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Scott
Goldberg: Eager to Carve a Name for
Himself: by Owen
Keehnen
Perhaps
not too many are familiar with the name
of Scott Goldberg --- yet. However, this
23-year-old
director-writer-cinematographer has the
talent, drive, and love of horror to put
him on the gore-front of new forces in
the genre. He is currently in
post-production with a little zombie epic
entitled The Day They Came
Back featuring Chiko Mendez and
which brings Friday the 13th
Part 3 star Paul Kratka out of a 23
year cinematic retirement. Next up,
Goldberg is primed to go on another short
called Breakthrough, which
also features Mendez and Kratka. Also in
the works for Scott is a feature about a
demonic & vengeful presence at a
summer camp entitled
Danielles Revenge. For
this feature Goldberg has lined-up
several veterans of summer camp horror
Kratka, Felissa Rose (Angela from
Sleepaway Camp), and Ron
Milkie (Officer Dorf in Friday the
13th).
That cast roster is a rather telling
indication of this filmmakers love
of, and dedication to, the slasher genre.
Hes definitely our kind of guy!
Fright flicks are a real passion for him,
a love hes had and nurtured since
childhood when he was recreating
Friday the 13th
scenes on film. I love twisted kids like
that!! Wait a minute; I was a twisted kid
like that!
Recently
I had the chance to chat with the Long
Island NY based Scott Goldberg about his
love of the genre, his current projects,
and the frightening facts of life. If
enthusiasm is any indication, this guy is
definitely going the distance.
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Owen: Hey Scott, how was your Halloween?
Scott: Hello Owen, first I'd
like to thank you for this interview opportunity.
And secondly, my Halloween was fantastic. A lot
of fun.
Owen: Well, as a kid you started
making horror --- was directing and writing
and shooting horror flicks what you always
wanted to do? Was there ever a desire to
shoot historical dramas or musicals or was horror
your pure passion?
Scott: I started really getting
into film when I was 17 years old. At that age,
my love for films, especially horror films, had
an effect on my life. I knew that I wanted to be
involved in film somehow, so I made sure to look
into colleges that had a Film Program. Then,
throughout my college career, I did a lot of
projects that involved horror, and some of my
projects even won some film festivals. At that
point, I knew that I was on the right track.
Owen: From your experience what
is the most crucial thing for a filmmaker to keep
in mind when doing a project?
Scott: Well, the whole process
of making films, even when they are no budget and
independent, is the most crucial thing for a
filmmaker to keep in mind. The experience from it
and being able build upon that foundation. While
directing and making 'Dead End Massacre',
it was my first time actually getting a taste of
what a production was like.
I also worked on other independent films as well,
working as 1st Assistant Director, 2nd Assistant
Director, Production Assistant, etc. So those job
positions helped with experience as well. When
you're not working on your own film, and when
you're working for someone else, it's a different
experience.
Owen:
Your newest film is a zombie epic -- 'The
Day They Came Back'. Can you
give me a quick rundown on that?
Scott: 'The Day They Came Back'
is a short film (approx. 25 minutes), that was
shot on a $3,000 budget, and filmed from April
2005 to November 2005. The film went through a
lot of reshoots and add-on scenes during this
time. The film stars Paul Kratka (Friday
the 13th
Part 3), Chiko Mendez (Saturday
Night Live, Junkyard Wars),
Marlene Villafane, Paula Kaiser, along with some
other great independent film actors and
actresses. The film is about a group of Special
Ops Soldiers who are sent on a mission to find
out the reason for the outbreak that brought back
the walking dead. Enrique Hernandez (Chiko
Mendez) is the leader of the group who decides to
lock four outcasts in there with his platoon to
ensure their safety.
We shot at this wonderful location, Welwyn
Preserve in Glen Cove, New York. I remember
scouting locations in 2003 for some potential
projects, and since we were unable to shoot
inside houses, due to the excess amount of gore
and blood, I decided that Welwyn had the perfect
feel and creepiness for the film.
Owen: Tell me please how you got
Paul Kratka (Rick from 'Friday the 13th
Part 3') out of retirement to be in your
movie!
Scott: A couple of months prior
to shooting, I had introduced myself via e-mail,
and I told him I had him in mind for my horror
film. I was very straightforward and let him know
that the film didn't have a big budget, and was
my first film out of college. He told me to get
back in touch with him when we had dates locked
down. When the time came, I e-mailed him back and
told him that we were scheduling the actors, and
offered to pay for his flight. He flew out to
Long Island in April 2005 for three days and we
shot his scenes in two days.
Owen: Was it surreal or
intimidating directing him?
Scott: Yes, it was very intimidating. At the time, I was
scared. Here is this actor, Paul Kratka, who flew
all the way out from California to be in my
small, independent film, and not to mention his
first film in over 20 years. Before we started
shooting on the first day, he told me
"Scott, I'm just another actor to
direct." So, he knew I was nervous, but
after he said that, I felt more comfortable.
The only time I had seen him act, was in Friday
the 13th Part 3, and that was
twenty four years ago, so to be able to work with
him was something new for me, as well as
exciting. During the shootings, there was a
feeling of mutual respect on both ends. He was
happy to be in my film, and I was happy to have
him in my film, which led us to the next project
that we are working on together: 'Breakthrough'.
Alongside Paul Kratka in 'Breakthrough',
is veteran actor Chiko Mendez (www.ChikoMendez.com) who played the lead in 'The
Day They Came Back'. We will be
shooting in late April 2006. For more information
on the film, you can check out my official
website: www.ScottGoldbergFilms.com
Owen: I noticed Paul is also
slated to be in your future film 'Danielle's Revenge'
along with Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp)
and Ron Milkie (Friday the 13th).
Does the fact that this takes place at a
camp have anything to do with your casting
choices?
Scott: Right now, we are just in
talks with them. No contracts have been signed.
They have agreed to be in the film, so we are
working on the funding of the film right now and
finding investors for 'Danielle's Revenge'.
After we finalize with the investors, we then
sign them to contracts.
I've always believed in using formulas for horror
movies that work, and they are all unique actors.
When Paul had entered the location that we shot 'The
Day They Came Back' at, he told me that
it reminded him of where they shot 'Friday
the 13th Part 3'.
Owen:
Would you please give the racksandrazors
readers the honor of a 'Danielle's
Revenge' synopsis?
Scott: At first, we were going
to use a storyline that was a sequel to another
film I did, but after showing the script to a
close friend of mine from New York City, he told
me about his friend who writes screenplays. So,
we got in touch with him, and he is currently
finishing up the script for 'Danielle's
Revenge'.
Owen: Clearly you are a
mega-horror/slasher fan. Do you have a
dream cast for some feature down the
line? Let me limit that a bit -- what 3
other folks would you be drooling to cast?'
Scott: I would have loved to
work with Donald Pleasence if he were still
alive. If I also had the chance to work with the
whole cast of 'Day of the Dead',
I would love to. I'm sure working with Joe Pilato
(Rhodes), Lori Cardille (Sarah) and Anthony DiLeo
(Michael Salazar) would be a blast. I love so
many favorite horror films so it would be very
hard to decide.
Owen: What horror films taught
you the most simply from viewing them?
What or whose directorial work leaves you in
awe?
Scott: George Romero has been a
great influence on me, both as a director and
filmmaker, as well as John Carpenter. I love the
shots of John Carpenter for his films, especially
'Halloween'. Even though he is
more fantasy than horror, I love Tim Burton's
work as well. There is something beautiful, yet
dark about his films, and he is very sick and
twisted, but in a good way.
Owen: Do you have a favorite
death scene (or 2) in a horror flick?
Scott:
For zombie films, it has to be Captain Rhode's
death scene in 'Day of the Dead',
where he gets his stomach ripped open. That was a
great effect and the first time I saw it, I felt
a little uneasy. It just came out of nowhere, and
what makes George a great director is his vision
and how he makes every scene meaningful. There is
not one scene in 'Day of the Dead'
that doesn't have meaning to it. And then you
have George's political undertones in each of 'Dead'
films. Owen: Do you have any feelings regarding the CG
(computer generated) vs. on-site effects
debate?
Scott: I will always be opposed
to CG effects because it just isn't believable. I
understand that horror films and other films save
time on the set most of the time when they do
CGI, but it damages the quality of what could
have been done with on-site effects. In 'Land
of the Dead', when one of the zombies is
shot in the head in the beginning of the film, it
looked fake. 'Land' was much
less effective than 'Day', and
that's telling you something. The contrast of
what was made 20 years earlier had better
effects. The on-site effects made it what it is
today, and it still stands up to todays
horror films.
Owen: What scares you in real
life?
Scott: Death. What makes my
stomach feel uneasy is actual death scenes of
real life accidents. The reality and seeing
something that is real is much more different
than deaths in horror films. I am scared of death
yet still embrace it. Death is a beautiful thing
when it happens naturally. |
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