James Nguyen is the director of BIRDEMIC: Shock and Terror (check out the trailer here). Entertainment Weekly has called it the “best worst movie of all time”. After being picked up by distributor Severin Films, the movie had its premiere in Los Angeles a few days ago (hosted by Tim and Eric) and a DVD release is on its way. Severin’s already given Nguyen a $1 million budget for his next feature. Below, we discussed the success of the movie and his future creative endeavors.

Could you talk a little bit about the production timeline for BIRDEMIC? When did you come up with the idea and write the script? How long did it take for you to raise funding?

I came up with the concept for BIRDEMIC: Shock and Terror way back in 2005. So I started writing the script then and I really started beginning the casting in 2006 and 2007. But I had two false starts: I had a cast, and things, people didn’t work out, for other reasons. I spent the whole year of 2007 trying to find the right cast. In early 2008, I got lucky with Whitney Moore who plays Nathalie, and Alan Bagh who plays Rod, so the whole production really begins in February 2008.

How long did you guys shoot for?

Actually, production, principal photography starts February 2008 all the way to August 2008 and we did some extra shooting - you know, the thing with the Half Moon Bay art festival, that was done in October.

So I think many people heard about this movie a month ago, but the Amazon listing says it was made in 2008 - how long was it out on DVD before Severin picked it up?

Initially, I tried to sell it through self-distribution, and it was too much work. It cost a lot of money, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. Basically, I struck a deal with Severin at Sundance, and the rest is history, you know?

I actually watched the movie yesterday - it obviously carries a very strong environmental message.

I mean, I really don’t want to send a message - if I wanted to do that, I’d use the post office. But I just want to tell a story, and often there’s an element of - I mean, the twist of the movie is “Why did the eagles and vultures attack?” And as you go through the movie, the first thirty to forty minutes, there’s romance between the protagonists but there’s foreboding, foreshadowing. There’s something awfully wrong, and it’s there. You know, I don’t want to give away the story, any spoilers, but it’s there. And perhaps with your question, if you look closely, the elements are there - you know, environmental and so on.

I noticed on your website that you’re labeled as the “master of romantic thrillers”. What attracts you to that combination of genres?

I always loved romantic films, and the first romantic movie I really liked was Somewhere In Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. And the 1960’s Romeo and Juliet. But romance is not enough for me, you know, I’m not interested in a chick flick. There’s got to be some mystery, suspense, a thriller to it. And I found that in Hitchcock’s cinema, in the genre of romantic thrillers. Even though Mr. Alfred Hitchock never called them “romantic thrillers”, I sensed it and kind of formalized it. An example of a Hitchockian romantic thriller, his greatest romantic thriller, is Vertigo. Other examples: Rear Window, To Catch A Thief, North By Northwest, Notorious, and even his first film in America, Rebecca. I became obsessed with the genre eleven years ago, and that’s all I’m focused in, that’s all I watch, and I’m very lost in this genre. And so I formally started calling them “romantic thrillers”, and my first three films are all romantic thrillers. And to define what is a romantic thriller, in my definition, is that you have this feature film, a 90-minute film, and the first part of it, you have the two protagonists, like in BIRDEMIC, you have Rod and Nathalie, there’s romance between the two protagonists, but there’s foreshadowing, there’s foreboding, okay? And perhaps there’s deception, maybe not in BIRDEMIC, but in other romantic thrillers, perhaps there’s deception between one or two of the protagonists. There are elements, forces that turn the protagonist’s life upside down, you know, a friction: forces twist and turn. You mix all this up: romance, mystery, suspense, and what you have here is a romantic thriller.

Really, there’s the whole thing when I started watching these, it started out as a joke, as the year passed it got a little more serious, and now that BIRDEMIC has taken off I’m taking it very seriously, you know? And I’m very knowledgeable in that genre of romantic thrillers.

I read that you drove a bloody BIRDEMIC-themed van down the street when the movie was rejected from Sundance. Can you get a little more in-depth about your marketing strategy for this movie?

Well, you know, BIRDEMIC got rejected at all of the festivals - I mean, it did not get accepted. So you spend three years of your life making this movie, why don’t you try to get distribution? I did what you’d call kind of like a cinematic football Hail Mary - get my van, the production van, put some posters on it and put some blood on it, and go up and down Main Street in Sundance and make some noises of eagles and vultures, thinking perhaps we may get lucky with a movie distributor. It created a lot of attention and awareness, and actually I was pulled over by a police officer. Two cars, they pulled me over on Sundance, and said, “What are you doing?” So I said, “Oh, I’m just trying to promote my movie.” And so the officer looked at the van, the blood, checked out my ID… and the last thing I remember that he said was, “Hey, good luck with your movie.” So I got lucky, I spent eight days sitting in a van, because I couldn’t book a hotel, ten degrees below zero, but I got lucky and met Severin Films at Sundance, and the rest is history.

And I heard you’re working on a sequel…?

It’s called BIRDEMIC: The Resurrection, and it’s “What if the eagles and vultures attacked Hollywood?” It’s a compelling reason, and so I’m waiting, being patient - just seeing how well the original one does within the next 12 months. If it does really well, there’s a very high chance that I can get a Hollywood studio to back it with at least $20 million in 3-D. So that’s my plan, really do it with a real budget, with a crew, in 3-D, and I think it’ll be a hit. And it takes, you know, what if the eagles and vultures attacked Hollywood, and there’s a really awesome, compelling story behind it, and just a hint: The Resurrection, the name right there, so it’s going to be fun. If things work out, you’d think BIRDEMIC could be a franchise just like Final Destination or Terminator or so on.

Is there a specific reason you want to see it in 3-D? Is there a specific movie that inspired you to want to make that choice, or do you just like the trend of studios remaking blockbusters for the third dimension?

So BIRDEMIC, it really fits into 3-D perfectly because if you imagine in the sequel if the eagles and vultures are kind of like coming at your face in real 3-D, it’d be awesome, you know? Or if somebody got chopped off, cut off by a claw, or a platoon of eagles coming at you, you know, the whole thing coming at you in 3-D, it’d be truly shock-and-terrifying in 3-D. And with a $20 million budget, I can have really realistic, Avatar-looking eagles and vultures.

I know you’ve done a few movies before this… and you’re also working on “The Fire” as your next feature.

So there’s two movies I’m working on right now, they’re in preproduction. The one right now that’s being funded by Severin Films, that’s called Peephole: The Perverted. Yeah, with backing by Severin Films, we struck a deal last week. So basically, it’s a romantic thriller, it’s about a serial killer, he goes around Hollywood and kills the beautiful actresses in Hollywood. And there’s a detective and there’s a fine actress, there’s a romance between the fine actress and the serial killer. So there’s twists and turns for 90 minutes and you’ll understand - you know, I’m just not interested in making another slasher film. The reason I wanted to make this film, what’s unique about this thriller is that at the end of the 90 minutes, you empathize with the serial killer, you know? And it’s called Peephole: The Perverted, so I’m sure there’s gonna be some nudity, but we’re going to do it very tasteful and romantic, not in any way - it’s going to be done romantically and tastefully, any nudity in the film.

The Fire is actually partially based on real events. It’s about a series of car arsons that took place in the streets of San Francisco. There’s a detective that goes around, trying to investigate… there’s a TV anchor, and a romance between the detective and the TV anchor at the end of the 90-minute film you understand why the arsonist did what he did, and so on.

I was just wondering what you felt your artistic progression as a filmmaker and an artist, leading up to BIRDEMIC and going forward.

Oh, I think I’ve matured. You always learn something with every movie, with every movie I’m still learning, you get more experience, but you get a little more confidence with every movie that you make. But you really don’t know because the movie business is very unique and uncertain… you just make it the best you can, and hopefully you may get lucky, like I did with BIRDEMIC: Shock and Terror, but sometimes you make a movie, you think it’s a thing, and in the end it may not be accepted. The movie business in many ways is halfway luck, you have to be lucky.

Have your interests changed at all from feature to feature, in what you’re interested in exploring creatively with the characters or with the subject matter of the thriller elements?

For now, I stay focused on romantic thrillers, and like what I was saying with my current projects, Peephole: The Perverted and The Fire, they were partially inspired by watching TV news, you know, and what happens in real life. Like Peephole: The Perverted was partially inspired by the Erin Andrews peephole thing, from last year, remember? She was a TV anchor, there was a Peeping Tom, so that was inspired by that but I fictionalized it. And The Fire is partially inspired by real, true events - a few weeks ago there was an arson fire in the streets of San Francisco and as of this minute detectives are still investigating it - they don’t know who [did it]. So that’s a real true event but I fictionalized it and turned it into a movie. What I’m saying is that it just comes from the environment and I get inspired by it.

The special effects in the movie are pretty distinctive. Could you give any insight into how they were created and how you visualized them during production? Did you hire an outside effects house? What direction did you give the actors when you were shooting scenes with the birds?

That’s a good question. Well, you know, I made this movie with very little money, self-financed from my day job, so work with what you have. The animation is done by animation students from the Academy Of Arts in San Francisco. And you know, at least I gave them their first job, okay? I think that, here’s what we had, they went very far with those eagles and vultures. I think from a distance I think those eagles and vultures look pretty shocking and terrifying. And if you come a little closer, I think they may be a little more shocking and terrifying. And when you do get a close-up of them, even a Hollywood or a movie close-up, it’s something unique or something you’ve never seen before. Maybe it’s art… or whatever! And that’s how I put it.

What’s your general reaction to the newfound popularity of BIRDEMIC over the past month? I know that Tim and Eric hosted the premiere a few days ago… how do you feel about your newfound success?

Oh, I’m very excited, and I’m still pinching myself that all this good stuff is happening to BIRDEMIC, and me. And the premiere in Hollywood with Tim and Eric hosting was fun and hilarious… we had a lot of fun. With all the press that BIRDEMIC: Shock and Terror is getting - I mean, the Hollywood premiere is the first time I really watched BIRDEMIC with a full house. It was sold out, both in Hollywood and over the weekend in Austin, you know the Alamo Drafthouse? It sold out the night - I’m flying to the 10pm screening today. I was just surprised by the true appreciation, the genuine appreciation of the people watching it - they’ve become big fans of it, and enjoy the entertainment, laughing - they liked it, you know? And some of the scenes, some of the lines, and they were laughing - with it, not at it, but with it. Hanging out with my fans, and singing and dancing, and this happened too in Austin, and I was just kind of like, “Wow.” This movie’s supposed to be a serious - even 1% as good of the original murders of Hitchcock - and now it’s going to be a cult indie film, it’s going to be a classic and all this - and I was surprised and at the same time very happy by the whole thing.

The main protagonist is a Silicon Valley software salesman, and I know you worked the same job as well - I was wondering how autobiographical his story is.

BIRDEMIC is kind of like half-biographical of me. “Write what you know.” That’s the rule to any writing, really. Rod is kind of like a half-autobiography of me - the events are fictional… I mean, some events are true, the companies, but I mean, right now, I just got out of a meeting before you called me, I’m a senior sales staff with a start-up called piXlogic, and I just got out of a meeting at Warner Brothers headquarters - yesterday was Sony Pictures, today is Warner Brothers - telling all these IT people how they can better visually search for their videos and images - so we’re like the Google of visual search. So we’re about six blocks away from Google and we’re just kind of sitting there, thinking maybe those guys at Google might buy us out. We might get lucky, and hey, if that happens, I’ll probably walk away with a few dollars more and maybe I don’t need a day job anymore. I’ve not necessarily achieved becoming a millionaire or having a ton of stock options, but that’s my initiative. So that’s why I’m sitting on this day job while working for this big budget.

Yeah.

I mean, it’s the Silicon Valley dream, you know? But the reason that I did this story inside the romance with showing the Silicon Valley - the technology. Man and his machines. Civilization, success and all that. You saw the Silicon Valley, you saw the cars, the technology, man and his machines, but at what price? What is he doing to other species, and so on? There is a big price to pay for civilization and man and his machines. That’s what I was trying to say, but in between you see the foreshadowing and the foreboding, and the movie unfolds, but even in the first 45 minutes you saw that I tried to suggest some kind of solution to the problem of the man and his machine-

Like the solar panel [that Rod installs on his roof].

Yeah, solar technology and so on. And it’s there. And you see Rod going green, you know, he drives a Mustang, it’s a hybrid, it gets 100MPG.

Do you have any other creative inspirations besides Hitchcock, either in film or other mediums?

Well, right now I’m very focused - the only thing I’m interested in is the movie, the filmmaker’s element, that’s what I do, that’s what I’m used to seeing, especially in the genre of romantic thrillers. But I do have one thing that I’m doing, that I’m producing, not direction, it’s called Hitchcock and Romance. It’s a 90-minute documentary about - and we ask two questions, basic questions. Number one, Is “Vertigo” Mr. Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest movie? And the second question asked, is “Vertigo” Hitchcock’s greatest romantic thriller? So in this documentary I’m going around and we’re going to interview famous directors like Peter Bogdanovich, who is the most respected commentator of Hitchcock cinema and also a close friend of Mr. Hitchcock. [And] David Lynch, Brian de Palma, Martin Scorcese and so on… and ask them their opinion. So that’s what I’m doing, and it’s not a romantic thriller… even though you can view it as a romantic thriller documentary. There’s suspense in it… what would all these talented directors say? How are they going to answer those two questions?

Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers who are interested in entering the independent film scene as well?

First, tell a good story. Don’t just tell any story, tell a story that compels you. What’s your thing that compels you to sacrifice your time, money and energy to allow you to do it? Number two, work with what you have. Try to get the budget, if you can get a crew, all that stuff, see if you can successfully raise some money to finance your film. But if all fails, work with what you have. I mean, finance it with your paycheck or whatever. So that’s my advice.

Not a lot of people have actually seen BIRDEMIC. Would you like to give a pitch to readers who might be interested?

Sure. “BIRDEMIC: Shock and Terror”. Why did the eagles and vultures attack? And I hope that after viewing this film, that beyond a few good laughs, they’ll walk away thinking.

VISIONEERS

It would be unwise to base your expectations for this movie upon its much-hyped trailer released in April 2008 - the movie is very different, tonally, from the trailer. However, people who’ve been waiting for a year to watch Visioneers may be wondering whether it was worth it. That answer is somewhat complex, but in a nutshell: yes. It is a very good movie and you will thoroughly enjoy watching it. Whether it’s as good as you may have hoped is another story.

First, if you’ve never heard of Visioneers, here’s a brief summary: Zach Galifianakis stars as George Washington Winsterhammerman, who works at the Jeffers Corporation as a Level 3 Tunt. In the movie, Jeffers has corporatized most of the United States, pushing productivity and consumerism as the most noble of American values. There’s a problem in this perfect dystopia, however - its citizens, for seemingly no reason, have been spontaneously exploding. As Winsterhammerman suffers from dreams of being George Washington during the Revolutionary War, we follow him through his descent into madness and his struggles to not explode.

Visioneers intends to be a dark satire that highlights the apathy and artifice surrounding our society of conspicuous consumption and media obsession. The dialogue delivers this message in such a transparent and obvious way that the aura of malice that lingers throughout the narrative feels cartoonish at best. But the way that the filmmakers introduce this alternate world of the Jeffers Corporation is intriguingly layered (especially during the first half-hour). Any given scene most likely has a television screen blaring important plot information, layered over spoken dialogue, layered over the subtext spelled out on the faces of the characters. I often found myself rewinding a few minutes back in the middle of a scene so I could catch all of the different audio tracks and hilarious background jokes I missed. The entire movie may be an obnoxious metaphor, but it’s sure as hell a very funny and very dark one, and most scenes taken by themselves are engaging enough that the allegory being shoved in your face can be mostly ignored - and the intensely gratifying ending basically sold me on the previous 90 minutes.

As for the performances, they’re all solid to spectacular. Galifianakis, in particular, is very nice to watch in this subtly comic role that bears almost no relation to his stand-up character (save for his mispronunciation of the word “chaos”). Judy Greer is great as Galifianakis’ wife, and Missi Pyle turns in a fucking hysterical supporting performance as an Oprah-esque talk show host slowly going nuts.

The film was made by two brothers who funded it themselves, so I would recommend buying the DVD immediately - they definitely deserve to get paid for this.

This is the first half of a two-part article. Monetizing LOST can be found over at Who Knew?

Tonight, the two-hour season finale of LOST (and possibly the last jaw-dropping cliffhanger on the show) will air, and there will be only seventeen episodes left in the series. It’s not really enough time for the show to adequately address every question you’ve had while watching it, and its writers have already made it clear in multiple interviews that some of these questions will never be answered. This assertion has understandably perturbed a lot of fans, but I would argue that their complaints are irrelevant. After more than 100 hours of plot twists, character development and mythology expansion, if you’re still watching LOST just to finally get some answers, you’re missing the point.

LOST is a show where rampant baseless speculation and extracurricular research is not only required - it’s where the entertainment value comes from. The show’s writers (especially its showrunners, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) plant clues to upcoming storylines many seasons in advance and automatically assume that their rabid fanbase will analyze these clues. Case in point: during Season 2, Radzinsky’s map on the blast door of the hatch contained notes referring to various “Cereberus Vents” scattered throughout the island. Four weeks ago, during the judgment of Benjamin Linus, the smoke monster literally seeps through the holes of an underground vent.

It’s a tiny hint that no casual viewer would possibly have a chance of knowing, but it makes the difference between being hopelessly confused by this season and eagerly anticipating the show’s next move. Lindelof and Cuse have stated that it’s their job to make a compelling character-driven show from week to week, but let’s be honest: their skill level at maintaining a high-quality narrative in that respect is debatable. It’s the interactive element of LOST - the glorious interplay between the fans’ theories and the writers’ struggles to stay three steps ahead of them - that always stays entertaining.

One thing the show excels in is exquisite, bite-sized character moments - like in Some Like It Hoth, where Miles stares into the open doorway through which his father reads to his younger self - how crazy and surreal that moment is, taking the show’s fixation with daddy issues to its logical and ridiculous apex - these moments can be appreciated on their own as great television. The casual viewer can savor these fleeting scenes as they play out… while, simultaneously, the game-player is analyzing the scene’s implications for how time-travel mechanics work on the show, evaluating the redemptive character arc of Miles thus far and extrapolating what will happen to the character in future episodes, and attempting to view these mythological and character arcs from the perspective of the writers so as to form better predictions, to calculate a better move. It’s a giant and incredibly fun mindfuck for the fans, and it’s the job of the writers to keep surprising them, to heighten the suspense and the level of surprise when the big reveals finally come. What might seem to the casual viewer as awkwardly written, out-of-character scenes (like there are during every episode before a season finale) are recognized by the game-player as necessary set-up for a major plot point, another clue for the player to puzzle over.

So I would say that LOST fails miserably by the standards of conventional entertainment - even in the pilot episode, I found much of the dialogue and character development to be cheesy and overwrought. It’s the mystery, the puzzling over the clue, the feedback loop between the show and its fans - that’s what is ultimately so rewarding about this show. The finale will air in a few hours, and our minds will probably be blown for months - maybe everyone’s theories will be shot to dust, and we’ll have to rewatch episodes from Season 2 to figure out where we went wrong. But isn’t that the fun of it? The game continues.

INTRODUCTION: Tommy Wiseau is perhaps most famous for The Room, a feature-length film which he wrote, directed, and produced and stars in. It was made on a $6 million budget, entirely self-funded. For anyone who’s seen the movie, this man needs no further introduction, but if you haven’t yet gotten the chance to, here are a few clips that should sufficiently acquaint you. He recently appeared as a guest actor on Tim and Eric Awesome Show (Great Job!), and a few weeks later The Room was screened in its entirety on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block.

Although Tommy Wiseau’s past and the source of funding for The Room is still very mysterious, he does give regular interviews. Some especially informative ones include LAist and Terminal Laughter - they answer some frequently asked questions which, to avoid being redundant, I didn’t ask here. Mr. Wiseau’s current and upcoming creative projects include a vampire movie, a new feature film, a musical adaptation of The Room, a sitcom called The Neighbors and a book comparing the differences between 35mm film and high-definition video. All of these projects are discussed below.

My questions are in boldface. For a quiet place to record, the interview was conducted at my friend Alex’s house, and I let him listen in and ask a few questions. I’ve noted in the transcript when he’s speaking because his presence created an entirely new dynamic, as you will see.

A short audio excerpt of this interview can be found here.

——

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?

First, I always say in my Q&A that first you have to have 20 percent, then 40 percent, 60, 80, and finally 100 percent of your project. I am calling it “Wiseau Execution 101”. (laughs) Anyone can apply this formula for any project of any work. And again, in my opinion filmmakers have good ideas but the execution of them is very complex, and you have to do much research as well as you should be detail-oriented about what is your subject, issue or situation. So, long story make it short, you see the filmmaker should, or, again… a lot of people are thinking about 100 percent. Do you understand the concept?

Yeah.

So you should think about 20 percent first, and when you accomplish 20 percent, you are thinking about 40 percent, until you have a 100% complete project.

So, like a gradual approach to the process so that you can just manage-

Because a lot of people ask me similar questions about, I call it, “Wiseau Execution 101”, so it’s simple thing but a lot of people don’t realize that, my point because when you make a film it’s pretty complex. You have to be detail-oriented as well, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, that you have to do the research. And a lot of people don’t do research, they think they know. But they don’t, or they know partially but they hear that I apply the same formula to my project, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Josh… Josh, right?

Yeah.

And you know, a lot of people misquote me, many times. So we have - are you recording this, or-?

I’m recording it.

Okay, so erase what I say now but I send you the answers so there will be no misunderstanding over what I’m saying. A lot of times people misquote me or recording does not work so well but if you want to put some of the voice on your site, then fine with me. That’s basically what I have - the structure, how to approach, how to tackle any project, as well as regular life. You don’t have to be filmmaker, you can still apply my ideas, “Wiseau Execution 101”. But at the same time, there’s the basic stuff people don’t realize that’s very important, if you want to do something with your life.

I read a lot of interviews to kind of prepare for this, and you say that people misquote you a lot, and I guess I’m wondering what your reaction has been to… how the press have perceived the film and how other media outlets have perceived the film, and you made The Room with certain themes and characters and messages in mind and has your perception of [those themes] changed when you’ve seen how the audience and press reacts? Does that make sense?

Well, you ask, you know… (laughs) Good question, but it’s a very complex question, so let me answer that this way. You see, the audience, I would say they embrace the way I embrace for six years right now. I have regular Q&A as you know at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, and the… you know, I love it. I love it what’s happened with The Room, et cetera. But I think the media, they are missing the boat, because they don’t realize, for the people who are writing some of those articles basically my take is, just be nice, they really don’t know what they are talking about. Because my take is any entertainment, I don’t care what you do, you know, it could be comedic, it could be drama, personal, whatever you do, is part of entertainment to enjoy your stuff as well as let people say whatever they want to say. What’s wrong with that?

And again, you have to ask yourself what’s behind the words. You’ll read some of these reviews and interviews and some of these people are completely off the wall. (laughs) So I’m trying not to use any names here but it seems to me that maybe intentionally they don’t want to give me credit for creation of The Room. And the fact also remains that nothing happened by accident: you see, when you prepare a production and a small one… I remember my first movie that I did, it was five minutes, I shot… I shot. I… somebody wrote article where I shooting. That’s incorrect, I never say “we are shooting”. We shot. We did it, we cut, end.

And they lie about that! So, uh, but, you know, then heavy accent. I don’t know if you notice I have EXTREMELY HEAVY ACCENT, RIGHT? But never mind about that. So, I have a good time when I’m listening to some of the stuff or reading, but I don’t even have time to read, believe it or not, but anyway… speaking of my first project, it’s the same principle, you know. You need the beginning, you need the middle, you need the end. Otherwise you will not have anything. So that’s why the “Wiseau Execution 101” is very important because people shoot well like that. And I myself have tendency to jump into, let’s say, you know, “Oh, I have an idea! Let’s just do it!” Well, it’s not as simple, you see. I wish I could say that. So that’s what I’m saying, that some of these reviewers are people where they talk about The Room, they interview me, I think a lot of times they exploit me because they don’t do research or they copy some review from other people. Your question now makes sense, you see, the way you ask the question. But some of the stuff, it just doesn’t make sense. Shoot, next one.

Alex: Hi, Tommy. I’m Alex. Big fan.

Oh hey! Oh hi, how you doing Alec? Oh, I didn’t know you was listening. (laughs)

Alex: Yeah, sorry, I’ve seen the movie twelve times so-

Oh thank you, that’s great!

Alex: Really like it. My question, it’s also a two-parter. Firstly, how were you approached by Tim and Eric and Adult Swim, and secondly, how do you feel about the exposure The Room got with your appearance on their show and them presenting The Room on live TV?

First of all, I don’t know if you know but… they approached me, but my understanding is that Tim and Eric is fan, they are fans of The Room and I think they show up a few times to the screening. I mean, the screening at Laemmle. They saw The Room at Laemmle and they come up with this idea for me to direct one of the skits, but the fact is they directed. I just was acting as an actor. So just again, and this is - (laughs) I’m just laughing, you know why, right?

Yeah. I noticed you only got an acting credit.

Because people don’t realize that, you see, I was hired as a director, as a ROLE as a director, not to DIRECT. (laughs) So I’m just laughing because for me it’s laughable. But I don’t know if people don’t understand it, or it’s just like big mystery. But you see I did not edit his clip or, you know, we have fun! They are very creative people. They are good actors, they have vivid imagination, and… I could work with them any time. Cause they are good actors.

Oh, okay, so, yeah. So you would consider a repeat appearance on the program?

Yeah. If they have job for me, why not? Sure, absolutely. Like I said, they have great environment and they are good actors. They are good people. I like them. Very easy to work with them… you see, I’m talking as an actor right now, I like when people have… I would say “extra mile”, that’s my expression? I don’t know if you’re familiar with the [inaudible] imagination, like your acting zone… and I like when people create something. I can create, you know… give me the words and I can create the story about it, about… whatever. So I like when people creating something and I think Tim and Eric, they have some kind of flavor, of course it’s slightly different than mine, but at the same time I admire that.

How did you get into filmmaking, and what currently drives you to make films?

Well, the fact is, I always wanted to be an actor. That’s a fact. Just, so I studied acting… the ACT in San Francisco, Jean Shelton and Stella Adler for acting, et cetera et cetera… I like theater, I like play, I like being on the stage, actually. So original, I don’t know if you guys know, but originally I wanted to present The Room as a play. But then I changed my mind cause… fact is, I’m like sort of a detail-oriented person, if I may say that. And I did a lot of research related to - in America, as you know, not as many people go to the theater, play theater, I’m talking about, compared to the cinema. So, that’s where the idea about The Room comes from, so I say, I’m changing my mind, let’s shoot The Room in two formats. The reason two formats, because I want to compare two formats. But then they lie about that. So people always disappoint me again. (laughs)

Can you give us some status updates on your upcoming projects that you’ve mentioned: the musical adaptation of The Room that I think you announced at one point you were going to try to develop?

That’s, the thing about the Broadway, the musical, right now I’m currently working on The Neighbors, you know, the sitcom, we’re actually working with certain networks. And I don’t know what will happen, to be honest with you. But that’s the thing… and I’m still working on the book as well as on the Broadway show but then, we need three million dollars to actually open the Broadway show. (laughs)

Uh-huh.

So… I hope you guys don’t put my laugh on your tape. But I’m working currently, and I’m working one on a feature movie, and I’m very excited, and I’m attending the live screenings as you’ve probably noticed, and we have a lot of fans… I love it.

Yeah. Wait, you’re working on a feature movie, you said?

Yeah, I’m working on a feature but I cannot tell you the times right now. And also, I’m working on the vampire as well, but the feature we’ll be shooting in a few months actually.

So… production will start on the feature in a few months.

Correct, yes.

And so, the status of The Neighbors is that you’re just pitching it to networks? Is that the deal right now?

Well, yeah, you may say that we waiting for approval, actually, if I may say that. So basically, we shot… shot, okay, don’t say ‘we are shooting’, because that’s what somebody a few months ago, a few days ago and I said “that’s not what I said for God’s sake”. But we shot 22 minutes of The Neighbors’ pilot and I know you can go to TheNeighborsSitcom.com, you see the trailer… I think somebody put it on YouTube, I don’t remember now. Someone told me that. So this is just a trailer but we actually shot The Neighbors 22-minute pilot. And you can go to the website and see the synopsis and so… The Neighbors is, you see it’s a TV show, and again, it’s a slightly different approach from a feature movie.

Definitely.

And also, I did… are you familiar with Homeless in America, the documentary?

I’ve heard of it, um, I know-

So you should go to our website HomelessInAmericaMovie.com and you can see synopsis, trailer, et cetera.

Yeah, I’ve been to that website.

And again, it’s such a different style. I like the variety.

And is the feature you’re going to shoot funded outside the studio system as well?

You see, again, entertainment, as I mentioned to your friend right now, uh… Josh. Josh and Alex, right?

Yep.

Okay. First you need the 20 percent before you have 40, et cetera, and… I’m always open to a big studio approach, me or vice versa, you know, if we have some kind of dialogue… I am very respectful towards any project, I’m very open working with big studios, and someday probably will call me, whatever, I’ve already been working with them so the fact is it’s very… you know it’s a creation, you see, you need the people who support you as well as… you know, my concept is slightly different, I think some people are not ready for it. That’s my point. (laughs) So it’s different because I believe it’s like… I’m a director, I’m talking as a director right now, and I believe that the director’s job is to provoke the audience, but at the same time in a positive way and a respectful way. So if you look at The Room, which you saw, Alec, what, 12 times, whatever, you see the control from The Room. So that’s what I’m saying about the writers… I would say to you guys I don’t understand some of the people writing so much negative stuff, and they don’t see the positive things… what’s happened, for example, with our fans or on the screening and people enjoy it, have fun! And that’s the idea behind it, that it’s entertainment for god’s sake, that’s my point. So I don’t understand why some people are so furious. You know what I’m saying?

Alex: Just another question from me… have you thought about ever doing any webisodes or web content, putting anything on YouTube or Vimeo?

You know, I am not into the stuff at this time, because… I’ll be into it if, for example, we have feature movie, we can do something like five or ten minutes, fine. But I’m not into the stuff at this time, to be honest with you, okay? Because I just don’t have time. To me it’s like little Mickey Mouse stuff, you know what I’m saying? But it’s interesting because you do have a certain - I don’t know, what exactly is the question about, do something for Internet? I’m not into it, to be honest with you. I don’t see anything wrong with, you know, when some people, as you’ve noticed, put some clips from The Room, as long as it’s one or two seconds I think it’s okay with our producers. If it’s longer we don’t like that. But to produce something for Internet if you have a budget, you know why not? If somebody suggests, I’m for it too. I don’t believe in saying ‘no’, but it’s slightly different because you have limitations: it’s all of a sudden a different format.

About that earlier question, where I asked about how people have reacted to The Room and how that might have changed your opinions about the film, I was also referring to positive interpretations. Have any fans responded really positively to The Room and interpreted the film in ways that surprised you and maybe changed your opinion about the film?

…We got hundreds and hundreds of emails and positive letters, if you ask me, and did it change my opinion, not really, because I will say the same thing that I said seven years ago, or six years ago… seven actually. You see, The Room is for everyone who want, and I create The Room, it’s not for me. It’s for people to see. And I want for all of America to see it, and if you find it, Alex or Josh, if you guys find a formula for how to reach millions of people, call me anytime or let me know. I am for it. You email each other and I will do some clips. You want me to do a commercial, I would be glad to do it. (bursts into laughter) Because you guys Internet-oriented, right? Yeah, I’m just teasing you. But at the same time I’m serious. So it doesn’t change me so much, I am still the same person, maybe I have more attention but I’m still doing the same things that I’m doing before. If you take Hollywood, and someone hired me as a director or an actor, you know, I’m ready for any role. I’m open for it. As long as it’s a legit role… I mean, I can do any role, as far as I’m concerned.

Certainly. What are some films that have inspired you?

First of all, you know, I inspire myself, you see. And I don’t have a typical movie or plot… I always say it’s private matter… I’d say one thing, I’m fond of James Dean, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Orson Welles, and others who actually contribute to society as well as human behavior. If you look at all these classic films, Citizen Kane for example, you can drill but it’s the same like The Room as far as I’m concerned, but you see, again, I’m not here to be negative but I think some of the writers, they don’t see the big picture. Because you have to look at what’s behind the words. And I always say that the simplicity is the virtue of success, meaning the simple way to present something is much harder than you being very complex about it because you interchange someone, not you but I’m just saying overall picture, people pretend that they know about certain stuff, they’re using these fancy words, but at the same time again I will say that I believe very strongly that some of these people do not know what they are talking, okay. Because we are always challenging ourselves, each project, filmmaking or writing, like you guys writing or whatever you preparing, it’s challenge, you know, it’s something what you want to present, like people say “what next?”, you know, “what next?” You want to create something that’s yours, for the listener to say “Well, I want to listen more. What else you want to tell me?” You know what I’m saying? So always it’s a challenge, that’s what I’m saying, and I ain’t going to lie to you, one of my assistants, he give me something to review and I say “I don’t even want to read this now!” Because, I don’t like it when people copy somebody else, I like it when people be creative. You can have a reference, there’s nothing wrong with that, or a similar question. But at the same time, I like when people are creative. So anything else, come on guys, I have ten more minutes.

Okay… did you do Homeless in America before The Room or after…?

Actually, I did after, and actually I tell a little story, long story short, when we were screening The Room at the time before… I don’t know if you guys know that that they have certain rules you have to go by, that you cannot release DVD after two weeks you release in the theater, blah blah blah. Long story short, we decide on 35 format, and I was thinking, and then one day, (laughs) it just hit me, you know what, I have to do something different and let me shoot the homeless people on the street, and that’s where everything started, yeah, I shot after The Room, yes.

Allright. So The Room was pretty much your first feature-length production. And it’s six million dollars, pretty ambitious, so I was just wondering, did you recruit all outside hires or did any of the film’s production staff… [come from friends or colleagues]

Yeah, you know, I answered this question in your email, but the fact is, let me tell you… this is again, what… how long you guys been writing, you… interview people, this is your profession?

Uh… I have considerable experience, but nonTV is a new website.

Yeah, because, let me tell you, I hate when people… not hate, that’s, I don’t hate anybody - but I don’t like questions where people start putting person down. Okay. So what I’m saying to you is if you see The Room DVD you have everything there but let me respond to your question. We have a regular crew, filmmakers, people who’ve been part of the industry. And basically we hire people who’ve actually been doing this. So it’s not like we hire someone from the street, we have regular casting, we got hundreds, thousands actually, thousands and thousands of headshots, the process was very… the same process what you hear with a big studio was applied to The Room. No difference whatsoever.

Yeah. That wasn’t meant to be negative in any way, I was just wondering whether-

Alex, right? Alex?

Josh.

Josh. Oh, duh. Well, you see, you guys have distinguished voice, and I make mistakes, you see. Because I do make mistakes. Josh. Let me say something to you. I’m not offended because you don’t realize that. You see, I myself, sometimes I will ask somebody a question which relates to putting down. Your question I’m telling you right now straightforward, I answered your question already and you can check your email, but the fact is putting down.

Okay, I’m sorry.

No, listen, let me finish. Putting down based on the value of a production, based on who you hire. This is a direct… so let’s just don’t go around it and uh, you know, let’s say what it counts for here. So basically what I’m saying to you is we hire professional people and I don’t think it’s necessary to ask any filmmakers questions related to putting down the project. And your question in particular, this question which is actually stuck in my mind, it’s putting the project down. Okay. Because you apply indirectly, and you have various edits on the DVD, The Room DVD have various edits behind the scenes, you see hundreds of people, actually we have thousands of people who look at the project from the beginning to the end, from the green screen to people who - you have the credits! Look at the credits! You look at all this production, you - everything is there! So if you want me to confirm the question, if you form the question to me, Josh, can you confirm that all the people relate to production were hired as a professional or maybe you hire your friend, that would be different formula. The way you answered the question is just putting project down. That’s how I feel, that’s my opinion.

I am really sorry, I did not mean to -

Oh, you- don’t be sorry! That’s the process of learning, it’s not gonna- I still love you, man. It’s no problem. You don’t have no problem with me.

Okay.

You may have a problem someday with somebody else, because you see, I study this stuff and I’m familiar with the structure, if I may say that, indirectly which applies. It’s, again, you have to ask yourself where’s behind the line? If I say to you, (sarcastically, singsong voice) “Hi Josh, how are you?”, am I friendly? Am I jerk or am I sarcastic? Right, Alec?

Alex: …Yup.

Can you hear, Alex, too?

Alex: Yeah yeah yeah, absolutely, I hear you.

So you see, this is the thing what I am very touchy about. You see, I have a Q&A as I mentioned before, some of these people, it’s nothing wrong, and guys, again, please understand me, it’s nothing wrong when we make mistakes in life. Including myself. But it is wrong, if some people - I didn’t say you did, Joshua, by intentionally acting or whatever curiosity - I don’t know what is your concept, whatever, but the fact also remains that The Room, the press is not very kind for The Room, you see, they think that everything was happening by accident and then a lot of people started discovering all this different stuff that… you can go for example Backstage/West, we have editors there, regular casting, where to send headshots for example, et cetera et cetera. And then if people assuming something, it’s not right. That’s not cool. So Joshua, again, don’t get upset at me, I’m not upset at you, I love you man, you are good writer, and you are good interviewer, but I tell you how I felt about. That’s all.

Okay.

So I want you to have a good day today, allright?

Allrighty.

(laughs) I’m just teasing. But it’s your choice if you have good day or not…. beyond my control but you never know. (laughs) Like somebody send me one email and my assistant give it to me and say “Oh, someone was dreaming about you.” (laughs) So we have to laugh some.

Can you just talk briefly about shooting the film on two different cameras, 35mm and high-definition… I don’t know definitively, but it seems that you decided to go with 35mm, so how did you come to this decision?

Yeah… it’s a good question actually, because you see, a film is a film. That’s basically what we have here. The reason behind it was that the - I wanted to compare these two formats. And again, on the DVD I say I was confused, well let me say this, well let me correct this: entire Hollywood was confused. Okay? And that’s a fact. And people don’t realize the fact… but film is a film. But guess what, today’s technology, we are very close to the film. But it will never be the same as the film, you see, like if you decided to shoot today project in HD and transfer to film, I would strongly recommend if you have limited budget. Because when you shoot any project on 35, it’s very costly. Today, seven years ago, ten years ago and today it will be the same thing, because the process is the same - you cannot have a shortcut. Guess what, with HD, you do have a certain, you can apply different applications, and then will save you money, okay. But the reason I did is because, and by the way The Room is the only feature movie, and I want to emphasize the only feature movie entire world that actually been shot - not shooting again, shot- on 35 and HD the same time. And it was not just because I feel like it, because I want to compare the two formats, and I’m proud of it, to be honest with you. We had a lot issues because certain angles of a camera did not come out right way… imagine two cameras - and it’s again, behind the scenes two cameras you can see om the same plaque, and certain angles we had some issues but to make a long story short, I’m very proud of it because it was great experience and an experiment at the same time, and that’s why I want to - I’m working currently to present to any person because it’s very interesting. It’s not just a filmmaker’s but it’s just a Average Joe to see it, with two cameras to see what’s happening here, okay. But what you see in the theater is 35, what you see on the DVD is 35 but the “Behind the Scenes” we shot on digital. You can see very clearly the format. I’m proud of it, to be honest with you. And it was great project.

Do you have any technical information on the types of cameras you used?

Well, we used the 35 and we used the Panasonic 27F as the HD. It was the first camera for Panasonic to actually come out with, for your info, they supposed to do the article but I don’t know if they published or not. But that was the first camera, one of the first ones.

Uh-huh. And you filmed it in… 2002, 2003?

Seven years, six years ago. The anniversary of The Room is June 27th. And we shot around 8 months.

Alex: What - I’m sure there’s so many awesome ones - but for you, what’s your favorite scene and/or sequence in The Room, either from a director’s or actor’s standpoint?

Well… my favorite scene is Chris-R scene [with Denny at gunpoint on the roof], and “You are tearing me apart Lisa.” And Chris-R scene is, the scene was, I don’t know, I just like it because… I do know why I like it because, well first of all, there’s a question for why you put a dash next to R, I don’t know if you noticed that, Chris and the dash R, and then for - it is because it’s a gangster, it’s a gangster’s… initial. That’s my vivid imagination. Now, “You are tearing me apart” is something which relate to, you may say ‘melodrama’ but again The Room is not melodrama. And people confuse, like they say ‘oh, this is melodrama’, ‘this is drama’, ‘this is black comedy’, et cetera et cetera. But these two scenes were very, very interesting to do and choices what I make was very… extremely detail-oriented, how I want to present it. And I love… you guys remember when Johnny and Mark, they take the Chris-R, they go to police station, you see. Now, we have more footage. By the way, we have all the footage Mark as well. All the Marks and Lisa. So the next DVD we will actually be releasing the footage, people will be surprised because people who are talking about with assumptions… I’m just laughing, not about you guys, but with some of the people who they are assuming because they are incorrect. They are 100 percent wrong, wrong, wrong. Because, you see, the time we did the casting, we had dozens of Marks, dozens of Lisa, et cetera et cetera. Any production in Hollywood would tell you the same thing - any production, actually, in the entire world… if you prepare a feature movie, be sure you have the double person to play a particular character. Because you may have some issue where you don’t know - it’s the process of creation, you see. It’s not like two and two is four, it doesn’t work that way.

So that extra footage would be on the 10th Anniversary DVD? Is that the plan?

Well, I mean we have a lot of people asking about the… the Blu-ray, we want to do it, also 10th anniversary, 10th anniversary of The Room, we actually want to do the “behind the scenes” more footage, as well as we probably want to dub it in French and German and Spanish. But I’m not sure yet because right now, you know, we have actually the networks, some of the network people who actually show The Room, they’re already doing the Spanish version, I think, I’m not sure yet. So that’s the direction we are going. But yeah, you will see more footage - we have a lot of footage. Behind the scenes, and some of it is very laughable. (laughs)

Allright, thanks so much!

Okay, thanks. Stay cool. Bye.

——

The Room has enjoyed monthly screenings in Los Angeles for the past seven years, and if you live in the Boston area, you can see a special midnight screening at the Coolidge Corner Theater on May 9th. (Not entirely sure, but I think they’ve obtained an actual film print.) You can also buy the DVD on Amazon.