Pulp Features

Those familiar with Mark Baranowski tend to call him a “Jack of all Trades,” or an “all-purpose artiste,” and with good reason. He’s been a sketch artist and musician for over a decade, an author-screenwriter for nearly four years, and since September of 2001, he’s produced, directed and acted in four independent films (with more in the works).

The first, a short entitled Despair, was completed in exactly two weeks, during September 2001. It depicts a married couple’s final hours, before each commits suicide. Starring Mark’s wife, rising model-actress Ryli Morgan, and Mark himself, its dark subject matter was inspired partly by the tragedy of September 11th. The second, Runaway Terror, began production at the start of May 2002, and made its video premiere on June 14th. This one focuses on a shady producer who begins losing his actresses to a knife-wielding, masked killer. Mark states, “It’s my impatience that makes me so efficient… I can’t wait to finish one project, so I can jump right into another.”

So without further ado, here’s what he had to say to Dale Pierce

Dale First off, you might give people a little background information on who you are and your life in film.

Mark I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and have always had an obsession with the world of entertainment; art, literature, movies, music, etc… I’ve loved to draw ever since I was a child, and as a teenager, I began making my own music—rap, at that time, but then progressing into other forms. I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1996, started writing screenplays in 1999, and finally made my first film, Despair, in September 2001. As of February 2004, I’ve completed a total of five.

Dale What attracted you to the film world anyway?

Mark As a child, it was an enticing escape from my real-life situation; I was a product of divorced parents, lacking friends and spending most of my time with grandparents. Films nurtured my imagination and later inspired me to try my hand at writing my own. While still a screenwriter trying to get my work optioned, many people recommended that I become a producer and shoot the scripts myself. I didn’t heed their advice initially, but after two years and still no script sales, I finally became frustrated and desperate enough to go for it.

Dale Did you study film any place or did you just learn on your own by trial and error?

Mark No, I’ve never studied film, which is why I first ignored everyone’s advice to make my own. I’ve never had any formal training in art either, though, and I’ve been extremely successful in that field. I hoped for the same result in this one. To be honest, I believe trial and error is a much more effective teaching tool than a classroom anyway, and there’s no guarantee that my films would be any better had I taken a course.

Dale When did you form On Mark Productions?

Mark Shortly after releasing Despair. Up to that point, I had only my record label, Nickel City Records. It was time to create a separate entity with which I could promote not only my music, but my artwork, books and now films.

Dale You derived the name for the studios from your first name then?

Mark That’s right. Actually, my partner in forming Nickel City suggested the name years earlier, when my music first began circulating. Once we started collaborating, however, it was only fair that we come up with something else. Now that I’ve gotten away from the music business and our partnership has ended, it’s a perfect time to make use of the name again.

Dale Let’s talk a little about the plot and making of these films. Let’s start with Despair.

Mark A 35-minute short, Despair was completed in exactly two weeks. Called “erotic in a morbid sort of way” by film critic Joe Bob Briggs, it depicts the final hours of a young married couple before both commit suicide. Along with acting in it, I also wrote the script, shot the film (in my studio apartment, using a VHS-C camera), edited it and scored it. Since I’m both a perfectionist and extremely impatient when it comes to others handling a task for me, it was only natural that I take on so many duties myself. I quite enjoyed it, actually, and have continued to do so with each of my subsequent projects, along with packaging and marketing the films upon their completion.

Dale Okay, what about Audition?

Mark Everette (Razor, Vampire Call Girls) Hartsoe directed this one, which was simply test footage of my wife, Ryli Morgan. He’d intended on casting her in a future project of his, before she realized he’s probably the last person in the industry she should ever work with (don’t get me started on his track record). I produced, edited and scored the film, which is basically a 20-minute strip tease video. Ryli would rather forget about Audition, but I think it turned out quite well for what it is.

Dale Runaway Terror?

Mark My first feature, Runaway Terror came from an earlier script I’d written for another production company. It was an erotic thriller, which I rewrote after that company went under. I toned down the erotic elements of the story and turned it into more of a slasher film. It involves a shady producer whose new film, Runaway Terror, is plagued with problems when his lead actresses begin turning up dead. Initially edited using two VCRs, the original version was a bit sloppy and released in black-and-white with a running time of 72 minutes. Once I’d upgraded my computer and acquired some decent editing software, I re-cut the film down to 66 minutes, re-scored it and re-released it in color. All things considered, it came out better than it could have, but I’m a bit disappointed with this film.

Dale Expendable?

Mark My first digital production (using miniDV), Expendable tells the story of a drug dealer whose just left the business and pays a visit to his ex-wife, unaware that she’s now a bisexual vampire. It has a strange running time (56 minutes)—too long to be a “short”, and too short to be considered a feature—but has proven to be my best-selling film to date. Brinke Stevens makes a steamy cameo, although we didn’t actually work together. Due to our meager budget, she agreed to have her own cameraman shoot her scenes, precisely how they were written in my script, at her California home rather than here in North Carolina. She then mailed me her footage, which I simply edited along with my own. Everything turned out great, and Brinke tells me she now can’t wait to have me direct her personally. Needless to say, neither can I!

Dale Sin by Murder?

Mark My latest release, I made this one for Sterling/Vista Street Entertainment, who’d already picked up both Runaway Terror and Expendable for distribution. An erotic thriller, it’s about a corporate lawyer who’s accused of murdering his wife on the night of their tenth anniversary. As he attempts to clear his name, he discovers that the people closest to him are the last ones he can trust. David Sterling sent me the script from California, which I rewrote much of, and both he and I produced the film. I shot it from early December 2003 to mid-January ’04, which wasn’t easy considering the holidays fell right in between. I needed more locations and a larger cast than what I’d used for my other films, so scheduling was a greater problem this time. Once I’d finally wrapped production, I immediately began editing the film and had it completed within a week.

Dale Any others I am missing?

Mark In between Runaway Terror and Expendable, I began working on a film called The Zombie Room, which stemmed from an idea that Ryli came up with, about a young man who suffers from amnesia during the daylight hours and becomes a zombie-like killer upon nightfall. I wrote 45 pages of the script and shot nearly three hours of footage, but this was a weekend project that none of my cast seemed to take very seriously. Production took place in late-Winter 2003, when North Carolina was being hit with one rainy weekend after another. By the time a pleasant one finally arrived, not only had the cast lost interest in the project, so had I. I’d like to return to it eventually, but in the meantime, I plan to somehow incorporate the existing footage with a different film.

Dale Do you have a personal favorite out of these?

Mark I’m most proud of Sin by Murder. I had more resources at my disposal, great locations and a very talented cast, along with a fantastic soundtrack. This one turned out exactly as I’d hoped it would, and if there’s one film of mine that I’d most recommend for people to check out, it’s this one.

Dale On the other hand, are than any you dislike or wish you had done differently?

Mark Again, Runaway Terror is my greatest disappointment. Looking back on it, I should have waited until I had the proper budget and resources instead of again relying on a VHS-C camera. The quality of both the black-and-white and color versions of the film leave much to be desired, as far as I’m concerned. At least the current (color) version has a more effective soundtrack.

Dale You use Ryli Morgan in most of your films. I thought it odd then realized you were married. Were you together all along or did you meet during filming something?

Mark Ryli and I were married in September 2000, so we were together all along. She’d always wanted to be a model and/or actress, and had already begun modeling professionally earlier that year. I thought it only natural that she should star in my films, as well.

Dale How would you describe Ryli Morgan?

Mark Incredibly lovely and talented, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my wife! She’s also very versatile, in both appearance and performance. She can easily fall into any role that’s presented to her. She’s ambitious, and willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to achieve her goals. I consider this a greatly admirable trait, not just in her, but in anyone.

Dale Do you see her as a big scream queen in the future?

Mark Personally, I think the term “scream queen” should be retired. I believe it belongs only to the true “queens” of the genre; Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer. In any case, I’d love to see Ryli achieve such status, but ask certain people and they’ll insist she already has. She’s never actually screamed in any of her films, so I don’t think it would be fair to give her the title. I’m not even sure if she’s interested in it, since she’s hoping to act in other genres, as well.

Dale Does working with your wife hamper filming or cause problems on the set? I keep thinking of other husband/wife teams like Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi and some of the problems their relationship is said to have caused on set?

Mark It does tend to slow things down, yes. Not so much in front of other actors, but I’ve often lost patience with her when she didn’t immediately understand what I expected from her in a certain scene. During a few of our ensuing verbal battles, I’ve even gone so far as to insist that I’ll no longer work with her, but by now she knows I don’t really mean it.

Dale I believe on your site or in some review, someplace, it was noted you place a fairly large emphasis on the musical scores in your films, where many indy producers do not, just due to budget restraints. Where did you find the musicians for your soundtracks in these films or did they come to you?

Mark Having made music for so many years, I’ve scored most of my films myself in order to cut production costs. At the same time, many bands worldwide have located me online and offered their music for no cost. For some reason, most of the material has been hard rock or punk. Since I’ve never understood (or agreed with) the “hard rock/horror connection”, I’ve chosen to pass over such material. For Runaway Terror, I contacted one of my favorite techno/gothic bands, DUBOK, and got their permission to use a few tracks from their latest CD, Technicolor, in exchange for nothing more than proper credit and a few copies of the completed film. For Sin by Murder, I contacted Australian musician Ollie Olsen, whose work I’ve greatly enjoyed since the late-80’s, when he formed the band MAX Q with the late, great Michael Hutchence (of INXS). It came as quite a pleasant surprise when he not only allowed me to use his music in the film, he offered it at no cost! I place such a large emphasis on the music in my films because of a strong influence by the works of Michael Mann, especially Miami Vice and HEAT.

Dale On this line, are there any horror film composers you really admire?

Mark In general, I prefer to listen to electronic, synthesized music, which I believe is the perfect accompaniment to a horror film. My favorite composers, therefore, are John Carpenter and Claudio Simonetti. Their scores are just as effective on CD as they are in the films they’re used.

Dale What about directors?

Mark Again, I admire just about every film John Carpenter has made. The same goes for Michele Soavi. My favorite director, though, would have to be Dario Argento. His incredible use of lighting, sound, and visuals is unsurpassed by any other director whose work I’ve seen.

Dale Do you have future projects in the making or plans for something big down the road?

Mark Actually, I’ve stepped away from filmmaking for the time being, in order to return to book writing. I’ve just begun a novel that’s something of a mix between Lucio Fulci’s New York Ripper and Michele Soavi’s Stage Fright. I hope to return to films eventually, but it really depends on how well this book does.

Dale What in your opinion is the biggest problem indy film makers face in America?

Mark Jaded American viewers with minimal attention spans. There was a time when independent filmmakers could get away with only an inventive storyline and minimal special effects to make a good film. Nowadays, audiences seem to be more concerned with flashy CGI enhancements and an overdose of action and mayhem. Without these elements, an otherwise effective and intelligent film tends to be overlooked or poorly reviewed. Thus, filmmakers feel they need to “dumb down” their films and release one timewaster after another… Pity.

Dale Do you think the Internet and DVDs will help push indy films into the limelight?

Mark Absolutely, though it may take awhile. Very few independent films are acquiring major distribution, and those that do seem to be poorly promoted. Until these titles show up on store shelves and in front of the general public, it’ll be up to the true genre fan to seek them out and create the proper buzz. These are the people I believe the Internet is geared towards, in regards to creating a market for low-budget indy films.

Dale Any behind the scenes horror stories or mishaps during your career that you would like to talk about? I am sure it isn’t always smooth sailing on a set.

Mark Let’s see… We had some location problems on Runaway Terror, when a Southern Baptist building owner decided at the last minute that he didn’t want to contribute to a project that wasn’t “for the glory of God”. He assumed the film would be another along the lines of Despair and wouldn’t allow us back on his property after paying a visit to my website the day before we were scheduled to shoot. Fortunately, we were able to find a replacement in a hurry, and managed to remain on schedule. I also made the mistake of casting friends on this project, who consistently showed up late to the set. Needless to say, our friendship was never the same once production wrapped…

Another big problem was shooting outdoors. On each of my films, starting with Runaway Terror, we were plagued with background noises that held up production for hours during any given day. Trains, planes, dogs, cars, lawnmowers, wood chippers… you name it, we heard it.

On Expendable, we managed to get run off by mall security, the Homeowners Association and the police — all in one day! We needed to shoot a certain scene atop a parking deck at a local mall, so we waited until it closed on a Sunday night before heading over there. Minutes after we’d parked our vehicle and began shooting, a security guard pulled up to us and claimed we weren’t allowed to be up there. Fortunately, it was a short scene and we were able to get it shot and disappear before he returned. From there, we headed to the cemetery I’d written into the script, where the original ending was to take place. For the first time ever, its gates were locked early and we were desperate to find a suitable replacement in a hurry. Although it was private property, we chose the park located directly across the street, expecting to get the scene over with quickly and get out of there. It wasn’t quick enough, apparently… Just as we were setting up for the final shot, a member of the H.A. pulled into the parking lot and without hesitation, threatened to call the police if we didn’t leave immediately. Before heading home in defeat, we stopped at a church located around the corner from our house. I thought it might have been possible to shoot the remainder of footage there, until I spotted the police car slowly approaching. Although the officer was friendly enough, it was clear that there’d be no more outdoor shooting done that day. Ah, the joys of guerilla filmmaking…

Dale Where do you find the sets for your films, by the way? Do you try to use private homes and such to save on the budget and avoid permits and the like?

Mark We’ve used our own house for every film up to Sin by Murder (we’d already shot in every room, by that point), and our parents’. For office scenes and the like, we’ve been fortunate enough to get permission by our “day job” employers to use their building. I’ve also used the homes of a few friends and cast members.

Dale What about casting? Your wife is an obvious choice, but where do you find the other actors and actresses?

Mark For the most part, Ryli is in charge of casting, and relies mostly on Internet message boards and local casting sites to get the word out. We’ve received dozens of headshots and resumes using this method alone, and the calls and emails still come in even when we have nothing in the works.

Dale What about scripts? Do you prefer these to be in-house or do you look at outside sources for material?

Mark I usually prefer to shoot from my own scripts, but I’m not opposed to reading others’ work. As with scoring a film, though, I’m fortunate enough to be able to write my own material… so why pay someone else to do it for me?

Dale Are you planning to attend any upcoming horror film festivals or such?

Mark Ryli and I will be attending the Frightvision convention in Cleveland, Ohio on April 2-4, then ConCarolinas 2004 here in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 4-6. So far, that’s it for this year…

Dale Closing comments?

Mark I’d like to thank everyone who’s helped both Ryli and I along the way, including those who’ve bought our films and supported us. Without them, there’d be no reason to continue. The opportunity to do something I love has been a blessing, and I’m thrilled to have created something for people to remember me by when I’m gone.

With a great face, great figure and flaming red hair, Zoe Hunter Lee carries a striking resemblance to 1980s Spanish scream queen, Diana Conca. With an independent career that is steadily growing, she is
starting to gain an impressive fan following of her own.

Operating from her home base in New York City, she is involved with film, television, voice over and other activities within the
entertainment industry. If she keeps on, she will certainly hit it big sooner or later.

Born Zoe Elyse Huntzinger in Poughkeepsie, New York, she proved to be an exceptionally intelligent child. Placed in advanced
classes, she also studied the arts in high school and had hopes for making it in the entertainment industry early on. Having already studied ballet and drama, she later attended Vassar College, for a theatre/film program, then SUNY in Fredonia, New York. There she studied for a career in the music theatre, although acting remained her goal. One year after graduation, she moved to Hoboken and started her acting career.

It was during one of these early acting roles, at the New York Renaissance Faire in Sterling Forest, where she would meet her future husband, Duncan, hence the name change from Zoe Hunter, a condensed version of her real name, to Zoe Hunter-Lee.

Hunter’s roles in television and independent film have been numerous. She played Sleeping Beauty in A Walk in the Woods, a super heroine in Avenging Angel, a bartender in Picture This, various roles in Pop Up Video, including that of a Madonna-look-alike, and a witch in Afloat. She has also made numerous uncredited appearances as an extra on television and the big screen. But now she is focussing on finding larger roles in independent films.

One of her most recent appearances has been a lead role in an ultra-uncanny indy production directed, written and produced by Tony Urban out of New York. The film, Klowns, has already received a lot of feedback on the net. Too bizarre for words? Maybe.

On the other hand, the project may be the film that finally pushes Zoe into the independent limelight. Part horror and part comedy (with a title like Klownz, how could it be anything but that?), the film also features a cast of indy regulars, including Samantha Diane, Nathan Faudree, Dana Leuth, Nicole McFarlane, and Amanda Rising.

While horror is just one of the immediate vehicles Zoe has launched herself into, with negotiations in the works for future roles
in the genre – and two more films, Kottentail and A Pound of Flesh, due to be released in 2004 - she has also done other things in recent months. She has found extra work doing both modelling and voiceovers. You can see or hear her in commercials for Mercedes-Benz Industrial, The Park central Hotel and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers.

Her resume carries a list of impressive skills. As a dancer she can cite skills in tap, jazz, ballet, yoga and even some hip-hop.
Other skills and interests include yoga, swimming (she was a former lifeguard), nightclub singing, dialect impressions (notably British, Irish, California Valley girl and Yiddish), and jet skiing.

Along with the husband she lives with, she has two Chihuahua dogs.

With the Klowns under her belt, she might well have found her best bet, as a mainstay in horror, if not as an outright
scream queen. This genre of film has a massive fan following and the more attention she makes here, the better off she might find herself.

While it is still too early to make too many predictions, Zoe Hunter Lee is going to be someone to keep an eye on.

Independent cinema seems to be gaining in popularity at the moment. Not only because of surprise hits such as Donny Darko and The Blair Witch Project but also with the rise of digital filmmaking and DVD, enabling ever more independent filmmakers to bring their visions to a geographically diverse public. At the same time, there have been a host of scream queens making the rounds, appearing at conventions, in films, and on the web. One of these independent scream queens is Amy Lynn Best.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Best has spent several years in indie films, learning the ropes from the ground up on the short
haunted house film, Tenants. She has since gone on to become both a director and very popular actress in many low budget horror films and has recently completed a screenplay, Envious Moon.

Aside from her work in film, Best is a trained dancer, an avid kickboxer and also a horsewoman, a master rider.

More recently she has been involved with the filming of The Resurrection Game - both as an actress, co-producer - along with long time associate, Mike Watt. The Resurrection Game is Best and Watt’s contribution to the zombie genre and blends a load of dark comedy with political commentary and outright horror.

In a recent interview for Hacker Source magazine, Best said of the film: “One theme of the movie is how big corporations can
manipulate society and get away with pretty much whatever they want. We have seen somewhat of a breakdown of this in the past couple of years, but it’s still there. There are too many big businesses out there who think that they are omnipotent-hence the God/Corp name (in the film). There are a few organized religions that seem to feel that way too. They can do anything they want because it’s in your best interest! Most people have gotten that out of the film. It’s pretty in your face.”

As well as appealing to the horror buffs and zombie lovers out there, The Resurrection Game also draws its audience from Best’s (rapidly growing) legion of fans, and possibly an even wider audience - the growing army of Americans who have become disillusioned with corporate America during the past decade, the increasingly vocal religious right and the antics of the
Bush administration. Time will tell.

As Sister Mary Bliss in this film, Best once again portrays a strong woman, staying true to her repeatedly stated a dislike for
‘weak” or traditional female roles as found in many horror – and especially slasher - films.

“Mike wrote the role of Sister Bliss for me. He knows I don’t like weak, stupid women’s roles and Sister Bliss is far from that. I really enjoyed playing her. She had her issues, but no one was going to get in her way. And she got to wear black leather and drive a motorcycle.”

As well as being a regular on the horror convention circuit - making appearances at various shows throughout the Midwest, including Frightvision, Chiller Theatre and the Pittsburgh Comicon, Best is also a co-founder of Happy Cloud Pictures who describe themselves as “decent, hard-working people, who just want to make movies.”

Happy Cloud’s second film Were-Grrl tells the story of a young woman who falls under an ancient Gypsy curse and is forced to spend each full moon as a lesbian and marks directorial debut of Amy Lynn Best

And if all that wasn’t enough, Best is also one of the people behind the website and magazine, Hollywood is Burning and moderates a forum where her fans can connect and keep informed.