LEGLESSCORPSE: A lot of people would say there is no market for short films anymore, we at LeglessCorpse dig them. Is there a reason you went with the short format as opposed to a feature film, especially with the rise of digital and the lower cost to produce a feature?

RYAN STOCKSTAD: I dig ‘em too! I’m a firm believer that a film or script should be as long (or as short) as the story requires. In the case of Eggs, the story is based upon a short story by Garon Cockrell, which is part of his horror collection titled Demonic and Other Tales: The Short Fiction of Garon Cockrell. (Available on Amazon) The story he wrote required some expanding by Jon Rosenberg and I (who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation) to make it all more cinematic, but the story really wouldn’t lend itself to the feature length treatment without a major reworking. I’m not sure any of the original story would even be recognizable in a feature length version! Anyone who has ever attended a horror film festival can attest to the power of a good short film!

LC: EGGS will feature Lynn Lowry an iconic actress from one of Cronenberg’s first films Shivers (aka They Came From Within), how did she become involved in the project?

RS: In some cases, getting a name attached to a project is simply a matter of offering someone enough money, but in the case of Eggs and Lynn Lowry it was definitely the quality of the script. When Jon and I originally began working on the screenplay, we immediately saw her as the perfect actress to play the lead role. I’d previously bumped into her at a store in my neighborhood where she was buying a camera before heading to Iowa to shoot her scene in The Crazies remake. She was kind enough to pose for a fan photo with me and we exchanged contact info. This was well before the script was written, but I remembered the incident and figured I could contact her when the screenplay was ready. I had a list of other actresses in mind in case she turned us down, but thankfully she loved the screenplay and said yes. She works pretty steadily so I’m proud of the fact that Lynn recently stated that Eggs is one of best and most original screenplays she’s read. We’re really proud to have her participation in the project.

I should also mention that Duane Whitaker (Pulp Fiction, The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween 2, Feast, etc.) is attached to the project as well, and we’re incredibly fortunate that he’s taken an interest in the project also. I think Duane and Lynn are both incredibly talented actors. The supporting cast includes the beautiful and talented Julia Lehman (Volcano Zombies, etc.), G. Larry Butler (Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove, etc.) and Maetrix Fitten (Hancock, etc.). It’s really a great cast!

LC: For those readers who haven’t checked out the campaign yet, what are some of the cool perks you got going with pledges?

RS: Well, we have some limited rewards that I think are quite awesome, such as autographed Duane Whitaker stills from Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn 2, or Halloween 2. You pick the movie and then he’ll personalize the signature for you. We know most people aren’t swimming in Uncle Scrooge’s money bin right now, so we’ve tried to give you a value with the basic reward levels. For $25 you get your choice of a DVD or BluRay of the finished movie, plus a download of the soundtrack. Ryan Orvis is doing our score and he’s great! For just $10 more you can get a t-shirt added to your reward. $50 gets you a special thanks on the finished movie and on imdb, plus the t-shirt, DVD or BluRay, download, etc. Then we have some cool party invitations at the $100 level, your choice of a Karaoke party with Lynn Lowry and some of the other cast and crew, or a horror-themed board game party with the cast and crew. We have producer credits starting at $500 that includes an invitation to the premiere, the t-shirt, hard copy of the movie, etc. You can visit the set and attend a private dinner with myself, Lynn and Duane for $1,000, and that includes a producer credit and invitations to all of the parties. Plus there are a bunch of limited rewards, including full-size posters signed by the cast, original artwork by myself, and a one-of-a-kind Polaroid photo taken during production. The most expensive reward is $2,000 but I think it’s incredibly cool. Essentially you get a professionally printed Eggs “yearbook”, numbered and limited to just 20 copies. Filled with content not seen anywhere else, each yearbook presents the story behind the production with photos, memories from set, production journals, character bios and blank yearbook pages for personalized cast and crew messages. I’ve spoken with a printer about the logistics and we’re really excited about these so I hope someone pledges for it! But rewards start at just $5 and you can pledge as little as $1 and still help. Everyone who pledges $5 or more will be mentioned in our THANK YOU video by either me or someone in the cast, possibly Lynn Lowry, Duane Whitaker or Julia Lehman.

LC: Why should horror fans pledge to your project, what does EGGS have up it’s sleeve that will appease the fans?
RS: I think anyone who calls him-or-herself a horror fan should always support projects they like on Kickstarter. Even if it’s just a small pledge of $1 just to give a thumbs up! Personally, I love dollar and five dollar pledges because they tell me someone who doesn’t have a lot to give just wants to support us. It’s really encouraging. Plus, those small bids really do help us stay “popular” and visible on Kickstarter. Without those small pledges, we drop in popularity and the people searching for horror projects on Kickstarter simply don’t find us, so I really love small pledges! We shot a video recently with Eric Caidin (You can watch the video on the Kickstarter page) and I think he summed it up nicely when he said (I’m paraphrasing) “In my experience, most of the independents are better than the mainstream movies out there. You waste your money on those, why not give a little to something that’ll actually be good!” But I think the single most compelling reason to support Eggs with a pledge is to see a great new practical effects horror movie starring Lynn Lowry and Duane Whitaker, that simply WILL NOT get made without the support of horror fans and Kickstarter.

LC: If the campaign is successful, when do you think the film will be wrapped up and ready to be seen by the fans? If the campaign isn’t successful what’s your plan B to get the film “in the can”?

RS: If the campaign is successful, we’ll likely start pre-production (location scouting, crewing up, effects work, costuming, etc.) in January, after the holidays. Then, as soon as cast and crew schedules align, we’ll start shooting. I’d estimate a March production date, although a lot depends on Lynn’s schedule, so it could be later. For safety, we’ve posted on the Kickstarter rewards an estimated delivery of October, 2015, but of course I really hope to get this movie out there sooner! We plan to submit the movie to all of the major horror film festivals so hopefully everyone will have an opportunity to see the movie on a big screen somewhere too.

I hate to say it, but if the campaign isn’t successful, there really isn’t any Plan B in place. I’ve put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, largely because the budget required to make this movie the right way demands more money than I have in my back pocket. With some difficulty, I could maybe scrape up five or even ten thousand dollars to self-finance a movie, but that wouldn’t be enough to shoot in expensive locations with this cast, using practical effects, meeting the legal requirements of using actual blank gunfire instead of CG, not to mention maintaining a safe set with the use of trained stunt coordinators, etc. So my Plan B would simply be to set the movie aside, hopefully for a later date, and move on to a different project. I really don’t want to do that so I hope people will dig a little and make a pledge of at least $1!

 

INDIE SPOTLIGHT: Interview With EGGS Director Ryan Stockstad