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Your new movie Boys
Behind Bars 2 - in a few words, what is it about?
It is a very controversial film looking at the corrupt life in a prison
but done in a very exploitative way. What
were your inspirations when dreaming up the concept for Boys
Behind Bars 2 - and to what extent was it influenced by the
original Boys Behind
Bars? Grindhouse cinema and recapturing that
classic filmmaking was the main inspirations for the concept. I grew up
watching the good old trash films and still do. I was pleased with the raw
style of filmmaking and exploitation cinema we caught in the first Boys
Behind Bars film and wanted to carry that across to the sequel.
From what I've heard, most of Boys
Behind Bars 2 was pretty much improvised on the spot - so how
specific were your guidelines as to what's supposed to happen, and what
are the advantages but also challenges of working that way? We
knew the basic plot outline. We knew how the film had to start & where
it was going to end but how we got their was down to the mad characters to
decide. Everyone was clear on who they were playing so for me I had the
fun of watching these crazy events unwind. Working this way does allow for
some real creativity to come out, and you can capture some pure fantastic
scenarios & performances. It is quite high pressure for me as the only
crew member who is self shooting making sure I capture all the characters
and follow the story, and making sure we have what we need to move onto
the next scene and set up. I am constantly thinking of the edit and how it
will come together, so actually working this way makes post production
more smooth and easier but the actual shooting is more of a challenge. I
have to also light the set to allow me to have 360 degree movement as you
never know where the cast are going next!
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What
can you tell us about your co-director, co-creator and star Wade Radford [Wade
Radford interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like? And also do talk about your previous collaborations for a bit, and
how did you two first hook up?
We first met at the beginning of 2012 when a friend of my mother's
introduced us. I am a filmmaker who is always on the look-out for the
next collaboration and it just so happens Wade had a script that he was
searching for the right filmmaker to shoot. I am always up for a
challenge and certainly do not shy away from controversial subjects
which Wade’s script Jake, later to be known as Sex, Lies &
Depravity, was full of! It had some new ground in it that I had not
tackled before & I fancied taking on the challenge of telling the
story of a mentally ill father who was struggling with his sexual
identity, drug and alcohol abuse. It was a great first collaboration
which has lead onto many more. Sex, Lies &
Depravity was a
very different film for me and in a way opened up some new doors in my
filmmaking career which has lead to me making quite a variety of films,
a lot that challenge society and deal with the darker issues in life.
Wade is a very fun guy to work with. He is full of passion and certainly
has a lot and knows how to express himself. What I like about Wade is he
is not afraid to try new things and take on very demanding and hard
roles that most would run away from. He certainly is not scared of a
challenge and welcomes the opportunity to throw himself deep in a new
role.
With the collaboration of Sex, Lies &
Depravity going so well
it led us to do the sequel More Sex, Lies & Depravity that I
really enjoyed. I went all out and pushed the film even further than the
first. I managed to shoot the film I wanted to make with the first one
and made it a stand alone sequel that both me & Wade were very proud
of. I think the script he wrote for the sequel worked very well and was
an even better script to work from than the original, I made the film a
lot more arty that I think suited the nature of this film more.
Through working closely together we discovered we both had a great love
of the grindhouse cinema which I had already made many films in that
vein. Wade wanted to get involved and create one and together we came up
with Boys Behind Bars, a simple yet effective throwback trash
film that would capture the 70’s/80’s golden age of exploration
film. It was an unbelievable experience and we really did go all out to
recreate something we both have so much passion for, and I must say I
was pleased with the result, so much so I ended back with Wade making a
sequel that was fun to return to after doing the very hard hitting
feature Twink that was a real challenge. Just me and Wade as the
only cast & crew in which we dealt with some very dark and
disturbing issues that I hope we managed to portray well looking at the
failing life of a former twink star who’s been abandoned and left to
rot.
Also in between all this we managed to shoot the gay romantic film 1
Last Chance at Paradise that was quite a surreal experience how quick
that was thrown together and a very different film again for me to work
on, and I also threw Wade in at the deep end and put him in my sexually
charged erotic thriller film Lustful Desires along side Kaz B who
plays a call girl that has the dreaded sicko client played by Wade.
Do talk about the rest of
your cast for a bit, and why exactly these people? Wade is
good friends with Honey Bane and we had all worked together on 1 Last
Chance at Paradise, even Connor Paganini was in that one so Boys
Behind Bars 2 was like a cast & crew reunion! They are honestly all
great to work with, having already worked with most of them it was easy to
just all fall straight back into the flow of things, and James Paganini
joined the rest of us like he was already part of the team and threw
himself straight in there not shying away to try new things and push
himself to get the best out of himself just like the rest of the cast.
Honey was intense, she treated the boys mean and kept them on their toes
for real! I think there was a bit of method acting going on there (wink).
Connor seemed to have fun playing with his character and throwing himself
into the psychical side of things, getting into scraps with Wade’s
character who just completely went all out to take on a complete and utter
monster of a man! Is
there any truth to it that Boys
Behind Bars 2 was shot in a mere 5 hours, and what can you tell us
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? It was
indeed shot in an incredible 5 hours. It was a very relaxed and friendly
atmosphere, I was just getting a bit nervous towards the end worrying that
it would not get finished, we were pretty much filming in chronological
order and I could see a rough idea of the running time due to the way it
was made - so I was a bit panicking that we wouldn’t hit feature length
which was our intention but we just managed to just get a feature in
there. We were fighting against the clock due to the location's
availability - but that is nothing new in indie filmmaking. The day went
so fast there was not much time to think or relax, just get into character
straight in there and knock out quite a few 10 - 15 minute takes. It is
actually both psychically and mentally exhausting.
What
can you tell us about audience and critical reception of Boys
Behind Bars 2 so far, and any idea when and where it will be
released onto the general public yet?
It looks set to have
a release date for DVD in the USA towards the end of the year, maybe
November time. It seems to have caused a bit of a stir, I think it's safe
to say it is a required taste, I certainly think it is more disgusting
than the first instalment and that seemed to split audiences in half,
either hating it or finding a certain pleasure in a film that is in places
very distasteful, I believe this will be what will happen with this movie
once its released to the general public.
Will there ever be
a third Boys
Behind Bars, and any (other) future projects you'd like to share? Well
there is in fact plans for a third and possible final instalment following
the character of Darrell played by Wade Radford. This is being planned to
be shot later this year/beginning of next. I always have projects I’m
trying to make but it seems a third Boys
Behind Bars film is certainly one
of the next to be shot. What
got you into filmmaking to begin with, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject? I have been into filmmaking since
I was as young as 5. I would constantly watch films and be fascinated by
not just the movie in general but how it was made, and why certain things
were done to make it etc. It quickly became a hobby and passion so much so
that at the age of 10 I picked my dad's camcorder up and shot my first
short film that I had him edit straight into the VCR. This only fuelled my
hunger to be a real filmmaker even more which ended up leading me to go to
college for 3 years straight from school to study media where I began
making student films. I have very found memories of watching a lot of
films with my granddad, especially westerns - he would buy a VHS a week,
and built a massive collection up which is now in my possession along with
my ever growing collection of DVDs, Blu-rays and film memorabilia.
What can you tell us about your
filmwork prior to Boys
Behind Bars 2 and your evolution as a director? And any specific films of yours you'd like to talk
about? I have been on a roller coaster of a ride with my
filmmaking career. I have covered so many genres and styles that it is
what I feel is quite an achievement. I am very known for my horror &
controversial films as I have made so many and that is one of my favourite
genres to both watch & make. I started out making a lot of short films
and quickly moved into doing full length features that I have managed to
turn some around fairly quickly. Every film is a learning curve that has
only made me stronger as a director. Each movie has its own problems to
overcome and I believe you can take a lesson out of most flicks you make
and use it to your advantage on the next one. I believe my earlier films
were a lot more slapstick and tongue in cheek, and over the years I have
evolved into much more seriousness in my films, and I have very much
enjoyed this process. My short film Zombies in the Wood stands out
as it won me best film that was a huge encouragement for me to carry on
making movies and it was for one of my favourite horror sub-genres, the
zombie flick. My film Tortured was the biggest learning curve. That
was extremely hard work, it took me a year from pre-production to the
final cut and the week block of filming I done was extremely intense, the
days would last 20 hours, it absolutely exhausted me, and ever since then
I’ve tried to have a bit easier shoots as it was like a war zone on that
set at times, people arguing, tons of problems and some major fall outs,
it had a few good memories but overall quite a nasty film to work on and
it really was torture at points. I much more enjoyed editing that one
being away from all the hassle. I did managed to achieve my goal though of
making a modern day video nastie that had some censorship issues itself!
It didn’t turn out as well as I hoped it would but no film ever does
that I make, I think thats the same for any filmmaker, you always look
back at your films and see where you could of improved.
How would you describe yourself as a director?
I
believe I am quite laid back and very open to try new things. I try to
have an easy going approach to help put people at ease. I find if you are
too stressful and in people's faces you don’t get the best out them, I
have witnessed this on shoots I have worked on, I don’t like bad
atmospheres on set, it takes the passion out of what you are doing so I do
try to be as easy going as I can and do the best I can to get what I need. Filmmakers
who inspire you? I am inspired by Ruggero Deodato [Ruggero
Deodato bio - click here], Cannibal Holocaust is such a powerful film, it stays with you long
after viewing it. I am also inspired by
Jörg Buttgereit, his films are shot outstandingly and can be visually
stunning. I am also a big fan of David Cronenberg, he has such an engaging
way of moving you through the story he is telling. Your favourite movies? Some
of my favourite films are Cannibal Holocaust, it really is a thought
provoking film. Irreversible is again such a strong film and very
challenging, I like a film that does not hold back and not afraid to
challenge you with its subject matter, a film that will make you think
& question things. Nekromantik is a fascinating film that has a
brilliant atmosphere that suits the film perfectly. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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I’m quite
accepting of most films and can enjoy all genres, but I did find Cannibal
Holocaust 2 a big let-down and generally quite a pointless film with very
little plot and built up to absolutely nothing. I did find Moshi
Monsters: The Movie quite hard to sit through when I took the kids to
the cinema, not what I would call a classic, a very mediocre family film
with really bad attempts of making jokes. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
More information on me and my movies can be found at my official website
www.jasonimpey.co.uk &
my official Facebook page www.facebook.com/jason666films
& of course my Twitter www.twitter.com/jasonimpey
Anything else
you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you for taking the time to talk with me, I hope I have shed some
interesting information on me as a filmmaker and I have a lot in the pipeline and a lot of features coming out. I am just finishing editing the
Daly Does The Dead trilogy of films that includes Mr Crispin,
Hollywood Betrayed & First Bite Is The Deepest - all of
which star and are directed by Eileen Daly. I am also finishing off my
feature film Exploited which has been 8 years in the making and
should be my most complete vision of my earlier feature film Home
Made - a version I was never truly happy with. The film follows the
crazed filmmaker Jack Hess who is trying to create the ultimate snuff
film! Thanks
for the interview!
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