Pulp Features

JC Calciano’s previous experience ranges from running Melanie Griffith’s One World Networks new media division, to being the former Head of Production for Tom Cruise’s C/W Productions at Paramount Pictures and Associate Producer of the film Mission: Impossible.

He is responsible for the creation and production of the Vince Neil series of programs Girls, Girls, Girls and Rocktails and has just completed work as Writer/Producer/Director for Show Me the Funny comedy series currently being broadcast on cable TV in High-Definition. And has also recently produced and directed a feature documentary titled Coming Out, being distributed by Iron Rod Communications along with the Jessica Simpson and Macy Gray concert DVDs for NuTech digital.

JC Calciano’s background in film is not only limited to the creative and physical production, but it extends to the business of film and he has worked in both domestic and foreign film distribution. While working as head of acquisitions at Juniper Productions, he attended all the major European film festivals including Cannes and Mifed where he learned the art of selling and packaging films for distribution.

But it’s as the head of Dark Alley Films, a collaborative effort of professional filmmakers in Hollywood specialising in horror, science fiction and thrillers that he talks to Dale Pierce about his career to date and what the future holds.

Dale: First off tell people a little about yourself and your company?
JC: A bit about me and the company. I believe in the old style of producing. The one where the Producer gets totally immersed in the production and overseas all aspects of the film. I help create the stories, cast, shoot and package the film. I’ve worked both at studios and independently. I prefer small budget films to big budget ones. In my past, I’ve worked for Paramount Pictures and big stars like Tom Cruise. As much as working on mega-budget movies is fun, the small, family-like, creative energy on a small indie picture is much more rewarding for me. My producing has enabled me to do a wide range of projects from infomercials, movie marketing and writing to feature producing. About a year ago, I decide to concentrate on one genre - horror/sci-fi - mostly because I like it, but also because there’s a lot of freedom in the genre that allows for original ideas, interesting styles and wild story-lines. I created Dark Alley Films in Dec. of 2004. My goal is to create a nucleus of talented filmmakers, actors and musicians and to develop good stories for everyone to work on. So far in the last year, I’ve been able to fund the company and produce two films and have developed 6 other great scripts.

Dale: What have been some of your past productions and the plots for them?
JC: My last two pictures are Slaughter Cove and Dead in the Water. Slaughter Cove is about a group of kids who go to the islands for spring break and decide that they’ll shoot a “Girls Gone Wild” type video in order to pay for their trip. Upon arriving at the island home, they disturb an ancient burial ground and piss off something/someone very vengeful. Dead in the Water is a story of a group of LA party kids who venture out one Friday night on a “booze cruise”. It turns out that this is the maiden voyage of this particular ship. The ship hadn’t had occupants on it since the murder of its owner and the night turns very bad.

Dale: Do you have anything planned for the immediate future or are you working on something now?
JC: Currently, I’m scheduled to begin shooting Dead Girls Club this summer and Captured soon thereafter.

Dale: This is subjective, but what do you think makes a good indy film?
JC: What makes a good indie film is the same thing as what makes a good studio film. Clever stories, compelling characters, surprises and conflict

Dale: On the other hand, a bad one?
JC: What makes a bad film is the lack of the above elements and bad talent. Most producers/directors in the indie world underestimate the need for great talent. This is LA. Union or Non-union, I’ve found that if you just look hard enough, you can find some terrifically talented actors for your films.

Dale: Now here is where you will see you may have been set up. With these standards in mind, can you think of some elements that would separate your films from the host of others out there?
JC: My films, I hope, fit the above criteria for a “good film” – I’m proud of the talent in the films, and hope that I’ve generated a fun/interesting script for them to perform in.

Dale: Do you ever make the rounds with the horror or Indy conventions, the film fests and the comic book shows, like others are doing?
JC: No. I don’t usually make the festival rounds. The only place I go is to comic stores and conventions to see what’s happening there. For my money, comics, illustrators and other artists like that are the most forward thinking and creative people out there today.

Dale: Any interesting behind the scenes stories you might want to select and tell the readers?
JC: Actually, this is sort of funny. On Dead in the Water, I have a scene where the ship catches fire out at sea. I shot the boat burning in the Marina Del Ray harbor using flicker boxes (colored flashing lights inside) and several smoke machines with kids screaming on the decks of the boat. I contacted all the authorities and Coast Guard about what we were going to be doing. When we started filming the burning of the ship, it looked great. So great in fact that people called in the fire to the authorities. (It was a 125ft ship in the middle of the harbor “burning” with kids on it). The authorities apparently never noticed the internal posting about what we were doing… so in the middle of the shot, the police, life-guard and coast guard rushed to the “burning” ship’s aid. Since the authorities were coming, the director kept yelling “cut” so we can deal with the situation and I kept yelling “keep rolling…shoot em! Shoot em!”

Dale: What are your personal interests outside of film?
JC: Personal interests. Recently I’ve begun doing research on hypnotherapy for one of my projects titled, Hypnotica – I find the research so fascinating that I surprisingly can’t get enough information on the subject.

Dale: Of the actors and actresses you have worked with, are there some you feel are really promising? I mean, beyond the norm.
JC: Wow, that’s tough, I try to choose only great actors, but if I had to mention any that impressed me as “actors to watch” (forgive me to all the other great actors in the films, cause you’re all “actors to watch”) I’d say:

Taylor Hart: He’s just amazingly real and at ease in front of the camera.
David Lago: A pleasure on set and unmatched intensity for the roles he does.
Michael Harrison Baker: A model/actor who is a surprisingly strong and natural in front of the camera.
Eric Clark: Who I’ve found has amazing range for a new actor and a great leading man.
Jackie Salvucci: Makes any role look easy and puts 100% in to it, has a great edge to him.
Gayle Brown: A beautiful girl who lights up the screen. Beauty and talent in one package.

Dale: What do you feel a director’s job should be as far as guidance? Some actors prefer a dictator type who spells out everything. For example, I heard the late Henry Fonda was this way and wanted to be told exactly what to do. Or do you feel a director giving a lot of leeway or freedom to the actors is better?
JC: Every actor is different. A good producer is a good manager. Some actors need the character laid out for them in detail, while others simply get it and bring their own ideas to the film. I believe in talking out the role, seeing what strengths and weaknesses the actors (and directors) have and try to support both of them as best I can so that they’re happy, secure and able to do their best jobs.

Dale: Anything else you would like to touch on before closing?
JC: My goal is to make not only good, solid, profitable films, but create a positive, fun environment for those who work with me. People who work in this business do so because they love it. For that reason, working should be a good experience. Creativity comes from positive collaboration. No good can come from a miserable, totalitarian environment. My goal is to run a happy, fun, tight set with a family of great filmmakers, and actors. My motivation is to turn out quality, entertaining films that make good profits, so we can continue to do it again and again.

So here we are, with the first online micro-cinema compendium of 2006. And, this month, there seems to be a bit of a religious theme to the procedings.

The God Delusion
This is a clip from the first episode of The Root of All Evil?, a two part series on Channel 4.

In the clip, evangelical Christian Ted Haggard lectures Dawkins on a subject about which he is clearly ignorant - and then accuses him of being arrogant. On the face of it, it’s quite funny, but when you consider that there are people out there that take Mister Haggard seriously, it becomes more than a little worrying.

You can also find an audio version of the entire program here.

Supamonks
This is fantastic! It involves monks, vikings and heavy metal and really is very, very funny.

I Will Survive
Lord have mercy and pass me the tambourine!

The Passion of Benny Hill
Sticking with dead prophets for a moment, here is the version of The Passion of the Christ that Mel Gibson would have made if he had a sense of humour.

Jesus is Watching You
This one is a bit of a shoe-in, but not verything is as it seems when a thief breaks into a house to steal some jewels and encounters an array of religiously devout pets.

South Park explains what the Church of Blaintology is really all about
Less of a short, and more of a full length episode. And in this one, the SuperbestFriends take on the cult of David Blaine. As ever, with South Park, there are some very valid points tucked away in all the crudeness.

Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in Fight to the Death
From a god of religion to a god of celluloid. The unique Bruce Lee faces Chuck Norris with an all new soundtrack. And captions.

Dawn of the Gap
I’d probably be stretching things to say that all religion is horrific. But Spike Jonze’s commercial for Gap is also a homage to George Romero’s anti-consumerist Dawn of the Dead, and well worth a look. If only for the in-store carnage.

(Note: The subtitle for this edition of Eat My Shorts is lifted from HG Wells who once said, “Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.” Don’t say you never learn anything on this site)