"BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT."

Paul Salamoff: Director, FX Artist, Writer

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 Natick, Massachusettes and have been obsessed with Horror & Sci-Fi movies since I was five. When I was 13 I saw Tom Savini at a Fangoria convention and decided that I wanted to do Make-Up FX. So I taught myself at home. After I graduated High School, I moved to California and went to USC briefly. My first summer out here, I got a job working for Tony Gardner on The Addams Family and Mom&Dad Save The World. From there I continued working consistently for about 14 years on over 40 films, 10 TV series and a number of commercials..Some of my Make-Up FX credits include: Secondhand Lions, Adaptation, Scary Movie 2, Me, Myself & Irene, There’s Something about Mary, Batman & Robin, Ed Wood, and The Addams Family. My TV credits include Bonechillers, Space: Above and Beyond, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Sid & Marty Krofft’s new Land of the Lost. About 12 years ago I started screenwriting with some moderate success. My produced work includes: The Dead Hate the Living (co-written with Dave Parker), The St. Francisville Experiment and Alien Siege for the Sci-Fi channel. I'm also the author of The Complete DVD Book: Design, Production and Marketing co-written with Chris Gore (Film Threat, Ultimate Film Fanatic). Currently, I'm the V.P. of Production for David Lancaster Productions (A Love Song for Bobby Long, Riding the Bullet, Wes Craven’s The Breed, Hollow Man 2).   2. You're an acclaimed Special FX Artist, Writer and Director. Who has been your biggest influence in each of these fields and why? I know this is a cop-out answer, but I'm more influenced by the experience of the films themselves then by the people who made them. I have favorites, but I never tried to emulate or copy their styles.   3. In 2001 you wrote and directed Unbakeable, a parody short of M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable. Unbakeable starred Orlando Jones (Biker Boyz, Office Space), Elaine Hendrix (The Parent Trap, Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion) and Eric Winzenried (Austin Powers, Boogie Nights). How was your experience directing such a talented cast? It was a godsend to have such talented actors to work with. Being my directorial debut, their skill allowed me to concentrate on the other aspects of shooting the film. Also, I was constantly surprised to what they would bring to the table.   4. From your experience, what do you think is the most important thing for a Director to bring to a set? Being prepared and confident is most important. If you've done your homework, then it allows you to take chances and explore while you're filming as oppossed to struggling to get through the day.   5. Tell us about your new book "Movie Sets 101: The Definitive Survivor’s Guide". This book spells out all the industry rules of behavior. There is no other resource book like it, and it’s backed by the industry and the film unions. It also offers advice from more than 70 top industry professionals such as Wes Craven Director (Scream Trilogy, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Ron Underwood, Director (City Slickers, Tremors), Tom DeSanto, Producer (X-Men 1 & 2), Owen Roizman, ASC, Cinemagrapher (The Exorcist, Network), and Andrea Weaver, Costumer (Raging Bull, The Sting). This information is vital, and will not only help those wanting to break into film but actually help them succeed while trying. It will teach the hidden rules of movie set etiquette not taught in any film schools I wrote the book because there is no resource for this kind of information other than learning it on your own, and that’s not easy. As everyone who has worked on a film set knows, there are rules of day to day survival that most people pick up through experience and unfortunately, learning from their mistakes. I have worked hard in the trenches of the industry to become successful and serve as a good example that anyone who puts their mind to it can succeed, as long as you know the secrets.   6. From your credits its pretty obvious that you are a big fan of horror genre movies. What do you think makes a film scary? It's very simple, you have to be invested in the characters. If you don't care or empathize with them, then ultimately it won't matter if they live or die.   7. What is your favorite project to date and why? As an FX Artist it would be There's Something About Mary because I was imursed in the making of the film. At the time we had no idea it would be so big. I made the fake dogs and when the one in the cast became the icon of the movie (other than the cum in the hair) it was a real sense of accomplishment. As a writer it would be either my unproduced horror script The Last Breathe... (Which I'm attached to Direct and is close to being fully financed) because I really feel like I wrote something unique and special or Movie Sets 101, because it was a labor of love and at the end of the day, it's an important book that can really help people. And I say this with all sincerity.

8. What is the biggest problem with Hollywood today? That scripts no longer get produced based on quality and that we've seemed to have given up on taking real chances. Movies are becoming so watered down and homogeonized that it's taking the fun out of seeing them. Very rarely am I surprised by a movie and that's tragic.   9. Do you have any advice to aspiring filmmakers? Be yourself and always do your best. I've gotten more jobs over the years based on who I was as a person then how talented I am. People want to work with people they like and I'm living proof of that.   10. Here's where we give you a word or phrase and you give us the first thoughts that pop into your mind. Hollywood: Dream factory Toxic Shock TV (shameless plug): A cool Website :) Biggest regret: I don't have any. Everything happens for a reason. Biggest prick: Mine The funniest thing that has ever happened to you on a set: Too numerous to mention. Your biggest "break-thru" moment: In 1993 when ABC approved my script for the 3rd season of the New Sid and Marty Krofft's Land of the Lost (of course they then canned the show after season 2). It was the first time I was taken seriously as a screenwriter. You can only watch three movies for the rest of your life, which three: Blade Runner, Star Trek II, Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Technically one movie) You can only listen to three ALBUMS for the rest of your life, which three: Iron Maiden "Somewhere in Time", Helloween "Treasure Chest", The Score to Return of The King (Howard Shore) BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PAUL'S NEW BOOK AT MOVIESETS101.COM - AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM, BORDERS.COM & BARNES&NOBLES.COM