Speaker 1: All right, welcome everybody. You have a good friend of mine,
new friend of mine, Yvonne Gautier. He is a writer, director, producer.
He's worked on the several projects for several decades. He
is a French filmmaker who spent a good bit of
time in la and is now working on his own
independent projects. And we're going to be talking about the
history of film, his influences, what he likes, what he
doesn't like, how he got to where he is, and Yvonne,
how are you today.
Speaker 2: I'm good, Thank you, thanks for doing this. I really
appreciate it. And the first thing I want to say is,
I know I have a pretty sick French accent and
I can't get rid of it. So if there are
moments where if you don't understand stuff that you know,
tell me. I don't mind repeating. I'm used to I'm
used to it.
Speaker 1: I have a good friend who's on my discord and
he's also sounds just like you, by the way, so
I'm used to the accent, so I don't think it'll
be a problem. But all right, evon, so let's talk
about first of all, what got you interested in film?
What were some of the first films that really piqued
your interest to make you say I want to do that.
That's going to be my life goal is to make
films where their books. Was it specific directors, let's talk
about influences.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it really feels like it started when
I was a teenager and I started to watch a
lot of movies, like mostly commercial movies, but my parents
at the time, I was living in a small town
in the east of France, not far from Germany, and
then my parents were running like a sceney club and
they were playing other movies, not only like the Disney
or the super main stream stuff. And then I was
open really early to like different kind of movies, not
only big American movies, but French. French movie is after
house stuff from different countries. And then I really remember
enjoying the experience so much that you know, it was
like almost a revelation, you know, like, Okay, that's how
you know what movies can make you feel. It was
unique to me, and I thought, yeah, that's that's awesome.
At the time, I wasn't sure that's what I wanted
to do, because because you know, being born and raising
very in the in the countryside, almost in a very
small town. It's not really like the careers that people
are going to pursue, and so but I was lucky
that my parents said, Okay, if that's what you would
like to do, maybe let's explore that. And then that's
that's how it studied. And then when I was like,
I don't know, fifteen sixteen, it's like I was so
much into that, that's that's what I wanted to do.
And then I started to you know, play with super
hid camera us at the time and see what could
be done.
Speaker 1: Did you go to film school or did you just
do it all on your own?
Speaker 2: So I started because we don't come from monet. So
then I still moved to Paris to go to because
I mean, the ways of to get in the system
in France, and I don't want to get into politics
too early, but basically, I mean, we had no idea
of where to start, you know, so we looked into
how to how to how to get into the industry
and then there were mostly two two ways in France
to get there, which was the science the the at
the time, it was called the lead deck. It was
like the big film school that was very very ultra
selective for the happy few part of the families and
all of that, or there was the sciences, the scientific
side of it more to become a technician, and and
so I tried to to to to pass the test
to to to go there because the other one it
was clear that I wouldn't ever be picked because at
the time I had no idea. But you know, I
clearly didn't feed the profile that they were looking for
in these big schools. So the science, the science part
of filmmaking I was I was interested in. I mean
i've i've really felt like I wanted to direct and
do everything. But I said, okay, if I I tried
to get into these other more more technical driven schools,
and I kind of failed. So I tried to go
to like the universities and to learn more math and
physics and stuff. But I just like I tried, but
that's that wasn't what I wanted to achieve.
Speaker 1: When you when you speak of the profile that they wanted,
what exactly how would you characterize that?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean funny enough, through like some different relationships.
Once I was selected to be part of a trip
to the USA actually back in eighty nine to go
visit some film school with a group of film students
that were all part of this big school, like the
Famous I think it was at the time they changed
the name from me Deck to Famous and I ended
up through like a relationship. It's a long story, but
make it short, and I ended up going to a
trip to the USA with a group of these guys,
these people from this school, so I was able to
actually meet the people from the school. And then I realized,
you know, later on that you know, a lot of
them were part of family who were already in the
business or the the LGBT.
Speaker 1: Yea more of a political alignment that was necessary to
be to.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, and I could I could realize right away
that I wasn't in on the same page at all
with with this group of people, you know, and I
was kind of an outcast within that group because I
was the only one or maybe we were two or
three that were not part of that school within that group,
and I was completely ostracized, but on the side because
at the time I loved you know, like I still
loved like commercial movies and look, Bason was big in
France at the time, and I was, you know, like
he did like the Last Battle like his first movie,
and then he did The Subway, which was like, oh
I loved Subway. And then for them it was like garbage,
you know, like they were on Tieu looke Bason. They
were all about super After I was filmmaking it was
super leftists. But I didn't have the worlds to understand
that at the time. I was like not even twenty,
you know, so and that. But that trip was interesting
to come to the US for the first time for me,
and then to to to see you know, we visited
like you know, I think it was usc and all
of that. That was that was interesting. But also I
really it was my first encounteract with people from the
industry and that we're designed on most of these people
actually that we're doing that group, they're all like very
established French directors. Now it's funny because I know I
know them, you know, but.
Speaker 1: But well, look, Bason is an interesting character with you know,
the films that he started with, and then I think
in the in the US most people just know firstly
of La Femnikida and then you have the more Hollywood
commercial stuff that he you know that he did throughout
the nineties and the two thousands and so was that
kind of a model of what you were thinking, Okay,
I want to break into the Hollywood domain and then god.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no totally, I mean based on I mean,
first I was a huge fan of you know, big
American movies and Steven Spielberg of course, but you know,
Sergiolione in Italy. That was a huge inspiration to me,
you know, coming I come from Italy as well. My
grandfather was Italian, so always felt some connection with with
with Sergiolione and you know, like the European version of
American filmmaking in some way, you know, so that was
a big inspiration. So but yeah, I was very much
into commercial movies, but commercial with a twist, you know,
like interesting commercial movies, not just like the big, big,
stupid stuff. And so where were we at?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I understand that because I think most
of like most of the films that I've focused on
were a lot of the commercial films that you know,
when I wrote the essays and whatnot that I've that
I found to be to some degree interesting with different elements,
even if the films were not that great, there's always
usually some interesting elements at least, but you know, it's
very different in the US than it is I think,
you know, probably from what you're used to, because you know,
when we were talking, you said, why do people like
some of these action films and these action heroes. I
don't understand, And and you know, in the US, it's
more so about the experience, the you know, elements that
would probably be looked down upon in the art house sphere.
It's not very it's not very sophisticated. It's not it's
not really seen as art. It's more of a you know,
a baser sort of experience. I think for a lot
of US film goers, because we just don't have that
you know, depth and sophistication of understanding the arts that
probably a lot of people in Europe are probably still
taught that to some degree, although now it's all probably
just totally leftist. Does that make sense what I'm saying,
It just doesn't translate into people don't think of it
as art. They think of it as like a commercial almost.
Speaker 2: I would say. And it's funny with my wife, we
laugh about that, but we say that, you know, culture
is part of the culture. In France and pretty much everywhere,
you know, you have like film festivals, everywhere you have
lots of lots of galleries. I mean, you can really
discover a lot of things. When in America, I mean
you have like big cities with a lot of that,
but outside of that, you don't you don't have too
much and it's not really part of the culture, you know,
I mean just the American culture part of the culture,
but the outside culture is not really part. When in
France it's such a I mean in Europe in general,
I guess you have more of a culture, cultural thing
that's going on, like that's part of of of the people,
you know, but that that's that's that's a big difference,
I would say. But after that it's you know, it's
good and it's bad. You know, you have the good
side on the bad side, you know, because then people
start to lose their starts, start to lose their culture,
if I may say that, because they are so within
a cultural thing that at the end, you know, it's
like who who who are they who? And then as
a you know, as a French person, at the end
of the day, you you you end up with a
with a president Macron who says French culture doesn't exist,
you know, and he actually said that, you know, which
is crazy exactly.
Speaker 1: I mean he's just a full on you know, counter
initiation and version bulshetic revolutionary with with that character. I mean,
it's so it's so extreme. Okay, So you end up
When did you end up in the US in the
LA scene and what was your initial experience there?
Speaker 2: I mean the first, you know, I wanted to make movies.
I moved to Paris, and then in Paris I studied
like a small French film school just for one year
just to learn the basis. It was a very inexpensive
private school, that's all we could afford. And then after
that I created a production company in France and I
became like very proactive, producing lots of different kind of content,
mostly short films at the time. And this production company
I worked with lots of different directors. I was directing
a lot of them, but I was also producing for
other directors. I always liked that part of filmmaking as well,
and I was able to produce also lots of music videos.
I connected with with independent rock bands and we did
a lot of a lot of music videos for bands
that are big now in France, actually rock, alternative rock bands,
really cool bands and I worked with them closely for
a while and then until I was able to put
together my first feature film that you discovered Lesa and yeah,
that was.
Speaker 1: That was really interesting. And I know this might be
a really dumb question for you, but for the sake
of this audience, a lot of people who won't necessarily
know a lot of the stuff because we we've had
a lot of growth in the last year on the
YouTube channel, so we had a lot of people that
will be new to some of these things. Could you
describe the difference between the role of a director in
the film versus the role of say andle Aliens. You
were the producer, so what exactly was the distinction there
that you were mainly involved in.
Speaker 2: Lliena. I was, actually yeah, I was the producer, but
I also directed the movie. Yeah I was. I was.
I directed that one. That was my technically my first
feature film as a as a director.
Speaker 1: I apologize I watched it, but then the IMDb just
lists you as a as a producer, but maybe it's
a pure producer and director.
Speaker 2: I was just looking at they keep on changing the presentation,
and now you don't really know what you're looking at,
but you know, I I because I'm probably still that
producer first then as director, so then probably that's why.
I don't know, but yeah, that's that's my that's my
first feature film as a as a director, producer, and
many more, many more jobs. Because it was like a
super low budget we're still shot in thirty five mini
matter because at the time, that's all, I mean, that's all,
that's what was available to make movies and that was
so the movie looked. I think the movie looks pretty good.
That was shot, Yeah, it was. It was really hard
to to make that movie. I did not enjoy the
the process.
Speaker 1: Well, it turned out really well. I thought that was
a It was a really interesting film. It didn't go
in the direction that I expected. I like the you know,
we're sort of getting into the psyche of this garbage man,
this sort of alien alienated, out, outcast character. And then
I won't spoil it, but you know, perhaps he's associating.
Perhaps there's these you know, repressed you know, angst against
society and whatnot. But I mean again, so what what
exactly is the difference between Because you have a lot
of producing credits and then you have directing credits, could
you just for the sake of my audience who might
be new to explain the difference between when you're a
director versus the producer.
Speaker 2: And also the meaning of producer and director is also
a little different in France and in and in the US.
That's what I learned the hardaway a thirty when I
first moved to the US. That's another another story metag
that later. But basically, in France, the director is kind
of the the captain of the ship, is the one
who's making all the decisions, and he's he's making his movie.
When in America, the director most of the time, he
doesn't really make his movie, makes the producers movies. So
so in in France the director is by law, actually
he's you cannot take away his director Scott. For example,
in France, when in America the director, the director Scott
is you know, I mean, it's very rare that the
director Scott is released just big director. They can reford to.
Speaker 1: Yeah, this is when we hear about somebody having final
cut right, like Tarantino gets final cut right.
Speaker 2: Exactly, final cuts. That's that's that's customary for every director
in France or by law, So which is which is
great and actually great and not great because the director
could be his own worst enemy at some point, and
it's good that that he has a good relationship with
a producer who can because in Frances if a producer
wants to fire a director, because he cannot fire the director.
So if the director becomes nuts and then he wants
to do this or that, then you know, then you're
stuck with whatever the director will give you. So that's
a problem. But at the same time, in the US
the opposite. You know, like the director can can he
have his movie taken away from him? And then you
know that happened to me as.
Speaker 1: Well, so.
Speaker 2: I know that I learned that, so you know. So,
But the director, basically, on set, it's a very different
configuration because the director Ronsett is the guy who's there,
you know, calling all the shots theoretically, and he is
the one who decides the way he wants to shoot stuff,
is the one who picks all the technicians he wants
to work with, is the one who's really makes the
movie the way he wants it to be. He picks
the music, he does everything. The producer is mostly the
guy who's putting together that's that's for France. In France,
the director, the producer is managing to put the money
together so the movie can happen. And in France it's
usually not his money, you know, he works with the
I mean, producers don't put their own money in the
movies most of the time, you know, which either in
the US or in France. In France it never happens. Actually,
but because you have a rohole system find the TV.
The big the thing is in France, the television stations
are actually financing the movies. So that's why. That's why
even though there are movies, you always feel like there's
a French there's a TV movie element to a lot
of French films unless they are art house, you know,
but otherwise if they're kind of commercial because they're always
design for.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, right, So I guess there's a pro and
a con to the relationship to the state, right yeah, yeah, yeah,
no exactly, since since the state tends to be kind
of you know, left socialists obviously, do they tend to
also step into the films or do they censor the art?
Are they pretty good being off hands on the art?
Speaker 2: What the biggest issue is that there's self censorship, you know,
So for directors they know that if they want to
make a movie happen, they have to talk, they have
to to turn into a walk world and start start
writing in the in that realm, you know. Other Wise
these movies don't don't get made, you know. The only
the only movies that are not work that get made.
Then they are made outside the system because in the system,
you know, you have to you need to fit into
the exactly the rules. So that's that's the big downside
actually of the French system. You know, all the movies,
they're all like kind of but it's like Hollywood, you know,
it's like a big propaganda machine at some point. So
the system found a way to impose, to impose the
way they want the movies to be. And that's the
same in the US that it is in France. From
with different tools, but the results is the same.
Speaker 1: So you produce a bunch of indirect French films and
then you end up in Los Angeles and then is
it I Am Wrath. That's the first sort of Hollywood
production that you get involved in.
Speaker 2: No. When I first moved to the US was in
two thousand and five. I I got picked up to
do a movie that went very wrong. So it's a
pretty long story, so I don't I don't necessarily want
to get to mention into it. And and also it's
it's a film i'd rather people not see anyway, So okay,
which I mean, my name is technically not in the
credits because I I I actually signed a movie. You
know that name Alan Smithy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, the pseudonym that everybody uses.
Speaker 2: So I actually signed my first movie in the US
with the name Alan Smithy.
Speaker 1: And was that show was that Show Girls?
Speaker 2: I know, I wish I wish it was show Girl?
But so and then and then after that movie, I
was supposed to do another Actually did l A I
Hate You before?
Speaker 1: I am right?
Speaker 2: Oh okay, okay, yeah, so so and I shot another
piece of a movie actually that helped that led to
LA I Hate You so because I moved in two
thousand and five, two thousand and six in the US,
and then I started shooting that other movie that was
called An American Hero that was a I shot pieces
of it that have a few good scenes, and that
was a really really unique concept. I was able to
gather a little money from friends to make this, and
then I was thinking, oh, it's gonna look super cool.
When people are gonna see that, they're gonna pay for
the rest of the movie. But then that did not
happen like that. They say, oh, yeah, we'll pay, but
not for that movie. We'll pay for another one. And
that's how That's how La I H you got made.
Speaker 1: So that was the first sort of that was your baby,
right you came to La. You finally got that made,
and you know, we had to see that. You premiered
that when we were with you in Mississippi at your
film festival there your when you premiered your most recent film,
Vampire Project, and that was really, uh, it was it
was a wild acid trip. I thought that was a
really fascinating way to kind of tie in these different
people's timelines into this sort of culminating you know, sort
of uh, you know, unexplainable phenomena, the sort of the
mysterious that invades this realm out of nowhere. And it's
like you think that initially that's these four people sort
of moral dilemmas that they're caught up in, and then
it kind of goes off into perhaps the demonic, perhaps
something else. I won't give away too much because people
might want to go see it, but talk Let's talk
about some of the influences on LA I Hate You
because did You? Was this partly spawned out of your
immediate dislike for Hollywood in the industry there or being
just based on the title.
Speaker 2: So, so what happened is I was supposed to make
another movie. I mean, it's interesting in Hollywood. A lot
of movies get made because another movie fell apart, So
then that movie gets made. And so what happened is
I was I worked for a little while with a
producer on a project that was a really really cool script.
I didn't write that script. It was called Motel at
the time. That turned into an actual movie letter on
a big movie with Robert de Niro, But I was
supposed to direct that movie. It was written by James Russo,
and that movie ended up falling apart. It was a
billionaire we wanted to finance that movie, and then he
wanted to have Generey Rener to be the lead, and
then he was ready to pay for Jeremy Renner. And
that's the year where Jeremy Rener was nomde it for
an Oscar. So that was probably like two thousand and nine.
I think, and and and we said, it's not gonna happen.
Jeremyha is gonna be nominated for an Oscar. He's not
gonna do a little movie, you know, He's gonna be
on big stuff. And so the billionaire guy decided to
just drop that project. But then the producer who was
friend with the billionaire, said, hey, maybe we can sell
him to do a small movie, you know, like it
gives us, like a a a few thousand bucks. Then
we'll figure something out. And then then that's how that's
how I had to pitch him something like almost instantly.
I remember we were having a drink a bit depressed
that the other movie was not gonna go. And then
and then I pitched him the concept of La I
h You just a bit out of nowhere. And funny enough,
it says at the beginning that it's based on true events,
and it's actually real that that most of the you know,
it's a three story concept, and the three stories a
kind of based on real stuff, and so and and
and it's actually based on the people. We knew this
producer and I we knew the couple, and and his
girlfriend was a handicapped and then and then a friend
of his say, hey, you should get rid of your
girlfriend because she's gonna be a nightmare to deal with
for the rest of your life. And that was I thought, Yeah,
that's a funny story. We should turn that into a movie.
And then I got the idea of the guy who
wants to cheat on his wife and then things go wrong.
And then the third story is also stories we heard
in Hollywood, like hey, and it's funny because it ties
to a lot of that happening in La I Hate You.
Speaker 1: It's kind of.
Speaker 2: Reminiscent of the Epstein uh power.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, yeah, you've got you've got the
sequence where it's tying into these organized crime networks and
there's you know, shut type parties going on, and so yeah,
that's exactly what I was going to say.
Speaker 2: And we and we already had that in there, and
I had no you know, I mean, it was like
in two thousand and nine that we wrote that script.
So and and it's funny that there was already like
the the whole structure of Hollywood, you know, that was
that was in the movie as well. So, and then
we got the idea of these three stories. And then
the the producer wanted me to work with this other
guy who's actually playing the role in the his own
role pretty much of the girl with the girl that's
on the cap, and and he we started to write
that together. I gave him like some some notes he
started to write, and then I wasn't, you know, super happy.
So at the end I ended up, like you know,
real rewriting pretty much everything with him, and and then
we made the movie for almost no money.
Speaker 1: You know, did did it turn out basically fully the
way you and that whether the things that you you
felt like didn't come together or is it pretty much
the way you wanted it?
Speaker 2: Yea, that's a good question. I never really, I never
really see things exactly like that, because I know that
the movie, the final version of the movie is final
when it's done, you know. So I know there are
some director like Hitchcock they say, oh yeah, the old
movies in my head and then you just have to
shoot it and put it together. But it's already made
in my head. No, I don't really work like that.
I like to to to get inspired by the people
I meet and see how things are gonna turn. I
don't have like preconceived because especially when you work on
a low budgets. You know, what's the point of picturing
imagining a movie that you will not be able to
make anyway. So so that's why I work with with
what with what I have. And and in that movie,
I mean, I had la If there, I knew tons
of people, We had access to lots of locations, and
so that's that's the beauty of being in la is
that you have all these locations that are easy on
the low budget. And it was at the beginning of
these new cameras that were at like the Dsler cameras
we shot. I think we were probably the first people
to shoot a movie with the canon seventy at the time,
and so that was that was the freedom. We shot
that movie with two of these seventies or one. I
think we just had one most of the most of
the time, I think.
Speaker 1: And you managed to you managed to get Malcolm McDowell
in there as well, who plays an interesting villainous role.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, we got an amazing cast.
Speaker 1: At the end.
Speaker 2: I'm very I mean tour is to answer your question, Yeah,
I'm very I'm very pleased with the movie for sure.
As I mentioned to you, I think considering the budget,
considering the the way the way it was conceived. Everything
was written very very quickly because it was kind of
a challenge, Hey, we need to get that movie done
quickly if we wanted to happen, and so it was.
It was just a lot of fun. I really enjoyed
the whole process, shooting everywhere on the freedom of these
small cameras, and we were able to get like a
special permit to shoot like with a dsseetter because at
the time, people were not used to seeing people shooting
an actual movie, so so you could have like it's
like a photo shoot pretty much. So we were like
very little equipment, and the actors had fun. And I
think I think the movie on that pretty well considering,
you know, the how it started. And I'm very pleased
with the movie because it's it looks like it looks
like me in some way, you know, like it's you know,
when I talk about my movies, I know they are
not necessarily great, but at least they are unique. You know,
it's not like a copy of thousands of other films
that people have seen way better, you know, five times.
Speaker 1: No, they're definitely they're definitely unique. I mean, you know,
The Aliens was was interesting it's not about aliens for
those that are curious. And then you know, I Hate
La I Hate You was was very unique vampire project,
very unique. What were some of the influences specifically when
you made La I Hate You?
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't really think of that really when
I when I make a movie, I just don't. I mean,
it was probably more visible when I did Leslie the Outcasts.
You know, I can tell all when I did I mean,
there was like clearly influences from the time. You know,
the movie was shot in the late nineties, so it
was a post I would say, it's a post seven movie.
So you know, everybody was trying to do like his
own version of seven in some way because that was
like a movie that was like a landmark and so
I guess. And I was hanging out with a lot
of other French directors that were also all like huge
fans of David of Finisher, and it was very It
was a bit of a group thing. So that's why
that's why the movie is a bit part of a
group thing, like putting rock music in the movie. We
have a rock band. I don't know. I was kind
of part of a group of people and then it
feels like this movie is not it's it's kind of
who I was at the time, I guess, you know,
but I Hate You was is really more even though
it's also an old movie now it was shot in
twenty ten or twenty nine, twenty ten, but it feels
like it's still me. You know, I still see myself
in that movie when I see Outcast. First of all,
I haven't seen it in a long time, but it
felt like I wanted, probably too much to be part
of something that wasn't necessarily me. When la I h you,
I just like emancipated, I thought, Okay, I don't really,
I'm not trying to to do anything else than other
people would do. I just do my own thing. But
of course, I mean I love lots of director, and
I'm sure you can see some David Lynch elements to it.
Some I actually borrowed a couple of things from Gasparoa.
Uh that you know is a is A I like.
I used to know him a long time ago, and
especially I think his first movie is a masterpiece. I
stand Alone and this guy is I think he's very talented.
And that was someone that you know, I bought a
couple of tricks. I would say that I use in
in in l A, I h you so, but not
not really like in fruance. I'm trying to do to
to to metate these guys.
Speaker 1: You know, it's I.
Speaker 2: Did my own thing, and and and also very importantly,
I'm an I'm an editor, So I cut a lot
of movies for other directors, and so you know, when
you cut the movie, that's where you really shape it.
Then that's when a lot of the creativity comes from
the editing. I think. So Robbie works on his own movies,
would I would assume. I don't know if he works
with other editors, but I don't know. He does the
same design of his own used to the sound, but
the sound and I've done that as well. I hate you.
I did pretty much everything like post prodiction in terms
of post production. That's the first movie where I actually
did like one hundred percent of the post prodiction myself
pretty much.
Speaker 1: So then how was that one received at the time?
Did it get play sort of locally around LA it
was an art house film or what? How was the
reception of that?
Speaker 2: Uh? It was? The thing is the producer I was
working with was mostly evolving within a group of of
producers who are mostly involved in B movies I would say,
B B action stuff, And that's kind of the group
I kind of connected with in LA as well. So
that means when you're part of that group, you're gonna
have to to work with the people connected to that
group means the sales company's distribution, et cetera. So which
means that the movie and we had a lot of
we had a bit of a fall out at the
time with the producer. And the producer is actually playing
the red one of the lead roles of the movie
is playing the lead guy of the first story, the
guy who goes to children his wife, and so that's
that guy. We had a bit of afore after the
movie because he was the only producer of the movie,
I mean, financed by that billionaire, but but he was
like the one in charge really and he was able
to call all the shots. And then at some point
we we were actually on the short list to be
in slam Dance, I think, but then they realized that
I made another movie before, so then it couldn't be
in the selection anymore.
Speaker 1: I mean, you mean you had had another film at Sundance.
Speaker 2: No, because my because slam slam Dance.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I thought you said slam Dance.
Speaker 2: You slam Dance, which is an offshoot of of sun
Dance that that you take place at the same same location,
and that's still a very that's still on a real festival.
And they wanted to play l A I Hate You,
but they only play first feature films for directors. I
mean to to summarize is because they're more complicated. But
basically they wanted to play the movie, but then at
the end of the day they could not play it.
So that would have helped a lot. Same thing with
Lessen was in the short film in one of the
competitions in Can. It was in the in the in
the short list in one of the competitions in Can,
but at the critics week but it was not. So
it's almost like I'm sucond but so I didn't get
to the bigger festivals. And then when you don't get
to the bigger festivals, it's kind of it's painful because
after that the movie is val the value of the
movie and the way people regard the movies. Then then
you know there was pretty much nothing. That's the that's
the hardcore reality of the film festivals. Basically, if you're
not in one of the major festivals, then it's kind
of pointless. You know, you can have all the of
the awards you want in all the festivals. If you're
not in one of the happy few festivals that are
extremely political, then then your movies wors nothing pretty.
Speaker 3: Much, which is also true for most of the movies
that are in Sudance by the way, just to be fair,
like most of the movies that are in Sundance, they
are they will never be distributed, they will never be
seen anywhere, or they'll do other festival ones.
Speaker 2: But these movies will make no money. And that's the
harsh reality of independent filmmaking. Most of the of the
films that get made don't make any money at all.
That's just the reality of filmmaking. So it's it's not
a business where you make money. Actually.
Speaker 1: So after this, you is this when you begin to
work on some more of the more commercial action products
like I Am Wrath. How did that come about?
Speaker 2: So? I Am Wrath was kind of a follow up
after I Hate You because I still had some producers
wanted to work with me after LA I Hate you
the movie. So to answer quickly to your question about
the distribution, the movie was distributed pretty much. It was
released pretty much everywhere, but from you know, from like
as a B movie, like with a pretty awful post.
They tried to sell it as a B movie.
Speaker 1: I remember you saying, this was kind of something that
you put a lot of your you know, writing and
your time into and it ended up getting changed into
something that's not really what you wanted. Is that right?
Speaker 2: That's where I am wrath? Yeah, I am Rath. That's
what happened with I Am Wrath. So I had an
idea and because I was busy working on other movies
in post production, because to make a living, you know,
I do post prediction and movies, and so I had
a good concept and I call it a good friend
of mine who was one of the lead actors in
in La I Hate You as well, and I pitched
him the project. I gave him the whole structure and
then and then he loved it and he wrote a
pretty good script out of that, and that script very
we we wanted to make it originally with Michael Bean
because we knew him. And then it was you know,
like someone that we could easily have. And then and
then we pitched it to a few companies and then
they say, oh, Michael Ben, why don't you go with
a bigger name. I mean, because this is a great script,
this is gonna do great and because it was a
great concept originally, better than what it turned out to be.
And uh, and so we we actually and I was
attached to direct the movie originally, and so that's why
I wanted to make it smaller because as soon as
you get bigger names, then that's when let the game begin.
Then and then that's when everybody wants a piece of it.
Speaker 1: And that's where the interesting Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: No, that's where when you get And then they say,
why don't you get Nick age? And then we had
Nick vale Longa producing the movie, so with me directing,
porl Slon writing the script based on on the on
the story I gave him, and then uh, and so
we had a good combo. Nick Valelonga is he won
the Oscar for green Book. You know, he wrote green Book,
he produced green Book, and he's a he's a good
friend and so he was that was way before green
Book though, So we had that project I am os
and then he Nick directed the movie a while ago
with Nick Cage, so he said, and some some salespeople say, he,
why don't you get Nick Age to make the movie?
And then Nicole's Cage and then they say, oh yeah,
So we met with Cage and then he said, yeah,
I wanted and that was that was when Cage had
some money issues at the time, so it was pretty
quick to say oh yeah, I'll do it. But he
loved it. I mean, he said, yeah, the script is awesome,
let's do it. I won't change anything, won't change the line.
And then and then, as you know, as it often happens,
that's when we got the financing pretty quickly. Everything was
ready to go. And then that's when some distributors they
saw the The Juicy thing, and then they started to
want to get rid of the French director. They wanted
the commercial director to do the movie. So they started
to put pressure a Nick to to to change the director.
Speaker 1: And I wasn't.
Speaker 2: I didn't want to, but at some point, you know,
they say, yeah, but if we don't do that, then
there's no movie. Blah blah blah, the whole the whole thing.
And so I said uh, and they said, oh yeah,
you're gonna have a producer credit and you'll be handling
the to be handling editing, et cetera, et cetera. And
then and then it became I mean, I could get
into all the details, but it's gonna be a very
it's it's it's a little long and painful. It's fun though,
but but but to make it short, they said okay,
because they wanted the distributors wanted to bring like a
cheap b big great director, and Cage said no, if
I if I'm gonna make that movie, I want a
big name director. So Cage cold William Friedkin freaking it
said okay, I'll do it. And then that was great.
So then I kind of was happy. You know, I said, Okay,
I'm not directing, but if it's if it's free Kin
is gonna direct it, then I'm fine. I'm fine with it.
So then we moved forward with that. The movie was
actually announced with Freakin directing with knick Age uh the
the Toronto Festival. I think uh and and uh and
I think there's been some some conflict between but because
Frickin wanted to rewrite the script and Cage wanted wanted
to to to change stuff. But then they both didn't agree.
I think so my understanding because at that point I
wasn't too much into all the details. I heard, you know,
from different sources of the people what was going on.
But my understanding is that there was a fallout. They
didn't agree on the direction. So Cage said, Okay, I'm
going to direct the movie. And Cage was wanted to
direct the movie. High up my buddy Paul to to
to rewrite the script or Sloan who who wrote the
original script based on the story I gave him, and
on that movie and Cage, I think in the rewrote
the script which I never read, that was very different
from the original. And uh, and then I think the
distributor said, hey, but that's not the movie we want
to make. It's the night's different. And so everything fell apart,
like it happens all the time in Hollywood. And then
so how did it get to be John Travolta and
not Nicholas. Yeah. Later on Nick hooked up with in You.
I think Nick very longa knew through maybe with Paul
as well. The new Chuck Russell, the director you know,
who was like a big studio director, And Chack said Okay,
I want to do that movie. And then how how
it came to be Travolta, I think, oh yeah, I
think I remember that at that point we talked to
that producer Michael Manderson went up being the final producer
of the movie, and and Michael had wanted to make
a movie with Travalta, and he had all the money
to make offers and and then and then his sense.
But I remember that there's been a pretty major rewrite
in the meantime when Mandelson took over the project, and
he said, oh, yeah, because it's just so, it's just
so John Wick at the time. And then because the
whole story I don't know. I mean you you've seen
probably the movie the way it was released, and and
the character is an average guy. His wife gets killed.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, he's a former agent of some kind.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, But it makes no sense because in the
in the original story, it was more like, uh that wish,
like a normal guy whose his wife is getting killed
and he has to take matter in his own hands
and and on meets kind of meets kind of falling down.
That's kind of how I was pitching it at the time.
You know. So you have the guy who gets into
a revenge spree, but then he gets caught into his
own craziness and and he can't stop. So that was
very different. And then and then when Manderson got involved,
he just saw John Wick and he thought, what if
the guy Remember I always remember that moment, you know,
because what if the guy is uh is an ex
C I A.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, if he was a CIA assassin killer,
wouldn't he have dealt with the thugs right away? Yeah?
Speaker 2: And then the stakes, Yeah, everything falls apart because to me,
it's like, if the guy is an x C I
A and then he breaks the wall to get the gun,
and then how difficult is it going to be for
him to go kill like a junkie? You know, nothing,
nothing makes it makes makes much sense in that in
that new version. But I mean I saw I saw
the movie, and I mean, it's it's a it's kind
of fun, you know, there's some fun stuff. And then
so I ended up with an executive producer credit. I
wasn't it's funny because I met with the director at
some point to potentially be the editor of the movie.
And that was kind of awkward. And that was also
a very very very weird meeting with Chuck Ross all
very funny but I mean nice guy, you know, and
they did their thing and now it's a different movie.
And it felt weird because you know, it's like you
come up with like a baby, you know, and then
it's like, you know it's not even born, that it's
been raised by someone else.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: That's kind of how it felt because I feel I
feel it was a really strong concept originally, which I
won't get into all the details, but it was a really,
really good concept. And I may actually use that concept
again because there's nothing of it that remains really in
the final version of the movie, so they missed there
was a few original elements that kind of disappeared.
Speaker 1: What was your experience of a meeting, I think you
said at dinner with Nick Cage? What what was that like?
How did you what was your sense of him as
a person.
Speaker 2: It was a very very sweet man. I really like,
I really liked him, you know, we had a it
was a bit of a surreal place. We met him
in that resort in the desert hot spring, so it's
a very odd place. I think that's why they shot
the movie The player. It's like this this place where
people get into like a mud mud bath.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've been to Hot Spring since we stayed at
a resort similar to that. I don't know if it
was the same one that was the one that.
Speaker 2: So it was. It was odd, it was funny, it
was a good, good meeting, you know. It was he
was nice, very friendly, I think, I mean, I think
it's a really nice guy. It didn't seem it didn't
seem like the the crazy guy that you would imagine
at first when you see his movies. You know, he's
a very he's actually I think he's a very normal guy. Actually,
I mean normal as normal as it can be when you're.
Speaker 1: In this sure, you know, did you do you think
how would it have turned out if it had been
kind of during if it had turned out when it
was in the nick cage phase.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean the version I had in mind would
have been awesome. Ready, it would have been it would
have been this which meets falling Down. That's a movie.
I would want to see that version that was made.
It's like, yeah, I saw it, you know, but it's
like I don't really I don't really care much about
what's going on in the movie. I don't know what
was experienced watching it. So do you want to what
what did you think of the movie?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I think like you said, and I
kind of picked up on that right away, was you know,
some of the story doesn't make sense given you know
the character's background, so it's sort of like why is
the acting this way at the very beginning. But I
mean I get what you're saying about the concept too.
That and I picked up on Michael Douglas falling down
element maybe maybe a little bit of a Liam Niesen
kind of you know, revenge kind of story or something
like that, or getting mel Gibson payback kind of story.
So I mean, I like those kind of stories. I
thought it wasn't absolutely terrible film, but I can see
it's fun.
Speaker 2: I mean, I kind of enjoy what they did. It's
just different, you know, just something not.
Speaker 1: What you had.
Speaker 2: I would have never I would have never written that script,
you know, but I you know, it's I think I
think I'm ultimately it's it's ironic and it happens a
lot in Hollywood. Is that I got credit like story
buy and and and you know that that was pretty
much nothing from the from that was that was unique.
You know, you just have the ciche that everybody has seen,
but there was some uniqueness to it that that's not
there at all. And I thought that's what I was bringing.
But then but that's fine. I mean, you know, that's
how you would movies get made, and that's that's the
most important part, is that the movies get made, you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, so what about We watched Running with the
Double as well, and that was an interesting film, kind
of an interesting twist at the end. I won't go away,
but you've got sort of a drug heist, organized crime
story here with Nick Cage. You've got Laurence Fishburne. Uh
and and they kind of have this, you know, squaring
off at the end and they're on a mountain. And
I won't go into all that, but I thought I
thought that was it was enjoyable. There were some good,
good aspects of this film as well. And you were
co producer on That's all.
Speaker 2: Right, Yes, so the way it happened is that's that's
another one of these credits that that that doesn't necessarily
reflect the way things happened. I was originally hired by
the same producer as I am Rath actually, which I
mean I say all that I like. I like Michael
is a is an interesting producer, you know, trying to
make unique movies in his own way. So I I
recognized that, and on that movie, I met with the
with the director to originally edit the movie. I was
the editor of the movie. I was hired as the
editor of the movie, and I was also post supervising
on top of that. So that means it was a
little technical because the movie was shot in mostly in Columbia,
actually a new New Mexico and Colombia, and so there
was a lot of coordination to organize everything. And because
I arrived kind of the whole production was already kind
of in place. I mean, they hadn't started shooting yet,
but I I got Yeah, I met with the director.
He got along. Great guy by the way, Jason Cabell.
Great director. Who's who's whose ex Navy seal And that's
also very Hollywood. You know.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, I detected probably he had heard
or experienced some of these kinds of events or something
that probably went into this.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and a lot of the story is actually based
on real stuff that he witnessed as the Navy seal.
So it's all based on on real stuff. And but
he's a he's a force of nature, this director. Because
he was offered many times as well to to not
direct the movie because he wrote the script. But he
had he just had directed like a small, small, super
small indie movie about veterans, so he didn't really have like,
you know, strong credits to do a nick age movie.
And not only knick age, but you have like Lawrence Fishburne.
What's her name, the actress in every single TV series
right now?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know you're talking about her name?
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you have was it Adam Adam Levy? I
think is that his first name? Yeah, you have nationally
you have. I mean, he got like an ensemble cast
that's kind of amazing and uh and he was able
to go convince every single one of them, you know,
and then he was able to stay on board as
the director. But as the editor of the movie, I
had a little I had a more pressure in a
way that I was more of a filmmaker technically than
the than the director. So you know, my goal was
really to to to together all this footage and try
to create this this whole universe out of all these
little vignettes put together, so choosing, you know, the music carefully,
and I also worked on adding some maps to to
explain what's happening, because there's a lot to there's a
lot happening in this movie. But it's a I really
I think it's a I think it's a it's a
great film. And the same thing, the script was more
complex they I cut. So what happened is that I
cut the movie and then at some point I was
hired to work on another movie. And then I had
a hiatus and this other movie, so I had time
to come technically finish Running with the Devil. But the
producer was not happy that I was going to start
another movie, so he decided, with the help of another
guy who probably didn't like me to do so much,
they decided to hire another editor who literally stole my
my credit because I at that point I got like,
you know, a better version of the movie actually, And
then when I left the director, he kind of left
the other editor to kind of take over and reach
op the movie. And I think what happened, and I
think it's a mistake, is that because of the nature
of the movie, the way it follows the cocaine from
the time it's made until it gets in circulation and
it shows.
Speaker 1: How it works, right.
Speaker 2: It's a it's a it's a great film for that,
you know, and to really understand how things work. But
because of the nature of things, you don't have like
one protagonist, you know, and the antagonist you have like
a bunch.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a lot of characters. Yeah, it was. I
can imagine that was difficult to edit together.
Speaker 2: And because of that nature, the movie is kind of
slow paced because there's a lot going on, but every
time you have to re engage within a mini story,
that's gonna take you to the next story. So it
was it felt it felt kind of slow paced, but
there's nothing you can do, you know, as you you
can cut the movie in forty five minutes and then
you're still gonna feel kind of slow, slow ish because
of the way it's built. And so that and the
and they thought, because they felt the movie was probably
too slow, so they decided to chop it, to chop
it to make it shorter. But in the process, I
think they kind of lost a bit of of the
soul of the movie in the way. I think there
is a cut that we had before it was re
re chopped a little bit, you know. I mean they
they didn't change much, but they really shortened some moments.
And I think that you're you're missing a bit more
of the point because you were spending a little more
time with that family, with the kids at the beginning.
How how how the whole the farmer, yeah, the the
farmer on how they how you feel for you? You
need a little more time to feel for all these people.
So everything makes sense at the end of why this
is happening, because everybody is benefiting from it one way
or not, not all for bad reasons, you know.
Speaker 1: Right exactly. I think the complexity is what made it
a little more interesting in terms of the moral issues. Now,
you also worked with Jean Claude van dam So could
you tell us a little bit about that or what
what that experience was like. I think everybody would love
to hear a little bit about whatever you're able to tell.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, Well, I mean Jean Claude is a is
a great guy and we had fun, yeah for a while.
So that was a movie called Kill All almost ten
years ago that it was shot in uh and yeah,
you know it's it's what can I say? I mean,
Jean Claude is very involved in editing. He loves the
editing process of a movie. And then we had a
little bit of a conflict at some point because the
studio Sony, they need a movie delivered and they need
it quickly. And once Jean Claud gets involved in the
whole editing process, you know, I mean, as an editor,
I cut the movie. I don't like to have someone
who tells me, hey, you need to cut here, you
need to do this to do that. So that's why
it's everything with Jank Claud was like, oh, but I
want you to cut here and and go back a
couple of frames, and then that's not the way I
can work. So then we hired another editor to work
with him on specific scenes for the action stuff.
Speaker 1: Mostly what was your role in that was just as
editor or what are he's staying with you for a
little while? I was.
Speaker 2: I was editing, post supervising, you know, being very involved
in the role. And on one more time, it was
once again it was the first time director as well.
So then when it's a first time director, then you
get a little more let's say, the producers are relying
a little more on you to deliver the movie because
the director is his first movie as a director, and
so that means he's going to miss some stuff. And
then technically, as the editor, you know better what needs
to be done. You know, let's put it like that.
And so, I mean, I had fun working on that
movie with the Dior. We got along very well with
the director and he trusted me, and so that makes
it faster. And then Jean Claude did his don't cut
of the movie, and he wanted to he wanted his
son was in the movie, and he wanted his son
to be more in the movie than he was than
the part that he had. So then he decided to
cut to cut a lot of the other scenes out
of the movies so then his son would be a
little more proportionally in the movie. So that's kind of
what happened. Then the movie was too short, so that
was one of the one of the things we had
to deal with. But I mean, it ended up, it
ended up fine, you know, I mean, but the speed
was we had to go quickly to deliver the movie
because Sonny, you know, the studios they have like their slot,
they know the movie has to be released at that date,
and so you need to deliver on That was a
lot of pressure. So the movie was like a little
rushed in the at the end, I think.
Speaker 1: But and then you worked with Robert de Niro and
Morgan Freeman on Comeback Trail? Is that right?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Comeback Trail? So on Morgan Freeman, Yeah, I worked
with on several I worked on four movies with Morgan Freeman.
On the Comeback Trail. I wasn't on set on that one.
I wasn't supposed to be involved in that movie. Originally.
I just did the film The Poison Rows with George Gallo,
the great, great guy, great friend. I love George, and
that movie was kind of intense, and and then he
wanted to do Comback Trail. And for the post production
side of it was big because it there was a
lot of the FX period movie. It was a big movie.
And then the budget they had at the time to
do and they wanted me to to handle that, and
I said, I don't think that's gonna work. And then
I and after a Poison Rose, I kind of needed
a break, so I didn't. I kind of passed on it,
and they made the movie. They made the movie, and
then they went through a lot of budget issues at
the end of the day they they came for. I
think I ended up helping them finalizing the movie, but
it was in the middle of COVID. The finalizing of
the movie was in twenty twenty, and that's when things
became very complicated and the budgets and what happened is
that the distributor because this movie just got officially released,
just like last year. I think in the US it
was released on the foreign mark.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you cut out just for a second your back,
go ahead, So it was released on foreign markets. You said, yeah,
it was.
Speaker 2: It was released in a foreign market. And I helped
them at the time finalizing sounds on mix all of
that to to And actually I did the past of
editing on that version, and I was kind of proud
because I actually, how can I put that nicely? I
kind of de walke the movie that's funny, Yeah, because
because there was a lot of very walk elements in
this movie that I wasn't too crazy about and and
I suggested to the because walk is not funny. I
think it's a comedy, you know, And I think all
these walk stuff, I think it kind of kills the comedy.
And only enough My understanding is that the Nero was
kind of pushing for the same changes as well, and
so so then I did that it will pass removing
like you know, I don't know. At some point, you
have one of the characters that comes out as a
lesbian out of nowhere, like what's going on here? And
there was some other stuff, like several stuff in the
movie like that, and I kind of trimmed and the
movie was a little more concise, and I think it
was I think that version was great, and that that's
the version that was mostly released, I think. But also
and also there's a distributor that was taking over the
movie for the US, but that was kind of a Christian.
That's a funny story actually, but that that's that was
kind of a Christian distributor that raised money from from Christians,
I think. And and and the movie was starting the
with a scene with a fake trailer of a movie
called like Killer Nuns or something something like that, and
it's like a fake parody of nuns and not decapitating
people or left and right. So the movie was starting
like that, and the story was that the character of
the Nero in the movie was was, you know, suffering
from the failure of that movie and then the h
it's kind of a have you seen have you seen
the movie?
Speaker 1: That's the one I've not gotten to yet. It's the
next one I want to watch, but we've seen around.
Speaker 2: It was a fun It's a remake actually of a
small movie from the eighties, and it's a it's a
fun it's a fun movie. I mean, there was a
there was a lot of potential, but you know, maybe
the movie was was made with you know, that's one
of these movies where you have a huge cast that
goes to fortune and then at the end of the
day there's not enough to really make the movie that
you're supposed to make. I think the movie felt maybe
a little bit from that, but I mean there's a
there's a lot of funny stuff in it. It's a yeah,
looking forward to that now.
Speaker 1: Most recently you've done Vampire Project with Kevin Sorbo, and yeah,
you invited us to your to your event. We get
to meet Kevin Sorbo and that was a lot of fun.
And appreciate you putting Ester Hollywood in the background of
the the scene there at the beginning. And I had
a lot of fun with the Vampire project. So this
is another one of your own babies that you gave
birth to. Yeah, tell us a little bit about that
and then we'll talk about where people can watch that,
and then what you have coming next.
Speaker 2: So the so, so we were at the stage where
Hollywood COVID started to hit Hollywood. I got lucky because
there was a lot of work in post production, finishing,
helping people finish their movies, and George was able to
do to sign another movie with Morgan Freeman, Ruby Rose
that that was made like in like one of the
very very very few movies that actually got the green
light to be shot during COVID, before vaccinations and all
of that. That was that was not a lot of fun,
a lot of pressure, and that that movie that was
another Morgan Freeman b movie that you know, I mean,
the movie was has been destroyed by the reviews. And
then after that, my wife and I my wife works
with me. You you met Jane, you know, and we
put together that festival and she worked with me also
producing all of these movies. And then we decided to
leave LA because LA during the time of COVID was
so crazy that it was like unsustainable. So we left
and ended up in Mississippi where we actually worked on
a movie, another movie with Morgan Freeman here. That's kind
of what it took us here. It's kind of by coincidence.
But we like it and we sold. We sold our
house in Los Angeles, had a bit of money, bought
something here, beautiful place in nature like you can see,
and we enjoyed here. And then we said, okay, we
have this project. Because during the early stages of COVID,
a lot of people wanted to make small movies, very contained.
Speaker 1: And then and.
Speaker 2: Then that's what happened. That's how the Vampire project was born.
Like I had this producer I knew who works also
with that same Michael Manderson. We were talking about and
they said, oh, yeah, if you have an idea for
a small movie that could be shot. I was still
in LA who were just in the process of getting
to move but we were still there, and he said, Hey,
if you have a small movie that could be made
for you know, little money under the radar because no
unions because of all the COVID rules, et cetera. You know,
maybe Michael can can finance that. You know, I don't know.
One hundred two hundred thousand dollars or whatever to make
a small movie. And then I just had written like
another movie called Creepy Camper. That's an actual movie that
I wrote. And then Michael says, no, I'm not too
much interested in that one, but come, you know, let's talk.
I have I have some ideas maybe to make a
vampire movie. And then he takes us to visit some
properties of his that he just purchased in the Hollywood area,
like abandoned properties, and it takes us my wife and I.
He said, yeah, bring bring Jane in New Jane, of course.
And he said, yeah, bring Jane. Then let's go see
these houses because they could be a great place to
to shoot home or small horror movies. And so we
go visit the places. It was kind of a bit
of a surreal moment, you know. And then after that
we visit these couple of houses. He said, yeah, if
you have an idea like maybe a vampire movie. And
then I start to think of the of the project
to write based on this houses and trying to to
to come up with an idea. And I had that
idea that it would be funny to shoot the story
of a writer who's meeting with a producer who wants
to make a movie.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it gets super mad.
Speaker 2: Yeah so so yeah, and then and then that's why
I wrote. I wrote the script of Vampire Project, which
is exactly that. So so basically a big chunk of
what's happening in the Vampire Project is actually based on
my experience working with Michael and another guy who works
with him, and how and I had that idea come
out of nowhere. And then I started to write that,
and I wrote the entire script like in just a
few days, actually, like in five days. I wrote the
first draft and it didn't change that much actually, and
then and then I submitted it to them, and that
was odd because that was kind of what we just
you know, went through. But then it was a really
a movie about the conflict between a producer who wants
to make a movie on the on the writer who
wants to make another movie. And and and I actually
kept on nourishing the script with the continuation of the
relationship with the with the with the producer. You haven't
they passed on it. They didn't, they didn't get it
at all. I Mean, it's like, to me, there's a
David Lynchell element to it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a lot of fun I loved I
loved watching and it was funny and it was you
there's some symbolism spiritual warfare going on. So I thought
that was interesting.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there was only so it was also an
opportunity to talk about the COVID and and and how
it was affecting creative creation and how the work mined
as well, you know, like they always want to, you know, producers.
I kind of mixed other experience with other producers, you
know who say, hey, yeah, you need to put like
a transgender in the movie. You need to do this.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, pokespun.
Speaker 2: That the allegory of the vampire started to make complete sense,
you know, like what is the vampire in Hollywood?
Speaker 1: You know how vampires exactly? Hollywood vampires. Now the next project,
and I'll have a link below by the way where
people can watch that online if they want to click
over and check it out. But you have a new
project coming that I have printed out. I can't I
can't say what it is. What can you say about
that anything?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's also that's a that's a that's
a project I really love. It's really like one of
these movies. Also that that's kind of a very original
and yet is very much based on all the gen
genre movies we like, so on this very real role.
It all takes place in all place like where we
are in a church, because in the meantime, you know,
leaving leaving La, which was like leaving the demons of La,
was taking us closer to God. And then I really
felt like and also and also this script is also
like an offshoot of another script that was bigger, that
was supposed to be made, and that almost got made
like ten times, and every time there was something, so
I wrote like a different version and a different version
of a different version, and that ended up being that
that new script that's called All Sceners, that's part of
over two movies. Now All Sceners go to Hell, and
it's a it's a conceptual movie. The diptych, I could
call it, you know, because you have two there's two
pieces of the same movie because it's used to be
one movie and that had to split into two movies.
But I think the new version is great, especially the first.
The first one takes place in it's it's kind of
a hostage situation in the church. It's kind of a fun,
fun I would say there's some Coin Brothers a little
bit like Fargo.
Speaker 1: Esque small vibe for sure, but with also.
Speaker 2: Like a little more action driven with some guy richie elements,
which is also always fun. So it's definitely a fun movie.
That's that's very mainstream. And yet there's always you know,
it's always complicated to to and it's it's the beauty
of it is that it's a pretty simple movie to make.
So that's why that's why now we're we're aiming at
making it like small and and and the more I
think about it, the more I'm trying to stay away
from the whole Hollywood system, which I mean I know
that system very well, especially the independent side of it,
where you know the final how the financing works, and
and this, I think this is getting more and more
and more difficult using the you know, like in the
B action genre, getting the names. All these names are
getting too old now to be in action movies, you know,
like you're talking about Van Dam Dolph Gren. I mean,
I worked with Longgren, with Steven Siegall with on movies
with these guys, but now it's getting they're all too old.
Like the expandables now you know, they are, so so
there's no one else now that has a name that's
big enough. So so we have another movie, another project
with Scott Adkins for example, that's more on the mainstream
side of it. But to me, the passion is really
to make relevant movies that that are meaningful, that talk
to people, that that makes them want to see it
several times, that makes them cherish the movies, you know,
like and and and it's becoming rare because most of
the movies that have the budget to try to make
something well crafted nowadays, they're all very super woke and
it and it, and then you see through that and
then you start watching the movie like, Okay, it's another
one of those and it's a little depressing. So that
that's what that's why we decided to create that banner
Films against the Machines, and the experience of the Vampire
project was to actually we said, okay, well we're gonna
find we're gonna do everything on this movie, from from
writing to to finishing to distribution, because I think the
model of this distribution for independent movies is becoming really
rotten because you either do like pretty much like a
shidy B movie with an old guy who doesn't want
to be there anymore, and an audience that you know,
that's getting tired of that too, So you need to
make these movies overpay actors, and so there's no money
to make the movie, and you end up making like
a remake or a reboot of die Hard with with
one million bucks. So it's gonna be either that independent
movies or the afth house stuff like eight twenty four
and all of that. But that's that's for the happy
few who are willing to push the propaganda and all
of that, and in the in between, there's almost no
room to make your own movies. So that's why we
decided to create our own platform and say, okay, Vampire Projects,
we have the whole film is there now, and then
we have we're bringing another catalog because we're not the
only ones in that situation, so we're bringing other people, like,
you know, we're partnering with this French guy who's very funny,
who made like several feature films that are also like
very anti walk and very very relevant movies, and so
we're gonna put these movies there. We're gonna put movies
that are more health conscious as well. Some with religious content.
Like we have a beautiful movie coming out soon called Eternity. Eternity.
It's a beautiful movie made by Christians, but not only
for Christians, because that's that's also another thing about Christian
movies that are generally just made for Christians, which is
kind of pointless in some way. So this is a
beautiful movie. So we're already trying to do something to
to bring something different and on all sceners. It's also
like a great entertaining movie with great Christian values in it.
Speaker 1: And yeah, excellent, I'm looking forward to to it. There
might be a small role for myself, you might.
Speaker 2: See me and then when we met and uh, And
that's funny how it all came together because in the
Vampire Project, if you look carefully on the on the
nightstand of the of the the protagonists in because we're
thinking of what would he read, what would be and
then and then of course start with the the Bible,
and then you build on that with lots of different people.
And and and my brilliant wife, you know she because
she she's she suggested actually to to to put your
book in the in the and I read it. I said,
of course, it makes total sense that it should be there,
and so that's why esotoric Hollywood is on exottery. Hoallywood
is a must read. I think everyone everybody should read.
And we got tons of tons of copies as you
know that we're we That was everybody of our friends.
Christmas was one of the I appreciate that. Well.
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to also w Lucers.
Speaker 2: So now you're now knowing that that you're also an
actor on train and everything, and I'm really looking forward
to to working with you for sure. That's because that's
how most of the movies I made. It's it's always
like that, you meet people and then you say, okay
that that's that's cool. Let's make a movie together. You know.
That's that's it's it's not just the one guy making
a movie. It's it's it's an ensemble. It's it's meeting
people know what the movie is gonna be. You know,
it's when the movie is finished that that you know
what it is.
Speaker 1: Excellent, Well, thank you so much, Yvonne. Great discussion of
the arts, especially the art of filmmaking. This is probably
the most unique medium or form of art out there.
So I really appreciate all of your insights and your story,
glad that you are out there doing what you're doing,
kind of being against the woke side of all this.
So I'll have all the links below and anything else
that you want to plug or remind us of or
call our attention to, maybe something that we didn't mention
in your catalog.
Speaker 2: Now, I mean, if I mean it's also cool. I
think I'm taking another just another second. I'm sorry, I've
been I talk a lot. I know, you know, first
I love I love, I love what I do, and
but you know, there are there are a lot of
people out there who want to make movies and who
have something to some things to tell, and and my
wife and I we have that really an expertise on
the entire business in the US mostly but also we know,
you know Europe of course, but mostly the US. Independent
we know, we really understand how it works and we
can maybe help people because it's time to give back
as well, and it's it's good to help people who
would want to make movies who are kind of like minded.
And these people they must be really really lost right
now because the industry is changing that crazy. And if
we could become that anchor in that system that people
can rely on and say, hey, maybe we can we
can start something because we know, we understand, we've been
through everything, you know, in I mean everything, not everything,
of course, because that's there's so much better, but there's
if we can help people who are really really interested,
you know, and and we can really we can really
help and and potentially work with people who have ideas
or who have made movies that are made but they
don't know what to do with it because and then
maybe the platform can help with that. That's why we
put together that festival to also bring people from other
countries that we have the same limitations because the general uh,
the entire industry is ultra left and and uh and
and we need to to.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well we need people that are making art that's
not ultra left. That's a key point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think it's super important that people
can express themselves and now in the way the way
it is, there's no way, there's no way. There are
things you cannot tell. And that's what we try to
do with a Vampire Project. It's a movie about that. Actually,
it's a movie about how can you manage to tell
your stories? You know? In that in that context, so awesome.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so people people can reach out to you also
if they're interested and you know who want to make
films and so forth that aren't you know establishment.
Speaker 2: Yeah, through Films Against the Machines dot com. They can
send the you know.
Speaker 1: All that link. I'll have all that linked below.
Speaker 2: Yes, thank you, thank you so much that absolutely, Van.
Speaker 1: Was a great conversation. Thank you so much for coming
on and inviting us to your film festival. We had
a lot of fun down there, and.
Speaker 2: We'll have the festival again where we're working on securing
dates and the movie theater for this six so you're
you'll have to come again.
Speaker 1: Absolutely be honored to And I forgot to give a
talk there too. I don't remember that, but that was
an awesome Yeah you gave Yeah, you invited me to
give a talk. We had a good time there and
talking to Kevin Sorbo too, So thank you guys. If
you're in the chat, be sure and leave some comments below.
Be sure to like, share, subscribe and check out Yvonne's film,
especially Vampire Project. And I will see you next time.