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The guys of Stagknight |
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1. Your latest, yet-to-be released project is Stagknight, which you produced and co-wrote (with director Simon
Cathcart [read Simon Cathcart
interview here]). Could you tell us
what the film is all about ?
Sure, to put it in a nut shell 'Stagknight'
is the story of ten mates who go on a stag weekend they won't ever forget or even
survive, inadvertently they awaken a killer knight bent on killing them one by
one. As it says on the box, Sex, drugs, guns and one killer Knight
out.
2. How did you become involved with the
project in the first place ?
A mutual friend of Simon and myself showed
me the original script which I thought had great potential and as I had produced
Razor Blade Smile, which was
a rather similar movie, and after meeting Simon I new we
could make something special.
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The girls of Stagknight |
3. How hard was it to get financing for the film together ?
To be honest,
with a good script and a good financing pack its not that hard as long as you go
for what you need only. We originally wanted £2 million, the same as my last
film. But Simon and myself decided that to be honest its 10 guys in the woods
and why should we wait a year to raise it when we could easily get a smaller
budget together quickly.
4. A few words about the cast: How hard/easy was it to get actors for an over-the-top horror comedy like this one ? After all, your movie features
veteran actress Sandra Dickinson, and theatrically
trained, otherwise rather serious actress
Jocelyn Osorio [read Joselyn
Osorio-interview here].
Again, with a good script you can attract good people to
what you might think was a hard sell to actors, but we were adamant we did not
want any names in the ten guys roles. If you put famous people in horror of any
kind you know its unlikly they will die. Also we were after very specific kind
of actors, we wanted people who were almost caricatures of the parts.
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5. Is there any release date yet, and does the film
have a website to keep us updated ?
The
release date is down to the distributors and their schedules, but we hope for
the end of the year. The web site is up (http:// www.stagknight.com), but we only have a holding page at the
moment. I want to drip feed the site with updates on a weekly basis. I want
people to want to come back every week to check it out. I hate movie sites that
give it all away and are crap, you look over them once and thats it. We are
designing ours to be something that's special and fun.
6. Stagknight is not the first film you have produced
though, of your previous films, Razor Blade Smile
(which I by the way enjoyed very much) is probably the most well known. Care to say a few words about that one ?
Sure. Razor Blade Smile
was a baptism of fire. We made that for £25k and a crew
of 6 people in 4 weeks and then sold it in Cannes for worldwide theatrical
release. For me it was the perfect way to learn all I need to know about low
budget film making and more importantly marketing. I think Razor Blade Smile
is still in Blockbuster and on its 2nd DVD re-release.
7. Any
other past projects you care to talk about ?
I have my own production
company with commercials director James Pilkington called Angry Donkey. We
specialize in comedies, our last short film Sweet was with the Mighty Boosh
and was BAFTA nominated. Our latest is called REG and is a modern
retelling of Oedipus Rex. A black comedy about incest, always a crowd pleaser.
8. How did you get your start in the film business in the first place ?
I actually started as a trained animator and sort of fell into producing
music videos with my own company Beatnik
Films. One of my directors Jake West
and his film Razor Blade Smile
that got me into features. And now I love them, producing and writing.
9. Who would you say are your biggest influences ? I guess
it would have
to be Mel Brooks and Kubrick, Brooks is the modern day master of visual comedy
(granted latley his films are rubbish), and Kubrick as no other director has
masterd every genre of film there is. 10. Your views about the independent
scene in Britain ? Wow, now thats a big one. Bottom line we
don't have an
independent scen in this country, as there is no funding at all, just remarkable
producers & directors who beg, borrow and steal to make their films
realities. Unfortunatly there are hardly any of them around. 11. What do you think about the horror-genre as it is
today, and any movies of late you particularly
loved or hated ? To be honest it sucks, the majors are all making crap
and the only good stuff is really comming from the Asia. Occasionally you get an
independent who does something special. Thankfully the Horror genre is one that
is always popular with new hot talent so it's always going to be great. Look at
the mainstream directors now who back in the day made it great, Raimi, Jackson,
Carpenter and even Spielberg. I still hate swimming in the sea. I have young
baby boy, so i have not been able to go to the cinema in years. But I did enjoy Shaun of the
Dead, made me laugh. 12. Are there any future projects that we might have to look forward to ?
Yes, I have a few. But they are all at early stages, but the next one is
leftfield comedy with an unusual sporting theme. 13. Anything else you would just love to mention and
I have just forgotten to ask ? Only
that, tell the readers to spread the Stagknight word and keep watching
independent movies, if they don't there wont be any around. Thanks for the interview, and the best of luck with
Stagknight !
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find Robert Mercer at adultvideouniverse.com
