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Your new movie Bath
Salt Zombies - in a few words, what is it about?
It’s
about a group of junkies who get hooked on a very potent form of bath
salts and terrorize the city of New York, to a punk rock soundtrack. How
did you come up with the story in the first place, what were your key
inspirations? I
was inspired by the news stories surrounding the real life bath salt
zombie attacks. It’s such a strange thing to me. I don’t recall
anything like this happening in my lifetime. I was disturbed by the events
but also thought they would make a good basis for a horror movie. How did the project actually get off the
ground?
Having
worked with Dustin Mills [Dustin
Mills interview - click here]
before, I pitched him my idea and he was into it. He had actually made a
short film about bath salts before I even approached him. I guess we were
on the same page. Your co-writer and director Dustin Mills - what was your collaboration like,
and how did you two hook up in the first place? I
had worked with Dustin on the marketing of his other films: Puppet Monster
Massacre, Zombie
A-Hole, etc. I really liked how he was able to make a
great looking finished product out of a shoestring budget. I handed over
my treatment to him and he ran with it. He wrote all of the dialogue,
handled the casting, etc. He’s a very talented dude. I always said if
someone gave him a real budget to make a film, he would blow us all away.
As a
producer of Bath Salt
Zombies - how directly were you involved in the filmmaking
process, how much creative input did you have during the shoot, and what
was the feeling like seeing your vision come to life? I
didn’t have much. Since the film was shooting roughly 8 hours from my
home, it just wasn’t prudent. Also, Dustin wanted total creative freedom
with it, which was part of the deal. I trusted him and it all worked out.
When I saw the finished film, I was impressed… Mostly with the dialogue.
It was so spot on. What
can you tell us about the audience and critical reception of Bath
Salt Zombies so far?
Strangely
enough, almost all reviews have been positive. Even the mainstream DVD
websites seem to get it. At the screenings, people are laughing and
hooting and having a gay ole time. It’s a fun fucked up flick…
That’s what’s supposed to happen! Any chance there will ever
be a Bath Salt Zombies 2? There’s
a good chance of that, yes. (Other) future projects
you'd like to share? Not
right now… Some are too developmental to comment on. What got you into screenwriting in
the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
had a few classes in college through my first course of study,
Cinematography. I always liked the camera and filming, and have a good
eye, but it stops there. I have no editing skills whatsoever… I’m much
better at constructing ideas and concepts through writing.
What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Bath
Salt Zombies? I wrote a few treatments in college
and also developed the concept for a music video a few years ago, but
that's about it! Please do talk about your work for
the MVD Entertainment Group for a bit! I've been
with MVD for nearly 13 years now. I’m the Director of Publicity and
Consumer Marketing, and also handle content acquisition. MVD has been
around for a long time (over 25 years) and they intend to be around for
much longer. It's very gratifying to work for a company like this because
there aren't many left doing what they do, which is independent
distribution for film, music, and more.
Outside of
movies, you have also taken a strong interest in punk rock music - care to
elaborate? Sure! I discovered punk rock in my early teens.
Previous to that, I listened to hip hop almost exclusively. I believe that
the spirit of punk is quite similar to hip hop… It's about rebellion and
struggle, also not giving a fuck. That was me as a teen. I'm much
different now obviously but I still I identify with these themes and
emotions. Punk is about grittily grinding it out and going full steam. I
like that. Filmmakers, writers, musicians, whatever else
who inspire you? Well, through MVD I am blessed to be
working with all kinds of independent artists: filmmakers, musicians, etc.
You see these guys really believing in their craft and working hard to get
the recognition (and sales) they deserve. That's inspiring to me… pushing to make a good product and seeing it through all the phases: from
creation to distribution and beyond. Your favourite movies?
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Feeling lucky?
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Pee
Wee's Big Adventure is my hands down favorite. It's such an epic journey.
I tend to gravitate towards films from my childhood like that and also Goonies,
Monster Squad, etc. I'm a big fan of Vietnam War movies too: Platoon,
Full Metal Jacket,etc. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? I can't stand
American mainstream comedies and romantic comedies. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.BathSaltZombies.com
https://www.facebook.com/BathSaltZombiesMovie
Anything else
you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Please
check out my punk toy label Aggronautix.com! Thanks
for the interview!
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