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Interview with James Mannan

By Nick Peron

Regular readers may remember that we recently reviewed James Mannan's short vampire film Wannabe. Well with it's recent official release on DVD we decided to drop James a line and have him tell us some more about the movie, his thoughts about film and of course what projects he's up to now:

Nick Peron: Here's the universal question of them all: What got you started in film? The defining moment that got you hooked?

James Mannan: Its very difficult to say there was a defining moment. I've always been creative and arts-oriented. If I were to pick a moment where things started focusing on filmmaking it would probably be my meeting a friend in Junior High, this would have been around 1974, who had a Super 8 camera. I noticed him in the cafeteria off by himself with a stack of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines next to him--this easily identified him as a kindred spirit. We struck up a friendship and it wasn't long before we were working on our first super 8 film. So obviously we both had the seed planted in our heads that this was something we wanted to do--but actually having the means in our hands to to take action and others to participate, that really was the point at which I knew that this would be a part of my life in one way or another. There have been various detours. Much of my artistic energy in my twenties and thirties was spent working in theatre, but I'd always wanted to return to filmmaking. Luckily the means to that end have materialized.

NP: What is your major source of inspiration when you are plying your craft?

JM: My gut reaction to that question is to say "I wish I knew"--it would make the inspiration easier to tap into. I'm inspired by filmmakers who are able to create films that are immersive experiences--where you are drawn into their world and environment for whatever period of time and are taken along on their journey. I draw a lot on my background in theatre--I know the way I tend to structure my scenes and the way they are edited reflect this--perhaps not always for the better, but we keep trying. But I also have an academic background in art and photography, so in film it all kind of dovetails together. I've watched a lot of Twilight Zone and that genre of television series--I think my short film scripts thus far show that influence pretty heavily.

NP: What was the inspiration behind Wannabe?

JM: Hah--I guess the inspiration would be the two things I seem to always have on the brain--sex and vampires. The vampires I originally encountered were the same as many of my generation--the Collins clan on Dark Shadows. I know I've always fantasized about being one--as a vamp you are far more powerful that a human being and you get to live forever as long as you're careful. You just don't get to live in the sunlight any longer--as Nyx says, "an equitable trade." I was aware of vampire chat rooms on Mirc and the like, though I haven't frequented them myself. Personally, if I was going to be a vampire I'd want it to be real--I'm not interested in faking it as it were. Not that I'm putting down the lifestylers--more power to them. So Wannabe is somewhat my fantasy of what might happen in one of those chat rooms, what might develop. I'm sure this conversation has taken place--"Are you really a vampire?". . ."Yes" etc.. Lord knows judging from the news stories a few people have gotten themselves in trouble via chat rooms. The treatment for Wannabe wrote itself out very quickly--and the script itself didn't take that long to complete--but then it isn't really all that complex, at least on the surface. I think it was in the back of my head to do something in the "extremist" style of some of the independent filmmakers who I've enjoyed, Scooter McCrae, the Factory 2000 stuff, Eric Stanze. Wannabe doesn't go as far as some of that material, but those were an influence.

NP: What are your thoughts on modern vampire fiction?

JM: To be honest I haven’t read much of it. I've grown a bit persnickety about my fiction reading in my old age-- the less time I have for reading the more I tend to stick to Steinbeck and Hemingway and the like. Of Anne Rice I only read the original Interview with a Vampire, which was quite good of course. My favorite fictional vampires are Dracula and those of Ray Bradbury's vampire family--been ages since I read that stuff though. Of certain recent popular vampire series I won't comment since I haven't read them. I can't say I'm terribly interested in teenage soap operas with a vampire twist, but that may be a generational thing--Dark Shadows was a soap after all. Too, a lot of that stuff seems written for a female audience--which is not a negative, just I'm not female. In terms of film I did recently see Let the Right One In and absolutely loved it--downright jealous! And I like the Underworld films but they're as much action as horror.

NP: You were involved with many aspects of Alfred Eaker's film W: The Movie, what was it like working on the project?

JM: Immensely instructive. I kind of told myself when I started Liberty or Death that the first four years would be the film school I never got to be in--W the Movie fit right into that plan. Robbin Panet and I came into the production after most of it was shot so at first LOD's contribution was helping with some of the compositing. In those cases that was working with the talented Ross St. Just, who I learned a great deal from. Eventually I wound up doing a good deal of the sound design--both of those jobs were like, "here's the footage on a hard drive, take it home and work on it." We did participate in the later pickup shoots--some of the crowd scene shoots, the Ford's theatre scene, etc.. These were all shot at Al's home against green screen. And of course I did several voiceovers. That was what working on W was about--everyone pitching in in what capacity they had a talent for or were able to help with. Al is a force of nature and obsessive about whatever he gets involved in--of course I mean that in a good way. We share some of our tastes in cinema, not all of them but enough we can easily share points of reference. Working with Ross was a pleasure.

NP: On the same subject, Alfred's vision in W was personal commentary on the US politics over the last 8 years, what were your thoughts on the Bush Administrations effect on America?

JM: Well, I used to consider myself a libertarian, particularly on social issues, and frankly neither party has much to offer from my standpoint. Unfortunately being Libertarian in American these days seems to mean being pro-gun and believing in weird conspiracy theories--neither of which are interesting issues to me--so who knows what I am anymore. American politics are reflexive--Bush's election was a reaction to the Clinton years and Obama's election a reaction to Bush. I'm not so much sure that Bush had an 'effect" on America as much as he simply reflected a set of beliefs held by a certain segment of the electorate. For instance, like Bush and Cheney a large segment of Americans couldn't give a rat's ass about world opinion. Of course, those ideas translated into action--much of it very detrimental. That isn't to say that Al's film is incorrect--after all Al is a surrealist, his Bush isn't the real George Bush, he's a symbol for the dark side of American politics. That dark side existed long before Bush got into office and will remain long after, which is why Al's film remains timely even though Bush is no longer president.

NP: Do you think that now that the Democrats are in power again that things will change?

JM: Perhaps incrementally. Democrats in general seem less bent on limiting individual liberties--though they rarely take any real action. The gay community backed Obama to the hilt and are getting short shrift for their efforts. Obama and the Dems are buried under the economic crisis--until that changes little else will.

NP: You did the special and make up effects for the films Foxxy Madonna vs the Black Death and Shades of Grey, what would you say is the hardest thing you had to pull off?

JM: For those films I suppose the severed arm in Shade of Grey--which was a plaster arm rather than a molded foam rubber piece due to the budget and time constraints. Most of what I did was easy except from the budget/time standpoint. Most of my makeup skills are those I developed as an actor in theatre, and in my teenage filmmaking years. I'm not an immensely skilled makeup man but if you want it quick and cheap I can probably fit the bill.

NP: So what projects are you up to now? What's in the works?

JM: Wannabe was just released on DVD and is available now for sale. We have several projects we are trying to wind up in post. To Haunt You is a suspense/horror feature about a girl dealing with a harassing ex-boyfriend. The Burial is an upcoming short about a woman who accompanies an old friend into the woods to help bury the ashes of her dead husband--it's based loosely on a Poe story, I won't say which one. Robbin Panet has a vampire short called Revenant still in production and she is also developing a short comedy called Kissing to Quit. Robbin and I have an ongoing series we're putting on YouTube called Spooky Stuff--you can see these on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/libertyrdeath. It's kind of a documentary X-Files--I'm the skeptic, she's the believer--we seek to examine "the paranormal phenomenon phenomenon." We shot three more shorts with Al this past summer--First Friday, written by Al and Robbin, is a psychedelic erotic comedy, Stations is a religiously themed surrealist work written by Al, and 9, which we did for the 48 Hour Film Project, is another surrealist work dealing with themes of familial abuse and redemption. We're just getting ready to shoot an erotic ghost story I've written called The Longing. A lot of these shorts will be worked up as an anthology eventually.

NP: Lastly, any parting advice to aspiring filmmakers out there?

JM: Oh nothing too original I don't suppose. Do what you believe in. Do it if you have a love of film--if you do it seeking fame and fortune you'll likely be disappointed. Treat your friends and collaborators well-be understanding of your detractors.

We here at Micro-Shock.com want to thanks James for taking the time to answer our questions. As we previously stated in our last review, Wannabe is a great film and you should check it out the first chance you get. Also check out the Liberty or Death Productions website for more of James films, as well as other great films that are being released through them.


		Interview with James Mannan By Nick Peron Regular readers may remember that we recently reviewed James Mannan's short vampire film Wannabe. Well with it's recent official release on DVD we decided to drop James a line and have him tell us some more about the movie, his thoughts about film and of course what projects he's up to now: Nick Peron: Here's the universal question of them all: What got you started in film? The defining moment that got you hooked? James Mannan: Its very difficult to say there was a defining moment. I've always been creative and arts-oriented. If I were to pick a moment where things started focusing on filmmaking it would probably be my meeting a friend in Junior High, this would have been around 1974, who had a Super 8 camera. I noticed him in the cafeteria off by himself with a stack of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines next to him--this easily identified him as a kindred spirit. We struck up a friendship and it wasn't long before we were working on our first super 8 film. So obviously we both had the seed planted in our heads that this was something we wanted to do--but actually having the means in our hands to to take action and others to participate, that really was the point at which I knew that this would be a part of my life in one way or another. There have been various detours. Much of my artistic energy in my twenties and thirties was spent working in theatre, but I'd always wanted to return to filmmaking. Luckily the means to that end have materialized. NP: What is your major source of inspiration when you are plying your craft? JM: My gut reaction to that question is to say "I wish I knew"--it would make the inspiration easier to tap into. I'm inspired by filmmakers who are able to create films that are immersive experiences--where you are drawn into their world and environment for whatever period of time and are taken along on their journey. I draw a lot on my background in theatre--I know the way I tend to structure my scenes and the way they are edited reflect this--perhaps not always for the better, but we keep trying. But I also have an academic background in art and photography, so in film it all kind of dovetails together. I've watched a lot of Twilight Zone and that genre of television series--I think my short film scripts thus far show that influence pretty heavily. NP: What was the inspiration behind Wannabe? JM: Hah--I guess the inspiration would be the two things I seem to always have on the brain--sex and vampires. The vampires I originally encountered were the same as many of my generation--the Collins clan on Dark Shadows. I know I've always fantasized about being one--as a vamp you are far more powerful that a human being and you get to live forever as long as you're careful. You just don't get to live in the sunlight any longer--as Nyx says, "an equitable trade." I was aware of vampire chat rooms on Mirc and the like, though I haven't frequented them myself. Personally, if I was going to be a vampire I'd want it to be real--I'm not interested in faking it as it were. Not that I'm putting down the lifestylers--more power to them. So Wannabe is somewhat my fantasy of what might happen in one of those chat rooms, what might develop. I'm sure this conversation has taken place--"Are you really a vampire?". . ."Yes" etc.. Lord knows judging from the news stories a few people have gotten themselves in trouble via chat rooms. The treatment for Wannabe wrote itself out very quickly--and the script itself didn't take that long to complete--but then it isn't really all that complex, at least on the surface. I think it was in the back of my head to do something in the "extremist" style of some of the independent filmmakers who I've enjoyed, Scooter McCrae, the Factory 2000 stuff, Eric Stanze. Wannabe doesn't go as far as some of that material, but those were an influence. NP: What are your thoughts on modern vampire fiction? JM: To be honest I haven’t read much of it. I've grown a bit persnickety about my fiction reading in my old age-- the less time I have for reading the more I tend to stick to Steinbeck and Hemingway and the like. Of Anne Rice I only read the original Interview with a Vampire, which was quite good of course. My favorite fictional vampires are Dracula and those of Ray Bradbury's vampire family--been ages since I read that stuff though. Of certain recent popular vampire series I won't comment since I haven't read them. I can't say I'm terribly interested in teenage soap operas with a vampire twist, but that may be a generational thing--Dark Shadows was a soap after all. Too, a lot of that stuff seems written for a female audience--which is not a negative, just I'm not female. In terms of film I did recently see Let the Right One In and absolutely loved it--downright jealous! And I like the Underworld films but they're as much action as horror. NP: You were involved with many aspects of Alfred Eaker's film W: The Movie, what was it like working on the project? JM: Immensely instructive. I kind of told myself when I started Liberty or Death that the first four years would be the film school I never got to be in--W the Movie fit right into that plan. Robbin Panet and I came into the production after most of it was shot so at first LOD's contribution was helping with some of the compositing. In those cases that was working with the talented Ross St. Just, who I learned a great deal from. Eventually I wound up doing a good deal of the sound design--both of those jobs were like, "here's the footage on a hard drive, take it home and work on it." We did participate in the later pickup shoots--some of the crowd scene shoots, the Ford's theatre scene, etc.. These were all shot at Al's home against green screen. And of course I did several voiceovers. That was what working on W was about--everyone pitching in in what capacity they had a talent for or were able to help with. Al is a force of nature and obsessive about whatever he gets involved in--of course I mean that in a good way. We share some of our tastes in cinema, not all of them but enough we can easily share points of reference. Working with Ross was a pleasure. NP: On the same subject, Alfred's vision in W was personal commentary on the US politics over the last 8 years, what were your thoughts on the Bush Administrations effect on America? JM: Well, I used to consider myself a libertarian, particularly on social issues, and frankly neither party has much to offer from my standpoint. Unfortunately being Libertarian in American these days seems to mean being pro-gun and believing in weird conspiracy theories--neither of which are interesting issues to me--so who knows what I am anymore. American politics are reflexive--Bush's election was a reaction to the Clinton years and Obama's election a reaction to Bush. I'm not so much sure that Bush had an 'effect" on America as much as he simply reflected a set of beliefs held by a certain segment of the electorate. For instance, like Bush and Cheney a large segment of Americans couldn't give a rat's ass about world opinion. Of course, those ideas translated into action--much of it very detrimental. That isn't to say that Al's film is incorrect--after all Al is a surrealist, his Bush isn't the real George Bush, he's a symbol for the dark side of American politics. That dark side existed long before Bush got into office and will remain long after, which is why Al's film remains timely even though Bush is no longer president. NP: Do you think that now that the Democrats are in power again that things will change? JM: Perhaps incrementally. Democrats in general seem less bent on limiting individual liberties--though they rarely take any real action. The gay community backed Obama to the hilt and are getting short shrift for their efforts. Obama and the Dems are buried under the economic crisis--until that changes little else will. NP: You did the special and make up effects for the films Foxxy Madonna vs the Black Death and Shades of Grey, what would you say is the hardest thing you had to pull off? JM: For those films I suppose the severed arm in Shade of Grey--which was a plaster arm rather than a molded foam rubber piece due to the budget and time constraints. Most of what I did was easy except from the budget/time standpoint. Most of my makeup skills are those I developed as an actor in theatre, and in my teenage filmmaking years. I'm not an immensely skilled makeup man but if you want it quick and cheap I can probably fit the bill. NP: So what projects are you up to now? What's in the works? JM: Wannabe was just released on DVD and is available now for sale. We have several projects we are trying to wind up in post. To Haunt You is a suspense/horror feature about a girl dealing with a harassing ex-boyfriend. The Burial is an upcoming short about a woman who accompanies an old friend into the woods to help bury the ashes of her dead husband--it's based loosely on a Poe story, I won't say which one. Robbin Panet has a vampire short called Revenant still in production and she is also developing a short comedy called Kissing to Quit. Robbin and I have an ongoing series we're putting on YouTube called Spooky Stuff--you can see these on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/libertyrdeath. It's kind of a documentary X-Files--I'm the skeptic, she's the believer--we seek to examine "the paranormal phenomenon phenomenon." We shot three more shorts with Al this past summer--First Friday, written by Al and Robbin, is a psychedelic erotic comedy, Stations is a religiously themed surrealist work written by Al, and 9, which we did for the 48 Hour Film Project, is another surrealist work dealing with themes of familial abuse and redemption. We're just getting ready to shoot an erotic ghost story I've written called The Longing. A lot of these shorts will be worked up as an anthology eventually. NP: Lastly, any parting advice to aspiring filmmakers out there? JM: Oh nothing too original I don't suppose. Do what you believe in. Do it if you have a love of film--if you do it seeking fame and fortune you'll likely be disappointed. Treat your friends and collaborators well-be understanding of your detractors. We here at Micro-Shock.com want to thanks James for taking the time to answer our questions. As we previously stated in our last review, Wannabe is a great film and you should check it out the first chance you get. Also check out the Liberty or Death Productions website for more of James films, as well as other great films that are being released through them.
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