UN: How did the two of you initially first become interested in film making? Was it something you both enjoyed from a young age?

Luke: Yes, we were always goofing around with a video camera when we were in high school, making short little movies for our family and friends. And around the winter of 1999, a group of friends got together with us to make our first short horror film Teenage Zombie House Massacre. It was a lot of fun and I think the response we received from our friends inspired us to continue making films.

UN: When did the idea for Midnight Skater first come about? Was it a difficult movie to make? Im sure it was quite the learning experience.

Andy: It started when our friend and first effects artist, Ezra Haidet, brought home the Alvin wig and glasses from Mr. Funs costume shop. The rest pretty much wrote itself.

UN: How did your relationship with Tempe Video start? Did you send them a copy of Midnight Skater and they wanted to release the DVD?

Luke: After we had made Midnight Skater, we got a booth at a horror convention in Cleveland called Fright Vision where we were selling VHS copies for $5. Tempe Video also had a table there and I think a friend of ours gave J.R. Bookwalter a copy of the movie. A couple of weeks later he called us and said he enjoyed the film and wanted to release it on his new label Splatter Rampage.

UN: How long after Midnight Skater was finished did you guys start to make Demon Summer? I was also curious to ask how exactly did the Thai version of the movie come about.

Luke: I believe that Demon Summer was made one year after Midnight Skater. And the Thai version just happened because a company in Thailand wanted to release a dubbed version of Demon Summer. We made sure to grab a couple of copies of that version because the film is even funnier dubbed poorly in Thai.

UN: How long did pre-production for The Red Skulls take? Did you approach the process any differently with this film than the previous films?

Luke: I think we started writing the Red Skulls in Jan. 2004 and we started filming in May 2004. The pre-production was very different from our previous films because we were much more dedicated and experienced at this point. I think we were very proud that we had made two films that were in distribution and I knew that we could make a much better film too. Our group of friends and actors that had been a part of our previous movies were also more dedicated and helped us a lot with costuming, set design, etc. I think that The Red Skulls was one of the most fun filming experiences Ive had.

UN: Was it a tough shoot? I'm sure with low budget features you must run into a lot of setbacks. Is there a lot of problem solving needed on the set at times?

Andy: I wouldn't call it tough I just remember it as being the most fun. Any shoot that puts you in Youngstown every day with a dozen drunk kids covered in fake blood and zombie warts, wearing chains and denim that is two or three sizes too small and sitting at a Mexican restaurant that (so I've heard) was shutdown after that summer for sanitary reasons- isn't very tough. And yeah, we problem solved.

UN: How has the response to The Red Skulls been? Has it been selling well? Have the reviews been favorable?

Andy: I don't really know what is considered selling well when it comes to low budget horror dvds it gets around some. It doesnt help me buy burritos every day, ya know what I mean.

UN: Does it bother you at all that some people cant look past the budget of a movie and enjoy what the movie has to offer rather than what it doesnt? It seems like there are people who cut down any movie that isnt super glossy regardless of whether theyve seen the movie or not.

Luke: Well, maybe a couple of years ago I would have said yes- but in the past couple of years I stopped caring about what people think of our films. If someone wants to see million dollar explosions and CG graphics with Hollywood stars, then they probably just arent going to like something like Midnight Skater. I think film is a lot like music in that regard. Some people like the sound of an overproduced teenage pop singer, and others like a lo-fi punk band. And some like both.

UN: What can you tell us about Cordoba Nights? It seems quite a bit different from your previous features? Was the budget a bit higher this time around?

Luke: Well, I think it is very different. We did have a larger budget for the film and it was our first non-horror film. After the blood and guts of The Red Skulls, I think we were ready to try something else. We were very interested on shooting it on film which led us to finding a little bit more money to make the movie with. It is by far the favorite film weve done and I hope that later next year people will get a chance to enjoy it as well.

UN: I also noticed that you shot the film on 16mm. Are you happy with the results? Were you going for a different look than your previous films, which if Im not mistaken were shot on digital video?

Luke: We did shoot the film on 16mm and I really love the way it turned out. The process of shooting on film is very different that shooting video, and I think that it made me enjoy the filmmaking experience more. I prefer the look of film and I think it will be more apart of our future films.

UN: When can we expect the DVD for Cordoba Nights to be released? Will Tempe be releasing it or are you looking for a different distributor?

Luke: We will be releasing a limited edition version of Cordoba Nights in just a couple of months on DVD and VHS. There will be a limited number of copies of each and they come with some really cool packaging and what not. We are in the process of finding national distribution for the film as well and I hope it will get a larger release next year.

UN: Cordoba Nights has been playing at a few film festivals in the last little while. How has the response been to the film? Is it exciting to watch the film play in front of an audience? Did any of your previous films play at festivals?

Andy: Ummm yes. Red Skulls played at some joke fest in New York. I think I was the New York international and independent film fest (that sound right?). We wasted money going to that. As for Cordoba- yeah, its always fun to have an audience watch it and talk to us afterwards about this or that.

UN: Your next feature Poison Sweethearts looks to be a throwback to the revenge films of the 70's. Were there any films in particular that influenced Poison Sweethearts?

Luke: It is a very throwback film. I dont know if there was a film in particular that influenced it, but I would say it is inspired by some of H.G. Lewiss films and various other horrible 1970s films that no one has ever heard of.

UN: Is Poison Sweethearts going to be a straight to DVD release or will there be any screenings of the film? Any bonus features in the works yet for the DVD?

Luke: Poison Sweethearts will be released on DVD in a couple of months from Tempe. We will be having some screenings of it early next year. If you check our website www.compoundpictures.com it will have dates and locations. And Im sure there will be a couple of interesting bonus features on the DVD release.

UN: I noticed that you shot Poison Sweethearts on a different format. Was it a big jump up in terms of image quality?

Luke: Well, I think it was both a jump up and down. Most of the film was shot on HD-Video which is higher quality that the other digital features we've shot. And part of the movie was shot on Super-8mm which is a step down in quality from the 16mm we used on Cordoba Nights. I think this film has a very unique look to it.

UN: After Poison Sweethearts is released, what do you guys have planned next? Are you planning any downtime or will you start a new feature right away? Do you have anything in the planning stages?

Luke: Right now I think we are very focused on getting the final cut of Poison Sweethearts finished and getting the special edition of Cordoba Nights on DVD and VHS. I know we both have film ideas floating around the brain at all times, whenever the next idea surfaces that needs to be made, we'll probably work on that.

Visit the Compound Pictures Website