with actors, it's really the same and goes back to providing a positive environment that is going to enhance the creativity of everyone around.


Nic- Going back to your filmmaking, who are some of your biggest influences as a director and an actor?

Kerry- David Fincher is one of my favorite directors... I love the look of his films, the mood he creates. Ridley Scott is another favorite... the cinematography and production design of ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER is amazing. I think Michael Bay has some of the best angles and camera moves in the business (I mean, have you seen his Victoria Secret commercials, lol?). James Cameron, ALIENS, need I say more? I think it's safe to say that he knows how to tell a story that will resonate with more people globally than any other filmmaker on the planet ...and of course John Carpenter and Wes Craven, the fathers of modern horror. Oh, and Clint Eastwood... I don't know him personally, but he seems like a no bullshit kind of guy and the fact that he's still making movies and is relevant to the business in his 80s is inspirational.  
 

Nic- Both as a photographer and a filmmaker, how do you think technology is changing your profession(s)?

Kerry- Technology constantly evolves the field. The increase in digital capabilities is exponentially increasing. It's "Moore's Law" - processor power doubles every 2 years. It is making things possible now that were impossible before, while bringing the costs down. But that's also the problem...  EVERYONE can be either a photographer or filmmaker now... and that drives the value of the content down. There is a glut of products on the market, and distributors know that they can make a lowball offer on your film and if you won't take it, the next guy probably will. And though $5 DVDs at Walmart are great for consumers, that leaves little to no room for profit for the producer... and if producer's can't recoup budgets, they can't make films... and slowly, American independent cinema dies.  What happened to music with piracy is now happening to movies... and it will be very interesting to see how producers adapt. Despite all the downward market pressure, this is also a time of unprecedented access to audiences via technology, and self distribution is more viable now than ever. It's kind of the best of times, worst of times.
 

Nic- What does Kerry Beyer like to do for fun?

Kerry- Making a horror film is a lot of fun... and photographing bikini models is a lot fun... but when I'm not doing that, I love to play my guitar, paint, watch movies, hang with friends, play video games. I'm basically always looking for some crazy artistic endeavor to get myself into.


Nic- Last question, now that you've got SPIRIT CAMP under your belt, do you have any plans to make another feature film and if so, any ideas about what it will be?

Kerry- Yes... there was such a huge learning curve with Spirit Camp, but now everything is in place from production to distribution, so I'm gearing up to do it again - only better. Sci Fi horror is up next.

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Related links:

www.kerrybeyer.com
www.spiritcampmovie.com
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kerry-Beyer-Photography/178105464828?ref=ts
 

Few people in the film industry can say they have the experience Jim O’Rear does. Well known in the independent film world, Jim has worked in and out of Hollywood for over 25 years as a stuntman, an actor, a writer and a director. His interest in the paranormal and ghost hunting has lead to him writing a book on the subject which is now being made into a documentary. In fact, there are few aspects of the entertainment industry that O’Rear hasn’t tried out, from the big screen to the theater.

B Movie man Nic Brown caught up with Jim at the Famous Monsters of Film Land convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Although he was busy promoting several projects and signing copies of his films and book, we had a chance to sit down for a few minutes and talk about his new projects, how he got his start and what getting hit in the head a lot does for you!

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Nic – Jim, it’s good to see you here at the Famous Monsters Convention in Indianapolis. How are you doing?

Jim - (Laughing) I’m tired! But, it’s good to be here.


Nic - I understand you’re working on a few new projects now. Would you like to tell us a little about them?

Jim - Yeah, gosh there’s been a ton of them! Not just new ones either, I’ve got some from the past that are finally coming out too.

The one I’m getting asked about the most right now is THE DEAD MATTER. That’s a film I did with Tom Savini, Andrew Divoff and Jason Carter. It’s a zombie/vampire film and it’s coming out July 30th, right around the time this interview will be coming out. I’m real excited about that.

As far as projects I’m shooting, I just finished one called RESURRECTION directed by Jeff Burr, who directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART III, THE STEPFATHER II and PUMPKIN HEAD II. It’s a crazy film along the lines of 28 DAYS LATER about a town that’s infected. Pretty soon, I’m going to start shooting another film; it’s about the last gas powered vehicle on Earth called THE LAST MILE, or is it THE FINAL MILE… I can’t remember, I’ve been hit in the head too many times doing stunts! I’m also supposed to be shooting one for Roger Corman pretty soon, a giant bug movie, so I’m excited about that.

I’m also going to be working on a couple of my own features soon too. One’s a slasher film called PRANK CALL, and a Civil War vampire film called BLOOD LINE, as well as a couple of documentaries: UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE and TENNESSEE GHOSTS… yeah I’ve been busy.


Nic - You’ve been really busy! Now I know you just finished a shoot for TENNESSEE GHOSTS last week. Can you tell us a little more about that project?

Jim - TENNESSEE GHOSTS is a documentary based on my book “Tennessee Ghosts” and I believe the movie will actually be called THE GHOSTS OF TENNESSEE when it comes out. The film goes back to a lot of the places I visited in the book to write about and it stars Scream Queen Debbie Rochon and actress Sebrina Siegel. They co-host the documentary and we revisit these locations, talk about their history and show viewers around them. We also did an overnight investigation in a very haunted hospital, so some of that footage will be in the documentary along with some of the stuff we caught in our interactions with the ghosts.


Nic - OK I don’t want you to give anything away, but did your investigation capture any good paranormal evidence?

Jim - We did. We caught a lot of stuff. I really wish we could have kept the cameras rolling all night long because it kept going all night long. It was crazy! We’ve got some EVPs to share, some photos and some video. We caught a lot of good evidence.


Nic - As someone who’s written about the paranormal, conducted investigations and worked on any number of projects related to it, why do you think there has been such an upturn in the public’s interest in this sort of thing?

Jim - I’m really not sure why it has happened, but I’m glad it has. Many of us have been interested in the paranormal and doing investigations and such for years, I mean 25 or 30 years and up until recently we’ve always been “the freaks”. But something happened when Jason and Grant went on the air with Sci-Fi’s GHOST HUNTERS and people started liking it and becoming interested in it and now it’s something a lot of people want to do. I can’t say what changed that line of thinking, but we owe a lot to those guys for making it more mainstream.


Nic - Let’s go back to your work in film for a minute. You mentioned that you’d been hit in the head too many times as a stunt man, so tell us about your stunt work. Is that how you got started in the business?

Jim - (Laughing) That’s not necessarily how I got started, that’s a long story. Actually, what got me into acting and film work was that I was on tour as the youngest professional magician with David Copperfield and Harry Blackstone Jr. and a TV producer talked me into doing a TV commercial. Then I started doing more TV work which lead to film work. I also love theater and I had a chance to do a some live theater and some musicals and I just kind of lucked into it.

I have studied martial arts from the time I was in kindergarten and I have a couple of different black belts in different styles. I was making a movie one time and they needed another guy in a fight scene and they said “Hey Jim knows what he’s doing and he’s here.” So they asked me if I wanted to do the fight scene and I said sure. After that, they started hiring me for fights and then they found out I could drive, so I started crashing cars and being thrown down stairs, thrown through windows, and blown up. I just sort of fell into it… no pun intended, but I love it. I love the action and I love the fighting, especially the fight scenes because I love martial arts.


Nic - You don’t just do stunt work and act though; you’re also a writer, both of books like “Tennessee Ghosts” and screenplays as well. Tell us a little about that aspect of your career.

Jim - Again, that’s just something I kind of fell into. I was a freelance writer for a couple of horror magazines. A movie producer who liked my work in the magazines contacted me and said he had a script he was going to be shooting and asked me to read it and give him my take on it, maybe give him some suggestions because he liked my style of writing. So I read through it and made a few suggestions like: move this scene up front and this scene to the middle and that sort of thing, just structuring it a little differently within the three act structure and I sent it to him and he thought it was great. So he went into production on the movie and it came out and I got credited as a screenwriter on it. Even though I hadn’t written it, he gave me credit as a screenwriter. That got me thinking “can it be that easy?” So I sat down to write my own and in a couple of months I had a screenplay finished and I sent it to L.A. and in a very short amount of time, I think it was about a month or so, it got optioned. It wasn’t something that I set out wanting to do, but the opportunity was there and so I gave it a try. I guess I just have some weird, different ideas that some people like (Laughing)!


Nic - Thinking about all the different jobs you’ve done in film: actor, stuntman, writer, director… which do you enjoy the most?

Jim - (Groans and laughs) That is such a tough question! I mean I love certain aspects of all of it. If I had to pick one, I’d say that the older I get, the more I like the writing aspect of it, only because I’m not getting the hell beat out of me on set and I don’t have to memorize anything… (laughs again) that’s getting harder to do too because of being hit in the head too many times! Plus as a writer you get to create everything. You create the characters, the sets and the dialogue. I think the older I get the more I like that because I can just sit in my own home and bring these fantasy worlds to life.

That said though, it’s still a tough tie with stunt work. I just love the action, the thrill and the danger of stunt work. I also enjoy working very closely with other guys on the stunts and fights. Of course I’m not getting any younger, so like I said, I’m leaning more towards the writing.
 

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Links:
http://www.jimorear.com
http://www.facebook.com/jimorear
http://www.myspace.com/jimorear
http://www.twitter.com/jimorear 

Brooke Lewis is a name that may seem familiar to you if you've spent any time spelunking in the world of independent horror. She has worked on over thirty projects to this date and even had a small role on the reality competition show “Scream Queens”. A unique individual, Brooke is a Renaissance woman of sorts as she expresses herself through as many outlets as possible. A talented and burgeoning young actress, we at Rogue Cinema were lucky enough to ask her a few questions about her current projects, her past and just what we can expect from her in the future! Read on and enjoy!

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Rogue Cinema: Hi Brooke, for our readers who aren't as familiar with your work, can you give us a brief rundown on how you first made your way into the Entertainment business?

Brooke Lewis:I was the kid who would sit in front of the TV and talk to the characters on the show, as if I were on TV with them! I was also obsessed with Dracula and vampires at an early age (ya know, before I knew I was one! ;). Although I was a huge horror fan as a kid, my earlier acting work was definitely more mainstream. I was singing, dancing and taking classes from a young age, which led me into musical theater, which led me into comedy in New York and I got my lil “break” in TONY N’ TINA’S WEDDING Off-Broadway for 3 years. This led me into edgy NY indie films from drama to comedy to mobster movies to TV pilots. I soon took off to Hollywood to pursue more TV stuff. I landed a low budget horror film and was hooked! I started Philly Chick Pictures and partnered with larger production companies to create a few horror/thrillers and have been fortunate to work in the horror/scifi genres ever since.


RC: What was it that drew you to acting initially?

BL: I was “born” to be an actress so I guess I always knew! It was always a part of my heart, soul and dreams. I have always been overtly emotional, so I’m drawn to things/people that/who allow me to express myself. I admit it…I’m not just a “Scream Queen”, but a “Drama Queen”, as well!


RC: Have you always enjoyed horror movies and genre film?

BL: Yes of course…since I was 5! Horror is like no other genre. It is a film medium that allows us to push the envelope and explore the darker side of human behavior. I find it dark, sexy, intense and thrilling! I love and embrace a lot of the roles that horror offers women. While other genres often portray female characters as weak, horror allows us to play the killer, vigilante, psycho, devil, etc...Oh, and, I freakin' love Vampires!!!


RC: I am always interested in what other filmmakers are watching, so what kind of films have you found yourself watching lately?

BL: LOL! This should tell you and the readers a lot about me but I watch TWILIGHT, GOODFELLAS, PRETTY WOMAN and THE NOTEBOOK over and over and over again! What can I say? I am a “sucker” for blood and love.


RC:You adorn the title of 'Scream Queen', do you find that title at all limiting for you as an actress?

BL: The title “Scream Queen” to me is an honor! It means a “powerful” female presence in the horror genre! I hope to be recreating that rare combination of powerful women in film in both mainstream and the horror/sci-fi genres! In my opinion, any true horror fan will recognize that the greatest roles for women in horror history were not necessarily the roles in which women were victimized or objectified, but the roles in which women were the heroine (Jamie Lee Curtis in HALLOWEEN or PROM NIGHT), or the strength behind the man (Margot Kidder in AMITYVILLE HORROR) or the killer (Sissy Spacek in CARRIE). In my opinion, there are currently sub-genres inside horror and I tend to gravitate toward the more mainstream themes and roles for women, as described above. I have 6 films being released this year and only 2 happen to be in the horror/scifi genres, so I don’t think the title “Scream Queen” has been limiting for me as an actress at all, in fact, I wear it with pride!


RC: What do you think the current state of independent cinema looks like?

BL: Quite honestly, I think it is a mess! I think with the disappearing of dvds, the internet craze, piracy and the digital explosion, indie films will never be regarded and respected as they once were. Now, anyone with a camera can shoot an indie film with no credentials, money, crew, trained talent, etc…and call himself a “filmmaker”. On the flip side, the studio system is now making “low budget” films and “calling” them independent, which makes it that much more challenging for true indie filmmakers, so you really can’t win! A mess, I tell you!


RC: Unlike many young actresses, you work within many roles on your films. The IMDB has you listed with twelve producing credits, can you tell us what spurred this interest in working behind the camera as well as in front?

BL: In 2002, I created Philly Chick Pictures to "produce entertainment with an attitude”. My movie career started as an actress in low budget independent fims in NYC. I was always the actress with a ton of energy and a business brain, who would call in a favor to attach talent, crew, locations or think fast enough to do damage control on a set. After doing this work for other people's companies or projects and not being credited or compensated properly, I finally realized that I had been "producing" all along! I learned that I have a creative soul and a business mind. I have never been the type to sit back and wait for things to happen, so I started Philly Chick Pictures to further my acting and producing career, make films with an edge and find and develop strong roles for women! Almost 8 years later, I am still learning and growing every day and with each project I choose. I have made a lot of mistakes in my career, but am very committed to learning from them and moving forward!


RC: How difficult is it working in between these roles while filming?

BL: It is unbelievably difficult and I don’t recommend it! It is very challenging to be delivering your best work as an actor, while you are worried about your crew and the technical aspects of a film. You need to be in two totally different headspaces as an actor and producer and sometimes it is difficult to not let the two merge. I have been very fortunate to work with a few teams who have given me the space to focus on just acting during the days I am performing!


RC: You have several projects lined up right now that have spurred a great deal of interest in the online horror community. Among those are Mondo Holocausto! and Dahmer Vs. Gacy, both of which have already produced a decent amount of buzz online. What can you tell us about these two very interesting movies?

BL: DAHMER VS. GACY is another low budget horror/scifi/action/comedy. It merges serial killers and government science experiments in a campy, but smart kind of way. If you can understand the subtext of the script, you will see how clever it actually is. I play the role of Tammy Hart who is a Southern Televangelist based on Tammy Faye Baker. How our brilliant actor/director, Ford Austin, channeled that through me, I will never know. Acting in that scene with Ford directing me is one of those "moments" that actors cherish throughout their careers. The film has recently hit the festival circuit and is winning Audience Choice Awards! MONDO HOLOCAUSTO! is an “over the top” horror/comedy modeled after the old Italian-style films, in which the voices are dubbed. Anthony Sant’Anselmo is a young writer/director who has this smart and hilarious vision and also happens to be lucky enough to work over at SOUTH PARK, so he is also schooled in the talents of voice-over. When he sent me the script, I laughed from start to finish and knew I wanted to be a part of this project!


RC: You also worked as an actress and co-producer on the sequel to the beloved cult classic Slime City, the aptly titled Slime City Massacre. What can we expect from Slime City Massacre? The original is a personal favorite of mine!

BL: Well, I am so happy to hear you are a SLIME CITY fan! SLIME CITY MASSACRE is a gem of a lil indie horror/scifi/action flick! Greg Lamberson, the writer/director/producer, put his life into this project! Everyone pulled together to create something wonderful and artistic with a very low budget. I think horror fans will be impressed with the FX, sets, art direction and locations. For all the original SLIME CITY fans, Greg really stepped it up with the sequel! I play Nicole, a prostitute in the 1959 flashback scenes. I really enjoyed preparing for this character and I hope horror fans enjoy my work in this one. There are soooo many amazing cast members to mention, but the four leads include Debbie Rochon, Lee Perkins, Jennifer Bihl and Kealan Patrick Burke and, of course, Robert Sabin and Mary Bogle from the original. This was a project I chose solely based on the script, my role and Greg’s passion to make the film and it turned out to be quite a gift! I am forever grateful to Greg and the cast and crew of SLIME CITY MASSACRE, as I recently won the B Movie Golden Cob Awards 2010 for Best Scream Queen of 2009 for my work on the film! :)


RC: What else is there coming down the line from Brooke Lewis?

BL: As for Brooke, along with the films mentioned above, I have a few others being released this year, including Marc Clebanoff's dark comedy GERALD, Sal Polisi's mobster drama directed by James Quattrochi called SINATRA CLUB, Fabian Carillo's action flick DOUBLE TAP directed by Ryan Combs and a short film SPRINKLES, directed by Roger A. Scheck, in which I play the lead Maura and is probably my most challenging and showcase performance to date! And, as both an actress and producer will be working on an intense drama/thriller UNTOLD IN WEST TEXAS with my dear friends and business associates Parrish Randall and Roger A.Scheck. As for Philly Chick Pictures, I am proud to tell your readers that we are in the development stage of creating a feature film for Ms. Vampy. I am blessed to have a co-production deal with Illusion Industries, in which I will star and produce, Todd Tucker will direct, Jim Pacitti will star and produce and Tamar Halpern, Todd, Jim and I have written based on my original story. The feature is a Halloween Family Comedy titled VAMP IT OUT and will be in the vain of THE NANNY meets ELVIRA meets HOUSE BUNNY. I am following my heart and soul with this piece and my goal is to inspire teenage girls and women to embrace their inner beauty, follow their dreams and when faced with fear, dig deep inside, find their inner vamp and VAMP IT OUT!!!

Rogue Cinema, many thanks and Love & Horror to all! XO Brooke Lewis

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We here at Rogue Cinema would like to thank the fabulous Brooke Lewis for sitting down and answering our questions! She is a multi-talented individual with a lot on her plate, so it means a lot to us that she could find time in her schedule. You can read more about Brooke via her personal website at http://www.brookelewis.com or you can read more about Philly Chick Pictures at their official website http://www.phillychickpictures.com.

When I watched Fugue last month for Rogue Cinema, I was excited to notice that not only was I seeing a hauntingly original, well made indie, but also, one directed with such a strong balance of eerie style and intelligence. It was my pleasure to interview director Barbara Stepansky, an exciting filmmaker with a taste for genre cinema. Ms. Stepansky holds a Masters degree from both the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and the American Film Institute. Her 2006 student film Die trojanische Kuh (The Trojan Cow) won the Cowboy Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, the Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the Angelus Awards Student Film Festival and first place at the ATAS Foundation College Television Awards. 2009 saw the release of her first feature length thriller, Hurt, and now, Fugue is making its way through the festival circuit.

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EI: We’ll start from the beginning: at what point in your life did you decide to become a filmmaker?

BS: I decided to become a filmmaker at sixteen, when I realized that I could combine all my favorite activities (theater, photography, writing, painting and watching movies) into one singular craft. It seemed like a no-brainer for me from that point onwards that film was the culmination of every artistic endeavor I ever encountered. I started out working as a projectionist at the local cinema while I was still going to high school, just to be closer to film and also to learn some of the logistics to showing films in front of an audience.


EI: Was it always your goal to work in the horror industry?

BS: No, it wasn’t always my goal to work in the horror genre. I actually started out with little comedy shorts in film school. But when one of my dramatic shorts THE TROJAN COW showed great potential for tension and suspense, I received my first shot at directing a feature thriller/horror entitled HURT. I started to get involved in the horror genre and realized that both comedy and horror had the same gutteral reactions – the audience reacts audibly, may it be with laughs or with gasps. And I’m a sucker for audience reactions. I’ve always had great respect for the good horror movies, like “The Fog” and “Alien”, but for some reason it never occurred to me that I could do that too. Once it did, I studied up heavily on the horror genre and really got interested and excited about this genre’s potential for interesting visuals and innovative storytelling.


EI: What do you look for in a script when it comes to choosing your projects?

BS: I look for two things in a script: 1) Is this a story that moves and keeps me turning the pages? 2) Would I want to watch this? I’m interested in projects that have a wide audience appeal and yet at the same time have something about them that my own core morals agree with. I’m not an auteur but at the end of the day as a director I do inadvertently put a stamp on the work and I have to live with the message that I put out there it until the day I die, to be dramatic about it…


EI: Your newest film, Fugue, has been described as a hybrid of thriller, horror, ghost story and psychological drama. In terms of directing, did you find yourself adjusting your style for each genre?

BS: Yes, I absolutely adjust to whatever the script calls for. I probably wouldn’t approach a horror film with the same visual palette that I would use for a comedy or an action film, although hybrids come up all the time. When I read a script, I usually picture right away what I would like to see but the script dictates what its needs are and I just try to listen to that inner eye.
 

EI: Newcomer and star Abigail Mittel is onscreen for virtually the entire running time of Fugue. What are some of the challenges in directing an actor who has to carry so much of the film?

BS: You just have to trust that you cast well. Abigail and I worked on a couple of other shorts and I always felt that she was such a natural in front of the camera. She was always in the moment as soon as we were rolling. And on top of that I felt strongly that you can’t take your eyes away from her. She has that mysterious quality that makes you just want to watch her. That’s essential for a feature length piece because ideally you don’t want your audience to get tired of your heroine halfway through. Plus a lot of the time Abigail has to react to virtually nothing on set. Most of that was put in during our post process: Creeks, sounds, visual effects. It was very important that she conveyed a sense of dread and fear at all times even though she was basically just playing to air.


EI: I imagine that one of the challenges in making Fugue was how to handle Richard Gunn’s character Howard, who the audience can never know whether to trust or suspect. How do you approach this characterization?

BS: The script takes care of a lot of that work. It was specifically designed for “Howard” to be ambiguous. However, the way I tried to approach the character with Richard Gunn was with as much honesty as possible. Knowing that “Howard” only wanted to do what’s best for “Charlotte” is what drives every one of his decisions. After everything that happened before she recovered with a Fugue State, of course he opts to calm her down, to soothe her, to make her stop digging up that terrible moment in time. It completely made sense to both Richard and myself. It’s only that the script doesn’t reveal his truth throughout the second act of the film that makes “Howard” seem suspicious.


EI: In terms of past films and imagery, where did you draw inspiration for filming Fugue?

BS: I drew a lot of my inspiration from “The Innocents” (1961). The way that Jack Clayton, the director, shot Deborah Kerr’s character experiencing the ghostly apparitions from her point of view was a great influence. I also looked at “What Lies Beneath” which had a very similar color palette to our film, and of course any Hitchcockian thriller.


EI: The press materials revealed that Fugue was actually filmed in your own home. How did that affect your process? (Also, where did you sleep?!)

BS: That is correct, Fugue was shot entirely in my house. We wanted to have a location with easy access and an owner who wouldn’t mind at all that her walls are getting sprayed with fake blood – really the only solution was to do it at my house. In fact, Fugue was written to take place in my house. Once Matt Harry, the writer and co-producer, saw my backyard, we knew we had an element to work with that would make it different from other haunted house movies. Usually, when you direct a film you get to go home and think about it and get some distance. I didn’t have that luxury. I never left set. I was immersed in Fugue. Although my bedroom was always available for me to sleep in (we shot all the bedroom scenes in one day), I did feel oddly displaced, like a stranger in my own home. But during the process I didn’t really mind so much, we were in the midst of a fever of making a feature film after all. What could be better?


EI: Is there anything in Fugue you would have liked to do differently had you been working with a larger budget?

BS: A larger budget would have probably bought us a few fancier gadgets, such as steadicam, dolly, crane, lights etc. I’m a director, so of course I like gadgets. And a larger budget could have helped speeding up our post process. But on a no-budget movie you have to work with what you got, make the best of it and simply enjoy building a story. I looked at it as going back to filmmaking bootcamp and keeping the story-telling skill set alive.


EI: As a female working not only in a generally male-dominated industry, but also occupation, do you find yourself feeling any responsibility to actively portray strong female characters?

BS: It’s undeniable that there’s a draw for me towards strong female characters. I’ve been very independent all my life, navigating my way through this industry with consistent determination, so I’m sure that I feel a strong affinity with female characters that in some shape or form have to fight various battles to survive and transcend. It inspires me. And I believe in telling stories with themes about persistence, resilience and the triumph of the human spirit against all odds – in whatever genre that may be.


EI: How do you approach sound and score in your filmmaking? Are you actively thinking of these elements during filming, or do you wait to shape the sound during post-production?

BS: Fugue was extremely sound-design heavy. I found myself on set saying all the time to the actors: “And then you hear…” So I would say a good 50% of sound design I’m acutely aware of. In editing, you find new avenues of using sound that helps the story that you maybe didn’t think of before. If you have a sound designer already on board they can start working on soundscapes and delivering them to you, which is amazing. But it’s only when the sound designer receives the locked picture that you dive into a whole other discussion and create new ideas to make the film even better. I always very much love the process. Music is incredibly important to me. I create inspirational soundtracks for myself. I listen to it all the time, in the car, at home, just to really feel the world come alive. Sometimes I share them with my composer but I prefer if she finds the music herself. I also don’t like giving her temp tracks because I find it taints the creativity a little bit. Sometimes that’s unavoidable for time and logistics reasons, but Dana Niu and I have a really great short hand because we worked on another feature HURT together, so we’re usually on the same page.
 

EI: Can you give us any updates on the release status of Fugue?

BS: Fugue is still playing festivals at this point and we’re hoping for a home video and VOD release in 2011. Please check out our website www.fuguethefilm.com for updates and join us on Facebook!


EI: What are some of your goals as a filmmaker?

BS: My goals are fairly modest, I think: I’d like to keep making entertaining films that people generally enjoy. I’d love to make a decent living doing so. And probably like any former thirteen year old girl, I must remake “Flowers In The Attic”…


EI: Can you tell us what you’re working on now?

BS: I’m finishing up post on a short horror film called “Road Rage” with Keiko Agena from “Girlmore Girls”. I’m in development on “Hysteria”, a psychological thriller and a modern “Rosemary’s Baby” retelling, with High Treason Productions who also produced my first feature “Hurt”. Matt Harry and I have a couple more contained thrillers brewing to be a follow-up for “Fugue”. And I’m always jotting down some new scary ideas that might amount to a script one day. But I’m excited to see what happens next!
 

A couple months ago, I reviewed a visually stunning and action packed short called Tex: Vampire Hunter from director Lautaro Gabriel Gonda.  It combined two genres seamlessly (vampires and the old west), and it has some really excellent action sequences as well.  This month, I had a chance to ask Lautaro about how the film came together and what all went into making it.

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Let's start out like I always do and have you introduce yourself to everyone and tell us a little about your background.

I was born the son of a hippie and an Argentine immigrant on the Suquamish Indian reservation in Washington State. I grew up traveling around with them around the US and Argentina and points between.  When I reached school age we settled on Bainbridge Island, which great for my childhood but bored the teenage me immensely, so left high school as year early and went to study marble sculpture in Carrara, Italy.  For some reason I came back to Seattle and spent the greater part of my '20s either heartbroken or intoxicated.  Then I went to film school. 


Tell us about the origins of this film.  Where'd the idea come from, and what made you want to do a vampire film?

I have a terrible confession to make.  I'm not that into vampires.  I don't have a black trench coat or eyeliner or anything.  I do like westerns and I just thought it would be fun to combine genres. 


Did you worry at all about doing a vampire film because of the saturation of the genre and the backlash against the Twilight films amongst the average person in your target audience?

There's not much backlash at all.  Usually I hear, "I'm so glad someone is making REAL vampire movies."  At film festival Q&As I usually have to talk about Twilight.  I don't get too upset about it, but if I'm feeling particularly belligerent I'll go into my rant about how if you take the biting and sex out of your vampire, there's not much left. Also, Twilight is full of very harmful ideas for young girls.


When you came up with the idea, was it always intended to be a short, or was it limited by time or budget into being a short?  Would you like to turn it into a full length film at some point or are you happy with it as it is and looking forward to future projects from here?

Initially I imagined it as a feature, but the opportunity came up to make it as a short.  The plan is still to make a feature.  I'll keep you posted. 


Was the film self funded or did you have any outside backing for it?  What did the final budget end up being?

The equipment and film costs were covered by the Seattle Film Institute (out of our tuition), but the crew contributed a little of their own money for props and costumes and such.  I also put in a few thousand.  I'd say the final cash budget was around $5000.  


How did you go about the task of casting your film, and did you have any problem finding people to fill all of the roles, and how long did the while process take?

We advertised in all the local online actor call boards and held auditions.  We had dozens of actors interested, so we were spoiled for choice in casting. Except for the man playing the vampire priest, who was my dad. 


Visually, the film is stunning, and definitely doesn't look like the work of someone who hasn't had a lot of experience making films.  You only have a couple of films listed on IMDB though.  What other projects have you worked on and how did you aquire the skills necessary to make such a great looking film?

I've been some kind of visual artist my whole life.  My day job is graphic designer.  I dabble in photography.  It all comes from the same place, so the transition to film was pretty seamless.  But if that's not enough of an explanation and you want to call it natural genius talent, that's ok with me.

Seriously though, the look of the film is the result of careful preparation and communication with my director of photography, Alex Meader.  We looked at other films as examples, and other media as well, especially old oil paintings with a dramatic chiaroscuro look.  And then it's just a matter of putting the lights in the right places.  


How close did the visuals actually come out to the way you saw it in your head?  Is there anything you wish you could have done better?

The only shot I wish we could have redone is the first "fly-through" shot in the vampire brothel.  It's close, but not quite what we were going for. 


Sound design is something that's greatly overlooked often times in independent cinema, and yet you paid close attention to it in this film.  Who handled the sound and what aspects of it do you think came out particularly well?

Great question.  It's true that sound design is often overlooked and bad sound is the first thing that makes a film seem amateurish. We had the sound professionally foleyed and remixed at Bad Animals studio in Seattle.  We ADRed most of the dialogue as well.  I'd say 90% of the original sound was replaced. 


Something else that's often hard to pull off in independent films are action sequences, and yet you had a lot of great action in this film.  Tell us about the people involved in bringing that all together and what difficulties and issues you had (if any) in shooting these types of scenes.

What elevated this beyond just another student film was all the very skilled people who heard about the project and offered their services: make up, wardrobe, custom fangs.  Another person was Rob Bradstreet, our stunt coordinator.  He broke down the fight sequences in the script into something shootable, and tweaked them for maximum awesomeness.  We rehearsed all the action with the actors, and he was on set making sure nobody actually got shot or staked through the heart. 


What are you working on currently, and what do you have planned for the near future?

I'm doing pre-production on my next short, called "Love and War".  It takes place during World War I and the 1920s and is basically an allegorical summary of the drunk/heartbroken years I mentioned earlier.  And then I'll probably do a couple more shorts or music videos while I get my feature scripts ready.


You've sent the film out to various film festivals.  What's the response been like and are there any upcoming festival appearances where people can check it out?

Tex premiered at the Beloit International Film Festival and that was an amazing experience.  The attendance was great and the audiences were very appreciative.  It's shown at a few others since then.  The next appearance, one I'm very excited about, is the 1 Reel Film Festival in Seattle. 


What piece of advice would you give to anyone who's setting out to make their first film?  What are some of the pitfalls they should look out for?

Sometimes I go to the supermarket and see organic vegetables all covered in dirt.  I suspect they don't wash them because if they were clean, nobody would believe they were organic.  Similarly, in indie film there seems to be an aversion to making the picture look good, because apparently that's too mainstream and commercial and Hollywood, man.  I vehemently disagree.  Making something look like crap does not add any intrinsic value.  It's just laziness. 


Is there anything else you'd like to mention before we wrap this up?

It's the nature of this business that I, as director, get a lot of credit when something turns out well, but this film is the cumulative result of a lot hard work by many very talented people.  Too many to list here.  Check out the IMDb page.  They are all awesome.

Musicals. The glamour, the glitz, Gene Kelly dancing energetically across the stage. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John singing about Summer Loving. Whether it’s SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS or GLEE, some people love musicals and some people hate them. Now writer/director Travis Campbell has taken the plunge and decided to make an indie musical like no other: MR. BRICKS: A HEAVY METAL MURDER MUSICAL. This is a bold step that takes the traditional idea of a musical and turns it on its ear.

Travis’s vision has attracted a number of artists to appear in the film, including YouTube sensations Shawn “Cool Duder” Phillips and M.J. Kelley (The Don and Murph Show), Jamie Greco (PDA Massacre, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead), and Lloyd Kaufman (President of Troma Entertainment and creator of the Toxic Avenger). The film also includes a guest appearance and musical performance by Richard Barone (The Bongos/Author, Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth).

One of the film’s stars is “Women of Horror” featured actress Nicola Fiore. She and Travis are eager to spread the word about this unique approach to a genre that’s been around almost since the start of talking movies.

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Nic - The name may say it all, but tell us about MR. BRICKS: A HEAVY METAL MURDER MUSICAL!

Travis - MR. BRICKS: A HEAVY METAL MURDER MUSICAL is, well, obviously a musical but it's also a twisted love story. Mr. Bricks wakes up with a bullet in his head and realizes his true love has been taken from him. He then goes on a killing spree in the name of love to get his girl back and to find out who shot him! The film has a very B Movie quality to it, but it's also a character driven story. We see multiple points of view surrounding the incident when Mr. Bricks gets shot from a couple of different characters, and we find out that maybe things aren't what they seem, and maybe Mr. Bricks has a couple of loose screws rattling around in his head next to that bullet! The musical elements enhance this and also shed some light on the emotional state of the characters. All in all it's a very unique concept, and very hard to pull off!  
 
Nic - Why a musical?

Travis - I had always wanted to do a musical. I was in hardcore bands in the 90s and then did the college rock band thing later on, so music has always been a big part of my life. When I moved to New York, I had a hard time adjusting, and went back to my roots listening to hardcore music, which helped me get through a lot of tough times. At the same time, I was trying to develop multiple low budget projects with Nicola and Tim Dax in mind and one day it hit me, MR. BRICKS... and it will be a musical, no - a heavy metal murder musical! I loved the concept, but it also frightened me, a heavy metal musical? Would it work? Would people laugh their asses off? It could be a colossal failure, but once I started writing the songs and getting the story together, everything clicked and I was like “you know what, if this flops it flops, it's something I want to do.” I have always wanted to make movies. I love hardcore music and I have never seen a heavy metal murder musical, so fuck it!  
 
Nic - I understand that you and your girlfriend, Lauren Miller, wrote the screenplay. Did you guys also write the music?

Travis - I wrote the music along with Dane Robinson, and after recording I would show Lauren the songs, since she wrote the script and she would either say brilliant or terrible! There are nine songs in the movie but there were at least 25 songs written at various points. It was difficult writing the music with the story in mind, because you have to ask yourself what warrants a musical number and what doesn't. Bricks taking a dump wouldn't warrant a musical number, but Bricks questioning his motives for killing would! I had the hardest time writing Nicola's song "Torn." I just wasn't getting it and one night I said, “Fuck it - I can't do it!” Lauren then helped me by going over the scene she wrote, explaining what it meant to her and for Nicola's character Scarlet. Lauren wrote most of the lyrics for that song and then it made sense to me! I wasn't connecting the emotional dots so to speak, but once I found my groove it was awesome. I would write the music with scenes in mind and then sometimes take dialogue right from the script and plug it in as lyrics. When it came time to shoot we would work in some choreography and it came together really well!  

The hardest thing for me was directing a script I didn't write. I always had written material I directed. I did a first draft for  and it just didn't work. In that draft I had Bricks as an actual bricklayer and he owned a brick company and he was a mute! Yes, a mute! That draft also had one musical number and had Nicola's character killed off in the first scene. I showed it to Lauren one night and she was like No! No! NO! She offered to take a crack at writing a draft and what she wrote turned out to be what we used in the film. For me, it was a huge process of letting go. It was also a challenge for Lauren to write in this genre. We had gone to film school together and had different styles of filmmaking and we always said to each other, “There is no way I can work with you!” But once we let go and trusted each other, we were pleasantly surprised with the results.  

Nic - Nicola, can you tell us a little about your character in MR. BRICKS.

Nicola - Officer Scarlet Moretti is a tough undercover NYPD. She gets mixed up with the wrong guy who turns out to be a criminal connected to her past. Lauren is one of the first female writers I have worked with and she is probably the most amazing. Bricks is really not a love story but more of a love/hate story. An anti-love story! And Scarlet is the object of his desire. I relate to her in many ways, but she does seem to have a thing for tattooed, ripped guys! lol

Nic - What was the most challenging thing for you working on a heavy metal murder musical?

Nicola - Definitely the singing! My parents are musicians and my mom is a singer and a great stage performer and she makes it look so easy. I would always watch her sound checks as a little girl and it made me want to sing. But even then, it came more naturally to lip-sync to "Gloria" with her broken mike and maybe get a few laughs. Singing in front of people alone has always frightened me! Like most people, I sing only when I am alone or in a choir (or intoxicated!) so I am NO fucking rock star! But, after listening to the songs, I noticed that there are spoken dialogue moments that are an important part of the dynamics and energy of the story so I gave it a try. Ultimately, I wouldn't be able to do this if I didn't have all the faith in the world in Travis and what he can do.
 
Nic - How did you become involved in the project?

Nicola - Travis has been working as Troma's editor since I met Lloyd Kaufman a few years back. We were dealing with Troma things together via email, then met when we did the intro to the anniversary release of REDNECK ZOMBIES. What a crazy shoot it was! We really clicked and he became the first real friend I made since moving back to NYC. Creatively, we are on the same wavelength and have a similar aesthetic. Over the past few years he has sent me several scripts that were really great and in different genres. It wasn't really until we started shooting that we realized how bananas it was that we are finally getting down to it with a musical of all things!

Nic - I can see how you cast Nicola for her role in the film, but what about Mr. Bricks himself? Was that a tough one to cast and is that the actor who plays him doing the singing?

Travis - I always wanted to work with Tim. I found a postcard of his that he had sent around with his picture and contact info. When I saw it I was like who is this guy? I emailed him in the spring of 2009 and asked if he would like to work together and he said yes! The only problem was I had a lot of projects on the table but nothing complete. I started brainstorming, trying to think of roles both he and Nicola could play. At one time, I had this idea for a movie where Nicola was an assistant to Jesus himself and Tim would play Saint Peter! Needless to say, this didn't work out and finally the idea of Mr. Bricks hit me and I thought this would be perfect for not only Tim but Nicola as well.  
 
Nic - MR BRICKS is obviously going to have its fair share of blood and violence. There has been a lot of criticism of violence in films, especially when it’s directed towards women. How would you respond to that kind of criticism towards MR BRICKS?

Travis - I was worried about the violence against women aspect; it is so prevalent in horror movies and has become a cliché these days. It's so easy to come up with a horror movie idea and start it off with "a woman alone in the woods is terrorized by..." or "a woman alone in her apartment showering is terrorized by…." That is why I am glad Lauren Miller wrote the script. While the movie is called MR. BRICKS, it definitely has a female point of view regarding violence. That is why I love Nicola's character Scarlet;, she is written with flaws and it's believable that a woman could end up in the situation Scarlet finds herself in during Mr. Bricks. When we were doing table readings, all the women who attended always loved the character of Scarlet because they felt like they could relate to her.  

Nicola - There is an equality between men and women like never before and this story reflects that. It is unrealistic to portray any woman as some fragile creature that needs to be protected or rescued. The female revenge stories have always had violence, and it shouldn't be so shocking when women kick ass and get bloody and act as their own hero. MR. BRICKS has moments that are extremely intense that I think both men and women will respond to. This is obviously not a film for the weak-minded. Underneath all the violence is a story that has a lot of heart.

Nic - So now that you’ve got a musical under your belt, will we be seeing more of this from you?

Nicola - A musical was something I never thought I would do to do to begin with. lol. I went to see Travis one Friday and there were actors there and I recognized Tim Dax from his headshot that Travis had shown me for other stuff we were talking about doing. He hands me a script and told me to read for "Scarlet". Then in the reading he was like, "this will be a song, and that will be a song". I remember thinking, "I hate singing! Shit!" And here we are 6 months later and we are almost done recording and I will be sad when it is over. I could never say "Never will I sing again" but I think it is safe to say that singing is not really my thing. Working on this has been really rewarding and has challenged me creatively and I am grateful to everyone who believed I could do this and cheered me on. Maybe doing a comedy would be fun - but I am not looking for a record deal or even putting "singing" on my resume. This has also been a LOT of work!!

Nic - You said nine songs made it into the move out of the 25 or so you wrote. Will any of those other songs see the light of day?

Travis - Yes hopefully they will! I would like to include the deleted songs as a special feature on the DVD.  
 
Nic - I understand that you got some serious musical talent involved in the project. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Travis - Well when I started writing the songs in a small cramped room I never could have imagined where it would take me. This really was a family affair. I worked with my friend Dane Robinson who would come in with different guitar parts and lyrics, and we would write various songs, some ended up in the movie some did not. My long time friend from high school and fellow band mate from my hardcore days, Tony Bennevento, came in and recorded vocals for MR. BRICKS. At one point I think we had three different people including me doing the vocals for MR. BRICKS!  

When we were filming, the actors would lip synch to my vocals because we still hadn't cast the singing parts! I even did Nicola's vocals, and it was really embarrassing on set when people were like, “Why is an out of tune guy singing for Nicola?” After we wrapped, Nicola would come in and record her parts and they sound fantastic! That was the best part for me - finally hearing the songs come to life when other people sang them.  

But I think the best part was having Richard Barone, from the band the Bongos come in and record a pop-rock-new-wave version of the song "Brick by Brick." I was trying not to freak out when Richard was recording his parts while I was acting as the recording engineer! Watching his energy while playing and singing threw me into a different world! I had started this whole musical process in a cramped room with the song "Brick by Brick" and now it ends with a pro version of  "Brick by Brick." It was really surreal.  
 
Nic - What are your plans for MR. BRICKS - is a theatrical release something you’re looking for?

Travis - I would love to do a theatrical release, but these days it almost impossible for an independent film to get a theatrical release because the big movie conglomerates control everything! That's fine though. I would love to have Bricks play at a drive-in or take it to a convention or even on the road as travelling hardcore circus, where you get to see the movie and live performance featuring the songs in the movie, rather then have it sit on a shelf waiting for "distribution" by a company who does not care about it. We will also try a run at film fests and then put it on DVD. I think these days, filmmakers have to be almost like snake oil salesmen and take their act on the road, convincing movie-goers that their product will ensure the most satisfying emotional response! It is sad that it's come to this, but in a way it's a game. We will see what happens though. Like we said when filming MR. BRICKS... brick by brick, baby... brick by brick.
 

As cheerleaders go, Nikki isn’t a very good one. She’s got a bad attitude, a punk haircut and wears dark, goth make-up. That’s OK though, because in Kerry Beyer’s ode to 80’s slasher films, SPIRIT CAMP, when the psycho killer shows up, she’s the one who drops her pom-poms and grabs a shotgun.

While firearm wielding cheerleaders are interesting, Nikki’s real life alter-ego, actress and model Roxy Vandiver, is even more fascinating. A native Texan, Roxy proudly states that she can beat you at chess or movie trivia, and she loves to make art of all types. It’s not surprising to learn that she has fans of her photos around the world and, now that her film career is starting to take off, her fan base can only keep going up.

Between photo shoots, promoting SPIRIT CAMP at events like the TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND, and her work on several new film projects, Roxy took a little  break to talk with B-Movie Man Nic Brown about her movies, her modeling and why you’ll hear her saying the names of Milla Jovovich characters at her house on a regular basis!

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Nic - Roxy, you're one of the stars of Kerry Beyer's film SPIRIT CAMP. Can you tell us a little about the film and your role in it?

Roxy - In SPIRIT CAMP, I play Nikki. She's a punk/goth girl who is forced to attend Cheer Camp as a condition of her release from a Juvenile Corrections Facility. She doesn't fit in well with the cheerleaders and bitchiness ensues, but when people start turning up dead they have to put aside their differences to survive. Nikki wasn't much of a stretch for me, because I was the punk/goth girl in high school. (Okay I still am, hehe). But I was a lot meaner than Nikki. She's quiet and sensitive. I was a fighter with a big mouth.

Nic - SPIRIT CAMP is just the tip of the film iceberg for you. Can you tell us about some of the other projects we'll be seeing you in soon?

Roxy - Since SPIRIT CAMP, I have had the pleasure of working with Bill and Alex Shumake of Angry Nun Productions out of Austin on the film 'KILLER SCHOOL GIRLS FROM OUTERSPACE. I believe it comes out on DVD this summer and it stars some of my dearest friends Julin Jean and Denise Williamson. I also got to fulfill a life-long dream of playing a Vampire onscreen in the Poison Apple Films production RENFIELD: THE UNDEAD. That one was very special to me. I got to work with some amazingly talented cast and crew. I'm also working closely with SWEATSHOP director Stacy Davidson on some super top secret stuff!

Nic - What do you enjoy most about acting?

Roxy - When I first got into acting, I just did it for some laughs. But once I was on a film set, I was totally awestruck by the magic of it all. The camaraderie on a film set is like nothing you will experience anywhere else. Of course, I'm a total ham who will jump in front of a camera any chance I get, but really it's the teamwork and sense that we're doing something special that I love about acting and film-making. It's a privilege to work in film. So many people want to do it and so few get the chance.

Nic - When you're working on a film, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of it for you as an actress?

Roxy - For me, the most challenging part of being an actress is not necessarily the performance itself; it's saying goodbye when the film (or my part in it) is wrapped. I always find myself falling in love with the entire group involved with the film. Film sets produce so many little inside jokes and "remember the time..." stories that it's always bittersweet when it ends. I've been known to cry when I wrap a project.

Nic - In addition to your work in film, you have also made quite a name for yourself as a model. How did you get your start in modeling and what do you like the most about it?

Roxy - Many people know that SPIRIT CAMP director Kerry Beyer is also a very talented and accomplished photographer. We became close friends during filming and one night, after way too many margaritas I slurred to him, "Kerrrryyy....take nakkkkeddd picturrrres of meeee!" He was happy to oblige and we developed a sort of Artist/Muse relationship over the course of 2 years. He has taken over six-thousand photographs of me. Our work together was so highly praised by others that we decided to secure my domain name and take it to the web, where I have since had the opportunity to work with photographers from all over the U.S. My favorite thing about modeling? Being immortalized, of course. Someday when I am no longer young and beautiful, I will always have the photos to look back on and treasure.

Nic - That's quite a portfolio you've built up with Kerry. Are you working on any new projects with him?

Roxy - Thank You. Kerry and I work very well together. We know each others' strengths, even weaknesses. Sometimes I can just look at him and read his mind and I think he can probably do the same with me. Right now Kerry is so busy promoting and negotiating SPIRIT CAMP business that we haven't had a chance to even talk about new projects. But hopefully we'll team up again in the near future.

Nic - It looks like most of your modeling work is on the web. Are you doing any print work and also, do you have any photos for sale to fans?

Roxy - I'm mostly an internet model and do photo shoots to post on my website, www.roxyvandiver.com. My email address is on the site and people often contact me requesting autographed prints. I've sent prints all over the world from Canada to Spain to Australia.

Nic - Talking about your presence on the web, how do you think the web and other advancing technologies are changing the film and modeling industries?

Roxy - I think the internet is phenomenal for models. Especially models like me who have a more alternative look. I'm only 5'6" and I have tons of tattoos, which would hold me back from working as a mainstream fashion model. But the internet enables girls like me to make money and get our work out there.

Nic - I understand that you like the author Charlaine Harris. So what do you think of TRUE BLOOD on HBO, and if you could be a character from one of her books on the show, which one would you like to play?

Roxy - I love Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. I just finished the latest one Dead in the Family. I started watching the show TRUE BLOOD after I was deep into the book series and I absolutely love it. If I could have played a character, I would love to have been Evan Rachel Wood's character Vampire Queen Sophie. Wood is brilliant in the role, but I would love to have had a shot at it. Some say she and I look alike.
 
Nic - Excellent choice, I could definitely see you as Sophie, or maybe Pam.... Anyway, it sounds like you enjoy a good book. If I were to look through your bookshelves, what would I find?

Roxy - If you looked at my bookshelves you would find that I love books and devour literature like candy. You would know immediately what types of Vampires I favor because there's so many Anne Rice works. You'd see that I have a fascination with tattoos, sexual astrology, Edgar Allan Poe, medical reference materials, serial killers and huge volumes of random trivia.

Nic - You mentioned a fascination with tattoos. How many do you have and do you have a favorite one?

Roxy - I've been fascinated with tattoos from a very young age and always knew that I would get them when I was old enough. My collection has become a little bit larger than I originally planned, but the more I get, the more I want. Some say tattoos are addictive and I kind of agree with that. I have about 15 tattoos, many of which are tributes to favorite films of mine like LORD OF THE RINGS, BRAVEHEART, X-MEN and my newest addition, THE CROW.

Nic - Going back to your work in film, the horror industry has often been criticized for its portrayal of women. What are your thoughts about that, both for the roles you've had the chance to play and in general?

Roxy - I completely disagree with the mindset that horror films are sexist or anti-feminist in any way. I believe quite the opposite in fact. Blood and boobs aside, the true theme of most horror films is a woman starting out weak or frightened but then taking control of the situation, finding her inner strength and surviving by kicking some bad-guy ass! That was definitely what my character in Spirit Camp did. She found herself in a terrible situation, re-living some very painful scenarios from her past and she fights back. I felt like an action hero!

Nic - Your work in film seems to have stuck mainly to the horror/thriller genre. Do you have any interest in breaking out of that or would you like to become a Scream Queen?

Roxy - I'm interested in working on all types features and taking on all types of roles. Horror is fun and if I do nothing but horror films, I will definitely not complain. To work as an actress at all is an honor.

Nic - Why do you think horror movies are so popular?

Roxy - I think horror movies are so popular because people love being scared, and you can do so much in a horror film. You can incorporate humor, action, drama and suspense. Horror films are the total package.

Nic - When you're not working in front of the camera as a model or an actress, what does Roxy Vandiver like to do for fun?

Roxy - When I'm not in front of the camera I like to dress like a rockstar and party all night with my friends, and then sleep for 14 hours straight. When I wake up, I'll probably play on Facebook, watch some TV and cuddle my two dogs, LeeLoo and Violet. They're both named after Milla Jovovich characters.

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Related Links:

www.roxyvandiver.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2014783
http://www.modelmayhem.com/1134974
http://www.myspace.com/roxyvandiver
www.spiritcampmovie.com
http://www.facebook.com/roxyvandiver
 

Recently, I talked with college student, comedian, writer, radio show host, and first-time dramatic director Matthew Robinson.  Whew!  That's enough hats to keep anyone busy!   We discussed numerous subjects, including the trials and travails of micro-budget filmmaking, the influence of Jaws (the single most influential film in my life and the one that got me into movies), and Matthew's latest feature, the 30-minute cop drama entitled "Drown."

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CC:  Tell us a bit about your background.  What got you interested in making movies?

MR:  As a kid I was always fascinated with the stories. Whether it be on the page or on the screen. I wanted to see movie after movie, and my parents being big movie buffs encouraged me to do so. To this day my dad and I will watch classic films together and discuss them. Watching movies just made me want to make movies of my own. I think in the end what interested me in making movies was the whole idea that I could finally tell the stories I had cooped up in my head to the world.

CC:  What movies/directors have influenced you over the years?

MR:  Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back had a huge impact on me as a kid. I think it was really the movie that made me want to make movies of my own. I loved the characters, the action, the sets, the morals, the mind blowing plot twist between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and it just really connected with me how the bad guys could win in a movie and yet there still be hope in the end. Other movies throughout the years have influenced me like Double Indemnity, The Third Man, Airplane, Jaws and Unbreakable. As far as directors go, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas had an instant affect on me, but I also love the work of Orson Wells, Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood.

CC:  “Drown” is a cop drama with all the stereotypical characters one would expect from this type of film.  I really enjoyed your take on these characters.  I felt like some of the characters almost had a tongue-in-cheek quality about them.   Did you design the film to be this way, or am I just reading too much into it?

MR:  I definitely tried to make some of the characters tongue and cheek. Timothy Squalls (the police sergeant) especially. All of the films I’ve done up until Drown have been pretty much comedies or parodies. So I didn’t want to jump head first into the writing of this as a 100% hard-nosed crime drama. I figured I could have some fun with the characters. I think I found a good balance where people could take what was happening seriously enough with me and the cast still giving a little wink here and there.

CC:  Your use of irony in the film was excellent.  The title not only describes the climax of the film but also the state of mind the dirty cop has as well as his motivations for his actions.  How did you go about writing such a complex story?

MR:  Without spoiling too much I had the image of one of the last scenes of the movie in my head at first. I just kept thinking about that scene over and over again. Finally I decided to write a whole story around that scene and thus “Drown” was born. Writing the script took a few months, as I had several almost complete rewrites, and I frustratingly found myself in my room reading lines out loud to myself over and over trying to figure out if they sounded believable in any sense. I think being a comedy writer at heart really helped with the irony in “Drown”. Here I had to just tweak it from humor to drama. So I really constructed a whole slew of themes, characters and plot points to all lead up to the last five minutes of the film. It was almost like having a punch line first and then writing the joke that leads up to it.

CC:  I'm assuming  that “Drown” is your first full-length film.  What were some of the challenges you faced in getting this feature off the ground and completed?

MR:  Well, actually “Drown” wasn’t my first feature film, just my first one with an actual budget. I have made a couple of comedy features called “The Adventures of Matthew Robinson."  The first movie was sixty minutes and the sequel was eighty-four. They were really just made for Youtube and downloads. Those were shot just kind of willy-nilly with no trained actors, budget or real plot. With “Drown” I actually was shelling out the cash and kind of really going for it, so I suppose this was in many ways my first feature film. Budget and time were the biggest concerns getting this project off the ground. I luckily had a friend who became my director of photography named Bryan Deguchi who owned a high grade HD camera which cut down on some of our costs but in the end I still spent upwards of $300 which is a lot when you’re a college student contemplating selling your kidney for textbooks. I really wish that we had more money for sound and lighting equipment. Also since I wasn’t paying my actors I had to work around their schedule and that can bring up issues. I actually had to recast my two leads at one point because of massive scheduling conflicts.

CC:  What are some of the aspects of the film you are particularly proud of?

MR:  I’m very proud of the script for “Drown.”  It was the first time I tried to make something containing fairly serious subject matter and I think it turned out good. I also am very pleased with the characters and how the actors were able to act out my words and really make the people I had in my head come alive. It’s a very satisfying feeling when you see an actor deliver a line just the way you imagined it. Another thing I liked though I can’t take full credit for are some of the camera angles. I had been criticized in the past for bad camera angles and while it was far from perfect, I feel me and my director of photography were able to get in some great shots.

CC:  Talk about some things you learned as a new filmmaker while making “Drown.”

MR:  I definitely learned a lot about the right and wrong way to light a room and the importance of location when you don’t have the greatest sound equipment. I’ll probably be haunted forever by some of the technical mistakes in “Drown” but I’m hoping I’ll move past them and keep it from happening again. I also learned that when you are an independent filmmaker sometimes it's better to just go with the more committed actor than perhaps the best one. As I mentioned earlier, I had to recast the two leads in “Drown” when the movie was already about 70% finished because of scheduling conflicts. I then had to scramble and luckily I found two good, committed actors in Andy Sidley and John Hays who were able to film all of their required scenes within 24 hours. I think at this level I’d rather have someone who could help me get the job done over someone who might have more of an edge acting-wise. That’s not to say my actors were chosen because of this reason, they all to me were great for the roles and I hope one day when they make it big they remember me. If I make it, I’ll certainly be giving them a call.

CC:  Any new projects on the horizon, or are you just focusing on marketing “Drown” right now?

MR:  I’ve got a lot of stuff on the horizon. I’m working for my college’s television station all the time, in particular a program called “The Randumb Show” which is a sketch comedy program. But I’m also working on a career in broadcasting as I have a radio show on blogtalkradio.com called “The Final Cut”. As far as film projects go I’m working on a period piece comedy based on the true story of a group of teens in 1970’s D.C. who, during a wild night which starts with them stealing a car, end up pretending they are in a rock band to avoid being arrested for trying to sneak into a concert. But I’m far from done with drama/action as I’m going to be directing a short film written by Shaun Maden currently titled “Lover Scorned” about a hitman who begins to question his line of work. I almost kind of wish all I had on my plate was promoting “Drown”.

CC:  Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers?

MR:  I think the best advice I can give, and I’m admittedly no expert, is to just go out and make your movie. If you are a director, direct. If you are a writer, write. If you’re an actor, act. Who's stopping you? Probably only you. Your movie might suck, but it could turn out great.  You never know. I 100% believe that filmmaking is a trial and error process and that you’ll almost never learn anything truly helpful in a textbook about making movies. Just go out, have fun, and make your vision a reality--an audience of only your friends and family is better than nothing.

I recently talked with relative newcomer Bob Freville about his latest release entitled Hemo, a unique take on the domestic drama genre featuring a pair of vampires about to hit rock bottom.  I discovered that Bob is not only very nice but is quite sincere and thoughtful about filmmaking.  If you are tired of the latest teeny-bopper vampire craze featuring vapid bloodsuckers found in such fare as the Twilight series and television’s True Blood, Freville’s vampires might just be the breath of fresh air you needed.

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CC:  Tell us a bit about your background.  What got you interested in making movies?

BF:  I have a very wide-ranging blue collar background in general. I have worked as a librarian's assistant, a telemarketer and a roadie for a NYC alternative rock band. I dropped out of high school at 16 to write.  I got my diploma through Keystone National, a homeschooler, so I could start writing for the local newspapers. As far back as I can remember, art was my thing--movies, writing, painting, doodling, playing pretend, dressing up, lighting G.I. Joes on fire and creating comic books on napkins. So I went to work as a teenager, doing freelance journalism, saw it was all bullshit and was lucky enough to find a website (Get Underground, which later merged with Kotori Magazine) that allowed me an uncensored outlet for what I really wanted to write. And that led to me making the contacts that I needed to start making movies. But it was always really about films.

I guess I knew I wanted to make movies when I first saw stuff like The ‘Burbs and The Explorers, Lord of the Flies, Texas Chainsaw 1 and 2 and all these other movies that an adolescent should probably not be seeing. It was never, "I want to be a fireman or an astronaut or the President of the United States." It was always, "I'm gonna make a horror movie with Corey Feldman and Liane Curtis (Girlfriend from Hell)." And one day that goal will be fulfilled hopefully.

CC:  What movies/directors have influenced you over the years?

BF:  There's too many to count, really. Anything or anyone who is good. Tobe Hooper, Jess Franco, Hal Hartley (who grew up where I'm living now in Long Island, so he's kind of permeated the place), Kathryn Bigelow (for Near Dark AND The Hurt Locker), John Carpenter, Gregg Araki, David Cronenberg, The Cohens, Linklater, Lynch, Herzog, Miike, Fessenden, Tsukamoto, Adam Rifkin. The most influential, though, are the people who manage to make their films for peanuts and pubic hair, ya know? The people who can take five dollars and pull some MacGuyver shit. Adam Wingard, Chad Ferrin, Jon Moritsugu, Dominic Thackray, Richard Taylor, people like that.

If I had to name one person whose career trajectory influences me, it would be Stuart Gordon. To be able to build a cult franchise like the Re-Animator series and to go from making a film like Castle Freak to doing a Mamet with William H. Macy (Edmond) and then do something like Stuck where you're the guru of gore but you're doing a tasteful dramatic movie about a real-life event and you're being permitted to do so without interference...That's awesome.

CC:  “Hemo” is a film about two vampires, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as a horror film.  How would you describe the movie to potential viewers?

BF:  I would warn the Twilight and True Blood crowd up front that this is NOT the movie for them. Hemo is an ultra-low-budget domestic drama that uses the vampire mythos to tell a deeper story about addiction and emotional neglect and where the two can get you if you don't take initiative to make the right moral tailspin. It's a lo-fi horror movie with an HD art film quality as well. You'll either love it or you'll hate it or you'll feel nothing. And if you feel nothing then you've probably watched too many Saw sequels to be helped. So, by all means, ignore Hemo and just go see whatever pointless, horrendous skullfuck the studios are churning out this Halloween. I don't mean to sound hateful because I'll probably be right behind them in line. : ) So don't be surprised if you go to sit down in your movie seat and find a copy of Hemo there, soaked in Mace and hoping to cause you some harm. Hemo is a blunt wake-up call to the scrote, that's the way I see it. If you find it sexy or funny there's probably something irreparably wrong with you.

CC:  The basic premise of the movie is about two people--who just happen to be vampires--who are in a committed, monogamous relationship.  But as stressors are added to the relationship, specifically the lack of a steady supply of blood, the relationship begins to deteriorate.  As the couple continues to grow apart, they begin to realize that maybe they aren't right for each other.  We see this all the time in real-life relationships--couples are perfectly happy until life throws them a curve ball; subsequently, many relationships fail.  I found your use of this idea very interesting and refreshing.  How did you come up with the initial idea for the film's plot?

BF:  Thank you. This is my third film now, my first long feature, and one of only two that anyone besides my friends and family will ever see. But my films always evolve out of a combination of personal experience, observation and sudden lightbulb burning. With Hemo in particular Apollo and Dionysus really collided head on; I was still in the process of finding closure at the time, after a sordid break-up with a fiance and finally accepting that it was an intensely destructive relationship I had been in. But more than that specific relationship, Hemo was inspired by someone else's destructive relationship.

I used to entertain these two scene kids, pale celery stalk characters, a girl and her bi-sexual anemic-looking boyfriend. And they'd come over to have a couple beers and listen to music, talk shit and smoke this or that. But they were always strung out on something, whether it was dope or prescription pills. They used to steal Fentonyl patches from one of their grandmothers, carve them up into little pieces and chew on them to get fucked up. So here are these two malnourished junkie emo children, lounging around on my couch, and whenever they'd hit a peak on whatever they were taking they would let loose with these outrageous public displays of affection. The girl would start sucking on this kid like his pores contained the elixir of immortality, of life.

One night Emo Girl was sucking on Emo Guy's hip bone, which protruded from his girlie jeans like a compound fracture, and then they started sucking face until their lips bled. And it was somewhere between the hip bone and the busted lips that I just looked at them and said, "We should make a movie about vampires!"  Needless to say the kids in question didn't end up starring in the film (otherwise the flick would likely be about five minutes long), but they did inspire the story as far as the theme goes. The rest flowed out as the good ones usually do.

I knew that we couldn't do any crazy special effects on the budget that I had--a number in the thousands that came out of my own pocket from working as a retail manager--so Hemo was the perfect choice to shoot. I knew that a story about this tragic couple and their problems wouldn't require high-end production values. The idea was to follow the characters and the downward spiral they take.

CC:  There were other vampiric stereotypes you turned upside down.  For instance, the vampires in “Hemo” can eat regular food although blood is still their mainstay.  Also, the vampires can walk around in sunlight.  However, they aren't superhuman and in fact, can even lose a physical fight with a potential victim.  Why did you decide to give your vampires these mortal characteristics?

BF:  Well, like I said, I didn't want to do a vampire movie to do a vampire movie. I've never been a huge fan of the genre, outside of Herzog's Nosferatu or Coppola's Dracula. It only seemed natural to kind of subvert everything about the archetype of the vampire. Some might think it was a budgetary reason, but to tell you the truth, we had fangs all picked out--and, originally, they would have come out only during feeding or as a defense mechanism--but I threw them away on Day Two of the shoot because I said, "Guys, you're people. You're not the Creature from the Black Lagoon." When Felicia and Calvin get pretty banged up in a fight, it's because they are sick and vulnerable. They're susceptible, like most human beings, addict or no, to the impression of a fist...or a crowbar.

I hate when storytellers assign a specific meaning to something because it makes it impossible for the prospective audience to dream and to interpret things in their own magical and imaginative ways. But I can say that blood is not their food, it is their drug. It is the fluid which feeds their cells. And this makes it much like another drug that exists in the real world. And that's all I'll say.

CC:  I liked your use of odd angles throughout the film.  It really gave it an expressionistic feel in places.  How deliberate were those shots?  Were you trying to go for a particular feel or were you just trying to mix things up?

I was always, from script to location to post-production, always seeking a very signature feel. Not signature in the sense of, "Oh, one day people will look at this and say, 'It's got the Bob Freville touch.'" It's not like that, where I want my stamp on everything. It's more a desire to get to the heart of the piece. My editor worked in the same way, struggling with the raw footage for months before getting beyond my tape index notes and into the story itself so that he was right there along with the characters, inside their brains and their universe.

Those shots weren't always deliberate in the sense of, "Let's go for a Dutch angle on this one and then cover it with an Extreme Close-Up." It was more deliberate in that I would go in with a broad shot list of what I wanted, walk through the scene with the actors, then shoot--in many cases--one or two long takes where I followed the action, the dialogue and the emotion as if I were inside of them. The way those new laptop computers have those mice that sense heat, I would have the camera in my hands and kind of get lost in the scene on a guttural level.  When they would be at the beach, all junk sick and dying, I would be in that murky place with them, moving with the camera in wave patterns, like I was adrift in some abyss of withdrawal with them, equilibrium all off and what not.

When we shot the first feeding I was up on a platform kind of fucking the air and penetrating the space in front of their faces with the camera. It was a new approach and one that I expect to use in the future, but of course the project will dictate what it calls for.

CC:  I thought the locations you used in the film were very good--lots of urban decay, which paralleled the decay of the relationship between the two main characters.  How did you find these locations?

BF:  That's my world, man. [Laughs] That's totally my backyard. The film was shot in Lindenhurst, West Babylon and Massapequa, three Long Island, New York towns that are fairly close to each other. Massapequa is probably the farthest one, still only a fifteen minute ride from the other two. I handpicked these desolate locations over the course of one week of driving around. Most of them were already written into the script, like the forest Felicia refers to as "Paradise." And I knew that would be a potent atmosphere because that forest houses a lot of energy. As a teenager my friends and I would bury ourselves in the nooks of that place late at night, load up on cough medicine and beer and have these righteous bonfires. It was a place populated by ghosts and hobos. Lots of mole people building huts and setting the earth on fire.

The bleakest locations, I find, are the ones outside their apartment and along the canal where Calvin drops to his knees to vomit and is haunted by memories of one of their victims. And this is ironic because both of those locations are part of the same long block that runs parallel to all of these residential houses and residential streets. You'd think it would be sunny and quaint, but it's a weird mix of decay and overgrowth. Lindenhurst is an odd town. Rich people live on one block and Section Eight housing populates the next block. Very close and backward.

The location that was hardest to find was their living quarters. I spent two months gutting my loft, ripping up anything that hinted of a normal life or of any sort of normal furnishing or luxury, painted it up like it was some half-renovated old abandoned shit-hole and lined all the walls with exposed light bulbs and melting candles. I've been plagued by silverfish ever since.

CC:  “Hemo” is only your second film outing and your first full-length film.  What were some of the challenges you faced in getting this feature off the ground and completed?

BF:  Hemo is technically my third film. But the world won't ever see my second. My first film, Of Bitches & Hounds, is a short feature. It's over 50 minutes, so it can't be considered a short. But to answer your question, the biggest challenge was in coordinating everything myself on whatever was in my wallet. The money wasn't even the issue so much as the demands of managing a shooting schedule, keeping track of the day players, having fallback plans in place, etc. We were a very small crew and many involved in the cast also doubled as crew members. So when it came to logistics and scheduling and hours and all that, I was the guy. It wasn't like on a regular movie set where the Director directs and he's got his continuity girl on standby with a script, his Storyboard Artist on standby with drawings, his Production Manager yelling for everybody to take lunch and yelling at the Director to keep a lid on the window of time they have before sundown. It was ME. Period.

There was an episode on the film where, for the second or third time in a row, a girl was supposed to show up to shoot her scene and she flaked. And it just so happened that she pulled this shit on the same night that another cast member wasn't picking up his phone. I won't get into specifics, but a big fight erupted between a key cast member and myself, in which said cast member quite fairly (in retrospect) chewed me out for not having an understudy lined up and for wasting said cast member's time. This was understandable because my key actors were getting paid $100 a week before food and travel expenses. And they had to travel into the Island from New York City every shooting day and travel back to the City late that night. So it was draining, for all of us, and it's a testament to the power of will that we all finished the film without any real error. I can look at the film now and see flaws, but none of those flaws reflect any laziness or lack of effort on my part or the part of my actors; rather they are technical issues that have yet to be resolved. We're still tweaking the audio for DVD release.

CC:  Talk about some things you learned as a new filmmaker while making “Hemo.”

BF:  I learned to never cast a part, however desperate you are, if you haven't met the person face-to-face. I learned that allowing a production assistant to cut you open in lieu of a special make-up FX budget is a stupid idea...At least if the person holding the camera doesn't know how to zoom in for maximum effect. I learned that finessing a situation can sometimes solve the problem of being penniless (Charm goes a long way; just ask panhandlers).  I also learned that people really love this fucking Twilight shit and resent the idea of someone trying to do something different with the vampire genre that doesn't tie in with the sexy moody emo soap opera that is that particular saga. And, finally, I learned that if I could have a menage-a-trois with any two vampire vixens it would probably be Sookie Stackhouse...and Felicia (the characters, not the actors that play them).

CC:  Any new projects on the horizon, or are you just focusing on marketing “Hemo” right now?

BF:  I've always got a million projects in development. My production company is a year old, so we're just getting our feet wet, but we have a lot lined up. My production partner Jake is working on a short film in Cleveland that he hopes to turn into a feature. I have several feature-length scripts that we will be shopping around in the months to come. I'm also self-distributing my first film Of Bitches & Hounds (stay tuned to www.myspace.com/bobfreville) and selling Hemo, like you said. But the big project that I'm focusing on right now is the next feature, a straight up horror movie about the age of social networking and psychotropic drugs, that is somewhere between Let's Scare Jessica to Death and Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2.

The film is called No Image Available and will be shot, once again, in and around Long Island, New York. This time we've got some new horror talent lined up (Shawn C. Phillips of President's Day and Sasquatch Assault, and Richard Taylor, director of The Misled Romance of Cannibal Girl & Incest Boy). My co-writer and I are polishing up what will be our shooting script and will be reaching out to some really great horror legends about coming on for lead roles.

We will be raising our budget via Kickstarter, so if anyone reads this, head over to Kickstarter and look us up. If our project isn't listed yet, be sure to mention your interest to a moderator and see if they can give you the heads up once our project is posted. We're aiming to have the project up on Kickstarter.com before the end of June.

CC:  Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers?

BF:  Keep your eye on the prize and, also, be realistic about what that prize is. If you're only looking to get into filmmaking because you want to be Michael Bay, drive hot cars, fuck celebutards and attend fancy after-parties then go home. Or not. Maybe you understand something I don't. But I think it's important to follow Bill Murray's trajectory from What About Bob? and take baby steps. Who knows if people will even be watching movies twenty years from now? You might as well have fun making them while you can, instead of worrying about being a megastar or any of that bullshit.

My biggest piece of advice is to know your project better than anyone. You don't ever want to be in a position with a star, experienced or not, who expects an answer that you are not prepared to provide them with. Other than that, just keep stretching your legs in case the cops show, have excuses for being on private property at the ready, always surround yourself with people who can prove they are students and never let a leading actor eat more than they normally would...Unless you have an aversion to good continuity.