67 MINUTES
UNRATED
UNRATED
e-mail: rich@pochepictures.com
INTERVIEW WITH "CRIMSON" DIRECTOR RICHARD POCHE
1. How did Crimson come about?
Daniel Chant, a screenwriter from the U.K. inquired to me through
e-mail about the prospect of creating a horror movie that he would
write. After subsequent conversations we decided upon producing
a vampire flick and "Crimson" was born.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Daniel for bringing the story to life. He
also introduced me to Shaun Dobie, Vincent Hunt and Mark Grant
who helped out with the graphic art and screenplay respectively.
2. What were some of the influences behind the making of the
movie?
Some of the comic book influences should be apparent. It is over
the top stuff with female vampires dueling it out. Some of the early
sequences I tried to shoot it in a 1970s style; giving it a gritty look
that you would see in those 1970s b-movies.
Growing up, I was a fan of the Hammer Films out of the U.K. I
would stay up late with my late uncle Ben and we'd watch the old
"Creature Features" show that was broadcast here in the Bay
Area. They'd show all of the old Christopher Lee and Peter
Cushing stuff. So I'm happy to have made a movie that has
similarities to those great horror movies of the past.
Additionally, I made a vampire movie in 2002 called "A Candle In
The Dark." It was relatively successful sales wise but at the time I
did not have the proper equipment or experience, truth be told. So
this was an opportunity to right a past wrong.
3. Was it a difficult shoot?
For me, post production was a bit more difficult than the shoot
itself. When you do something like this you are limited so much
time wise that you really don't have time to think about being tired.
So the shoot really wasn't that bad for me, in hindsight. But the
editing was a painstaking and meticulous process.
I am certain it was a difficult shoot for the actresses. I put Stuart
Brazell (Sammi) through hell. She along with Elizabeth Di Prinzio
(Jodie) are the heroines of the story and their scenes got pretty
physical. All of the actresses came from Los Angeles and they are
not used to the kind of chill factor we have in the San Francisco
Bay Area. So I got used to them saying one line repeatedly "I'm
cold!!!!"?
4. How did you go about casting?
I worked with Stuart previously on "Amped" which was a rock and
roll film noir we shot in 2004. I met Elizabeth Di Prinzio during this
shoot as well. They both hit it off and became friends. I guess you
can say they are the flagship actresses of Poche Pictures as they
have been in almost all of my movies since 2004. They are both
beautiful and talented and always give it everything they have. In
my opinion, they are every bit as good or better than the
mainstream actresses you see today.
I met Erika Smith in 2005 as we worked on a short thriller called
"The Wanderer" together. She's a tremendous talent and has a
cult following through her work with Misty Mundae and the b-movie
scene on the East Coast. Erika makes for a great villainess. The
irony is she is probably one of the nicest actresses I've met thus far.
I had worked with Sarah MacKay previously on "Zap" aka "The
Wicked!" back in 2002. That was the first feature I had ever
worked on. A masterpiece on Hi-8 video! Anyway, Sarah saw my
casting notice and inquired as we had lost contact. It was a great
pleasure to work with her after so long. Her acting is great and her
line deliveries are some of the most memorable in the movie.
This marked the first time I had worked with Leesel Boulware,
Jaimi Paige and Jade Tailor. Leesel was pleasant to work with.
She facially resembles an actress that my friends and I had
crushes on when we were teens. She has the quality of someone
that you don't want to see anything bad happen to and that works
for a horror film. Jaimi is a great comic actress with a versatile
range. She reminds me of a young Shelly Winters. Again, some of
her lines are truly comic and she steals some scenes with her
antics. Jade Tailor is phenomenal and I know that is a cliche but
it's true. Not to give anything away but for one of her scenes I had
shown her the opening kill scene from "Jaws" where the woman is
bitten to death and her screams are just horrific. I used that scene
as a *guide* for Jade as I wanted this particular scene to have a
similar kind of intensity.... I think she did quite well :)
The sky is the limit for all the cast members involved. I was
humbled that such talented people wanted to work with me.
5. What was your budget?
What are you with the I.R.S?
6. What format did you shoot the movie on?
Standard def, 24p. I used the Panasonic DVX-100. It is a BEAST!
I then used a conglomeration of different software to come up with
the different looks that you see in the movie.
7. Where did you get the music for Crimson?
Some are my own, some are from Royalty free sources. A Bay
Area band called "Karmacoda" was kind enough to allow me to
use their hit "Awaken."
8. What are your favorite scenes from the movie?
I tried my best in all of them so I really don˜t have a favorite, per se.
But, if you put a gun to my head I'd probably say the opening and
ending sequences, respectively. You gotta start strong and finish
strong!
9. What was the toughest scene to shoot?
Boy, good question. The toughest scenes for the actresses? Well,
you'd have to ask them. I'd say for them it was probably all of the
exterior scenes because it was so damn cold. And late. They were
really fatigued so the emotion and stress that you see on the
screen has some reality of the moment mixed in.
I really didn't have a tough time shooting any of the scenes. There
was just some complexity in getting certain shots to match as we
didn't shoot in sequential order of the story.
10. Will there be a sequel?
I think so. Without giving anything away, there are some, ahem,
possibilities.
11. Any last words?
Just want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone involved in
the project.
1. How did Crimson come about?
Daniel Chant, a screenwriter from the U.K. inquired to me through
e-mail about the prospect of creating a horror movie that he would
write. After subsequent conversations we decided upon producing
a vampire flick and "Crimson" was born.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Daniel for bringing the story to life. He
also introduced me to Shaun Dobie, Vincent Hunt and Mark Grant
who helped out with the graphic art and screenplay respectively.
2. What were some of the influences behind the making of the
movie?
Some of the comic book influences should be apparent. It is over
the top stuff with female vampires dueling it out. Some of the early
sequences I tried to shoot it in a 1970s style; giving it a gritty look
that you would see in those 1970s b-movies.
Growing up, I was a fan of the Hammer Films out of the U.K. I
would stay up late with my late uncle Ben and we'd watch the old
"Creature Features" show that was broadcast here in the Bay
Area. They'd show all of the old Christopher Lee and Peter
Cushing stuff. So I'm happy to have made a movie that has
similarities to those great horror movies of the past.
Additionally, I made a vampire movie in 2002 called "A Candle In
The Dark." It was relatively successful sales wise but at the time I
did not have the proper equipment or experience, truth be told. So
this was an opportunity to right a past wrong.
3. Was it a difficult shoot?
For me, post production was a bit more difficult than the shoot
itself. When you do something like this you are limited so much
time wise that you really don't have time to think about being tired.
So the shoot really wasn't that bad for me, in hindsight. But the
editing was a painstaking and meticulous process.
I am certain it was a difficult shoot for the actresses. I put Stuart
Brazell (Sammi) through hell. She along with Elizabeth Di Prinzio
(Jodie) are the heroines of the story and their scenes got pretty
physical. All of the actresses came from Los Angeles and they are
not used to the kind of chill factor we have in the San Francisco
Bay Area. So I got used to them saying one line repeatedly "I'm
cold!!!!"?
4. How did you go about casting?
I worked with Stuart previously on "Amped" which was a rock and
roll film noir we shot in 2004. I met Elizabeth Di Prinzio during this
shoot as well. They both hit it off and became friends. I guess you
can say they are the flagship actresses of Poche Pictures as they
have been in almost all of my movies since 2004. They are both
beautiful and talented and always give it everything they have. In
my opinion, they are every bit as good or better than the
mainstream actresses you see today.
I met Erika Smith in 2005 as we worked on a short thriller called
"The Wanderer" together. She's a tremendous talent and has a
cult following through her work with Misty Mundae and the b-movie
scene on the East Coast. Erika makes for a great villainess. The
irony is she is probably one of the nicest actresses I've met thus far.
I had worked with Sarah MacKay previously on "Zap" aka "The
Wicked!" back in 2002. That was the first feature I had ever
worked on. A masterpiece on Hi-8 video! Anyway, Sarah saw my
casting notice and inquired as we had lost contact. It was a great
pleasure to work with her after so long. Her acting is great and her
line deliveries are some of the most memorable in the movie.
This marked the first time I had worked with Leesel Boulware,
Jaimi Paige and Jade Tailor. Leesel was pleasant to work with.
She facially resembles an actress that my friends and I had
crushes on when we were teens. She has the quality of someone
that you don't want to see anything bad happen to and that works
for a horror film. Jaimi is a great comic actress with a versatile
range. She reminds me of a young Shelly Winters. Again, some of
her lines are truly comic and she steals some scenes with her
antics. Jade Tailor is phenomenal and I know that is a cliche but
it's true. Not to give anything away but for one of her scenes I had
shown her the opening kill scene from "Jaws" where the woman is
bitten to death and her screams are just horrific. I used that scene
as a *guide* for Jade as I wanted this particular scene to have a
similar kind of intensity.... I think she did quite well :)
The sky is the limit for all the cast members involved. I was
humbled that such talented people wanted to work with me.
5. What was your budget?
What are you with the I.R.S?
6. What format did you shoot the movie on?
Standard def, 24p. I used the Panasonic DVX-100. It is a BEAST!
I then used a conglomeration of different software to come up with
the different looks that you see in the movie.
7. Where did you get the music for Crimson?
Some are my own, some are from Royalty free sources. A Bay
Area band called "Karmacoda" was kind enough to allow me to
use their hit "Awaken."
8. What are your favorite scenes from the movie?
I tried my best in all of them so I really don˜t have a favorite, per se.
But, if you put a gun to my head I'd probably say the opening and
ending sequences, respectively. You gotta start strong and finish
strong!
9. What was the toughest scene to shoot?
Boy, good question. The toughest scenes for the actresses? Well,
you'd have to ask them. I'd say for them it was probably all of the
exterior scenes because it was so damn cold. And late. They were
really fatigued so the emotion and stress that you see on the
screen has some reality of the moment mixed in.
I really didn't have a tough time shooting any of the scenes. There
was just some complexity in getting certain shots to match as we
didn't shoot in sequential order of the story.
10. Will there be a sequel?
I think so. Without giving anything away, there are some, ahem,
possibilities.
11. Any last words?
Just want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone involved in
the project.