Pulp Features

Last Exit, is a darkly humorous portrayal of a weak-willed and self-centred man falling apart in Copenhagen’s underworld. Well scripted, solidly acted and with an atmosphere that draws you in right from the start, this is a film that is well worth getting hold of.

And, with a Region 1 DVD release from Heretic Films now available, director David Noel Bourke kindly agreed to discuss the film, the characters and the future.

Paul: In a nutshell, how would you describe Last Exit?
David: You could say it’s a surreal journey through Copenhagen fuelled by sex, drugs, violence and philosophy!

Paul: Which films inspired you to start making films, and which films inspired you to make this one?
David: The obvious ones, going back were the big popular ones like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark that I saw when I was a teenager but before that, my father was a Clint Eastwood fan and loved crime thrillers, so he would watch all the Dirty Harrys, French Connections etc, all the gritty films from the seventies he liked - so I would end up just watching them too - when I could.

The inspiration for Last Exit itself was born from my diet of b-movies and cult films that I absorbed over the last 15- 20 years, overall I was very much inspired by the likes of Waking Life, Naked, Evil Dead, Bad Lieutenant, Pi, Natural Born Killers, Scarface, Reservoir Dogs, Tetsuo, Eraserhead and really countless other movies – I’m a movie geek admittedly and influenced by many – but when you’re a filmmaker you try to make your material develop into your own individual style too.

Paul: Last Exit was shot in Copenhagen. How easy did you find filming in the city – especially around red light district – and how long did it take?
David: We shot the whole movie in two weeks, and the days were very short, around 8 hours so we could cut back on catering costs – we were that low in funds.

Shooting outside was very nervous, most of the time we hadn’t official permission or anything. For example, the final scene in the shopping mall, we just shot without official permission, we shot it in 3 hours before we were told to pack up and leave. The red-light district scenes were shot in around 3 nights, we were always looking over out shoulders all he time, as there was some very dodgy people floating around in some areas had a large propensity for violence, but overall it went pretty smoothly considering everything.

Paul: What sort of problems did you encounter during shooting - and which one gave you your biggest headaches?
David: Usually technical issues were the worst. Mainly lots of small issues. We only had one portable microphone, that our lead actor sat on and broke in two days just two days into production…so for the whole shoot we had to do with a taped together flimsy microphone - it worked just about! We also had a wide angle lens on our camera so it was a magnet to dust every time we filmed outside, a lot of the shots we done were unusable, when checked the footage back at the office. When you’re shooting outside you have also the major problem of noise, passers-by and not to mention cast and crew freezing to death – it was mid winter November during the shoot and temperature fell to below zero, one of our actors couldn’t open his mouth when his line was queued because he said his lips were so numb!

Paul: When I first saw the film I was living in Amsterdam, and the character of Nigel reminded me quite strongly of several of the characters that I’d encountered there. Was Nigel based on a real person – or people – or is he complete fiction?
David: You know, when I wrote Last Exit, Nigel was more or less fiction, when Morten Vogelius came on board, we fleshed out his character a little more, talking about some folks we know. We visited some rough areas and studied a few characters , a lot of guys like Nigel around, struggling to make a living and seeing crime as there only refuge, its quite sad really, so we tried to tap into that.

Paul: Jimmy is an interesting character. I’ve never been quite able to decide whether he should be treated as a real person or as a representation of Nigel’s conscience. How do you see him?
David: I think it would spoil the mystery, if I told you and would rather let an audience decide who Jimmy is, but I can say there is hints in his dialogue (needs careful listening) especially in the final Jimmy segment - you will notice Nigel “looking” for redemption from Jimmy, I won’t say any more!

Paul: You managed to assemble a very strong cast for Last Exit. How did you find the actors and actresses involved, and do you have any plans to work with them again?
David: Basically published some ads in a local newspaper and also used a few websites and worked the phones telling actors about the project. There are a lot of professional actors in Copenhagen from around Europe so it’s a great place to cast a European project. We got a reasonable response, considering our budget and the subject matter of the film. Of all the actors that were in Last Exit, Peter Ottesen (the President) may come back for No Right Turn as a sort of cameo, but of course if the actors suit a particular role, I would love to work with them again at some stage.

Paul: Are there any actors – or other film professionals – that you would like to work with in the future?
David: There is so many cool actors out there, it’s every filmmakers dream to work with likes of Al Pacino, Harvey Keital, Sean Penn, Robert Rodriguez, Linklater etc - they are many filmmakers I admire and of course it would be fun to do something with them if I was lucky to get the opportunity.

Paul: Last Exit was re-edited and rescored for its Region 1 DVD release. How do you feel that this version compares to the original?
David: I like both, my distributor (Heretic Films) have promised a release a directors cut at some stage with original music intact but the Region 1 cut is cool by me. Maybe actually some of the music actually works better in the re-scored version to be honest, as Gry Bay got to sing on more tracks which gives more of a unified feel throughout the picture.

Paul: Do you have any plans for your next film?
David: I’m in pre-production of my next film No Right Turn and will be shooting at the end of January, if all goes well! Really looking forward to it, we got a superb bunch of actors and a fantastic crew. It will be very stylish and colourful in production design and the characters are very interesting, so it will be different than Last Exit in many ways but it will have dark themes too and a lot more direct humour.

Briefly it’s a story of one girls plan to kill off her pimp boyfriend and run off to pursue her life long dream, of course it doesn’t go according to plan with many twists and consequences for all the characters, its going be a blast!

In William Winckler’s Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove, Larry Butler plays Dr. Monroe Lazaroff, an obsessive scientist who becomes increasingly deraged as the film progresses. Both the character and the actor are fantastic, and without them, the film wouldn’t be what it is.

The film is available on DVD and, here, Larry has kindly agreed to discuss the film, his role and the perils of going mad for a living.

Paul: In a nutshell, how would you describe William Winckler’s Frankenstein vs. The Creature From Blood Cove and what is your role in the film?
Larry: “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove” is reminiscent of the classic horror films that enthralled audiences throughout the first two-thirds of the 20th Century. It’s a type of production rarely seen nowadays that, thanks to writer/producer/director William Winckler, has been resurrected (no pun intended) for a contemporary audience. I play Dr. Monroe Lazaroff, an obsessive, megalomaniac scientist who’s tormented by his repeated failure to control the monsters he’s created and harassed by a troublesome ghost who wants these experiments to end. Lazaroff is so conflicted by this — as well as by a dark secret that’s eventually revealed later in the film — that he begins a descent into madness. So “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove” is not only about monsters, it’s also about the demons within us all and our eternal quest for a purpose nobler than that which the human condition will allow. It explores how faith can lead a person to commit outrageous acts and ultimately how love is truly the most powerful force in the universe.

Paul: I loved your mad scientist in this film. Was your performance inspired by – or modeled on- any classic actor, or did it all come from within?
Larry: Various greats of the classic horror genre have influenced my acting — Vincent Price is certainly a prime example. However, true madness must come from within. As an actor I’m compelled to bring authenticity to any role I play, and in so doing I feel the emotions I emulate on-screen. For this role, I had to dig deep to bring out my own demons, which I had hoped were exorcised long ago. Much to my demented delight and eternal damnation, those emotions were still there — healthy and hungry — and in the performing process almost devoured me. Fortunately, I have a strong leash so no one else was harmed (though everybody gave me a wide berth). [laughs]

Paul: What was the most difficult part of the film?
Larry: For me, there were two seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The first was the massive amount of memory the role required — I had extremely long sections of dialog (and in many scenes actual monologs) that had to be flawlessly performed from start to finish. That, coupled with the emotional demands of the character (which generated additional adrenalin that further depleted my memorization abilities), made it enormously difficult for me. To become Lazaroff the madman I resorted to Method acting — an approach not recommended for the faint of heart. It’s emotionally draining and takes a while to recover from when the film is finished. When all was said and done, I was in dire need of therapy!

Paul: And what was the most fun?
Larry: I had a lot of fun in the scenes requiring action, as I did all my own stunts. I got knocked around quite a bit, but it was thrilling, even though I’m not a young pup anymore. But the most fun I had was playing the love scene with Mimi (portrayed by actress Mimma Mariucci) — I could have done that all day. [laughs]

Paul: This is the second film on which you’ve worked with William Winckler. How do you find him as a director?
Larry: He’s extraordinary, and full of infectious enthusiasm. He encouraged me to be as BIG as I could be in “The Double-D Avenger,” as he wanted to re-create the over-the-top style of physical acting that was popular before the 1960s. In “Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” William encouraged me to control that craziness a bit more but still be larger-than-life. Whether it’s comedy, as in “The Double-D Avenger,” or horror, like “Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” I love and appreciate his vision and zeal for re-creating the retro look and feel of films that are almost never seen anymore.

Paul: Do you have any plans to work with him again in the future?
Larry: As long as he wants to work with me I plan to work with him. I share his enthusiasm for classic movies and appreciate his faith in me to help carry out his vision. We have great chemistry and collaborate well, plus he surrounds himself with top-notch people, which ensure success and fun for all concerned. Key members of Winckler’s team include Matthias Schubert, director of photography; Kate Sobol, editor; Sam Hamer, sound mixer; Mel Lewis, composer; and Jeff Berkwits, publicist. They’re all wizards at what they do and get along extremely well (which in Hollywood is a novel situation). By doing their jobs well, they make my job much easier.

Paul: If so, will it be another retro style film?
Larry: The next several will all be retro-style, exploring both horror and film noir. Other than that, I can’t reveal too much or William will strangle me! Keep checking his company’s website, www.williamwincklerproductions.com, for updates. By the way, along with amazon.com and moviesunlimited.com, that’s one of the easiest sites to purchase copies of “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” which is available on open-region DVD (meaning it’s playable anywhere in the world) and has tons of neat extras like bloopers, audition footage, the theatrical trailer, etc.

Paul: Are there any other directors that you would like to work with in the future?
Larry: Any director who makes me think, feel, laugh, cry or crap my pants is on my short list to work with in the future. Anyone who inspires and challenges me to be the best I can be — who provokes creative tension and calls forth my demons, then stands back with a whip and a chair to harness what comes bubbling forth. I want to work with any director who commits to a production and takes risks the way William Winckler does. Creating a great film is an elaborate dance and the end result justifies getting your toes stomped on occasionally during the process. I am always ready for the next dance.

Paul: You’ve been in several foreign films—and foreign language films—how do you find the various international film cultures compare, and how difficult is it to do your job if you don’t speak the local language?
Larry: I’ve been in German, Italian, Iranian, Korean, Egyptian, Japanese, Mexican and Vietnamese films, among others. Although linguistically and culturally the cast and crew are different, in most cases the high standards by which they work remain the same. The director usually speaks English well enough to take direction from and, if not, there is almost always an interpreter available. In my experience no great problems have arisen: it’s actually delightfully different.

I speak Spanish adequately, so the Mexican film was particularly problem free. However, with the other languages it was simply a matter of basing my dialog cues on action (i.e., using sight cues) or inflection rather than keying off the words themselves. I spoke my lines in English and they dubbed them into the appropriate language, though sometimes, as in “Lost in the USA,” they left my words as is. I always make a point of learning the language of the people I’m around (I began this practice traveling through Europe and Asia when I was in the Navy, and have continued to do so as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. It makes it easier to communicate, plus it’s simply the polite thing to do. Everybody gets along better if we make an effort to mesh.

Paul: What other films do you have in the pipeline—either that you’re currently working on, about to start working on or about to see released?
Larry: Three projects are due out in 2006, and I’m excited about all of them because they highlight my range as an actor while demonstrating some of my best work. “Shysters” is a physical comedy film and is outrageously funny — it’s the type of picture where you can turn the sound off and still laugh your ass off, which for me is the test of true comedy. I play a goofy con man who’s so idiotic he and his partner land in prison, then are paroled on the condition they see a shrink. The movie is told in flashbacks about their exploits, and it’s really hilarious! “Night Terrors” is a slasher-style horror film, and it’s very scary. I portray a psychotic hillbilly with cannibalistic tendencies. I really went off the deep end with this one, and the cast and crew told me I scared the crap out of them — high praise indeed! “Out of the Box” is a quirky TV pilot that will initially appear on the Internet to test its appeal. I play a scientist who experiments on his own twin sons.

In addition to “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” which as I noted before is currently available via amazon.com, moviesunlimited.com or the William Winckler Productions website, www.williamwincklerproductions.com, two other pictures have also just been released that are generating a buzz. “The Janitor” is a horror/comedy film where I play the mentally unstable boss of a psychotic janitor. It’s a spoof of slasher films, and it will make you want to laugh, scream and puke all at the same time. Meanwhile, “The Diary” is a zombie flick set in the deep woods. I appear as a contractor whose assistant finds an old diary that tells what happened to the book’s previous owners and reveals what is about to happen to us before we finish restoring the old cabin we are living and working in. It’s definitely an intense picture!

Next year I of course intend to work on another genre film with William Winckler, plus I’ve got a potential musical lined up with an A-list actor. Unfortunately, since we’re still working out the details, I can’t say too much more about either right now.

Paul: And finally, if someone wanted to become an actor, what advice would you give them?
Larry: If you sincerely want to become an actor, buy a pack of razor blades and run a warm bath [laughs maniacally]. Seriously, if you can’t afford therapy, then by all means, if you must act, just DO IT! But don’t do it in a half-assed way — really go after it. Sacrifice everything — your family, a conventional career, and the opportunity to lead a normal, stable life. You’re going to be on call like a doctor, firefighter or ambulance driver: when your agent or a production company calls, you MUST go! Scrap your vacation plans (I once flew back from Miami to do voice work (ADR) for a commercial I had just finished, and I had only arrived in Florida two days before). You’re going to be a slave to a mistress who won’t take no for an answer, and who won’t play second fiddle to your spouse or significant other.

Paul: And do you have any closing comments?
Larry: Early in my life, I made a mistake trying to balance my career as a teacher with my passion to be an actor. That postponed my becoming established as a mainstream actor. In my next life I’m going to take the advice I just offered a few seconds ago. If I had invested as much energy in acting as I did in teaching, I’m confident I’d have gone further quicker. I’m now at a crossroads, and my quandary is this: do I retire from my 16-year teaching job to pursue my two-decade-long passion for acting? The temptation is irresistible. Do I dive head first into the icy waters of mainstream acting or keep my day job? Only time will tell …

Gary Koftinoff grew up studying piano and guitar and from an early age was compelled by the power of film score.

After gaining a recording engineer certificate, and while still holding down a full time job in the corporate world, Gary began scoring small films and documentaries as well as studying harmony and composition privately at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Ten years later Gary has just won his first Gemini Award for Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series for his work on the TV series Dark Oracle.

And he has kindly agreed to talk to Dale Pierce about film and TV scores, past, present and future.

Dale You’re based out of Canada and are kept fairly busy with the film industry here. What have been some of your film scores?
Gary: My last feature score was a film called “The Good Shepherd” with Christrian Slater and Stephen Rea. Because of budget restraints, most of the score was done in-house with added live instruments like guitar (acoustic and electric) and a stringed instrument from Madagascar called a Valiha. This instrument is usually plucked with the fingers but in this case was played with small mallets striking the strings, somewhat like a Dulcimer.

My last TV movies was a film called “Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story”, which is a true story about a high school student in British Columbia who prevents the destruction of the endangered white ‘Kermode’ bear. I’ve also just finished a TV series called “Life with Derek” which is now running on the Disney Channel in the US.

Dale: In some of your films, particularly the ones done for Cloud Ten, there is a bit of Ennio Morricone and Bernard Hermann styled music. Did you study the works of these people and incorporate some of their traits into these scores or was it just a coincidence?
Gary: I think when I find it’s appropriate my music can be quite dramatic and passionate, rather large and sweeping in scale, like the opening theme that I did for Cloud Ten on their film “Judgment”. Perhaps that’s why you see similarities there. I’ve certainly heard a number of scores from both of these incredible composers, but I can’t say that I’ve studied them in any detail. I think that I just try to do what I would like to hear. I will try to get the most ‘emotion’ out of my scores that I think is appropriate for the film I’m working on. I think that’s what I appreciate the most when I hear a score…something in the music that stirs my emotions, be it joy, sadness, fear, whatever works for the film. I absolutely love it when a film and it’s score can get a tear out of me!

Dale: On this line what other film composers from the past or present do you admire?
Gary: Well there’s the obvious choices like Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, John Williams, James Horner. They’re some of the popular composers who seem to touch me on an emotional level. There’s so many others that I admire as well like Elfman, Sylvestri, Goldsmith, Barry…. and on and on. Each has his/her own particular style that they bring to the films they do.

Dale: Where did you study music or did you?
Gary: I studied theory privately though the Royal Conservatory in Toronto where I learned a great deal. I also studied the Gordon Delamont system with a private teacher and did a lot of studying on my own. However, I think most of my learning about film scoring has come from watching and listening to films and scores and trial and error. A certain amount of theory is necessary of course, but no one can teach you how to write a melody for a film. That comes from hard work and I think it’s either something you feel or you don’t.

Dale: Did you have an intention of being a film composer early on or did it just happen as the opportunity arose?
Gary: It was kind of a round-about way. I didn’t start noticing film scores until I was around 25. I studied recording engineering for two years in Toronto, then worked at a technical job in film post production. I became more and more drawn to music that I was hearing from films and soundtracks and realized that I wanted to see if I could do it. Someone at the company I was working for hooked me up with a film-maker who was also in the same company (he was a film timer who produced documentaries on the side) who had this short film of footage shot in the country. No dialogue, just sfx. I knew two guys who had a studio which I could use at night and I gave it a go. I used acoustic guitar, a synth bass, and a drum machine for the most part, but it worked out OK. It made me see that I could write a melody. I then worked as a client rep for the same company and met a lot of people in the business and got a chance to watch a lot of film as it was being shot. This while doing student films, low-budget features and more documentaries on the side. I eventually went freelance and did music full-time. I’ve now been at if for 15 years.

Dale: When you compose for films, do most directors and producers tell you outright what they want for a score or do you go with your own compositions and initiatives?
Gary: It varies, but usually you get at least a sense of what kind of score they’re after. That could mean simply discussing ideas about music or having a temp track that they’ve put together from various other scores that’s already on a cut of the film. You then go off and do a scene or two and bounce it off them. From there you see if you’re either totally off, not far off and you need to make slight adjustments, or they love what you’re doing.

Dale: In your opinion what makes a good film score?
Gary: I think there are certain common qualities that make a good film score. First, the music has to somehow heighten whatever emotional element(s) the film is trying to get across. Of course this can vary from scene to scene, but there should be a unifying quality to the overall score. Second, the music should do this without distracting the viewer from the film. It should do this subliminally (most of the time. In some instances I think the music does take over and it’s OK). If the music can stand up on it’s own, without the visuals, I think it helps as well. It’s great when you can enjoy listening to a score while it takes you back to the film and helps you re-live it.

Dale: And a bad one?
Gary: I go back and listen to some of my first scores and I think they’re pretty bad! But you just do your best with what you have and what you know at the time. This is actually a hard question to answer because there is no right o r wrong. The scores I hear that usually don’t do anything for me are the ones that don’t have some kind of unique or recognizable theme or progression. If the music seems inappropriate for the film or if it is badly orchestrated or recorded, that can certainly do damage.

Dale: In many cases it seems like film soundtracks are becoming a dying art as big companies use vocal rock from big bands and artists, to increase their CD sales for background music. Do you think this is a trend that will continue or do you see a shift back to music in the tradition of Morricone, Tiompkin or whatever, which more closely fits the action or the individual characters on the screen?
Gary: I think both songs from various artists or original score can work if used properly in the right situations but usually if it’s just done to sell something, without any vision, I think the audience can see through that and the film suffers. It all comes down to taste and quality. Zen and the Art of Film Composing if you like.

Dale: To date what do you consider your best score or the one that defines your style best a composer?
Gary: I’m quite proud of what I just did on “Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story”. I like the ‘bear theme’ that I came up with and I think I was able to use the themes that I came up with in a fairly good manner. Although maybe a little too much at some points, I also was quite happy with my orchestral score on Judgment.

Dale: How do you determine composition, I mean deciding what would make a good piece fort his scene or that?
Gary: I think it all comes down to how the music makes you react emotionally and what it is that you want to achieve for a particular scene.

Dale: What might you suggest for aspiring composers out there who want to get into film music?
Gary: Watch a lot of films. Look at what you think works and doesn’t work. Search out small student films and experimental projects that you can cut your teeth on and keep going from there. Get out there and talk to anyone you can find in the business and let them know what your doing. Oh yes, and work at it for a long time and get better and better!

Dale: What about personal life away from the screen? Hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc?
Gary: Well, the thing about film scoring, or probably any other artistic Endeavour that you want to achieve as a profession, is that you won’t have a lot of money to do a lot in your ‘spare time’. That’s the sacrifice part. Fortunately now I’m making good money and do have some spare time to enjoy things. I just went to Jamaica and got my scuba diving license which was just amazing. I love the sun. I want to try surfing as well. I also love skiing and I usually go to Whistler once a year.

Dale: Any new jobs coming up?
Gary: I’m just starting the second season on “Dark Oracle” and then the second season of “Life with Derek”, so I’ll be busy for a little while.

Dale: Closing comments?
Gary: Thank you and thanks for listening!