Your upcoming film The Legend of Grassman - in a few words, what is
it about?
It’s
about this kid who’s become disconnected from life since the sudden, tragic
death of his parents and blah blah blah blah a bunch of people go out in the
woods and Bigfoot kills the hell out of them.
What can you tell us about the actual legend of the Ohio Grassman,
and how true did you remain to the "facts" in your film?
To
be honest, I never heard of the Ohio Grassman until the History Channel
did a Monster Quest episode on the subject. Partially because we
want to capitalize on the uniqueness of our Ohio location, and partially
because we are attention-seeking whores, we decided to use the Grassman
name in our title.
There
are some slight differences between the Ohio Grassman and Bigfoot around
the rest of the country – he’s smaller, he has a tendency to kill dogs –
and we tried to incorporate some of those differences into the movie.
But, for the most part, we researched general Bigfoot lore and built our
creature around that. As a kid, I had a lot of interest in the subject,
and I wanted to make sure the Bigfoot in our film was like the one I used
to read about and see on shows like Unsolved Mysteries and In
Search of… rather than just a generic monster.
With The Legend of Grassman being about a group of Bigfoot
hunters - what's your personal take on Bigfoot hunting? I’ve
been in contact with a lot of bigfoot researchers during the production of
this film, and I’ve met some great people. I would describe myself as a
huge bigfoot nerd, if not a bigfoot believer. I’m pretty skeptical about
such things, and I think it’s important for people to be skeptical.
Nevertheless, while I would think it unlikely that a species of giant ape
roams the wilderness of North America, I am aware that people often
experience unexplainable weird things. So, while I don’t believe in
Bigfoot, I do respect the phenomenon. Having said that, should some
researcher somewhere find conclusive proof of such an animal, it’d be
pretty sweet.
Hunting
Bigfoot and relatives has quite a tradition in genre cinema. To what
extent have past takes on the subject influenced your film?
Well
the title The Legend of Grassman is a play on the titles of classic
Bigfoot films like The Legend of Boggy Creek and Sasquatch, The
Legend of Bigfoot. That’s our way of tipping off the audience to
what type of film we’re trying to make. Those films - in particular, the
Sasquatch films of the 1970’s - were a huge influence on us. As a
teenager getting into filmmaking, I remember always wanting to make a
movie that was reminiscent of those films. We actually have a scene where
a Mysterious Monsters-type 1970’s documentary is playing and we
were able to get George Lauris who narrated Sasquatch, The Legend of
Bigfoot to lay down a narration track for it.
Dennis Meyer |
How
did the idea of The Legend of Grassman come into being, and did you
have any creative input on the script, which was written, as I understand,
by your brother Dennis?
My
brother Dennis had written a horror script, Consumed, that we were
hoping to make as our first feature. But we decided we didn’t have
enough experience to raise the necessary budget for it and that we should
try something a little less ambitious first. So I pitched him the idea of
doing an ultra low budget bigfoot feature in a week just to see if we
could do it. I picked Bigfoot because, as I said, I’m a huge Bigfoot
nerd and it seemed like shooting a dude in a monkey suit running around
the woods would make for a cheap production.
We
had just finished a dark, depressing short, and I wanted to work on
something a bit lighter. So Dennis came up with a concept that - taking
its cues from Jaws - followed Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s
Journey. From there we worked on the outline until we were both happy
with it, and then he went into his Writer’s Cave to pound it out. After
a few months, he had finished the first draft. We picked it apart until we
were both happy and then he returned to the Writer’s Cave. We repeated
the process until the fourth draft, when we were happy enough to shoot. I
like to think that the movie reveals itself to me as we create it, so the
story continued to change and got reworked even throughout production.
How would you describe your directorial
approach to The Legend of Grassman? We’re
dealing with a lot of nonprofessional actors, so I do my best to create an
environment and situations that they can relate to, react to, and be in
the moment with. I think that’s so much more important to me than saying
the lines that are written in the script, much to the chagrin of my
brother. Also, since we have no money, we are working around people’s
schedules. It’s very hard to get five unpaid people to your set over and
over again as many times as you need. So I shoot a lot of the scenes in
close-ups. Partially, cause I love me some close-ups and partially cause
close-ups hide multitudes of stupid shit and, very often, the actor an
actor is supposed to be interacting with is not actually on set. Sometimes
the set is not on set.
Lynn Lowry |
The most
prominent names in your cast are probably up-and-coming scream queen
Jessica Cameron [Jessica Cameron
interview - click here] and horror veteran Lynn Lowry. What can you tell us about
your collaboration with these two ladies, and how did you get them in the
first place?
We
shot with Lynn first. Most of the actors in the film are family and
friends. I’ve begun to think of this film as my own, private film
school, and one of the lessons I wanted to teach myself was how to get a
name actor. Dov Simens covers that in his book as well as his 2 Day Film
School, but you never really know how to do something until you do it
yourself. And, actually, it’s not too hard to get a name actor as long
as you have enough money and an actual project (as opposed to an idea for
a project). It’s kind of the same as hiring a plumber, electrician, or
any other craftsman to perform a service. Anyone can do it. But still, I
was scared shitless on that first phone call and it was a great moment for
me to realize that I could do it, too.
And
I couldn’t have asked for someone better to break us into using
professional actors. Lynn very nice and a lot of fun to be around. She has
a way of making an inexperienced director like myself relax so I can focus
on the job. In addition, I’m pretty sure she’s some kind of genius.
She blew me away with her performance and it makes me wonder what she
could do if she were in more capable hands than mine. I’ve never had raw
footage that was so entertaining to watch and it was all due to her. It
was like watching Karloff. Usually, one would not compare a beautiful
woman to Boris Karloff, but there’s something so sinister about her
performance, and it all takes place on her face. She only appears in a few
short scenes, but to me they are the highlight of the film.
Jessica Cameron |
So,
thinking of this as film school, I wanted more experience with
professionally-trained actors and that brought us to Jessica. I had been
aware of Jessica for sometime mostly due to Facebook. She was so much fun
to work with. First of all, she’s funny as hell and, secondly, she is a
very hard worker. She was knowledgeable about the process and had great
suggestions, some of which weren’t even acting-related. Her role is an
emotional one and, if you watch any of my work, emotions are kind of
uncharted territory for me. But she did all the heavy lifting, and turned
out a very poignant, heartfelt performance. She was awesome and really
brings a lot to the film. Also, her horror movie scream is superb.
Your film also features real-life Bigfoot
hunters Dallas Gilbert and Wayne Burton. A few words about them and your
collaboration with them?
I’ve
had a huge man-crush on both of these guys since I saw their film, Not
Your Typical Bigfoot Movie, which I think is arguably the greatest
Bigfoot film ever made. We had been searching for a real-life Bigfoot
personality to play the financier of our film’s expedition and after
looking into a number of possible candidates, I realized that not only
would they be perfect, but they only live 2 and half hours from us. The
difference between these guys onscreen and in real life is that they
aren’t edited in real life. Dallas is singularly focused on all things
Bigfoot and is very serious about his research. The best way to describe
Wayne is that upon meeting him, he instantly inspires one to want to drink
a beer with him. This was their first time acting in a feature film, but
they both jumped in head first and gave it hell. We didn’t use a script
– Dallas told me he didn’t like scripts. My brother Stephan, who plays
Kyle in the movie, played opposite them and they would just respond to
what he would say to them. Sometimes I would give them a topic to talk
about and sometimes I would actually feed them lines. The end result is
very natural and very funny. They really did a great job. I hope to
feature them in a bigger role in Legend of Grassman II: Electric
Boogaloo.
A few words about the rest of
your cast and crew?
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I’m
related to most of them. Family members are awesome because the majority
of our cast and crew are unpaid volunteers, and it takes longer for family
members to get sick of your bullshit and quit the production. With a
no-budget production, showing up is more important than skill or
experience. Having said that, we’ve all been making movies together for
years, and our family gots hella good film skillz. Dennis’ wife, Rachel
Meyer, is definitely MVP. She built our awesome Bigfoot costume, does all
of our special effects make-up, and is absolutely essential on any shoot
we do. And, in addition to our Army of Meyers, we’ve got some great
friends who are very talented helping us out. Rich Shevchik, who plays the
lead investigator in the film, has allowed us to shoot on his land, which
includes a creepy old farmhouse that he’s let us do whatever we want
with. Without him, it would have been impossible for us to make the film
we’re making. I cannot express in words how grateful Dennis and I are
for all of our cast and crew and all the hard work they’ve put in, but
it’s a whole lot. The $64 question of course: When and
where will The Legend of Grassman be released? Some
of the trailers online say 2010 at the end. I clearly pulled that out of
my ass. It sounded better than “COMING SOON” or “COMING SOMETIME
EVENTUALLY WHEN WE’RE DONE WITH IT.” We’re hoping to be done with
the film at the end of this year so we can start hitting the festival
circuit next Spring. After it finishes its festival run, we’ll get it
out to DVD and cable. Let's
leave the present behind for the moment and move forward into your past:
How did you get into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive
any formal education on the subject? I’ve
wanted to make films since I was a kid. E.T. and the Star Wars-
and Indiana Jones-films were hugely influential. I started my
“career” making slide shows on paper synced to an audio cassette, and
awful computer generated cartoon shorts. My first live-action narrative
was a Super 8 Jaws parody called Teeth (a title which seemed
funny as hell at the time). That was 1987 and, oddly, it involved much of
the same cast as Grassman. I went to a two-year technical college
and went on to work in television and video and it wasn’t until 1999,
upon taking Dov Simens' 2 Day Film School, when I realized I could actually
make a my own feature if I wanted. It took another 10 years to get moving
on that, but the learning experiences I had during that time, making
shorts and working in television, were invaluable.
A few words about
your production company Monkey Productions?
It’s
named after the fake production company name I used as a kid. Our company
logo is a hand-drawn monkey glued to cardboard. I figure if we ever start
getting to big for our britches, looking at that cardboard logo should
knock us down a couple of pegs. As
far as I know, The Legend of Grassman is your debut feature as a
director, but you have directed quite a number of shorts. Why don't you
talk about those for a bit? Doing
shorts is a great way to prepare yourself for the task of doing a feature.
Everything is the same, but on a smaller scale, which makes it much easier
to take chances. For instance, I did an entire film about how the
Invisible Man spends his weekends. Turns out his life is pretty boring and
he just sits around in front of the TV all night. And since he’s
invisible, we’re just staring at a TV, chair, and snack tray the whole
time. To me that’s pretty funny, but if the audience hates it, I’ve
only wasted 4 minutes of their lives. I would certainly be willing to try
this concept as a feature-length film, but I’d have a more difficult
time dealing with the knowledge that I recklessly squandered 2 hours of my
audience’s lives. Any future projects you'd
like to talk about?
We
have a horror script that Dennis wrote called Consumed. It’s a 19th
century American vampire tale and it deals with perception vs. reality and
superstition & paranoia vs. common sense & rational thinking.
It’s very smartly written and also freaky scary. We designed it to be
made on a low budget, but it’s still a little out of our price
range. All the same, I would to love to get to work on that next.
Right
now, Dennis is in the process of writing a new film which he’ll be
directing next Spring. It’s a nasty dirty grungy horror film tentatively
titled Sable. It’s about a Spring break hiking trip that becomes
a nightmare when four girls wander into a seemingly abandoned house, only
to discover it's anything but. And, like I said: Nasty. Dirty. Grungy.
I’m
working on a feature-length documentary called George Chakiris:
Swimming with the Sharks about the life and career of the
Oscar-winning actor from West Side Story. George has been on stage,
screen, television, and had a recording career in the 1960’s and, to say
the least, has had a pretty interesting life so far. We’ve already got 3
and ½ hours of interview footage shot with him and are looking to raise
money to go back and get more.
How does making a feature film
differ from making a short (if at all)? A
feature film requires more endurance. Woody Allen said that 80 percent of
success is showing up. With a feature film, there’s a lot more showing
up to do. It’s important to keep showing up and not get discouraged
because it’s taking too long, or you think you suck, or because of any
other discouraging thought your brain might come up with. Most of your
films are of the horror variety. Is that a genre especially dear to you,
and why? I
love fantasy films – not softcore for women, but films with fantastical
elements. Horror tends to have those elements and fear resonates in a way
unlike any of the other emotions films can evoke. I think there’s a more
intimate connection between people and the films that scare the shit out
of them. And, I think it’s even more true of films that scare the shit
out of you as a kid. I remember in great detail being horrified by the
creepy kid coming up through the bedroom floor and the ball rolling down
the stairs in The Changeling. One of my first movie theater
memories is the anxiety I felt when my dad left me to go to the concession
stand for candy, leaving me alone to face the Tusken Raiders in Star
Wars – and being relieved when I was able to do it without freaking
out. Having those memories kind of makes this genre sacred for me, and I
look forward to scaring the shit out of kids with my films. Directors who inspire you?
Spielberg,
Hitchcock, Nolan, Tarantino, Kurosawa. I love Lucas’ notion of directing
the movie in the edit suite. Rodriguez’s films, as well has his book, Rebel
without a Crew, were a huge influence on the way we’ve gone about
shooting our film. Francis Coppola’s DVD commentaries are so
informative, I’m pretty sure he’s is my mentor. I sometimes talk back
to him. Also, Dennis and I drink a bottle of Coppola wine every time we
accomplish something good.
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While
Dennis was writing the Grassman script, we caught a screening of Raiders
of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation that Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos
did when they were kids and it left me stunned. Among other things, they
had a truck chase with stunts, and set their basement on fire. That was a
huge inspiration for me on this film to push the limits of what we thought
was possible. And it heavily influences at least one major scene in our
movie.
Your
favourite movies?
Star
Wars- and Indiana Jones-films, Singin in the Rain,
Casablanca,
Lawrence of Arabia, the Universal Horror Films from the 1930’s,
Unforgiven,
Goodfellas, Sunset Boulevard and Plan 9 from Outer Space. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? Before
Sunrise. Smokey and the Bandit II. Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.monkeyltd.com
www.thelegendofgrassman.com
Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I’m
building a spaceship to Venus out of Styrofoam packing peanuts. Thanks
for the interview! You’re
welcome. Thanks for asking me.
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