Apocalypse, CA [Indie Filmmaker Interview]

Stephanie Wooten is one of the bloggers at Nerds In Babeland and an active member of The Node community. She interviewed the producers of indie sci-fi feature Apocalypse, Ca for BIN.

You know how all of the apocalypse talk nowadays is about Zombies and Vampires? Well, this film is going back to old-school, 1990s apocalypse fears and it’s awesomesauce.

In their own words: Wry, cynical and full of off-beat humor, APOCALYPSE, CA is the story of John Parsons and his ill-fated friends as they prepare for certain death at the hands of a massive asteroid, sex-inducing drugs, a three-hundred foot giant, and a horde of other unfortunate problems. APOCALYPSE, CA is an indie cult film of catastrophic proportions, featuring outstanding visual effects from artists Ryan Wieber (Ryan vs. Dorkman) and Teague Chrystie (The Pacific) in this feature film directorial debut by Chad Peter (behind the popular Internet short films, Sex, Drugs & Natalie Portman & Roleplayed).

Chad Peter, Ryan Wieber, and Teague Chrystie were awesome enough to let us ask them some questions about their upcoming film.

How long did this film take (from pre-production to now)?

Chad: Wow, well it has been an interesting three years from start to finish. Originally “Apocalypse, CA” was going to be a short film, but the idea behind it quickly blossomed into what it is now – a full-on feature length project. It’s been a rough and tough process, but I think we’re all very proud of how it all turned out, despite whatever ups and downs were presented along the way.

It’s independently produced, so where/how did you get the funding?

Chad: *laughs* That’s a good question! Sometimes I wonder(ed) that myself. But honestly, it all began with asking one person (an ex-girlfriend, no less) for $5,000, and that got the ball rolling. Once friends and family saw that we weren’t out fucking around, suddenly it seemed like people were *offering* their money to the project far more than I had to ask for it. That didn’t last too long, though, because I think the general perception is that a feature length movie shouldn’t take more than a year to make. So, you know, after two years I’m still working on the movie, essentially by myself, worn thin and struggling to pay bills and there’s no more investor money to be had. Fortunately when it came time to work on the VFX and audio, I had a pretty solid foundation of friends to go to and say, “okay guys, I’m worn out… Help me get this thing finished,” and they came through in a big way.

Read the rest at Nerds In Babeland.