Brian Paulin

Interviewed by: Lizzard Willy

LW: How did you get into filmmaking?

BP: I got interested in filmmaking from being an obsessed horror fan. I needed a way to celebrate horror films in a more personal way than simply watching them. I had to be a part of the genre in some way. Even if it was only showing my movies to my friends. I began to learn special make-up effects, but I quickly became bored with just taking still pictures of effects so I began shooting short movies on video with my friend Rich George. Right away the story telling side of filmmaking took over.

LW: Were you always this sick? And I mean that in a good way of course.

BP: Ha! Well I've been this way for at least 15 years now. I like to shock people with my movies and force that nervous laughter from them as they watch an extreme gore effect. I have always been fascinated with morbid imagery and I'll admit I'm very interested in the occult. This may help inspire some of my darker storylines. If my movies to date made you ask this question, just wait until you see what I'm planning next!

LW: What are your favorite horror flicks?

BP: My favorite movie of all time is The Evil Dead. I think it is the perfect horror movie from the simple plot to the gore to the atmosphere. Other favorites are Creepshow, Return of the Living Dead, Prince of Darkness, Scarecrows.

LW: Of the movies you have shot so far, which one has been the most rewarding to make?

BP: Six months ago I would have still said At Dawn They Sleep. But now that I am almost done editing Bone Sickness, that is by far my most rewarding because I can see how far I have come with telling a better story. It is the movie that an audience will be able to connect with the most I think because the characters are some of the best in my movies. I'm hoping people will be able to care about these characters as opposed to a couple of cold blooded drug lords in At Dawn They Sleep. Another reason I am proud of Bone Sickness is the ambitious shoots we but together for this movie. It contains the most sets we have ever built for a movie, most of which we hope you will never notice. It also contains the largest action scenes we have ever attempted.

LW: Where did Bone Sickness come from?

BP: I was thinking of shooting a short film about a guy eating people to feed a demon that was possessing him. I lost interest in the movie and then we started talking about shooting another full length feature. I said to Rich, "so many people have asked us to make a zombie movie, so lets make one". I used ideas from the short story to build on for Bone Sickness. Alot of thought was also put into the title. I spend hours trying to think of a name that would really stand out to horror fans if they saw it sitting on a video shelf. Plus the name perfectly describes the lead characters illness. Plus the idea behind Bone Sickness was to make a zombie movie that would deliver what we thought zombie fans wanted to see and more.

LW: Having seen the trailer for the movie myself, I can tell it is splatter. But unlike most low-budget zombie films, the Make Up Effects work is top notch. What kind of prep time did you give yourself for these fx?

LW: The movie took over a year and a half to film. The first eight months we spent filming character scenes. Between filming dates I would be working on the make-up effects. I would plan effect shoots around when I had the effects ready. Plus I was constantly coming up with new ideas all the time so I would have to come up with new effects. But to cut costs and time, I would recycle everything. This is where years of make-up work really helps out because I would piece together bodies from past movies and parts from this and that. I never throw any old make-ups out.

 

 

LW: I also noticed that you used more full facial appliances, rather than the usual holes in the face. Personally that means alot. Fucli used them, and of course one of my favorite zombie films, BURIAL GROUND, had them as well. What is it about fully rotted zombies that makes them so much more intimidating?

BP: I think it is because the full head appliances make them look more skeletal, and less human. They look like decayed monsters rather than your friend with pasty make-up brushed on his cheeks. Also it hides the actors hair which is a defining characteristic to everyone. Anyone that knows me can spot me across a crowded room because of my long red hair. But put a full head appliance on me and no will recognize me. The appliances can also create rotted out eye sockets. I really have a problem with zombies that have their eyes open and are looking at you. There is life in the eyes and zombies should not have them.

LW: What was the budget for BONE SICKNESS?

BP: There was no budget. Everything was paid out of my own pocket, funded by my boring full time job and Rich paid for everything he needed to perform the stunts he pulled off for the movie. Plus we are given alot of stuff for free. It's amazing how much stuff people will give you if you ask.

LW: When can we expect a dvd release?

BP: I'm not sure. SubRosa Studios is very interested in the movie. I'll hand it over to them once it is finished and it will depend on their schedule. Hopefully the dvd will be out before the summer. But I will be selling advanced vhs copies on my website www.morbidvisionfilms.com

LW: Any chance of a behind the scenes FX docuemntary?

BP: I plan on putting together a 45 to 60min making of featurette for the dvd. I have about 4 hours of behind the scenes footage. I made sure there was a camera filming all of the major effects and action scenes. Alot of the footage is alot of fun to watch and gives you an idea of how much fun we had making this movie. We were laughing our asses off all the time. Especially during the gore shoots. There will also be outtakes of people blowing their lines or wrecking themselves during stunts.

LW: What's next for Morbid Vision?

BP: After Bone Sickness is done I want to concentrate on music for a bit. I want to finally record a black metal cd. I started teaching myself drums back in June and I will be playing all the instruments and singing, well, screaming. Once I have the songs down I plan on shooting a concept short film/video told through the music. If it all comes together it will be the sickest thing I have ever filmed. There will be swordplay, nunsploitation, tentacle rape, demons, gore, nudity, ect... Hopefully I will be able to find people willing to do what I have planned. It will be an acquired tastes, I know, but it's something I have to do. But I am thinking of editing two versions. A black metal video version and a straight short film version. We'll just see what happens.

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