Written By: Ken HulseySource: Norman England
KH: You have stated that you wanted to do something different from the other "Ghost Girl" films. What makes "FEED ME" unique from the other Japanese horror films that Americans have become familiar with, like "Ringu" or "The Grudge"?
NE: The challenge in Japan is that you can't stray too far from what is accepted or else you risk the wrath of traditionalists. It's like this in every aspect of Japanese life. They are a very traditional people. When it comes to their ghost culture it’s very strict. For example, if Kayako in ‘The Grudge’ were suddenly to bite someone, everyone would be like, "what the hell?” What I wanted to do in FEED ME is to have it start out in a traditional style and then take a turn into a more violent realm, which everyone associates with American horror. I'm happy to say that once the ghost turns violent no Japanese has said, "Japanese ghosts don't do this." They accept it.
KH: "FEED ME" was shot on a shoestring budget, which caused you to really lower your production values. What initially visualize for the film, that had to be cut or toned down for monetary reasons?
NE: Honestly, I shouldn't have attempted to make this film with the budget I had. But, whatever. I made it. The weakness in the budget comes through now and then. For example, there's a scene where the ghost is in a tree and she grabs the hair of Mamiko, FEED ME's main character. If I'd had the money, I would have had her pull some of her hair out by the roots. I'd have shown blood and a neat patch of missing hair and maybe a raw slab of scalp. There just wasn't the time or resources to have her do anything more than just grab at her hair. But what can you do? When watching films such as FEED ME, you can't hold it against Hollywood standards where such things can be achieved because the resources are there. For films like FEED ME it's more about the ideas.
KH: You have intimated that the idea for "FEED ME" had been brewing in you for some time and one day you just sat down and wrote the script. What was the motivation for finally putting the whole down on paper?
NE: I wasn't planning to shoot anything last summer. I'm just trying to write as many scripts as I can now. FEED ME came about when I was talking with my filmmaker friend J.R. Lipartito. We thought to do something together that would cost as close to nothing as possible. Horror is always the stomping ground of the low-budget filmmaker. So I figured this was the time to take my first plunge into the genre. I also had access to a lot of non-Japanese through J.R. This is when it occurred to me that I could employ my idea about non-Japanese who don't get Japanese horror and then have it bite them in the face—literally!
KH: Your leading actress, Ryoko, was a pleasant surprise for you. How did an actress with little to no experience end up in the lead?
NE: I left the casting up to my producer J.R. He said he knew this cute girl he had worked with before and who was willing to do whatever it takes. I said, "'sounds good." Honestly, the quality of acting was never anything I had great expectations for. When I was young I made a lot of Super 8 films. For those, it was never about the acting. It was about putting together something watchable. For me, FEED ME was a return to that type of filmmaking. So, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Ryoko was able to add a quality to her performance.
KH: You give a lot of credit to make-up artist Yukiko Arai for the overall look of Mari's ghost. Did her ultimate creation exceed your vision and expectation for the character?
NE: It was the same as with the acting. I didn't have any expectation. I just wanted people to do what they could. Yukiko was originally part of the sound staff and was boom operator for the first scene. She mentioned that she'd done some make-up assist before and I asked if she'd like to make the ghost. She jumped on it, so I turned it over to her completely. I think if I'd been a bit more serious I would have worked a little closer with her, but I wanted to see what she could do without me getting involved. I had envisioned a whitish ghost, but Yukiko made her blue. I thought this was cool as it reminded me of the zombie look in my favorite film DAWN OF THE DEAD. The biggest difficulty was that we had to shoot so quickly and the make-up would rub off easily. The only thing I really wanted was for the mouth of the ghost to look big, but we didn't have the luxury of appliances or anything like that. She did her best by being creative with the material on hand. In fact, she created the look on the set just hours before shooting. She showed it to me and I said, "that's fine. Let' shoot it."
KH: You give a lot of credit to JR Lipartito, your producer, for keeping everything together on the set. How important is for a director to have a good producer on a production like this?
NE: There's a film adage that goes something like, "when the producer and director fight, the only one to suffer is the film." You can't make a film if the producer and director are at each other's throats. The worst is when the producer wants to direct. I've seen this on big Japanese productions and it's hell for the director. J.R. is a director too, but he never once stepped on my toes. I used a lot of his ideas and relied on his judgment. Producers are the realists on the set. J.R. is great in this role. I trust him because his intention is only to make the film as good as it can be.
KH: What do you think are your strengths as a film maker?
NE: It's hard to objectively answer this question. I think my strength is my unique personality. Also, I have a lot of on-set experience. Still, I'm a bit wet behind the ears when it comes to filling out the paper work and making a budget, but I know what shots are needed to tell a story and I know how to articulate things well enough to the staff and cast. My other strong point is that I put my own comfort behind that of the film. Nothing is more important to me than the film.
KH: You have opted to make "FEED ME" available for download, instead of searching for a DVD deal. Why did you opt for this unique type of release?
NE: Honestly, the production values are so low that I don't think anyone will pick it up! I also don't like dealing with small labels. They are rip-off companies. If someone had picked it up I would never see a cent. But turning a profit on this is not my intention for doing the download thing. I think that this is where things are today. People want to download and store things on their hard drive. I haven't bought a CD or DVD in years. Besides, any money I make goes right into my new film. That's my single motivation. And even if someone is not happy with the film, it's not like they shelled out any great sum, and it's short enough not to make them feel that they wasted their time. With that said, I do feel that the movie is different enough and has merit. If I didn't, I would never show it anywhere!
KH: You already started working on your next movie, "Its All Good". What can we expect to see in this film?
NE: Well, it's not shot yet, but I have high hopes for the film. I have two really cool actors for the story's protagonists. Like FEED ME, I'm shooting this in English. I was going to do it in Japanese, but the first actor I cast, Shogen, can speak English and although he's Japanese he has a kind of Western look to him. I guess it's because he's from Okinawa. So, I really had to look hard for an actress that could compliment his look. That's why I approached Stephanie. She's Armenian-American / Japanese. Her English is native level too. I'm shooting in an old, traditional-style Japanese home. It centers around an alien parasite. I think all of these elements will make for a very unique short film. The script, too, is unlike anything out there. Everyone is pretty surprised with what I've done with such a short script. Also, the staff is total pros. And we're shooting with the Red camera, which is a state-of-the-art digital camera that with the right lenses can achieve a film look. I'm confident it will be my most polished film to date. But don't quote me on it!
KH: The last time we spoke you to begin work on the film "Invasia". Is that project still on the burner or have you moved on?
NE: It's on the burner. I really want to make this and feel it will be a science fiction breakthrough film for the Japanese market. But it's going to cost several million to make. I still haven't proven to the powers that be that I can handle this kind of a production. Myself too, I'm not sure I can just yet either. So, for the time being I've put it aside. I'm planning to make a low-budget zombie feature after IT'S ALL GOOD. I'm still writing the script, but I really love how it's coming out. I think that after that I'll be ready for a truly major production. Filmmaking is as much experience as it is talent. I think every film fan thinks that they can be given a ton of money and can make something amazing with it. But if you look at how many bad films there are you can see that this just isn't so. It takes so much coordination just to make it to the first day of shooting. So much work that never makes it to the screen just to get the staff and cast in the right frame of mind. You can't do this without either a proper film education, which I don't have, or without experience, which I have from being on sets and now through productions of my own. Once I complete these two films I feel I'll be ready to do anything!
Horror movie fans can download "FEED ME" From Norman's website for $2 - HERE
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