Happy Halloween one and all!
As a special treat, and to mark the return of The Indie Film Revue I am bringing you a few new Mini-View's with directors whose work are generally in the realm of horror. So I hope you and enjoy!
Here is wishing you all a very spooky Holiday! Enjoy and please spread the word!
- Brandon Bennett
Thomas Berdinski is the writer/director/producer of “Zombie Abomination and Zombie Atrocity – The Italian Zombie Movie – Parts 1 & 2". This award-winning, two-part, no-budget homage to (and parody of) European horror movies has played conventions and festivals all over the midwest, has been on television on over 40 channels in 20 states on the Midnite Mausoleum TV show (www.midnitemausoleum.com) and has played nationwide on the interactive Internet show “100 Years of Monster Movies” (www.100ymm.com). Both movies were recently named to FangoriaMagazine’s ‘DVD Chopping List’ (May 2010). Learn more about the Italian Zombie Movies at www.italianzombiemovie.com, FACEBOOK: “The Italian Zombie Movie”, MYSPACE: “Italian Zombie Movie”. Learn more about Thomas Berdinski at FACEBOOK: “Thomas Berdinski” or email him at diretto@italianzombiemovie.com. “Zombie Abomination and Zombie Atrocity - Italian Zombie Movie Parts – 1 & 2” are available at www.italianzombiemovie.com, www.amazon.com and www.indieflix.com and select retail outlets. And more recently his short film "The Giant Rubber Monster Movie," was included on Jabb Pictures 'The Collective' (A collection of 10 short films by 10 directors on one subject). For more info on it, and the soon to be released 'The Collective Vol. 2,' check their website http://www.jabbpictures.com/. Finally, to stay up to date on everything Thomas has going on check out : http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cult-of-Moi-and-Vous-Film-Producioni-Company-LLC/157669997630032
1.Your films, The Italian Zombie Movie Parts 1 & 2, have been all over the place the past year: conventions, film festivals, and even allowing horror hosts (such as Midnite Mausoleum) to spin their take on them. What's next? And are there any plans for a third installment?
We've been promoting IZM since it came out on DVD late in 2009 and have attended dozens of conventions and film festivals and have had it screened at dozens more. Horror hosts from all over the country have been incredibly supportive, and let's not forget all the bloggers, podcasters, reviewers and the great horror fans fans who've reviewed (and almost always really enjoyed) our crazy homage to European horror. It's been an absolute blast for us! As the convention season in 2011 comes to an end, we've moved into pre-and-post production on two more movies – both of the horror/sci-fi/comedy variety. IZM 3 is on my radar for sure, but there are some casting situations that have held us back on that one so we're going to make a new short and a new feature first.
2. 'The Giant Rubber Monster Movie', your addition to Jabb Pictures short film collection 'The Collective', has been screening all over the place as well. How did the film, and your addition to 'The Collective' come about?
The film came about when Jason Hoover of Jabb Pictures contacted me and a slew of other indie filmmakers he'd met over the past year about the concept of ten filmmakers each making shorts with the same theme on an anthology DVD. I'd long wanted to pay homage to the Japanese giant monster TV shows I grew up with – Space Giants, Spectreman, Johnny Sokko and so on – and the theme that was agreed to by the filmmakers just happened to fit it! We shot the whole thing in about a month and I honestly couldn't be happier with it. The best part was it allowed me to collaborate with my favorite horror hosts on cameo roles: Marlena Midnite, Robyn Graves, Roxsy Tyler, the Count and Countess Gregula and, of course, the evil Dr. Sigmund Zoid. Dozens more horror hosts let me use pictures of them in an important sequence where Dr. Zoid chooses a monster to destroy the Earth! I have such good memories of that whole experience; especially working with my Italian Zombie Movie cast and crew again and the horror hosts!
3. Over the past couple years VHS collecting has become increasingly trendy. Perhaps because of the rarity of certain obscure films, the love of the artwork, the familiarity, or just a hipster movement that has seen a huge rise in the cost of these films. As a fan of horror, and obscure films yourself, what do you think of this movement?
I am of two minds on this... I love that the old “lost” shot-on-video movies are being recovered and rediscovered, and call me old-fashioned, but just like when albums disappeared in favor of CDs, and CDs are disappearing in favor of downloads, the artwork shrunk when VHS went to DVD (and Blu-ray cases are smaller still) and art-less movie downloads are on the rise! I know, less packaging is better for the environment, but I LOVED the box art! DVD and VHS cases are 80% of the artwork in my home! I think most would agree the picture quality of DVDs and Blu-ray discs are better than VHS, but darn it – I miss the artwork! Give me a DVD in a huge VHS case and I'd be happiest!
4. Who, in your eyes, are some of the most promising up and coming film makers in the realm of indie cinema?
Well, I don't know if he's still and up-and-comer but Larry Fessenden (“House of the Devil”, “I Sell the Dead”, “The Off Season”) is an amazing producer and indie filmmaker who I admire greatly and would love to meet at a convention some day. Of my personal acquaintances, I really enjoy Christopher Mihm's (“Monster of Phantom Lake”, “Attack of the Moon Zombies”) and Christian Grillo's (“Booley”, the upcoming “Deer Crossing”) work a lot and have high hopes for my friend Cameron Scott's upcoming epic “Post Mortem, America 2021”. I could go on and on – I've met so many indie filmmakers who's work just needs to get out there!
5. Being a film maker who has worked basically on no-budget for his films, do you have any tips or helpful advice for aspiring filmmakers?
Too much for one interview – LOL – but I'll try this one. When you're the filmmaker making a low-budget movie, always remember one thing: YOU are the person everyone else is looking to for leadership. Your actors need you to direct them, your technical people need your advice, the guy writing your music needs your critiques. Everyone involved in the film truly needs you so you need to be the last man standing every day. You can't be the one to give up first on a shot or take or a scene. Do it until it's right! You can't appear depressed or disinterested in anything you're working on. You, the filmmaker, are the the heart-and-soul of the movie. The minute you grow weary, everyone around you will lose the energy to continue. Eat right, get lots of sleep, take a Vitamin B complex! Never give up and your movie will be the best it can be. If you expect someone else to supply the energy or the leadership, you will probably be sadly disappointed.
Bonus Halloween Questions
6. What scares Thomas Berdinski?
To this day, the movie “Ghost Story” (1981 with Alice Krige and Fred Astaire) still makes me jump and send chills up my spine!
7. Do you have any Halloween traditions? Or perhaps a favorite memory of the holiday as a child?
My favorite Halloween memory – oh that's an easy one: When I was 11 years old, Jeff Bromley (star of IZM and GRMM) and I were taken by our Mom's to a midnight showing of “Night of the Living Dead” at the very indie theater where IZM premiered all these years later. Our Mom's had NO IDEA what NotLD was, it was the scariest thing ANY of us had ever seen! Both Jeff and I had zombie nightmares for weeks, no months, no years, okay, I even had one last night!
Many thanks to my good friend Thomas for being a part of today's celebration of Halloween here on The Indie Film Revue.
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