Pulp Features

Luc Bernier (MySpace page) is a genuine enthusiast about the horror genre in general and the low budget sector in particular. His ambition and love for the genre and all things creative has certainly paid off and he has already worked with a number of the genre’s most recognisable faces. Whether he is writing, directing or acting, Luc is always willing to be involved with anything creative, and his kind nature has seen the work come thick and fast. He is living the ultimate fanboy’s dream, managing to work with his idols on a number of projects, and he hopes of bringing together the horror community. And he’s kindly taken some time out from a hectic schedule to talk to our own Dale Pierce.

Dale. You have acted in several films. Tell people about some of these.
Luc: I did my first film in October 2004, in Mississippi. It was for Southern Gothic from director Steve Sessions. Had a great time doing it and we did some scenes in Louisiana in a fort! I since then worked for SV Bell (little appearance in She Demons of the Black Sun), Lucien Eisenach (as a villain, but pretty funny one, in his sci-fi spoof Sea Creatures from Outer Space), Peter Keir (Wolfika), Diggerfilms (in Nightmarish Orgasm for anthology Graveyard Picture Show and also worked for them in a short called Le souper… funny funny!)… I did some of my own projects and worked with great scream queens, including Kimberly Lynn Cole, Krystal Stevenson, Laura Giglio, Debbie D, Isabelle Stephen and Kerri Taylor. I am actually working on Bonbon Rouge for director Jef X. and will work in few days on a movie called Torment, for Steve Sessions… very excited!

Dale: Did you study acting in school or just learn as you went along?
Luc: I never studied acting in school… I would have loved it though… but I was always a big fan of movies, even as a kid, reading books about it, checking bios of screen legends, watching everything…always knew I wanted to be in movies and I am happy I am doing it since few years now!

Dale: And what interested you in acting?
Luc: Creation, making a story from the mind of someone into something you can watch, passion, being someone else for the camera… It’s a passion!

Dale: Is the horror film your favorite genre or just one you are involved in because of so many of these films being made?
Luc: Horror is my favorite genre.. so I am really into this and want to do more and more horror films… Most of my favorite films, directors, actors are from the horror scene… I love horror movies!

Dale: Any interesting behind the scenes stories to tell during filming?
Luc: I guess there is… but now you ask, I need to think about it… I know for sure it’s always fun to be on the set and meet everybody and doing the movies… It’s always fun! But about a particular behind the scenes story… I will get back to you later with this! hehe Ask me again!

Dale: The indy scene is growing thanks to the net, my space, dvd craze and horror conventions. Do you think indy cinema will become bigger and bigger?
Luc: Well, of course, the indy scene is still alive and making movies. I think it can grow much more though… It’s easy to get a camera now, so if you get a story and wanna make it, it’s possible to do it… If you are passionate and think you can do it, do it! I am sure more people can make movies! Get people to help you, a little team, few cool locations, reliable actors, and everything can be done if you put the energy in!

Dale: Do you think fans are becoming bored with Hollywood and also their remake craze?
Luc: Bored? I don’t think so… There will always be people to like those…and pay tickets to watch those… I guess as long as companies get money from the fans, they will still do the remakes and other blockbusters…

Dale: Any future films in the works?
Luc: Still working on Bonbon Rouge for Jef X. in whick I have the lead.. it’s going to be a really cool movie. It stars Isabelle Stephen as well! And will start working soon on Torment for Steve Sessions. It’s filmed in Mississippi… Also, I directed a short recently, early 2007, and it stars Kimberly Lynn Cole and Tom Stedham. Kimberly is great actress! So is Tom! It’s called Still There. Someone is editing it at this time. Have some projects too, just waiting the “It’s a go” from filmmakers…cannot wait to act in their movies! :)

Dale: What do you do to get “into” or develop a character you play?
Luc: First of all, I try to get the visions of the directors, what they want me to do, how they see the part… that helps alot! You can work around that to prepare for the shoot!

Dale: Do you have trouble memorizing lines and if not, how do you overcome this?
Luc: I never had a problem learning lines.. it’s work, sure, but I always had a good memory and I think learning lines is actually fun to do! :)

Dale: What would be your strong points as an actor?
Luc: Enthusiasm for the project, patience, the ability to take the role seriously but not myself seriously.

Dale: Without doing yourself in, what about weak points?
Luc: That depends on what the role is. Each role brings out different strengths or weaknesses that reveal themselves.

Dale: You also do modeling? Do you prefer this to acting?
Luc: I do prefer acting to modeling… but I do have lots of fun doing modeling… I had the chance to work with lots of great photographers, and creative shoots! I love that!

Dale: Do you have any favorite people to work with in indy film?
Luc: Kimberly Lynn Cole, Steve Sessions, Isabelle Stephen, Kerri Taylor, Debbie D, Laura Giglio, Suzi Lorraine, Krsytal Stevenson, Lucien Eisenach, Pénélope Jolicoeur, Magenta Baribeau, Tom Stedham, the guys from Diggerfilms! Sv Bell… I never got the chance to work with Brinke Stevens yet, but I am really hoping this will happen soon!!! She is awesome and a big inspiration to me! I was in Southern Gothic with Jeff Dylan Graham, but we didn’t work together.. So I hope to work with him face to face sometimes! I would also love to work for Dante Tomaselli! He’s great director! Might never happened, but would love to work for Dario Argento… Would also love to work with Debbie Rochon, Demona Bast, Linnea Quigley and Julie Strain!!! Joe Zaso, Eric Spudic, Richard Grieco and much more people!

Dale: Do you ever make the convention circuit?
Luc: Never got the chance!!! but I am hoping to attend some this year!!!!

Dale: Closing comments?
Luc: Thanks alot for interview!!! I am looking forward to work with some of you! take care!

Bjarni Gautur is the founder of Icelandic production company, IBS Entertainment. A big fan of animated TV in his youth, Bjarni started his entertaiment career young with comics he, his brother and others would make and sell on the streets of Goteborg. This continued until he moved to Iceland where his appreciation of films – and espcially horror films – started to develop.

In 2000, Bjarni directed his first feature – a 60 minute horror comedy which was released direct to Video to much popular acclaim. Today he is still making movies, music, comics and more and has taken some time out to talk to Dale Pierce about the joys and difficulties of filmmaking in Iceland.

Dale: First off, how do you pronounce your name?
Bjarni: It’s pretty hard to pronounce the Icelandic version of the name, but when talking to people outside of Iceland, It’s usually Barney only with the Jay added in like Björk, Bjarney and Gautur is a little bit like Kayter I guess.

Dale: You are an indie horror producer out of Iceland. What are some of your projects?
Bjarni: My projects include Knight of the Living Dead, Havoc: Resurrection, Lost Soul and The Idol Massacre. The films aren’t known that much outside of Iceland but our new horror comedy film The Breeding will get more screenings outside of Iceland and probably even distributed in the US.

Dale: Do you have webpages for these films?
Bjarni: Yes. There is the official website: ibs-entertainment.com and you can check out our MySpace sites: ibs_entertainment (My Site with everything new about me!) morbidchid (My Vulgar yet funny band!) and thebreeding (our all new movie!)

Dale: You have just put the finishing touches on this latest project of yours. How do you anticipate reaction to it will be?
Bjarni: Our new film Knight of the Living Dead (which will be released on DVD by Necroscopic Unlimited) might get a lot of different reactions. The film was made when we were 16 during the summer of 2005 so the production value is not great, people looking for a masterpiece of filmmaking and art might be disappointed, but people who are looking for some entertainment and a good time who are into the movies like the works of Lloyd Kaufman and DV indie horror comedies, Knight is your flick to watch! Overall, we will get our share of bad reviews but also make people laugh and entertain some of them. We just hope that the entertained people is the majority.

Dale: One would not think the horror realm would be big in Iceland? Is there much of a following?
Bjarni: Not really, Iceland is pretty much filled with ‘posers’ when it comes to horror. People who only enjoy remakes and such. Though there are some people who love the old fashioned horror films, the gruesome 80’s unknown slasher flicks and the Troma movies. And they have usually also build up video stores or made some classic cult entertainment themselves. It’s a small portion of Iceland but known to most.

Dale: Have you tried going more international with distribution, such as within the USA or larger European countries?
Bjarni: That is what we are doing right now. Knight of the Living Dead will be our first film released outside of Iceland. We have also worked on a couple of movies shown overseas but Knight will be the first distributed. We are hoping for the same thing for our new film The Breeding, but also hoping that it will get more attention as it is our greatest work yet.

Dale: Hasn’t the film industry in Icelnad been better known for documentaries, commercials and the like?
Bjarni: Pretty much. I think the biggest amount of movies in Iceland is TV documentaries that our biggest channel and production company RúV makes. However, the biggest list of films released by Icelanders in Cinemas is Drama Comedies. The last action film was made back in 1997 and got horrible views, same with the only ‘big budget’ horror film released in 2002 which lost a lot of money.

Dale: I seem to recall a few decades ago, some of the Scandinavian countries, Finland for example, even had a ban on horror film?
Bjarni: I don’t know much about the film policy on Finland but Iceland saw no such ban. Iceland has never been very strict when it comes to movies; saw Shocker when I was five, Spawn when I was seven (in cinemas), From Dusk Till Dawn when I was eight, Toxic Avenger when I was 10 and Nightmare on Elm Street 13 years old. Both my parents and the film association in Iceland weren’t bothered by it as they think of film ratings not as much as the ‘law’ but rather just a friendly warning. Though Iceland did get pretty crazy when Eminem and Limp Bizkit got popular and tried to tell parents about not letting their younger children listen to it, same with Grand theft Auto 3. After that game got popular, some similar games where actually banned up to the age of 18 (Our biggest number for movies is actually 16). Sweden did also have some strict rules but never really banned anything to my recollection.

Dale: What interested you in film making to begin with?
Bjarni: A lot of different things. When I was young and growing up in Gothenburg, I would watch a lot of TV. I would love shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Toxic Crusaders. Collecting the toys, reading the comics and watching the shows made me want a same future in all those things. I started doing animation at a very young age and some of my dream projects also include making shows and comics. Just on the whole field of entertainment, that’s what I find so wonderful and I want to be a part of that. Whether it’s movies, video games, comics or a TV Show. I want to make it because I love watching it, reading it, playing it, hearing it and being a part of it. There was never a question about it what my line of work was going to be.

Dale: Is there an area that you prefer over others, such as direction, production, writing, acting or whatever, for yourself?
Bjarni: I’m a fan of all. Directing gives you the freedom to express yourself in any way you want and bring the movie to the vision you have in mind, writing is great because you can bring your own ideas to life, I also love acting as it’s being a part of a movie in a whole different way, it’s nice to work on a film and not have to worry about the production or the worries of the money to finance or how the scene is going to pan out, but sit relax and deliver your lines. Overall, I love every possible part to work on a film which is why I tend to do so many when working on my own films.

Dale: Who are some of the actors and actresses you have worked with?
Bjarni: I’ve worked with some people known outside of Iceland such as Lloyd Kaufman, Justin Channell and Joe Pinkerton and some Icelandic actors who haven’t gotten that much attention outside of Iceland but they are Höddi Björnsen (star of ‘tWins’), Steinar Geirdal (Astrópía), Viktor Aron (’Spaugstofan’), Andri Kjartan (’Róska’), Einar Darri (’Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey) and Siggi Jökull (’Maður Eins og Ég’).

Dale: Are you considering making a wider swing of international film fests and the like, if you can get in, to get your projects known?
Bjarni: Yeah, our film Clownie and the Satanic Cult will hopefully be shown either TromaDance 2007 or 2008 and we hope to bring it and The Breeding to some future film festivals.

Dale: Like with the video problems with PAL and US systems in the past, there are problems with zone one and zone two for DVD. Have you considered a way around this, such as the zone 0 DVDs which are more expensive but may make marketing easier?
Bjarni: We have Region 2 here in Iceland but we were lucky enough to be able to make Knight Region 1 while sending it to distributors. In the future, we will either have Region 1 (when going to the US) or simply Region 0.

Dale: What composers do you use for music in your films as the music is an element a load of indie producers overlook?
Bjarni: My brother and I come from a long line of musicians and composers and there for have never had a problem with using music. Simply creating it ourselves or using finished work from family and friends. We have though been so lucky to get the opportunity to use some music from famed bands such as Green Jelly, Ultra Vomit, Doghorse, Devil Puppet, Changer, Kuraka and Crotchduster.

Dale: What of anything, in your opinion, separates your works from the rash of other indie films out there?
Bjarni: My style and the style of my company IBS Entertainment is a blend of things that have inspired us in the past, put together in a mix, it’s pretty much something I haven’t seen in the production of any other. Being no specific genré, we add minor layers of all kinds to the production of the film. Our films are a kind blend of Japanese Manga, Cult Slasher films, Troma films and early 90’s comic books. After making Knight, we have not used a script since. We write the synopsis give the actors their characters and motivation and just let it flow. What we have so far is something that I think people will look at and find pretty original.

Dale: Does the cold in Iceland pose problems with you for outdoor shooting?
Bjarni: Not really. We are very much used to the cold that comes every now and then. There is also not that much snow here. Usually just around October-November. So we tend not to shoot at those months. The biggest problem is there is very little daylight when the winter is here so we try to shoot as much of the in-door sequenses during that time thought we also often wish to shoot in correct order.

Dale: English is also fairly well known in Iceland, correct? What are some of the other languages that are heard in the area and have you considered multilingual releases of your films?
Bjarni: Almost everyone in Iceland speaks Icelandic, English and Danish (because
Denmark is such a big part of the Icelandic past). And being similar languages, many people know Swedish and Norwegian. There are also many people who speak Polish here.

Dale: What are your future film plans?
Bjarni: We are currently working on the film The Breeding which looks like to be our greatest project yet to come. We hope to have it finished sometime in 2007. We also started work on a mockumentary entitled Brian McGee: Superhero Extrodinare which we hope to finish when we are done with the Breeding. Other then that we have a couple of films in early development stages like Mother Earth, Bounty, Kings of the Project and The Day Nazis took Over my School. And all that stands between us and those projects our time and money which we do hope we have soon enough.

Dale: Anything in closing that you would like to touch on before we end this?
Bjarni: Just that I love doing interviews and I love to talk to people who are into the same thing as me, so whoever read this, don’t be shy about dropping me a line at bj_arni@hotmail.com. And thanks for doing this interview with me Dale.

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.