The film is showing across the country at film festivals and has been a critical success. Check out the website www.americanscary.com to see a preview and find out more about the film.

Sandy recently took some time to talk with WWFF about “American Scary”

Tell us who you are and where you are from.

I’m Sandy Clark, a writer from Knoxville, TN who spent the last decade
living in San Francisco, CA and five of those years making a
documentary about TV Horror Show Hosts.

Tell us about American Scary. What’s it about?

American Scary is the story of the midwives of horror cinema, the TV
Horror Show Host. These late-night guys and gals introduced America to
the scary movie and much of the camp and levity associated with the
bad films of the genre is a direct result of the horror hosts. They
are all aging and I wanted to record this history of television’s
early days before it was gone for good.

is this your first film?

This is very much my first film. I had the good fortune to have a
talented and gullible friend, John Hudgens, to do the technical heavy
lifting. John and I had some background in making Star Wars fan films
and grew up in Knoxville, TN together.

What gave you the idea to make a documentary about horror hosts?

I was selling a comic book called Moo at Wondercon in Oakland, CA and
could not believe the crowds that came to see the Creature Features
hosts. They had been off the air for 15 years and the crowds still
came. I was also amazed at the transformation the topic had in my
friend Lowell Cunningham. About ten years older than me, Lowell is
normally a very quiet and stoic guy. When he was discussing Sir Cecil
Creape, his horror host from 1960s Nashville, he was transformed into
a nine-year-old kid.

Did you have a favorite horror host when you were young?

No, they were a mystery for me. Making the movie was partly a quest to
identify who these men and women were who had such a profound impact
on our culture and held such nostalgic sway over the childhoods of so
many. I actually tried to get others to make the film, but found no
takers, so in a fit of inspiration and ignorance, I jumped into the
process myself.

Why were there so many horror hosts?

Shock Theater is the simple answer. Screen Gems had this movie package
that they sold to TV stations across the nation in the wake of the
popularity of the television broadcast of King Kong. Kong’s numbers
were phenomenal. As stations snapped the films up, they needed a host
to brand the films locally, pad them out to a uniform length, and take
the edge of the scary off of what were very scar films at the time.
Each station had their own host and a nationwide yet local phenomena
was born.

Who was the first?

Vampira is simply the first we would recognize. She is the queen of
hosts. She even predates Shock Theater. Before her, there were other
hosts, like The Swami in Chicago, that came very close to the form,
but weren’t strictly horror. A lot of the similarity in the hosts
comes from similar cultural influences. They were all influenced by
the hosts of radio shows like Lights Out, the hosts of comics, like
EC’s Cryptkeeper, and the hosts of travelling Spookshows.

Is the horror host genre strictly an American phenomenon?

Th Horror host is very much an American phenomena. North of the
boarder, it is too cold for them and south of the boarder they all
turn into Mexican Wrestlers. Seriously, the host is a product of a
unique blend of American culture and commerce.

On your website you mention that local television hosts were the first to go
away when the industry began to access and accept cheaper syndicated
material. With 100′s of cable channels and the internet- do you think we
could see a resurgence in these types of programs?

Well, we have in a sense. Count Gore De Vol trailblazed the Internet
and with other hosts around the country established the Horror Host
Underground. The HHU distributes their shows around the world. With
the developing vidcast market and video ipods now in the $150 range, I
expect the genre to grow actually. It isn’t hard to envision a world
where there are more hosts active than were on TV at the height of the
early 60s monster boom. They won’t have anything approaching an
equivalent market share of the total media pie, but the future of
video is one of eclectic abundance.

I also expect to see their influence in other things. Like Mystery
Science Theater 3000, there are bound to be other shows that reflect
the horror hosts influence.

Are there new programs and hosts out there?

All the time. Google the Horror Host Underground and be astounded at
their abundance.

To me the amazing and exciting thing about these shows was that they were
done on no budget and were live. Can you talk a little about some of the
specific shows and the creative ingenuity that they used. Any funny live
stories that you can recant?

These shows were done in an amazing number of different ways. The live
and low budget shows were the first, but tape was soon used and
budgets could vary greatly. The best shows were the ones with more
improv. The smaller budgets also led to some of the best innovation.
Stella in Philly used porno-shop sex dolls as extras, Zacherly made
giant amoebas out of Jello, Dr’ Gangrene in Nashville has a
garage-based studio. Many of their techniques for budget filmmaking
are being rediscovered today by low-budget Internet filmmakers.

Do you find that your film speaks to an older more nostalgic audience? How
is it received by younger audiences?

Younger audiences are amazed. This bit of culture rings with the same
tone of Americana as surf boards and diners, but it hasn’t been
corporatized, repackaged and shoved down our throats for 50 years. It
feels old and fresh at the same time. The fun and the camp are
timeless, and there is a serious DIY aspect that appeals to the punk
subculture. Also, Vampire could be the mother of goth. I’ve had
several 20-somethings or younger tell me they simply had no idea about
this stuff.

How long did it take you to make the film?

It took two years to shoot and three to edit. My father died and my
daughter was born while I worked on it, which probably cost us over a
year of production time.

Was it difficult to find some of the hosts? Any funny/interesting stories?

It was impossible to find some, and we got at least one in there from
beyond the grave. Yes, there are more stories than I can recount.
Digging 2″ helical scan videotape out of a coffin in a barn in
Syracuse New York while snow fell outside is a particularly
appropriate and vivid image in my mind. Dealing with the constant
feuding between hosts and the occasional egos that were larger than
life comes to mind. Overall though, it was just an amazing experience
because in every case, these were the best years of their lives. EVERY
host said they didn’t know what a golden age they were in when they
did their shows.

In your film you interview people like Leonard Maltin, Lowell Cunningham and
Tim Conway. How did the horror host genre influence them?

Tim Conway was partners with Ernie Anderson would later become
Ghoulardi. He gave us unique insight into this deceased host. Leonard
Maltin was a Zacherly fan. He credits Zach for his sense of fun.
Lowell illuminated the Nashville scene for us and credits Sir Cecil
with exposing him to the fantastic.

Your film premiered on October 21st of 2006 at the Hollywood Film Festival.
In the past year it has made the rounds to many different festivals
including Comic Con and the Austin Film Festival. What is that experience like?

I just drove all night returning from the Kansas International Film
Festival. At the moment, my answer is exhausting. I’m making a
two-week trip to hit the Secret City and Coney Island film festivals
later this month. It is good to get the film in front of people and
there are some exceptional opportunities at these events to meet
people. The really amazing thing is the uniformity of love for these
hosts that is out there. People really appreciate the fact we’ve done
this.

Where can we see your film? Any distribution deals in the works?

We’ll start selling it through the website next month. I’d love a real
distribution deal, but for now, I just want to get it out there. I get
three or four requests to buy it each week.

WWFF:
In your bio it states that you went to CalArts. After CalArts you returned to Kansas to make your first feature film. What made you decide to return to Kansas instead of staying in California?

SB:
I hated that there were no seasons and it took nearly as long to drive across town as it did for me to fly there from Kansas. And I can’t afford to live there as well as I can here.

WWFF:
How did Cal Arts Film School help you as a filmmaker?

SB:
It taught me how to have respect for the craft and have confidence in myself as a filmmaker and never second guess my vision.

WWFF:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working on film in Wamego Kansas?

SB:
The only disadvantages are the cruel or jealous people who want to put you down for having any sort of success so they feel better about themselves. There are other filmmakers here in Kansas and Missouri who say unless you move to a big city and make a multi-million-dollar film you are an amateur. Well, I’d rather be an amateur in their eyes and continue making the films I want to make on my terms. I just hope all filmmakers aren’t discouraged by those people and will continue to do it!

The advantages are endless: you get more for your money, no permits, free labor, amazing scenery, real seasons, no traffic, clean air, friendly people… I could go on and on.

WWFF:
What do people in Wamego think of you and your films?

SB:
They’re excited and very supportive. Naturally there are the few bad apples who are hyper religious and get freaked out when I show physical or emotional abuse, things like rape, incest, explicit sexuality, kids shooting each other, and all that. But overall it’s an amazing place to live and work. No distractions.

WWFF:
Your first feature film was entitled Pep Squad. You mention that it predicted the outbreak of school violence and it wasn’t allowed to be distributed in the United States. Could you tell us about what inspired you to create this film? How hard was it for you to create a film only to have it shelved because of a fear of controversy?

SB:
It was amazingly discouraging. But any time an artist is being provocative that’s what happens. So now I’m used to it. I was also very young when I made that movie so I still had a lot of growing up to do. Now I’m more used to controversy and I’ve learned how to take advantage of it.

WWFF:
I’ve noticed that the cast of Pep Squad includes your sister and father as cast members. Could you talk a little about working with your family and community in the making of your films. How important is it to you?

SB:
No, my dad wasn’t in it. But my sister was one of the main villains. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Killer B Movie Film Festival in New York for it. It’s great working with them because very little communication is needed to convey exactly what I want. In metaphor, my sister was playing Me in the movie. So I knew she’d be the best at it. Working with my dad is great – he has an amazing sense of business management and can advise me through any negotiation.

WWFF:
Johnette Napolitano scored the soundtrack for Pep Squad. She is known to most as the lead singer for the band Concrete Blonde. How were you able to get her to score your film? Did she travel to Wamego and work on the score with you?

SB:
No, I went to LA to work with her at her house. I can’t remember how I got her. I think I just sent her a letter or called her manager. Back then there was no internet – no one had emails. So it was much more difficult to communicate with celebrities or other artists around the world. Now, however, that’s changed.

WWFF:
What was the most difficult thing you encountered as a new young filmmaker creating his first feature film?

SB:
The first film went off relatively smoothly. I think it was because I hired an experienced film consultant to co-produce the film with me and walk me through the process. Eric Sherman is his name (he also ended up playing the principal in the movie). Anytime any first-time filmmakers ask me for advice, I always advise them to hire someone like Eric.

WWFF:
Your second film Firecracker was released in 2004 to rave reviews. Tell us about the story and where the idea came from?

SB:
Actually, it was released in 2005. There are people who work at the imdb who dislike me and refuse to change the release year. The film was finished in February of 2005 and out in theatres in the fall of ’05.
Firecracker is based on actual events that happened in Wamego many moons ago. I got the idea for it because my aunt was actually there on the alley when they were digging up the body! So I’ve always been obsessed with the story because it hit so close to home.

WWFF:
Your film includes many recognizable actors including Mike Patton from “Faith No More”, Karen Black, Kathleen Wilhoite as well as Enigma and Katzen from “The Jim Rose Circus”. Tell us a little about the casting process for your film.

SB:
Casting the movie was an interesting experience because I did it all without using agents or managers. I even had to fire Dennis Hopper at one point and replace him with Mike Patton. All of this is captured in the “Wamego” documentary (about making the film) which I send people FREE from my website (www.DIKENGA.com).

WWFF:
How long was Firecracker in production? Was it shot entirely in Wamego?

SB:
Yes, entirely in and around Wamego – in the actual locations where the real crime took place. Production was a total of 6-day weeks for 8 weeks.

WWFF:
I was just thinking that the story of your film company might make a good movie concept. Here’s the pitch “A feature film company opens up in a small town drawing in famous hollywood actors. The towns folk and actors must coexist amidst a cultural clash.” -actually I think David Mamet already did this one. Anyway….. What was it like bringing these folks into Wamego and how did the community respond? Any good stories?

SB:
The most hilarious was when The Enigma and Pleasant walked down the main street and no one seemed to care or notice. And Pleasant had 3 boobs for the movie! And they were exposed! Actually “Wamego” is insane and really great. We had our first transvestite a few years back, and no one seemed to care except that he was wearing totally inappropriate clothing to work. So the city officials called up my dad and asked if my sister could take him to buy some women’s suits or something decent. Because wearing Tina Turner wigs and satin teddy’s to work was their only beef. Isn’t that a riot! But the fact that no one seemed to mind he was a transvestite was amazing. It was just that he went too far with his wardrobe! HA!

WWFF:
How were you able to raise the money to fund your production?

SB:
Up until now I’ve relied on investors. I made business plans and approached people. It’s really that simple. However, that takes FOREVER to accomplish because dozens of potential investors say NO and you just have to keep trekking. I’ve decided now that I’m no longer going to rely on investors and I’m just going to finance my movies on my own. It took me nearly six years to find the $300,000 needed to make “Firecracker” so I have to assume it’ll take another six to find another $300,000. So I say it isn’t worth it to make films for that much anymore – especially when distribution companies are screwing you out of money in the end. I’ve made a new documentary about this and will have it out mid next year I think.

WWFF:
Any advice to future filmmakers in the midwest?

SB:
Never give in to the myth and the bullies in the big cities who will try everything in their power to make sure you never succeed. Just ignore them and focus on making movies for the right reasons. You can do anything as long as you believe it.

WWFF:
When Firecracker was screened at the Chicago Underground Film Festival in August of 2005, Roger Ebert gave your film 3 and a half stars. He commented “I praise ‘Firecracker’ because it is original and peculiar, but also because it is haunted; there is an uneasy spirit living within this film that stirs and regards us with cold, unblinking eyes.” What did this review mean to the success of your film and how has it affected your success as a filmmaker since?

SB:
It’s opened a lot of doors. The people who measure their success in superficial terms suddenly take me seriously. It also allowed me the freedom to know I never again had to read another review. Shortly thereafter the film was out in theatres in an exclusive deal with Landmark Cinemas, and then out on dvd. I saw The Fountainhead recently with Gary Cooper. And I vowed to never again be bothered by reviews or what other people think of what I’m doing. That’s an incredibly difficult thing to do but extremely rewarding psychologically.

WWFF:
Where was your film posted?

SB:
We did post both in Wamego and LA. We found it was cheaper to go to LA and do it than it was to do it in Kansas City. The people in LA seem to want to work with you and give you deals, whereas there isn’t any competition in KC so their prices are higher. In the future, now that technology allows, we’re doing it all ourselves. My new film “Phone Sex” with Ron Jeremy and Margaret Cho, was posted entirely in Wamego.

WWFF:
What do you like about Kansas and being a Kansas Filmmaker? How has growing up here affected you as an artist?

SB:
Kansas is beautiful. And for the most part the people are really great. I think as I’ve gotten older and more mature, I respect a lot about life that I didn’t before. And I realize the parts of myself I need to work on and grow so that I can continue toward some kind of enlightenment. Growing up here made me – and I know how cheesy this is – realize that if I wasn’t going to find it in my own back yard, I wasn’t going to find it anywhere at all.

WWFF:
What is next for you?

SB:
After I finish promotion for “Phone Sex” I’m back to the next feature. I kind of like not telling anyone what I’m up to until I finish it. I have no respect for people who “talk” but don’t “do” – so I’d rather just do and not talk. You know?

” I think the reason the event is one of the largest of its kind is the simple fact that I am obsessive about films and have been working in the industry for a couple of decades. I have a good history of exhibition and distribution and a high profile in NZ in regards to film in general.”

Timpson’s festival is so large that it encompasses every major city in New Zealand. The pick up and drop off is from 7PM on Friday to 7PM on Sunday. Each team draws from a hat to discover what genre of film they have to make. Each film must be from 3 to 7 minutes in length.

Timpson has friends in high places. Peter Jackson the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy helps with the event. “Getting the filmmaker Peter Jackson involved helped with the profile – Peter is an old acquaintance who loves the nature of the event – and always talks about entering each year. A lot of his workers do! He puts up cash for it and is our special selector.”

The New Zealand 48 hour event may be slightly different than the WWFF but the energy and soul is the same.

“The spirit of the competition comes from those weekends I used to have as a teen when we made a short every weekend. That same spirit is alive and well with this competition. Sure there is some industry clout involved but the anarchic and fun nature of those old weekends shines through.”

Not only is the film festival New Zealand’s largest, but it is also its most popular. Timpson broadcasts the finalists on C4, New Zealand’s equivalent to MTV. Viewers at home are then invited to vote on their favorites.

The Wild West Film Fest has a long way to go, but we are inspired by Mr. Timpson’s amazing fest. Give us a couple years – you never know!

Thanks to Anthony Timson for talking with WWFF. Check out Timson’s 48 Hours at:

www.48hours.co.nz

Check out Allan’s Cannes blog at: http://livefromcannes.blogspot.com/
He will be writing daily updates about his Cannes journey- throughout the course festival.

WWFF -
Tell us what KU Filmworks is and why you started it?

AH -
Andrew Loos was a theater student and I was a film student, and after being disappointed by how our student film did in a festival, we decided we wanted to try to raise money and make a bigger project that we could go nuts with. We wanted to make an Indie film of some kind, and we figured we could take advantage of the university setting, and the resources available to students, combined with the desire to make a movie, and to be more ambitious than class projects. We wanted to go all out and see what happened. So the two of us started putting together all of our contacts, started a student organization, and started mobilizing for war. We were both almost done with school and it was time to get something in the can. We didn’t have any money, but we had friends with the same attitude. Some film students make their movies just like they’re writing a school paper for class. That wasn’t us.

WWFF -
How did starting KU Filmworks help your career along?

AH -
Well, first off, doing something like that gives you something to talk about when you’re chatting with people. That’s important. Also, it crystallized a group of production people who still work together. But it was a great learning experience about following goals, having meetings, getting things done. It was a confidence builder. In a more concrete sense, though, it gave me pieces of work to show people that helped me start working as a special effects artist in Los Angeles.

WWFF -
How hard was it for you to make the big move from Lawrence to Los Angeles? What did you do when you first made it out?

AH -
It was rocky. I did go into debt from the Filmworks project, not from financing the movie, because we raised the money for that, but from taking off so much time from work to do the film, and paying for that final year of school during the same time. So I had to take a couple of months and recover before I headed out here. Making the movie seemed like the most important thing to do at the time, but I could have done it without the debt. This happens to lots of filmmakers- you have to keep the big picture in mind – at least some of the time. I was also lucky to have several friends out here around the same time. In the effects industry, which really only exists in LA, you have to work for free at first, no matter where you went to school, so I was lucky to have saved a little bit of money. I started working with Rob Hall at Almost Human, which at the time was just him, and after a couple weeks he paid me in DVDs, and then soon – money!

WWFF -
What was your first break into the industry?

AH -
There were 2 early ones. The first was that after working hard for free, I had proven myself enough to get a job on Minority Report, working on constructing the police jetpacks and other effects props. This got me through a few early months, getting to know the city, and then Rob Hall stole me back to work on a horror movie with Dennis Hopper, after which he landed the “Angel” TV series, which was soon followed by ‘Buffy,’ ‘Firefly’ and ‘Miracles’ not to mention a few horror movies. So those few weeks of working for free early on paid off in about 4 years of continuous work with his company.

WWFF -
Any advice to people who are getting ready to make the plunge?

AH -
Save up some money, and stay out of debt. Arrive here with cash in your pocket. Have as many contacts as you can before you come out. Have a good idea what you want to do before you get here, but be adaptable. If you want to be a director, know that there is no path to directing other than directing, or writing. In some ways, making a film is much easier in LA, because you can get anything so easily- its a whole city where movies are what they do- so grip rental, camera rental, post production, all of that is everywhere here. There are more production companies than there are gas stations. But in many ways, for the independent film maker, like a recent college graduate, making movies can be harder here than back home- because everything is harder when there are 400 times as many cars on the roads, its costs 5k to shoot on the street corner because of permits. Logistically, in many ways LA is out to make life difficult for you. If you live in Hollywood, on certain days when there are events going on, it would take an Apache helicopter to go out and get an omelet. I’ve dreamed about making a Michael Bay style movie about driving across town at 4pm. So, if you’re going to be a director, make a couple of good shorts where it’s easy: back home. When you get here, value your skills, and know when to get paid more, especially if you start out unpaid.

WWFF -
In the past 7 years or so you have worked as a creature technician and make-up effects artist – on 100′s of television shows and many movies. What inspires you to do this kind of work?

AH -
I love the environment of the movie set and the make believe. You get to meet lots of different people who are great at what they do, and you work together to create sophisticated make believe. You try your best, but whatever happens happens, and at the end of the day, you move on. It’s only a movie. It’s funny how, in LA, this is a perfectly normal job. Monsters, creatures, makeup and decapitations, is not just for that Goth kid in the corner drawing on his notebook! It’s all walks. As an artist I do it because I like faces.

WWFF -
Are there a lot of jobs in these areas in LA? What’s it take to break in?

AH -
There are tons of interesting jobs in Hollywood. Anyone motivated to work on a movie set can do it. If you want to work on movie sets, here’s my litmus test: Can you stand outside in the cold rain till 4:00AM and still feel enthusiastic, just because you’re on a movie set? If the answer is yes, then everything else is just details you are going to be fine. If not, you could work in postproduction. Same story there, but without the freezing rain. As far as specializing in creatures, there’s no way to tell what the job market is or is going to be. Because, computers are clearly a big part of the future in the character department, but yet, they still do gigantic prosthetic shows, like ‘Grinch’ and they still build full-scale monsters some of the time. There are other related areas, like model departments, art departments; the computer side of things is huge and getting bigger all the time. As far as breaking in, if you wanted to work in creature FX shops, anyone can end up working in the biz, but if you’re going to be good, they expect that you come out here already having taught yourself, because there are so many resources out there. Then, they’ll still make you work for free so they can teach you their way of doing things and test you. The best school-built skills for a person who wants to do this are fine art skills like drawing. Drawing and designing can really get you in the door. I’ve also seen people with machine skills quickly get into creature mechanics. Some people go to school for makeup FX. That can’t hurt, except that if you have 10 grand to spend on school, why not use that to live in LA while you work for free and become a trusted artist at a shop? You’ll probably still have half of that money when they start paying you. You should have already taught yourself a lot anyway. If you haven’t, you may not be that interested in this stuff. Same probably goes for digital work, like AfterEffects. Go teach yourself, become a badass, and then come out.

WWFF -
You recently worked on a film with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. This might be a silly question but have you ever had a “star struck” moment?

AH -
I’ve had a few… I have to say I generally don’t because the attitude is I’m there to do a job and so are they. But if things are going well, we’re all having fun. You just have to know when its appropriate to go up and chat with them and when not to. If they like what you’re doing sometimes they’ll chat with you. A lot of actors don’t want to be treated weirdly- they are there to work, you just don’t wanna corner them and tell them your life story just because you’ve seen them on TV.

WWFF -
Your line of work requires you to spend hours of time with actors applying make-up and prosthetics. Do you have any interesting stories?

AH -
A few. Can’t tell a lot of them though. I have also heard a lot of interesting stories from stunt people. They always have crazy stories. Lots of them are martial artists, daredevils, ex military, etc. and they have these crazy stories about fighting in Kung-fu tournaments in Asia, or motocross racing, etc. with scars to match.

WWFF-
What was it like to work on the set of the television show “Angel”?

AH -
It was great. High production value, very tight schedule for us, however, long hours both at the shop and on set. Each episode shot for6 days, on 35 mm with a pretty high budget. We’d do Mon-Thurs at Paramount an then Friday night we’d go out and do night exteriors on location in various places around LA, like Chinatown, Griffith Park, etc. The sets were always awesome. It was fun to inhabit that Joss Whedon world where anything could happen, and that gets really fun when they have money: these incredible sets, great physical fix people, a great digital fx team, and us with our rubber monster shop. The crew was great. The actors were pretty laid back. The creature FX did take lot of effort in the schedules and budgets, but a lot of what we did, from Season 3 to the end of the series, looks pretty good. The situation for me was, I would do a lot of shop work- making molds, making creature skins, painting things, casting actor’s heads- but then I’d end up on set for a week. I became the main trusted set guy for a while, and often they would bring me something I had no idea how to operate because I hadn’t worked on building it- and sometimes the first time I put my hands on something was moments before it was to be shot, in front of the assistant director, and producer, actors, crew, who start asking me to demonstrate how the effect works so they can shoot it- and I would figure it out on the spot- “well, its a puppet rig where we’ll take this thing here, and then this will separate like this….” and I’d have a crate containing some mechanical puppet over here, and then run over and check on the stunt guy in a monster suit over somewhere else and do art touch ups on it- like airbrushing or gluing parts of it, then I’d run over to another stage with 2nd unit to set up a fake body to get decapitated, and bowl the head across the ground for 6 or 7 takes till it hit a certain mark, then run back tithe mechanical puppet, attack an actress with it for a scene, check the stunt guy again, bargain with the production team to let the stunt guy out of his contact lenses and gloves to cool down, etc. etc. I was always psyched that this show needed such a high volume of creature FX all the time. That was great, because when we started on it, 2001, I was always wondering when they’d quit doing practical creature FX and take over with computers. When I saw Golem in Lord of the Rings, I thought – ‘that’s it. They can finally really do it.” But then I realized it took a team of 100 computer engineers and proprietary software developers and zillions of dollars, and only the top 1 percent of digital companies could pull off an entirely digital character like a human.

WWFF -
When you started KU Filmworks you made a short film called “Ghost of a chance”. You and Andy Loos worked extremely hard to make this film happen. You wore many hats. How did this film help your career?

AH -
I’ve only shown it to a few people out here, but it has helped. Also, simply having that to talk about has been great because it’s an impressive story. The story may be more valuable than the film itself. People give you respect and say ‘you pulled that off?’ In terms of work, it helped because a chunk of the money we raised I used to create special FX, which I had in my portfolio to show to people when I got here. I’d given myself some experience with some more expensive techniques, which I couldn’t afford on my own. Most importantly though, any time you go all out on a project, you really refine your preconceptions about those things- about filmmaking, about storytelling, about the logistics of it all, and how thin you can spread yourself. It’s influenced my other creative projects.

WWFF -
You have mentioned that you are an introverted person. How hard was it for you to break out and play the director role? Any advice for young aspiring artist/directors?

AH -
Wasn’t hard. I wasn’t extroverted like an actor, but you don’t really have to be. You just have to know the answers, communicate them, and respect the needs of the crew. If the shoot is really tough, the needs of the crew do include a supportive director who is available, can communicate, listen, and be fun. I think that was something I knew instinctively, having worked a lot of crews as a grip and effects artist, while in school. Years later, out here in LA, I was working on a film where the principal actor, who was popular with the crew, was hurt on the final shoot day, and went away in an ambulance. None of us knew how bad it was, or if we could finish the movie. We were all muddy, freezing, exhausted, far from home, concerned for our friend, and we needed some leadership to boost morale. The director said nothing to the crew and it really hurt his image. It took a camera guy to gather the crew around and say a prayer, some words of encouragement, etc. In that situation, it doesn’t take charisma; it just takes some appreciation for the crew and the cojones to say so. Charisma matters a lot less than knowing the answer. Some of the great directors I have been on set with like Ang Lee, are very quiet and focused, but at hour 12 of a tough shoot day, a guy like him knows what the next shot is and why and knows what the performance should be. And if the crew needs leadership, he’s got it.

WWFF -
You are currently pitching a feature script that you have written. What is it like to pitch a script in Hollywood?

AH -
It’s hilarious. I should answer this Monday, as I have a number of pitch meetings Sunday. It would be pretentious for me to say too much since I haven’ sold a script yet (although I have a lot of stuff happening tomorrow). There are a couple important lessons- the first of which is that people really will listen to you. If you have a good idea that’s ready, you will get called back. I was a little shocked by that at first, because millions of people are trying to get their ideas to Hollywood and it’s so famous for having a closed door. The second lesson – don’t send it out too soon.

WWFF -
Tell us about the network of people from the Kansas City area who currently live in LA and work in the industry. Do you find that this has aided in your success?

AH -
There actually seem to be tons of people from KC living here. I have run into them randomly at bars, Yoga classes, the gym, etc. Andrew Loos, who started FIlmworks with me, now owns a marketing company out here that is doing huge business, and we still work on each other’s projects. I have other friends from KC in various fields like visual effects, art department, reality TV, and film finance. I occasionally call some of the OG Kansas guys for advice, like producer Mike Robe or screenwriter Mitch Brian, both of whom I first met during the original Filmworks era. All of these things help.

WWFF -
How important is networking?

AH -
The two things you have to do in LA, boiled down, are, 1. work on your thing, and 2. build relationships. You have to know when to shut the door and get some time on the clock building your skills. That’s why you’re here, so, get something done. Don’t party everyday, unless you already have the career you want. But then, you also have to know when to go out and drink (or not drink) with people. You have to build relationships with people you’re going to work with. Go to all film wrap parties. A film wrap party is not so much about hooking up with the wardrobe girl as it is about having a little fun with each crewperson. You’re kind of saying, “hey, I liked what you did on this movie, lets work together again some time.” You have to become a face in the film community, even if just in one small circle. And if you can, you should constantly try to hook other people up with jobs. Do a little bit of that and now you have a family. Going out to parties and bars has gotten me jobs, gotten me into doors to pitch movies, gotten my screenplay to a high profile Hollywood agent (even though he didn’t like it, my vodka-aided pitch in the corner of the bar got him to read it within a day, which is almost unheard of). I suppose the same could be said of golf courses.

WWFF -
You are currently working on a stop motion animation project that is being shot in HD. Can you talk about this project? What is the story? When will it be completed? Can we see a sneak preview?

AH -
It is my first stop motion film. We actually shot the film with a digital still in an image size much larger than HD. A friend of a friend is a professional photographer, Becky Sapp, who volunteered to do the film just for the experience, so we set up a workflow to use her EOS camera. The advantage is, the image size is so large, we could online in 2K resolution and do a 35 mm film print that would look as if it originated on film. Not sure if I’ll come up with the money to do such a print, however!! I am actually doing an offline edit in an HD format, which I still think is kind of funny. I’m doing it in DVCPRO HD 720p24, which is a great codec because it is easy for a computer, even a good laptop, to handle, but it still looks pretty damn good on an HD screen or even projected on a moderate screen. I wanted to try a stop motion film using a combination of my FX background- making rubber heads- and digital manipulation. The story is simple- its about being absorbed by your own work- an artist is doing a painting, and as he puts more energy into it, it comes alive and literally eats him. So I made 5 different heads for the puppet, all with different facial expressions, and we set up a technique using ‘Frame Thief’ which allowed us to “onionskin” the current live image from a DV camera next to the still camera, with previous frames. What this means is we were able to shoot the same movements with different heads, having them lined up in the same spot as the previous head. Now, having the same shots with the different facial expressions, I’m working with KU grad Chris Martin, who works as a compositor at Stargate Digital, and he has come up with a simple way to morph these facial expressions together. So if you have one 24 frame head turn from left to right, you have all 24 frames with both heads, and we can morph the expression from one to the other along that path- or better yet, be more subtle about it and do things like go halfway between the expressions, then part of the way back, all the way forward, etc. There is a lot of possibility for subtle expression, and stuff you could never get with animatronics, yet it still has that handmade feel of puppet heads physically existing on the set. I think it’s going to be weird and fascinating to watch. (I will email you a clip tomorrow.)

WWFF -
What do you miss about Lawrence and Kansas City?

AH -
Primarily people. And sometimes, being able to drive unimpeded. Lawrence has a great feel – very laid back, but still very cultural, with the University, nightlife, etc. And the film scene seems to be happening there now, which is great. I am always hearing about bigger projects happening there, which is good for everyone.

HOW DID HAPPYFUNLAND FILMS COME TO BE?

MIKE: It started when we got together to make the first short for the first Wild West Film Festival.

AARON: We were looking for a name of a film company that encompassed the words ‘happy’, ‘fun’ and ‘land’.

YOU ARE BROTHERS RIGHT?

MIKE: Yes, by birth.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR FAMILY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS?

AARON: 6 boys, 4 girls.

MIKE: A mother and dad. And other people who have lived with us. Russians exchange students…

AARON: Mexican Exchange students…

YOU GUYS HAVE WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE ON OTHER FILM PROJECTS?

MIKE: Yes, we’ve worked with other film studios. We’ve done a lot of work with Lickety Split Films.

AARON: We’ve made a lot of films with them. ‘YETI! A Tale of the Brothers Krong.’, ‘Dale’s Still Dead.’

MIKE: Longer movies. Features. An hour, hour and half variety.

WHAT IS YOUR FILMMAKING PHILOSOPHY?

MIKE: First of all, We don’t want to win any festivals. That’s not our goal. What we want to do is make a movie that’s funny, it’s quick, it’s to the point and it has a story. If you can make a movie that’s funny, and it’s short but it also has a story line, you know… It’s a good movie, win or lose.

WHO INSPIRES YOU GUYS AS FILMMAKERS? WHO ARE YOUR BIG INFLUENCES?

MIKE: Robert Zemeckis, probably.

AARON: Rob Reiner.

MIKE: John Hughes.

AARON: Gee Gee Allen.

MIKE: Wes Anderson.

AARON: Belushi.

MIKE: Well, if you’re talking character development, which we always try to have great characters in our films, you gotta go with the Kansas City native…Robert Altman.

AARON: Yeah, Robert Altman.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LOCAL KC/LAWRENCE FILMMAKING SCENE?

AARON: Hey, we’re here. We’re doin’ it. We’re kickin’ it. There’s many others out there kickin’ it.

MIKE: It’s starting up. I can see it getting bigger and bigger. I think we need to make better use of our landmarks in this town. We have a lot of cool theatres in this town and we need to use them. I think it’s on the rise.

WHAT ARE SOME LOCAL FILMS THAT YOU’VE SEEN LATELY THAT YOU REALLY DIG?

MIKE: I liked ‘Cars’.

AARON: ‘Over the Hedge’.

WHERE DO YOU GET THE OFFBEAT IDEAS FOR YOUR FILMS?

MIKE: I try to come up with a character that I would like to play…then we make a movie off of that character. So like I haven’t played a Puerto Rican Drug Lord Guy… so that’s who I want to be in this movie…let’s make a movie off of that character.

AARON: I tend to see the scenes in my head and piece them together. Draw a nice storyboard. The ideas seem to come together, you know?

YOU (MIKE) TEND TO PLAY THE MAIN CHARACTER IN A LOT OF THESE FILMS. YOU’RE KIND OF A MAN OF MANY FACES. YOU’VE PLAYED EVERYTHING FROM A LATIN DRUGLORD, TO AN EVIL BALDKNOBBER, TO A HICK PARK RANGER TO THE GHOSTLY HOMELESS MAN. WHAT’S YOUR ACTING PHILOSOPHY?

MIKE: Have props, will travel.

TELL ME ABOUT MAKING ‘REYES DE LA CALLE’, WINNER OF THE 1st ANNUAL WWFF.

MIKE: It was a crazy time when we made that movie. We spent $46 for a motel room in the middle of a rainstorm and filmed until 4 in the morning with some actresses who we didn’t know that well. And the criteria was you had to say the phrase ‘What are you doing in here?’ somewhere in the film. And we thought what if we said that in Spanish? Is anyone else going to do that? It was clever. And I was like ‘That’ll be fun’. That was one of my favorite memories. Let’s just do this in Spanish. We got on google and googled up words in Spanish and made up a story.

AARON: We wanted to have the character say ‘Hey, Whore! Get me a diet coke!’ in Spanish. But it didn’t translate all that well.

WEREN’T THERE TWINKIES SCATTERED ALL OVER THE SMALL MOTEL ROOM AFTER THE FILMING OF THAT MOVIE?

MIKE: Yes, twinkie residue and cigarette smoke everywhere. Something probably not uncommon for a motel room like that.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR FILM “THE GODLESS”. WHICH YOU WON 2nd PLACE FOR AT THE FIRST WWFF SCARE FACTOR COMPEITION. IT WAS A VERY SERIOUS FILM WITH SERIOUS TOPICS, A DEPARTURE FOR YOU GUYS. IT HAD BALDKNOBBER CHARACTERS MURDERING PEOPLE WITH SHOTGUNS…NOT AT ALL A COMEDY.

AARON: I was inspired by Silver Dollar City. The ride ‘FIRE IN THE HOLE’. We would always watch the guy climbing out of the burning house with his pants down. They always made it seem so comical but …in reality, people died.

MIKE: It was a departure for us. I wanted to make a funny movie like I always do but since it was a horror festival we had to make something scary. We had some scary ideas. I think it was the most money we’ve ever spent on a 3 and a half minute long movie. We had to rent lights and a generator.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FILM ‘MY FRIEND MICKEY’. AN ENTRY THAT DID NOT PLACE IN THE SUMMER 2006 WWFF. A LAVISHLY PRODUCED FILM THAT THE JUDGES DID NOT SEE EYE TO EYE WITH. IF I RECALL YOU RIGHT YOU MADE AN ALIEN PUPPET CREATURE FOR THAT FILM…

AARON: Mike’s wife Julie stayed up until 2 in the morning that night sewing the puppet. Unfortunately she got left off the credits.

MIKE: We spent a lot of time on that. Once again we tried to do something different than the other filmmakers. We thought that if we had a puppet in our movie it might be a little bit different. And so we made an alien puppet. We got a local kid actor to act with the puppet. And you know you can’t blame the judges. I thought we were right up there.

AARON: It was the AIDS comment, I think that did us in…

YOU HAD AN AIDS COMMENT IN IT?

MIKE: Yeah, about an orangutan giving (the alien) AIDS…

IT’S VERY BOLD OF YOU TO APPROACH SUBJECTS LIKE THAT IN YOUR FILMS.

THE MUSIC IN THE FILM WAS OUTSTANDING. WHO WROTE THE TITLE SONG?

AARON: My good friend, Sam Billen. He’s in the band the Billions and recently released a solo album on Northern Records called “Miracles”.

YOUR LATEST OFFERING TO THE WWFF WAS ‘DELERIANCE’, 4th PLACE RUNNER UP IN THE LAST SCARE FACTOR COMPETITION. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF THE WORD ‘DELERIANCE’?

AARON: It’s kind of like ‘deliverance.’

MIKE: But A little bit like ‘delirious’. I wanted to go for a word…a title that would sum up the fears of someone that is delirious but they are looking for deliverance.

THERE IS A SCENE IN THAT MOVIE WHERE A GHOST OF HOMELESSMAN MAKES OUT WITH A STEVE URKEL DOLL. WHERE DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT IDEA AND IS THERE ANY HIDDEN MEANING BEHIND IT?

AARON: Our father…

MIKE: I mean, you could say there’s a lot of meaning behind that…I’m just gonna leave that up to the audience. I mean, you’ve all seen homeless people with a doll before and why not a Steve Urkel doll?

WHAT’S A MAJOR OBSTACLE YOU’VE FACED IN THE CREATION OF YOUR SHORT FILMS?

AARON: Finding actors and actresses that aren’t afraid of us.

MIKE: Yeah, finding actors and actresses that are just willing to put it out on the line. Sometimes it’s just location and finding the right actors. Because you can have an idea for an Old Man in a movie but if you can’t find an old man and then you have to have a Teenager play an old man, it doesn’t always work.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU GUYS? WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
?MIKE: Well, we’re always looking forward to the next Wild West Film Fest. But we’re always thinking of new ones. I have several ideas. I still would like to bring in more puppets somehow. And incorporate cartoons or Claymation into our films.

AARON: One thing is we want to give back to the community, as well. We’d like to have a message about autism in our next films…

MIKE: Actually, we are working on a film in coordination with Lickety Split Films. A winter movie this Christmas. A holiday themed film with lots of characters in it.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING ON SHORT FILMS?

MIKE: Well, we come from making long format movies (an hour, hour and a half movies filmed over 2 to 3 years at a time). It’s fun to make movies over a weekend like we used to do back in Middle School. Just film it in a couple hours, go back edit, write some music. It’s fun. It’s quick and I think that’s when we’re at our best. ??AARON: Yeah, you don’t get all caught up in getting that one shot perfect. You get more into finding that perfect funny song. Just having fun and kicking back.

YOUR TEAM IS THE ONLY FOUR-TIME ENRANT INTO THE WWFF. WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU GUYS GOTTEN ABOUT YOUR FILMS YOU’VE MADE?

MIKE: We’ve been told that they like our movies. And that they’re pretty funny. It seems to be that when our movies shown the crowd gets a real cackle out of ‘em.

AARON: That’s what we’re all about. Cackling. Getting the crowd to laugh.

MIKE: Except with ‘The Godless’. People were shocked and scared. That’s not what we normally do. But we’ve gotten good feedback. Positive…

AARON: We always show them to our Grandma first. And if she doesn’t like them, then we feel we’ve done a good job.

MIKE: Our older brothers usually hate them.

MIKE AND AARON’S HAPPYFUNLAND FILMS AND LICKETYS PLIT FILMS CAN BE VIEWED ON THE LS FILMS WEBSITE HYPERLINK http://www.licketysplitfilmsa.com www.licketysplitfilmsa.com.

Jay and Christian, what do you do?

Jay: I work as the billing and claims administrator at the Heartland Medical Clinic, in the LEO Center organization. I also work as the video production guy at my church as well as other office administration stuff there. I wear a few different hats at both locations, so its kind of hard to say exactly what I do.

Christian: I’m working for the Leo Center as the P.R. Development Director. I am also assisting with some break through research at KU in the biological science department. I’m also a student. I like making short films. And I’m engaged.

Tell us about the Leo Center and its purpose in the community.

Christian: The Leo Center is here to serve Lawrence and the surrounding communities. Our mission at the Leo Center is to transform lives and give hope to those who need it most; hope for a healthier life physically and mentally.

Jay: The LEO Center started out as the Heartland Medical Clinic in the basement of Heartland Community Church. At the time, it was a clinic that mainly served homeless here in Lawrence. It was started by Dr. Dennis Sale who came to Lawrence from California, where he had a similar clinic. Since then, the clinic grew large enough and had enough support to move to its own building, where other Lawrence churches got involved and created what is now called the LEO Center. The Heartland Medical Clinic is now under this corporation, along with the Advocate Pregnancy Services, which helps women who find themselves in difficult situations choose life; the LEO Center Benevolence funds and Food Pantry, which supplies food and money to those in need, two programs funded by Americorps which give monthly supplies of meds to those who qualify, and free mammogram and pap smears to those who qualify. Finally, we have a Christian counseling service called S.A.L.T. (Seven Areas Of Life Training). The Purpose of the LEO Center is to transform lives and give hope. Hope for a healthier physical life, and hope for a healthier spiritual life.

Where are you from?

Jay: I was born and raised in Lawrence.

Christian: I’m from Asheville, NC.

How did you hear about WWFF?

Jay: I have heard of the film festivals put on in the past, but this year I saw a super tight flyer that I just couldn’t ignore.

Christian: My fiance found a sweet flyer at the Kansas Union

Jay, have you ever directed a short film before?

Jay: Not really. I’ve done a couple of shorts for class in high school and college. But everything else is just for fun. Nothing really with a plot. I’ve done a couple commercials for the LEO Center as well.

Christian, Have you ever acted before?

Christian: I was in a bowling commercial when i was 6 and i was in a commercial for the Leo Center 2 months ago.

What was the most difficult part of the film making process?

Jay: Getting people to shut up in the background.

Christian: It was hard to get good lighting or the right lighting. We wanted every scene to have an eerie look to it so we used the television screen lighting every where. We would have someone hold it up next to where light was needed to get the right affect.

How did you organize your team? Who were the actors?

Jay: We just made our fiancés do it. I don’t really know of anyone (other than Christian) that is a great actor, so we just did it ourselves.

Christian: Or team was made up of two couples. Jay is engaged and im engaged, so our babes were the other two in our team of four.

What software and equipment did you use?

Jay: I use the Adobe Production Suite. Mainly Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 and After Effects 7.0. I also have a Canon GL2 camera… well, it’s not really mine. I just steal it from work when I want to use it.

How many hours did you spend in production?

Christian: I’d say we spent close to 3 hours filming and Jay edited so that took more time than I knew about.

Jay: About 7.

Your film had a great look to it. How did you create the special effects with the glowing girl?

Christian: Jay is the mastermind behind the special effects.

Jay: Magic. Magic and After Effects. I used multiple layers and drew masks over the characters that I wanted to apply effects to. The masks would only display that character, so I could apply any effect I wanted to without it affecting anything else in the picture.

How did you come up with the idea?

Christian: I’m pretty sure Jay said he had a dream that the sequence of events from our show actually happend in his dream, and genius ideas come to people in dreams so we just went with it and were happy with the outcome.

Jay: This was an idea that I had a while ago, and it was just kinda in the back of my mind. We were having troubles thinking of an idea, so I just decided to use that one. It definitely came out different than what I had in mind… but it was still good.

Will you ever enter another WWFF?

Jay: I don’t know… after losing this last time, the hurt was just too great. But it would be safe to assume that we would.

Christian: Definitely, now that we’ve been in one, we know what we are up against and know what makes people laugh and what it is like to have a lot of people watching your film. Having the experience will really make a difference and hopefully help with future projects.

Other than your own, which movie at the WWFF was your favorite?

Jay: I really liked the funny one with the mad scientist that turned into the bug. That one was hilarious. The scariest though, was the one that won first place. That car horn was so loud, I about pooped.

Christian: I really like Missing, the winner. I thought it was well done. Great idea and story and perfect plot for the time allowed. I also like the one where the mad scientist turned into a bug and the assistant beat him up with a pipe. That one was halarious.

Tell us about yourself.

I am 19 years old and currently a freshman at UMKC. I am majoring in film. As long as I can remember I have been making films with my brothers and friends. Creating movie ideas is probably my favorite pastime.

What do you do?

I am a full time student at UMKC, so that takes up most of my time.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Weston Missouri. Weston is a small town north of Kansas City. It’s probably best known for its world-renowned Apple fest.

How did you hear about WWFF?

Actually my mom was the first one to tell me about WWFF. After I told her that I wanted to pursue a career in film, she went and searched for local film competitions.

Have you ever made a film before?

My family, friends, and I have always loved playing with a video camera. We have made some classic films such as “Monster in the Chair” and “Jackson Son of Jason”. Now these films never really hit it big, probably because we were all still in elementary school, but they are what sparked my love for making films. We also made Desiderium, which we entered, in the last WWFF.

What made you decide to enter?

I love competition and I love to make films. So what’s better than a film competition?

What was your story about?

It’s about a man who is being haunted by a girl. This girl is haunting him because he killed her one night while driving drunk.

How did you come up with the story line?

My very talented team and I knew that we wanted the girl to be haunting the man but we didn’t know why. So we just thought of certain circumstances the man could be put in to where he would have to murder this innocent girl. Someone came up with the idea that he could have just hit her with a car, the idea sounded good so we just went with it.

What was the most difficult thing that you encountered during the making of your film?

Well the dead girl in our film, played by the very talented Bonnie Johnson, could only film one night. We had so many shots that we needed her for and we had just started our shooting at around 2 in the morning. We were pressed for time but luckily we kept our cool and finished all of our shots right before the sun came up. That was probably the most difficult thing we encountered.

How did you organize your team?

My team consisted of my brother and a lot of our childhood friends. They are all very creative and talented in their own ways.

How much money did you spend on production?

Around forty dollars. It was all spent on makeup and food.

Explain your creative process?

My team and I just threw out a bunch of ideas that we used to put together a story. Since we’ve known each other for such a long time we all were on the same page when it came to creating this movie. That seemed to help us out a lot.

Did you find it rewarding?

I found it very rewarding, after I finally got some sleep. This competition is very mental because you are putting so much stress on your body. I feel that it is a huge accomplishment to create a movie in that amount of time. I feel that even if your movie didn’t turn out quite how you would’ve liked it to, you should still be proud of what you have created because you accomplished it in such a short amount of time.

Would you ever enter another WWFF?

Yeah actually I think my brother and I are going to enter in the next WWFF.

How would you change our event for the better?

The only thing I can think of is showing our films on a Saturday night instead of a Sunday.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
I’m an independent filmmaker/producer from Lawrence, Kansas. We have been making short films as part of our independent film company SenoReality Pictures, since 2001. We currently finished our first feature film The Empty Acre, and are prepping our second feature “Four” to be shot in 2007.

Where are you from?
I’m originally from Schuyler, Nebraska. I came to Lawrence in 2000, to study film at University of Kansas.

How did you here about WWFF?
Heard about it through the whole “Lawrence indie film grapevine.”

Have you ever made a film before?
Yes, we’ve been making short films for years.

What made you decide to enter?
I really liked the idea of making a horror film in 48 hours. It seemed like a fun challenge. We are used to working fast, so we thought that we could definately come up with something cool in a short time.

What was your story about?
Basic story was two teens see something run across the road, they get out and are attacked by some strange ghouls. They are then saved by a gruff farmer, who has his house rigged with traps.

How did you come up with the story line?
It’s always been kinda running around in my head. That combined with Kendal Sinn’s fresh take on it, we were able to come up with a cool little short.

What was the most difficult thing that you encountered during the making of your film?
Moving the dead cow. Yes, we had a real dead cow, which is barely in the final product. Figures.

How did you organize your team?
We work with the same people a lot of the time. Ryan Jones is my co-producer with SenoReality, and a brilliant sound designer. Kendal Sinn and Sally Cummings were great fun to work with, since they have been working in the horror genre as well. It was our first time working with them, but certainly not the last. We have been working with them ever since.

How much money did you spend on production?
None really. Maybe a little to make the fake blood. Oh, and of course we spent money on food.

Explain your creative process?
My personal creative process is pretty much spending time walking or listening to music, and that’s when the ideas usually appear. From there it’s putting it to paper, casting, storyboarding, and shooting. Pre-Production is the key. It’s where most of the work goes into it. It’s like studying for an exam.

Did you find it rewarding?
Absolutely. It’s always rewarding, even if some films turn out better than others. It’s amazing just to get something quality completed.

Would you ever enter another WWFF?
Definately, maybe the next horror themed WWFF.

How would you change our event for the better?
Maybe offer a horror themed meal before the festival begins. That would be kinda expensive of course. ha.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
I am the Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Land and Home Real Estate.

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Kansas City and now live in Overland Park, KS.

How did you here about WWFF?
I read about it in the Kansas City Star Newspaper.

Have you ever made a film before?
No, this was my first attempt at movie making.

What made you decide to enter?
My 9 year old son has been telling me for the past year that he wanted to make a movie and when I saw the story about WWFF I thought this could be a great family project and a great way for him to make his first movie.

What was your story about?
The story was about puppy love mixed with humor and a general feeling that most men and boys don’t always understand women and girls. Just a fun, timeless storyline, done with taste and humor.

How did you come up with the story line?
As soon as we received our packet from WWFF which described that the movie had to involve filming at a swimming pool and it had to have a famous quote from a movie we began brainstorming. We came up with a basic storyline which we dramatically changed as we went along. With only 48 hours to bring it all together I knew in order to have a chance at “top 30″ we had to have a story that contained a beginning, middle and end. I previewed the winners from last year online and I understood the competition was well rounded and strong. We literally wrote it on the fly and the complete storyline all came together within the last 2 hours of filming.

What was the most difficult thing that you encountered during the making of your film?
Several items posed some serious thought. Like where are we going to get a swimming pool to film at? Working with children is not an easy task but it was also a joy. Coming up with the storyline was a bit difficult but fun. Filming different camera angle shots in and out of the water was challenging but really made a difference.

How did you organize your team?
For me it was easy because it was a family project. My wife and children and my niece.

How much money did you spend on production?
To me it was never about the money it was about doing something as a family that may lead to something bigger for my children. Let’s just say it was the best money I ever spent and it really wasn’t that much. My children will have this memory forever.

Explain your creative process?
I like to get a solid idea first on paper. Basic storyboarding at first. Then my co-director and I shot the footage always shooting more than we needed and shooting many items that did not end up in the film. Then we went on to scripting out as much as we could put on paper and then to shooting footage of it to add in the editing later. When all the footage has been shot I then uploaded all of it into some editing software and marked out each take that I wanted to include in the final cut. Final editing is where we really got creative in choosing the royalty free music and using slow motion and certain effects including splicing footage from 2 or 3 different takes to create one final scene. I had probably 25 pages of script and notes going into the editing room. The entire process is creative and it is quite a bit of fun. I would encourage anyone who is highly creative to enter a film next year.

Did you find it rewarding?
It was rewarding beyond words. I feel so fortunate to have been able to work on a creative project like this with my children and family. It is even more rewarding because of my son’s ambition at 9 years old to make a movie. My children are very honored to have won first place as they clearly understood the difficult odds going into this.

Would you ever enter another WWFF?
Absolutely

How would you change our event for the better?
I think the event is wonderful. And WWFF was very smart this year by making the film include a certain type of location (swimming pool) and a line from a movie. By doing it the way WWFF did, it basically prevented anyone who may have been wanting to submit previously filmed movies or portions of previously filmed movies from doing so. Basically the criteria handed out in the sealed envelops made the movie makers hold true to the idea behind WWFF (writing, filming, editing and producing a movie in 48 hours). Making a movie in 48 hours is a great challenge for any team and it is one heck of a thrill. I would like to see more publicity and more money raised for the charity. I think this has the potential to balloon into a national film festival. I would love to see entries from across the U.S. All of WWFF have done a great job and you should all be proud of the money you raised for such a great cause.