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Whether or not you actually
agree with Leigh Scott's methods of filmmaking and business, whether
or not you like Asylum, whether or not you've ever bothered to see a
film from Asylum, you can't argue that Leigh Scott is definitely
ambitious and has an eye for detail. Though films like "Transmorphers"
and "Pirates of Treasure Island" were considered busts and
universally mocked, there's a definite knack for detail and
cinematography there that you can't deny. Leigh Scott went to work
for Asylum pictures a long time ago becoming their most prominent
director, a man who guaranteed to get their movies out there in time
with a solid cast, and since then he's branched out to make films on
his terms and try to emulate the directors he's come to admire as a
film buff.
The Milwaukee born filmmaker is
still at it, and now has the chance to hit the scene in a big way
with a revisiting of the L. Frank
Baum tale "The Wizard of Oz" which
is a modern take with a twist called "The Witches of Oz" about an
adult Dorothy now being called on to save her own reality when the
Wicked Witch of the West decides to conquer Earth. Often a
controversial filmmaker spawning many articles and questions of his
practices, Scott has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon
and continues to power on with this much talked about production
expected to have a limited release soon.
Though Leigh and I have a rather
interesting, volatile, infamous (any other adjectives you can think
of) history together, I thought it would be a good chance to
interview Scott and see what he's been up to and why he decided to
twist the tale of "Wizard of Oz" for the modern age.
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Leigh Scott
Actor, Director,
Writer
Director of:
Beast of Bray Road, The Hitchhiker, 9/11 Commission
Report |
We meet again, Scott.
How are you?
I'm doing great. Never better.
So for the readers who don't know you, who is Leigh
Scott?
When I was about six years old I decided that I wanted
to make movies. I've never looked back. I've done about
20 feature films, all lower budget and mostly "genre"
films.
How did you start out in the business?
I went to film school at USC. While I was there I worked
for Roger Corman at Concorde Pictures on the weekends
and then during the summer. I was pretty persistent and
worked in every department possible so I could learn
everything. When I graduated from USC I raised a bunch
of money and made a film. It didn't go anywhere, but it
allowed me to learn more about the business and get into
the Hollywood network. I then worked exclusively in
various film jobs, raising money and directing movies in
between working as a grip, AD, camera assistant etc. One
thing just led to another and I've been a
producer/writer/director for the last five years.
You worked for Asylum for
a long time, how was that experience?
Working at the Asylum was more fun than most people
should be allowed to have. It was like college all over
again, while getting to make movies and oh, getting
paid. |
Asylum has been under constant
scrutiny in the press for basically making its living off of copying
big budget blockbusters. What's your opinion on that?
The Asylum isn't any less original than anyone else who makes movies
for profit in Hollywood. They are just more savvy and shameless
about it. The real irony to me is that most of the actual films they
make, despite the marketing campaigns and titles, are more original
than stuff being done by the big studios and other indie outlets.
It's just so blatant that people who never see the films pile on and
criticize their originality. I mean, what's more original, the
actual film inside the TRANSMORPHERS box or the tired and lame
slasher movies put out on a daily basis by some of the bigger indie
studios? And the big guys are even worse.
What would you say was your favorite project from Asylum?
We did three movies almost back to back: FRANKENSTEIN REBORN, THE
BEAST OF BRAY ROAD and DRACULA'S CURSE. We called it the classic
monster "Box Set". I'd say those three together are my favorite.
They're all interconnected in a film geek sort of way and they're
the only Asylum that I've watched for fun once the films were done.
Where do you draw your film influences from?
I love the fact that movies are a combination of a bunch of
different art forms. Music, theater, literature, photography all
come together to make a movie. So, a lot of times it will be a piece
of music or a photograph that will give me an idea for either a
story or help me figure out how to shoot something or cut something
for a film.
I'm a huge fan of genre movies made between 1981 and about 1992. It
was the "Golden Age of Spielberg" and gave us movies like Gremlins
and Ghostbusters. I miss movies like that, which is what sort of led
me to make The Witches of Oz.
On your MySpace page the phrase "Good artists copy, Great artists
steal" is prominent. What's your take on that ideology?
That's actually a quote from Picasso. The basic idea is that art is
a linear progression, cave drawings lead to photoshop. So, good
artists are aware of that and strive to build on and be influenced
by what others have done before them. Stealing means that you take
it and make it your own. I think it's pretty true, and I picked it
because of all the heat I got from working at the Asylum.
Where did the idea for "Witches of Oz" stem from?
About four years ago everybody in Hollywood was buying up these lame
"tween" books looking for the next Harry Potter. At about the same
time I was charged with finding public domain stuff at the Asylum.
When I discovered that the Wizard of Oz was available, I pitched it
to them. They were afraid of it because it was such a well known
property and at the time horror stuff was still the rage. Plus, it
just sounds expensive, and now having done it, they were right!
Did you read any of
the books or watch any of the movies to research the
story for this new film?
I read it all and watched it all. The books are really
weird. They're written for little kids, but the concepts
and ideas are really adult and creepy. As for the
movies, I think RETURN TO OZ is pretty underrated. Every
film about Oz has to live in the shadow of the 1939 film
which isn't just the definitive Oz movie, it's one of
the most iconic films in history. We decided, unlike the
1985 Oz film, to incorporate the musical into our film
through subtle references and a few bigger elements of
the production design, creature design, wardrobe etc.
What is the proposed budget for this new film?
It's tough to say because of the way the film came
together. My partners (Eliza Swenson and Chris Campbell)
were incredibly supportive and artistically indulgent so
we made decisions that you usually wouldn't make if you
were making a film aimed for the SyFy channel or a DVD
release. Because of that a lot of our friends and
associates who are pretty big time and well out of our
price range have decided to help out.
It's ironic because in
attempting to make something less commercial, we ended
up putting together something that has ended up with
greater potential. So, cash out of pocket it cost more
than all of my Asylum films combined, but if we were to
pay retail rates for all of the talented people working
on it, it would probably be in the 10-15 million dollar
range. |
A
look at Scott's films |
What's it like working with
Christopher Lloyd?
He's a great guy. Real quiet, which you wouldn't expect because he
is so larger than life after you call "action". It was a little
weird calling him "Chris" because I have such respect for him and
grew up on the movies he's made (and not just Back to the Future,
but Star Trek 3 and Buckaroo Bonzai).
Word has it you cast Jason Mewes, how is he to work with?
Jason is Jason. Totally cool guy. His emails and voicemails are
hilarious.
Paulie Rojas has a real classical look to her, was that one of
the things you took in to consideration when casting her as Dorothy?
Yes. Paulie does have this sort of Audrey Hepburn thing going on
which was key. We needed somebody who just looked innocent and had a
sort of etherial, classic beauty. From the first time she shows up
in the film you know that she's the good guy and you're rooting for
her. It was important to cast someone who could hold their own
opposite Eliza Swenson who plays Dorothy's big city best friend.
Eliza has such a va va va voom look that we needed balance, but
still needed somebody beautiful and able to act the wide range of
emotions that the character goes through.
Lance Henrisken is also set to star, what role will he be
playing? And how was he to work with?
Lance is the man. He is sort of the opposite of Christopher
Llyod. Lance always plays tough guy badasses and in real life he is
a tough guy badass. We worked together at the Asylum and we're
friends, so it was fun to work with him on something completely
different. He plays Dorothy's Uncle Henry who was a big character in
the books, but a small character in the 1939 film.
Are you working with the Asylum to release this or another studio
altogether?
The Asylum had nothing to do with this show. We have a sales agent
in place who will start selling the film once it's complete this
summer.
Are you pushing for a limited theatrical run or a DVD release?
I'm sure it will show up in a few theaters. We are doing all of our
post production anticipating theatrical release.
Why do you think the Wizard of Oz continues to be material that
filmmakers tap?
It's a great fantasy world. It's like Lord of the Rings in the sense
that the universe of the story is so fleshed out. It has a history,
a geography and all sorts of great creatures and characters.
If you can tell us, what will be your interpretation of the three
characters from Oz (i.e. The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, etc.)?
Those characters are definitely in the film, and they are seen in
various incarnations. I'd hate to give too much away...
Are you going to be implementing traditional effects or CGI?
I like doing both. Nothing looks better than a practical effect that
has a little extra CGI spice. For the Flying Monkeys in the film we
went with actors in awesome creature suits, but added the wings in
post. They look much more real than if we had gone 100% CGI. We are
using a lot of CGI to create the world of OZ and the Emerald City.
There's also a massive sequence in the finale where the Wicked Witch
of the West unleashes all of the dark forces of Oz on Manhattan.
There is a lot of CGI in that. We are up to around 1000 CGI shots
for the film. To put it into perspective, most Asylum moves and SyFy
channel films are in the 60-100 shot range.
Who would you like to work with in the future (i.e. actors or
directors)?
I'm not really big into working with people who are "hot" right now.
I'm much happier working with people like Lance, Jeff Combs, Billy
Boyd and Mia Sara than I would be working with someone from Jersey
Shore or say a Megan Fox. I really like working with actors that I
respect and appreciate as well as lesser known actors who I have a
history with like Eliza Swenson and Barry Ratcliffe. Having said
that I'm a big Robert Downey Jr. fan and I think Emily Blunt is an
amazing actress.
For readers not aware yet, what's next in the pipeline for Leigh
Scott?
We have a few things kicking around. Our company is in the mix for
this big Science Fiction property that would be huge. We also have a
super hero film, a really solid creature film, and another vampire
action film that we may tackle once Oz is finished.
Sounds very promising. Thanks a lot for your time, Leigh!
Thank you. Keep up the good work. I read your reviews religiously!
You can find Leigh Scott on
MySpace, and on
Blogspot.
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