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Kevin Woods: Director, Producer, Actor
| 1. Tell us a little about your background, where are
you from and when did you decide that you wanted to become a
filmmaker? I'm originally from a small town in western Tennessee, now living in South Carolina. Growing up I always admired filmmakers, what they did, and how they did it. I remember watching the movie JAWS as a youngster and being terrified by it. I was probably 5 or 6 years old at the time and was blown away by it. Even at that age, I knew that I wanted to do something like that.....telling stories through a visual medium. My hobbies as an adult are pretty much the same as when I was at that impressionable age- reading, writing, and movies. I immersed myself in learning as much as I could about film. By the time I was a teen, I was a walking encyclopedia of movie trivia. My parents were always supportive of my aspirations, encouraging my writings and silly home movies I made with the neighborhood kids. I shot videos for classes in high school, music videos, short movies, whatever I could to just be shooting something. I tried to emulate through my movies what I liked about what Hollywood was putting out, but with my own visual flair. I would tell anyone who listened that I wanted to be a filmmaker. It was my dream and my obsession. But the real world hit me. I had 2 children by the time I was 21, and my focus was on providing for them, so my aspirations of becoming a filmmaker were put on hold. I never stopped writing though. I came up with an idea for a screenplay called "The Tenth Axis" and began putting it together. Then I met Adam Minarovich, who had been doing movies with some degree of success right in my city. I contacted him about helping out with some of his flicks and we met up. He had an idea for a movie and we collaborated on it, creating "Wiseguys Vs. Zombies", which was distributed by Troma Entertainment in 2004. It was a no-budget shoot, but a lot of fun to do and it reinvigorated my desire to pursue my dream. We then shot a bigger picture called "Buy Sell Kill: A Flea Market Story", utilizing the locations we had at our disposal and a handful of actors that Adam had met throughout the years. Again, we didn't have a lot of money to play with, but we were able to create a fantastic movie with a great little cast. The highlight of that shoot was working with Joe Estevez, whom I had admired since seeing him in countless flicks thoughout my childhood. He is a true B-movie legend, and was a delight to hang out with. I've networked with filmmakers from all over the country, and made many new friends in the industry. I've gotten to fulfill another dream by writing my first novella, The Tenth Axis, based on my screenplay, which will be turned into a movie in 2006 as part of the Texas Indie Meet 2. I am currently rewriting the script for The Tenth Axis with Danny Wolfe, and it should be a cool little horror flick. I am also currently co-writing an as yet untitled horror movie with Joe Francis for a North Carolina based production company. Ever since I started in this business, I've remained busy with my own projects, as well as writing for others. This has been a dream come true for me. 2. Who is your biggest influence? Oh, man....that's tough. I've been influenced by so many. Hitchcock was a god. Raimi is one of my heroes. Tarantino, Aranofsky, Fulci, Kaufman, Bava......all favorites of mine. Lately, Asian cinema has been a big influence. Just last year I got to meet with someone who I have idolized for a long time, Jeff Burr. I guess it will have to do to say that I am influenced by many, and each year I am impressed by someone new. It's my love for this art that influences me the most. 3. You co-directed a film called "The Ancient", tell us about the segment "Zach's Run"? "The Ancient" was a collaborative movie shot during the first Texas Indie Meet. Dozens of indie filmmakers from all over the country got together in Gainesville Texas over a single weekend to create "The Ancient". The segment I directed was a chase scene in which the character of Zach, played by the writer of The Ancient, Greg Chambers, is stalked through the forest by an unseen force. I was honored to have been a part of this movie. Having my name in the credits alongside many up and coming filmmakers was just an awesome experience for me. "The Ancient" was put together over the internet. All the directors, actors, actresses, writers, and producers volunteered their time and money to bring the project to fruition. I mean, it was just a crazy idea to begin with. None of the cast or crew ever met in person until the weekend of the shoot. Many months of chatting, email exchanges, and pre-planning was done to make it a success. Tracy Crockett, the producer, was able to recruit some incredible talent on this project. Justin Powers (Pot Zombies) , Chris Downs (The Shunned), Steven Grainger (Come Get Some), April Wade (Day of The Dead: Contagium), and many, many others all flew in to be a part of this thing. It's really something to be proud of. 4. From your experience, what do you think is the most important thing for a Director to bring to a set? A clear vision of what he or she wants to see on the screen, a good working attitude, and a stern resolve to finish the picture. Doing independent film can be disheartening, to say the least. Budgetary restraints, unreliable actors, and uncooperative conditions can break the spirit of the cast and crew, but the director has to be able to forge ahead and lead the creative team on. I've witnessed myself how this attitude can save a doomed production. The director is the glue that holds the production together. 5. What do you think makes a scary movie scary? It could be any combination of things. Mood, lighting, music, the ability of the performer to convince the viewer of immenent danger.....any or all of these can elicit fear. I've found that a person doesn't even have to identify with whats happening on the screen to be scared. The best horror films are the ones that catch you by surprise. What scares one person might not even faze the other, so the trick is to sneak one up on everyone. They say there is nothing new under the sun, and that is true for most horror films. Take for example your typical slasher flick. The same recycled idea, over and over again. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. But a few stand out from the rest because they actually did what a horror film should do, and that is scare the shit out of you. And they did this by taking a formulaic storyline, and twisting it into something unexpected. The shock factor has worked for years, but now we are seeing more movies with characters we can get emotionally vested in, and the writers and directors have to come up with new ways to terrify you. 6. Your also a producer, can you tell us about your upcoming project "Trailer Park Dragon". Can you give us the scoop? TPD, as we call it, is a comedy-martial arts film that is currently in pre-production. It was written by my partner Adam Minarovich, and I'll be onboard as producer. We have a director in place, and are trying to raise the money for the production. We're hoping for a start date of mid-summer for the movie, but may have to push it back farther. We have plans to shoot a 16mm horror film called "MOMMA" in the meantime. "Momma" will be a fun little horror flick that should scare the shit out of you! |
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7. What is the biggest problem
with Hollywood today?
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