Hello Anthony, I'm glad that you took the time to talk with me. My first question is, seeing that you have spent many years in several areas of the entertainment/media business. Tell me how you got started with "TinyCore Pictures?"
Hi Denise! Thanks for profiling TinyCore Pictures on your fantastic website. As for our humble beginnings, I started the company about two years ago as an avenue to make extra money for personal projects. Ever since I was I child I have had only two real passions, art and horror films. I spent most of my youth drawing and painting little horror vignettes. Then in sixth grade I purchased a super-8 camera and started making horror films. I spent most of my high school years chopping up my friends in short slasher films. This was unusual fare for the small Indiana town I grew up in, but I have amazingly supportive parents who really nurtured my creativity.
For many years I thought I wanted to become a special make-up effects artists, but later decided to pursue directing. I went to film school in upstate New York, after graduating I had the opportunity to put my skills to use in a variety of venues. I worked in advertising for while and then moved to San Francisco where my first job was working for the defense team of the O.J. Simpson trial (editing forensic footage, re-enactment’s, 3-D demonstrative evidence etc.) . After the verdict, I decided to focus my talents exclusively on entertainment, corporate communications and advertising- LOL. During this time I was mostly doing Art Direction work and drifted away from film making, mainly due to the need to survive in the real world.
For nine years I rode the Internet boom, while my heart remained true to the desire to make horror films. So in 2004, I moved back to the Midwest (Chicago) and opened TinyCore Pictures. We mainly produce regional commercials, industrials and corporate videos. All the money generated from these "commercial" gigs goes to finance horror film projects. I hope that within the next couple of years, the projects will be able to finance themselves.
But either way, I am so happy and grateful to have finally gotten back to my real passion.
Tell me some about the short W.O.R.M.?
W.O.R.M. (Worldwide Organic Replicating Molecule) is about a lonely computer programmer who works in the basement of a Nanotechnology Research and Marketing firm.
He can’t get a date, he can’t get a promotion and his fellow employees don’t even notice he is alive. After a particularly rough day of rejection, he decides to take matters into his own hands by reprogramming a prototype nano-virus that will infect people with the desire to "see the good inside" of others. Needless to say, the results are not what he expected and the entire office staff turns into cannibalistic, self-mutilating versions of their individual archetype.
I was really lucky to get an amazing cast of new and upcoming Chicago talent., and I was extremely lucky to get a special guest appearance by Alan Rowe Kelly. I met Alan last year while screening "Jitters" at the FANTASTIC New York Horror Film Festival (by far the best festival I have ever been too,- Michael Hein and Anthony Pepe really put together a kick-ass event). Ironically, I had rented Alan’s film debut "I’ll Bury You Tomorrow" the week before-- so needless to say I was very excited and nervous to meet such a great talent. Well, to make a long story short, Alan is easily one of the most down-to-earth people you will ever meet, always accessible and willing to lend support to new horror projects.
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We immediately hit it off, and he has quickly become my friend and inspiration what a powerhouse of talent! His scene in W.O.R.M. is a face-ripping show stopper, but it is what happens before the face gets ripped off that will leave you breathless.
Is there a tenative date as to when will W.O.R.M. be released?
W.O.R.M. is one segment of TinyCore’s feature length anthology "Slices of Life" and the first to finish production. It is currently in post-production, and I hope to start shooting the next segment "Pink Snapper" in December. The entire project should be completed by early Summer 2007.
Regarding "Jitters" a good film that I remember seeing that at the festival. Why don't you tell me some about the making of "Jitters?"
"Jitters" was a whirlwind labor of love. I had just moved to the Chicago area and started to do some political propaganda work. It was while doing this work that I met Eric Richter.
He was in his last year of college and really full of talent and excitement. I had expressed to him on several occasions that I would love to start doing horror projects and that I wish I had something recent to submit to Fangoria Blood Drive 2 (I’m a HUGE Fangoria Fan—avid reader since 6th grade).
Eric really pushed me to re-ignite my passion and just "do it". His exuberance was so refreshing and inspirational, we decided to work on something together, specifically for Blood Drive 2.
We shot the project in two weekends at three locations (my apartment, Eric’s garage and the local Teen Center Building Basement). We edited in two weeks and then sent it off to Fangoria with high hopes. We did not make into the blood drive, but the project definitely has "legs" we have screened in 11 festivals internationally and it is still going strong.
Could you share with us about the other productions your company produces including commercials, and music videos?
I’ve been really busy lately with regional commercial work. One of the projects closest to my heart was a 30 second spot for DreamReapers Haunted House in Melrose Park, Illinois.
This place is amazing, DreamReapers haunted house is over 14000 SqFt. of sheer terror. With over 22 rooms, 40+ animatronics, over 40 actors and actresses and something rarely duplicated in the industry, scents based upon the theme of the room. DreamReapers was rated the #1 haunted house in Illinois for three years in a row . So as you can imagine, I loved working on this and the guys that own the house are absolute evil geniuses- great fun. To see the commercial check it out on Youtube at:
TinyCore has also been lending production support to the extremely cool documentary series Rhyme Spitters (1,2 and 3). Rhyme Spitters is an all day event where the best in Chicago hip hop have a MC battle for a cash prize. The event is filmed for DVD and is created by Rich Seng through his Cherry Bomb USA company. The entire project is produced by Rich and Chad Wilson. Production on this is grueling. We shoot all day in Wicker Park and then move to a club for the Final 32. But the talent is really so spectacular and I’ve met so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the scenes- that I wouldn’t miss being involved for anything. To see clips, please go to:
Are there any plans for another film in the near future?
I hope to start shooting the next segment of "Slices of Life" in December, it is called "Pink Snapper". Then two months later we will be shooting the third segment "Amber Alert" The entire project should be completed by early Summer 2007. Although I do intend to send the individual shorts to festivals to get a buzz going for the entire project
Name one of your favorite films?
This is such a difficult question, I’m not sure I have a favorite film- although there are several films that have been pivotal for me.. I love everything by Cronenberg- he is really a hero of mine. As is Fellini, Pasolini, Jodorowsky, Atom Egoyan, Kenneth Anger, Bava, Argento, Coscarelli, Waters, Romero and many many more. Specific films that have really impacted me (and that I go back to often) are "The Exorcist", "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", "Videodrome", "The Brood", "Female Trounble", "Santa Sangre", "the Reflecting Skin" and many more.
Thank you Anthony for the fantastic interview. Keep up the great work.
