Featured Short: Doppleganger!

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DIRECTED BY DREW DAYWALT

doppelganger – dop•pel•gang•er – 1) a ghostly counterpart of a living person, 2) a double 3) a twin or alter ego

Featured Short: Next

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dark dead, david schneider, death, Fewdio, horror, horror short, internet, micro terror, Nathan Frizzell, online, paul hungerford, Santa Barbara Minute Film Festival, Short, short film, supernatural, Tarquin Wilding, Todd Sharp, web

Submitted for the Santa Barbara Minute Film Festival , this Fewdio micro-terror features a young lad in search for what seems to be hot chicks on the internet when he stumbles upon an odd character…

Writer & Director:
David Schneider

Producers:
Paul Hungerford
Todd Sharp

Starring:
Nathan Frizzell
Tarquin Wilding

Drew & The Daywalt Fear Factory

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Do you like to be scared?

If you answered yes, then there is, without a doubt, a need and/or must to check out Drew Daywalt and his horror micro-terrors. Helming from the shadows and depths that is Fewdio, Drew has stepped out into the light and has developed his own repertoire in The Daywalt Fear Factory that has been worthy for what, I would say, is suffice to call a cult following.

Exactly who is Drew Daywalt?

Some would say a Jack of all trades and a man of many talents being credited with many shorts and features under his belt as Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer, Art Department, Editor, Visual Effects and Casting Director. Phew! What does this say about him? Having been credited for most of these roles on his own projects, I’d have to say that he has a passion for his work and achieves what many strive to do on their own hard work and sweat. For this, I admire and discern Drew as an inspiration for he accomplishes what I strive to do and that is to make quality films.

According to the Fewdio website, Drew is a Emmy-nominated Writer who has been in the business for 15 years and exploiting his artistic and very stylish visions features, television, animation, and commercials. Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer, Brett Ratner, Neil Moritz sound familiar or ring any bells? Well, Mr. Daywalt has written screenplays for these Hollywood conglomerates and it only speaks volumes to the talent Drew possesses. His first feature film Stark Raving Mad was produced by Quentin Tarantino’s company A Band Apart and stars Seann William Scott, Lou Diamond Phillips and Paul Hungerford, who has also worked with Fewdio. Pretty impressive, huh?

I’ve learned that Drew is not about the fame and glamor but, rather, he provides insights into the horror genre as well as provide invaluable information to aspiring filmmakers on his blog on Fearnet.com’s “School of Fear“.

I was able to speak to Drew and, being the great guy that he is, sat down and answered a few questions for me. For those interested in filmmaking, read on as he provides some very ingenious and useful information that gives all of us little people some hope. Well, it does so for me at least. But, I’m confident when I say that you will find a lot of what Drew has to say inspirational in that he proves that numerous so-called hurdles, that many of us lowly film makers are afraid to jump over, really aren’t that difficult to overcome. Am I coming off as a fan-boy? Well, what can I say, I’m a fan. Maybe Drew will finally shred some light on exactly what the word Fewdio mean? Maybe… Happy reading!

ReelyBored: What made you want to be a director?

Drew Daywalt: Being a screenwriter made me want to be a director. You see enough people misinterpret what you wrote and eventually you just say, “Fuck it! I’ll do it!” I never had a burning desire to direct. My desire has always been in the writing. But once I started directing, it really hooked me.

ReelyBored: I understand what you’re talking about. When writing, you have a certain vision that others find hard to convey and you end up wanting to do it yourself so that your vision can come across the way you see it mentally. As a writer, have you ever “bumped” heads with a director who was on the verge of altering that vision?

Drew Daywalt: I have never actually bumped heads with a director who was working on a project with me. The worst thing a writer can do is “not” trust the director. In a perfect world, he gets what the original intent of the story was and will put his spin on it and make it better. And the worst thing anyone can do is throw sticks in the director’s spokes as he’s trying to make his vision happen. So I always would let them run with it and hope for the best. As it happened, I was rarely pleased and finally just did it myself, but I never had a bad relationship with any of the directors I worked with.

ReelyBored: What is your most memorable moment on set?

Drew Daywalt: I have so many memorable moments. That’s a great question! I think my most memorable moment on set is probably last year, during the filming of CAMERA OBSCURA, when my lead actress, Reagan Dale Neis, was doing this really heavy moment in the show where her character discovers some very emotional things about her deceased grandfather. We were trying to film this really heavy scene on location, and the woman who owned the location started making a sandwich in the kitchen, loudly, in the room next door. Fridge opening and slamming shut, jars of mayo being unscrewed, bread wrapper rustling. And I was in a situation where we were almost out of time and I couldn’t even cut. I thought, “Fuck… this is going to break Reagan’s concentration.” But Reagan powered through it. I thought maybe she didn’t even hear the noise. But she did, and she blocked it out. Four months later when I showed the scene at a private screening, everyone in the screening room was in tears. We’d done it! That’s indie film in a nutshell. Ridiculous parameters that you’re forced to work with, and then pulling off that “Hail Mary”. Reagan was inspiring to work with.

ReelyBored: What directors are your greatest influences?

Drew Daywalt: I’ve always called myself the bastard stepson of Danny Boyle and David Fincher, with a little Kubrick sprinkled in. I dunno that I live up to any of that, but it’s a goal. I love Boyle’s visual language – the  way one scene blends into the next. I love Kubrick’s clean simplicity, and I love Fincher’s lush worldscapes. And they are all world builders. That’s what I want more than anything, to build worlds that we can all go play in for a while.

ReelyBored: Any awkward/weird moments on set when starting out as film maker?

Drew Daywalt: I was lucky in that directing wasn’t my first job on set. I worked in the art department for 5 years. Because of my art school background I moved up to production designer and did a lot of work in that department before even selling my first script. So I had a lot of experience on set in various roles before taking foot on set as a director. That helps a lot when you speak the language of the crew. You look a little less like an idiot that way.

ReelyBored: I know that you have Stark Raving Mad under your belt, but most people know you for your role in horror with Fewdio and now DayWalt Fear factory. Do you mind being typecast as a horror director or do you want to be able to branch out into other genres?

Drew Daywalt: I actually started in music videos and commercials, then got into studio comedy and action films and, ironically, have worked hard to get OUT of other genres and into Horror. Horror is my goal, so I’m glad to get pigeon-holed here. It’s where I want to be. So, on the way in here, I saw other directors running past me for the door trying to get out. Fuck that! I actually want to be here. I’m a horror- fantasy, sci-fi fan and I want to build worlds. I’m one of the few who actually wants to be here because I don’t look down on the genre or the fans. I get them. I am one.

ReelyBored: Being a horror fan, and an aspiring film maker, many times I’ve had people tell me that it is better to do horror for the Independent Market as it is the “easiest” genre to do. Of course, I don’t agree with that. What do you say to a comment like that?

Drew Daywalt: Horror is not the easiest thing to do. It’s the hardest. Harder even than comedy. If you doubt that, look at how many good comedies there are compared to really good horror films. Horror is incredibly difficult as a genre and I think anyone who says it’s easy doesn’t understand it at all. They think it’s just a hot girl, a bucket of blood and a maniac du jour. But that’s not horror. It’s trash!

ReelyBored: When did you realize that you “made it”?

Drew Daywalt: I’ve made it?  [laughs] I knew I made it “creatively” when the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) strike started a few years ago and I found myself shooting short films when we (the writers in the WGA) weren’t allowed to work on features. I realized it was an addiction then, and a healthy one! One that feeds my soul. I don’t care if I’m making money doing this or not, I’ll be doing it regardless, for it’s own sake. For art’s sake. Somewhere out there, some of the bankers execs and agents are laughing at that comment, but fuck ‘em! They don’t get it. The smart ones do though, and that’s who I like working with.

ReelyBored: Having the money and the means are often obstacles for independent film making. What do you say to those who can’t afford a good camera, who can’t afford a crew and equipment to make their film look “professional”?

Drew Daywalt: With all the really good, new cheap technology out there like FCP (Final Cut Pro) editing software and the Canon 7D, and the zoom h4n, gear is becoming less and less of a hurdle for directors. What’s key is always good story and the ability to film it simply (at first), until you really know what you’re doing. The indie film world is becoming more democratized and that’s a great thing.

ReelyBored: My last shot with this question as I’ve tried with both Paul and David and if you can’t answer then I’ll be convinced that there is a conspiracy. Where does the word itself, Fewdio, come from?

Drew Daywalt: You’re right, there is a conspiracy and my lips are sealed. I’d tell you, but I took a blood oath (seriously) not to tell a soul.

ReelyBored: Why did you part ways with Fewdio?

Drew Daywalt: It was a very amicable parting. Three of the five principles of Fewdio were at my wedding, so these are dear, dear friends of mine. The idea of Fewdio was to help it to launch all of us collectively and individually because we all respected each other’s careers. When I got the offer to write and direct Camera Obscura outside of Fewdio, and then to help launch Fangoria Film’s new indie film division, they were very supportive and thought it was great. Each of them has continued with their own projects and it’s been like a collective more then a company. Because of the economy, everyone’s focusing on their own work. I just decided I’m going to keep making these shorts, and I got offered the chance to do these two features this year so I’m going to do that. Daywalt Fear Factory is just my desire to constantly be making these films, making new contacts in the horror community and giving people chances. I enjoy it so much. It’s no different than a feature shoot. We do ‘em in about 6 hours and we keep them contained. It’s like a poker night for us, or a movie night. Instead of doing a Freddy Krueger marathon, we get together and make something. That “for the love of it” approach is one of the reasons I’m going to continue with Daywalt Fear Factory.

ReelyBored: Aside from making great shorts, what do you hope to accomplish with Daywalt Fear Factory?

Drew Daywalt: I hope to become synonymous with good feature horror films the way I’ve become synonymous with rock solid horror shorts. The film festivals and internet fans and horror websites have treated me incredibly well. And I’m REALLY grateful for that. Now I’m working to parlay that into horror features and studio horror and continue in long form. But as for short form horror, I’ll never stop doing that. Ever. It’s too fun.

ReelyBored: How did you get to where you are today, from a film maker’s perspective?

Drew Daywalt: Following and making opportunities as they came before me. It’s been a lot of serendipity and shoe leather. There’s no secret recipe. Just keep doing what you do and the crazier they tell you that you are, the more you know you’re on the right path. Pioneering means going off the known path. And if everyone on the path is telling you you’re nuts, you’re very likely doing exactly the right thing.

ReelyBored: How did you get involved with writing “School of Fear” for Fearnet.com?

Drew Daywalt: My short films were winning a lot of accolades at the film and horror festivals, and I was being invited to speak on the subject at a lot of venues. One of these was at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles where I spoke on a panel with K.W. Low of Dread Central, and Sean Redlitz, Editor in Chief at Fearnet. I got to be friends with both of them, and Sean saw me speak publicly a few times and realized I was a bit of a horror academic as well as a film maker and offered me the blog. I was warmly welcomed into the Fearnet family by Lawrence Raffel, Spider One and Audrey Cleo who are all great horror authorities as well. And it’s been a great marriage.

ReelyBored: Honestly, what do you think about film school?

Drew Daywalt:I loved film school, but then again, it was mostly because of my friends and peers. I went to Emerson College in Boston and we were heavy on film theory and light on practical experience. So we graduated knowing why Metropolis and Bladerunner were cinematic sisters, but couldn’t tell the difference between a c stand and a matte box. All that practical stuff came later, working journeyman style on film sets under great crew people. And a lot of my peers are doing well in the industry and we do try to help each other out when we can.

ReelyBored: How hard/easy is getting the world to see your work? Do you feel accomplished in having shared your vision?

Drew Daywalt: It used to be hard. But welcome to web 2.0 where everyone can get their vision out there. I do feel accomplished in sharing my vision, but that’s the thing about having a vision – it never ends. It’s not like you say, “well, they’ve seen my stuff, I’m done,” so I continue to strive to show the world what I’m up to.

ReelyBored: Certain directors are remembered for one thing or the other, John Carpenter for horror, James Cameron for his action/epic films, etc. What kind of director do you want to be remembered as?

Drew Daywalt: I want to be known as a really nice guy. [laughs] That and the guy who could open the curtain on a world you didn’t know was there, and invite you in to play in it, even for a little while. A world builder. I guess that’s what I’d like to be known for. Creating new places.

ReelyBored: You’ve co-directed many shorts as well as Stark Raving Mad with David Schnieder, what’s it like co-directing and sharing a vision?

Drew Daywalt: Dave is my best friend and an amazing creator. We love working together, and when we work separately we’re always involving each other. It’s like a really successful marriage – a good writing partnership is.

ReelyBored: What’s in the works for Daywalt Fear Factory?

Drew Daywalt: I’m about to direct and produce, The Ringbearer, for Fangoria Films new film division. I just finished the script last month and we’re moving toward pre-production before the end of this year.

The Ringbearer is the story of a young man in NYC who ends up becoming involved in a 600 year old secret war between the vampires (called The Exsanguine) and the hunters who fight them (called The Venatori). In 1413 AD, a rogue sect of the catholic church who dedicated themselves to fighting supernatural creatures, created 9 rings that would give the 9 greatest vampire hunters the one thing they would need to beat the vampires. Immortality. And so a secret war has waged between these hunters and the vampires. But if the ring comes off the hand, the hunter dies.

I sold the pitch to Fango when they said they were looking for a vampire script. Tom Defeo asked me if I had anything and I said yeah, but it was the polar opposite of Twilight. Something for Horror fans instead of pre-teen girls. He asked me how it was different and I said I’m going to treat my vampires as hideous abominations, not angsty sex symbols. My vampires are beasts, demonic creations, not just rabid humans or human-bat hybrids. Imagine Heironymous Bosch doing them.

ReelyBored: What kind of tips/suggestions/advice would you give to an aspiring film maker?

Drew Daywalt: Get a camera and go! Most of what I learned, I learned practically. Don’t know a piece of equipment or intimidated by an editing program? Get your hands on one and monkey with it until you figure it out. And watch every film ever made and don’t stop brainstorming your ideas. That’s pretty much it.

Ready to get scared?

Here’s a little taste of what you’ll find  at the Daywalt Fear Factory:

“THERE’S NO SUCH THING”

What could demonstrate affection on this holiday of love, more than a mother’s cherished relationship with her little girl?

“SUICIDE GIRL”

A young woman’s suicide video acts as a catalyst for horror from beyond the grave…

“JACK”

I was recently invited by the Santa Barbara MINUTE Film Festival to create and submit a horror short that tells a story in 60 seconds or less.

And here is the trailer for his upcoming Web Series “CAMERA OBSCURA“

A young woman’s world is rocked when she discovers that not only was her dead grandfather secretly a demon hunter when he was alive, but now the camera is hers and so is grandfather’s unfinished quest…

Fewdio: Interview with Director David Schneider

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After my interview with one of Fewdio’s finest, Paul Hungerford, I was eager to learn more about some of the minds behind Fewdio. So, I reached out to another of its finest, director Dave Schneider, whom some of you may know as co-director of Stark Raving Mad as well as many Fewdio shorts. David was very kind enough to sit down and allow me an interview with him.

Can you say that you know the man? I know I couldn’t until, that is, he answered a few questions for me. Of course, that doesn’t go to say that I know him completely, however, I was able to gain a little more insight as to who he is. Plus, very much so like Paul, he’s shown me that he’s a very cool and nice guy. David provides some great tips and advice for aspiring film makers that you don’t want to miss!

ReelyBored: Where did your interest in directing stem from?

David Schneider: I’m a life-long movie fan. But I actually moved out to L.A. without even thinking about directing as an option. I moved here to be a writer. I went to college to be a writer. It was something I knew I was pretty good at. I wrote a lot. And I had this idea in my head – without consciously thinking it – that directors had some special knowledge that I lacked. A skill-set that I was unprepared for, and probably never would be.

But, a few things happened along the way that would devoid me of that notion… one, as a struggling writer, I worked on a ton of low-budget films in production – P.A., props, art director, etc. And it became increasingly clear to me that a lot of the directors working on these films had no idea what they were doing. I would see the choices they’d make, and I’d kind of raise an eyebrow, and think, “Wow, that seems… odd”. But I’d shrug and assume they’d know what they were doing, and I didn’t. But then I’d see the result of those films, and become more and more convinced that I was right all along. Understand, my point here is not to try to say I consider myself to be a genius –  I don’t – just that, if you know the grammar of film, and have a decent eye and ear for dialog and basic understanding of acting and emotion – you have the knowledge you need to make a film.

The second thing that set me down a path to directing, was seeing a few of my screenplays turned into films. Like many writers, there’s typically a sense of, “Wow, they misunderstood what I was going for. I wish I was in charge.” And so, I started working towards making it so.

ReelyBored: What directors have influenced you and your work?

David Schneider: Scorsese. I remember vividly walking out of GoodFellas, absolutely amazed by what I’d just seen. I was a young adult by that point, and had always been a movie fan of course, but that was the first film I recall that just blew me away on all aspects, visually, story-wise, music, acting, etc. Before that, I’d been a fan of movies as story. That was the moment I realized a movie could be much more than just a story.

Hitchcock, definitely. The way he could create mood and tension simply was fantastic.

I discovered Kurosawa fairly late in life, but I’d have to consider him a strong influence.

Buster Keaton. He did so much with so little.

I haven’t named any horror directors! Mario Bava, definitely. Takashi Miike, also definitely. His style just gets under your skin and crawls around… he’s the director who just leaves me most pleasantly uncomfortable – in a good way!

ReelyBored: Are there any particular actors/actresses you wish to work with and why?

David Schneider: Paul Hungerford. I hear he’s a diva, though!

ReelyBored: Was being a film maker your lifelong dream? If so, do you feel as if you have achieved that goal?

David Schneider: Not really, not from an early age, at least. But I did always want to be an entertainer of some sort. I think ‘magician’ was the first thing I wanted to be “when I grew up”, when I was very young. Comedian, musician… I think I even went through a passing ventriloquist phase! But I knew I was going to be a writer of some sort early on.

ReelyBored: What steps do you feel you have taken to get to where you are today?

David Schneider: I think it all comes down to writing.  Writers can be looked down on in this industry, but a good script is a good script, and is in demand. Write enough good scripts to get noticed.

ReelyBored: Do you feel you have been noticed?

David Schneider: To an extent. I had a good run where I made a decent living as a writer for a number of years. Studios were buying a lot of scripts at the time, and most of the scripts I sold never even got made. Which is too bad; you always want to see your work get turned into an actual film. But hey, making a living doing what you love to do anyway is never a bad thing. So yeah, I worked long enough that I was noticed as a writer. And now Fewdio is getting a good amount of exposure, and it’s nice to be noticed as part of that. I’m very proud of what Fewdio has accomplished.

ReelyBored: I recently saw a documentary titled “Tales From the Script” in which many Hollywood writers spoke of their horror stories that pertained to scriptwriting and the Hollywood system. Do you have any horror stories that pertain to your writing as opposed to your directing?

David Schneider: Honestly, not too bad. Maybe I’ve just been lucky. Like I said, it would be nice to have had more of my script sales actually made into movies, but that’s just part of the game.

Horror stories…. hmmm. Pitching to Jerry Bruckheimer was a very, very scary and intimidating experience. I suppose that could be considered a horror story. But, we sold that project to him, so it was a horror story with a happy ending!

Writing a script for Uwe Boll was pretty scary, thinking about how it might turn out. It was actually a good script. I’m grateful that one didn’t end up getting made, at least at the time!

ReelyBored: Jerry Bruckheimer? Wow, very impressive! Uwe Boll, very scary indeed! How was the opportunity brought about to direct your first feature, Stark Raving Mad, along with director Drew Daywalt?

David Schneider: We’d written the script, shopped it around a bit, and got it to John Crye and Aaron Ryder at Newmarket Films. Drew and I had just completed our first short film, called Hate* (*a comedy), and used that to show them and the financiers that we could direct. Next thing we knew, we were up in Vancouver making it. Sorry, not a very interesting story!

ReelyBored: What was your most embarrassing moment while being new to the film making scene?

David Schneider: Hmmm… not much comes to mind. I remember the first day, first shot of Stark… we were shooting on a stage. Rolling. Sound speeds. –crickets—After several long seconds, everyone looks to Drew and I expectantly. We were so nervous, we both forgot to call “Action!” That wasn’t too embarrassing, though… we got over it quickly!

My very first day on a film set, this was many many years ago, I was a day-player production assistant. I was told to go get some apple boxes. “Sure thing!” I was too embarrassed to admit I had no idea what apple boxes were. So I ran downstairs, found someone who looked like they would know, and asked where the apple boxes were. He looked at me kind of funny, and pointed right next to me. I felt kind of silly about that. But I knew what they were then!

ReelyBored: What is your most memorable moment on set?

David Schneider: The big extra days on Stark, the ones with a lot of party-goers. We had a room full of a few hundred extras, a huge crane, a few name actors, tons of lights… those were the days I looked around and just had to say to myself… “wow”. No, I’m not very eloquent when I talk to myself.

ReelyBored: Why horror shorts, for the most part, and not some other genre?

David Schneider: To be honest, I’d always considered myself more of a comedy guy than a horror guy – although I always loved horror too, comedy is just where I’d gravitated to. But when we started to make shorts, we looked at the market, and it was just absolutely flooded with comedy. GOOD comedy. Oh sure, there was a lot of bad comedy as well, but tons of great stuff too. Then we looked at horror. The market was much smaller, and, at the time when we started, there wasn’t a whole lot of good horror shorts. Things have gotten much better now – there’s a lot of great horror talent making shorts now – but at the time, it seemed like a market in need.

After the first few Fewdio shorts, I looked at them and thought – hey, I’m not bad at this either! And it can be just as fun as comedy. Sold!

ReelyBored: Many directors have been typecast as horror directors, and although you have Stark Raving Mad under your belt, are you comfortable being relegated to just directing horror?

David Schneider: That’s a good question. Look, if I spend the rest of my career making horror, I won’t be unhappy, as long as I can make stories I’m proud of.  And I do always see myself making horror – it’s a great genre, with great fans, and great opportunity to tell good stories with lots of emotion. But sure, I want to do more as well. Like I said earlier, I come from comedy (and, this might seem strange to some – but I like to think comedy and horror are very similar, flip sides of the same coin). I do want to get back to that, as well.

ReelyBored: Can you describe to me the inception of Fewdio and where the idea of forming this horror troupe came from?

David Schneider: We started during the writer’s strike a few years back. As we were all in the film industry, we were out of work while the strike going on. Just to keep busy and our creative muscles flowing, we decided to make a short film on a weekend. John Crye and his friend Travis Fickett had written this great, intelligent, moody short called Curse. Drew had just bought a Canon XL2, and I had purchased a Final Cut Pro editing rig and a nice film light, and we decided to give it a go. We spent a few days building the set – I built a flat and we put it up in John’s garage, then spent another few days dressing it to look like a run-down hotel room. We cast two actors Drew and I had directed in a VH1 movie not long before – Kirk Woller and Bradley James.

We shot it over the course of a weekend, and just had an absolute blast. What better way to spend a weekend than with your friends, making a movie? At that point, it was just going to be a one-off thing, but we’d had so much fun, we decided to make another. Then another. Then another. And Fewdio was born.

ReelyBored: Have you ever thought about forming a comedy troupe, a distant cousin to Fewdio?

David Schneider: You mean a performing group? No. I’m a strictly behind-the-scenes guy, not a performer. But I would love it if, at some point in the distant future, Fewdio would branch off and have a comedy division as well. There are some funny, funny people in Fewdio… it would be a shame to keep that all hidden away forever!

ReelyBored: Which Fewdio short did you enjoy the most filming, from a visual perspective?

David Schneider: Marie. I’ve always been a big fan of film-noir, and that was us attempting to do horror-noir. It was a fun look to create.

ReelyBored: I tried asking Paul this question but said he couldn’t answer so I thought I’d take a stab at it by asking you; Where does the word itself, Fewdio, come from?

David Schneider: Okay, I’ll finally answer that. The name Fewdio comes from — *ACK* *CHOKING* *CAN’T BREATH* *GASP* Okay, okay! Sorry, apparently the Elder Gods do not want me to tell you.

ReelyBored: And so the mystery continues. Where do you hope to take Fewdio within the next couple of years?

David Schneider: Features, definitely. I LOVE the short film format, and see that as always being a part of the Fewdio game plan, but I love feature films. I love character, and I love the freedom a feature gives you for developing character. You can do it, but only so much, in a short.

ReelyBored: For those aspiring to become future directors, how would you break into the business?

David Schneider: Shoot, shoot, shoot. Get a camera and shoot. Never in history has it been easier to make your own films. Learn to edit. Getting some editing under your belt helps tremendously on future films.

Beyond that, move to L.A. Sure, you can make films anywhere, but this is the place where the business is. Breaking into the film industry as a filmmaker is tough no matter where you are – and you’re making it a multitude times harder on yourself if you’re not here in L.A.

Get jobs working on films. Production assistant, whatever. Talk to people. Watch what’s happening. Get an internship at a post house. Learn everything you can about the process, start to finish. And in the meantime – keep writing and shooting. Just immerse yourself in film, and do what you can to experience the process first-hand.

ReelyBored:  What do you do when you’re not directing?

David Schneider: I watch a lot of films, obviously. I read a lot – I probably read more than I watch films. I edit. I design web sites. I play poker. I go to Vegas. I like to travel, in general. I drink way too much coffee. I get frustrated over Baltimore-area sports teams constantly losing.

ReelyBored: Sorry to hear about your Baltimore teams, but when you are in the same league as a NY team (Go Yanks!) you’re in trouble. Are you originally from he east coast? If so, how hard/easy was your choice to move out to L.A. in the West Coast?

David Schneider: Boo, Yanks!

Yes, I grew up in Baltimore, as you might have guessed. The suburbs of Baltimore, to be more exact.

Leaving family behind wasn’t easy — I come from a great, wonderfully supportive family. I get to travel back and see them once a year or so. But, I knew this was where I had to be to be in the film industry. It had been what I’d spent the previous 4 years in college preparing for. I’m honestly not sure what I would have done if I’d not moved out here.

Thank you David, you were  truly a great sport and a pleasure to speak with! Good luck with all of your future endeavors and don’t be a stranger. I wish you all the best!

Interview with Fewdio’s Paul Hungerford

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acting, actor, actor paul hungerford, Andrea Savage, Bradbury, Brian Palermo, catherine scorsese, Clive Barker, comedian, Comedy, curse, Dark Forces, david schneider, daywalt, Daywalt Fear Factory, drew daywalt, facebook, Fear, Fear Factory, feature film, Fewdio, fewdio interview, fewdio short, fewdio shorts, film, Film News, funny, Geroth: Monster From Hel, Gillian Vigman, hamlet, Hitchcock, horror, horror movie, horror movies, horror news, Hungerford, indie meet, IndieMeet, interview, Italianamerican, John Crye, Marie, martin scorsese, Monster From Hell, Movies, Patrick Stewart, paul hungerford, paul hungerford interview, production, reely, reely bored, reelybored, Rob Roy Thomas, Robin WIlliams, Santa Barbara Minute Film Festival, shakespeare, short film, Shorts!, Significant Others TV show, Stark Raving Mad, Stephen King, twitter, Viral

When I was first “introduced” to Mr. Hungerford’s work, it was by way of Fewdio. I saw him once, then again, and again. Then about a year later, I learned that Drew Daywalt and David Schneider, David of Fewdio and Drew, formerly of Fewdio and now Daywalt Fear Factory, both co-directed a feature film known as Stark Raving Mad (2002). Want to take a stab as to whom I saw in this movie? If you guessed Paul Hungerford, then you’re right on the money!

Watching Paul in the Fewdio shorts, I slightly mistook him as a horror aficionado and mentally typecast him as a horror actor. Then, I saw the Fewdio short titled Vargel Geroth: Monster From Hell co-directed, again, by David Schneider and Drew Daywalt, where things turn out a little differently than one might expect. It was here that I noticed a different side to Paul’s acting, namely, that there was range and skill in his craft. From delirious obsession in Viral and a remorseful father marked for death in Marie to curious Chinese delivery man in Stark Raving Mad, Paul has done his fair share in proving that he has what it takes to step up to any challenge set forth in his path.

Recently Paul allowed Reely Bored (RB) the honor of conducting an interview with him where we get a little more insight as to who the man is as well as future plans for Fewdio.

Reely Bored: Why acting?

Paul: Why acting…Great question. My whole life, since I was a little kid, I have been a performer. Either playing in the backyard with imaginary friends or performing in the local talent show, school plays, whatever, I have always been attracted to the challenge of performance. On top of that I have always loved being someone else.  Character study is fascinating to me. To the actor ‘why’ is important. Why you’re saying what you’re saying, makes the choices truthful. You may not know WHY something is happening TO you but you always know WHY your doing what you’re doing…or saying.

RB: What did you do before you became an actor?

Paul: I’ve worked in production and casting for my day jobs.  But acting has always been my career.  In all of it’s inconsistencies, it’s still what I do.  Other jobs I’ve held: Waiter (duh), pool repair, Deli counter, construction, catering. The list goes on!

RB: Favorite role?

Paul: Oh boy!  Great question!  I would say in the Rob Roy Thomas show “Significant Others”. I played a perverted guy trying to make suggestions on what porn, Brian Palermo should watch with his ex-wife who he starts dating again. Loved saying these outrageous things to Andrea Savage and Brian Palermo, two super funny people, who had to deal with my funny titles.  Later on, my character meets up with Brian in another episode and this time with Gillian Vigman, a girl he stood up on a date and things just get tense as I’m rude to him while he’s trying to avoid a confrontation with her. Just super fun to shoot, a great character and a day spent laughing!

RB: Any influences?

Paul: Two of my biggest influences have been Robin Williams and Patrick Stewart.  I have watched just about everything either of them have ever done.  Both are mesmerizing to me.  Robin’s comedy is sharp and legendary, of course, but his work as an actor is so underplayed.  Even his bigger or broader characters have so much truth in whatever he’s working on. Patrick Stewart I have been following since I was first introduced to Shakespeare.  I watched ‘Playing Shakespeare’ as a young person and since have been following all his work.  I just watched ‘Hamlet’ with him and David Tennant.  His work is very inspiring to me!

RB: Funny how Robin Williams and Patrick Stewart are known for their different roles as well as genres for the most part, almost on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, Robin Williams, as you stated is underplayed as an actor, showing his range from his comedic roles to the more serious roles such as in Good Will Hunting, The Night Listener and The Final Cut, whereas Stewart is traditionally known as a more serious actor overall. Would you say that you strive to be more like Robin Williams and show range or Patrick Stewart who, although a great actor, is usually relegated to playing the same type of characters?

Paul: I think, for me, Robin Williams’ range is the most influential to me.  Though I think both actors shed parts of themselves, Robin Williams’ range is what I admire most.  I love that he plays characters who are real people who have lots going on internally,  some deeply disturbed like One Hour Photo and Insomnia.  But in Worlds Greatest Dad, his character is so completely damaged that you feel for him.  A failure on multiple fronts, who takes advantage of a horrible situation, you can’t help but be a bit sympathetic to his character even though he’s heading for an inevitable downfall. So yes, his diverse characters are what I strive for.  I like Robin Williams’ path of success and  I think it shows in a lot of my work today.  Most of the week I perform comedy.  Then on weekends I shoot horror films!

RB: What is the wildest, craziest, off the wall, most memorable story on set?

Paul: [Laughs] Well what happens on location, stays on location, but, working on Stark Raving Mad was a lot of fun!  It was a talented and funny cast and everyone got along really, really well.  Both David Schneider and Drew Daywalt made the experience fun and memorable.  A great moment in my life when I can honestly say, “I love what I do!”

RB: What director, that you have not yet worked with, would you like to work with?

Paul: I want to work with Martin Scorsese.  He is one of the living auteurs and I would love to hear how he talks to actors on set.  He has worked with some of the world’s greatest actors and his work as a film maker is that of a craftsman.  I have seen everything he’s ever done and I even use the recipe his mother Catherine Scorsese uses in ‘Italianamerican‘!

RB: What do you prefer, the short or feature format?

Paul: As someone who has lived most of his creative life in comedy, shorts speak to me.  I have been writing and performing comedy for 20 years and still do every weekend for the most part.  Over that time I have been involved in several feature films and the process to get a feature film made takes an aligning of the stars, plus a few sacrificial lambs, sometimes even an act of god is needed!! So, to get a film done takes many people all putting their best foot forward, to help complete someone else’s goal.  A team effort if you will.  The director is still leading but a great director gets great work from his team. Shorts don’t need as many people.  The short format can be very satisfying as an artist because it’s a bit more intimate.  You can tell your story in an economical way that helps you become a better film maker, a better writer and a better producer, because you have to solve a lot of production problems that show up in shorts.  Mostly because of budget restraints.  For Fewdio we are the one solving the problems that come up and we have to do our best without spending our micro budget.

RB: How did you get involved with Fewdio?

Paul: Hmm…I was brought on board at the very start.  When David, John Crye and Drew began making Curse, I was there on set for day one.  I ran sound all day.  Later, as they started making more and more films, Drew called me and asked me to come on-board full-time.  I jumped at the opportunity!  Everything that has come out since has been a super supportive team working very hard and selflessly.  David, particularly, has always impressed me with the amount of hard work he has put into each of the films.  From set to post-production, he is very dedicated to his craft.

RB: Which is your favorite Fewdio role and why?

Paul: Let’s see… ALL OF THEM!  Too hard to pick, I love all of them so much it’s really hard to pick just one.  I have been lucky enough to have some very talented people write characters just for me!  That is a very lucky position to be in.  But Viral is a character I very much like because it’s someone I never get the chance to play.  Downright crude and insane.  Of course you don’t know that going into the film but he comes unglued in the film and that was very cathartic to play.

RB: Where does the word “Fewdio” come from?

Paul: I can’t tell.  Only a few know the truth.  It’s out there in the nether verse but you need to look for it.

RB: I tried. I know that you starred in as well as produced many Fewdio shorts, do you have a soft spot for horror?

Paul: I grew up in Bridgeport, CT and we had all the TV stations out of NYC and I was a child of  WOR 4:30 Movie and Chiller Theatre! (Even the intro was scary !) Plus other shows like New Yorks “Million Dollar Movie” which showed LOTS of Made for TV horror movies and aired lots of classic horror films as well.  This was an education for me and set the table for a lifetime of love for the obscure. Horror and comedy have so much in common, though I was drawn to comedy quickly and easily.  Horror has always been a part of me.  My dad and I would see just about every genre film that ever came out on Saturdays while my Mom worked.  My Dad is a huge horror story fan, who shared loads of sci-fi and horror literature with me over the years.  He introduced me to Alfred Hitchcock and Ray Bradbury,  which led me to Stephen King and Clive Barker. I’m actually reading Dark Forces right now lent to me by my friend, Paul Gaita.  But he loved ghost stories.  Growing up in CT, there where there are plenty to go around and he knew lots of the local haunts having grown up his whole life in CT.

RB: What’s next for Fewdio?

Paul: Let’s see, David Schneider and I leave for IndieMeet in Las Vegas on Friday.  We will have give-a-ways while there, so keep an eye on @Blhaag, our resident beast of burden, for where you can find us and the goods. We are presently in production on our next short “Farmer’s Daughter,” which we just started casting.  We are planning on having another behind the scenes broadcast when we do shoot.  So watch our Facebook page and Twitter account for that info.

Plus, we’ve decided to post David’s Santa Barbra Minute Film Festival short that we did last month and are finishing up post-production so we can post it on line!  Plus, some really cool stuff I can’t talk about.  No really.  But when I can, I promise to share them with you and Reely Bored Blog!

RB:Any tips or advice for aspiring actors/filmmakers?

Paul: Don’t stop working in front or behind the camera!  Do whatever you can to get practical hands-on access, work with your own equipment or do local work.  As an actor get in front of the camera whenever you can, from helping friends make shorts or a local school project, college students, ANYTHING!  Just keep working.  If you keep an open mind and help out you will learn a lot by doing.

RB: Thank you for your time Paul, it was truly a pleasure!

Paul: Thank you for your time and I hope we can do this again!

Fewdio: You Haven’t Seen Horror Until You’ve Seen Fewdio

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alarming, Bedfellows, bloodcurdling, children, chilling, clown, Creep, creepy, dark, david schneider, daywalt, dead, death, drew daywalt, eerie, Fewdio, fewdio.com, film, Film News, frightening, ghost, ghost child, ghosts, hair-raising, haunted, haunting, horrifying, horror, horror movie, horror movies, horror shorts, late night, micro terror, movie, movie reviews, Movies, night, nightmare, nightmare house, nightmare house vol. 1, paranormal, paul hungerford, Reviews, scary, Short, Shorts!, spine-tingling, spirit, spirits, spooky, Suicide Girl, terrifying, terror, youtube

I was up late one night all alone in my apartment. My wife was out for the night and I thought it’d be great to get myself in the mood and watch something scary as I thoroughly enjoy scaring the shit out of myself (fetish?). Problem was that I’ve seen everything in my collection more than a dozen times and wanted something new, something fresh. What better avenue to take than the internet where the possibilities can be endless.

I watched a couple of shorts that were fairly decent but nothing that gave me any tingling sensations that traveled up my spine. That is, until I stumbled upon a little short called Creep directed by David Schneider and  Drew Daywalt. To give a brief synopsis will not do this justice as this is, afterall, a very short horror film. So, instead, here is the tagline for the short that will explain all with just one line:

Does driving alone at night give you the creeps? It will now.

And indeed it did. This, of course, only lead  me to search for more. Through this short film, I discovered Fewdio, masters of the micro-terror, and have been hooked and impressed with their work, looking up to them and using their work as inspiration. To get a better understanding of the effect that Fewdio shorts will have on its viewers, here is a small list of adjectives that will help to describe what you will expect when watching:

Frightening, terrifying, scary, alarming, bloodcurdling, chilling, creepy, eerie, hair-raising, spine-tingling, horrifying, spooky, chilling…. the list can go on and on. Of course, these are are synonyms of one another, which is needed to be presented as such because no one word can describe the films. Well, maybe not necessarily so because one word can be used universally to describe the movies: Awesome!

From being afraid of driving home alone to giving the Easter bunny a whole new terrifying perspective, Fewdio covers a slew of topics that, as there logo suggests, they create nightmares. Despite the vivid and horrific imaginations of these filmmakers, make no mistake that they have a deep respect for the art and for those who aspire to make films as  theirs.

One such person who is involved with Fewdio is Paul Hungerford who takes on the roles of actor, producer, casting director and sound designer for many of the Fewdio shorts and is a stand-up guy with whom many of you will learn by reading an upcoming entry that features an interview with Paul himself and gives us more insight as to who he is an actor as well as Fewdio. So stay tuned for that coming very soon!

The question now begs to be answered, where can I see their work? Well, for starters you can click on the link here to visit their website where you can get more information on the group as well as their Nightmare House Vol. 1 DVD. Or, you can visit their Youtube page here to check out a good amount of their shorts.

Something tells me you won’t be disappointed!

Here is a Teaser promo for their Nightmare House Vol. 1 DVD:

Latest work: The Other One

Tags

blood, Fewdio, film, horror, horror film, horror movie, horror short, killer, murderer, other one, psycho, psychotic, Short, short film, short video, Shorts!, sidejob, sidejob productions, strangle, the other one, thriller, thriller film, thriller movie, thriller short, twin, twins, video

Check out my latest foray into webisode making, although this is only a four part-er. BUT! I combined all four parts and made this into a short! I aspire to be like “Fewdio” (You must check them out!), but those guys are just way too good! This is one is called “The Other One” about a gentleman serial killer. Hope you enjoy, if you do, you can check the other three parts on youtube other shorts on Vimeo or Youtube, if you must: