Adam Barnick Takes a Trip into the Jeniverse - An Interview of Nerdtastic Probing!

So when I decided to interview Adam Barnick, one of my ultimate favourite filmmakers (and people on the planet), I thought that I would do something a little different.  Evil Bee Bee (one of my many nicknames for the man, haha) is this stupidly talented filmmaker.  As his wonderful short Mainstream proved (Picture opposite), this guy is sick of convention and wants to give mainstream unimaginative cinema a good old kick up the arse!  He has the imagination, the intelligence and the actual talent of filmmaking to back him up, now all he needs for is the studios to wake up and smell the diahoreaa that they keep consantly churning out, and spending millions on…they need to support independent filmmakers such as Mr Barnick, a man who could do so much, with a mere fraction of the money they dole out for utter shite!  I mean, let’s take a look at the most successful movie of the year so far, INSIDIOUS by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, another two of my favourite filmmakers, they made this movie for fucking peanuts, and it has become the years most profitable film.  This movie is fucking brilliant, did amazingly and though there was plenty of throwbacks to films of old, it was as my BFF’s Nia Edwards-Behi stated, “A Breath of Fresh Air!” (Picture below - Leigh Whannell and Lin Shaye checking out the paranormal in Insidious) There are so many original and wonderful filmmakers out there, it’s time the studios take note and Adam Barnick is definitely one for them to keep their beady little eyes on. 

It is this knack for original and in depth filmmaking that makes him one of the best behind the scenes/documentary filmmakers out there.  When Dai Green said that she wanted Adam Barnick to go out and make the special features for every upcoming DVD release, she had a pretty valid point!  Let’s face it, when you watch the extras on a DVD, yes you want to see any deleted/extended scenes and outtakes etc, but true fans/film nerds also want to see the process of how the movie is made.  When you watch the behind the scenes documentaries for Frozen and Grace that Adam Barnick did, you know that this is the work of a true filmmaker.  Especially with Frozen where there was a greater budget for this sort of work.  (Check out clip of his documentary Frozen:Beating the Mountain below)

You know the work is amazing when you actually feel like you are standing on this mountain freezing your ass off with these guys making the movie.  To feel like you were a part of this amazing crew, I have not loved movie behind the scenes/documentary features this much since The Lord of the Rings documentaries.  And that is saying something…bascially more people need to hire Adam Barnick! ;)  (Picture below - Barnick with Adam Green and Paul Solet pictured front and center with the rest of the Grace crew)

Now to probe a little further into the wonderful and often macabre mind that belongs to this super geeky amazing man…

JC - When I was a child, I was into the things that society reserves for boys, Dinosaurs and Astronomy!  How about you?  What did you want to be when you were a child?  Apart from a very cute Superman, as pictured below!! ;)

AB - I really didn’t know what I wanted to be till my early to mid-teens…but the only profession I leaned towards in the Catholic School days (kindergarten-6^th grade) was Weatherman.  I was seriously fascinated by the weather, particularly storms, types of clouds and tornadoes.  Tornadoes still equally fascinate and horrify me.

JC - Sorry, couldn't resist adding this, what, you mean a Weatherman like Holman Hartz...The Rain King!?!  A tornado horrified.....and amused Mulder when a cow fell through his motel roof, haha! ;)  And you know he loves them flower showers! 







JC - What was your favourite cartoon as a child and when you watch it now do you still love it or think, ‘uh, somebody pass the drugs!’ because it is utter shite and you need drugs to actually watch it?  Haha.  Although Dungeons and Dragons is still shit hot, oh yeaaah!  And even to this day I still have a bit of a crush on Hank, haha. 

AB - I freaking loved Dungeons and Dragons!  Does that show still hold up?  (HELLS YEAH!!! - JC)  I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid, not sure if I had a favorite but D&D was close.  Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends was a weekly must, as was Voltron.  Old-school Looney Tunes will never go out of style. Those would have to be the fave, and no chemical enhancement needed.

JC - If you were a mad scientist, what would you invent?  Feel free to draw pictures! ;)

AB - Assuming I’m starting off with selfish inventions, probably a device that could let me know what someone’s real intentions are/how honest they are when I meet them.  Would have saved me years of trouble, from dating to meeting investors/producers etc..  I don’t know if I want to know anyone’s thoughts all the time, but maybe just off the bat when you meet someone.

JC - When people look at you, what do they see?  I mean, for example, when people look at me, the general consensus for years is that I am an art student of some sort.   They were always genuinely surprised to discover that I studied Geology and Ecology at University.  Even though I decided that I didn’t want to work in that field in particular, they are both subjects I still love and am passionate about.  Something that I am sure will be heavily evident in the stories that I write and will one day think about releasing.  When they look at you, do they see this super geeky filmmaker, or are they genuinely surprised when they find out what you love to do.  Appearances can indeed be very deceiving. 

                                                                                        

AB - I’m honestly not sure.  But I think I’m kind of the opposite of what you described.  I tend to look more conservative and “normal’ on the outside but I’m an arty freak/geek weirdo nerd underneath.  I haven’t been able to totally escape the ‘day job’ world the past few economically nasty years, but I think I would look/dress a bit different if I was completely disconnected from the “normals” world.  I already am in my head. 

JC - If you ever saw a UFO, would people believe you or just be like “Aaah that Barnick’s being weird again!”  I’d love to think that people would believe me but that ship sailed a long long time ago, haha.  I am definitely a case of the girl who cried Mulder one too many times!  Have you called out Mulder on one too many occasion as well! ;)

AB - I can neither confirm nor deny that I have ever cried out Mulder’s name. 

But if I saw a UFO and/or its occupants, I think the terror I’d have would make them believe, or at least believe that I thought it was real.  I don’t know.  The versions of alien encounters I have in my head, which I’d love to put on film, are a lot freakier than what is normally shown in films.  I used to be a huge paranormal buff and would eat this kind of thing up. So many weird little touches you don’t see many films touch on!  I think I’d lose my marbles during a close encounter.

But on that subject, I want to believe even though I’ve not seen a shred of proof..but I find it funny that in our everyone-has-a-camera 24-7 culture we’re not seeing footage that could prove things. What’s not being taped these days?  Or uploaded so the world can see within five minutes!?  That casts some serious doubt on the whole idea to me. Unless the aliens consume vitamins that make their molecules resonate in a manner that doesn’t show up on Flip-cam/phones.  In that case, brilliant job, lads.  (Those darn aliens are tricksy little buggers indeed! - JC)

JC - What is the best holiday you’ve ever had??  And with the exception of Scotland (See picture of me below for reasons why...A.K.A. it's AWESOMENESS!) which you OBVIOUSLY want to visit because it’s amazing and also I live here, heehee…what other country would you super love to visit and why?? <3

AB - Scotland on the list, obviously. Would love to visit Iceland and Norway. Ireland’s on the list as well. As for domestic/North America, Vancouver’s a place I want to roam for a while. 

JC - Well, my sister is moving to Ireland next week so we can stay with her, and hmmm, Vancouver, I wonder why you want to go there...does it have anything to do with a certain Jen and Sylvia Soska and a Mr C.J. Wallis??

AB - Best holiday?  Overseas, might be my second UK trip.  If you mean in the US, I was once paid to spend 2 weeks in Seattle, only 4 of those days were about the job and the rest of the time I was on my own and free to do as I pleased so long as I was reachable.  Had many great discoveries (music, towns etc) during that time and got to spend a lot of time in the areas they shot Twin Peaks, which is great if you’re obsessed with that world.  It was an atmosphere-drenched time.  Much writing done.

JC - What is one movie that you are totally obsessed with that nobody else ever seems to have heard of?  Like when you mention it they think you’re crazy and that it doesn’t exist!  And then when you do find someone who has seen/heard of it you want to go around saying fuck yeah! to all the doubters, heehee!?!  Mine would probably be the 1963 Disney movie The Horse without a Head!  Awesome movie!  (And one I have JUST discovered is finally on DVD!!!)

AB - I don’t know if anyone’s questioned my sanity when I brought it up, but the film Paperhouse would probably hit that selection.  English horror/fantasy/love story from the late 80’s, I saw it back then and was instantly cinema-smitten.  It remains in my top five films ever, and often at #1.  A good runner up for a more obscure film I treasure would be Larry Fessenden’s HABIT.  Hardcore indie or genre fans know it well, but the average fan doesn’t seem to!  (See trailer below)

                       

Another one most film buffs know, but that isn’t horror at all that I’m crazy about is John Cassevetes’ HUSBANDS.  That’s just a brilliant dramatic gem.  Two friends of mine and I quote it endlessly while everyone else would just looks at us cross-eyed.  All those films are worth tracking down.

JC - If you were ever to have children, what would be your favourite names for a boy and a girl, be it children, hell even dogs, bunnies, fish…!!?  I love to walk around cemeteries and look for totally awesome names.  I love Euphemia for a girl and Erasmus for a boy.  Haha. 

AB - I’ve never come up with a boy’s name that made me say “Yes! If I had a son this must be him.”  I’ve always thought the name Piper was fantastic for a girl, and I was overjoyed when a good friend of mine named his newborn daughter that.  He didn’t know I thought the name was so rad, though!  It’s just outside-the-box enough to be awesome, but not so obscure that it’d inspire schoolyard attacks.  If I had a dog, Ferdinand or Cecil comes to mind.  Particularly if it was a dachshund or beagle (inserts obligatory Beagle pic!).  I’d probably get stranger with animal names than with a kid’s name.  But maybe not.   

JC - Have you ever considered being a children’s author/movie maker?  I mean, in my humble opinion, you are wonderfully twisted enough.  Let’s face it, the best children’s writers are sick and demented, just look at Roald Dahl! ;)

AB - Sick and demented, eh?  Thanks much.

I have thought of doing some work geared towards kids.  And I don’t just groove to horror, I’m into all genres and have scripts and stories planted in several.  But the bizarre, the frightening and the fantastic are what I gravitate toward the most. The ideas geared more towards children aren’t solid enough to proceed yet though.

JC - What is your favourite dinosaur?  Contrary to popular belief mine is in fact Stegosaurus and not T Rex as many believe.  I just love my Rexy from Toy Story!  And he’s a Vegetarian he is! ;)  Are you a lover of herbivores or carnivores??  I’m thinking herbivore!  Lol, okay that is a bit of a cheat seeing as how you teased me with a picture as to your answer to this question.  Mwahahaha.

AB - Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus!  It’s a plant eater.  But a dino doesn’t have to like salads for me to admire it.  But that’s what my fave would be, just based on purely aesthetic reasons.  I just think they look cool, I have fond memories of silly brontos from stuff like reruns of Land of The Lost and this 80’s movie called Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend.  To me they’re kind of like the wiener dogs of dinosaurs.  Plus how great would it be to be one, and be able to snake your head around corners, things like that? 

JC - Who is the one person working in movies, be it director, actor, catering assistant…anybody…that you would give your left testicle to work with??

                                                                                                               

AB - I gave my left testicle to the student loan people in the late 90’s.  But I’d probably give the other one to work with..Do you mean a direct collaboration or just do any kind of work with?  I’d kill to be Cronenberg’s assistant/follow him around, or do a documentary on a set of his. 

I’ve never mentioned this in an interview, but my favorite making-of documentary of all time is Carolyn Zeifman’s (David’s wife) ACTS OF VIOLENCE on the A History of Violence DVD.  It’s beyond perfect. Hyper-intelligent, incredibly candid.  If you watch that and then watch docs I’ve done you’ll see the influence.  Anyway I think it’d just be a master class in filmmaking; watching him work with actors and every department on set.  And you can’t get more articulate than him, can you?  

JC - I must check out my History of Violence DVD for this documentary A.S.A.P.  Oh the strain of having to watch a documentary about a Viggo movie, heehee!  And argh, the trailer for A History of Violence still remains one of my favourite trailers to this day! 

AB - Guillermo Del Toro might be runner-up for sheer amazing geekery.  I wish Sidney Lumet was still with us as he’d be on that “must” list as well.

JC - You live in New York, a city that many consider the coolest city in the world.  At heart, are you a true city boy or are you more of a country bumpkin?  Do they even use that term over there?  Country Bumpkin.  Haha.  Personally I want to one day live out in the mountains, with my Beagle army and Rex.  Although obviously I shall still need to have a nice cosy cinema room in my awesome mountain house!  :D

AB - I don’t know if anyone else uses that term, but I do!  While I grew up in the country, the cities are where it’s at for me. I don’t need the noise, but I need the energy.  I need the activity.  I need places that have odd hours.  I need adventure.  I need to eavesdrop on crowds to get ideas for stories.  I need areas that don’t close up at 8pm.  But primarily I need to be around artists and weirdos.  Though I value trips back out to the country, to turn the world off for a while and breathe cleaner air.  Nature is a big creative inspiration for me; I grew up surrounded by the woods and huge rural areas with very few people around. 

How many beagles will be in your army?

JC - As many as Damien Thorne, bwahahahahahaha! ;)  And at least one of them would have to be called Porthos after my favourite Star Trek character, teehee. 

JC - If we were to re-enact Lord of the Rings, who would you play and why!?!  Also, how fricking cool is it that Evangeline Lilly has just been cast in The Hobbit??  *super squeee*

Reenact like redo the movies, or just us putting on felt outfits and silly beards and running around your backyard? I like your style.

I’ve kind of kept away from Lord of the Rings the past few years as it was so closely tied to someone who’s no longer in my life.  So I’m a bit fuzzy on every character….can I be Treebeard?  Or Legolas, only because he was a badass archer and I always wished I had good enough eyes to do that well.  I know nothing of Miss Lilly…but I’ll tell her you said hi if I end up on set.

JC - If whisked away to Hogwarts Castle, what House would you find yourself in, would you be Gryffindor like me, Slytherin (where all the evil kids reside!), Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff!?!

AB - Hugo Stiglitz.
 

JC - As evident from “THAT” video (Barnick at the age of 13/14 playing Freddy Krueger, heehee!), you are a bit of a Freddy Krueger fan.  Thinking about this question today, who is your all time favourite slasher?  Granted this is perhaps a difficult question, they all have their own unique qualities.  I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Jason (Voorhees) however Angela Baker is a bit of a wonderful maniac as well.  And of course we can’t forget recent entries into the awesome blood pool of slasherdom that include peeps like Victor Crowley and Leslie Vernon! 

AB - Definitely a fan of Mr. Crowley and Mr. Vernon. But overall, probably have to go with Freddy.  Mainly because he’s the one that hooked me during the formative years..even though there’s only three of his films I’d revisit regularly today.  Dream Warriors got me on the filmmaking path in the first place, inspiring an obsession and potential career in special makeup effects, but after a few years those passions morphed into filmmaking.  But lately I have gone back and really enjoyed films like the Friday the 13ths.  The Tall Man might be my favorite horror villain in general, can’t really call him a slasher though.  Michael Myers is unmatched in Halloween, but I could do without him in every one of the sequels.  (Picture below - Freddy munching on one of my wives, Miss Patricia Arquette in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dreamwarriors)

JC - If you were to be in a slasher movie, what character do you think you’d play and how long would you live?  See, I totally have myself pegged down as the final girl, out there kicking ass and stuff.  But the truth of the matter is, I’m maybe just a little bit too much of a rebel!  I mean, if I go camping, I pretty much break ALL the rules of surviving a horror movie.  I love to explore, I love to drink…etc….haha, I’m the kind of girl that will go off to investigate strange noises and voices in the dark on her own…I’m just not very good at being, well…good!  Or not so much good, make that sensible, haha.  I’m too adventurous to be sensible half the time.  Are you?  Or would you just plain old be the one out slicing and dicing the kids at camp?? :P

AB - I’d REALLY like to be the masked killer.  It’s just way too obvious for anyone who knows me.  And I would love to carve up a camper in slow motion while Connie Francis’ “Who’s sorry now?” plays in the background.  But I don’t want to be a killer who has his ass handed to him at the end of the film. 

JC - Just to add another video that Barnick has suggested to me he'd like to kill people to and that would be Elvis Presley's Hound Dog.  As he so morbidly put it: "I was dancing in the office here picturing Jason and the song! He's just pulling guts out of the guy like he's a dog digging a hole in the backyard."

JC - When he mentioned this to me it also brought up memories of another favourite childhood film of mine, and that would be Living with Dinosaurs which is one of the lost episodes of The Jim Henson hour.  It is cute, morbid and a true gem...directed by Anthony Minghella of all people too!  Plus it features one of the cutest dinosaurs ever, Dog!  (See picture below!)

I still have my ratty old VHS copy of it, truly brilliant film IMHO!  You can actually watch it on Youtube as well in 4 parts.  Here is the link to the first part and if you love this, then please check out the rest of the episode! :)

AB - So if I can’t kill everyone and win, can I be Crispin Glover from Friday the 13^th IV: The Final Chapter?  I don’t mind starting the film out with erectile dysfunction. He’s liked, he’s got great fucking hair, he’s not afraid to put himself out there on the dance floor even though his style is best described as “ECT patient”, he spends a lot of time getting his bedroom mojo back, and his death didn’t seem as nasty and slow as some of the other ones.  I mean machete in the brain pan, and you’re gone.  After a wild night of lovemaking.  Not bad. (Picture below - Crispin Glover in F13th Part IV) 

Plus I’m constantly irritating my friend Ted (Geoghegan) with that “Where’s the corkscrew?” quote.  “The wine bottle?  Ted??”

JC - Who is your ultimate final girl, is it possible to pick just one?  Do it!!! ;)

AB - Can Ellen Ripley count? If it needs to be exclusively in the slasher scene, probably Nancy from Elm Street.  You can’t beat her.  Instead of going off to live in a cabin for the next ten years after her ordeal, she dedicated her life and career to helping others fight the same battle. (Picture below - Nancy and Freddy) Laurie Strode is up there as well though.  

Do you like how you ask me for one selection and I always give you 3 or 4? 

JC - Haha, yes Mr Barnick, you are tricksy in your answers, who do you think you are....me!?!?!!  I admit, it is such a difficult question, there are so many amazing final girls out there but Nancy is definitely one of the best, no doubt! ;) 

JC - So one thing that a lot of people might not have clicked about Adam Barnick is that he has a bit of a love for British films.  Hell, at first when I started speaking to him, I actually thought he was British.  Now when a New Yorker turns around and says that one of his all time favourite films is the obscure English childhood fantasy drama Paperhouse then you have to admit, you kind of think “Whaaat!?!”  Set in the lovely Devonshire countryside, Paperhouse is the story of a girl, Anna, a child with such an overactive imagination that the pictures she draws of this old house, they start to become a reality.  

I think it’s a beautiful story of a lonely yet imaginative young girl and her first love.  It’s a story I can totally relate too, especially the character of Anna.  All whilst watching the film with friends I got frequent comments of “oh it’s you!”  How do you see it Mr Barnick and more to the point, why do you think people should see this film!?! :D

AB - I’ve always had this affinity with English culture that goes deeper than the usual pop trivia treasures… One of the scripts (non-horror) I’m developing now takes place in London, and I’m dying to essentially move there for a few months and research, and live the part.  But people should see Paperhouse (Pictured right) because it’s a beautiful, frightening, touching, tremendous film and nobody seems to know about it.  I can’t imagine anyone hating it, but if you’re a fan of films like Pan’s Labyrinth, it’s right up your alley.  I honestly don’t know what specifically has made me so mental about it.  It’s got elements I, and most geeks, would relate to; main character who’s got an overactive imagination, doesn’t fit in and is a bit of a loner.. It’s filled with amazing ideas and images that will burn into your brain permanently; there’s no gore and almost no violence in it and yet much of the film is intensely scary…and it really taps into childhood fears in a way I’ve not seen any other film do.  It’s a gorgeous oddball film and while I like that it’s almost my little secret, it should really be seen by more people.  I hype that one any chance I get.

JC - Now I hadn’t seen this film in years but had been reminded of it by an article that Bee Bee did – Adam Barnick’s Top 5 Lesser Known Indie Horror Flicks and when looking on Play.com for DVD’s one day, this popped into my head so I bought it.  Now what I think would be amazing, and I’m sure any fans of this film would agree, was if there was a retrospective documentary of the film to be made now!  We could get the cast members together (apart from Elliot Spiers who played Marc and sadly died in 1994 at the age of 20), and find out who the real obscure Paperhouse fans are in the movie industry.  In fact, we could even re-enact one of the scenes, I could be Anna, and Bahnick you could be Marc!  I choose the scene where Anna wants to give him legs.  That is a cute scene.  Plus you could be like, I have no legs, I have no legs!!!!! (Oh look...video below...he has no legs!!!) What ya think? :D

AB - I think they will lock us both up before we ever start shooting.  But if they plan a US release and want to finance a recreation-free retrospective documentary for it, I’d be ready to bleed for it.


JC - I'd happily be your campaign manager to pimp you out to make sure you got the gig!  There is no better person I could ever think to do this than you, they'd be insane not to pick you! :)

JC - You are currently working on a documentary entitled ‘What is Scary?’  How did this come about and just what is scary to the evil that is also known as Adam Barnick!?!  I mean we obviously have our fears that are a little bit more common, such as a fear of snakes/spiders...or the Blair Witch (haha) and then there are the ones that are a bit more deep seated and psychological.  For example, I am terribly claustrophobic and afraid of water…in all fairness though, I think the two are quite similar.  It’s that feeling of being unable to breathe.  When I was younger, like 3 or something, I remember staying over at my Granny’s, sleeping on an inflatable bed in her room.  I had this dream, it was like I couldn’t breathe and everything around me was getting bigger, I’m sure there is an elephant in it too.  Ever since that first time having the dream, I have had it numerous times over the years, I never remember exactly what happens but I know it is happening at the time and it terrifies me.  That is what’s scary to me.  So like, some form of suffocation really.  Turns out when I was really young my cousins would lock me in a dark cupboard when I annoyed them.  It was only when they jokingly asked me if I was scared of the dark, or claustrophobic or anything when we were at my Granddad’s funeral that I discovered the root to why I’m actually the way I am.  They said they were only joking afterwards but even my Dad laughed and said that it sounded exactly like something they would have done when they were that age, lol!  Mother fuckers.  Haha. *inserts childhood picture of myself for amusement, do I look that evil I should be locked in a cupboard, haha!?!*

So yes, what is scary to you, and also what kind of feedback have you been getting for this project?  When do you think you will have it ready for viewage? ;)

AB - Everyone asks me that, I try to give a different answer each time.  I think EVERYTHING’s scary, you know? I think most people who work in horror tend to.  I’d say loss of control, but that’s such a broad category… one that we will explore in-depth in the doc.  I’d bet a lot of filmmakers are obsessed with that, I mean we dedicate our lives to building worlds we have a degree of control over. 

But I’ll say deaths of loved ones.  Parents, friends, even (and especially) pets.  My own death doesn’t concern me, but others’, that is very scary to me.  Oddly enough there have been VERY few in my world, which makes me worried that there will be a concentrated bunch of them in my future.  I rarely get very far past things like that.. I still have nightmares about dead pets from childhood!  It is inevitable, and there’s nothing you can do, but still…  It’s unnerving to think of outliving everyone you possibly know.  (Barnick at Halloween is What is Scary, see pic below)

As for the doc, the feedback has been terrific so far.  Right as I was about to start post, I put up that teaser trailer, and it continues to get the kind of response and interest I’d hoped for.  From casual fans to some heavyweights in the film business, it’s been a nearly universally positive response.  But even when I was just pitching the idea to people, they would light up with interest more often than not.  It’s just a cool idea!  And whether I’m doing shorts, writing, docs etc., I need to have the kind of reaction where I think about it all the time, lose sleep over being excited about it, etc. and this fits the bill.  I have to squeeze in work on it when I can, once a project I’m in the middle of wraps up I will be able to devote much more time to it though.  I don’t think it will be ready before year’s end, but definitely next year.

JC - As I mentioned at the beginning, you have previously released a short that was featured on the Fangoria Blood Drive 2 disc, which you so wonderfully sent to me.  (Along with my super awesome Grace T shirt – You = AWESOME!  See video below for ramblings and thanking yous to the Barnick for my tee!)  

That short was Mainstream, a brilliant look at how bland and mechanical the world has become.  Now to me, Mainstream ooooozed touches of Cronenberg, how big an inspiration would you say directors such as David Cronenberg and David Lynch have been on your work so far?  And are there any other peeps out there that are a constant inspiration to you?

AB - Well I can’t get highbrow and just say I try to do my own thing and not be too influenced, you can’t help but sponge up what’s around you and what you respond to; but I tried to get the “do stuff just like my idols” thing out of the way early on.    They do inspire me to keep obsessing on the themes and things I do end up putting in my work all the time, but I try never to copy or emulate people outright.  I’m often more directly inspired by music than films, for my own films. 

The only thing I could definitely say in Mainstream (the short) that is definitely a Cronenberg nod is the look of some of the devices used to implant the main character.   The instruments from Dead Ringers (pictured right) and that tricked-out leg brace Spader wears in CRASH were essentially just what we wanted to see.   I certainly admire Lynch’s style of storytelling and his deliberate pace and emphasis on sound. Terry Gilliam is someone who always inspires me… Sidney Lumet as I’d mentioned earlier… George Romero, Del Toro, Jean Cocteau, Bergman, Don Coscarelli, Luis Bunuel, Carl Dreyer, Fritz Lang, Roman Polanski…we could go on all day.


(Pictured below - one of the stunning shots from Adam Barnick's Behind the Scenes work on Frozen)

JC - What can we expect to see from your oh so eeevil self in the near future?

AB - There’s a couple of great things brewing but I’ll wait until they’re official and financed (and starting!) before mentioning them…assuming they happen, stuff falls apart all the time. But as for what I want to talk about, there’s a few other films I’m hoping to begin making-ofs/featurettes for soon; I have six or seven scripts(horror, dramas, thriller) in various stages of development… the one I’m primarily focusing on is the feature-length version of Mainstream.  I’ve got most of the story but haven’t quite cracked all of the third act to my satisfaction..but that’s a world I spend most of my time in.  I love the characters and all their strangeness and their strengths as well as their flaws.  Smarter and more narrative-driven than the experimental short was.  It’s offbeat and personal but commercial and accessible at the same time.  I think I may end up strengthening my hospital phobia with that one, instead of beating it.. :)

I have another short film in that world that’s called OUTSIDE THE BOX that’s written and ready to go, it’s kind of like my “Grace” short film to pitch the feature…but I’m only starting to figure out prep and how we could get that financed now..it’s more like a short Hollywood-sized film than a micro budget short.  Got one or two other, smaller shorts I’m wrapping up scripts for…and trying to put together a few music videos as well.  Will be returning to postproduction on “What is Scary?” soon too. (Picture below - Jordan Ladd being interviewed by Barnick for one of the Grace Behind the Scenes Documentaries)

JC - And last but not least, as I have been decorating today, I just wondered, how are your skills as a handyman?  Are you one of these people who are super intelligent and great at their craft, i.e. filmmaking, but shite at things like cooking, decorating and building stuff?  Or are you just plain awesome like me and are great at everything, haha!?!

AB - I think I’m ok as a handyman, cooking etc. but all of my time ends up going towards film-related endeavors, so I rarely have the chance to do anything you’re talking about.  I’m definitely not the best guy to build your dream house, but I could do a good job of directing the carpentry team.  I’m good at putting items together, chairs and what not…Everything I’ve built (with the aid of instructions) has been fine and sturdy, but occasionally I’ll make something rock-solid and have one small nonsensical piece left over.  But I try to look at that as a bonus trinket for a job well done.