Dorkgasm - Interviews

Jim Butcher (Part 3) | Interviews

MRiedlinger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:34:30 +0000

The long awaited PART 3! Thank you all for the patience. I hope you enjoy!
Parts 1 & 2 are below.

Jim Butcher (Part 1) | Interviews

MRiedlinger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:03:33 +0000

Parts 2 & 3 coming soon!

Jim Butcher (Part 2) | Interviews

MRiedlinger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:03:33 +0000

Part 3 Coming Soon!

David Atchison | Interviews

MRiedlinger — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:14:03 +0000

The Writer of The Warriors Comes Out To Play:

An Interview with David Atchison

Michael C. Riedlinger

Editor-In-Chief

David Atchison is a writer who has exploded onto the comics scene in the last two years. His projects are the stuff of legends. He first worked with Rosario Dawson on Occult Crimes Taskforce. Then, last year, he penned the occult/kung fu/ hip-hop book Method Man. Now, Dabel Brothers Publishing has chosen him to write The Warriors, based on Walter Hill’s classic 1979 film. The thing is, he doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, his IMDB listing is practically pay-per-view because his projects are all still new, and Amazon gets him confused with an ophthalmologist. When we were presented the opportunity for some Q&A time with Mr. Atchison, you had better believe we jumped at it.

Dorkgasm: First and foremost, who are you as a writer? Many of the folks writing non-superhero comics seem to be British and White, but you are neither. Does this make a difference? Do you think it even matters?

Atchison: I think a writer's background helps to give them a unique perspective. Martin Luther King Jr. said to truly appreciate a person you have to appreciate every aspect of who they are. Race/ nationality is just one of the things that makes me or any writer unique. Rather than ignore it, I embrace it. I use the unique facets of my identity to bring a different perspective to story.

Dorkgasm: What is your background? Before The Warriors, you worked on Rosario Dawson’s Occult Crimes Taskforce and Method Man, but what else have you done? Did you attend college to become a writer, or is this just something you managed by force of will and sheer talent?

Atchison: My background? I was a journalist for the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. The military taught me how to "just put things on paper." A big part of writing is just getting it down. You can always (and should) revise once it's on paper. Some people are scared of writing things down. They want everything to be perfect before they touch the keyboard. The military helped me to get past that. I also learned a good deal of writing through practical application. Before the Occult Crimes Taskforce and the Method Man Graphic Novel, I was an editor and writer for a Pop-culture/ Sequential Art Anthology called Authentic. Learning to write can be a lot like learning to walk. You have to stumble before you get the hang of it. Authentic was where I first attempted to walk.

Along the way I also got a lot of advice from pros: Dan Jolley, David Mack, Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze and Georges Jeanty were the pros most influential in helping me break into entertainment writing.
a. Dan Jolley suggested “the Heroes’ Journey” by Chris Volger
b. David Mack validated my indie work as being equally as valid as any big company thing (a lesson I still thank him for)
c. Cully Hamner stressed to me the difference between what a story IS about and the details of story.
d. Brian Stelfreeze did too much to name here- hours of critiques, talks, edits and lessons.
e. Georges Jeanty routinely offered advice, pro experience, contacts and encouragement.

Dorkgasm: So how did you end up writing comics as opposed to say, reporting for the Washington Post or Newsweek?

Atchison: I actually do write for a couple of media outlets from time to time, but comics are my passion. I got in by writing anything I could and showing that work to professionals who were interested in giving feedback to newbies. I made sure I was always "up to something" at shows. I also invested my own capitol in a couple of projects. That really helped me get a better understanding on how projects turn out. I would liken getting into comics to getting into the Rap Music Game. A mix tape and an indie book have a lot in common. They both show the bigger performers and labels (i.e. Paying Companies) what you can do. It gives them a basis to see if they're interested in trying you out on new things. The better the quality of the mix tape, the more people will listen. The more people who listen, the bigger the buzz. The same can be said of comics.
I was also cordial and respectful. No one wants to talk to an asshole for an extended period of time. One should never be a kiss ass, but showing creators respect goes a long way. Making friends in the comic industry is no different from making friends in any other professional industry.

Dorkgasm: That brings us to The Warriors. Do you plan to bring anything new to the story, like Walter Hill did when he adapted the novel, or are we seeing just a straight translation?

Atchison: We had to bring something new to translate the material. Comic books and films are similar but comic books are a different medium. We're trying to take the same approach to adapting the comic that Walter Hill probably took to adapting the book: we want to take the strongest elements of our medium and combine them with the strongest elements of the film. You can emphasize drama in comic books in a way that you can't in any other medium.

Dorkgasm: When it comes to adapting a text that’s already been shown in a visual medium, what are the hardest challenges you face as a writer?

Atchison: The hardest challenge is creating something that is familiar and new at the same time. People have an idea and emotional experience they expect when dealing with material they've consumed in the past. It can be a daunting task to give them what they love and [still] give them something new. It's like trying to improve a cheeseburger when the people you're cooking for feel the cheeseburger is perfect as it is.

Dorkgasm: The Warriors are a mixed bag of characters. Who is your favorite, and why?

Atchison: It's hard to say. They're all cool at some point or another. Snow is consistently enjoyable because he just soldiers along. Ajax has a Wolverine-like, loose cannon quality. Swan and Mercy's relationship was fun to watch play out. Rembrandt is a great little brother character. Vermin is just a hard-luck kind of guy who can't seem to catch a break from anyone, even his own friends. I could go on... I really do like them all.

Dorkgasm: Okay, so then who is your least favorite?

Atchison: Cowboy. I didn't get a sense of who he was as much as the others.

Dorkgasm: Do you see the gang members in THE WARRIORS as more like superheroes or caricatures of gang life circa 1979?

Atchison: Neither, I see them as a band of brothers. I've always seen them as sort of an independent/ underground military unit trapped behind enemy lines.

Dorkgasm: Is that a view you’ve always held, or does that come from your time in the Air Force?

Atchison: I've always held that view. As a kid, they seemed like some kind of "kid army”. They held positions like "War Chief" (Cleon and then Swan), they had an intel guy (Fox) and they had a cavalier/ drummer boy/ mascot (Rembrandt).

Dorkgasm: With the comic, you stuck with Walter Hill’s comic book opening from The Director’s Cut. Are you using that version of the film exclusively for this project, or are you pooling from all the versions available?

Atchison: We're pooling from all versions available. The Director's Cut offers the most information but the standard version is the most identifiable with fans. I also did some independent research and pulled in little notes from the Director's commentary as well.

Dorkgasm: Why do you feel Hill went with the comic book angle? Is it purely a nod to the novel (wherein a character carries around a comic about Anabasis), or is Hill saying something more?

Atchison: I think the comic book angle added to the pseudo sci-fi feel that Walter Hill was going for. The movie had a post apocalyptic influence and the comic book stuff played into that.

Dorkgasm: The late 70’s, when the film came out, was a time of crazy political and economic upheaval, what with the gas shortage and the start of problems in Iran. It’s why we started to see a ton of dystopian stuff, zombie films, and the apocalypse at every turn, both in comics and the movies. Do you think that the current social climate has anything to do with the recent resurgence in popularity of The Warriors? Does it help or harm you as a writer to tell a story like this in a time of uncertainty?

Atchison: That's a really good question. We're definitely in a time of uncertainty, but I don't think the apocalyptic future that is a logical conclusion to our problems is the same as the one they foresaw the 70s. The Warriors resurgence probably has to do with the Millenials fascination with the 80s. Warriors came out in ‘79, but it remained popular through the early 80s and the 80s are hot right now. The Millenials didn't live through it.

Dorkgasm: What happened to Ajax after the police nabbed him? Did The Orphans ever seek revenge? There’s all sorts of unanswered questions left over after the film, so do you plan on expanding on The Warriors universe either in the confines of this adaptation, or afterwards, with a new series?

Atchison: Dabel Bros. will be expanding on The Warriors Universe with a series. I'm not at liberty to say what else they've got coming up but there is some COOL stuff on the way and if I was a betting man, I'd bet some of your questions will be answered in bloody, kick-ass comic detail. It's definitely a good time to be a Warriors fan.

Dorkgasm: That’s actually really awesome news! Are you sure you can’t tell us anything? Maybe give us something to salivate over? Will you be working any of the forthcoming new material into this series?

Atchison: Hmmm. Well, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a book or two that answered some of the unanswered questions of the movie. It also wouldn't surprise me if you got to see some of the other gangs in action. As for my involvement... I do love The Warriors, so we'll see.

Dorkgasm: Do you think The Warriors did anything to the public perception of gang life for our generation?

Atchison: The Warriors did as much for the public perception of gangs as Mad Max helped the public perception of highway patrolmen. It's a great film, but I think it's a better example of camaraderie and loyalty than it is of gang life.

Dorkgasm: That’s a really good observation. Do you think this sense of loyalty and camaraderie is something culled from the gangs though, or is that something inherent in the stories because of its origins as a military tale?

Atchison: A little of both. Gangs and military units have a lot in common. A military is essentially a gang that's hooked up with a governmental body. It's sort of a sovereign gang with standards and rules. Look at a military force like the Spartans. Some guys in Sparta [up] and decide they're going to protect it. Over years that protection force becomes more formal and develop standards and regulations. They evolve. U.S. Forces started out as militias. I'm sure the British viewed them that way. No one outside of their circles viewed them as a real military until the nation was established.

Dorkgasm: For a while now there have been rumors that Tony Scott will remake The Warriors for Paramount. How do you feel about this in particular, and about the trend of remaking every late-70s/early-80s property Hollywood can get its hands on?

Atchison: Retrotainment is hit or miss for me. I think it has a lot to do with the creative team's sentiment. The audience can tell when someone is trying to make a quick buck off a known property. They can also tell when someone really loves the source material and thought about what the original film was trying to say. If Scott captures the real story, the loyalty, the camaraderie, the sense of inner-city revolution and the kick ass fighting, a remake could be cool.

Dorkgasm: So then, if you could guarantee it was done right, what from your childhood do you think would be cool to see remade and upgraded?

Atchison: Without a doubt- D.A.R.Y.L. (Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform). It was a film starring Barrett Oliver (from Neverending Story) about a kid who had a robot brain. I love that film.

Dorkgasm: I have to agree, that would kick all form of ass. It was one of the few computer movies I remember that didn’t fall back on “kewl grafix” like War Games or Tron. So, what’s next for you after The Warriors? Are you sticking with comics, or is there another medium in which you’re looking to ply your trade?

Atchison: I've got a another book coming out this summer that's going to be announced soon. There's a new Occult Crimes Taskforce Miniseries on the way and I'm working on a television show called True Believer for Sci-Fi Channel.

So that’s it folks. With any luck, maybe we’ll see a sneak trailer of D.A.R.Y.L. at a comic con one of these summers, but The Warriors is something you can go check out now! We’ve got a review of it here. For those fans looking to follow David and his career from here on out, here’s a cheat sheet:

http://www.thewritedna.com
http://thewritedna.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/popculturalist
http://twitter.com/popculturalist

Wayne Clingman interview

kenneth.holm — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:12:10 +0000

The Return of the Attack of the 50-Foot Mind of the Man that ate Lake Michigan Interview by Ken Holm I recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Wayne Clingman, the crown prince of darkness, about his horror / fantasy / sci-fi film festival called “It Came From Lake Michigan” (ICFLM) a couple days ago. He’s very passionate about making an environment where the fan is the number one priority and showing some kick-ass films is a very close second. Let’s see if what he has to say about his labor of love, shall we? Wayne Clingman: Boy, it’s hell to be interviewed by the press all day, you know? Kenneth Holm: Well, I’ll try to go easy on you for now. Wayne Clingman: Thanks. Let’s go. Kenneth Holm: So Wayne, how did you originally get started with “It Came From Lake Michigan”? Wayne Clingman: “It Came From Lake Michigan” came about because fellow members of the Film Wisconsin group and myself were sitting together on a balcony in Madison, talking about how you get thing going in film. A wonderful man by the name of Will Edwards, who then worked for Raven software and who is now working for the film director (Robert) Rodriguez, the film director down in Texas, said that the best way to do that was to put on a genre film festival, such as a horror genre, science fiction, or fantasy. So, that’s how that got started and we just started moving forward with the whole idea. Kenneth Holm: Okay, how long as ICFLM been around now? Wayne Clingman: This is our second year. Kenneth Holm: For those of us who missed last year, what were some of the highlights? Wayne Clingman: Well, some of the highlights… We had Lloyd Kaufman (President of Troma); first time he’s ever visited Racine. We had Fred Olen Ray, whose only convention is ICFLM. We illustrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that the state of Wisconsin and the Midwest have talented, independent filmmakers. Kenneth Holm: Very cool! So, what goes into making a film festival from the ground up? Wayne Clingman: More work than can be possibly imagined. You have to do… No matter how much help you have, and this year I’ve had some really good help with William Zenobia among others, including Dorkgasm, I have to wear many hats. I have to be everything from a programmer to a salesperson, to a marketing person. I have to run a bucket fire brigade. Everything ultimately falls upon my shoulders, as it should be, because ultimately the reward will be… As the reward can be shared among other people, as it should be. The risk is all my own, if that made sense. Kenneth Holm: Have you liked horror and genre movies for pretty much as long as you can remember? You strike me as a well-versed man in the subject of horror. Wayne Clingman: I liked… I’m more of a science fiction fan than I am… Let me tell you this. I liked the current sci-fi films out there. I think they’re really interesting because the line between what’s science fiction and what’s reality is quickly blurring. I mean, hell, 2001 could even come before I pass, ever since you had computers. We have the ability to destroy ourselves in interesting, unique ways. From bio-terrorism to nuclear weapons to all kinds of strange things. All the amounts of poisons that are injected into our food everyday, especially from the People’s Republic of China which before we were so gleefully stuffing into our pets and ourselves. You know, it could easily be Tales of Terror. At the same time, I love the horror movies of the 50’s through the 70’s. Are you familiar with the Hammer-type films? Kenneth Holm: Of course. Wayne Clingman: They didn’t need a lot of gore on the walls to scare people. It was really what was underneath the bed, what was in the closet. You know, what was in the shadows, what is it you didn’t know. It was definitely more terrifying than going “Oh! There’s a girl! Let’s take her shirt off, let’s cut off her arms, and let’s watch her blood spurt all over”. Anybody… My cat could do that. Kenneth Holm: (laughter) Wayne Clingman: I’m sorry, my cat could do better than that. That’s my biggest complaint about the horror genre today is the “Torture Porn” elements. However, at ICFLM, we have a lot of films that don’t show that sort of thing necessarily and are very scary, very frightening films. It proves that you don’t need that flavor to make a successful film. Kenneth Holm: I definitely agree. One thing I’ve noticed while looking into ICFLM and doing all the behind the scenes work that I’ve been helping with is that the festival feels like it’s actually going to be fun. Fun seems to be a big element that’s lacking from many of these bigger film festivals. Wayne Clingman: Okay. Kenneth Holm: This seems to be really fun, though. You’ve thrown together a really interesting lineup of people. How did you decide whom to try to get to come to the festival? Wayne Clingman: Ah, let’s talk about that. What’s really interesting was with Uwe Boll, because he’s our headliner this year and I have a lot of respect for Mr. Boll. I really do. The reach out feel of his e-mail... Somehow, I got a hold of his e-mail and I wrote him an e-mail to see if he was interested. He said of course he’d love to come, and that took off from there. I think that’s fascinating. That was him. We got (Lloyd) Kaufman because he said if you wanted to do this again, he’d be happy to at least show up. Everybody else that we have were people who I know who are either doing something in the independent horror genre or science fiction / fantasy or trying to get something done. We don’t have to go there because you probably know who’s all coming better than I do. (Note: He’s probably right). We looked at the list of people and that’s how we decided who was going to come. You know if they were nice, or had a reputation of being nice to fans. Their reputation of having fun was one of the main criteria. Too many times I’ve heard from festivals, such as the Fangoria one or the one called Flashback Weekend down in Chicago. You know, the stories about stars being rude to fans. I’m sorry. It’s the fans that are paying your salaries, so why be rude to the people who are ultimately paying your bills? I don’t understand that, and that’s something we avoided. Kenneth Holm: Well, that’s good news for everyone who’s planning to attend this year’s festival. Now, is there anything you think the fans should know about? Wayne Clingman: This is a great opportunity for the fan who wants to get an idea of what it takes to make a movie, to come own and talk to people who will be more than happy to talk to them about what it takes to make a film. You know, or those people who may have made a couple of movies with their friends to see what it takes to make a film on that level. It’s a good opportunity to talk to people who make films on a one-on-one basis. When you look at the lineup of people we have here, they’re pretty much from the Midwest. Not all of them per se, for example, Scarlet Salem is from the Minneapolis area. She’s done one or two films. She’s trying to do something, and she’s trying to be someone who’ll be in movies. She’s out there getting it done. We have a guy here by the name of Bryan Braun; called Bryan Bloodsoaker is his stage name. He’s a local Milwaukee filmmaker who has a couple of projects going, just to see what he can’t get done. He showing up to say “This is what I’m doing. How can I help you get something done, too?” We have James Zahn, who I think you know, right? Kenneth Holm: Yes. We met at the fundraiser for ICFLM. Wayne Clingman: You know, and he… Not only has he been a great help to ICFLM, but also he’s the type of person who’ll help anybody. You got an idea, you need it done, give him a call. Send him an e-mail. You know, they’re there to help get your project done. He wants to help you do better. I think those things are important as what we as individuals… not only us, but also what we can share as filmmakers, and get our questions answered. You know, going into a situation and being able to talk to Jim or talking to Mark Metcalf, who was The Master on Buffy, and saying what was it like to work in Hollywood? You’ll get an answer. Kenneth Holm: Which is why I like these smaller film festivals a lot better. They’re more accessible. They’re not “Here’s that guy I wanted to talk to, but his fifteen bodyguards won’t let me near him”. Wayne Clingman: Last year, at Flashback Weekend, there was one of the stars from House Of 1000 Corpses, and you couldn’t even say hello unless you had money in your hand. Come on. I just paid to get in. I talked to Adrienne Barbeau, and even though she was there selling her book, I talked to her for fifteen to twenty minutes. Not once did she say “Hey, buddy! You want to talk to me; you have to buy my book!” It was nice to have that kind of interaction. That’s one of the things I wanted to bring to ICFLM. We don’t play that, nor will it be tolerated. It’s just for fun. Some people may be selling pictures, or soup labels, but they’ll just talk to you for nothing. They’re just selling their stuff to make some money. Kenneth Holm: That’s awesome, because it let’s some people talk to stars that they wouldn’t get a chance to talk to normally. It might enrich their lives, you know? It’s a very cool happening. Now, feel free not to elaborate on this, but can we expect any surprises at the festival? You know, like secret goings-on. Wayne Clingman: I can neither confirm nor deny any rumors that may be floating around. Kenneth Holm: Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait until the festival, huh? So, now if you don’t mind, how did William Zenobia get involved with ICFLM? Wayne Clingman: Bill and I have only known each other for a short time, but I want to show you what a great man he is. When I was having a huge crisis last year, Bill Zenobia stepped out of the shadows and saved me. I had no hope. None. Zippo. The Lord provided Bill Zenobia as an avenging angel. He has no problem says “No. You’re wrong”. He’s a great person to have in your corner. Kenneth Holm: so, depending on this year’s festival, will we see one next year? Wayne Clingman: Yes. It will probably be at the same venue, too. Kenneth Holm: Well, Wayne, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to talk to me today. Wayne Clingman: No problem. I want to thank you and the whole Dorkgasm crew for being as nice as you have been. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the past and the wonderful times in the future. I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome all people to It Came From Lake Michigan to have a good time from the 25th to the 28th of October. There you have it. It Came From Lake Michigan promises to be a scary fun time for all. There was some of the interview that had to be cut. It involved the city of Racine being giant bags of douche and not being accommodating to last year’s festival. Wayne got in touch with the fine people at the Tommy Thompson Center, and they’ve been nothing but professionals in their dealings. Wayne would like to thank everyone there for being so cool, and he hopes to work with them as long as the festival is being held. So, what are you waiting for? Get moving and buy your tickets to the hottest film festival in Wisconsin, It Came From Lake Michigan!

James Moloney Tells No Lies

kenneth.holm — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:34:26 +0000

James Moloney Interview By: Kenneth Holm Senior Staff Writer My conversations with James Moloney began rather innocuously. I had just finished reading his novel Book of Lies and wanted to express my pleasure in reading it. Using the HarperCollins Author Web, I found his personal website. After tooling about for a bit, I found his e-mail address. I just wrote a simple e-mail saying how much I liked the book, I wanted to share it with other people, and that I was planning on writing a review for Dorkgasm. I was interested to see if he would like to read it. He replied thanking me for my interest and he would love to read the review. Then, though, the old brain started thinking. Could I get him to talk to Dorkgasm about his book? I wrote him and he replied quickly saying he absolutely would be happy to answer some questions. Well, some questions turned into seventeen questions, with another thirteen questions following up his previous answers. One clue on how cool this guy is most of the follow up questions were answered while he was at Internet cafes during his most recent school tour. This was, without a doubt, the most involved interview out of all of them I’ve done so far. His answers were so in depth that I have had to trim down his answers quite a bit in order to fit this into one article. Look for the WHOLE transcript to show up at a later date. For now, though, I give you James Moloney, best selling Australian author… Okay, Jim. For everyone not in the know, could you please state your name, occupation, astrological sign and favorite ice cream flavor? James Moloney, Writer (Books for the Young), Virgo, and Lemon Sorbet Gelato Describe a typical day of work for you, if you would. Many authors have “little rituals” they do before they settle down for a day of hard writing. What’s yours? I’m rather boring here, I’m afraid. I find that often it is simply time in front of the computer that gets the words written. I see my wife off to work, take my son to school and complete my share of the morning chores, all done by about 8:30 and then go down to a shed in my backyard, where I have a desk, computer, bookcase, filing cabinet and air conditioner (It can be quite sweltering in Brisbane in the summer). I work in bursts of one and a half to two hours, interspersing these with breaks for coffee, lunch, and the rest. I try to be disciplined, but sometime I’ll waste time answering e-mails that could be done in the evening. If I work hard through the morning and early afternoon, I’m often spent by about four. Some days I stay at my desk until six. I rarely write after dinner. (The last sentence has been omitted to protect the innocent author from his wife. Nothing bad, I promise, but he said not to tell his wife…) Your first book in the series, Book Of Lies, is now available in the States, but I, like probably many before me, found it by accident. In the wake of the Harry Potter series ending, why is this book not being marketed more? Are you happy with the way HarperCollins is marketing it? I’m not happy with HC’s marketing because they don’t seem to have done anything other than distribute the book. The Book Of Lies received some positive reviews in journals like Kirkus, but as far as I know, it has not been looked at by a large newspaper (True. I haven’t been able to find anything about it.). I have had some enthusiastic readers e-mail me through my website to say how much they enjoyed it, but apart from that the book seems to be sinking without a trace. Living in Australia, there’s nothing I can do to promote it. Yes, I would have thought, in a post-Harry environment, publishers would do more to push a book that appeals to the same readers. I have a feeling that publishers are pumping out so many fantasy book that they are just sitting back to see which ones take off by themselves – after all, Harry Potter seemed to generate its own momentum to begin with. In the FAQ section of your website, you explain where you came up with the idea for The Book Of Lies, which was listening to the radio about a court case where the jury had to decide which side was telling the truth. You said lie detectors have a tendency to make mistakes, so you came up with a magical lie detector. How did you decide to adapt it for a younger audience? Naturally, I wasn’t going to write a modern day story about lie detectors and court cases – not for kids. Besides, there was the question of whether lie detectors can be completely trusted…On this occasion, I was…thinking of about a fantasy story and so the two came together – if my lie detector was created by magic, it would be infallible… But, then I thought, what if the magic became corrupted… The story plan changed direction to incorporate this and away we went. Truth and deceitfulness are some very adult concepts for a book, and if they were handled wrong, it could have been a disaster. Yet, you crafted a story that makes readers young and old care and think about the characters. What went into boiling the story down for a younger audience? The Book Of Lies was roughly the twentieth novel I have written for young people, although many of those twenty were much shorter. I’ve been (writing) now for two decades and for the second of those two decades, it has been my only job. Before that, I was a teacher and teacher-librarian for twenty-three years. I point this out as a way of explaining that I don’t have to think consciously about how to form stories for the young – it comes naturally for me. I sometimes use language that is too grown up for the readership in the first draft, particularly if I have been reading some fine adult writing in my leisure time. For a while, I was on a binge of John Irving, Ian McEwan, and Annie Proulx, all of whom I adore as writers and found myself borrowing some of their sentence structures which were too complicated for what I was writing at the time. I usually pick this up myself in the second draft and if I miss it, my editor soon sorts me out. As an unwritten rule, I find the essence of writing well for the young is to drive the plot along at a good pace, stay focused on a small number of main characters I care about myself, challenge kids and don’t be afraid they won’t understand something. I trusted kids to understand that language can be highly ambiguous because of the sophistication of the human mind and that this was a loophole in the magic that The Book Of Lies was exploiting. The books in the “Book Of Lies” series are very cinematic in scope. Has there been any talk of any movies being adapted from them? Only last week a maker of children's film and television programs contacted me about BoL. He was interested in one of my earlier novels but nothing ever came of it. I'll have to wait and see what comes of this. Which other book was being looked at for a movie? I'd like to point people to this so we could possibly start a groundswell in interest both in this and the BoL series. 'Black Taxi'. There was talk of it being used as a vehicle for Lindsey Lohan but I don't know how far advanced that idea had gone. It is a very different genre from BoL, of course. Harry Potter, like it or not, has changed the face of youth orientated fiction, probably forever. How do you think this will affect the landscape in the years to come? It is a good change or bad change? Is it harder to write youth fiction now that the success of HP has raised the bar? Do you feel any pressure to succumb to writing a novel that copies, more or less, the style to sell more books? Yes, HP has changed the landscape for youth fiction. Firstly, I think it has brought more young readers into the fold and that can only be a great thing. Of course those readers will soon grow up, but I think JK Rowling's legacy will linger in the collective memory of how children can become so powerfully enthused by a special book or series and so teachers, librarians and parents in general will be eager to see this ground swell continue. She brought back the fun element to children's books too. I think kids books became a bit serious through the seventies and eighties in response to social break down seen in single parent families, drugs and rising crime rates, the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the failure of leftist social and political policies to bring about the Great Society so many hoped for. I have to admit that my books have been part of this, although I'm lightening up now. Perhaps I'm doing so because Harry has given me permission. That's an interesting thought. The publishing landscape has been affected by Harry too. Publishers always did better out of their children's lists than they would ever admit and many used the profits from their children's books, either to prop up less commercial adult projects, or take a gamble on a new writer in the hope he/she would become a big seller in the future. That's certainly the case in Australia and to some extent England. Not so sure about the US where things are more ferociously commercial. What Harry has shown them however, is children's books can be the huge earners in their own right. That has given children's books long overdue respect and attention in certain quarters and I'm quietly pleased about that. However, the danger here is that publishers will get pre-occupied with unearthing the next Harry, instead of nurturing a range of new talent that collectively creates the rich array of literature for the young that society needs, (but doesn't make a lot of money). Most children's writer don't want to get rich, they want to see their books in the hands of children. Personally, I haven't felt any pressure from publishers or the marketplace to write like JK Rowling. If I have taken on fantasy as a genre, it was to get away from my serious self, have some fun and try a new challenge in my writing. In fact, the view among my colleagues is that you'd do yourself a huge disservice by trying to copy the Rowling mold. Having said that, I was recently shown some sales figure for BoL in Australia and they are pretty amazing considering the size of our market. While I have novels that have sold more, they are the type taken up by schools for study and so sell 30 copies at a time, year after year to kids who aren't choosing them personally. BoL has achieved these sales without that educational element and purely because kids like it. So there is something about fantasy. The trend is changing now though. The new hot property is adventure stories. The king of this genre is Anthony Horowitz and his Alex Rider Books. I am definitely noticing many copycat series emerging to cash in on this, and I know that publishers are looking for such manuscripts. In many ways, this re-birth of the Boys Own Adventure concept was always going to come. Poor old Biggles was retired forty years ago on the grounds of political correctness. Alex Rider is Biggles by another name, without the dated story lines and racism. I have no intention of joining the trend. I have written adventure stories in some of my shorter and younger books. I enjoy it and I do it for myself and my readers, not to please publishers. You credit "Harry Potter" in giving you "permission" to lighten up. Before he hit, though, you had focused on the more social issues you had mentioned. Do you think that children's fiction could be ready for more adult minded premises such as "the failure of leftist social and political policies"? Kind of a "Communist Manifesto for kids"? Is this almost expecting too much of the reader? No, no. I mentioned the political jargon in explaining why some writers tended towards social issues in their stories for the young. I think there should be less of in youth literature, not more. You can write gutsy, thought-provoking literature for adolescents without hunting for the social issue du jour. Adventure stories are starting to boil rather than simmer now, as you pointed out, but some would argue they never went away. Alex Rider (who just had a somewhat successful movie debut here with "Stormbreaker") is still somewhat unknown here in the States, but how much does he owe to Ian Fleming's James Bond books? Is everything old suddenly becoming new, or am I just imagining things? Yes, you are probably right about adventure stories never really going away. I still feel they were de-emphasized, certainly here in Oz and I blame this at least in part for the drop off in boys reading. Perhaps everything old is new again. Children's literature is prone to fashions and fads. Fantasy has been the big one lately but I feel it is starting to die. Horowitz is taking the mantle from Rowling, although the Alex Rider film didn't make anything like the splash that Harry Potter did. I believe that the Fleming family have engaged a couple of writers to continue the franchise, one being Charlie Higson to write about James Bond as a teenager. I noticed that, being your first more widely known book in the US, there does seem to be an emphasis in our conversations in getting the word out. Success in America does appear to be tantamount to being a success worldwide. Harry Potter could have been a blockbuster in England, but if it never reached America and inspired the furor that it did, do you think it would have gone differently? Would I be correct is thinking that authors abroad want to break in the US because we are such a media obsessed nation? There probably wouldn't have been the commitment to seven films, and the merchandizing for HP, if America hadn't taken Harry to its heart. That is true. It's a bit like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. They had to conquer the US to be considered a global phenomenon and earn the truly big bucks. Getting published in the USA is part of 'the dream' for Australian writers. Another dream is getting the call from Hollywood. It's not hard to see why, 20 millions Australians versus 300 millions Americans. We all get dollar signs in our eyes from time to time and when you understand how little financial return most writers receive, you can't really blame us. However, like all dreams, it is an illusion and I am rapidly coming to understand this. A writer named Gary Crew, who has been something of a mentor, told me this years ago. His books were starting to get published in the US at the time and one was even short listed for the Edgar Allen Poe award. He told me that while the market is huge, so are the number of competing titles. The media is much more decentralized as well. Without a marketing push from the publishers, the sales simply wouldn't come. I understood this even better when I went to New York in 2005 and looked for my recently released novel 'Black Taxi.' Borders had only three copies on the island of Manhattan and when I found two copies in a quaint bookshop in Union Square, I had to climb a ladder to reach them and then fight with the tightly packed books which had it jammed in place, just so I could look at the cover. What teenager was going to find it? So if I have mentioned to you a couple of times that I'd appreciate any help getting the word out, you'll understand it's like the drowning man grasping at whatever floats into reach. One of my Australian colleagues, Garth Nix, has managed to negotiate these difficulties and done very well with his fantasy stories Sabriel, Lireal and Abhorsen in the USA. I saw his books in airports while I was there. I understand he travels to the US twice and three times a year, mainly to keep his face in front of the editors and sales executives. He's a businessman as well as a writer and a natural charmer -good at self-promotion. I'm rather shy and awkward in those situations or maybe I am simply complacent in this regard because I do well enough in Australia to get by. I'm sure that most children's writers are happy with getting their books in the hands of young readers, but how would someone ensure more than that? Is self-promotion, hand-shaking, and book signings that important to getting the printed word out? I'm not sure how things work in the USA. A colleague of mine has had a huge hit in the US with his novel 'The Book Thief' but that was because he appeared on Good Morning America. I understand his publishers greased a lot of palms to get that spot on GMA and it paid off, because apparently on-line sales went ballistic in the 24 hours after his appearance. Mind you, it is an excellent book. Few authors will ever get that kind of backing for their work. One of the most effective ways to bring your novel to the attention of librarians and teachers is to win a Children's literature Award and this certainly helped me get established. My name became known and now almost everything I publish will be purchased by school and public libraries and the YA novels get closely looked at as possible books to study in class. And I have a few loyal fans not attached to schools or libraries who look for my books. I speak a lot in schools but I do it because the schools pay a handsome fee to have me. It is a supplement to my royalties and an important part of my income. I doubt that school visits actually result in many kids doing down to their local bookstore and buying my book. This is especially so if you write serious, literary fiction. We have a few very popular authors of hilarious, irreverent and quirky stories who have managed to build a market by the hard slog of school visits and other promotional events – Andy Griffiths is the best known of these. Now that he has established his reputation, he doesn't do much of it at all. When I was in NY talking to Harper Collins, the sales manager confessed to me that a lot of their children's writers didn't make a living from their royalties and in fact it was the school speaking circuit that provided the money to keep them writing. Appearances in bookshops are not a big part of Australian book culture. It happens, and famous chefs, sportsmen and other celebrities attract good crowds, but on the few occasions when I've been talked into doing this, the attendance has been embarrassingly small. I think the big hope is the Internet. With kids being so on-line savvy, this has to be the way to reach them. Some organizations are starting to understand this, but I don't think is has reached anything like its potential yet for getting the word out about good and fun books to read. I can totally understand the eyes of dollar signs with any author, film director, or any artist for that matter. You said you would never compromise your writing for money, and I respect that. However, do you feel that this may be coming for people? I know of an author who has thrown all personal respect aside and began writing in the style of J.K. Rowling. I think this is a sad travesty, but in what situation could any author justify this? I'm in a privileged position because I already make a modest living. Some of my colleagues are desperate to give up the day job and work simply as writers but can't do so unless they tap into the trends and fashions mentioned earlier. That is sad. In this regard, I remember James Mitchener’s wonderful book titled 'The Novel' - one of the last books he wrote. In it, a writer sticks to what he does best, writing heartfelt and beautifully written novels about the farming communities of Pennsylvania. He sells only a few thousand of his first title, tens of thousands of his second, hundreds of thousands for this third and fourth. He managed to make it and retain his integrity. That should be the aim for all of us, I feel. I, unlike many of your other US readers, have had the pleasure of reading the second book in the series, “The Master of the Books”. Last time we talked about this, there were not any plans to bring it out here as of yet. Has this changed at all? Could HarperCollins be doing something incredibly stupid by publishing the first book in the series and deciding, due to sales figures, not to bring the second book out? While it is only the first book, many people I’ve had read it are hungry for more. Theoretically, how much time would it take for such a decision to be made? How can we at Dorkgasm help out? I seriously doubt that HC in America is thinking of publishing 'Master of the Books.' Partly, this is so because my previous novel 'Black Taxi' did not do well. (By the way, HC New York wanted me to pick a pseudonym to use for BoL because bookshops often look at an author's previous sales performance when ordering copies and they felt the low sales of 'Black Taxi' would hold BoL back. I refused.) I fear there are other factors involved as well. BoL had a difficult gestation. After initially winning a deal for Australia, UK and USA, I started to receive conflicting editorial advice from Melbourne, London and New York. Instead of making the different editors get their heads together and then talk to me, I foolishly tried to re-write the book to meet all independent comments and after eighteen months had made a complete mess of it. At this point my agent stepped in and demanded that one editor be appointed for me to deal with. This was done, but even then there were problems. The editor (an Australian) quickly helped me draw the book back to where it had been, and then tried to take it in her own direction. More time was chewed up as I fought this intrusion. The result was that while I first had a contract with HC USA in late 2002, the book didn't appear until April 2007. By then, I think HC had lost interest in the book and in me as a long-term prospect. The only thing that might turn this around is that by an entirely independent route, another of my novels, 'Lost Property,' has attracted the attention of a different editor at Harper Collins - one who has her own imprint and more influence in the company. I have no contract yet, but my agent is hopeful. If this comes off, James Moloney might be back in the good books and HC USA might take MotB as well. I can't even believe HC would try to force a pseudonym on you for BoL. Is this something that is done on a regular basis? How can the publishing industry even think of compromising someone's integrity this way? I must admit that I was stunned and rather angry. My agent took care of making HC back down. What it brought home to me was the cutthroat nature of the publishing business in America. Talking more about “The Master of the Books” now. I noticed that this book didn’t pull the same trick a lot of young adult series are with getting darker for no reason. When it does get a mite darker toward the end, I felt it was because it had to. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon? Are books getting progressively darker just because it’s the cool thing to do? I find it difficult to comment. I haven't read past the second Harry Potter but I'm aware from the commentary that the stories became darker. I don't read a lot of other fantasy but I haven't noticed any gratuitous 'darkness' of theme or events in the ones I have read. I have an inbuilt barometer about such things in my own writing that combines with the technique noted above of imagining that I am telling the story to someone from the target age group. When you see yourself talking aloud to a real person, it is difficult to go beyond a certain limit. You feel uncomfortable. You can see the distress, disengagement or incomprehension in the reader's mind. If I thought too consciously about it, I would lose that judgment. Something else I really liked about “TMOTB” was the theme of accepting your responsibility and destiny. It also goes to say that this was also a sad book in a number of ways; involving people who lose loved ones. You have packed quite a bit of social commentary into this book, as well, with the class struggles involving the people of Cadell. It’s quite a lot to fit in and hope people get some message out of it, or is it? Did you create this book intentionally trying to make people think about the issues raised, or was it all in the name of good fiction? No, not in this one. I deliberately put the class divide into the story - the pampered rich in the citadel and the poor masses outside the wall, but this was for the specific purpose of defining Osward's weakness and extravagance and allowing Demiter to forge a new direction to unite her people. There is no message here. I suppose this concept is supported by personal, egalitarian ideals, but I didn't put them in this story for any reason other than those stated above. The themes of accepting responsibility and destiny are definitely there. So some extent youth literature is about growth and development as a person. It doesn't have to be worthy and certainly should preach, but it should contain the seeds of wisdom - as much as the author has been granted such wisdom. To me, good novels are a sophisticated form of human communication - a way of spreading ideas about humanity and so such themes are appropriate. There is a lot going on in MotB, but then I think there needs to be for a satisfying children's story, in order to keep the pace rattling along. I thought long and hard about Finn's fate. It is a crushing blow to Nicola, but I feel the audience is able to deal with it. I didn't want a sentimental recovery, particularly one perpetrated by Marcel. It also allowed me to have Marcel discover the limits of his powers. Magic is such an undefined thing, isn't it? It doesn't obey the physical laws of the real world; so where do you stop - I mean you don't want wizards as all-powerful as a God? I also didn't want Nicola to have a fiancé at such a young age - with a view to a third book, as well. In fact, I still wonder whether some people are uncomfortable with a romance between a twenty-ish young man and a fifteen year old. I understand your quandary about having a twenty-something being with a fifteen-year-old girl, as with Nicola and Finn, but are there other things you may have taken out because they would be difficult for other people to deal with? Apart from poor writing, inconsistencies and the rest, the thing I'm most likely to take out of first drafts are themes and scenes which explore matters that young adults have no interest in, experience of, or are unlikely to understand. That is why I abandoned an early plot line in Master of the Books which saw Fergus chase Damon into a 'half-world' inhabited by Viking warriors who lived only to die in battle and then be re-born with the next sunrise, as in Norse myth. To stick with this story line would have asked young readers to bring too much already existing knowledge to their reading of the book. Now, I know you’re writing a third and final book to the series right now. After it is all said and done, is there any possibility of revisiting the series in the future, or do you believe the tale of Nicola, Fergus, and Marcel, once told, is at an end? Oh, three is definitely enough. In fact, I am struggling to find fertile ground in the lives of my three main protagonists - Marcel in particular, since he has been at the heart of the first two books. I am concentrating on Bea, bringing her back into the story and making her as important as Marcel. I think Marcel needs to reveal a few character flaws from which Bea might help to extricate him. Fergus still appeals to me but what I'm going to do with Nicola, I have no idea. Things are not progressing well and I've started another short project to stop myself from worrying about it. Well, since the third book is having a troubled start so far, is there any possibility of the third book being darker? I know Rowling wrote darker as her audience grew, and it looks to be a while before Book 3 will hit. I've broached the "darkness" subject before, but now, as "The Demonata" by Darren Shan is beginning to pick up more steam in America, this seems suddenly more relevant. "The Demonata" is some of the darkest writing I've ever laid eyes on, yet kids eat them up like candy-coated chocolates. Do you also feel that writing like this could be damaging to younger children? That's a difficult one. I haven't read any of Darren's work, but I learned long ago that kids can and will read some pretty dark stuff- much darker than adults think they should. That doesn't mean that it is right that they do so and that adults are wrong to feel concerned, but it does call on us to continually assess where the fine line sits. Years ago I read John Marsden's 'So Much to Tell You' and it changed my view of how gritty a book for young adults should be. It certainly influenced by writing in books like 'Crossfire', 'Dougy' and 'A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove.' Honesty in dealing with young readers is a valuable, indeed vital quality. Without having read Darren's stuff I won’t comment on his books, but I do believe there is a line and there are some absolute parameters to all this. For example, I believe that some of the graphic novels now being hailed as the next big thing for YA, especially amongst boys, is in fact violent erotica and should be sold in sealed packets in sex shops, not available in school libraries. I base this view on the highly sexualized representation on female characters and the violent harm done to them in the stories, often clearly depicted. But I doubt this is what you are getting at. In the end, my answer to this question is that writers must be very careful when presenting utterly hopeless situations to the young - scenarios in which the young protagonists have no choice and no chance of happiness, survival or redemption. The inexperienced in life can all too easily misjudge the conclusions presented. There is a difference between great tragedy and depressing fatalism. In Romeo and Juliet both lovers die, yet the audience leaves the theatre uplifted by the triumph of love. But badly handled, unrelieved darkness can send the young reader off to slash his/her wrists in hopelessness and despair. I know a good deal of comic artists who enjoy fantasy novels. If I were to get someone interested in converting BoL and MotB to graphic novels, where would be the right place to start? I would probably start with the creation, by Lord Alwyn, of the Book of Lies, when he was much younger and at the height of his powers. This would make an interesting prologue. Despite my comments above, I think these books would make good graphic novels, but I would insist that the artwork should respect the female characters and not employ them for cheap titillation. In America, many books and films are having prequels done in the form of comic books. Would you be open to a comic book adaptation of your books? Also, do you think there might be a prequel story to be made from the series? I can see BoL and MotB as graphic novels. I'm not keen on a prequel, when you consider the massive twist that has to be fresh and surprising for readers in BoL. If I try my hand at fantasy again, it will need to be in a different world, with new characters. Many authors of young adult fiction have been lured into the world of adult fiction, like Darren Shan of the Cirque du Freak series, and R.L. Stine. Somewhere, is there a James Moloney adult fiction lurking around? I met Darren when he was in Australia some years ago. Nice guy. Very intense. I have a half-written adult novel in my computer and it's going to stay there. I haven't touched it now for many years and its time has passed. I don't feel that I need to publish an adult story to legitimate myself as a novelist. When it comes to sales, I'm one of the most successful authors in Australia. Many acclaimed adult writers would kill for my sales figures. They, however, get all the column inches in the review pages and that rankles a little at times. One can't help wanting a little respect. Perhaps I am put off by what happened to one of my colleagues. She's a modestly successful YA writer but some years back she wrote a quite excellent adult novel. It was well reviewed and I remember wishing I could write as well as she did in that book, yet it barely made a ripple in the marketplace and is now out of print. If I write an adult novel it will be somewhat literary, in the way this woman's was, but I can't help thinking, why bother when so few people read literary fiction. Ultimately you write what moves you and if you only write with commercial interest in mind, you'll lose your artistic integrity, so I try to put this out of my mind. Maybe I'll write an adult novel simply for the challenge, in the same way that I took on fantasy with BoL and humour with 'Black Taxi.' If you were to write an adult fiction book, what direction would you be looking to go in, genre-wise? I would probably stick to contemporary realism. I have thought for a while that I might write a novella to pick up the story of my best-known book in Oz, 'A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove.' I would use the same characters, but place the story ten years after the end of the YA novel, so that the main protagonist is 26 and his younger brother 20. I would write it for adults, and in such a way that people could read it as a 'stand-alone' book without reference to the first book, but such that adolescent readers who liked the first YA novel would also be able to engage. There is a woman in the original named Joy who more or less becomes a surrogate mother to the two boys when aged 16 and 10. I thought I might kill her off suddenly and have the younger boy so distraught at the loss of his second mother that he takes off into the bush and the older brother Carl, has to go find him, talk him through his grief and bring him back for the funeral so there can be closure for them. Is there anyone or some way for fellow readers to get in touch with HarperCollins and request MotB and the third book to be brought out here? I know my wife and I are insanely interested in this happening. I have dropped enough unsubtle hints for the editors in New York to know I'm hoping for such an outcome. You could try writing to them as an enthralled reader, saying have seen MotB on my website and wonder when it is to be released in the US, since you enjoyed BoL so much and can't wait to find out what happens next. However, if you mention that you have been in correspondence with me, they will assume I have put you up to it. But thanks for the thought and yes, a ground swell of response from readers might be the impetus needed. The people to contact would be the marketing people because they are more attuned to market response than editors. Well, folks, that’s a wrap. One of these days, I’ll write down the whole interview and follow up questions as I sent them and his responses. You are only getting about three quarters of the interview right now, so keep it tuned to Dorkgasm!

Uwe Boll: A Long Hard Road out of Critical Hell... (Part One)

kenneth.holm — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:47:47 +0000

”Video game fans have their own movie in their minds. So, whatever you do as a filmmaker, bringing that game to screen, you make it wrong” - Dr. Uwe Boll on why the Internet public feels the need to vilify him EDITORS NOTE: Some of Dr. Boll's answers have been edited for spelling, grammer, etc. None of the actual answer content was changed at all. This all started because of the It Came From Lake Michigan Film Festival. I was at the fundraiser night and met Wayne Clingman, director of said festival and we exchanged phone calls for a couple of days. One night, I asked him a question about Dr. Boll, and he said something to the effect of “Ask him yourself”. He supplied me with Uwe’s e-mail address, and it snowballed from there. At first, I did not even think a man like Dr. Boll would take time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions from a little known (at the time) website, but he responded quickly in saying he would be glad to do it. Both Mike Riedlinger and I worked up some very astute questions for Uwe, and e-mailed them to him immediately. Imagine my surprise to find not the ramblings of a lunatic, but the thoughtful, insightful answers of a man who appears to be unjustly persecuted. To many people on the Internet, Uwe Boll, not America, is the Great Satan. If you believe the “hype”, Dr. Boll has taken their beloved video games and wiped fecal matter all over them, not to mention the urination and spitting. However, there is another side of Uwe Boll not everyone actually looks at. The forty two year old filmmaker enjoys good food, sports like tennis, squash, and boxing (go figure…), and hiking. He has two dogs, and a girlfriend from Vancouver. When he’s not working, he likes to listen to music by everyone from Billy Joel to Rammstein. Working seven days a week, however, does not leave him with a lot of down time. Well, that concludes the Tiger Beat portion of this article, so now it’s time to get down to business. I, like many people out there, had no idea where he came from. I know he is German, but how did this director suddenly spring up overnight and take the film world by storm? Turns out, we were just not noticing him. Starting in 1991, with some money and a dream, Uwe quickly learned the film game and amassed more than twenty film credits to his name. Kenneth Holm: I’m interested to find out how you got your start in movie making, as well as your decision to make video game based movies. What prompted this? Uwe Boll: I started in 1991 with thirty thousand dollars and my first movie; German Fried Movie. My first American movie was Sanctimony in 1999. My first video game movie was House of The Dead in 2003. So it took me a long time from German movies to American movies and then to the first video game adaptation. Kenneth Holm: German Fried Movie? I saw this available on Amazon, but it was only available in the German language. Is this in the vein of the Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker movie Kentucky Fried Movie? Are there any plans for an English release? Uwe Boll: Yes, we made fun of everything. Not now (for the English release) Kenneth Holm: Now, you’re more qualified than most directors (with a doctorate in Literature) to adapt literary classics to the screen, yet your resume has lately been full of video game adaptations. Is that a business decision or an artistic one? Uwe Boll: It’s both. I think videogames are the best selling books of the younger generation. Kenneth Holm: If you were to adapt a piece of literature to film, which book would it be? Uwe Boll: Thomas Bernhard’s books about his childhood, Kalte and Der Atem. He had a very, very hard childhood. Read them on your own. (EDITORS NOTE: These books are somewhat hard to find outside their native German.) Kenneth Holm: Now, with your doctorate, it’s a bit surprising that your films tend to encompass more pop-culture related genres like video games and horror. Why have you chosen to more of these films recently instead of more intellectual fare like period films or art films? Uwe Boll: I grew up with genre movies. I think genre films are not only more entertaining than arthouse movies, but they are also more important. I think in a hundred years, people will still enjoy a good Western or The Blues Brothers more than Lars Von Trier’s Dogville. Kenneth Holm: Your forays into smaller films, like your movie Heart Of America, have actually been praised quite highly. Your movie has been critically preferred to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Both movies deal with the effects of the Columbine tragedy on our society. Do you have any plans to delve back into a smaller, more intimate pictures? Uwe Boll: Yes. I have two projects in development. One is Inside, which plays in one jail cell. The other is The United States Of America, about an old guy falling through the social net. I have Burt Reynolds and Donald Sutherland interested in doing this. Kenneth Holm: Could you possibly tell us a little more about the plots for these movies? Uwe Boll: I’ll do this when I’m at the festival. I have not given any interviews about this. Kenneth Holm: Many critics have attacked your films for being little more than eye candy. Your response, challenging (the critics) to a fight, seems to be that of an artist defending his work. To what extent do you consider your work art? Uwe Boll: The fights were a result of my frustration, and, I won all of them, so it made me happier. I don’t regret that. And what art is and what it is not – I don’t care. I think film should be entertaining. If it is also art on top, good. A lot of [the] time, boring movies are getting the ART status to cover up that they are pieces of shit. Kenneth Holm: Wow, that’s pretty inflammatory, but it does seem to cut to the quick of the independent film industry. Why do you feel the term “art” is being thrown about too liberally these days? Uwe Boll: Because a lot of those festival movies are boring. Kenneth Holm: Moving on to your more recent movies, I have to confess. Some of the movies you have made are not the way I would have made them, but your movies seem to be more about the experience of playing the game and not the actual storyline of them. I think that’s a very different and interesting choice. How did you come to this decision? Uwe Boll: I wanted to make, with House of The Dead, something really close to the game with ego-shooter perspectives, and even cutting game footage into the movie. Basically, I did it as an homage to pop culture. Kenneth Holm: I have only seen House of The Dead and Alone in the Dark so far. However, I do believe you can see a progression as far as quality goes. Uwe Boll: I’m happy that you saw that. Also, Bloodrayne is better than Alone in the Dark. Every movie got better. Better scripts, better actors, and I got better. Postal, Seed, Tunnelrats and In The Name Of The King (the Dungeon Siege movie) are actually great movies. Kenneth Holm: While you were making Bloodrayne, a lot was said about your choice to move the story to the 1700s instead of a story involving Nazis, like the game. I know a lot of German money goes into your movies. Was this a conscious decision to avoid any further stereotyping of the German people, or did your financiers insist on it? Uwe Boll: [Neither], it was my decision to do it as a trilogy. Bloodrayne 2 is now a vampire western. Bloodrayne 3 will be the Second World War, like the game. Kenneth Holm: With Bloodrayne 2 you decided to go direct to video. Why for this one? In addition, Kristanna Loken is out as Rayne in this one. Instead, you went with Natassia Malthe, an actress best known to dorks as Typhoid Mary on Elektra. Why the sudden change of leads? Uwe Boll: Bloodrayne 2 goes theatrical in countries like Russia, the Middle East, etc. In the USA, after the first one bombed in the theaters, it makes no sense. Direct to video is better. Loken couldn’t do it because she was shooting Painkiller Jane. Kenneth Holm: In the past, you have mentioned that you are in possession of several other licenses, including Far Cry, Hunter: The Reckoning, and Fear Effect. We all know Far Cry is coming soon, but which of these would be the next video game movie? Uwe Boll: We just finished Far Cry with Til Schweiger as Jack Carver. It will be very good. Fear Effect, I sold, but I hope I can do Hunter soon. Kenneth Holm: Now, Hunter: The Reckoning was originally published as a role-playing game by White Wolf. I know several people who are concerned with their beloved RPG, so maybe you can help me allay their fears. Is this movie going to be based on the RPG itself or its video game incarnation? Uwe Boll: On the W[hite] W[olf] property, Mike Tinney even wrote the script. It’s like a hard X-Men. Kenneth Holm: Postal is getting some very good reviews so far, surprising some of those who have criticized you as a modern Ed Wood. How has the positive attention changed the way you will look at making future films? Uwe Boll: I know that Postal is a great movie and I know King and Tunnelrats are great. My best movies I ever did. So, if the reviewers give me a chance, they will actually start liking me. Kenneth Holm: Onto some more focused questions about the business aspects. You’ve gotten a lot more credit for your business acumen than your filmmaking. You have produced most of the films in your career yourself. Has that independence been more of a blessing or a curse? Uwe Boll: It’s both. I don’t have a boss, but (I do have) a lot of work because I develop, produce, and sell the movies. Kenneth Holm: There are many people among us who have no idea what it’s like to develop, produce or sell. Can you give us a quick outline about the many hats you wear? Uwe Boll: I’ll talk more at the festival about this. Kenneth Holm: Well, I think that’s about it for me. I do have one last question, though. Do you have any sage advice to hand out to the leagues of aspiring filmmakers all over the world? Uwe Boll: Start working on sets. This brings more than film school. Write scripts. Make short movies. You learn only through experience, learning by doing.

This interview was conducted over a couple e-mail sessions. He’d write something, I’d write back. After it was all said and done, I called him. That’s right. I have Uwe Boll’s personal phone number. I didn’t get to talk to him much, as the plane he was on was about to take off, but he seems like a really cool guy. He remembered who I was, even. I thanked him from myself and on behalf of Dorkgasm. He laughed a couple times and said you’re welcome. I can’t wait to get some questions out of him at the ICFLM Film Festival. Maybe he will even let me get a picture with him punching me out. Here’s hoping. A big thanks goes out to Wayne Clingman for making this interview possible. Go buy your tickets to the It Came From Lake Michigan Film Festival right now! Thanks for tuning in, dorks. Kenneth Holm www.dorkgasm.com Senior Staff Writer