Posted in: Movies | Tagged: Joseph Michael Linsner, kickstarter

You're !@#$'n Dead! Grindhouse Film Enlists Dawn's Joe Linsner and… Dr. Doom?

Published Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:30:00 -0500

Last updated Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:08:48 -0500

"If you push someone over the edge, make sure they can't crawl back up."

There's an awesome new grindhouse flick coming. You're !@#$'n Dead! is a bloody, no-holds-barred revenge flick… or at least, it will be. So far, this independent feature film has put together some pretty impressive preview materials, and is looking to fan support via Kickstarter to help the production really kick into high gear. Their Kickstarter campaign will run through September 12, 2012.

The premise:

When Lexi's younger sister makes a surprise visit to town, both girls accidentally stumble on to their town's dirty secret and become the targets of a group of criminals looking to tie up loose ends. When Lexi's sister is taken by the criminals, Lexi has one night to hunt down the men responsible and get her sister back alive.

Here are two trailers, the first capturing a modern aesthetic and the second dripping with retro goodness…

Seek Pictures and Golden Tiger Productions recently announced that Dawn's Joseph Michael Linsner is lending his support, creating exclusive artwork as a limited poster print that will contribute to the film's fundraising campaign. There's another interesting tangential comic book-related tidbit which I'll get to down below, but first, I want to present the chat I had with Jay Spence, writer and director of You're !@#$'n Dead!

You're !@#$'n Dead! will be your first feature film. Why did you choose to tell a grindhouse horror/revenge flick as your first film?

I chose this script for two reasons. From the start, I planned for this film to be funded by the fans, and I felt the tone and subject matter of the film would appeal to the online community. These types of films are meant as pure entertainment and I wanted to release a film that people would be excited to support, as well as to watch. Secondly, these films can be a lot of fun for the cast and crew to make, which is a great vibe for any director to have on set. There's so much diversity of elements in this type of film. There's a lot of action, with a dose of drama and comedy rolled in, so our cast and crew gets to experience a range that keeps things interesting for everyone involved.

How did the specific concept for You're !@#$'n Dead! come about?

About two years ago, I decided I wanted to write a wild and gory revenge film. I'm fond of these earlier grindhouse films, mostly because of their attitude toward film-making. Many of the early films were made with next-to-no budget, with outrageous ideas that they were willing to take risks on, and I appreciate that freedom. These films often tell a simple and direct story but they still have the ability to keep audiences engaged simply because of the raw human element being revealed, and I think that element is what makes these movie relevant.

I sat down to plot the story and began the delicate balancing act of avoiding certain clichés while simultaneously embracing those common elements that are true to the genre. I avoided the common "rape scenario" as a catalyst for the story and decided I wanted to focus more on the character's other emotions rather then focusing only on anger. A lot of these types of films start with the main character being personally attacked as a reason for their revenge, but I felt that a more interesting approach to the story would be to introduce a sister character who means more to our main character then her own life. One of the major themes of the film is the idea of struggle, both physically and emotionally, and that idea is what drove me during the writing process because it was easy for me to relate the same idea to getting the movie made.

What can you tell us about actress Ali Lukowski, and what she has brought to the character of Lexi in her initial trailer appearance, and what you expect what she'll bring to the feature?

Ali was initially introduced to me by my producer, Corey Williams. She's a talented and dedicated actress who's received quite a bit of recognition in the Baltimore film scene over the past few years. Early on, my goal was to cast our female lead right away so the actress could serve as the "face" of our film and become a driving force in promoting our ambitious project. The entertainment market seems to revolve around the visual sense and I felt it was better to give our future fans a visual cue of the film as soon as possible rather then depend on long-winded explanations of what the film will eventually look like.

I was looking for an actress who could understand what we were trying to do with the character beyond the exterior appearance. Lexi, the character, is an angry girl for a variety of reasons besides the major events that insight her spree of violence. It was important to have an actress like Ali to be able to portray that same deep "fire" Lexi has inside her, even during moments where she wasn't fighting someone. From day one, Ali understood what was going on inside Lexi's head and she immediately channeled the character for our teaser trailer without saying any dialogue at all.

Can you summarize your Kickstarter program and the benefits of pledging?

Kickstarter.com is a crowd-funding sight built on the idea that creators can reach out to like-minded individuals and encourage these people to contribute to their creative project in exchange for being directly involved in the process. Like others on the site, I've set a goal for the amount of money I need in order to complete the film. Fans can then pledge whatever amount they can and, for their troubles, I give my pledgers a variety of rewards which include merchandise, film credit, exclusive artwork, and a DVD copy of the finished film. I set out to offer my pledgers as many rewards as possible and make those rewards as valuable as possible. Even at the smallest pledge amounts, I feel we're offering something fun. We're also offering our rewards like an original poster print of the film illustrated by comics legend, Joe Linsner, which will be exclusive to our campaign and wont be sold anywhere else. An important part about Kickstarter.com is that our goal amount is vital to the process and we must receive the entire amount from our fans by the deadline of September 12th in order to continue with the film.

(Here's their Kickstarter video, by the by.)

How did Joe Linsner become involved in your Kickstarter promotion?

I met Joe through my day job in the comic industry. The film came up in our conversation and he showed interest in the project so, when it came time to develop the Kickstarter rewards, I reached out to him for help. He has been very supportive to our cause and I'm very grateful to him for that.

What are the qualities you feel Linsner is uniquely suited in capturing when he illustrates the heroine of You're !@#$'n Dead!?

Joe is simply a perfect match for this project. You're !@#$'n Dead! is a film about an ordinary girl, living a somewhat difficult but ordinary life. Eventually, our character is thrown into an extraordinary situation that forces her to take extreme measures that she never imagined she could, but she's never the glamorous hero, fighting justice in a slick, leather outfit. Lexi is a character meant as an avatar for the audience and we're meant to feel all the physical and emotional pain she goes though on screen. Joe is known for illustrating the female form but, most notably, for the way he represents the beauty of real-life woman in contrast to the typical exaggerated females that we see in comics. Joe's illustration will end up embodying the beauty and strength of the Lexi character without needing to exaggerate her as more than what she is, because the moment we make her a superhero, then we've lost sight of our story.

You trained as an animator. Has the animation experience helped in your storytelling and film direction?

I did graduate as an animator at the University of the Arts. One of the first things you learn in animation is the ability to tell a concise and coherent story, and that skill is just as important in live-action filmmaking. Because you spend so much time creating a scene from scratch with illustration or computers, a lot of planning goes into each scene and a lot of care is taken to make sure that every angle and every gesture is telling the story even when characters aren't speaking. Whether you're making an action movie or a drama, the subtlety of the characters and their gestures between the action is what gives a film the most meaning to the audience. We can all appreciate the excitement of the action scenes in You're !@#$'n Dead!, but without the quiet character moments, I feel the movie ends up being a collection of violence without any real payoff. In my opinion, I can direct any genre of film but the story and characters should always connect with the audience in some way, no matter how outrageous the story gets.

Are there any other creative-types involved in You're !@#$'n Dead!?

We've been lucky enough to have quite a few other talented people involved in our project. Southern blues-rock band, The Cheaters, will be providing the soundtrack for the film. They are a generous group of guys and I'm grateful they were excited to be a part of this. We're also excited to have the comedian Jim Meyer involved in the film. Some people online may know him under the alter ego "Dr. Doom", the creator of the Doom-O-Matic. He's a very funny and talented comic, as well as a good friend, and audiences should look forward to a good bit of comic relief coming from him.

Speaking of comedian Jim Meyer, he'll be hosting "Let's !@#$'n Party!", the film party and fundraiser promoting You're !@#$'n Dead! The party takes place on September 8th at Fullerton Pub in Baltimore, MD. Information can be found here.

And just for kicks, you may want to check out the comedic stylings of a Latverian dictator below. If you get a kick out of these clips, just wait 'til you see Jim Meyer's stand-up without the mask. He's !@#$'n hilarious!