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Your new movie
ApoKalypse - in a few words, what's it about?
Imagine a world where entitled Karens turn into zombies... and somehow
become even more racist - and a group of
misfits need to fight, kill and skate their way out of it. That's
ApoKalypse.
With ApoKalypse
being a zombie movie, is that a genre at all dear to you, and some of your
genre favourites? And what do you think makes your film stick out of the
crowd?
I'm a massive sucker for horror-comedies. I've seen
Army
of Darkness hundreds of times and I absolutely
adore Peter Jackson's Braindead. I once showed Braindead to a French
exchange student whose stomach, bless his heart, tapped out for most of
the runtime. That's a badge of honor for a film like that.
I'd say for
ApoKalypse it's that same spirit. I strive to insult everyone
equally, and let's be honest, the premise of Karens becoming zombies
is a comedic goldmine just waiting to be tapped.
(Other) sources of inspiration when writing
ApoKalypse?
Honestly, the main inspiration was the endless scroll of Karen videos
that dominated the internet for a while. It felt like a cultural
phenomenon. Blending that with my favorite genre horror-comedy, was a
total no-brainer... pun absolutely intended J
With ApoKalypse
being an animated movie, was this always your route to go, or did you
imagine this as a live action film at some point? While a live action version would have been a blast my budget was, let's
say, ultra-low. With animation you can achieve a polished, deliberate look
that's incredibly difficult with live action on a shoestring. Don't get me
wrong, I love scrappy low budget live action, but animation felt like
the right medium to do the story justice. Plus, I was looking for a new
challenge. Oh boy, did I get one!
How much of a say did you have or demand when it
came to character design, production design and the like?
I
was probably what you'd call specifically vague. I provided incredibly
detailed instructions and tons of real-life reference images for the
characters, but I also wanted the animators to have creative freedom to
bring their own magic to it. The goal was collaboration and less of a
dictatorship J
What can you tell us about
ApoKalypse's brand of
humour? It's a delightful cocktail of crude humor mixed with some not so dumb
satire I'd think. Think of it this way: if you're a fan of
South Park or
early Family Guy, you'll likely find something to love or be offended by
it. Hopefully both.
ApoKalypse features
somewhat notorious filmmaker Uwe Boll in a fun cameo role - so what was
working with him like, and how did you get him even?
It's a classic right place, right time story. I used to work as a cinema
projectionist and the owner of the theater chain, Michael Roesch, became
friends with Uwe at a convention. Years later I reconnected with Michael,
who was now producing for Uwe. I ended up helping with things like
translating subtitles and project research. Finally, I just though fuck it
and asked Uwe if he'd do a cameo.
He recorded his lines within a day, didn't ask for a dime and was an
absolute gent. He gets a lot of flak online but he's genuinely a
nice guy who supports indie filmmakers. Thanks to that connection I also
got to work with the wonderful Kristen Renton (Sons of Anarchy,
First
Shift) on my new animated movie XXX Marks the Spot. It's awesome to
see established names helping out the little guys.
What can you tell us about the rest of your voice cast, and why
exactly these people? I dove into the world of online freelancer platforms and was blown
away by the talent. You can find incredible professional voice actors for
very affordable prices. I basically went virtual casting and just fell in
love with their reads. They fit the characters I had in my head perfectly
and I couldn't be happier with the performances they delivered. The $64-question of course,
where can ApoKalypse
be seen? It's available to rent and buy on Amazon in the US (https://www.primevideo.com/detail/ApoKalypse/0JP7PX1VK96U0D68J1XJL1NXHY),
and here's a little money saving pro-tip: It's free for Prime subscribers
in the UK (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0DV3XDZL7/).
So if you have a Prime account and know your way around a VPN, you can
watch it for free from anywhere in the world. I know this is feeding away
from my income, but getting the movie seen is more important to me than to
make money from it. A few other streamers have licensed it, so keep an eye
out! I'm using Filmhub as my distributor/aggregator to get it pitched to
streamers. Anything you can tell us about audience
and critical reception of
ApoKalypse? After staring at a project for three years, you completely lose
perspective. I honestly had no idea if it was absolute shite or actually
decent. So, it’s been a massive and pleasant surprise that every single
review so far, even from people who aren't my friends or family has been
positive. I'm just thrilled that all the hard work is bringing some joy to
people.
With
ApoKalypse having been
your first animated movie (according to my information at least), is this
a mode of filmmaking you're likely to come back to, and/or any other
future projects you'd like to talk about? Absolutely! As I mentioned I'm already deep into my next animated feature, XXX
Marks the Spot. It's a super raunchy road trip movie about a guy
trying to get his engagement ring back from his ex-girlfriend, who has
since become a porn superstar. He's joined by his former best friend and a
waitress and their journey involves angry gangsters and a town populated
by chinchillas that turn into killing machines after tripping on LSD gummy
bears. What got
you into filmmaking to begin with, and did you receive any formal
education on the subject? I've always been a movie fanatic. I made a few shorts and decided this was
what I wanted to do but life happened and I ended up in tech with a
computer science degree. After a while I felt that creative itch
return with a vengeance and decided to dive back in. No formal education
so just a lifelong subscription to the cinema. What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to
ApoKalypse?
I have a few shorts you can dig up on my YouTube
page -
https://www.youtube.com/@starvingpiggy. My most ambitious project before this was a pilot for a
five-season show called Beverly
Hells 666 - https://youtu.be/ngzmEhMfaWc. The premise is that all the most famous horror icons
live in a fancy suburb in Hell but their lives get turned upside down when
Hell is overrun by humans and their friends start getting secretly
replaced overnight by shiny CGI remakes. The reception in terms of views
wasn't what I'd hoped for but I have the whole story mapped out and would
love to revisit it someday.
How would you describe yourself as a director?
I'm an introvert, which is why animation is such a great fit. On my early
live-action shorts, I realized I wasn't always the best communicator on a
chaotic set. With animation I can have a very clear vision and
communicate it precisely. I love the collaborative process and thrive on
the creative input from my team.
Filmmakers who inspire you?
Oh, the list is long but to narrow it down:
- Tarantino for his encyclopedic knowledge and
pure love for the fiber of filmmaking.
- Jim Jarmusch for the incredible and melancholic
undertones in his films.
- Christopher Nolan for constantly reinventing the
blockbuster.
- Frank Darabont because every single one of his
movies resonates with me on a deep, emotional level.
Your favourite
movies?
After much soul-searching:
- The Green Mile - I love Shawshank
too but The Green Mile just gets me every time.
- Back to the Future
- It is in my
opinion a perfect film.
- Jaws - The fact that the shark barely
worked is what makes it a timeless masterpiece. I can rewatch it
forever.
- Ghost Dog - Just the RZA soundtrack
alone is amazing.
... and of course, films you really
deplore?
You know, having gone through the ordeal of getting a film made I
find it hard to truly talk down any movie. I was on the set of Uwe's
latest film Citizen Vigilante (fun fact, my arm makes a cameo getting
held by Armie Hammer), and seeing the sheer effort involved gives you
perspective. That said... when I see Netflix spending $300 million on a single and very
forgettable blockbuster, I can't help but think how that same money could
have funded 150 incredible indie films from passionate creators just
waiting for a shot. So maybe I deplore that business model more than any
single film. Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
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You can find everything at http://starvingpiggy.com.
That's the hub with links to all my socials. Be warned, filmmaking is my
passionate hobby alongside a demanding full-time job, so the site might be
a little buggy. I'll get to it, I promise! Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Honestly, just a massive thank you to
you. The market for indie films is brutal and it's people like you, who take the time to talk
to us that allow us to get the word out. We don't have multi-million
dollar marketing budgets, so this kind of support is everything. It truly
means the world. Thanks
for the interview! Thanks for interviewing me!
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