UN: Before Low Budget Pictures was even an idea in your brain, what were the first movies you remember as a child? Do you remember what the first film you saw that made you think I can do this?

Chris: Well my first movie in theaters was Empire Strikes Back. I was heavily into all things Star Wars and fantasy and Sci-Fi stuff. But the first movie that made me WANT to make movies and got me into horror was A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was 7 years old and my mom and uncles took me to see it and I was amazed and scared and excited and felt so into the film that I pretty much decided then that filmmaking was the thing for me and I havent looked back.

UN: How did Low Budget first take shape? Did it take a while to figure out the style and feel of how you wanted your films to come across?

Chris: Well I was always making backyard Freddy and Jason films. I was doing these crappy videos and throwing some laughs in them. At the time I was getting into Monty Python and the Films of The Zucker brothers, so I would throw in some goofs and sight gags with my slaughter and gore. It wasn't until around 1991 that I started to buckle down a bit and put a name to what I was doing and I figured Low Budget Pictures was pretty much dead on...or well at that time It was NO budget but you get the idea. As for the style, I am still sort of figuring that out, but Fans have told me that you know a Chris Seaver film when you see a Chris Seaver film so I guess I'm doing something right.

UN: Reoccurring characters are common in most Low Budget films. At this point in time are you sick of the characters and ready to move on to something new? Is it scary to think of a film without Teenape in it?

Chris: I am VERY excited to move on and get out of that universe. These characters have been in my head for many years, some of them MANY many years and it's nice to just finally start fresh. I will not miss Teenape or Bonejack or any of the wacky dudes I have created...although Heather and Puggly...I still may have some room for them somewhere. They are my most cherished creations.

UN: How the heck did the idea for Teenape first come up anyway? He has got to be one of the most vulgar ass kicking perverts around, a true role model for kids everywhere.

Chris: Truth be told he was created in 1991 in silly short flick I did called I was a Teenage Ape in which this kid turned into a teen wolf type character by accidentally drinking ape piss. Then when I was doing Anal Paprika 2 in 1999 I was throwing ideas back and forth with my cousin Casey Bowker(Who now is known for playing Teen Ape) and we both came upon this Teen Wolf type character for a short scene in the movie and I said well we can have it be Teen Ape...and that's how that happened. Then in 2001 when I was writing Anal Paprika 3, I thought Teen Ape should start to talk and for some reason I thought he was a lady killa, a pimp of the universe if you will. I started writing some of the most vile and repugnant stuff for him to say and it was just funny as hell to me that he was just this DUDE in an obvious monkey mask spewing out the meanest, silliest, most degrading stuff you could think of. It was comedy gold I tell ya!

UN: How has the reception to Teenape Goes to Camp been so far? Has it been receiving the usual love/hate relationship that most Low Budget films seem to receive?

Chris: Well it's still new. Its' only been out a month now but we have been getting some very good reviews so far for it. And yes a few bad ones as well, but I am used to that. You can't please everyone and frankly I'm not trying to. I make movies to make me laugh and to HOPEFULLY entertain the outside world. Good or Bad they are what they are and that's ok with me.

UN: While it does have elements of the Low Budget universe, Teenape Goes to Camp seems to take from the revenge genre as well. Any films in particular inspire that aspect of the story? It's almost like throwing in some Rambo or Surviving the Game.

Chris: Well if you know my movies than you know I am a pop culture whore and with every flick I try to infuse elements from films that I grew up with and love and or hate depending. I thought it would be cool to have a flip near the middle of the movie and have it turn into a revenge flick. VERY much inspired by Surviving the game. That movie is so cheesy and bad but OH so right.

UN: The video quality in Teenape Goes to Camp seems to be a bit sharper than with previous films of yours that I have seen. Were you trying out a new camera for the film? Do you prefer the widescreen look as opposed to the usual full screen image of prior LBP films?

Chris: Actually the look of the film is pretty much the same as it has been for 3 years now. I have been using the same Panasonic 24p 3,000 camera since early 2005. I guess it may look better due to all of the outside locations and what not? But glad you took notice of it. And as for widescreen..I love the 2:35 aspect ratio and I try to use it as much as possible. The 1:85 which is Teenape goes to Camp is alright but I prefer 2:35. It gives the flick that cinematic SCOPE feel. Karaoke Kid, House On Bonejack Hill, Heather and Puggly 3 and Wet Heat are all shot in 2:35 and they look amazing!

UN: What can you tell us about Ski-Wolf? I know it is probably still a ways off from release, but is the film a bit different for Low Budget? I think I read that it doesnt feature any of the reoccurring characters, so we wont get to see Teenape on skis I guess?

Chris: Ski Wolf is the first film in the new direction for LBP. It's more akin to Karaoke Kid and Film Crew in which I am trying to stray away from the established universe and make something more accessible to a wider audience while STILL keeping the shit LBP fans love. Its a mixing of 2 flicks that I love. Ski School and Teen Wolf. How perfect is that?? I am editing the movie now and Im not sure when SRS plans to release it. I would think early summer. I'm excited for people to see it. We shot at a ski resort for 4 days and had a blast. We also have an hour long Documentary for the DVD thats going to be pretty great. Finally after 13 years of trying and back and forth LBP is now in bed with Ron Bonk and Sub Rosa Cinema and Im thrilled about that. They picked up the rights.

UN: How did your relationship with Tempe Video first start? Is it safe to assume that JR is a fan of what you guys are doing?

Chris: That's a long story but it was all due to Debbie Rochon. If it weren't for Debbie showing Mulva around the set of a full Moon movie and it finally reaching Jr, The Tempe deal wouldnt have happened. I love Debbie and will be forever grateful to her. And thank God for JR Bookwalter is all I can say. He must be a fan cus I have made 12 movies for him since 2001!

UN: Your next release on Tempe is going to be the Wet Heat/Film Crew double feature. I haven't seen either film yet, but is it safe to assume that fans of the Low Budget style will be pleased with the films?

Chris: To be honest I can't WAIT for the wider audience to see these 2 flicks. I am very proud of both of them and they are VERY different. Film Crew and Wet Heat are two films that I am really happy with and they are included in a string of movies I have done in the past 3 years or so that I truly adore and can SEE the growth as a filmmaker. So I can't wait to hear people's reactions to these next two flicks and on the same page...Ski Wolf as well.

UN: Do the negative reviews bother you at all? There seem to be people who arent big on low budget cinema that slam anything they can. The number of people who consider themselves a critic is ridiculous. Just because you have a computer and a DVD player it does not make you a film cricket as Homer Simpson would say.

Chris: Critics don't bother me at all. Good or Bad, you just take it and move on. It's not a big deal. If you think about it critics are just regular peeps with opinions. How come of these people get PAID for that is amazing to me. I don't get it. And even further, why people actually LISTEN to these opinions??? That is so weird. If I like a movie, I like it cus I like it, not cus some Joe Shmoe told me I should like it cus HE or SHE liked it. Fuck that. So either way, it's the nature of the beast. I make movies that sell all over the world and a lot of people see them and a LOT of people are going to comment on them. You just take them and keep cruisin! aint no thang.

UN: Do you think the problem is that people just take themselves far too damn seriously? People need to learn how to laugh. If someone thinks a dude wearing an ape mask flopping around a rubber dildo is meant to be taken seriously they definitely were absent the day they were handing out senses of humor.

Chris: I know that a lot of people don't have the same sense of humor as me and that's fine. Don't watch the movie if you can clearly see on the cover that it's a guy in an ape mask. If you KNOW your going to hate the movie just by looking at the cover, WHY watch it? I'll tell you why...so they can critique it and say I can do better than this. And yes People and filmmakers take themselves WAY too fucking serious. These are just movies. Entertainment. That's it. And when you deal with an LBP movie then don't expect anything deep or hard hitting or BORING. Go watch Brokeback Mountain and Titanic if you want garbage. But if you want to be entertained at the most BASE level...check us out.

UN: When someone does get your brand of humor, do you get a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside? At the end of the day it is about entertaining people and the Low Budget films certainly more than do what they are meant to do.

Chris: If people do like the films I respect them I think. I feel like AH-HAH! They get it! That's what's cool about the fan interaction. My fans are the BEST fucking people on the planet and they truly keep me going.

UN: What can you tell us about Caspian? Do you have a concrete time set for when shooting will happen or is it still in the early stages?

Chris: Caspian looks to shoot in April. Hopefully. I have had so many starts and stops with this flick. But right now everything SEEMS to be going as planned.

UN: How does it make you feel knowing that Lloyd Kaufman is a fan of what you do? He is pretty much responsible for this style of low budget filmmaking and pretty much paved the way for LPB with what he has done with Troma over the years.

Chris: I love Troma and Lloyd. Lloyd has also done a LOT for me and LBP. It was Troma and Peter Jackson and Monty Python that really made me WANT to continue with the comedy and horror thing. It was exactly how I wanted to make my movies. The mixing of the two genres. Lloyd and I have had a long relationship now and it's always an entertaining time with him. I hear stories from Film Festivals that I didn't even go to that Lloyd was there on stage talking up me and LBP and it's just awesome. It was also an honor to end up in his book when I was 23 years old! Very cool. Yeah Lloyd rocks and Troma rocks.

UN: How long on average does it take to shoot a Chris Seaver movie? Do you think a Low Budget shoot has a much different atmosphere than most shoots? You guys seem to have a lot of fun and really enjoy what you are doing.

Chris: An average LBP shoot is 2 and a half days. Sometimes we do 4 days but very rarely. They are fast and furious. I push everyone to the limit and beyond. Sometimes we shoot 27 scenes in 2 days and its fucking insane! The gang is so in tune and so loyal though that it makes it easier. Although it may LOOK like were having the best of times, and in most cases we are, There are also some very shitty times on an LBP set.

UN: Is it easy to get bands interested in having their music in a Low Budget film? You've had some incredible bands in the film and even had a number of bands record songs specifically for films.

Chris: The band thing is cool cus I'm a huge fan of ska and a lot of the bands I bring in are folks that I have known for years. I used to have a ska band myself and I played with a lot of these groups. They are fans of my stuff so it's easy to get them on board. Some of the bands e-mail me and ask if they can be a part of the fun and that's always awesome. To have a band that you dig ASK you if they can write and record a song for a flick is pretty damn awesome if you ask me.

UN: You've already made a ridiculous amount of films and seem to be showing no signs of slowing down. Can we expect you to be making films as long as you still have air left in your lungs?

Chris: I love making movies. Since I was 7 years old it's all I have ever wanted to do and I see no signs at all of slowing, you are correct on that. Although I used to be able to make 6 movies a year and now being a father and a family man I can only make MAYBE 3 films a year. But it's still a passion and it's burning bright. I must admit there are times where I feel burned out and want to give it all up and get depressed over it all, BUT I snap back pretty quick when I manage to make myself laugh with a stupid movie idea and realize how friggin lucky I am to be doing what I love and to know that people out there dig it. So thanks to you all for keeping the LBP train a chuggin along. I look forward to entertaining you or pissing you off in the future! HUZZAH!

Oh and on a side note, After Caspian, Look for the next LBP movie called as of right now DEATHBONE which is a story that was created by Myself, Billy Garberina and Trent Haaga and we plan on shooting that in July! If you like Rambo, Stupid comedy and Deathwish 3 then your gonna love what we have in store for you!!!

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