Would you share a bit about yourself, for our readers and those individuals who haven’t had the fortune to step into the world of Dave Reda?
Sure… I directed the feature horror film, “BIT PARTS” and before that I produced and directed the sketch comedy show called “CLICK THIS”, for ‘3’ years!
Most recently I directed the video for ‘LUDO’S’ song ,”HORROR OF OUR LOVE” and TOMMY and THE HIGH PILOTS song, “ANYTIME NOW”… OR you just may know me as Zombie Dave on Facebook!! Ha-ha!!
To our readers, friends and fiends, Bit Parts is a film I highly recommend checking out… Once you have watched it at least one time, I know for a fact the film, Bit Parts will become part of your dvd collection… It made it to my dvd collection, which means it’s an excellent film!
Dave Reda’s first feature film, BIT PARTS, is available at BORDERS or online at Amazon and Netflix; hence, took ‘3’ years to complete… Why?
I knew, though I didn’t have a lot of money, I wanted my first full feature to be the best that it could be. Thanks to a great script by Jon Rosenberg.
I shot it on Super 16mm film, in 12 shooting days, then transfered to a digital format to edit.
The next ‘3’ years were spent finding the right editors and favors to call in to finish it right. I just couldn’t let it go without it being the best that I could do at the time.
We head a few lucky breaks along the way, like finding Steve Gilbane and the band, ‘PRIMUS’ drummer Tim Alexander to do the score for BIT PARTS.
Also, my friend, executive producer and Elftwin Films partner, Karl Schweitzer believed in me and that I was doing the right thing with the film, which helped a lot.
We have been very happy to see it on the shelf since 2007, and what it does out there.
Is film your main passion for your creative expression?
Film is my life… Always has been… My grandparents having owned movie theaters that my Dad worked in, movies always seemed so important around the house.
How do you feel about the independent film scene at this current time, as opposed to when independent/underground films in the 70’s and 80’s had a large cult following?
It’s a great time and a hard time to be a film maker now today… Now everyone and their mothers have access to HD cameras, allowing everyone to have professional looking films.
This means the market is flooding with budding new film makers and it can be a little rougher out there… Even with the saturation I still believe that cream rises to the top.
If you have a great idea, AND can tell a great story, then the technology is around now to help you!!
Where did the idea behind your latest film, “Horror of Our Love” originate?
Completely from the song, a friend of mine asked me to listen to the song and just wasn’t interested.
Finally I decided to listen to it, and as I heard the words & I saw most of the short film play out so clearly before my eyes. When that happens you just know you have to jump on it, It’s rare at least it is for me.
- Photo by Dominic Wong
Do you think for the most part, individuals will really “get” your upcoming film “Horror of Our Love”?
Yes, I do… We have won awards at ‘6’ of the last ‘9’ festivals we have attended, and most of them being an audience choice or favorite award.
So great to hear an audience take to and get what the film is about, because it is definitely an interesting twist of a short film.
What your are currently working on and what you sir have in store for all of us Dave Reda supporters, fans; hence, or should I say Dave Reda groupies?
Ha-ha… My Zombie Army and fiends? Ha-ha!!
Well, we have ‘2’ feature film scripts out there in the mix right now… One, FREAK HOUSE, co-written with excellent horror novelist Fred Wiehe & then the other is UNHOLYGROUND, co-written with the very talented Craig Mcgee.
I have also been very busy writing some new short films to get out there very, very soon.
We have some music video projects up too, not to mention the crazy things I just decide to do ha-ha!!
What is your take on Yoko Ono? I follow her on Twitter but never really fully understand her tweets… Don’t get me wrong I love Yoko Ono, she is quite interesting!
I am not sure Yoko understands Yoko, but it’s funny ya can’t understand her when she sings or when she tweets… Ha-ha!
What is your motivation, as far as a film Director, Actor, Producer, Editor, as well as a Writer; hence, and is it the same as when you first started?
I started out as an actor just looking for that next part.
Directing allowed me the chance to create my own opportunities and play the parts I always wanted to play.
I find I keep wanting more and more the more I grow as a film maker. So much more to learn, and ways to be better.
Now I want to make films that are like roller coasters… I want my audience to laugh and scream, walk out of the theater talking about the fun ride!!
What’s in your cd player right now?
The Ramones Best of
AWESOME!!!
Since you first started, how have you grown?
Learning all sides of the film making process has made me a better actor; I like to think anyway… Ha-ha!!!
I can just do things now, because I know how I am going to edit them or realize just how really important continuity is to a scene.
All of it helps, all of it makes you grow or you are done, I would think.
“Horror of Our Love” is a short film featuring the song by the same name, by the band LUDO.
Would you share with myself, our readers and your fans about LUDO and your experience collaborating with them on your film?
Well honestly, I didn’t get I touch with them until after I had made the film.
I believed in the idea so much I took a chance and made it hoping they would be cool with it, something I don’t suggest for anyone!!
We got lucky!
After I had made it, I luckily got a hold of them over Facebook and sent them the short… That was a very nervous 15 minutes there waiting to hear there response, and was so relieved to hear they loved it!! Whew!!
Since then, we have become great friends, I even directed the video, ANY TIME NOW, for the band TOMMY & TE HIGH PILOTS, who has Ludo’s drummer Matt Palermo.
They are really cool guys with great sense of humor, we have become great friends, it’s been awesome!
You know I LOVE Debbie Rochon… Debbie Rochon to me is an Icon!
Would you share your experience working with her?
I haven’t had the pleasure of working with Debbie Rochon other than getting to do an interview with her and Dee Snyder on FANGORIA RADIO.
She was SO supportive of my film “BIT PARTS“ and me, and honestly has looked out for me ever since.
She has also been a great supporter of my latest,” HORROR OF OUR LOVE”… A SHORT FILM too, she is just such an inspiration to all independent film makers and actors.
She is an Icon and I truly believe it is an honor to have her as a friend… Got nothing but love for Debbie!
- Photo by Dominic Wong… Photo of Dave Reda
I love that you are like me in the way of creating your own opportunities: hence, by forming the sketch comedy group, CLICK THIS!
Would you share your experience and the effect it had in your life?
Wow… So many little problems happened in the three years of filming CLICK THIS.
Solving each of them either right or wrongly prepared me more than I could ever know for the battle that was to come ahead in making a full feature.
Learning story telling and how to write and edit, CLICK THIS was an invaluable impromptu crash course in film making 101 and was a total blast!!!
Dave you have teamed up with writer Craig Mcgee on a new horror script, Unholy Ground.
Would you elaborate on your collaboration and possibly share a small peek in what we can expect?
For example, is it a splatter, zombie, psycho, thriller film and will this be a short film or will this be your first feature?
Really can’t get in to too many details as the scripts are in development.
What I can say is… UNHOLY GROUND, is a fast paced rock and roll demon horror film in the vein of films like TREMORS, and EVIL DEAD,
It’s going to be a lot of fun and is all original, which is what the public has been asking for… Gotta reward the fiend’s ha-ha!!
Craig & I met up after he had seen my film and reviewed it for his website the CHOPPING BLOCK.
We just kept in touch after that and met up in a festival in San Jose where I got to see his and our friend Michelle Fatale’s short film, “The CLEANER”.
I really liked the style and we just kept talking and kicking ideas around… Craig had had the idea in pieces and I together we were able to put it together solid and construct some juicy horror goodness… Ha-Ha!!
I love Michelle Fatale and her short film, The CLEANER!
- Michelle Fatale, Dave Reda, Phil Grasso
I love Sam Kinneson… Do you have an all time favorite comedian?
So many, I am a huge fan of comedy… When I was a little kid I always loved Bob Hope, he was a big influence in my early comedy.
Gotta a lotta love for Sam Kinneson as well and Mitch Hedberg too, sad to see them go.
One of my all time favorite films is, “So I Married an Axe Murderer”!
It has that whole beat poetry theme going on and the famous Mike Myers.
You were a diner patron in that 1993 film… Would you reflect back to that time and share that experience?
Ha-Ha yeah… It was cool… It was my first set EVER… I was so green ha-ha!
I was standing outside just trying to stay out of the way of the speeding film crew; I was so amazed by the whole process.
I began to get lost in my own head just thinking about how much this was really what I wanted to do.
I wanted a sign that this was going to be my path when out of no where Mike Myers walks up to me interrupting my thoughts with…“Do I know you?”
I was shocked and had been so lost in my own thoughts, being so green and just a little extra, ha-ha, I wasn’t even sure he was talking to me.
He asked me again if he knew me, and I assured him he didn’t, trying not to stammer… He laughed and walked away, and I remember thinking… Ok yeah… That is a pretty good sign.
Later on, I found myself sitting across in the table next to Mike Meyers, and since we had spoken and broken the ice earlier we got to talking between shots.
He told me all about how he got on SNL and stuff like that, was just really inspiring to a little dude just starting out… It was a really cool way to start this whole crazy ride!!
How was the auditioning experience when you landed the role on HBO as Luke Perry’s ass double in Indiscreet Luke Perry’s ass double in Indiscreet?
So, you have a FABULOUS ass! Everyone I’m messing with the amazing Dave…
Dave did land the role as Luke Perry’s body double in “Indiscreet”, on HBO. In which scene were you Luke Perry’s body double?
The Audition was easy, for this, ha-ha!!!
All I had to do was look like Luke Perry in a long shot, and they picked me from Central Casting.
It’s much cheaper to get some dude who looks like a star to be in long out of focus establishing shots than paying the star to be there that day.
There is a scene right before the lead actress tries to kill herself in the ocean, Luke Perry is supposed to be a photographer and he is above on a cliff face taking shots of her.
I think that scene is the most obvious it’s me and not him, ha-ha!!
Most recently you teamed up with horror novelist Fred Wiehe for the new script and horror film, “FRIGHT HOUSE”.
How did the collaboration come about?
Also, will you be doing a little or a lot of acting, producing, editing, and writing; hence, or do you have a primary role your focusing on?
Fred and I also met at the San Jose Silicon Film Festival… I was a fan of his novels and he liked my film BIT PARTS, and so we kept talking about movie ideas.
I had a part of the idea and he had the other part. Like peanut butter and chocolate the ideas mixed well. From that point on it was a lot of back and forth until we had something very different and dark. This film is much darker than the horror comedies I usually make, but sometimes you have to get the dark out of you.
Fred rocks and wrote some twisted things, especially to the character I play, ha-ha!! Don’t piss off the writer or you will die horribly in the script, ah, lesson learned, ha-ha!!
For Fright House I do plan on directing and acting in it too…We crafted it in such a way that my character can be done later and I can focus mostly on everything else going on first!! It’s going to be quite a horror ride, lot’s of craziness, ha-ha!
- Photo by Dominic Wong
Any SHOUT OUTS?
Yes… Have to give a shout out to my wonderful cast and crew on my last film, Horror of Our Love: A Short Film… They were so wonderful, truly an amazing crew!!
They are all a huge reason why the film has the awards it does, and I can’t thank them enough for their hard work.
Always lots of love for Debbie Rochon too and you Raven!!
All my love and support always Dave!!!
XOXO~RaVeNX
Find out more about the amazing Dave Reda at the links below…
http://elftwinfilms.com/about/
http://twitter.com/Elftwinfilms
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elftwin-Films/289420367719?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=723645949?
http://www.bitpartsthemovie.com
http://www.cafepress.com/elftwin_films
LUDO: www.ludorock.com
Dominic Wong – PROFESSIONAL MEDIATOGRAPHER: http://imanstudios.net/
~RavenXTheLivingDeadGirl 