The Kickstarter for Inner Ghosts is now live!

Good grief! Was it really two years ago when I first wrote of my great pleasure in announcing that 5D was to be collaborating in helping to publicise the production of an Independent horror film from Portugal, INNER GHOSTS ? Well it seems that it was.

If I remember correctly,  part one of the grand 5D plan was that over the next days, weeks and months I would be bringing you information about the filming of INNER GHOSTS itself (which began in April 2015 in Lisbon). 

The second part of the 5D plan was that as time progressed it would hopefully see me being able to let loose some nuggets of interest and excitement about the post-production and subsequent release of the film. The final part of the 5D cunning plan would feature the subsequent crowdfunding campaign which would no doubt include some rather mouth-watering contribution incentives. 

But before I go any further let me push your way a short synopsis reminder of the plot;

"HELEN is a brain researcher trying to develop a revolutionary therapy to treat degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. To prove her theories, she needs to run cognitive tests on ghosts: beings who apparently can act and remember without the need of a physical brain suggesting that unresponsive patients whose brains are too damaged to function can be accessed, somehow, through their living souls. 

After the death of her mentor, Helen finds an apartment inhabited by benign ghosts who agree to be tested. The problem is Helen renounced her gift 15 years ago after the loss of her daughter when she made a vow never to contact the other side again. 

Things change when an artist called ELSA begs Helen for some spiritual training hoping to get rid of a demon who has been haunting her for many years. Helen reluctantly accepts it unaware of the demon's true goal: finding her.........triggering a set of events that will bring Helen face to face with the demon she has known all along. After so many years, two enemies are about to meet for the last time, showing us that revenge is a dish that’s still boiling hot........"

Well it seems that part one of the plan has been fully accomplished with the filming now complete and along the way a few snapshots of behind the scenes goodies and information provided by yours truly. Well, yes they were given to me first by the filmmakers - but in the time-honoured tradition of my desperately hanging onto to the coattails of more talented individuals than myself, I duly passed on the material and pretended that I was heavily involved in the process.

INNER GHOSTS is produced by Bad Behavior, a film company created by two self-confessed hardcore horror aficionados whose intention from the very beginning was to work to produce a body of work that would not only rival the classics of other European and American horror, but  would also see Portuguese horror at the forefront of a new vanguard of classic horror. The film makers in question are;

Paulo Leite, a Brazilian/Portuguese (writer and producer) trained at the prestigious European Producers Workshop from the EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs). Paulo has nearly 20 years experience in the TV and film industry. I also know that Paulo works some ungodly hours, a fact that I can testify to first hand after holding a Skype conversation with him at 1 in the morning this weekend!....... Slave driver.......

Gabriel Augusto (producer) has over 10 years of marketing and branding experience for a number of prestigious Portuguese companies. .

Joalo Alves (director) is a multi-talented writer, illustrator, designer, animator, and VFX artist. After four years working professionally in animation, he wrote, directed, and pretty much everything else, the short horror/western BATS IN THE BELFRY (2010). The animated short did a worldwide festival run that lasted four years, and won several awards (MOTELx, Fantasporto and others) and was sold to Fearnet.com before getting a theatrical release in 2013. INNER GHOSTS is João Alves' first feature. 

As yet I have no idea if Gabriel or Joalo also like to hold conversations with their team in the early hours of the morning. What I do know is that they are about as confident an anybody I've ever met in the Indie film world that they are into a winner with this film. Of that they are absolutely certain.

The confidence of which brings me on to the final part of the original 5D plan mentioned at the beginning of this piece, namely the crowdfunding campaign. The Kickstarter campaign has now hit the internet. So before I give you a few details about a genuinely mouthwatering crowdfunding drive, let me share some of the words with you from the team themselves about the motives behind the crowdfunding;

WHY A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN?

"We wrote, developed and produced INNER GHOSTS because we love horror and we love the people who love horror films. Film is an expensive medium. It is much less expensive than it was 20 years ago, but still quite expensive if you really want to do it right. We are now in sound post and from the development until now, we were able to make every euro count. We took the project as far as we could go with what we had.

Now we are thrilled to bring the project to the best community in the world: horror fans! You are the reason why we are doing all this, and Kickstarter has some of the best horror fans in the world! That’s why we are asking for your support. That’s why we are opening our film and ourselves to you. 

Sound matters! The film turned out too good. We need a sound post that will make it justice. We will need real music. Real ADR. Real foley. Real sound mix. Real deliverables. So you will get not just the best horror story, you will experience the best film. We want you to experience INNER GHOSTS as true horror fans should!"

Well my dear reader, the exciting news is that the Kickstarter is now officially live! The link for the crowdfunding page can be located at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2020744475/inner-ghosts. 

Looking at the campaign page it is clear to see that the INNER GHOSTS team have attempted to pack as much value as possible as early as possible. Now I'm not just saying this, I'm really not, but this campaign does exactly what it should do, something which many other campaigns that I've seen do not - and that is to ensure prospective 'lower end' backers get excellent swag for their limited financial outlay. All too often some campaigns have the odd little treat for those who want to do their bit but lose out on some genuinely good stuff. This campaign is different - because the amount of nice tasty rewards is consistent throughout. 

Having said that, there some STUNNING rewards for those fabulous big bucks backers who feel like giving a little more with things such as remake rights, sequal rights and the role of Franchise producer...... I kid ye not!

So I implore you do go along to the Kickstarter page and pledge a little bit for what I sincerely believe is a great crowdfunding campaign for what is going to be a great piece of cinematic horror.

The technical stuff..........

Title: INNER GHOSTS

Producing Countries: PORTUGAL / BRAZIL
Genre: SUPERNATURAL HORROR / DRAMA

Length: 90 MINUTES

Language: ENGLISH

Locations: LISBON / CASCAIS

Cast: CELIA WILLIAMS, ELIZABETH BOCHMANN 

IRIS CAYATTE, NORMAN MACCALLUM, AMANDA BOOTH 

ANA SOFIA LEITE, PATRÍCIA GODINHO, JOÃO BLÜMEL

Director of Photography: MIGUEL SALES LOPES A.I.P.

Digital VFX: ANIBRAIN (INDIA)

Written by PAULO LEITE

Produced by PAULO LEITE and GABRIEL AUGUSTO

Directed by JOÃO ALVES

PICTURE SPECS

Shot with: RED DRAGON 5K RAW

Lenses: ARRI / ZEISS ULTRA PRIME

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

© 2017 BAD BEHAVIOR ONE LDA

You can find out more information regarding Inner Ghosts at the following links;

The Kickstarter page can be reached RIGHT HERE

The Inner Ghosts official website is RIGHT HERE 

The Bad Behavior Website

Check out their FaceBook page

Follow them on Twitter 

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

The website currently gains in the region of 1500 hits per month and the blog articles separately receive in the region of 5000 page views each month. 

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

The Dystopia Chronicles - Dystopia Horror Graphic Novels

"For thousands of years there has been another dimension that sits parallel to ours. This place is full of dark unnatural creatures, some of which have crept into our own myths and legends ... Dystopia!

Over many years, the Dystopian legions have been desperately seeking to tear down the veil between our worlds and at times have been able to penetrate the veil to torment us in our dreams, hunt us when we're alone, attacking our minds, bodies and souls.

The Desomites and their legions gather in the deep of Dystopia to break down the veil forever and lay down eternal suffering and torment to our world.

An ancient race of humans known as the guardians have been defending the human dimension against these supernatural forces across the ages.

Blessed with stronger abilities than most, but through the millennia their numbers are dwindling..."

.... And so goes the introduction in the first of the Dystopia Graphic novels, the reading of which provided as near a visceral and energising graphic novel experience as I've had for some time, more of which I'll talk about shortly. However before that, and while my regular reader ponders whether I actually know what 'visceral' means, let me give you a little background on this incredible venture. While you're reading the next bit, on a totally unrelated note I'm just away to look for a dictionary...........

The Dystopia Graphic Novels originate from the creative mind of UK based horror aficionado, Jaye Adams. It seemed to me immediately that Jaye and I are kindred spirits when it comes to sharing a love (some may say obsession) with horror. Not only that, but our love of the genre meant that it inspired us to create something from that obsession. In my case it was attempting to occasionally succeed in putting a coherent and correctly spelt sentence together on my website - in Jaye's case it was to create a new company Dystopia RIP just a couple of months ago, and begin creating apps specialising in the horror genre. 

If that wasn't enough for the clever so and so, she then plans to create a whole range of different apps including games, VR, graphic novels, social apps and news apps for the horror community. Not that I'm jealous or anything, but bloody hell Jaye, let the rest of us mere mortals achieve something worthwhile too before you conquer the world!

The first two major apps Jaye has published as part of the Dystopia RIP range are Dystopia Horror Graphic Novels Episodes 1 & 2. While these are currently available as separate apps and only for IPad, she's focusing on the next updates to these over the next few weeks to adapt them for IPhone usability and to merge them into one app before Episode 3 is launched.

So intrigued was I about the concept of Dystopia RIP that I decided to see whether Jaye's plethora of talents also included being able to withstand some legendary piercing 5D interview questions. See what you think......

Q) Can you give a brief outline of the Dystopia story so far?

A) Three young girls have gone missing and Max Dresden, a detective, is leading the investigation. One of the girls is found brutally mutilated and Max starts to unravel that the murderer is not like his usual un-subs. Max stumbles upon a dark dimension that sits beneath ours, full of monstrous creatures and demons that are bleeding through to our dimension and an ancient legend that this battle between worlds began thousands of years ago. He hunts a vampire, who he learns committed the gruesome acts on the girls but what is coming is far more insidious.

Q) What are the influences in regard to the plot/characters?

A) Being a big horror fan, particularly of supernatural creature storylines, the overall plot I designed is probably a creature feature cocktail of many things I’ve enjoyed watching and reading over the years. When my partner and I (Jonathan Corner) really started to drill down into key individual storylines for each of the episodes, structure and characters, we definitely found inspiration from several places on what we wanted this to be. We liked the idea of the lead character being a detective like in the Grimm TV series and the Deliver Us From Evil movie because we liked the realism of how someone in this type of job could stumble upon strange occurrences and murders that the creatures of Dystopia will undoubtedly inflict. 

Although there are several races of creatures that will feature throughout the story, we didn’t want to go as far as the likes of the Grimm TV Series or Buffy The Vampire Slayer, for instance where every episode surrounds a story about a different monster from the previous episode. Like Penny Dreadful, we wanted to build bigger storylines that focus on a particular monster across a few episodes before moving the storyline on and moving the monster featuring in the storyline on. I loved writing the legend of how it all started in episode 2 and I definitely had the Underworld 1 movie introduction monologue in mind when I wrote it!

Q) The story so far has a nice mix of animation/voice/3D art and sound effects - will this remain the format as the story progresses?

A)  We like the mix of this format and chose this so we could give our audience a dynamic experience. A nice blend between watching horror and reading horror and so we do plan to keep the format the same but this might not work for people and so will consider adapting in the future to what people feel isn’t working. However, we do plan for our next major updates to the app over the next 3 weeks to be to make it usable for IPhone as well as IPad and we’ll be amalgamating episodes 1 and 2 before we release episode 3 so that all future episodes will be accessible within one app for users. 

Q) What, if anything, can you tell us about the future Dystopia plot?

A) Well…As I mentioned earlier we have designed the storyline to build over time and it will unravel some huge twists and sub plots…even a prophecy! Currently the only monster Max has encountered is a vampire but there a quite a few more other Dystopian races that will feature throughout the storyline. We have designed at a high level a further 16 episodes with planned scope for at least another 16!

_______________________________

In all honesty, reading these first two novels was a hugely enjoyable experience. The fact that the images from the story, some of which are included here, were deemed as too adult themed to include on the AppStore app page quite frankly as more then enough to interest me in the first place. Horror is meant to frighten, to shock and occasionally, to offend if it is to live on as an authentic genre and not fully succumb to what the likes of Amazon et al regard as being 'acceptable horror'. 

The story quite clearly takes its influence from a range of classic horror narratives and this is no bad thing as the team take these themes, weave a nice contemporary texture and interlace t all with a fabulously eerie and atmospheric soundtrack. There are a number of  genuinely 'shock to the system' moments that pounce upon the reader in a number adrenaline-fuelled surprise attacks. The dialogue is crisp and moves the narrative nicely along without detracting from the stand out moments of horror.

It will be interesting to see what direction Jaye and the team take in future instalments in terms of the mix of experiences. I felt that most things worked very well; the mix of speech and written dialogue is good, and the overall sound effects are incredible. I was less enthused by the interactive element involving the solving of the puzzle/game, however that could be more a reflection of my personal reticence to such things. 

Whether or not this form of story telling is the future, well for me is irrelevant because in truth it serves as another exciting medium for telling stories of genuinely exciting horror. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole sexy, chilling experience and I have no doubts that you will do too.

It's early days yet for Dystopia RIP, but I foresee a hugely successful and exciting horrific future ahead. I shall certainly be going along for the ride!

But don't just take my word for it, check a little preview out  for yourself.

You can find the Dystopia Rip website at dystopia.rip  

You can also view the 2 episodes as follows.....

Episode 1 IPad AppStore link - https://appsto.re/gb/CHk4ib.i

Episode 2 IPad AppStore link - https://appsto.re/gb/cXKljb.i

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

The website currently gains in the region of 1500 hits per month and the blog articles separately receive in the region of 5000 page views each month. 

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

5D Competition - Win an original piece of Star Wars AT-AT artwork from from 8fifty2torials

Once again something has come along to add that extra layer of excitement to this here blogger's nerdy existence, because 5D is thrilled to announce a link up with 8fifty2torials.

Who? I hear you ask - well let the good people tell you themselves....

"8fifty2torials produce spoken tutorials that Cover 2D Animation, 3D modelling, VFX and Web Development. As well as developing our own tutorials covering Basic, Advanced and General topics, we are a community driven channel that creates tutorials based on viewer requests. 

Schedule:

Tuesday - 3D 

Thursday - Animation 

Saturday - 3D 

Sunday - Animation"

Since launching their Youtube channel just three short months ago they have garnered over 400 subscribers and have had at the time of writing approaching some 40,000 visits to their various tutorials -  For example, part 1 of their 'How to model a 3D car: Lamborghini Huracan' tutorial alone has had nearly 11,000 visits at the time of writing this article. 

Now, I'll be honest, much as I admire the work 8fifty2's animation and modelling - cars aren't really something that float my nerdy boat. It wasn't until I had a better look around their channel that I found some work that well and truly made sure that my nerdy boat is floating - namely the tutorials on how to model a Boba Fett helmet - very, very nice. It was after watching one of these tutorials and seeing the finished product that I decided that it was time that 5D muscled its way in on some of this 3D action.

After much negotiating, pleading, begging, sulking and tears (from me) we here at 5D will be periodically collaborating with the good people at 8fifty2. This relationship will take the form a few occasional musings from yours truly on some of the various offerings to be found on their YouTube channel - hopefully there are more than enough enticing Sci-fi and horror offerings to catch my attention for some while.

In addition to 8fifty2 have also agreed to collaborate in the latest 5D competition (with possibly more to come in the future). On Monday 17th April 2017 the first of five tutorials will go live on the 8fifty2torials Youtube site, and through each day of the week a subsequent tutorial will take the viewer through the process of building a 3D model of the famous Star Wars AT-AT. 

THE COMPETITION

8fifty2 have generously offered up an original print of a Star Wars AT-AT as a 5D competition prize. 

Not only will the winner receive an A3 size glossy print of the image you see below, but picture will also be personalised with whatever text the winner wants included in the final product - not bad eh? The text in question can be absolutely anything you want - it could be your name, or somebody else's name with a message if you want to send it as a present. It can be anything, as long as you keep the message relatively clean, more or less inoffensive and hopefully unlikely to get me into any trouble with the law authorities.

For the chance to win this wonderful piece of original art just answer this one question;

What was the alternative tutorial choice to the AT-AT?

The answer can be found by clicking the link to the first of the 8fifty2torials Star Wars AT-AT tutorials here. The answer can be found by listening to the tutorial narrative.

All you have to do then is go to the 5D website at www.5d-blog.com, scroll down to the competition section and submit an entry - make sure you include your email address. The winner will be chosen by one of the 8fifty2 on Sunday 30th April. Good luck!

You find find the YouTube channel for 8fifty2torials RIGHT HERE

The 8fifty2torials Facebook page can be found RIGHT HERE

You can also follow them on Twitter via their handle @8fifty2 

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

The website currently gains in the region of 1500 hits per month and the blog articles separately receive in the region of 5000 page views each month. 

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

Interview with Neil Johnson - Writer/director/producer

Neil Johnson - Time Lord

The Introduction (AKA It's all about me) bit.

Over the past few months I've been lucky enough to have been involved in my own small way with the promotion of a rather tasty slice of Sci-fi film making, Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter. For those of you who may have missed the news about this movie (it's not all about Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or Thor, you know) written by Neil Johnson, the science fiction film is set in the distant future depicting the overthrow of humanity by artificial intelligence on Earth and other worlds. The film stars Tracey Birdsall, William Kircher (The Hobbit), Daz Crawford (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Stephen Manley (Star Trek III), and Marilyn Ghiggliotti (Clerks).

It's safe to say that 5D loved Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter, for a start it looks wonderful, making the full use of some stunning locations both in the States and down-under in Australia. Some of the panoramic aerial shots in particular are incredible and fully utilise the use of drones (a genuine boon for any low-budget filmmaker) to provide a richly textured and fluid look to the movie. If you add to that some inspired lighting and taut direction, the result is that unlike other films of a similar nature in terms of limited finance.

It all serves to provide the viewer with a genuine sense of planetary and interplanetary scale. The irony that a film that deals with the notion of technology becoming dominant beyond belief in fact benefits from the increasingly complexity of technology, such as drones, is rather amusing methinks. This movie is quite simply a delight for the visual senses.

If all that wasn't enough, the movie boasts not only a stellar performance from leading lady Tracey Birdsall, but also a fine ensemble supporting cast with the likes of Stephen Manley, Tim McGrath and William Kircher all equally good, whilst the character of the wonderfully named 'Skullcrusher' played by the excellent Daz Crawford almost steals the show at times. For a flavour of Tracey's talent, friendliness and downright drop dead gorgeousness you could do worse than check out the interview RIGHT HERE that previously featured on this blog.

If you have time you could find a more in-depth 5D musing of Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter RIGHT HERE. Oh, and while I'm on the subject of that blog article may I just throw in the little mention that the piece in question only went and won the Shark Bite award for 'Best Written Press Review' at the West coast film festival! If you don't believe me (and quite honestly, I wouldn't blame you) then check out the festival's site RIGHT HERE. 

To say that I was surprised (you're not the only one, I hear you say) and delighted would be something of a cataclysmic understatement.  

It therefore seemed like a natural progression for me that I approached the director of the film, Neil Johnson, to sit down and talk to me about the movie and the rest of his not inconsequential career. I did wonder if he would actually grant me an audience, because not only has he won a plethora of awards for Rogue Warrior, but he also won an award at the same festival that I won mine (did I mention that I won an award?). 

It would be completely understandable if he was to feel as if his award was somehow put a little in the shade by my rampant success. On the other hand it would also be completely understandable if he couldn't care less and was as amazed as the rest of the blogging world was that I had managed to string a few coherent sentences together.

Anyhoo, Neil did indeed take some time of his genuinely hectic schedule to tackle some of 5D's legendary probing questions.

The actual point of this article bit.

So before you read the interview let me impart your way a few titbits about Mr Neil Johnson as taken from his website http://morphiusfilm.com/

"Neil Brook Johnson (born 26 July 1967) is a British film and music video producer, director, and editor best known for his long association with heavy metal band Manowar, and for directing and writing science fiction Films.

To date, Johnson has made over 500 music videos for bands like Manowar, U2 and Rhapsody of Fire. He has directed 6 feature films. His first film, Demons In My Head,1997 (now called Nephilim) is reputed to be the world's first digital film. His second film, To Become One, 2000 (now called Bipolar Armageddon) was produced for exactly $2,196, as proof that you do not need money to make a successful film. His third film, Battlespace (2003) was the shot in Arizona and boasted over 500 digital effects, which, at the time, was considered by some to be a major feat before the digital film-making explosion.

In 2008, he made Humanity's End, a film about the last man in the universe being hunted down to extinction by a race of beings known as the Nephilim. In fact, all his films take place in the same universe and all contain Nephilim as characters dominating mankind.  In 2009/2010 he made the film Alien Armageddon. It was originally called Battleground Los Angeles, but when 2 other films with similar titles were announced, the name was changed. The film continued the story in the Nephilim universe, tying up all the loose ends. It featured the better known actors Claudia Wells - Back to the Future, Virginia Hey - Mad Max 2 and Marilyn Ghigliotti - Clerks.

2011 saw the release of Alien Dawn, a direct take on The War Of The Worlds. The film was set in modern times and showed Los Angeles decimated with Martian tripods, more akin to George Pal than the original H.G. Wells version. Johnson stated in a number of interviews that he would one day do a proper version of The War of the Worlds once the rights became clear in the UK

In 2012, Johnson made the film, Death Machine (Doomsday) in the UK, following the death of his best friend, Philip Burthem. He stated in an interview on the Geekscape podcast that this film was his personal favorite, born out of the pain of his loss. In 2012-2014 he made the films Starship Rising and Starship: Apocalypse. Both films were shot back to back and were shot on Johnson's own studio soundstage, Morphius Studios. The films were shot and produced in 4K resolution.

Early 2015, he shot the film "At The Edge of Time" (The Time War) starring Tracey Birdsall (Tick Tock) and Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men).  The film is currently in post production.  Later in the year he shot the film "Rogue Warrior".  The film is completed and will be screening in theaters across the U.S. in 2016.  The film has already been nominated for a number of awards at upcoming festivals and stars Tracey Birdsall(Tick Tock), William Kircher (The Hobbit), Daz Crawford (Agents of SHIELD) and Stephen Manley (Star Trek 3)." 

The Interview Bit.

Q) So let’s do the mandatory early life stuff - tell us about your formative years growing up.... happy/sad/mixed up/normal ?!

It wasn’t normal, thats for sure.  I was born in England, and then my parents moved to Australia.  So I had the advantage of not fitting in.  I enjoyed being alone… I was always into writing stories since about the age of 5.  Around the age of 7, my karate teacher loaned me a super-8 camera and the rest was history.  My father was building a 32-foot boat in the back garden so I repurposed some of the wood and built a giant spaceship.  Nothing’s changed really.

Q) For me it was The Hobbit, 2000AD comic, Doctor Who & 2001 A Space Odyssey that ignited my love of Sci-fi & fantasy as a kid in the '70s. What was it for you?

It was “The War of the Worlds” & "The Time Machine" firstly.  I did read 2000AD when I could because my cousin Paul was into them…. but this was around the age of 12 when the 70’s were ending.  Obviously Star Wars was a big thing, but being in Australia, it was hard even finding the comics.   Thankfully I found a comic store in Brisbane, Australia… Basement comics (now called the Daily Planet)  in 1980 when I started high school.  This really fueled my interest in movie-making (reading things like Starburst, Starlog and CineFX).  I am still friends with the owner of the comic store to this day…. Brian… a really great guy who even came to my father’s funeral… says a lot about good people.   The thing I miss the most is the smell of old comics and old bookstores.  But I sure don’t miss vinyl records!!!!

Q) My personal Sci-fi obsession is La Jettee (1962) - the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. What's your one sci-fi obsession? (not counting your own work of course)!

I’m quite obsessed with Dune.   I know it’s not a perfect film and David Lynch didn’t get final cut, but still, his brilliance shone through. It’s such a delightful pleasure to watch a giant slug alien with a vagina for a mouth that seeps an evil yellow mist… or watching the

It's almost a scene for scene remake.....

gay fat baron infected with diseases floating around and tearing out the heart plugs of young men, or watching Patrick Stuart going into battle with a dog under his arm.

(see the image left, of me imitating that scene)

Q) According to Wikipedia (so it MUST be true), you first developed a name for yourself as a music video producer/director and  have over 500 videos to your name. Was this a way of enabling you eventually to make movies or a separate passion in its own right?

Some of wikipedia is actually true…. I am sure it is close to 600 now, but who cares to count anymore.  Music videos are actually fun and artistically satisfying.  Plus we all have to pay the bills.   I like trying to make them into mini-movies these days.  The truth is, I wanted to be a heavy metal singer and kind of enjoyed doing it… had a few albums out, but in the end, it wasn’t my first love, so I retired it and focussed on making movies.  Making music videos allows me to revisit that “other” passion.  It all crosses over.  

On Rogue Warrior we have Alex Staropoli from famous Italian Heavy Metal group “Rhapsody of Fire” do the soundtrack, and this worked well because I had done a bunch of music videos for them.  The Time War has Nedy John Cross doing the soundtrack, and he is also another famous rock musician from East Europe. It’s nice when it all works out.

Q) Personally speaking, growing up in the 70/80s being a sci-fi geek wasn't the cool badge of honour that it seems to be today. Do you feel sci-fi filmmaking is given more respect than it used to be and is it important to you as a film maker  either way?

Oh boy… was I made fun of in Australia for liking Star Wars.  I couldn’t even get a date.  I don’t think Sci-Fi film making has any respect.  When we enter our latest film in film festivals, we often don’t get in because we are Sci-Fi.  To be honest, the acting by Tracey Birdsall in Rogue Warrior is truly amazing and beyond the ability of most actors…. seriously…. yet we don’t even get accepted in places, and the winners are often quite average.   This even happens in the oscars.   People let their own hatred of nerd-culture get in the way of enjoyment.  One thing is for certain…. Sci-Fi is by far the hardest form of film-making… and the most expensive.  There are so many out there who try and fail because it is so hard.  I just have an interest to make what makes me happy.  After making a dozen features, I am finally able to step away from producers and financiers and do what i want to do…. so you will finally get to see my best work in the next few years.

Lets just take a moment to enjoy this picture.......

Q) I have to congratulate you on the upcoming release Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter -  was lucky enough to see a preview screener of it and genuinely blown away! Tell us about the inspiration for the plot and challenges of bringing your vision to the screen.

I don’t know where any inspiration comes from anymore.  I am trying to exorcise the Sci-fi tropes from my life so that I can be truly original.  I love making a story where you don’t know where it goes.  I started with a character, Sienna, and then let her grow into herself.  Thankfully Tracey Birdsall was able to allow her character to grow naturally as well.  The hardest thing in making Rogue Warrior was dealing with myself and not being satisfied.  Sometimes I would shoot a scene 2 or 3 times, and then ultimately the scene would get thrown out of the final edit.   When you make a film there is a whole lot of chaos around you, and the secret is trying to be alone in yourself and find the stillness…. good writing is the key, and then being able to throw out the good writing while you shoot, and then rewriting the whole film again in the edit room.  The weather was pretty severe in places, out in the desert, so it is hard to stay focussed in 125 degree heat.

Q) I have to say that your leading lady in Rogue Warrior, Tracey Birdsall is simply sensational. Apart from looking great her performance is captivating. What was she like to direct?

Very easy, to be honest.  Every now and again, when I said I wanted to reshoot a scene or have her climb a mountain, she would look at me and say ‘Really?”, but then she would do it.  I really pushed her… maybe too far because she ended up in the emergency room during the last film, “The Time War”, but I think she was embracing of all good things.  Film is forever… private moments fade.   She listens, she studies harder than anyone, and she pushes herself… like all REAL actors… the few who later get called legends, like Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchette or Charlize Theron… she is one of those types.  To be honest, I am disgusted in many of the actors I meet, because the are truly lazy, stubborn, dishonest, self-obsessed assholes (at least in Los Angeles).  When you meet someone who can really act, and truly understands that it is hard work, then you can offer them the world and true glory. 

Q) It's not just me who loved the film because Rogue Warrior was also had a plethora of accolades & awards. Do the awards make up for any negative career experiences you may have had?

Probably in my younger days it would have impacted.  To be honest, we are getting many awards, but we are also getting many rejections from festivals because we are too commercial and not underground.   I would not be interested in being underground in this current marketplace.  Most of my career has been negative and full of abuse and rejection, but I am not fueled by this.  I am doing this to satisfy my own needs of creativity.

Tracey thinks Neil is joking about the next scene planned in a Rattlesnake pit....

Q) Far be it for me to be bold enough to mention that we both won 'Shark Bite' awards from the West Coast Film Festival (oh look, I just did). How humble should I be about winning the ‘Best written Press Review' (for Rogue Warrior) or should I continue to mention it at every possible moment?!

You need to tell the world how cool it is.  I know the festival people appreciate it!    I am soon attending Worldfest in Houston with Rogue Warrior.  It is a great honor to be at these events, and it is nice when people actually “get” it.  Your work on the review was truly a great piece of writing, you it was something well-deserved.  Obviously West Coast Film festival “get” what you do.

Q) On a serious note, I personally don't take myself too seriously & don't really regard myself as a critic in the true sense of the word. How helpful (or even unhelpful) can bloggers etc be in helping promoting indie productions?

They say any press is good press, but I am kind of sick and tired or reading negativity.  if you can’t say anything nice, then be silent and don’t waste precious time.  What really helps is well-written, well though-out clever writing and blogging.  You do not pander to the lowest common denominator or the low-level fan boy mentality.  Look at “Star Wars: the Force Awakens”… at first it was… GREATEST Star Wars film ever made, and then it was WORST Star Wars movie.  In reality it is a great fun film that is worth watching over and over.  I wish people would just stop being negative-nancys and do something positive to benefit the zeitgeist.  What you are doing Stuart is truly making a difference…. and this will bear fruit in time.

Q) I hear that Rogue Warrior has been picked up by Sony with rumours of a potential film or TV series. Will you be involved?

Of course!  I am already writing the TV series.   It will go in a whole new direction and it will be a whole lot of fun.  I can’t say anything else yet because nothing is set in stone…. but I know the series will be something fresh and new.  i am looking upon it as a high-end miniseries - on the quality level of an epic feature film.

Q) I believe you’re currently working on your next movie, The Time War which I understand is an everyday tale of Adolph Hitler travelling through time to alter history..... what more can you tell us about it?

It is really epic in scope.  I wrote the film back in 1995 and still writing it as it is being edited.  I keep pushing the story further and further which results in extra scenes being shot.  2 days ago, I dragged Tracey Birdsall to some snow-covered mountains 10,000 feet up, and we shot in the blistering cold, then realized that we were in Bear country.  We were in a pit of fresh bear poop in the middle of nowhere.  Didn’t see the bears, or bigfoot, but I know they were there.  I was filming at Mono lake in California a few weeks ago and then realized I was standing exactly where there had been some famous bigfoot sightings a few years back (go look on youtube for the Mono Lake Bigfoot video).  The Time War has been shot in Los Angeles, Malibu, Salton Sea, Mojave Desert, Lone Pine, Independence, Scotland, Leeds, Whitby, Avebury, Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, Wakefield, Gosport, Nuremberg, etc etc.  Quite a task.  It involves the real Hitler, who modifies himself into a better man through genetics and then does horrible things via Time Travel.  Based on a true story.

Q) So what are the future plans for Neil Johnson?

Finish the Time War and then start immediately of the Rogue Warrior TV series…. and maybe a holiday!!!!!  And then to direct Star Wars Episode 10,11 and 12

Neil's website can be found at http://morphiusfilm.com/

You can read more about Neil Johnson on his IMDB page at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1484928/

A little bit more of the 'It's really all about me'.

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

The website currently gains in the region of 1500 hits per month and the blog articles separately receive in the region of 5000 page views each month. 

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.