AC: Greetings, greetings! Thanks so much for tuning in for another installment of Fool’s (inter)Views, where we turn the spotlight on you, the everyday horror fan. **Afterwards, feel free to offer feedback or ask any questions at the end of the interview by posting a comment.** Today we have with us: John Pata, the brains and heart behind the zombie short film, BETTER OFF UNDEAD! (http://www.myspace.com/better_off_undead) Welcome, douchebag! JP: Oh, well, thank you very much cockhole. AC: Wow, you’re much better at the whole inappropriate language thing than I am. As you (and everyone else) already knows by now, I’m a huge fan of your flick, BETTER OFF UNDEAD and the special features on the DVD are just as hilarious and entertaining as the film. Can you tell us a little about how you came to make the picture? JP: A little? You want me to tell you a little about how BETTER OFF UNDEAD came together? I don’t think it’s possible to tell you a little. I can’t shut up once I get going…so here we go. I know a lot of people say this, but I have honestly been watching horror movies as long as I can remember. Aside from horror, I am a film fanatic. Granted, horror is my favorite genre, but I’ve always had an interest in the process of filmmaking. My closest friends (pretty much the cast of BETTER OFF UNDEAD) and I watch horror movies all the time and I thought, why the fuck can’t we do this? We watch movies all the time, why not make one? Sometime in late 2005 I started really toying with the idea of writing a script. Drew (who plays Marcus in BETTER OFF UNDEAD) and I were doing something very common for us – drinking whiskey and watching a horror movie - and I mentioned the script I was thinking of writing, and Drew said I should…so…I did. AC: That’s the way it happens, isn’t it? So many people talk and talk about it, but it’s funny how rare it is that people start the ball rolling and then keep it rolling. I think it helps to have a solid support group around you, folks who are going to cheer you on and keep kicking your ass to make sure you don’t give up. JP: Absolutely, this little movie would have NEVER happened without every person that helped out and supported us. We were extremely lucky to have so many people behind us. It was really after reading both of Lloyd Kaufman’s books I became completely determined to actually make a movie. AC: Dude, I love Lloyd’s books! Hell, I love Lloyd. The guy is one of my biggest heroes. Talk about your DIY spirit. I can honestly say that his “just go out and make your own damn movie” attitude is what prompted me to get the HORROR 101 book project rolling. His thing is just to stop thinking about the obstacles and start thinking about what you have to work with…and then get on with it. JP: So I began writing…mainly in my Northern Renaissance Art History class. I didn’t set out to write a zombie comedy, I just wrote what felt natural. I had the idea of the three characters, and had the actors in mind, so I wrote the characters loosely based around them, well, except for Evan. I wanted the script to be comfortable and natural for the actors, after all, these were my friends. Nothing against them by any means, I just didn’t want to write something I didn’t think we could pull off. We are just a bunch of fuckjobs, so why not write a story about some fuckjobs? I’ve watched a lot of low-to-no budget movies, and some try to be something they are not. I knew we were looking at filming with hardly any money, so let’s keep the script simple. Also, I had no intentions on writing a short or a full-length. I set out to write a script I thought was solid. If it turned out to be 5 minutes or 80 minutes, great. The script started coming together and then it was the time to get the cast and crew lined up. AC: What was the casting experience like? Did you always plan to use your friends? JP: As with many aspects to BETTER OFF UNDEAD, I was being realistic. I never thought of having actual auditions or anything. The movie was created for my group of friends, so my friends were going to be the ones in it. There was no money to offer, plus, who the fuck would want to audition for a script labeled Untitled Zombie Story Full of Stupid Dick Jokes written by John Pata. We didn’t have a title until halfway through filming. Anyway, I talked to Drew, Dale and Brown, who make up the main cast of BETTER OFF UNDEAD. Drew and Dale signed on right away. Brown, on the other hand, was a bit of a challenge. He said he wanted to be a part of it and all, but wasn’t sure if he could act. And once he read the script and saw what the character was like, he really wasn’t excited about playing a douchebag. I told him I knew he could pull it off, blah blah blah…many drinks and lube later he agreed. Great, now how the hell are we going to film this? One night I was out for a few drinks with some friends, and started talking about this project. Colin mentioned he has a nice camera and has done some small video projects of his own, and was willing to help out. Not only did he have the camera, but also the editing programs, which I got a small crash course in and edited the movie, with assistance from Colin. Then came filming and we utilized everything and everyone we could. AC: So, how long did it take to shoot the film? JP: It took nine days to film, which stretched over the period of 3 months. We did not have any permits or anything. We just showed up and filmed, closing the streets ourselves. AC: What was post-production like? You hear about fledgling filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez locking himself in an editing room overnight in order to get the damn thing done on the cheap. JP: Post-production, along with every step of making this film, was a lot of fun. This is really where everything started coming together. We didn’t know if what we did was going to work or look good. We only used one camera during filming, but we filmed everything anywhere from 2-6 different angles. The thought was always in my mind, “What if nothing matches up?” Credit must be given to the cast, who did a damn good job being consistent. The first actual day of editing started on New Year’s Eve 2006. Colin and I sat down, he showed me how to use the program, cut together a few parts and in a matter of hours I began editing on my own. In a 32 hour time period I spent 27 hours editing. I brought in the New Year with the scene where Marcus tries to buy some weed and finds the girl being eaten…I can’t think of a better way to spend New Year’s. At this time I was on break from college, so I was working 40 hours a week. On the weekends, all I did was edit. Once you get editing, it’s fucking hard to stop. I saw the sun coming up many times while editing. AC: Were you planning to use this project as a means to an end, a sort of calling card to open doors? JP: We started the project with no intentions to do anything with this film than to watch it ourselves. But once we saw the support and help of the community, from extras to bands wanting to write songs for the film, we knew we had to do something more. So we tried to make the best DVD we possibly could and keep the cost of it low. AC: How much did the film cost in total? JP: All together, production costs for BETTER OFF UNDEAD came just short of $750, which came straight from my pocket. AC: Well, I can tell you from here, you did a damn fine job. So, are zombies your favorite type of movie monster? JP: Zombies are my favorite, and I know when I was younger I liked zombies because their movies were always really gory. I am a gore hound. As I got older, the gore still attracts me, but I now see a little more into the walking dead. The idea of what zombies represent, the dead coming back to life, is quite creepy. First of all, as humans, I think we all wonder what will happen to us when we die. Is there an afterlife, or will we just rot away? It’s all what you personally believe, but none of us know for sure. So the thought of coming back from the dead is a really bold thought. Plus, think of if zombies started appearing and you saw a family member or a friend walking around who has been dead for years. That is some fucked up shit. Also, nothing beats seeing a bunch of zombies filling the streets in a movie. AC: Are you happy with BETTER OFF DEAD as your first film? JP: BETTER OFF UNDEAD is technically not my first film. Starting in middle school, my best friend Sam (Theo in BETTER OFF UNDEAD), another friend Eric and I started making movies using Eric’s parents’ video camera. The first one was NIGHT OF THE LIVING SEIZURE PEOPLE (1998), a zombie movie were the zombies had seizures. Then we made DANCE PARTY SLAUGHTER (1998), JAWS 1999 (a half live action/half GI JOE and toy shark movie filmed in a swimming pool) and later we made NIGHT OF THE LIVING SEIZURE PEOPLE 2: SHAKE, RATTLE AND DIE (2003). In all these movies, we were the only actors so we played multiple characters and pretty much wrote everything on the spot. BETTER OFF UNDEAD marks my first script and actual production. But yes, I am extremely proud and happy with BETTER OFF UNDEAD. None of us went to school for film, or had any formal education on film. We set out to do something, and did the best we could. Are there things I wish were different? Yes. If I could do it all over again, would I change things? Absolutely. But I stand behind this movie 100%. AC: I’m hoping that we get to see some of those early efforts on some DVD extra down the line. So, what’s your normal daily routine like? What’s your means of making a buck until Hollywood calls? JP: I am a screen printer and graduated with a degree in graphic design, which I do on the side. AC: What’s on the immediate horizon? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? JP: Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of you asking me this question. Okay, I stole that joke from Mitch Hedberg. Well, the immediate horizon brings more projects. The main project is another zombie movie – I will begin production in May 2008 – which is going to quite different from BETTER OFF UNDEAD. First of all, it’s going to be a full-length movie, have a larger budget (hopefully $5000) and much more serious than BETTER OFF UNDEAD. Does this mean there is not going to be some humor? No, there will be some humor here and there, but not goofy humor like BETTER OFF UNDEAD. I am a huge fan of Troma Entertainment and BETTER OFF UNDEAD has its Troma moments – this next one won’t. BETTER OFF UNDEAD was somewhat of a test. I didn’t know what we could pull off, so I wanted to try something a little more light hearted, not so deadpan serious. The next story is the movie I want to make. Sam and I have been working on a slasher script we will co-direct together. It called PHINEASand focuses on a church group at a cabin getting killed off by Phineas Gauge, a railroad worker from the 1800s who had a spike sever the two halves of his brain. He survived but could not control his emotions. We watched a video about him in Health class in high school and for whatever reason, that name stuck with us. It’s going to be a one-weekend shoot, very low budget and very cheesy. Also, I have some shorts I will work on eventually. In 10 years…I hope to be doing the exact same thing, having fun making movies and having all kinds of people see them. AC: Sweet. So, what was the first movie (doesn’t have to be a horror flick) was that made a big impression on you? JP: Multiple movies come to mind. First, Ghostbusters was the first movie I went crazy over, and then came Jaws. But there is one movie that has made the biggest impression on me. Growing up, I watched a lot of horror movies. I remember my dad sitting me down to watch Night of the Living Dead and sitting in on my brother’s sleepovers to watch the Elm Street and Friday the 13th movies. So the horror I was used to were the more mainstream, major studio movies. When I was 10 – I can still remember this day vividly – Sam and I were recommended The Evil Dead. Holy fuck, I was blown away. We watched it numerous times that day. After that, I wanted to see every possible horror movie I could, especially the lower budget, older movies. To this day, 13 years later, no movie has made an impression like The Evil Dead. AC: Yep, Uncle Sammy did it right, didn’t he? And talk about your inspirational from-humble-beginnings stories. Can you tell us the last 10 movies you watched, and give us your personal rating from 1-10? JP: Well, I know I am going to forget one or two of them, but in no particular order: 30 Days of Night - 6 AC: Tell me you did not just rate Cabin Fever higher than The Howling. Explain yourself, young man. JP: I sure as hell did! I am not afraid to say this: I really don’t care for The Howling. I saw it when I was younger, and was not very impressed. I kept watching it as I got older, and the movie never really did anything for me. Sure, I can appreciate the film for what it is, when it came out and what it brought to the werewolf genre, but it does nothing for me. And I know a lot of fans have problems with Eli Roth and his movies, but I fucking love Cabin Fever. Hostel 1 and 2 weren’t what I was hoping they would be, but come on, the Thanksgiving trailer! Cabin Fever is easily in my top 10, if not my top 5, for movies that came out within the last 10 years. I remember seeing a preview of Cabin Fever and it just looked like one of the sexy teen “scary movies”. I kind of blew it off. Then, I saw a different trailer for it on a DVD, and it looked bloody and bizarre. Okay, now the movie had my attention. So I went opening night, what the hell. I was fucking cheering and laughing all throughout. Walking out of the theater, so many people were bitching and confused, and I was so ecstatic. I grew up, as I know a lot of people did, watching the campy 80’s movies. Cabin Fever completely reminded me all these movies. I thought it was great seeing a different kind of “killer”, and come on, what about Rider Strong’s armpits? I love those shots. AC: When I first saw CF, I really, really hated it for being a stupid 80s throwback. However, now I can accept it for what it is, and I like it more every time I see it. And honestly, I liked Hostel and am looking forward to checking out the sequel now that it’s out on DVD. But I still think The Howling is an infinitely superior movie in almost every respect; from the acting to Sayles’ script to Rob Bottin’s amazing effects. Heck, I even think Elizabeth Brooks kicks Cerina Vincent’s ass in the “nude hottie” department. Ah well. When you tell people you’re from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, what is the percentage of them who reply, “Oshkosh, B’gosh”? JP: Well, if people know of Oshkosh, I would say 70% bring up Oshkosh B’ Gosh and the rest know Oshkosh due to the EAA, which is the world’s largest aviation convention. So I come from the land of overalls and airplanes…and cow fucking. AC: So, you should feel right at home. Oh wait, it is your home. By the way, I hear tell you were an actual Oshkosh B’gosh model as a child? True or false? JP: True…but I don’t want to go into that time of my life, I was deeply into cocaine and sex. I mean, come on, it was 1989, what else is a 5-year-old supposed to do? To this day I cannot look at overalls without getting a tingle in my nose and a large erection. Dammit! Look what you made me talk about, now I’m going to have to call my psychiatrist in the morning. AC: Well, it’s better than getting a tingle in your erection and a large nose, right? Tell us the last goal you achieved (artistic or otherwise), and a couple that are on your “short list.” JP: This is the second year now, but for Halloween my friends and I put on some shows as The Undead Milkmen. We dress up like zombie milkmen and play all Dead Milkmen songs. So the goal was to put on 2 good shows and have fun…which we did. AC: Damn it, you’re a musician too? Is there no end to your talents? I’m gonna kick your freaking ass. So, Captain Overachiever, what have you done for the horror genre lately? AC: Wicked cool. Love to hear about folks spreading the gospel of the genre. I’m hoping to get up there some day to join in the fun. Got any good close encounter horror celebrity stories to share with the class? JP: That would go to meeting Tom Sullivan for the first time. Tom is the man responsible for all the effects, make-up and so much more in The Evil Dead. He came to Oshkosh for a store signing and being an obsessive Evil Dead fan, I was completely in awe seeing all the props and photos from the set. I wanted a picture with Tom, and asked if he could hold the Candarian dagger to my throat. So Tom opens up the case, takes it out, holds it up to my throat and click. Such a great moment, and then Tom goes, “Here, wanna check it out?” and more or less tosses it in my hands. I would like to add that photo is currently framed and hanging above my bedroom door. AC: I freaking love Tom – I’ve met him several times at various conventions and the guy is always incredibly enthusiastic and never seems to tire of telling the same stories and answering the same questions. All right, this is the one I like to wrap things up with: I’m a newbie to the horror genre, and I’ve never seen a horror flick from before 1995. Where should I start? JP: Wow, that’s a good question. Damn, a tough one. Well, Psycho comes to mind, because no one does suspense like Hitchcock. Then there is Night of the Living Dead, which might be the movie that shaped the horror genre as we know it today. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the grittiest movies shot and a fucking masterpiece. Jaws brought a new kind of horror to the screen. The Exorcist to this day continues to have an impact on viewers. And being biased, The Evil Dead is my initial response. Yet there are so many more…but I am going to have to say Kazaam starring Shaquille O’Neal. That is one damn scary movie. AC: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (faints, recovers consciousness) Dude, don’t do that without warning me. All right, that’s all the time and space we have for now – Thank you so much for joining us today, my man! I invite readers to post any other questions they might have for John below in the comments and check out BETTER OFF UNDEAD sooner than later, y’hear. And how can they do that, John? JP: If you go to myspace.com/better_off_undead you can check out the trailer for the movie, along with other videos and photos. The DVD, which includes 4 commentaries, a 30 minute making-of and 8 other special features, is for sale on the myspace page, along with t-shirts and posters. You can also send an email to betteroffundead@hotmail.com. I run both, so anything sent goes straight to me. Check it out and let us know what you think. AC: Any last thoughts? JP: I have plenty of thoughts, but would like to take the time and say thank you so much for the interview. It still amazes me that all kinds of people are seeing this little project we did for fun. But that’s all we ask, for as many people as possible to see BETTER OFF UNDEAD. So, in closing, thank you AC, thanks to everyone for reading this interview and a big thank you to anyone who checks out BETTER OFF UNDEAD. Be sure to check out HORROR 101 as well. Support your local horror, no matter what form it is in. So long. **Our thanks again to John, and I invite everyone to leave a comment or ask any additional questions. The floor is yours!** |