An interview With Zach Green, Producer Of Heir

While “HEIR” is running the festival circuit during 2016 we of Skatronixxx.com had an interview with one of the man behind this short, producer Zach Green from Fatal Pictures.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Can you tell us how you got in being a producer / casting director / editor?

I attended film school back in 2002 in Toronto for film post production, which was initially what first drew me to the industry. In my final semester at school, I applied to be an editor on a short drama which happened to be written and directed by Richard Powell.

As Richard and I would go on to produce more films throughout the years after graduating film school, I started taking on the role of producer, so Richard could focus on the creative aspects and elements. Such as writing and directing. So slowly but surely I would go on to produce our films that Richard would write and direct. As for casting director, that’s just another role I felt I would take on myself and cast the best talent I felt fit for the role, and bring them to Richard’s attention, and we would go from there, and have auditions etc.

So far you have worked on several shorts. What would your next step be?

The next step for myself and Fatal Pictures, is to try and tackle the feature film world. And hopefully be producing our feature debut next. But with such strong love and passion for the film industry, you never know what will happen. We might just produce another short film if the stars line up for it.

What would your dream production be? And who would star in it?

Something written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, produced by Eli Roth, Jason Blum and of course Harvey Weinstein.

Is there somewhere the readers/fans can see any of your previous work?

Absolutely, I would love everyone to head over to iTunes, and check out Fatal Pictures’ previous film, entitled Familiar (2012). Check out the full film via this link here.

Our first feature film might possibly be the feature length story of Familiar. The award winning short is a great proof of concept for the feature.

What would you like to share about this short with our viewers? 

The short film “HEIR” is a very powerful and thought provoking film that deals with a very sensitive and taboo subject matter, but done in such a brilliant and artistic way, I really do feel any cinema lover will be able to appreciate this twisted little tale.

You’ve been round the festival circuit; can you tell me anything about what these festivals are like, and how someone would go about entering a film into a festival?

I couldn’t be happier with the festival run “HEIR” has received thus far. Sure there will always be some festivals you won’t get into; you can’t get into them all.

The festivals have been great. It’s always a pleasure if I am able to attend them. But that’s unfortunately that’s not always the case. I like to think the cream of the crop will always rise. So if you make a great piece of cinema, it will get noticed. But with that said, you still need to push it out there. You can make the best film, but if no one sees it, it might as well be a coaster for my beer.

To go about getting into the festivals on the circuit, you would just apply to them via WithOutaBox or Film Freeway or whichever way you’re instructed to submit to the festival.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

You can expect to see a lot more from Fatal Pictures, a few more film festivals in the upcoming months for “HEIR”, and then it will be available digitally in 2017 via iTunes, Google Play etc

Also, we are hoping to produce our feature debut in the upcoming months, but either way, expect to see a lot more of Fatal Pictures.

Could you tell our readers one fact about yourself that they may not know already?

I was first drawn to the film industry through editing and post production, and organically became the producer I am today. Naturally wanting the best for my films as possible. You usually do end up wearing multiple hats as an indie filmmaker, but that’s actually a good thing if you ask me, it gives you a little taste of different areas of producing a film.

Finally what advice would you give to people who are new to the trade?

I’m not going to say something cliché like follow your passion etc. etc. etc. But what I will say is, Good luck.

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

I would like to encourage everyone to head over to http://www.fatalpictures.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and screening dates. And follow us on Twitter & IG @FatalPictures.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

For more information about Zach, check out his IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm237423  and find out more about his upcoming projects as well.

HEIR: a great horror short!

Heir is a 14 minute horror short starring o.a. Bill Oberst Jr, Robert Nolan, Justin Major, Jane Pokou, and Mateo D’Avino. This short is written and directed by Richard Powell, who did an excellent job I must say on both the writing and directing.

IMDB describes the plot of the movie as follows:

“After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his young son Paul embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.” (Written by Richard Powell)

I have absolutely nothing to add to that, without giving anything away. The storyline itself is haunting. It has left me guessing and wondering; what if. The scariest part about it is that is often not a what-if scenario. It actually happens and that is the most terrifying of all.

Heir has done something that horror movies haven’t done to me in a while; scare me. Recently horror movies have made me laugh, however this short with little dialogue and excellent music score made me shiver at times. So a job very well done.

The subtle sound of a clock ticking while you wait for what comes next is terrifying in itself. Without even looking at the screen what happens . There are more scenes like this; which I must admit I like very much. Have a look at the teaser from the film and you know what I mean.

To be honest I haven’t seen many shorts and from what I have seen they didn’t impress me much. This short surprised me in so many positive ways: the directing, the music, the casting and the acting.

Seeing this short it didn’t surprise me however that the short was nominated for Best Horror Short & Best Supporting Actor (Bill Oberst Jr.) at FilmQuest this year. (The results of this festival will be announced the 23rd of June.) Bill Oberst Jr. is perfectly cast in his role as Denis. His physique has added to the creep and scare factor of this short. His acting was suburb and gave me chills as to how scary it was.

So in conclusion Heir is a brilliant horror short in my opinion. To me this is horror at its finest. It will gross you out and haunt you. I for one am curious to see if you all share that same opinion. Unfortunately it won’t be released to the public until 2017 via ITunes, Google Play and other platforms. But let me assure you the wait is worth your while.

Heir was a cooperation between writer and director Richard Powell and producer Zach Green from FatalPictures.  We had an interview with the latter about this film and about what we could expect to see from him next.

An Interview With Cosplayer Maia Rayn

Hi Readers!

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Maia Rayn an instagram celebrity! Maia has a strong fanbase on instagram and it’s not hard to see why. Not only is she an awesome person but her cosplays are some of the best I’ve seen in a long time.

Let’s find out some more about Maia Rayn!

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

An Interview With Musician Haley Rose

Hi Readers! It’s me Skatronixxx, yes I know it’s been a while but as you know I’ve been working hard away behind the scenes, but enough about me I’m here to talk to you about a really talented musician by the name of Haley Rose.

Haley is a 17 year old singer songwriter fom Iowa, USA. I met Haley on twitter, you can find her here and as you know there’s loads of budding musicians on twitter, some good, some bad, but Haley not only had a really nice voice but seemed like a nice person as well. I mean who else who have a dedicate page on her EP for fans. That was pretty cool

I liked the fact that Haley shares my positive outlook on life and offered her an interview on our website and she accepted! So let’s find out some more about another one of our followers and friends Haley!

An Interview With Model And Actress Ahnikah Hendrickson

Hi Readers

It’s been a while since we’ve had an interview on our site. Recently I got chatting to another one of my followers. She is an actress and have been in hit shows such as Allegiant and Vampire Diaries and if that’s not cool enough for you she’s also a model! Yes a model, but that’s enough spoilers from me, let’s find out about Ahnika Hendrickson 🙂

An Interview With Cosplayer Karen Sinclair

Hi All

It’s time for another cosplay interview this time, it’s with someone I approached on Instagram. Karen seemed like an awesome person and what’s more she’s relatively new to cosplaying. So I thought she would be a cool person to interview and find out how she’s getting on with her new hobby of cosplaying, what’s more she is pretty cool too.

Let’s find out some more about Karen!

Interview With ‘The Spins’

So I approached The Spins about conducting an interview for the site and they were more than happy to oblige. The band are a Pop Rock band from Roquebrune Cap-Martin, France and consist of Alessia Mattalia (drums) Mai Agan (bass) Marcello Giordano (keyboards, backing vocals) Ludovic Briand (guitar, lead vocals). So lets see what the band have to say in the interview below.

---

How did the band form?

Marcello: “In 2010, soon after the release of Jeff Beck’s Hammerhead, Alessia and I began to collaborate with a London based producer, who was trying to build an international project aiming to chart in the UK. For a number of reasons the project didn’t move forward, but we had the opportunity to meet Estonian bassist Mai Agan, no joke one of the best female bassist worldwide. So, when Alessia and I decided to resume the project, Mai has obviously been our first choice. Then last summer we had the chance to see Ludovic playing live at the port of Montecarlo with his Tribute to Toto. Not only his technical abilities and his own style in playing guitar but also his voice convinced us he was our man. After 4 months of pre-production made via e-mail we decided we had enough material for an EP. So we booked two weeks in Manchester at Vibe Studios and began the sessions while making a deep search to find a great female vocalist in town. During the recording sessions the resident producer Dean Glover suggested we could try with a very young but very talented female vocalist called Amy Danielle. We did it and now she’s The Spins’ lead vocalist.”

How would you describe your musical style?

Alessia: “Something in the middle of modern electronic pop and classic rock.

Your new EP is due out on the 28^th of June what can we expect from the new EP? Marcello: “I’d say a concept song (Hole In The Ground, a song about a girl who could be the insane daughter of The Beatles’ infamous serial killer Maxwell), 3 wannabe chartbreakers and the title-track, that I started from the (very psychedelic) lyrics I wrote on a sleepness night and that represents our attempt to write music without thinking to charts, sounds, beats a-la-modeand so on. That’s the music as we feel it should be”

A question to Alessia – What was it like working with Jeff Beck?

Alessia: “It’s been like working with a myth who revealed to be not just an incredible musician but a passionate lover of music and a very kind man, who succeeded in making me feeling absolutely comfortable from the very beginning of the recording sessions even if I was playing with a piece of music history.”

Who would you say is the biggest musical influence on the band?

Marcello: “There is not just one musical influence. Mai comes from jazz, if you listen to the works of her modern jazz-fusion band MaiGroup you would understand how she seems to be distant from my background made of classical music, The Beatles and The Who and Alessia’s one, a deep connoisseur of the 80’s and whose drumming style has been built following the traces of Terry Bozzio, Dave Weckl, Simon Phillips and so on. I can say we have several musical influences that we try to mix and build our own unique sound.”

If you could have one guest musician to do a song with alive or dead who would it be and why?

Marcello: “Dead Freddy Mercury, alive Paul McCartney.”

Do you have any tours lined up this year?

Marcello: “Yes, summer and early Autumn will be dedicated to an intensive UK tour.”

Tell our readers a fun fact about the band that they may not know?

Alessia: “One night we decided to go downtown for dinner, so we decided to eat in a kebab restaurant. After having ordered our meals, Mai and I decided to go to the toilet. When we got there I realized that there was no possibility to close the door, so I asked Marcello to come and stay in front of it until we had finished, and when he reached us he immediately burst out laughing as he realized that there was no lock at the door because the doorknob has been used to substitute the push button of the flush! Absolutely crazy.”

Can you give are music savvy readers some information on what equipment the band uses?

Marcello: “Alessia’s Liberty Drums kit is made of two snares (8” and 14”), two hi-hats (one per side), 22” bass drum, four toms, one gong tom, an Axis X double pedal and UFIP cymbals. Mai uses an american Fender Jazz bass, Ludovic uses a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, an Ernie Ball Music Man LIII electric guitar and a Cort Grand Regal acoustic guitar. I have a studio configuration (Korg M5 88 keys, an Acer laptop equipped with Windows 10, Studio One 3 Pro and a huge list of VST synths and FX) and a live one, which includes a Kawai MP9000 stage piano, a Clavia Nord C2, an Arturia MatrixBrute and a M-Audio 88 keys master keyboard connected to my laptop.”

Finally what advice would you give any up and coming musicians?

Alessia: “Difficult to say. Work with humility, keep on studying to improve your skills, never be so conceited not to accept an advice from a fellow colleague and pray that someday you will have the chance to be in the right place at the right time.”

You can check the band out at the following links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/armandaleg1

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TherealSpins/

Website – http://www.thespins.org/

So there you have it a great interview with some great answers. As always for all your music needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com

Interview With Pop Punk Band ‘Wicked Bears’

So it’s time for another band interview and it’s the turn of 3 piece Salt Lake City Pop Punk Band Wicked Bears so without further ado lets jump right into the interview.

---

1. How did the band form?

Casey (bass): We’ve been friends for a long time, thanks to playing in other bands and having mutual friends.I saw Nick (guitar) listening to Masked Intruder on Spotify one day during work, and I was also listening to Masked Intruder. So I texted him about it, and that was the beginning. Nick texted Ken (drums) about it, and we rehearsed a week or so later.  It’s a pretty boring story, but if there were a cooler story to tell we’d definitely use that one

2. How would you describe your musical style?

Fast, melodic, and easy to grab a hold of. We try to play pop punk that we’d like if we were sitting in the back of your car hanging out. But if we’re sitting in your car, maybe musical style isn’t your biggest concern right now. How did these three grown men get into your car?

3. You have released your new 6 track EP can you tell us a little bit about the recording process?

We gave ourselves a time limit. We didn’t want to spend a lot of money because money is hard to come by sometimes, so we said we’d give ourselves one weekend to record our six songs. We had them about 95% written at that point, so we didn’t need to worry about coming up with more than backing vocals in the studio. We got all the tracking done on a Saturday and Sunday. After that, the mixing and mastering took about a week, and as soon as we had the tracks ready, we put them up on Bandcamp.

4. What shows do you have lined up to promote the new EP

We’re playing with Red City Radio on May 18th! It’s at a new venue in Salt Lake City called the Beehive Social Club. Our friends from here in Utah, Uncle Dirt, are playing as well.

5. Who would you say is the biggest musical influence on the band?

We all grew up playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and that’s one space that gave us common ground as musicians and friends. Killer tunes and sick combos are what we grew up on. Also, Nick really loves Bowling for Soup, so if you hear some of that in there, it’s his fault.

6. How did you come to be signed to Hidden home records?

As soon as we had our tracks ready, we put them on Bandcamp and told all our friends. We’ve only been around for about eight months, so the reception we received was unexpected. Word spread of the record, and our friend Rob at Hidden Home sent over a message on facebook, to see if we wanted to work with him. We’ve known Rob a long time now, so the relationship escalated pretty quickly. Hidden Home has been an inspiration, and a great help to us.

7. Do you have any plans to come over and tour in the UK?

No! Not because we don’t want to, but because we’re in Salt Lake City, Utah, and that’s 7200 km away (4500 miles, for the unrefined). Our only option is a long distance relationship for now. Which can sometimes be ideal. We get to hang out with our friends on the weekend, you don’t have to worry about our schedule, we can watch american football, you can watch actual football; it will make our eventual union very sweet.

8. Tell our readers a fun fact about the band that they may not know?

Ken owns a DVD on ska and raggae drumming called Wicked Beats . He was texting about it, and when referring to the DVD, accidentally typed Wicked Bears. When his phone exploded immediately afterward, he knew he was on to something special.

9. Can you give our music savvy readers some information on what equipment the band uses?

Ken plays a DW collectors kit, a Sonar snare, and Zildjian K series cymbals.  Nick plays a Reverend Buckshot with a Vox AC30 amp. Casey plays a homemade bass with a Fender ‘58 split pickup, with an Ampeg SVT-3 amp head and an Ampeg 410 cab.

10. Finally what advice would you give any up and coming musicians?

Set goals! Decide when you want things to happen, then do your best to make it happen. This whole record is a product of us deciding what we want to do, when we want it done by, and then executing on that timeline.

You can check out wicked bears new EP in its entirety free on band camp at the following link:- https://wickedbears.bandcamp.com/

You can also keep updated with what the band are up to on Facebook either by searching for Wicked Bears or following this this link:- https://www.facebook.com/WickedBearsSLC/

And finally on Twitter by searching for or clicking the link @WickedBears

Interview With Rising ‘British MMA Star’ Scott Clist

So I was asked to interview a local cage fighter from my home town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire Scott Clist and of course jumped at the chance. So please read my interview with Scott below I hope you enjoy.

1) How did you get into MMA?

I have always done some form of training since the age of about 5 years old when my father taught me and my older brother how to box in our living room.

I started Karate from the age of 10 and then progressed into kickboxing.  I have studied some form of martial arts ever since.

I have competed in so many different styles of martial arts that MMA was the next thing to do. it was just something that was suggested I do by my sponsor (Spitfire fight equipment) in  2006 so he arranged a semi pro fight for me  and I went into it with limited knowledge on the ground game. I knew how to do a double leg takedown, a rear naked choke, an arm barr from mount and guard position. I went in thinking my kickboxing would carry me through.

2) What does a normal days training consist of for you?

If I am in fight camp then training is much more intense. I will wake up and either go to the Contender gym and work boxing or strength and conditioning.  Depending on the day. Some days it will be footwork and movement, other days it will be power and speed training.

I’ll have breakfast then shower and go to work.

In the evenings I go to Dragonslair in Melksham and work MMA. Depending on who I am fighting we will work either wrestling, submissions or positions followed by sparring. When we get closer to the fight I will get shark tanked.

Shark tank is where One fighter stays in the cage and a new opponent is put in every round so the fighter is getting tired and has to spar with fresh opponents. You really have to be pushed every session.

I train 6 days a week, sometimes 3 times in one day.

3) Would you ever consider entering The Ultimate Fighter?

I actually tried out for the Ultimate fighter when it was UK vs Australia. I made it to all the way through on my skills and was standing in the last 16 when they picked the final 8 for the show. I understand that the producers were looking for a specific type to make the show interesting for viewers. I was unlucky that I didn’t get picked.

4) You have just come off a fantastic TKO win against Brad Wheeler what’s on the cards next for you?

I will keep winning my fights and progress as a fighter.  I will fight on cagewarriors again and people will see me in the UFC soon.

5) You have your own gym called Revolution gym what inspired you to set this up?

I actually don’t run Revolution anymore.

I fought on an 8 man tournament couple years back and my mental game wasn’t really where it should have been because I was teaching fighters it was very hard to focus on my own training. The fight made me realise that I had to make a choice between being a teacher/coach of fighter because at the level I am now fighting I really need to focus on my own training and grow as a fighter. I now train at Dragonslair in Melksham and to be honest I really wish I had made that move 10 years ago. I am a much better fighter now than I ever was and that’s because I have some of the best coaches in the country. Stu pike and UFC fighter Brad Scott at Dragonslair and Mark Kent and Wayne smith at Contender gym .

6) What advice would you give to someone who is trying to get into the MMA game?

Find a good gym with good coaches. People who can develop you as a athlete.

So many gyms pop up promoting classes in MMA but the instructors have never competed so don’t know if what they are teaching works under pressure.  Find a gym with proven results and coaches who know what they are doing and are not just concerned with taking your money.

7) Do you prefer UFC or Ballator?

UFC .

8) If you could fight anyone from the UFC past or present who would you pick and why?

Matt Hughes former welterweight Champion because he was my favourite fighter when I started watching MMA and I followed his career. I think he was a great champion. I would also like to fight Anthony Pettis because I think he is a great fighter.

9) What do you think of all the hype around Connor McGregor and his recent choice to not attend any promotional events and instead choose to concentrate on his training?

Connor McGregor has made enough money that he prob never has to work another day in his life and for him that’s great but I imagine it’s wrote into his contract that promoting the fight is part of his job and it is his JOB!!

He should remember that the way he has promoted fights in the past is what has given him the pay days that he now receives.

You do what the job requires.

So there you have it keep and eye out for Scott’s next fight and you can also follow him on twitter @scottclist 

Erin Stegeman’s Latest Project A ‘Bates Motel’ Parody

G’day guys! I have something a little special for the Bates Motel fans among us, yesterday I had the pleasure of doing a Q & A with Erin Stegeman, if her name sound familiar that’s because she is the master mind behind OUAT Rock Opera (which by the way is on tour at the moment and selling out fast, so if you’re in the US do yourself a favour and go see it!) and our fearless leader interviewed Erin about OUAT Rock Opera. So as you all know I am a huge fan of Bates Motel and resident Bates blogger for Skatronixxx.com , My latest Q& A with Erin was about a new project she has been working on which is a Bates Motel parody the first episode is Normero’s First Date

As a huge fan of  BM  I absolutely loved it and the cast were awesome and nailed it,  if you pay close attention you will see Erin and her Hubby make an appearance. Head over check it out, you be glad you did!

Will post the links at the bottom of the page, so please head over and give Erin and cast some love.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

1) Was there any alcohol consumed during the planing of Normero’s First Date?

Hahaha!! No, quite the opposite. I was in the middle of working on another project and took a break to go for a walk. I had been watching season 3 (rather re-watching) in anticipation of the season 4 premiere, which was just a few days away. So, it was fresh in my head. The idea just sort of came. I wrote it later that day, sent it to my producer, Peter Frintrup (who also shot and edited it), and we were on set a few days later. I find that’s how most of my stuff happens.

People did drink on set though. We forgot to replace the liquor in our prop bottles with water and decided to just let it go. I was one of the bar patrons, and towards the end of the shoot we did like 4 takes where we all cheers each other and then take a big swig. I had to take a break after we were done to down some water and potato chips before the next set up.

2) As a huge Bates Motel fan I absolutely loved Romero’s First Date, was it a one-off or will we see more of the Bates family?

Thank you!! I’m glad fans of the show are liking it – that’s who this is for! I’m letting the internet make the decision to continue for us, as they did with OUAA. I love the show, and I certainly have ideas for these characters, but it’s an expensive hobby. If the demand is there, we will absolutely supply!

3) Where did your inspiration come from, and which character do you Identify with, if any?

I’m a bit of a romantic. I get these “couple crushes” on tv characters and my imagination just likes to put them in these ridiculous scenarios. Plus, I’m an emotional blonde and my husband, whose name is Ace Marrero, is an even-keeled Latin man…so…lots of bizarre similarities there.

As much as I wanted Normero to come to fruition I thought, “These two would NEVER be able to just do dinner and a movie like a normal couple. She’ll be wondering if Norman’s killing someone, and he’ll probably show up in his sheriff uniform because Romero lives in that thing.”

4) The Actress and Actor in the parody nailed Norma and Romero right down to their mannerisms, how long did it take them to get it right?

They were rock stars, and I met them both that day on set. Like I said, we had about 3-4 days between concept to shoot, and I don’t think either of them were familiar with the show…maybe Vanessa had seen an episode or two. I sent them a bunch of videos to watch and went over most of the details while we shot. There was so much they did on their own – they both came to set ready to roll. Vanessa had binge-watched the first season and brought that blue dress to wardrobe, which was such a cool addition. Ashwin even did Romero’s underbite in several takes. It didn’t quite make the edit, but it was super freaky how similar he was to Romero. The crew and myself even called them Vera and Nestor on accident a couple of times. Couldn’t have asked for a better pair.

5)  Currently you’re on tour with your OUAT Rock Opera and I have to say the trailer was awesome! (If I lived in the US I would definitely be going). Do you think we might see a Bates Motel Psycho Opera in the future?

That would be excellent! I’m 100% open to that if the demand is there. I do have a sketch in mind for them that involves music.

6) Will we see any other TV shows destined for your parody genius in the future ?

Yes! My YouTube channel (erinstegeman) is currently expanding to include parody content across all kinds of genre shows and pop culture. We have a few sketches in the wings. I have literally watched all of Netflix, HBO, and Amazon…so I’m ready!

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

Check out the hilarious video below:-

Also see some of the pics from Erin visited a very familiar site!

Check out Erin’s personal webpage on erinstegeman.com .Don’t be shy go say hi and follow Erin on Twitter at @erinstegeman and tell her ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’