This is an interview I did with a guy called Les Morris, he's working on an indie film called 'Ed and Bela'
What is the name of the film you are working on?
"Ed and Bela"
What is the film about?
Life, the Universe and Everything. The film is a pseudo-biography about Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi. It’s a pseudo-biography in the sense that a lot of the people in the film are real, just none of the events in the film actually happened to them. Maybe I should tell you about the characters. Ed Wood was a transvestite, ex marine, 50's sci-fi director. He became an alcoholic and drunk himself to death. Two years later he was voted the worst director of all time and his films received international fame. Bela Lugosi was a massive horror star in the 1930. By the time he met Ed he was a washed-up morphine addict.
Anyway my film is set in present day. Ed's wife Kathy has found a way to bring him back to life. On Halloween Charon (the boatman of the dead) has dominion over heaven and hell and he can bring your true love back to the world of the living. Charon brings Ed back. He has been spending his afterlife in heaven (he is next door neighbours with Steven McQueen). Then for some reason Charon bring back Bela. Bela has been spending his afterlife in Hell. Hell is gone corporate and its filled with middle management types. There are small cubical partitions as far as the eye can see. Anyway Satan is a little pissed that Bela is out. But he has bigger problems. He has invested 50 million dollars into a film. Some how all the money has been lost in pre-production. So he makes a deal with Ed and Bela. If they can bring the film in on time and under budget Bela doesn't have to go back to hell. Now things get interesting as Ed convinces the Church in invest into the film.
How long ago did you start the script?
Ummm... forever ago. It happened by accident really. I was all set to take this Female Vampire movie (ok it was going to be a rip off of "Martin" and "Last House on the Left".) But me and a friend thought it would be funny to make a 5 minute film about Ed and Bela that had nothing to do with film making. And some how it grew and grew and grew and it became about film making.
Is it a collaborative effort?
Making a film is totally a collaborative effort. As the writer/director I kind of make the flow chart and together we’ll all fill in the bits.
How did you and the director get together? (When I sent this questions to Les I was under the impression he was the writer but not the director)
As being the director I guess I met myself at a very young age.
How many people are involved?
Ummm.. around 30 ish... We have all the main actor and main crew. We just need to fill a lot of the smaller roles (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), if anyone is interested.
How involved are you in the project post-script? (Once again, I asked this question because I thought he was just the writer)
I'm not sure what you mean by the question. Do you mean post-production? Well first it goes to the editor. His job is to cut out all the good stuff and say stuff like "It make the movie flow better if we chop this out", and "this scene is in here for your own personal gratification". Then it goes off the sound editor. You might have a brilliant film but if you can hear anything it essentially a pile of crap. the sound editor makes sure its not crap. Then the last stop is the composer. He writes the music to the film.
What are you shooting in on and for what reason?
DIGITAL!!!! The only reason anyone shoots digital. To save $50 000 in lab fees.
Where are you filming it.
All over the place. We just lost a major location the other day... well we didn't lose it they just want us to hire a security guard fort $200 a day.
What is the budget, how are getting around the constraints of said budget...
Well you just have to be smart really. I wrote the script around things I knew I could get. And Centrelink has chipped in some money. A few weeks ago I receive $200 in vouchers to by stuff like clothes for job interview. Well... maybe the money might be going on fog machines and make up. And the cost of the film went down after I cut that 50 page car chase.
How did you organise a cast? Who's in it, might they have been in anything we've seen?
The normal way I guess? They just came to the auditions.
Ed Wood - Well Ed was this dude called Adrian Snodgrass. But he just got a kick arse law job in Melbourne so we running around frantically looking for a new Ed. We've had to push back the shooting because of it.
Bela Lugosi - Tony Woollams - He is in a new movie called 'Playing with Piranhas'
Karen Bayly - Kathy Wood - She often plays the role of "Mother" in real estate ads.
Pamela Rome - Vampira - Ummm she's fantastic but I don’t know what she's been in.
Brinely Myers - Female Satan - He is in a production of "As you like it?" I think. It’s on some where?
Dan Sanssen - Male Satan - Umm… you might see him moving around boxing at Myers.
Rhonda (man she has a long last name) - Lance De Foe - She is totally kick arse!!! She plays a bad girl who you just love to hate.
Dan Jackson - Dylan Sander - Ummm... I have no idea....
How did the Troma guy get involved?
Ok the Troma guy is Lloyd Kaufman. He has directed such classics as "The Toxic Avenger", "Class of Nuk'en High", and "Tromeo and Juilet". I wrote Lloyd Kaufman into the script. I think I wanted to play him. Anyway I emailed him asking him not to sue me. Anyway he was heaps keen. So keen that he is going to play himself in the film.
How will the film be released?
Well my plans were just to give to Troma for free. And hopefully they will put it on a DVD. That would be kick arse.
Any CGI?
Ummm... yeah. Some lighting and some blue screen stuff. And Jar Jar Blink might make a cameo... oh wait a minute we cut that because Jar Jar sucks balls (gungan balls that is).
Be the first kid on your block to join the Leslie Morris fan club.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Leslie_Morris_Online/
Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
Cibbuano
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