And so is the plot based on a character not normally seen in the fan film genre. It’s refreshing to see a fan take on this classic comic book. Fan Film Follies talks with GM Finney Productions the makers behind to “The Mask Strikes Back“.

FAN FILM FOLLIES (through Christopher Moshier): What got you into filmmaking more specifically fan filmmaking?

GM FINNEY PRODUCTIONS: I think it was around 2005 after seeing…dare I say it, the “sequel” to ‘The Mask’. I thought it was a complete disaster and a waste of what could have been an incredible franchise. So without delay, I decided to go out and write my own sequel to ‘The Mask’.

FFF: Why “The Mask” fan film opposed to any other character or franchise?

GM: ‘The Mask’ has been my all-time favorite movie and character from a very young age, and since the day I saw the movie, I became obsessed with it! To be honest, I still am to this day (laughs). I think there are many directions to go with ‘The Mask’ and that’s what peaked my interest.

FFF: Son of the Mask? Why? Why would they make such a thing?

GM: Tell me about it. New Line Cinema really confuses me. They make an incredible film in 1994 with a great cast, great story and mind blowing special effects. And ten years later, instead of things improving, they somehow make it ten times worse! I can only say one thing, compare ‘Son of the Mask’ with the original ‘Mask’ comics! But that aside, I would LOVE to see ‘The Mask’ back on screen. Obviously, we would all like to see Jim Carrey back in the role, but I think it’s safe to say that will never happen. So I would like to see a re-imagining of the character, in the same tone as the comic book. That is what I would do and that is what the fans want to see!

FFF: The Mask of Loki that appears in your film – was that a licensed prop or was that fan made? How about the green The Mask’s mask?

GM: Well, before I decided to make this movie, I came across a replica Loki Mask on the internet and I just HAD to have it! Unfortunately, I lost that particular Mask and got another one. This Mask is the one Eric’s character (Stanley Ipkiss) uses in the movie. So again, because that Mask was sent 4,000 miles away to the US, I got my hands on ANOTHER replica and this one was used for the UK scenes.

FFF: How about the green The Mask’s mask?

GM: The green latex mask was basically a new design we came up with and based loosely on ‘The Mask Returns’ comic. We decided to add a false Mohawk onto it (as it was originally bald) to give it a more rock/punk look. The Stanley Ipkiss mask was just an officially licensed 1994 mask that we cut the mouth out of to see the actors mouth move when he talked.

FFF: How does one make a fan film? Give some hints for other people who want to make a fan film.

GM: To begin the film making process, you obviously need a few good ideas; these will then evolve into plot points and storylines. When you have a complex storyline, you can begin writing the script. But one thing that I have noticed fan films lacking is a really great story. Make sure you have a good story to keep your viewers hooked!

Then, after several re-writes (like we had with ‘TMSB’) you can start finding suitable actors to fill the roles (or, like us, use the people around you). When you have gathered a good, committed cast, you can start drawing up storyboards (we skipped this with ‘The Mask’ and we wish we hadn’t…trust me). And if you think your ready, get out there, find some locations, and shoot it!
Believe it or not, this was the most challenging thing for us.

Now, Post-Production is the key to a great movie. Work hard. Take your time. But most importantly, HAVE FUN!

FFF: Good advise! Not really a criticism, but more of an observation. When the actor was wearing the green The Mask mask we see a lot of neck meaning we see a lot of the actor’s neck. Where you conscience of this? I think some kind of green body paint would have worked better.

GM: You mean when Ipkiss was wearing the Mask?

FFF: Exactly.

GM: The licensed mask we had was only a 1/2 head covering mask so it would have been tricky to work around that in such short time. We could have used a bald cap to cover the hair and back of head but again this all uses up time, which then, we didn’t have a lot of. But as for the body paint, the Mask only covers the head. If you notice in the original ‘Mask’ movie, Jim Carrey’s neck was also exposed.

FFF: I didn’t realize that. I’ll have to go back and watch the film again. What was the most difficult aspect in making your film?

GM: The most difficult was actually the production (filming). I think the main reason is that I have never had any directing experience and my actors had no acting experience. Just imagine trying to tell people what to do when you barely know what your doing yourself (laughing). But eventually, we got through it by studying the script and learning a little bit about the story and characters as we went along.

In post, I had a lot of fun editing it together and after several cuts, I worked with what I had and it came out pretty cool.

FFF: What kind of reception has your film gotten?

GM: This actually really surprised me. The film actually received about 95% positive feedback! Most saying around 4 out of 5 stars. Almost everybody saying it came miles ahead of ‘Son of The Mask’ and should have been the REAL Mask sequel. THAT is what I was going for!

FFF: Where do you see the genre of fan film going in the next five or ten years.

GM: In the last few years, there have been many fantastic fan films, more so in the BATMAN category. I can only see it getting much better! But I think categories like ‘The Mask’ for example, need to become more popular! So I encourage people to get out there and make your dreams happen while you still can.
FFF: What else are you working on these days? Promote what’s new!

GM: Actually, after ‘The Mask Strikes Back’ things happened and unfortunately I found myself torn apart from filmmaking, and I don’t think I will ever return to make another movie. But if I were, I would make something original and after some experience, I would make a feature length Mask remake or sequel. Although like I said, it’s very, very unlikely. But never say never.

FAN FILM FOLLIES (through Christopher Moshier): Give us a little bio on yourself.

MONICA EDWARDS: I am (pretty much) a Florida Native. Yes, really! I have mainly specialized in dance, but do enjoy acting as well. I am also a little bit of a “geek” and LOVE Harley Quinn and was thrilled to have the opportunity to play her!

FFF How did you get hooked up with Rock Art Digital getting the parts of Harley & Selina Kyle?

ME: I had a friend that saw the audition notice posted and knowing my love for the masked psycho he called me and filled me in.

FFF How familiar were you with the characters you portrayed in the short film before securing the parts?

ME: VERY. I have carried around an action figure of her in my purse for years. I subsequently gave Marlene the Catwoman one from the same series. Awwww.

FFF Did you read any of the comics or watch any of the animation prior to filming? How did you get into character?

ME: Absolutely. And, for those who know me, it’s not THAT far a reach.

FFF How was it working with Marlene? Any funny stories or character quarks you would like to share?

ME: We had never met before, but I really enjoyed working with her! Probably the best stories were actually caught on film. On the dvd (yes, we have those!) there is a blooper real that definitely caught the feel of the whole production. I ran into her in Target a few months back but mostly we keep tabs through the MySpace.

FFF What has the Fan Film done for you professionally if anything?

ME: Well – not a whole lot.

I did make another movie with the Dr. from the film a couple of months later. It was actually a feature length SAG movie called “the Karaoke King.” But that was purely coincidental.

We were supposed to make the prequal of H&S, in full costume, but then I got pregnant (no spandex!) and then before I became show ready again our director moved to another state!

FFF What is your GEEK-O-METER? On a scale from one to ten where do you put yourself in relation to comics, animation, pop corn movies and the like?

ME: Ummmmm….Relatively geeky. Geeky enough to be happy that Christopher Nolan corrected the myth that the Joker killed Batman’s parents but not enough to tell you any issue numbers or anything. I mostly watched the cartoons, especially the Batman animated series in the ’90′s. Thus starting my Harley-love! NO ANIME!!! Japanimation just isn’t my thing. As far as popcorn moveis, Mallrats will always be one of my all-time favs and with the exception of Jersey Girl and Clerks II, I do own the entire Kevin Smith ouvre. I will say that the Neverending Story has and will always play a major role in my life!!

FFF Considering we are celebrating “Women” at the Comic Book Bin and the fact we cover comic books, action figures, movies, etc. what is your perspective, experiences, view on what can be changed or done to draw more women into these industries?

ME: Maybe draw them slightly more realistically? Big chests are great and all but we don’t all have them! (Unless we’re nursing that is) – And more feminine frindly plot lines could possibly help as well.

FFF You have the final word.

ME: Thank you to Mr. Scott Robb for telling me about the audition and thereby giving me the chance to play my dream role and thank you to Rock Arts Digital for casting me!!!

At the start of 2005 Kate made a resolution to make the most of the new year and to fully pursue her acting and filmmaking ambitions and that is exactly what she has been doing ever since.

Kate made her directorial debut in July 2005 with an ambitious project called Into the Darkness and has also been involved in a number of other projects mostly with the Cambridge Filmmakers Network, filling a variety of roles, from set dressing, costuming and prop making to production managing, assistant directing and driving. As Kate is also an actor, when not behind the camera she can often be found in front of it.

The Born of Hope test shoot was only Kate’s second attempt at directing but she is already proving the ability to create, with her talented crew, highly professional looking work on a very low budget.

Kate likes to believe that “anything is possible” and Actors at Work Productions aims to make films that are high quality, ambitious and appealing to larger audiences.

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier): What has happened on the project since your “The Journey So Far” video?

KATE ROBINSON: I find it quite funny now if I watch the “Journey So Far” because I end the video saying “I’m looking forward to the next 6 months of it…” when in fact the next 6 months all went a bit pear shaped. To be honest I kind of lost it for a while regarding Born of Hope. After my trip to The Gathering of the Fellowship convention in Toronto Canada, where I had a great time showing the trailer and footage and doing Q&A sessions about the project, the issues of copyright had been brought to the forefront and the story was also going through various changes and after months of work and stress well basically it all got too much and my protective little bubble burst leaving me wondering what the hell I was trying to do.

I spent the next few months unwilling to deal with the ‘problem’ that was Born of Hope. I focused my efforts on other things like the short films “The Horsemen”, shot in July 06 and “One Little Step” a short seaside musical shot in Great Yarmouth in Oct 06 both of which are showing at Cannes in the Short Film Corner 2007. The closest I went to BoH was trying to edit together the test shoot footage so I could actually get it out to the cast and crew. I found the editing really hard. I think this was due to a lack of self-confidence and the need to live up to my own and everyone else’s expectations.

Now that I have had some time to gather my thoughts properly I have basically decided that I need to slow the whole project down and delegate tasks more or risk throwing the towel in all together. For the first half of 2006 it felt like I did nothing but Born of Hope. I spent nine solid months working very hard on the project and basically it couldn’t continue like that. I love Born of Hope and think it could be an amazing project but I don’t think it should take over my life completely.

So after a long break from the project we are now back on track. A new script is currently being written by an American screenwriter. I am again liaising with West Stow’s Anglo-Saxon Village, our main location from the test shoot and starting work on the construction of various large props with their assistants. I will also soon be crewing up an Art Department and Costume Department to continue work and expand the collection of props and costumes we already have.

FFF: Can you give us a synopsis of the story you are trying to tell, characters involved, time frame around the Jackson trilogy, etc?

KR: From 2003 when I had the original idea to make a LOTRs fan film to now 2007 the story has changed and developed quite a lot.

Back in 2003 the first story idea was about a female Dúnedain ranger who finds herself in Mirkwood during the War of the Ring and came from my various interests like stage combat, wilderness survival, archery and the need for strong female characters that I as an actor could play. I very quickly realized that this idea was too large to attempt as it involved large amounts of Dwarves and Elves and Orcs and horses etc as you can imagine. I put that one on the shelf and started thinking about stories that Tolkien had already written, looking back through the Appendices of the Lord of the Rings.

My next thought was to do the early part of Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship, with their first meeting in the woods of Rivendell. I would need only two or three actors and Tolkien had detailed most of their relationship. I decided against this idea though because the ambitious perfectionist in me was really keen to make a film that people could watch and almost believe that it had been filmed by Peter Jackson and his team. An impossible task I know, but Viggo and Liv as Aragorn and Arwen are now so imprinted in our minds that I felt people would find it hard to believe in the actors I found to imitate them. I therefore needed a story that people would want to see but that didn’t involve any character that we had seen in the New Line Trilogy. Turns out that Aragorn and Arwen’s first meeting was actually shot by Peter Jackson though we have yet to see it.

I first read the books only after the release of the Two Towers and the Dúnedain had really captured my interest and a story about these rangers of the North really appealed. Also, as they had been cut from the movie version I did not need to compete or replicate what had been done before.

So Born of Hope is a prequel to the New Line Trilogy and my aim is to make a film that can sit alongside those films without looking too out of place. The story focuses on Aragorn’s people, the Dúnedain, the rangers of the north. We want to show people more of a back-story for Aragorn. Based on Tolkien’s writings in the Appendices of the books we look at Aragorn’s people and show the relationship between his parents, Arathorn and Gilraen. As well as giving more of a back-story we are also able to show characters on screen who had to be cut from the New Line Trilogy. Not only will we be introducing a number of new characters but we will also see the sons of Elrond and a young Halbarad who is mentioned in the Return of the King. That’s all I will say for now because I don’t want to give too much away.

FFF: To my understanding actual footage hasn’t been shot, but only test footage. What is the timeline from starting the actual shoot for the film and what is your realistic outlook for a finished film?

KR: Before the script is finalized it’s hard to say and I often under estimate this but I’ll try not to. Hopefully we’ll have the script sorted in the next few months and will then need another few months to plan even some simple filming. It would be nice to do some filming before the year is out but who knows. Maybe we’ll have shot it by this time next year but will then need some time for the edit. Don’t hold me to this but it may be ready by next summer and if that seems like a long way off to you, think how it feels to me.

FFF: Have you had any reaction from New Line or the master Peter Jackson himself?

KR: Not a squeak but that doesn’t mean I can breath easy. The copyright issues regarding fan films is obviously a constant worry because we are, in a none threatening, non profit making way, breaking the rules. I mean that’s what fan films in essence have to do or they wouldn’t be fan films they’d be original films. We are not doing a parody and there are very few LOTRs fan films that extend or add original material to Tolkien’s work, so in a way I feel like we are breaking new ground and that’s partly exciting and partly terrifying.

It’s hard to believe that the Estate, New Line and even Peter Jackson himself do not hear things on the grapevine about what fans are doing and therefore it’s extremely plausible that they know about Born of Hope in someway. I just hope that they can accept it as a complement to their work and not a threat. If George Lucas can be so generous to Star Wars fans why shouldn’t other films have the same treatment? I mean it’s been 4 years since Return of the King and even if they can get the Hobbit made it will be another couple of years so surely fan films help to keep the enthusiasm going in the Fan world.

I would love to hear words of encouragement from Peter Jackson or any other official LOTRs people but if nothing else I just hope we are left alone to finish this without any problems and that people like what they see. Once finished this will hopefully be a fantastic showcase for many up and coming actors and filmmakers in the UK and even around the world and that’s got the be a good thing.

FFF: This seems like a far more ambitious project than most fan films. Was there a consideration of starting with just a short 5 or 10 minutes film to get the feet wet? If the film was done today how long it would be – I know things are cut and added in post-production so just a ball park figure.

KR: I don’t seem to come up with short 5 minute films. I don’t have a background of studying filmmaking and therefore most of my knowledge of movies is from watching feature films. Luckily since 2003 when the idea first came up and I knew nothing about filmmaking to now when I know a heck of a lot more and actually have some decent experience including directing a 25 minute short called Into the Darkness and a 10 minute short called The Horsemen as well as working on many other films.

Born of Hope has gone from being a 20 min film to an hour and a half feature and back again but I think we may have finally come up with the best idea. The latest idea is to do about a 30 minute film divided up into three parts for easy viewing and story telling.

FFF: Is there a concern with the amount of time the project is being put together people won’t necessarily lose interest, but have other offers (paying offers) that brings them elsewhere? I’ve seen it a million times with fan made and independent productions. I guess a good question is what is the glue that keeps cast and crew involved in the project over the amount of time it has been trying to get it off the ground?

KR: Of course this is a problem and I tried to make it clear from the very first auditions that this project was probably a long-term thing. All the actors knew that they were only being cast for the test shoot but if we were to ask them back for the final film it may take a year or more to complete. Even with unpaid short films you can loss cast and crew to paid work. Making it work is often down to meticulous planning and scheduling. Even for the test shoot we had actors performing in shows in London and could therefore only work say Sunday’s for us etc.

It’s not just cast either. Just last month my friend and fantastic Director of Photographer Neill Phillips was sent out to LA with work and may not be coming back. Many of the filmmakers here in Cambridge are moving on with their careers so quickly that it might be hard to book time in their busy schedules but I’ll have to try.

Not sure what the glue is really. I guess it’s partly me trying to keep people interested and willing to work with me again but I think it’s also the fact that this project is so different from most of the low budget films people are used to making. As far as Showreels are concerned this is something you don’t see everyday.

FFF: What advise would you give to fellow Fan Film makers out there from your “Trials and Tribulations” of getting Born of Hope together?

KR: IT’S HARD! I mean doing something like Born of Hope is really hard. You have to really want it. Don’t try to do it on your own and don’t get overwhelmed by having too many people giving advice either. You need one or two people to bounce ideas off. Get the story locked down and don’t try to take on too much, advice I seem unable to take.

There are many factors that can increase the difficulty of doing a fan film, like any film. If your film has multiple characters and locations then it will be harder to do than a short 5 minute film set in one place with just two people. Doing a little parody in the back garden with a few mates and a rug over your shoulders is obviously easier than casting professional actors and making original costumes etc.

If you want to do it just picking a story you like and that you think you can accomplish and go for it!

FFF: Considering we cover comic books, action figures, movies, etc. at the BIN – what is your perspective, experiences, view on what can be changed or done to draw more women into these industries?

KR: That’s a hard one, I’m not really sure. Women are so varied. For some women the closest they ever want to get to comics is watching buff men playing superheroes in Hollywood movies where as others are real Tom Boys that do live action role play every weekend and have a huge collection of comics and action figures at home. I feel I’m somewhere in the middle. I love watching comic book movies but don’t read comics. I used to have action figures when I was younger, I visit shops like Forbidden Planet and a wall of my home has LOTRs replica swords and a Harry Potter style broomstick on display.

I guess with all the comic book movies coming out of Hollywood in the last few years it’s likely this will boost people’s interest in Comics whether they are male or female.

FFF: What do you think you bring to the realm of specifically the Fan Film and even more specifically to the world of Tolkien in a women’s perspective as opposed to a male’s view of Fan Film/Tolkien?

KR: Well I don’t really know what the male view of Fan Film/Tolkien is so I couldn’t really say, I’ve seen great fan films made by men and women. There are quite a few women involved in the making of Born of Hope so there is a nice balance of males to females. With Born of Hope I’m keen to show not only all the fun and exciting action sequences but also the humanity. If you look at a lot of Star Wars fan films they are nothing more than lightsaber duels and these are I think, mostly made by men. I’m keen to really show people who these characters are and really get inside them. I’m also keen to produce a film of the best quality I possibly can.

I don’t know if that helps, I find this a hard question to answer and could probably be answered better by someone else once the film is completed and can be held up alone side other fan films and assessed.

FFF: Outside the world of Lord of the Rings what films or other jobs are you working on and what do you have on tap that you can tell us about?

KR: Well I have actually been involved in a number of short films since the test shoot and 4 of them are going to be showing at Cannes in May in the short film corner. The films are: The Horsemen, Blood on his hands, Guilty? and One Little Step. I did a variety of jobs on these films including acting, art department, costumer, producer’s assistant etc.

I know that a couple of the actors from Born of Hope are going to be at Cannes, Christopher Dane (Arathorn) and Howard Corlett plus Emily Blickem my Co Producer and I would love to go too but I can’t make it unfortunately, maybe next year.

Any people near to Cambridge UK in the first week in June can come and see me play Jennifer in the Witches of Eastwick at the ADC Theatre. Otherwise for now it’s Born of Hope and building my acting career.

FFF: If you had an unlimited budget, the backing of any major studios, and the rights to any project what film would you either want to write, act in, or direct and why?

KR: Nice question. Well as you can imagine it’s ambitious and not a kitchen sink drama. Doesn’t sound very original now that Pirates of the Caribbean has been done so well but for a long time I have been extremely interested in the story of Anne Bonney and Mary Reed the famous female pirates of the Golden Age. I would love to make this film and play one of these characters or a similar strong character in a fun and exciting action adventure. If I have the energy to do another film after Born of Hope I am thinking about doing a short film involving these characters if nothing else.

FFF: Anything else you would like to share you think our readers at the BIN would be interested in? Perhaps people you would like to thank? Your favorite color (colour)? Favorite flavor ice-cream?

KR: Wow, what to say? I guess I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this endeavour! Thank you to all the cast and crew from the test shoot, all those who I have been in touch with since this first began, all those who are part of the team in one way or another, all those who have given generous donations to help finance this endeavour, all those who have sent me emails and posted in the guestbook, all those who are desperate to watch the finished film and anyone else I’ve forgotten. I would also like to apologise to those who have emailed me but have not heard back I am slowly working my way back through countless flagged emails but if you do not hear please do write again to pester me for a response. I do not mean to be rude and not reply.

So I don’t want to jinks it but.. “I’m looking forward to the next 6 months..”

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier): Can you give us some background on your Spiderman short and your website?

COLBY BLUTH: I created Spider-Man in the late summer of 2000. Although I’m a fan of the comic book character I was mainly doing it as a portfolio piece. It was to demonstrate my abilities of creating a Flash web cartoon on my own. This was my second cartoon, the first being The Rubber Tree which I created a few months earlier while learning Flash and how to use a computer. The Rubber Tree is in the style of a traditional silly cartoon short, and with Spider-Man I wanted to show a more cinematic and faster paced action style. Unfortunately, the week that I began showing my two Flash shorts around looking for work, the dot com business began to crumble. I think it was late September. A lot of studios liked my work and wanted to hire me, but most of them went out of business by the end of the year, but I’m sure this is a familiar story.

As far as the look of Spider-Man, I wanted to do something different with the colors. I made his costume more muted than you normally see it. I also made an effort to show Spider-Man in a more dynamic way then he had been depicted before, keep in mind the piece was completed before I’d even heard about a Spider-Man movie being made.

FFF: Your site mentions you did everything but the music. Would you like to comment or give a hat tip to the one who did do the music?

CB: The music was done by two friends of mine, Ben Wendel and Daedalus (an L.A. DJ). I gave them a Quicktime version of the piece and then they worked out the music to fit it. Then we got together and polished it up in a couple hours. It was a fun working experience and they did a great job. With an animated piece I’ve discovered that sound is equally important as the visuals, but is only about 10% of the total work load.

FFF: You have a vast portfolio on your site. Can I ask what you are involved in these days professionally or fan related in relationship to maybe a future installment of another Spidey Flash Film?

CB: Currently, I’m paying the bills with freelance Flash animation and ink illustration. I don’t currently have any plans for a new fan film mainly because I can’t make any income from a fan film.

FFF: Has the Spidey flash film gained you any exposure?

CB: I guess Spider-Man has gained me some exposure. Most people have liked it, especially those that understand the limitations of a Flash web cartoon.

FFF: Have you seen films such as BATMAN: DEAD END pop up on the internet? What are your feelings about the most recent spotlight of comic licensed characters being made into fan films?

CB: I saw the Batman piece and thought it was good. It wasn’t perfect, but it had some standout visual moments that people have wanted to see. I think it’s great that people are creating their own fan films. Especially with inexpensive computers, DV, and DVD burning, it’s a great time to be an aspiring filmmaker.

FFF: How about talking up your other creations on the site. Lots of fun stuff! Can you elaborate on Monkeyfish at all and what is happening with this creation?

CB: Monkeyfish (working title), is an experiment to see if I can create TV quality animation on my home computer. Now that I’m half finished I can say that it’s very possible. The thing you need the most is just time for all the drawings. This is the first time I’ve ever done traditional animation or painted backgrounds – trial by fire.

It’s a simple comedic short about a monkey that finds a fish washed up on the beach. It will be about 4 minutes long. I’m drawing everything by hand and then scanning it into the computer. I’m then using Flash 4 to ink and paint everything.

I’m planning to submit it to festivals when it’s done as well as adding it to the portfolio. I’m hoping it will open more avenues for more interesting and better paying freelance work. I have some short clips available for viewing on my website.

FFF: What is in the future for Colby Bluth?

CB: I’m trying to finish Monkeyfish by the end of this year. Then I will either be doing one final animated sci-fi fantasy short or move into creating my own comic book. Depends how burned out I am on animation. It’s soooo much drawing.

To help satisfy her love for the character Lara Croft, she teamed up with fellow fan Nick Murphy to create the live action film “Tomb Raider: Tears of the Dragon” that received worldwide attention and creative support. This led to being hired by Atlantis Studios to create a film short based on their new comic book entitled “Paula Peril: Trapped In the Flames”. Currently she embodies other comic characters by modeling for artists such as Mark Brooks at Marvel and Adam Hughes at DC Comics. This July marks her third year co-presenting the San Diego Comic Con Film School with Visual FX guru/Director Sean Rourke.

FAN FILM FOLLIES (through Christopher Moshier): So what ever happened to “Tears of the Dragon?” As I understand it you had some showings around various cons. I’d seen you on the boob tube on G4 last year promoting the premiere. Will the film ever make it to the internet for world consumption?

VALERIE PEREZ: Yes it did screen and yes it will be online! A rough cut was premiered in Hollywood for fans, friends, cast and crew to celebrate then screened at cons around the United States for feedback to take in to consideration (we were still in post production looking to do more sound design work, FX and pickup game action shots). No more excuses – by the end of June ’07 TEARS will be on the web.

When it comes to filmmakers and their labors of love, you often have to pry the movie from their hands for there will always be something more that they want to do with it. At that point you just gotta take what you’ve learned and put that desire into your next project. It’s especially hard to let go when you know you can do better. Jeepers, the opening Lara voice over was only supposed to be temporary but now it looks like it is forever! In addition to a few tweaks, I have DVD and subtitles work to do for worldwide screening commitments that were made. You can expect to hear more about the online release and the prequel comic book that sets up our little epic soon.

"Tears of the Dragon" poster

Valerie as Lara Croft

FFF: Fan Films are certainly giving the people in front of and behind the camera a modest amount of fame and in some cases jobs from the “BIG BOYS”. I see you are attending a lot of cons. Has TEARS propelled you into a fanboy “Starlet?” How has this helped you professionally?

SB: Wow, it doesn’t feel like it but when I look at the definition of “Starlet” I’d have to say yes. Since the announcement of TEARS I’ve been doing steady interviews in various news publications, websites and TV as well as being featured at events. I get recognized as Lara Croft at my grocery store with questions on what’s next and now I am starting to get favorable mentions in blogs that are expecting bigger and better things from me. TEARS has also given me more opportunities to network that lead to getting work and auditions, definitely been of help.

FFF: You are now Paula Peril for a licensed film based on the same character from Atlantis Studios in sort of a pilot episode. How did you meet up with James Watson to play the part?

SB: James Watson is the president of Atlantis Studios which publishes the “Tales of Lara Croft” comics with the permission of Eidos Interactive. When James first contacted me, he offered us a deal to create and sell a comic adaptation of TEARS. Nick and I didn’t want to release one before the film but we were interested in working with his company. This lead to a prequel book showing how the Tomb Raider first met our original character, the dangerous Wu-Chen Li. Impressed with TEARS, James offered me a modeling gig for his creation Paula Peril. Liking the photos, he wanted to put together a film short based on his “Trapped In the Flames” script to use as a test. The multitude of feedback at the 2007 New York Comic Con was that of wanting to see more, so five episodes with a better budget will be in the works.

FFF: There seems to be this whole new vacuum of women enjoying comic books. Stereotypically these tales where always aimed and marketed towards males. What do you attest the “new” female interest to the comic world based on your personal interests and then your experiences through talking to people (specifically females) at the conventions you attend?

SB: Many inspirational female characters with skill and integrity have come out from all the popular genres: Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Their adventures were very accessible via television and movies, but you have to turn to a different medium when the show comes to an end and only so many feature films are made. After getting into or rediscovering the joys of comic books they become open to other titles. Many women I know from the Xena and Lara cosplay circles were first drawn to the artwork, but then got hooked by the stories.

FFF: Kind of a follow up to the previous question – Considering April is “Women” month at the Bin and the fact we cover comic books, action figures, movies, etc. what is your perspective, experiences, view on what can be changed or done to draw more women into these industries?

SB: I would hire more women writers & illustrators. They bring a different perspective that needs to be heard. I wasn’t the only one dismayed to see that out of about 100 artists at the New York Comic Con, only four were women and none with a special appearance – not even for widely acclaimed Alison Bechdel of FUN HOUSE. Of course I wouldn’t have lacking the Y chromosome the only prerequisite – they would have to be qualified true believers!

FFF: Do you see yourself as a type of role model to young ones out there who would like to do what you do?

SB: I have been contacted by others interested in doing their own projects; some are very young filmmakers including twelve year old Tony Robinson from Ireland who has become one of TEARS biggest fans. For them I do offer a heads up on what can be done and how many problems can be avoided during the Comic Con Films Schools in San Diego and San Francisco or through email. To them I say follow your bliss! To have passion and be inspired is a great gift so enjoy it.

FFF: Based on your pic on your MySpace – when are you going to make that Wonder Woman Fan Film!?! – meaning you look great as that character!!!

SB: Thank you! For years I shied away from portraying her despite what friends said, because I wanted her to be done well. After seeing others in the star-spangled bloomers I finally decided to have my fun trying to perfect my image of her. I was going to be patient and wait for the Hollywood flick with one of my favorite storytellers, Joss Whedon at the helm, but we all know now that’s not going to happen. So let me announce here that I am in pre-production on a currently untitled Wonder Woman script with my new writing partner Chris Mason, co-founder of Superhero Hype. I have also enlisted the lovely Vera Vanguard as the Amazon Artemis. With a Navy Seals instructor friend of mine, Bill McClelland, we will begin fight choreography practice this month.

Our film will be mine and Chris’ personal take on Wonder Woman, but in the spirit of George Perez’s run that first attracted me to her and drawing from the awesome visuals of Adam Hughes’ work. Bruce Timm of the animated Justice League inspires us too. We are going to keep tight lipped on the details for now, but I can say a new WW costume is in the works as well as other plans which are very ambitious.

FFF: That is awesome to hear! Do you have a really bizarre or strange experience with a fan or situation at a con?

SB: I know others that have had regrettable experiences, but I myself have been pretty lucky. Most people are a joy to meet and normally I am not alone which probably helps. I guess it is a bit bizarre when, for instance, a guy runs up to me saying he has a sick buddy stuck at home in Canada. He took a picture of me on his cell, and handed me the phone to talk to him unexpectedly. It was nice being able to cheer up a sick guy I never met from a few thousand miles away. Of course the fans that I delight in meeting the most are the kids. For that experience of seeing their eyes light when they see me as their favorite character I have no words to describe other than pure happiness.

FFF: Outside the world of the fanboy (or is that fanperson now?) what films or other jobs are you working on and what do you have on tap that you can tell us about?

SB: I am also working with photographer/stylist Roger Gania James on a makeover series that transforms folks from all walks of life into classic Hollywood Glamour style of the 1930’s and 1940’s. It is currently being shopped around by producers at Univision, TCM and Lifetime. This week I did a photo shoot for Geek Monthly and the soon to be re-launched Femme Fatales magazine.

FFF: What would your ultimate role be in any medium and an ultimate budget what film would you want to make, what character would you die to play?

SB: I would drop everything in my life to reach down deep inside myself and work in any capacity to bring about a great Wonder Woman film. As far as directors go, I would still like to see Joss Whedon but would have Adam Hughes writing it. Be sure to check out Adam’s All Star Wonder Woman series – I LOVE what he has in store for us!!

The runner up would be Modesty Blaise, a new favorite of mine from the 1960’s comic strip who is the ultimate survivor. Quentin Tarantino currently has the film rights but it is Robert Rodriguez I would love to see take the reins.

FFF: You have the final word – anything else you would like to share you think our readers at the BIN would be interested in?

SB: I find it interesting that it seems the film industry is listening to and tapping into the fan base now more than ever. Major motion pictures have MySpaces pages which you never would have seen two years ago. Independent films and ideas spawned by those who have genuine passion for the comics, stories, and films they watch are becoming the starting point for new major motion pictures…there’s been no better time than now to be a FAN!

Ultimately, Sarah somehow fell into the realm of uber-geekdom, moved to Southern California and started cosplaying at anime conventions in 1997. Her dream is to one-day cosplay as a piece of sushi, and thusly bring her life full-circle.

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier): How did you meet up with 3rd Floor Productions eventually being a co-host for their recent property, Geek Week I know you specified in October you found Jack through the “intermanet”.

SARAH BEATTIE: I met those wacky (yet charismatic!) 3rd Floor Productions guys through Jack, who I did indeed meet through the intermanet, which is a sub-level of The Internet reserved for people who like to talk on message boards about dressing up as cartoon characters and have issues with their parents. We referred to Jack as the “Worldly and Wise Father” of our little message board cosplay group, as he was by far the oldest and the wisest in many worldly ways. He took me under his cyber wing and showed me a whole new land of possibilities that lay beyond the intermanet. This land being 3rd Floor and a town filled with crazy homeless people and bad air quality (L.A.).

FFF: Reading the GW boards I get the vibe that the entire concept took a
step backwards from the last episode in San Diego. Jack admittedly indicated – in his case anyways – a little too much party time. Has the entire cast and crew reevaluated the show and what changes are
coming?

SB: Jack’s drinking is definitely a HUGE problem. His attitude is bad enough as it is, but when he’s had a few dozen drinks…man, he’s just impossible. One time we were trying to shoot the news and he insisted that tiny, invisible elves were inside the camera. He went on and on, saying that if we didn’t feed them some Cheetos and Tab they would make sure he looked fat on film. That one definitely took a few hours out of shooting time. Man. Anyways, we’ve got him down to one bottle of rum a day and already he seems to be perking up a bit. Thank god.

As for other changes, let’s just say that soon Geek Week fans will be able to see what their favorite Geek Week folks have been up to during this hiatus. It should be fun times.

FFF: Also in relation to GW. Any news on the pitches to the various cable outlets for the show?

SB: The gang decided to nail down our own format before we go back out and try to sell it to others. We’ve also been asked to do exclusive web content for a few big sites, but first we need to get back to doing what we love and giving our fans what they expect. Then people can start throwing money at us.

I, personally, would love to get on Animal Planet. But that would entail introducing many, many small fuzzy animals to the show as regulars. Animals such as, I don’t know, bunnies and baby pandas – perhaps some lion cubs.

I would have a whole new segment called “Sarah Sits and Pets Cute Animals Corner”. Unfortunately, the other guys keep saying things like “That’s impossible!” to me. Whatever. People said the same thing about a woman running for president and it looks like that’s about to happen. Nothing’s impossible, Hilary. Nothing.

FFF: If I throw your name in a Google Search I get lots of Cosplay links. How did you get into the whole Cosplay phenomena? For those who don’t know can you tell us what exactly is Cosplay? Can you send along a pic or two of your bestest, favoritist costume?

SB: As in my bio, Japanese food had a lot to do with that. That stuff is like cocaine to me, except in fish and rice form. I thought, well, if the food’s good, the cartoons and comics must be awesome. And I was right. Then I discovered conventions where it was actually NORMAL to dress as your favorite characters. And that’s pretty much the definition of cosplay (which comes from the Japanese/English connection of the words “costume play”). There are some people out there who take cosplay pretty serious, and it can be almost an art form to them, taking elaborate photo shoots and working insanely hard on making the recreation of beloved characters as accurate as possible. These people are RAD.

My favorite costume is definitely my Faye Valentine (from Cowboy Bebop) that I cosplayed a few years back. It was my most popular costume mainly because I think people really like the color yellow.

Sarah is Cosplaying as Faye Valentine

Faye Valentine is from the series Cowboy Bebop

I also liked my Lum (from Urusei Yatsura) because it landed me the cover to the book Otaku in USA, and even though it came out in Japan, it unfortunately didn’t keep my parents from stumbling upon it in a bookstore. I can now say that my father’s seen me in a furry bikini. That’s pretty messed up.

Sarah is Cosplaying as Lum from Urusei Yatsura

UMMM! Hi dad!

Sarah on the cover of the US version of Otaku

FFF: Are you involved in 3rd Floors “The Midnight Men”? What is that all about or is it top, double dangerous secret?

SB: I’ve heard some things about Midnight Men, but I’ll keep it under wraps for now as I’m not sure on the secret level (orange? red?) of that certain project. I will say that it sounds completely awesome, tho. Awesome like dinosaurs and rainbows on a sunny day with a puppy.

FFF: The Comic Book Bin is focusing on “Women” all month. The world of “Geek” has always been aimed more towards the male species of this planet. Since the birth of the internet that misconception seems to be apparent. Why are so many “girls” flocking to all that is Geek? Have they always been there, but in the closet so to speak? What drew you into this mystical world and what do you think can be done to draw more women to comics, video games, animation, etc?

SB: When I first got into comics, I didn’t realize it was a “guy” thing, mainly because one of my female friends introduced me to them. Then later, I would go to conventions, and notice that not only was there a lack of women, but also, the dudes were pretty stinky. Maybe girls don’t want to like geeky stuff because then they have to hang out with stinky dudes. So, guys, stop stinking. For us.

The realm of anime has definitely hooked a lot of girls, however, thanks to all the female-based books and shows that Japan constantly churns out. This leads to manga sections in bookstores being crowded with pre-teen girls sitting in the middle of the floor, reading romance manga and blocking my way to the Ultimate Spiderman graphic novels. So that sucks. One day, maybe they’ll look across the aisle and wonder, “What’s Runaways? Should I read that?” and not worry about the stink from male geeks any longer.

FFF: Being on GW do you have the acting bug now or are you just happy
with doing that?

SB: I actually never had any acting experience before, so when the 3rd Floor guys were all “Stand in front of the camera and say stuff”, I was pretty confused.

I mean, it’s a boxy thing with a bunch of wires and metal and plastic stuff. I wasn’t going to TALK to it like it was a human! Preposterous! They insisted, and I figured it out eventually – I guess.

The whole acting thing is pretty fun, actually. I don’t think I’d ever go out and do auditions or anything, seeing as how I suck, but I definitely would never turn down a part in a horror film as a scantily clad victim or a zombie. Those have been my dream roles right there since I was like – 13!

I know, I know, I aim for the top.

FFF:Is it true that everyone in California is an actor, writer, and/or director, or a waiter wanting to be an actor, writer, and/or director?

SB: Everyone is L.A. is a wannabe actor/model/writer/director who’s actually a waiter. It’s ridiculous. If you order a hamburger in Hollywood, expect a monologue about how you want your meat cooked.

FFF: Is it true that the California infrastructure is actually made up with plastic legos?

SB: Legos? More like EGGOS! (haha, stole your joke, Jack)

FFF: Is it true that the Governor of California is actually an actor in large rubber suit being played by that same guy who portrayed Godzilla?

SB: The Governor of California is … wait, what? Who told you that? Obviously, information is being leaked. SECURITY BREACH! GO TO FULL LOCK-DOWN!!

FFF: OK! What books (comics) do you currently read, video games played, and anything else Geek you most enjoy and why?

SB: My favorite books right now are Fables, Hack/Slash, Gen 13, Chronicles of Wormwood, anything with “Ultimate” in the title, anything by Joss Whedon, and of course, my girly book, Spiderman Loves Mary Jane.

Friday the 13th is awesome as well, but I heard it was just canceled. I blame George Bush.

As for video games, I just got a Wii for my birthday and am currently giving myself constant arm injuries playing various sports and party games on that.

FFF: What kind of reaction do you receive when talking to someone outside the Geek realm to the fact you host a show about comic books and action figures with a bunch of guys in their 30’s?

SB: Mostly just blank stares. I try to explain it for a few minutes, then give up and hang out by the cheese tray.

FFF: Anything else away from “GEEK” you would like to share? Any exciting projects coming up or something you’re currently working on?

SB: Wait, talk about something non-geeky?? Whaa…??? Um… I…like…tennis.

Other than getting more Geek-Week out there soon, I plan on writing the Great American Novel, which will focus mainly on someone purchasing me a pet bunny for Christmas. (Don’t ask, just do it.)

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier):

SUSAN SMYTHE: I was born and raised in Texas – though 5 different places in Texas (luckily, sans accent – though I can whip it out when I need to). After Texas and before California, I lived in Missouri and Kansas. So, yes, I’ve had driver’s licenses in 4 states, and am a wiz at driver’s tests (laughing). I lived in the country for several years and enjoyed bb guns and building forts in all the spare time that I wasn’t sewing and baking and daydreaming about being Wonder Woman and Annie Oakley.

I come from two very creative, brilliant parents and have three awesome brothers. Somehow our family just finds a way to enjoy just about everything in life. From the age of 7 to 18, I was studying to become a concert pianist. Then I realized I’d rather be acting than playing piano three hours a day, though I continue to love the piano. So instead of a music conservatory, I went to college at the Theatre Conservatory at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/Hollywood. This is truly a testament to my parents love for me! They were supportive of the switch – even though it was AFTER we bought a grand piano!

I’ve been in California for about 6 years now, and have been in about 30 films and a few plays. I do vastly more films than plays, but my roots are definitely theatre. I find little in life more deliciously exciting than acting in Shakespeare on stage. My hobbies include: sewing/designing costumes, baking, volunteering/community service, shooting, boxing/martial arts, painting, writing poetry, reading classic literature and collecting swords. My vices are wine and dark chocolate. I find languages/dialects thrilling and vocabulary sexy. Basically, I’m half tomboy and half old-fashioned girl. Super low maintenance and ready for adventure!

FFF: Did you change your last name to be unique? I mean if you were a Jones would you now be a Jownes or if you were an Edwards would you now be an Ed-words? Is your full name in fact Susan Jownes Ed-words Smythe?!?

SS: Quite the contrary, actually. ‘Smythe’ is a simplification of my real last name, which is ‘Hammre-fysted-Gold-Smythes-of-Yore”. Though I enjoyed the Thor-esque beginning, I felt the simpler ‘Smythe’ would suffice.

FFF: The first time I had originally seen you had been in the very last episode of the 2nd season of the online series Amanda Hades. How did you hook up with Mr. Sean, Amanda Hades, and the whole 3rd Floor crew?

SS: Well, I wouldn’t say I’ve hooked up with the WHOLE 3rd Floor crew, Chris. Okay, (laughing) WOW! Yeah, I can’t even go there as a joke. Too many cool married people, and Sean’s wife could kick my butt in a heartbeat (laughing).

Uhm…yeah. That’s a funny story, actually. I was acting in a short film with a very talented actor named Kevin Sage (who played a recurring character named Chance in Amanda Hades), and he mentioned that some friends of his were having a hard time finding a new lead for their web show. He gave me Sean’s info, and I guess I was the last audition of the last callback day for the last round of auditions. The website looked awesome – I loved the world they had created. The audition sides and background were incredibly interesting and had a lot of depth. The people were really nice! I got a call the next morning at 8:30am saying I had the part. I’m so fortunate to have met these amazingly talented, awesome people.

FFF: What was going to be the difference between your Amanda Hades as opposed to the way Kristen Meinhold played her? How would your Amanda be different in both how the creator(s) laid it out for you and inside your own mind as an actress?

SS: That’s a good question, and let me just say Kristen’s were big shoes to fill! I think it’s something that would have evolved past even my initial inclinations. But Sean had written quite a thorough background story for my character, Sarah/Amanda Hades. I was a bit more hardcore – would have had to be softened up a bit by the team. I had a very athletic/military background, not from anywhere nearby. There were a lot of wonderful levels to explore – I was basically alone in the world, had definitely spent some time on the wrong side of the law, and had just recently left a militant/extremist group when I joined Stinger, Troubleshooter and the rest. Aww, shucks – I’m getting sad just thinking about it!

FFF: Can I get any clue as how Amanda Hades was going to continue and the real story behind the plot points or will you ignore this question as Mr. Rourke continues to also do?

SS: Uhm, yeah. That’ll be a “No comment.”

FFF: Touch on Ninja Justice – that was a cool little short. Any interesting thoughts, fond memories, funny stories?

SS: I loved Ninja Justice! I’ll never forget the night Sean called me and said, “I want you to be our ninja.” ((sniff, sniff)) Get teary just thinking about it. Basically, we had next to no time on that one. Once again Sean and the crack team at 3rd Floor pulled together to just BANG out this awesomely fun little number. I DO have funny stories, if by “funny” you mean “painful.” I was practicing this cool “ninja” sword-drawing technique, basically involved running the meat of your thumb over the dull side of the blade as you drew it out. I was at a friend’s house, and my friend had looked at the sword, taken it out of the sheath, etc. Well, when I picked it back up, it was turned the opposite way I had left it. TOTALLY should have checked, HELLO! Anyway, I did my little move…..thus nearly slicing my thumb off. Nearly fainted, lost a ton of blood. I had to be rushed to the emergency room for a bunch of stitches. So the funny part is, the very next day was our only real “rehearsal” session with these rocking fight choreographers who’d worked on Daredevil and a bunch of TV stuff. I felt like an IDIOT, and basically couldn’t use that arm. They showed me the fight they’d worked out, and I was like, “Are you kidding?” But they were awesome, we worked through it. And met on set 2 days later to film it! The shoot was rough because every time anything even touched my arm, a shot of pain went through my entire body. I felt like such a fool. Despite that, though, only good memories and a nice scar for the grandkids.

FFF: You’re pretty much a regular cast member in all 3rd Floor Productions ventures now.

SS: I guess I’d say I’m pretty much a regular – I’ve been in just about everything they’ve done since Amanda Hades. But I certainly don’t take that for granted!

FFF: Tell us about “1st Person Shooter.” How did you get involved?

SS: Sean told me about 1PS when he broke the sad news about discontinuing Amanda Hades. He didn’t say what it was exactly, but said 3rd Floor was going to tackle a feature , and he’d like me to be a part of it. However, I did audition for the role of Traci Nessi – it wasn’t just handed to me. I love mockumentaries – love Christopher Guest films, The Office – So needless to say, I was thrilled to be a part of it.

FFF: I can tell there is certain comfortableness or maybe comradery is a better word among everyone in 1PS. Was a lot of this film ad libbed because of that?

SS: There IS a great camaraderie among most of the 1PS gang. We had a blast on that film, and as it was, in fact, a feature – spent a heck of a lot of time together. SO much laughter!! I’ll tell you, I pride myself on my professionalism – being able to deliver lines without breaking/forgetting. But, WOW. Some of those scenes were ROUGH! Soooo funny.

We did ad lib a bit, but frankly, not as much as you’d think! Sean’s script was so SPOT-ON and TIGHT. Amazing. However, Sean did let me throw a few improvised questions to everyone I interviewed just to throw ‘em (evil laugh).

FFF: What are some of the moments that would really embarrass Jack or
Sean during the shooting of the film?

SS: There’s a reason the movie stops with me ASKING Jack to play strip Halo. Had we gone any further, you’d have seen that Jack had to strip down to his undies pretty quickly because of my mad Halo skillz. Tighty whities, man, TIGHTY WHITIES. Need I say more?

(Jack? Just kidding, man! Just kidding!)

FFF: I think 1PS tops a lot of mainstream crap out there today. Understanding the logistics of how films are made and distributed along with the tons of film makers and their movies out there where do you see the film in the grand scheme of things?

SS: You know, I agree with you, and I think it could have such a huge cult following! I’m not involved in the distribution aspect of it and don’t really know what will happen there, but my younger brothers (21 and 24) begged me for a copy – and they quote it all the time!

FFF: Will you ever appear in an episode of Geek Week?

SS: Good question – no idea. Sean?

FFF: The Comic Book Bin’s crack unit investigatory team found you have made several independent films. OK! That’s a lie. We used Google! Can you tell us a little about that work if you haven’t already above and more importantly what you are currently working on?

SS: I’ve been incredibly blessed to be in such a fun range of films and so many where I get to use weapons! (yay!) I’ve had the opportunity to play everything from pregnant teen to rave chick to secret agent to planetary archeologist – Alliance. The director of Alliance (Ajmal Z. Ahmad) is another brilliant director, and after Alliance, I worked with him on a Bollywood-esque feature called, “It’s a Mismatch.” Then last summer I had the opportunity to work with Nichelle Nichols (Uhura of Star Trek fame) in a feature called Lady Magdalene’s, shot on location in Nevada (for which I had to dye my hair blonde). I played a federal agent undercover as a prostitute in a legal brothel. Oddly enough, I got the chance to work alongside my good friend Ethan Keogh in that (Sinai/Amanda Hades and Mr. Kane/Ninja Justice). It’s your basic action/comedy/drama/romance. Two agents save the world and fall in love, all with the help of a local brothel. Since then I’ve shot a few short films and a pilot. Other than that, I’ve also enjoyed getting to see the short film Secret Agent (directed by Rain Breaw) play at a few festivals recently. In that I played (you guessed it) a secret agent. In the 3rd Floor world, I’ll be a part of their latest project, Midnight Men.

FFF: Why do you think the world of comic books and even in sci-fi or comic book cinema is dominated by mostly male artists, writers, directors, ect? I come home after work and the wife is watching Law & Order – I grab my Justice League cartoons! Is it just the fact that men are from Mars and women are from Venis (where Law & Order runs 24 hours a day)?

SS: Wow. You know – that’s a great question, and I don’t know that I can adequately answer it. I’m not a huge comic book reader, per se, but I DO love my sci-fi and superheroes! I’m going to super-generalize here and say I wonder if more men than women have an epic desire be something GREAT and SAVE THE WORLD! And I mean that in a “from zombies” – “from aliens” – “from the forces of darkness” kind of way. It’s nice to venture into a world where there is more to combat than a pile of papers at the office. A world where much is required of you. Where perhaps you have something to offer that no on else has. I don’t know. I think men and women are different. A lot of times we yearn for different aspects of the same thing. Same story, different scenes? Okay, I’m rambling.

FFF: Very unoriginal question, but what is your dream acting gig?

SS: OKAY. TWO ANSWERS, VERY DIFFERENT.

I would love to be in period pieces – ala Jane Austen. Something with a British accent.

IT HAS BEEN MY LIFELONG DREAM TO PLAY WONDER WOMAN. Seriously, I’ve loved her ever since I was 3. At four I was climbing trees in my Wonder Woman bikini set. SOME DAY. If they make the movie without me (sigh) they BETTER choose an unknown.

FFF: From a scale of one to ten what is your “geekness” level?

SS: My scale of geekness from 1 to 10 is an 8 because I geek out about everything from making my own costumes to superhero movie accuracy to English literature movie accuracy to fun vocabulary words to weapons to baking.

FFF: Anything else you would like to shoot out to our massive amount of readers that log in to our site from all over the world, the universe, and beyond?

SS: KEEP READING! LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU! NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!

Annnnnd, everybody officially stopped reading (laughing). I guess I’d just say – make your dreams a reality. Don’t put them off. To achieve anything other than the ordinary, we must put forth extraordinary effort. So many people give up – settle for what comes easily. But if life is truly to be an adventure we must rise to the challenge and make it so.

Okay, I’m a dork. But I truly believe that.

Katie has always been very active competing in tap, jazz, gymnastics, ballet, figure skating, field hockey, lacrosse, horseback riding, and fencing – to name a few. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and a Minor in Music from Frostburg State University, Md; Katie worked at an agency helping people with disabilites for about 6 months to save some money to move to NYC where she always felt at home. Some complications threatened her stay in the city after only 4 months. Katie was left with the only option of moving back home. But she refused to return and give up, so she joined The Big Apple Circus instead. She worked on the crew and stayed for a whole tour saving all her money. At the end of the tour, she sold her car and took all the money she had saved and moved to Brooklyn.

Once back in the city, Katie wasted no time diving back into the business world of acting and music. A few short months later, she landed the role of Supergirl in “Confessions of a Teenage Supergirl”. She is now working on a new film with Dan Nastro and writer/actor, Bailey Varness. She just finished her first CD, a 5 song EP with original artwork that will be available May 2007. A few weeks ago, Katie appeared as Supergirl at the NYC comic-con for meet and greets.

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier): You played Supergirl in the Fan Film “CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE SUPERGIRL.” How did you get the part of the girl of steel?

KATIE NORRIS: I had been going to auditions a lot and doing some extra work on the side. At one of the shoots, the producer of “Confessions…” merely saw me run across the room to get to my place on time. She came up to me after the shoot and told me about the project and said when she saw me run she just knew I would be perfect for the role. I had sent in my headshot/resume to director, Dan Nastro, a month before, but I never got a call. So producer, Barbara Gayle, set up an audition and I came in and went for it with everything I had. As soon as I found out about the audition, I did research and got back to the gym to look the part and make sure I knew the character inside and out.

The costume was the only part of the audition that made me a little nervous. But when I put it on it felt like I put on new skin and it transformed everything about me. My posture changed, I felt stronger, and it just felt right.

FFF: As I understand it you weren’t the first on considered for the role.

KN: Not only was I not first to be considered for the role, but there were actually about 7 other girls cast as Supergirl before me that just didn’t work out for different reasons.

FFF: How much did you know about the character from the time you got the part?

KN: I had always been a Superman fan, but I didn’t really know too much about Supergirl before I heard about the audition. So I went the the store and bought every Supergirl comic I could find and did research online and visited several fansites before I even went to the audition to make sure any question I would be asked would have a good answer.

FFF: As I understand it “Confessions” was put together as sort of a pilot in hopes for the mighty Warner Brothers to take notice. What reaction have you had if any from the WB, the fans, and/or internet buzz?

KN: We did create a whole series bible and episode guide for a season of “Confessions..” and me, Dan, and Gary went to L.A. this past summer to pitch it and promote the film at Comic-con in San Diego. Sadly, WB said no. The internet buzz however has given this film a life of its own. I was suprised when I saw that the film was being bootleged. Bootlegged!!! HOW COOL IS
THAT?? (smiles). I’m always flattered when I hear someone enjoyed the film so much they took the trouble of doing the work to bootleg it. THANK YOU! I not allowed to make any money off the film either way, so it doesn’t hurt me at all.

And the fans? I love you all!! I get at least 5 fan e-mails or letters a day. I take pure joy in dedicating about an hour of my day almost everday to answer every single letter I receive. Knowing that so many people enjoy the film makes all the hard work worth it. If you do want to write me though, please send e-mails to me on myspace page: www.myspace.com/katienorris or e-mail: katienorrisSUPERGIRL@hotmail.com.

FFF: I’m not sure if you are familiar with the TV Show Smallville, but the tone of the short seems to take that type approach to the character and her mythologies acknowledging not only the girl of steal, but equally her alter ego. In my observation of the film I found you did a good job of doing the opposite of the Clark Kent/Superman identity. As Clark Kent is a facade of Superman it seems to be the reverse as Linda is the actual character and Supergirl is the facade. Was this a conscience decision?

KN: That was definitely a concious decision. Reading all the comics I noticed that difference between the character of Linda and Clark Kent. Clark had adopted parents. Linda was raised in an orphanage. And Clark left Krypton when he was too young to remember anything. Linda had a life there until she was 12 (according to the silver age comics). So yes, her personality is definitely affected by these different factors. And Linda is a little self-concious and nervous when it comes to certain social situations. And yes, I love Smallville. When asked to describe the tone of our film to someone who hasn’t seen it, we always say – “it’s like a cross between Smallville and Buffy”.

FFF: Will there really be a sequel to Confessions of a Teenage Supergirl or
are both you and Mr. “Nastro” more excited to explore other projects?

KN: Currently, Dan Nastro and I are working on a new film by writer/actor, Bailey Varness called “…If it does not last”. It’s about a half an hour film that really lets me have a range and create an entirely new character. Cast with me are the 3 other great actors, Noah Varness, Bailey Varness, and Greg McCay. We’re all a team and we put a lot of work and effort into making this new film. You can check out the trailer on www.myspace.com/fubar_film. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, which all come together for a killer ending. I play Mary, a wife of a famous author. Mary is quite weak in the world she lives in. She never seems to get it right. Her husband has become a mystery and 2 other characters come in to play to mix everything up completely. The release is scheduled for early June.

Dan and I wanted to take a little break from the Supergirl films after the first one. We had such a low budget and trying to film a superhero movie with no budget for affects and all the great visuals that make those films so wonderful was really getting difficult. We needed a break. There is talk of a series of short films in the near future to continue the “Confessions…” story that would be available online. I can’t say much more at the moment, but it’s a really good idea that is in the works. Check in with www.myspace.com/teensupergirl for details in the future.

FFF: Can you touch upon your music career – what type of music do you perform?

KN: I just finished my first EP, “Little Secrets” which will be available late May 2007 for sale online. My first NYC show will be at the beginning of May, and then I will have a CD release party when the CD comes out around May 22nd. You can preview my music at www.myspace.com/katienorrismusic. I spend a lot of time on lyrics and I love the sound of the piano. But I also love to just rock out, so it’s a good mix of pop and soft rock that I’m pretty proud of.

FFF: What would be the ultimate roll you would want to play if you had the choice?

KN: My ultimate role would be the lead in a big budget blockbuster superhero movie. I love the whole concept of secret identities in film. It’s been done a hundred times yet I can’t ever get enough. And having superpowers for the day never gets old. My dream film? A film with a well thought out plot, great dialogue, and an amazing cast, and a creative, compassionate director would be the best of all worlds. To play opposite of me my first choice would be none other than Topher Grace (originally from “That 70′s Show”). I like his style of acting. And I think we would be able to work off each other really well.

FFF: Anything else you would like to share you think our readers at the BIN would be interested in?

KN: Currently, I’m working on “…If it does not last”, putting the finishing touches on my album, teaching myself Japanese, rehearsing for little gigs here and there, and doing my taxes. So no other film in the immediate future. But I know I’m gonna start getting antsy when “…if it does not last” wraps, so don’t worry, I’ve always got my eye out for my next project.

I plan to appear as Supergirl at as many comic venues in NYC as I can. So if you’re in the area, be sure to check the “Confessions…” myspace page for announcements. I love meeting new people, especially Supergirl fans. And please be sure to check out my music page as well. I’m really excited about my concerts in May and I can’t wait to finalize the album.

Thank you so much FOLLIES for inviting me! It’s been a great pleasure. And Good luck with your taxes everyone!!!

FFF: What do you see in your future?

SB: I really don’t know what my future holds. Me thinking of the future is more along the lines of thinking about what are my plans in the next week or so. I really would like to do different things as a professional as being a model to an actress or anything I could do and enjoy doing. But for these things I do they are hobbies until I can get a sign that makes them more than something I do on my spare time.

FAN FILM PODCAST (through Christopher Moshier): Can you tell us about yourself?

SHEILA BOWERS: I am a young girl with a dark creative mind and with a sweet personality. I look at things differently and never mean to hurt anyone. I had a s**ty childhood and it made me see things in a different way. I have learned from my dad on how to be a better person and to never turn out like my real mom. I care a lot for other people. And I think people see that and they use my kindness and stab me in the back.

I have been told I am an angel and that I am a sweetheart. I am very much so. I may pull off this image of being a bad ass chick with my pictures. But when you meet me in person and you see how my personality is, I am a completely different person. When I take pictures, I am using my dark creative mind at hand. I like to be creative and try new things out. I am a really passionate person with my pictures and art work and graphics I do on the computer.

I love modeling but I am not in a business for modeling yet. I like doing it my way and with my own stuff. But when you pose with another person, especially one who has the same passion for photography as you do, the pictures come out great. I have been drawing for a good most of my life. My real mom is an artist and my dad sketches, with both of them in my blood I can draw very well. And since I like dark things, my drawings turn out to be more in depth towards really deep and meaningful things, including depression. I have been around a computer since after the 6th grade. I had home schooling for 4 years on a computer and I learned a lot of stuff in that time. But now since I like messing around with things and being creative, I create a lot of graphics and stuff.

FFF: I have to ask to start with! How many MySpace sites do you have!?!

SB: I (laugh) have 5 in all, but a few of them I can’t access for some reason. But I mostly am on my personal account, my Darth Mistress, my Rogue Jedi Adriana, & Vamp Danger accounts. But all accounts are based upon me in different characters I made up but I model for as a visual for those characters I created.

FFF: How did you get going on taking the pictures and digital photography?

SB: When I was little I liked looking through magazines and seeing all these beautiful people showing these different poses and expressions in their pictures, that it inspired me that one day I could do that for myself. So when I got my first digital camera as a Christmas present I have non-stop done different kinds of pictures for fun and to be creative. But not until recent have people notice me for being this photographer and creative person as I am.

FFF: What kind of reaction have you gotten not only from Star Wars fans but people in general?

SB: I’ve gotten a lot of different sorts of comments for these pictures I’ve done as this character known as Darth Mistress. I’ve been told I am one of the sexiest Siths out there. And from my friends who know me publicly they sometimes tease me about the pictures and crack up jokes or say sweet comments about them – which is all fine with me because they are only speaking their minds. I haven’t really gotten any negative comments as of now that I can recall. But not everyone is going to like the way you appear. But my only comment to those people are that they go on by my appearance and if they knew who I really was they would think differently of me I‘m sure.

FFF: I find it amazing now how so many women are getting into the conventions and the dressing up. Cosplay has been around for ever, but it seems to be expanding into American Pop Culture. Do you have any opinion on the world of the “fanboy” now turning into the “fanperson” with oodles of young women now showing up at say comic conventions or sci-fi conventions?

SB: I think that it is quite interesting and nice to see that women are coming out as equals to men – that girls can be shown out to the world of entertainment as great good super heroes to really deadly villains. So it’s really cool to see once in awhile a woman standing up for herself without having a man save her. And I like to add I have never been to a comic convention in my life but I would really like to someday. I’ve seen many pictures from people dressing up as different characters that it is really neat to see people taking their time to be creative and have a blast at a party. I wish to do someday come out and do the same as well.

FFF: How did you get into Star Wars and what other GEEKDOM are you enthralled in?

SB: When I was really little my dad collected so much Star Wars merchandise and seeing the Star Wars episodes over and over with him got me into the characters. But not until a couple of years ago I took that Star Wars environment and tried to create my own thing. My good friend named Joe, who is the owner of the Force-fx.com site encourage me to try and do an experiment with photography and Star wars. So to make a long story short, I took my dad’s fx light sabers and pose with in them in different looks and costumes. Each fx light saber I posed with I made a different character in everyone of them. But not until I pose with the Darth Vader fx light saber did the character Darth Mistress was born. Those pictures really stood out to me and so many people that I was just inspire to make a storyline for this character I made up.

FFF: Do you prefer the dark side or good side of the force?

SB: I have to say the dark side indeed. I can relate more to the dark side than the good side of the force for so many different reasons.

FFF: You also dabble in art as you mention.

SB: I do different creative things that you could consider “art.” I am a very detailed artist on drawing on paper as well as creating graphics on the computer with such things as adobe photo shop. Like you already see I am really into photography. And I like to write stories as well for fun and to express a certain feeling or character I want to show off in my words of writing. I don’t consider myself the so-called best in the world with these different skills, but I can say I put forth effort into creating things with these skills.

FFF: What do you see in your future?

SB: I really don’t know what my future holds. Me thinking of the future is more along the lines of thinking about what are my plans in the next week or so. I really would like to do different things as a professional as being a model to an actress or anything I could do and enjoy doing. But for these things I do they are hobbies until I can get a sign that makes them more than something I do on my spare time.

Fan Films Quarterly derived from Dave getting “burned” by another supposed fan film magazine, Online Entertainment Magazine (OEM). He paid the money, never got the issue, and was pissed. Well, with a background in newspaper publishing, having written his own books and comics, as well as years of other forms of communication experience, Dave decided to make his own magazine. Up to this point he had already been the Senior editor for a military magazine, Troop Talk, which was distributed to thousands of soldiers in Korea, and won awards for my works in professional engineering magazines. FFQ could be no different, except for the subject matter and legality of the genre. So, while still in Chicago in the Fall of 2005, the first issue of FFQ was published. Without Lulu.com and print-on-demand publishing, none of this would have ever happened.

FAN FILM FOLLIES (through Christopher Moshier): What is the big attraction to fan films?

DAVID NOBLE: The big attraction for my involvement into fan films is two-fold. First of all, fan films are based on what the fans want, hence the term. Fans dictate what they want to see, not Hollywood. Hollywood can really mess up a commodity (He-man, Daredevil, Batman & Robin); should I go on? When the fans make a movie, they do it for the love of the genre. No one is getting paid to make fan films. No one is under pressure to make these movies. Comic storylines are generally more truthful in fan film versions. It’s an opportunity for the fans to get together on a common ground and make something they enjoy. The other attraction is that it’s so guerrilla. “Do it yourself” film-making is so exciting when you have to re-think situations based on financial, technical, or contractual constraints. You cannot just say, “Oh, we’ll fix that in post”, because you may not have a post-production team. You have what you own, or have borrowed, or have manipulated others into providing. Guerrilla film making. How cool is that!

FFF: What was your first fan film experience?

DN: Batman Dead End – no doubt. Sandy Collora opened my eyes to what could be. And it was difficult to match that high standard of excellence because he had a pseudo-Hollywood background and cast/crew to make his project. When you invest $30k into a 7-minute fan film, you expect a higher quality. Most groups don’t have $300, let alone what Sandy had. But, he also let others know, through mainstream publicity like Wired and Wizard Magazines that these rogue films do exist, and they are pretty damn good.

Once I became embedded into fan film continuity, I realized that I had been watching these projects for some time. I had seen Troops in Korea years before Dead End, but did not know what it was, and had even made some of my own “fan films” in college, in the forms of Star Trek and Mortal Kombat parodies. Quick reviews of the existing projects led me to Grayson, Green Goblin’s Last Stand, Hidden Frontier, and Revelations.

FFF: How was the book put together?

DN: For the most part, FFQ is developed by myself spearheading the direction of the issue. I develop story ideas, send them out to friends and others interested in contributing, and let them run with it. Once I receive a story, I fine-tune it to fit the parameters of the given space, and ultimately ensure accuracy and positivity. We don’t advertise, that is very important to know. You won’t see beer ads or Marlboro ads. Instead, we place fan film movie posters and website banners throughout our issues to promote the genre. Many people have contacted us asking for articles to be written on them, but with a limited amount of space and limited staff, we opt for movie poster “ad” space instead. In the end, we attempt to promote as many fan films as possible.

We use Microsoft Publisher currently, which was simply easiest to learn without tutorials. Film Makers have been really receptive to our promotion of their projects. Some creators have been familiar to this level of exposure, having won awards at festivals, been on local and national television, and been interviewed for other print media. But, for the majority of fan film creators, they accepted our existence because we provided a reassurance that their efforts were noticed. That’s important to us, to promote the continued development of fan film entertainment.

FFF: How would you make the FFQ different in the future? Lulu is a good service, but expensive. Would you consider other forms of printing and distribution? In the same area how has the FFQ evolved from your first issue to the last?

DN: I picked up an iMac, and discovered some new print editing tools I would like to use. But, that may not happen since we are stopping (hopefully temporarily) after issue #7 (this issue was released online March 10th at www.fanfilmsquarterly.com and thru Lulu.com.

FFF: Lulu is a good service, but expensive. Would you consider other forms of printing and distribution? In the same area how has the FFQ evolved from your first issue to the last?

DN: Lulu is very expensive, and we wish the issues would be drastically cheaper. Who pays $15 for a single magazine? Not many I can tell you. If you’ve worked for Lulu the first thing you learn is that everyone pays – even the creator. If I want an issue of my own magazine, I’m paying. People ask for free copies – well, at $20 a pop, I don’t do that too often. Clifford Hoeft, a friend from Australia, helped us out in cover designs, so I sent some issues his way. That was worth the extra postage too. I wish I could have used other forms of distro, but to purchase bulk printing at 1,000 copies per issue, would mean devising a complex mailing system we were not prepared to handle. Lulu, albeit expensive, saves a lot of hassle for us. Because of the prices, many people download the issue, which is great. We normally break even on each issue, with free copies and other charges we accrue over the 3-month developmental period.

FFF: How has the FFQ evolved from your first issue to the last?

DN: Over the last 2 years, FFQ evolved from simply reporting the news to developing stories that provide a statement. Fan films can hurt the creators on so many levels. They can strain relationships, create financial burdens, and consume much of a person’s life. We were no different here. We tackled the fun stories, like websites, theme songs, and costumes, but also the legal and financial ramifications of making these movies. Most of all, we constantly promote the non-profit aspect of these movies. Don’t make money, because legally you are wrong to do any such thing. The main selling point of our magazines was that we brought up the issues many were thinking about, but could not articulate. Where are the “fan film awards”, how do you improve quality in a project, how does a website and soundtrack improve the total fan film package? We talked about them all, brother.

FFF: What is your favorite fan film?

DN: Grayson was probably my favorite, because I really believed that this little trailer could have been developed into an actually movie. I thought the footage shot was actually part of a larger project to make a movie, but it wasn’t. Where did John Fiorella go, anyways? He had it down. He created a 30-minute expose on his creative process, and provided our inspiration on the financial burdens which we later reported. Another great fan film was World’s Finest (Another Collora Production), and high marks may go to Revelations and Dark Redemption (both Star Wars Properties).

FFF: You and your Stormfront Productions produced your own film on the Character DEADSHOT. How did this come about and what did you actually learn from the whole experience?

DN: Early in making FFQ, we started questioning our ability to report and confront the real issues in fan film continuity. How can you honestly talk about something from an outside view? Well, there’s only one way to solve that – make your own fan film! Personally, I loved the Suicide Squad, and it seemed a no-brainer to make a quick action vehicle based on Deadshot. We developed the story, then the costume, then found our main actor – working in a department store in Orange Couty, NY. Do you know how weird it is to go up to a guy and say, “Wanna make a movie?” Strange looks ensue, but Eugene was great to work with. He was really professional and a pleasure to work with. Renee, Michelle, Wayne, everyone put in a lot to make that project work. What we learned was that an 8-minute short film takes time – one year, to be exact. In the process, we developed title sequences, green screen (which is hard), a DVD package, and a website to promote the project. We made the most of the package, and learned from it. Since then, we feel we have the authority to talk about other fan film projects.

FFF: Spring 2007 marks your last issue of the FFQ for the foreseeable future. Why you didn’t let your fellow contributors kind of carry the mantle in your absence?

DN: When I first found out I was deploying to Iraq, I discussed options with everyone. One of them was to make a clean break in production because of the trials and tribulations everyone else was facing, not just my going off to war. Just like fan films, we made this magazine as a hobby, spending many weekends away from our families and loved ones to make this happen. Over two years, it can become a burden. We loved every moment of making this publication, but we all decided that this would be a good opportunity to focus on other adventures. And, in the Summer of 2008, I may wrangle these folks up and start again. Time will tell.

There is nothing to say that another group couldn’t take up the mantle. FFQ doesn’t own the monopoly on fan film reporting – just make sure you don’t burn the audience like OEM.

FFF: What are your best memories dealing with FFQ over the past couple years?

DN: First and foremost, the interaction with the creative geniuses that are fan film creators. Talking to Cliff Hoeft after he was stranded in England from terrorist bombings was an experience. Conversing about music with Rene Perez in Oakland was an experience. Meeting the Original Warriors for our current contest and interviews was an experience. Chris & Niki Notarile, the 501st, Hank B bustin’ those ghosts, and so many others too numerous to mention. Oh, and thank you to everyone who provided us DVDs of your projects for us to review – we built a collection that we had to divide amongst us once this issue came out.

FFF: Where do you think the fan film is going with growing technologies and actual license owners really taking a pro and con notice of these films?

DN: George Lucas gets it. Dungeons and Dragons get it. Fan films are out there, and they are going to consume the global superhighway whether licensed owners like it or not. Why does DC Comics have to place bans at conventions to showcase fan films admiring their commodities? Star Wars, Star Trek (to some extent) and others have embraced these projects to the point where they are hiring fan film talent! Kevin Rubio, who made Troops, is now writing comics for Dark Horse Entertainment based on Star Wars. Star Trek alums George Takei & Walter Koenig are actors in New Voyages. Mack Dadd’s fan film Choices was added to the special features of the Dungeons & Dragons animated series DVD. Slowly, but surely, fan films are rising onto mainstream’s radar, and there’s no stopping it.

FFF: What is the ultimate fan film that hasn’t been made yet that you want to see? What characters who haven’t appeared yet are you itching to check out?

DN: Every issue we write a column called “Fan Films we want to see”, where we answer just that. We mentioned KISS, The Warriors, Watchmen, and others. We also wanted to talk about He-Man, Spiral Zone (yeah, that’s right), and the Teen Titans. We wanted Quicksilver (Marvel, that is), we wanted Powers, and we wanted others. Ultimately, we want to promoted diversity. You don’t have to make 500 batman fan films when there is Moon Knight, Nightwing, and Comedian (Astro City) waiting to be tapped. Why make a Punisher fan film when you can make one out of any number of other non-powered comic book heroes? Deadshot was made to be the exception to Punisher.

FFF: Anything else you would like to add that you think is important?

DN: We have often gone out on a limb, either through editorials, or other aspects of FFQ, to motivate the creators to do their best. Sometimes it may appear to be crude or a beating on the fan film accomplishments, but we don’t see things that way. We wanted to promote the best creativity in fan film development. Take the time to think through your projects, your filming, your editing, and your overall vision. Why compromise because of time or support? The great thing about fan films is that you choose to make them. No one is forcing you to create them. Do your best, but give your best. That’s all the fans can ask for.