In this installment we talk with Steven Richards

Before we start with the Q&A why do you tell us a little about yourself and Slices.

Steven Richards is a native of New Zealand, transplanted to Los Angeles. Huge fan of anthology-style television & film, as well as pulp-style sci-fi and fantasy in general.

1) Where did the idea for the movie Slices come from?
 

It originally started with myself and some friends brainstorming ideas for a feature-length film. Each of us had come up with ideas that seemed workable; obviously we couldn’t do all of them… or could we?

Developing an anthology-style film seemed to be the best solution to deciding which idea to run with – everyone could film their own project. Additionally, each director would act as their own producer for their own specific segment.

The actual name “Slices” was originally a name I was using for a work-in-progress. It just seemed suitable, and everyone else seemed to like it.

2) What segment of Slices is your fav?

  
Obviously “Dead Letters” is. J

Oh! I should not use my own segment ‘cos of blatant bias?

In that case, I would have to go with a non-segment. Trent Haaga plays Professor Lucius Phibes, during the “breaks” between segments. His humorous take on the Cryptkeeper/Elvira stereotypes was hilarious. He did a fantastic job of not only twisting the segments together, but also being an integral part of the ongoing sub-plot of the Imsomniac.

3) Why did you get into acting?

Actually, that was entirely by accident.

I’d moved back to Los Angeles from New York, and was trying to find a local theater group to volunteer at. (Stagehand work, set design, whatever.) The search engine kept returning results linking to a local acting class; at 4am in the morning, unable to find what I was looking for, I just figured it was inavoidable destiny and signed up out of frustration.

Damn you, Google!

I’ve never looked back, though. That was the best accidental decision I’ve ever made.

4) Can I get the number of that cute strawberry blond from the Night Scream segment? I want to hit on her.

I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. “Night Scream” was the only segment I didn’t work on in any capacity at all. Actually, that part was shot over in Florida – all the rest in various parts of California.

The only person I’ve met from the Florida side is Neil McCurry, the producer, when he flew out to Los Angeles last year.

5) Since when can bullets kill a vamp?

Oh-ho. Yah, that’s always a tough question. It’s very dangerous territory, when tossing aside the established “rules” that every audience member is familiar with.

Werewolves, full moons and silver bullets; Zombies, shuffling and cannibalism; Vampires, garlic and wooden stakes – all pretty much inviolable, unless your gimmick is good enough to create the next breed…

…and since these bullet-to-the-head vampires are in aforementioned “Night Scream” (which I had no part of), I’ll happily dodge this question and simply answer…

”Since that scene was shot… and hopefully never again”

6) What is the worst thing about the movie Slices? 

Oh, it has its share of faults, no doubt. Some bigger than others.

The one I hear the most is that some of the story segments appear unfinished, or even non-sensical. I can see where people are coming from, with that opinion.

The worst thing, in my opinion, is that while the film was shot in HDV the finished film is not available in Blu-Ray or any other HD format. Even the final master was reduced to standard definition, and there’s no way to upsize it.

Only one segment was exported in HD – “Dead Letters”, and even then a SD version of was used for the final mix with the master.

Don’t ask why.

7) What kind of cam was used in the making of the film?

All segments I worked on used the Sony HVR-Z1U

We had a hell of a time exporting the footage, at first. Turned out that Adobe CS1 on WinXP wouldn’t recognize the camera at all. I ended up having to take the tapes to a local studio to have them imported onto the hard-drive.

No problems at all since moving to CS3.

Oh, and on the subject of formats, etc:

My segment “Dead Letters” had a fun mish-mash of HDV, frame-by-frame claymation and good ol’ Super-8 footage. All of them had very different resolutions and even aspect ratios. Made the editing a little trickier than I imagined it would have been.

8) How was it working with people all the other people involved with the film?

Well, it was definitely an experience. It’s not something I would do again, though. Each one of us had different expectations for the end product, I think. There’s an old adage, “Never do business with friends.” It’s good advice.

As far as the collaboration angle, it was handy to have half your crew essentially signed up with you; each with their own strengths. We all worked on each others material in some fashion; usually on location, and some in post.

9) What one A list actor would you have loved to seen in the movie?

James Cromwell would have been fantastic to have. I’ve been a huge fan of his for years.

                                         And Now 3Qs not about movies 

1) What cult would you like to join?

Hmm. Does Feng Shui count? I really like the idea of being able to earn a bigger paycheck by simply rearranging my furniture.

2) Do you like ham and pineapple pizza?

Hawaiian pizza tastes great. It was a common pizza combo back home; in some parts of the United States it’s possible to freak people out by mentioning it. I love it, but I’d definitely have to check with the rest of the crew before ordering a few for lunch.

3) In order to live forever you would have to contract A.I.D.S, would you do it?

No. Everyone’s got their time on this planet. Nothing (and no one) lasts forever; nor should they.

You’ve reminded me of three great films, though.

The Hours
The Fountain
Highlander

I won’t elaborate on them. Definitely great films with a lot to think about, and somewhat relevant to your question.

Well, maybe Highlander’s a bit campy… but still.

For more info on the movie Slices head over to

http://SlicesTheMovie.com
http://www.myspace.com/slicesthemovie