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Owen: Hey Ted, why not start us out with
a visual and describe the room you are sitting in
for the www.racksandrazors.com readers.
Ted: Well, the room is surrounded by lobby
cards from all the classic (and not so classic)
sci-fi films of the 50's. There are also many
posters and props from my own films. I have two
large rooms that are filled with all sorts of
props, toys, books, mags, posters, model
kits...it's like a small monster museum.
Owen: Very cool. Sounds like an
inspiring environment. So let's start with 'The
Deadly Spawn' (1983). As the
producer and writer of that sci-fi/horror classic
how did that flick come about?
Ted:
I read this article about prehistoric seed
pods being found, thawed and grown. I thought,
wow, what about finding a meteor with a dormant
seedpod in it! Of course I forgot about the
Blob... I thought I came up with a novel idea! I
wanted to start my own film producing company and
contacted John Dods to see if he wanted to make a
movie with me. He said yes and the rest is
history.
Owen: 'The Deadly Spawn' looks
so good for the miniscule budget you had at the
time. What was the most important thing you
learned from that experience as a cost cutting
tip you would like to pass on to indie
filmmakers?
Ted: Surround yourself with talented
people. Tim Hildebrandt, John Dods
and we
had a large group of people who just wanted to
work for screen credit. It took over a year to
film and the real budget was a bit under $20,000.
Owen: I have got to know about
the creation of that creature and what was
used. So could you give me a little run
down on the construction?
Ted: Of course! For most of us, this was
one of, if not, the first film. The first Spawn
head was so heavy it broke the wood
supports. The armature had to be made of metal.
John Dods figured it all out. I had an idea for
the creature, similar to the one finally used,
but a man in a suit. You can find the original
art on my website www.deadlyspawn.net Anyway, John said he
would prefer to do something that wasn't an
obvious man in a rubber suit. We threw a few
ideas around and finally just lowered the thing
to the ground and made it a big toothy glob. The
arms with the fingers on the end actually worked,
but the cables snapped early on, so that was
that! I could go on, LOL, but you might as well
read the book when it comes out.
Owen: Thats exciting!
Well chat about your upcoming book in a
bit. So what was the toughest part about
directing/producing/and writing the 1995 sci-fi
comedy 'Vampire Vixens from Venus'?
Ted: Man! Where to begin. Very little
budget for a film with prosthetic and CGI
effects. My DP turned out to be, er, a little
less than what he said. The editing was bad. The
film had to be turned over early because the
video jackets were being created for the video
screeners. The editing wasnt finished, but,
as per contract, I turned over the film. In
retrospect, I should have taken the heat and
waited till it was finished right. The whole
thing was a mess, but it did pretty well on USA
Up All Night. We got good ratings. That
is one film I'd love to go back and re-do!
Owen:
What favorite memory do you have of working with
Michelle Bauer, Teresa Lynn, and J.J. North in
that feature?
Ted: They were fantastic! Michelle is a
good friend and a VERY talented actress. Always
knows her lines, is on time and helps everybody
on the set. All the girls were top notch; I'd
love to work with them again.
Owen: What is your overriding
memory of directing 'The Regenerated Man'
(1994)?
Ted: That
was another low budget film. Under $75,000 I
believe. I came off a much bigger film
(Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor), which was
supposed to be a sequel to Spawn.
I had two partners and the whole thing was a
terrible experience. (laughs) I STILL have knife
wounds in my back. Anyway, I just wanted to get
away from that and make a very small sci-fi film
on my own. The film is ok, but it's hard with
that kind of budget.
Owen: Tell me about 'Destination
Fame'.
Ted:
My friend Paul DeAngelo (Sleepaway Camp)
wanted us to get together and make a hip-hop
film. I'm not a big fan, but figured it might be
fun. We produced and directed the film and it had
a small theatrical release. We're still looking
for a distributor. It has a great cast, AJ Gil
from American Idol, Jordan
Knight (New Kids On the Block), Joe
Jackson (Michaels father), Cuba Gooding,
Mario, Ricky Aiello...and a bunch of very
talented artists. The kids seem to like it.
Owen: Looking back to when you
were a kid, is there any incident that you can
pick out and say, "Yup, that kid was
destined to grow up involved in sci-fi/horror
flicks"?
Ted:
I ALWAYS liked monsters. When I was very young I
was home alone when The Thing
came on. I was so scared I had to hold pillows
around my ears because I couldn't even LISTEN to
the music. Finally, during a commercial, I ran
over and shut it off. Boy, I couldn't wait till
my parents got home that night!
Owen: Tell me about your work as
a ghoul in 'The Amityville Curse'
(1990). How did that role come about?
Ted: Oh, that whole thing is a 20-page
chapter in itself. A friend asked me to get a
special effects crew together for a film being
shot in Canada. They fired their guy and I had 2
days to get a crew and get there. I did it and
designed a bunch of effects shots for them. Most
ended up on the cutting room floor...deemed too
intense! In one of them I was a ghoul and kept
spitting this gooey stuff onto the actresses
face. (laughs) We told her the goo was being
sprayed from a mechanical service contained in
the mask. I just loaded my mouth up and spit. The
film turned out boring. I'd love to get the
effects stuff we shot!
Owen: It's interesting - you
direct, produce, write, and do special FX as
well. Which brings you the most
satisfaction to do and which is the greatest
challenge?
Ted: Well, I don't do special effects. I
design the effect or creature, but I don't make
the thing. I love the whole filmmaking process,
but as I get older, writing is the best. I can do
that without leaving the house! The most fun you
can have is when you finally see everything put
together...the film, sound effects, music and
special effects.
Owen: So speaking of FX what's
your stance between on-set vs. computer generated
effects?
Ted: I love them both and I use them both.
All these things are just more tools for the
artist to use. Can you overuse them? Sure!
(laughs) I'd love to have the money to overuse
them! If and when I do Deadly Spawn 2,
I'll probably have a combination of live action
prosthetic creatures and a CGI Spawn
Mega-Monster!
Owen: Ted, do you have anything else you want
to brag, plug, or inform the
www.racksandrazors.com readers about?
Ted:
I have a film coming out on March 7th from
Maverick Ent called This Thing Of Ours. It's a mob film I made with Danny
Provenzano. We have some top names in it such as
James Caan, Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore, Pat
Cooper, Chuck Zito and a great ensamble cast.
We've gotten some really good reviews on this
one. It had a small theatrical release a few
months ago. I also just finished a film called
Hell On Earth. It's a fun film filled with
prosthetic and computer effects. Hopefully it
will be ready in February. Lions Gate is waiting
to give it a look. I'm also going to finish my
book this year...Making Low-Budget
Science-Fiction Films: A Real Horror
Story. With some detail it tells the story of
putting together a feature film using all my
films as a guide. And hopefully, Deadly Spawn
2 and a film called Fountain Avenue for
2006.
Owen: You sound busy. So Ted -
what does it for you and why - creatures, aliens,
vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, witches,
psychos...?
Ted:
As I said, I love monsters and sci-fi. I'm
not a huge fan of the magic stuff such as Harry
Potter. You know, if you can make a desk fly
across the room, why don't you just make the bad
guys heart explode. I can buy a total bullshit
story as long as they explain and stick to the
rules.
Owen: We are pulling the jalopy
into the Ted A Bohus Drive-In Theatre --- what
three horror flicks are on the triple bill?
Ted:
If you are asking what my favorite films are, it
might surprise you. Its a Wonderful
Life, Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind.
A great triple bill. My favorite sci-fi films
are: Forbidden Planet, Day the Earth Stood
Still, The Thing, War Of the Worlds, Shrinking
Man, This Island Earth...you know, the usual
suspects.
Owen: What scares you in real
life?
Ted: Not too much. What I would do to
someone hurting a child or animal.... that sort
of thing.
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