Pulp Features

Prescribed Films is Iowa’s newest independent film company, specializing in genres that only a mother could love - everything from sick and twisted slasher films and deep dark horror dramas to mockumentaries and jokes on film. These boys are determined – through their films – to prove that they just aren’t right in the head.

And now, the leaders of this cast of hooligans - INSANE Mike Saunders (Director/Editor) and Jason Bolinger (Asst. Director) – have agreed to talk to Dale Pierce about their passion for filmmaking, recent achievements and what to look forward to…

Dale: Did you study filmmaking any place or pick it up on your own?
JB: I think I started like a lot of other people started. In high school, we got a hold of a video camera and tried to make a movie. I always loved movies and now we had a chance to make our own, what a dream. Of course all those so-called films were pretty awful, but it definitely fueled a fire. Eventually I heard about this other group of kids in the next town over that made movies too. And that’s how I met “Insane Mike” Saunders.
IMS: I have always had a love for film. I’ve wanted to make movies since the 6th grade. I even remember my first film idea from back then. It was a parody of “Ghost Busters”. I even had a theme song for it at the time. Then like most of us in indie filmmaking, I made films in high school with my high school club I founded called “The Gore Gang”. After high school I attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I originally wanted to get into special effects. I soon realize that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to do it all. I especially wanted to direct. I finally realized that the best way to do it, and for me to be satisfied as an artist, is to just do it. Learn my mistakes as I go. I’ve gotten more from the 5 years in Prescribed Films than I could have gotten from a film school.

Dale: You have certainly been prolific as far as indie films go, especially in the horror realm?
IMS: Doing this our way on our terms is learning the art of filmmaking. We also want to make the films we want to see. I have a huge love for horror films. I think they are the purest genre of film. So many factors can go into making a scary film. It’s the most open genre for experimentation and artistic expression.

I also believe in keeping busy and working fast. I think that would be a huge asset to be a filmmaker that can produce a product in a short time and at little cost. It doesn’t matter if it’s Hollywood or indie filmmaking, if you want an investor he’s going to want a turn around on his/her money and as soon as possible. Some of my favorite filmmakers work fast (i.e. Takashi Mike, Herschel Gordon Lewis, and Robert Rodriguez) and that’s the kind of filmmaker I want to be. Granted I will not give up the quality of a film just to get it done quickly. However what it all boils down to is that I am not happy or complete unless “I’ve got that camera in my hand”.

Dale: One of the titles that come to mind was “Death Comes a Knockin” or something to that avail. What was the plot, for those who do not know?
IMS: Death Comes a Knockin’ is a short film we made for the Iowa City Microcinema’s film race. We had 24 hours to make a 5 minute film from beginning to end. We also had to use a special prop that we only learned of when the race started and we couldn’t do any outside the camera editing. So this presented a challenge to us. So what we came up with was a short film about a door to door salesman who turns out to be a serial killer. However, his newest victim isn’t exactly who she appears to be.

Dale: You also did a film called “The Bag Man”, right? Again, if you would tell people the plot.
IMS: The Bag Man is our newest feature film. It’s a dark comedy about a geek named Walter who’s tired of being pushed around all his life. So to gain the fame and fortune he deserves he trains to be a serial killer. The film pokes fun at how serial killers are glorified in the media. Only in our world things are highly exaggerated. In the film Charles Manson is running for president. To help Walter with his goal he is coached by the female ghost of Jack the Ripper.

Dale: What are some of your other past releases and plots?
IMS: We’ve done 16 shorts and features. The titles include; The Artist, Wade and Rod’s Sucky Adventure, The Eggnogs Movie, Requiem For a Dead Man, Faces of Really Nasty Stuff, Uninhibited, I Want To Kill, Somebody’s Gotta’ Die, Dead of Winter, Double Feature, Lights, Camera…Kill!, Fat Guy Gets His, Death Comes A Knockin’, and Souvenir.

Dale: What about anything current or upcoming?
JB: We’re currently filming “Through the Night” and we’re editing a documentary called “Going to TromaDance”.

Dale: When did you start Prescribed Films?
IMS: Prescribed Films started 5 years ago with me and two others, with a dream of being filmmakers. We knew we had no means of going back to school. One day we realized why not just do it.

Dale: Where is it located, and what is the URL?
JB: We are located in Ottumwa, IA. This is in Southeast Iowa with a population of about 25,000. Our website is located at www.prescribedfilms.com

Dale: Can people interested in your films contact you here for orders?
JB: Absolutely! All of our films are available for purchase on our website.

Dale: Again, you have been pretty prolific. What do you think, having made several indie films, makes a good horror film?
IMS: Any number of things can make a good horror film. That’s why it’s such a fun genre to work in. A good horror film is not limited to simply scares alone. A good horror film can scare you, make you jump, give you a sense of uneasiness, can gross you out, can shock you, it’s an emotional rollercoaster ride. You can have great music or great sounds, gory special effects, an intense story, unique lighting, interesting camera angles, or none of the above.

Dale: And a bad one?
IMS: Rehashing tired ideas. Horror is a genre that is all about originality. All of your great, true successful horror films were ground breaking films that have never been done before. For example, the Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original), Night of the Living Dead, or even dating all the way back to Dracula, all of which did things that have never been seen before in film. Horror thrives on creativity and stretching the imagination. When the same things are reused it’s a slap in the face to the whole basis of the horror film.

Dale: Are there things you have done to try to distinguish your works from all the other indie horror films out there?
IMS: For us, it’s all in the stories we tell. We try to come up with ideas that reflect the movies we know and love yet try to show them in ways that no one has seen before. Our tag line is “If you’re sick, we’ve got your flick”. We try to hold true to that slogan. Beyond the obvious implications of that slogan but also that we’d have to be sick in the head to tell stories in this or that way.

Dale: Any interesting behind the scenes stories to tell?
IMS: One of my favorites was on the short film “Dead of Winter”. We were filming a scene at night in this parking lot in downtown Ottumwa. We had this actor covered in blood and laying on the ground dead. Before we knew we were surrounded by cop cars. The police rushed out of their cars with hands on their guns. The actor got up to show he was alright. Apparently some one drove by, saw the guy on the ground, assumed he was dead and called the cops (the fact there were 10 people standing around with a camera, lights, and a boom pole wasn’t a sign that maybe he was okay). However, as it turns out, the police were really nice about it and told us just to give them a call whenever we are out filming so this doesn’t happen again.

Dale: What do you do for film scores as many indie companies just ignore this?
JB: Part One: A lot of our music comes from local and unsigned bands. Our music library is always growing with talented under-the-radar bands that are more than happy to let us use their music, because they also get free exposure. Everybody wins. There is a great underground community out there where independent artists are helping each other and it’s good to be a part of it. Part Two: I am also a fellow musician, so with whatever music that is still needed after using bands, I just plug a keyboard into the computer where we edit our films and score the rest that way.
IMS: At PF, we support any and all forms of artistic expression. Especially anything that’s independent. So we use a lot of local bands music to score our films.

Dale: And for special effects. Whom do you use?
IMS: I love special effects. So I mostly do that myself. But as I grow as a filmmaker, I want to master my directing skills so I have been passing it off onto others.

Dale: What actors or actresses have you used whom you really think should stand out, but might not have gotten the credit due to them?
JB: Being no-budget filmmakers, we’ve had our friends doing the acting, and that has actually worked out great. Recently we’ve gotten some professional actors. And no matter who has been in our films, we all consider ourselves family. So we couldn’t really pick one over another.

Dale: Of the various elements of the film world, what aspect or job do you like most?
JB: Getting to do all the post audio work has been a lot of fun. Adding and writing music to the film has been a great creative outlet. But I would have to say that the part I like the most is being on set. Being the Assistant Director, I get to be part of almost everything that goes on. Plus Prescribed Films, if anything, will go down in history for having the most fun on set. We’re all clowns and we like to have fun. If filmmaking wasn’t fun, I don’t know if we’d be doing it.

Dale: Anything you would like to throw in that we did not touch on?
IMS: Filmmaking is one of the most artistic forms of expression out there, because it’s a collaborative process. We encourage people to add their own input within our films, whether it is lighting, music, costumes, artwork or anything. There is something for everyone in Prescribed Films.

Dale: Closing comments?
IMS: Taco?

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