Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Party Panda - The Birth of a Serial Killer’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
I have worked in production of film, television, commercials and live events for my entire adult life. I started out at a set shop and used the skills I developed there to segway into Art Direction in New York City in the early 2000’s. After half a dozen Indie films, a dozen television shows (reality and re-enactment) and countless commercials, I felt it was time again to shift my filmmaking to the next level, so I began Producing and Directing. To date, I have Produced several feature films (narrative and documentary), and Directed/Produced several short films and television shows, as well as National and local commercials.
Tell us about ‘Party Panda - The Birth of a Serial Killer’. How do you describe it?
‘Party Panda – The Birth of a Serial Killer” is at its roots, a nostalgic 90’s slasher film full of gore and good laughs with a few jump scares that never takes itself too seriously. Deeper under the skin though, it’s a story about metal health and the effects of isolation, rejection and bullying. It explores the ‘worst case scenario’ of someone who is pushed beyond their breaking point by the pressures of life and spirals deep into a world of violence and retribution.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
A few of my favorite filmmakers are Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thema & Luise);
Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King); Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Taxi Driver); and of course Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction): but truth be told, there are too many to list.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
To film the Feature version of “Party Panda – The Birth of a Serial Killer” and get it out via theatrical release would be amazing.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
What steps wouldn’t I take?! There are far too many steps that I take to ensure my projects are on schedule and budget. I guess I would start with the most important part of Production… which is Pre-Production! I can’t say enough about the importance of pre-pro. Devise a plan, have a backup plan, and be ready to implement a third plan when the wheels start to fall off the cart. Know your script inside out and front to back, every little decision impacts the next one and in turn the story. The more familiar you are with the: Who, What, When, Where and Why of every character and plot point, the better off you will be in making the right decisions during production.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Party Panda - The Birth of a Serial Killer’.
As with all Indie films, the budget and time constraints were the most challenging part of the project.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
We (team Panda) are in the mid stages of development and fund raising for the feature version of “Party Panda – The Birth of a Serial Killer” The script is in a great place, and we are looking to raise additional funding (hint, hint) on top of what we have. We are all really excited about the prospects of a feature version in which we get to expand the characters, introduce a handful of new ones and really build out the back story.
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