Shane Ryan Actor, director, writer, editor Director of: Amateur Porn Star Killer, Big Boobs Blonde Babes Bad Blood, Romance Road Killers

Hello, Mr. Ryan, how are things? Uhmm. Okay. Whatever the usually things people say are. I’m not good with small talk. What inspired you to create "Amateur Porn Star Killer"? I can’t give a short answer for this so here it goes. A lot of things. I originally came up with the concept when I was briefly involved with this girl. We came up with a story about an amateur porn star, a girl, who was just turning 18 and wanted to make her big debut, then somebody gets killed and it causes a big mess. But all my flings seem to last roughly 3 weeks (aside from my nearly 3 year relationship) so that idea faded quickly. Another thing was, for some reason, when you make films and you’re name isn’t Tom Cruise, everything goes to shit. I had been making movies with my friends all my life but the second it became known, when I started putting up casting calls and trying to do it professionally, suddenly I became a porn star/director. Apparently if you make movies and you’re not a multi millionaire, the first words, I’m telling ya the very first words out of ANYBODY’S mouth is, “whadaya mean you make movies? Like porn?”

When you live in a small town, there’s this automatic dumbfounded look in peoples faces when it comes to film (even though we‘re a mere 2 hours from Hollywood). So, for years I had these rumors floating around that I made porn. I lost girlfriends, the respect of most of the people at my church, my friends that were naïve enough to buy into it. And for years I couldn’t go anywhere without random strangers saying “aren’t you that porn guy.” It just became a big joke. I had to let it go. And one way was by wearing a shirt around town that said “Amateur Porn Star.” Another way was to just make a movie by the same name (with “killer” added, of course). I don’t know why I thought it would help, but I figured it can’t hurt me, I’m already the next John Holmes according to these people (minus the size, unfortunately). The final thing that motivated me is that I had nothing left to lose. I had been trying my whole life to get just one feature film made, ever since I was 9 years old, and it just wasn’t happening. The last feature I tried to make was “Guerilla Filmmaker 86.” Around that same time the girl next door who I grew up with was killed. Within weeks, my grandmother, who I had lived with my entire life, died of a stroke. A few months later my fiancée splits and immediately gets pregnant by some druggie. Then my best friend suddenly got married, had a child and moved to Texas. Plus, the week my grandmother died, I had to help my father move out of my other home which I was almost incapable of doing since I also became extremely ill that same week, the worst I’ve ever been, and had to go to the emergency room myself. During this time period I was too distracted to pay attention to my small bank account and way over-drafted all of my money and lost my account. So, I really felt like I had nothing to live for, wanted to die, and was doing stupid shit that was going to get me, or perhaps somebody else, killed. So, I said “fuck it. No matter what it takes, I’ going to get a mother fucking feature film made, and have it done by next week before I die. At least I’ll have accomplished something, no matter how bad it may or may not be.” So that was the inspiration to make it. The actual idea for the story came from “8mm.” I don’t care what people say, I love that film. I worship Nic Cage. And stories about private detectives are sometimes my fav (i.e. “Chinatown” and “Devil in a Blue Dress” are two more masterpieces). But the snuff film in “8mm” really bothered me. This was the first I heard of snuff because I was just a teenager when “8mm” came out. So, anyways, I was fascinated with the girl in the snuff movie. You never really get to know her first hand, you just see the letters Cage finds and you see her get slaughtered. And I just couldn’t imagine how anybody gets off on that kind of thing. I’ve come across fake rape sites and all kinds of sick fucking shit on the net and I can’t believe it. It’s disgusting. The fact that there’s so much of it and it sells so much makes me really wonder about the ‘end of days.’ I think Noah and his Ark need to take another sail through this planet and wash away all the scum of the earth (I’ve been watching “Taxi Driver” too much this month). Anyways, before I get sidetracked again, that’s what I wanted to explore, was a movie about this poor little girl who just wanted to be in a movie, but instead of glamour, she got dead. I didn’t want 5 minutes like in “8mm”, I wanted the whole ordeal from beginning to end. So, the only thing I thought I was capable of making with the money in my wallet, the only money I had left, was my snuff film.

How long has Jimenez been with Alter Ego?
Since before we founded the company actually (which was December 2003) so from the get-go. I think her first film was shot around the summer of 2003. “The Cold Heat” (a short film) and “The More The Batter” (a feature - still in post-prod) were shot first, and then she was originally part of “Guerilla Filmmaker 86” (early 2004) and finally “APSK.”

In many scenes of [Amateur Porn Star Killer], the main character is envisioned in a dreamy sequence having sex with a very voluptuous young girl. Is this an allusion to his past crimes, or the fantasy he's living out in his own mind with this girl?
One of the two I had in mind. Never thought about the other possibility but it totally works, so I’ll let you decide.

The main reason, though, was more for symbolism. The blonde, Loren, is a vast contrast to Stacy. She’s ecstatic about the situation, of legal age and doing it at her own will, in a much friendlier-looking environment (possibly her bedroom) and the picture has a soft glowing effect to it which makes it all seem more heavenly-like. Now, compared to Stacy, who is picked up off the streets in the dark night, has black hair and wearing black clothes, is in a cheap motel room, is only 13 years old, and is forced against her will in a video that looks much closer to snuff than the other girl. It’s all there to make you feel the harsh reality of Stacy’s situation and be there with her, experiencing it, and connecting with Stacy and the terrifying event she’s going through.

You managed to add a lot of shocking realism (excuse the cliché) to this film yet there's no blood. Did you want to feature any blood, or was it intentional?
It was pretty much intentional. I had thought about blood at one point but always remembered this exceptionally unsettling scene in Carl Franklin’s film “One False Move.” This girl is being brutality stabbed to death while we see a home video of her playing on the television set in the background. In the home video, which was shot just minutes before her murder, she’s cheerful and having a good time with her friends and family. Watching this, while watching her being killed all in the same frame, was horrifying. And I didn’t even realize until listening to Franklin’s commentary that there wasn’t any blood in that scene. We never even see the knife enter her body. Years later, when it came time to filming “APSK,” I still remembered that.

So, given the fact that I couldn’t afford the time or money to do a bloody scene anyways, I went with Franklin’s idea. And the thought of making a film that had the potential to be disturbing because of the violence, without even having any blood, was just very - I don’t know - exhilarating. Could I pull it off? There’s only one killing, it’s not even on camera, and there’s no blood. If people get on me or claim this is a violent film, well, then I must have done something right. And I definitely have gotten shit for the violence in this film, so I guess it worked. I think you even put in the review that it contained graphic violence. But it’s really all in the idea that this 13 year-old girl who was just raped and humiliated on camera is now being suffocated and punched to death and nobody’s there to help her. The idea is graphic. But what you actually see isn’t at all. There’s really no visible violence.

How long have you been in the film business?
Since I was about 3 I guess. I modeled briefly when I was 3 and my dad started taking me to movies at that time which fascinated me (he said I was the only kid that age that didn’t say a word or make noise and just had my eyes pinned to the screen from start to finish). Then he started showing me how to edit with professional equipment when I was about 5. I started actually making films around the age of 7. But I’d say I didn’t actually sit down and decide to approach it professionally with total commitment until I was 19. Shortly after that I had the opportunity to work on some really distinguished films. I was the music editor on the DVD release of Fritz Lang’s “Dr. Mabuse” and composed some music for “Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1894-1941” as well as some other classics. But I know nothing about music, so it’s kinda funny how that’s been my biggest “professional” accomplishment.

Alter Ego has established a large amount of rave reviews, are you surprised by the reaction to them?
I guess. I dunno. Considering we make our films with budgets that average around 50 bucks I’d say it’s pretty awesome because I’ve seen some remarkable films that get equal or lower ratings. I can’t believe it. But at the same time I’ve seen people praise total shit, or call my work total shit. I really don’t know how to deal with it yet. Good or bad. It’s just weird when people you’ve never met know all about you, have seen you naked, and then randomly approach you. I couldn’t imagine actually being famous.

The weirdest thing about the review process is just not knowing what people are going to like. I was extremely proud of “Isolation,” “Sane” and “The Cold Heat” but “Isolation” was the only one that really got the praise and festival recognition. And then I had films I was thinking nobody would like, such as “The Little Guy Kicks Ass,” “So, We Killed Our Parents” and now “Amateur Porn Star Killer” that have received loads of press and stuff. Everything is a wild card. I never know how to judge it. So that’s why I’m not ashamed to put any of my work out there. You never know what people will think, might as well take the chance. Plus, I made it, so it all means something to me.

Do you send dead kittens and bombs to the people who give negative reviews?
No, I hate violence. But I did meet somebody in person the other day who had thrashed my work, in a very uncalled for manner, and I wanted so bad to get in his face and just slap him like a little bitch. But he was so pathetic looking that it made me realize I should never give a shit about what anybody says ever again. They’re most likely just ashamed of themselves and trying to take somebody else down with them.

I did once drop a rock on an already dead cat when I was a kid, and still feel bad about it to this day.

"The Movie Extra" seems to be not only a spoof of the acting world, but you seem to also be voicing a lot of frustration within the five minute window.
Yeah, I most definitely was. I am an extra, when I really need the money, and just have had the worst time getting work over the past 6 months. Everything I call in for, I’m rejected from. Most of the time I’m either too short (because everybody my age is supposedly 5’10 or taller) or I’m too old to play younger (because the cut-off for high school kids they’re making at 23-25 years old, even though I still get carded for R-Rated movies) or I fit everything but I’m the wrong ethnicity, or you have to have some extravagant vehicle (what extra who makes minimum wage can afford a hummer or some $85,000 sports car, c’mon), or you have to have some random off-the-wall skill that nobody has. And if I actually do fit the description down to every detail, then I get rejected for not being attractive. It never ends. It’s worthless. In “Just Like Heaven” everybody had to be “super-super-hot-drop-dead-gorgeous.” In the hospital scenes the nurses, the doctors, the patients, the visitors, the janitors all had to look like super models. I mean, what the fuck? We don’t need to see beautiful people in the background, scrubbing the floor, looking like Fabio. We’re focused on Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, right?

Did you do all your own singing in "I Killed Tom@MySpace"?
No, Nick Lachey doubled for me to express his anger over Jessica.

Seriously, though, that was kinda hard trying to sound that bad. It took me awhile because at first I only sounded bad, but not pathetic. It wouldn’t have been funny, it would just have been lame. I needed to really suck, so I just kept doing it over and over until I really got into it. By the time I got into it, it sucked. But I still had to combine 2 takes, that’s why there’s the edit, but that edit actually, I think, made it better.

Other than the obvious, what inspired you to make that film? Are you a My Space addict as well?
I just knew it would get people’s attention. I’m at the point where something needs to happen now, or I’m gonna have to find another career choice. And since there’s nothing else I know how to do, feel good doing, or want to do, then I’m fucked if something doesn’t happen soon, whether it be as an actor, writer or director, I love all 3. I started directing so I could get acting parts and writing has always been my biggest joy, but I stopped writing when I started directing, that’s why my stuff’s pretty visual without a lot of dialogue.

But “I Killed Tom” gave me a chance to write some dialogue and actually verbalize some dialogue as an actor. So did “The Movie Extra.” And I knew both would get some attention. “The Movie Extra” was personal, but with Tom, I could really care less.

I wrote all the things about MySpace and Tom just by stating the obvious and using my own imagination. It wasn’t that hard, it was actually really easy, I just didn’t think it was going to turn out good. But I guess it did. I don’t have any personal grudge or opinions about Tom, though, that’s the funny part. This movie made people think I really care but I don’t. I get on MySpace to network and occasionally talk to my friends, that’s it. It has a lot of problems and people get really ridiculous about it, but whatever. I’ve had several people actually message me and say “why don’t you like Tom, what did he do to you?” Nothing! I don’t care. It’s just a little skit I filmed. If I make a movie about killing amateur porn stars it doesn’t mean I did. If I make a movie about killing my parents it doesn’t mean I’d do it. And if I made a movie about killing Tom it doesn’t mean I hate him. It’s just a movie!

Was "Romance Road Killers" inspired by the killing spree of Charles Starkweather?
Partially. Jacob, the lead boy, is basically a combination of Starkweather and myself. Isabelle, the lead girl, is elements of Caril Ann (Starkweather’s girl), co-writer/director Emily Wryn’s life and other true incidents.

I have been working on a story since I was a kid about a guy and girl on the run, involving murder and foster care. Originally there was no romance because I was really young when I first had the idea. Then I started watching all these similar movies inspired by Starkweather (“Wild at Heart,” “Badlands,” “Kalifornia,” “True Romance,” “Natural Born Killers,” etc.) around the same time I started developing an interest in girls. So, that story (which I actually spent 3 years shooting from the time I was 9 to the time I was 12) turned into a script I was working on with my mom when I was around 18-19.

Then it was put away when I started directing again and came back to me about a year and a half ago in the form of “Romance Road Killers.” Alex Payne was up here shooting “Sideways” and it gave me the idea to make my film into a road trip movie and take advantage of all the great scenery around here. That was around the time I heard that Starkweather had actually inspired all these films, so we’ve been spending that time researching him, reading every novel we can find about it, and also digging deep into the minds of kids that kill, abusive parents, and most of all, kids that age out of the foster care system and end up on the streets, like Jacob. California is by far the worst state for the amount of kids in foster care, so, it just happened to work out that our movie takes place here. In all these films people seem to dream about getting to California, as if that will solve everything, so we thought it’d be interesting to have the kids start out in California with their hopes and dreams already shattered.

You stated in "Big Boobs..." that you were given a lot of hot water when you released "So, We Killed Our Parents", how far did it get? Did people actually think these murders were real?
People are just…I dunno. It makes no sense. If you just have a kissing scene in your film they freak if there’s no budget, but they’ll turn on their television set and watch a billion people make out and it doesn’t effect them whatsoever. People are just so close-minded when it comes to sex, especially in independent films, and especially if it was shot in their town.

I think it’s obvious that people would freak because of the whole incest thing, but calling the violence extreme or the sex exploitative, c’mon. You see a nipple for one second, that’s the only nudity. And as far as violence, you only see some fake blood. I’ve never had a budget for any gore or anything. But “Freddy vs. Jason” was filled with gore and had pointless nudity, so what’s the deal? It’s money. That’s it. If money is involved, if a name is involved, then it’s accepted. So, therefore, these people are complete hypocrites. It all comes down to money, power and fame, even if they don’t know it. If the people who have these things say it’s okay, then it’s automatically deemed acceptable. Nobody thinks twice. But if the boy next door does the same exact thing, suddenly you’re a demon doing the devil’s dirty work.

I don’t think anybody ever thought this movie was real, it was shot with known local people everyone knew and it wasn’t shot like a documentary at all. It was just the name and the subject matter while not having money or a big name distributor to back it up. Plus, most people in this town, or any small town, don’t understand what a short film is. It’s not a real movie according to them. Therefore it must be porn.

We actually just had a 15 year old kid (same age as in the movie) stab his mother to death then dump her body in the mountains so I got a couple comments about that, but that was just a weird and unsettling coincidence.

You love to use slow-motion in many of your films. What's your fascination with it?
It captures something the human eye doesn’t. A lot can be said with just one glance, one look, one gesture. Most of these things you wouldn’t notice unless you were up-close watching it happen in slow-motion, which is what a camera can capture. It can say a lot if used correctly. After all, film/video is a visual medium, why not take advantage of it? Some people have really hated my films for the slow-motion, and demanded more dialogue, but it’s just how I see the world a lot of the time. It’s my point of view, my _expression, my artwork. Looks can be a story. The atmosphere and your surroundings can tell a story, create a mood. You don’t always need words to speak. Sometimes it’s just the moments in life that count. It’s all about moments for me. I’ve had lots of moments but not much stability. My real-life stories are scattered but sometimes I can express it all by capturing just one look from somebody and freezing it, or slowing it down.

Slow-motion also makes video look softer sometimes and more like film. Or just less like video. I can’t stand the video look. Blow up the contrast, make it slow-motion, something! Just get rid of that home video look. It’s a pet peeve I have. Which is why I go through lots of trouble sometimes to make things look gritty. Slow-motion can help create a style. So, that’s another reason I use it. John Woo was my inspiration for slow-motion, to be honest. I’m probably the only person that can say “Mission Impossible 2” changed my life. He really went over the top with that one (his best stuff was obviously back in his Hong Kong days) but the looks Thandie Newton and Tom Cruise exchange in the car chase scene really inspired me a lot. I felt that moment, no matter how much of a cheesy action film that was. Not to mention I have a huge crush on Thandie so it just helped me appreciate the beauty of that moment.

I read you're seeking distribution for "Amateur Porn Star Killer". How is that going for you guys?
Well, we were holding out forever on this one company but they shot us down since we don’t have any name-stars and they already have too many horror films with no names in them (although it was a nice let-down as they’re open to our future projects).

But my argument is, is that we’re heading back towards the 1970’s mentality of filmmaking (thank God), where people had had it with all the stars and glamour and wanted more edgy, dangerous films, without big names and more real-to-life people you can connect with. Films that had something to say. I mean, look at the success of the films in the past few years. They keep acting surprised when a big-name blockbuster fails and stuff like “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Open Water,” “Blair Witch,” “Garden State,” “Crash,” “Brokeback Mountain,” etc, etc, are hits, but these movies are constantly becoming hits when given a chance. People don’t care about the names anymore, they want films that come from the heart. That take risks. Everything has been mindless entertainment for so long.

The thing is, is that we just need a balance, but Hollywood doesn’t understand that. When something’s a hit, they only want to make that hit over and over and over. The key is moderation, which you think people would have learned by now. It’s like that with everything. We need to keep an equal amount of independent films and blockbuster entertainment, after all it is called “arts & entertainment.”

So, anyways, we’re checking with some other companies right now. I don’t know how many people will like this film but I do know it will sell - a lot. Just because of the name. Our trailers for it have had tens of thousands of hits and we’ve personally received hundreds of messages from people wanting to purchase it, and this is just from the little but of exposure it’s received. So, I know it’ll sell. We just need a distributor to realize that.

Are you currently accepting applications for actors and actresses, if so how can aspiring artists contact Alter Ego?
Sorta. If one lives in Southern California we are still accepting submissions for “Romance Road Killers” which we will start filming as soon as we secure financing (this film will actually have a budget beyond 50 bucks, hopefully). But as far as our other films, everybody from AEC usually just shoots stuff in between whatever else in life we’re doing. It’s usually spur of the moment, so casting just ends up being local talent we can throw together in a few days, or sometimes a few hours.

People can always submit they’re headshots and resumes (to alteregocinema@yahoo.com), but our stuff is so underground I just don’t see it happening yet with actors who are actually seeking work professionally.

What advice can you offer to aspiring filmmakers and producers seeking to get their films out there?
That’s kind of a hard question. I’m still trying. I guess the first thing would be to make sure you have a website (well, first thing is to have a film). That’s pretty much mandatory now. Make it simple, but catchy. I’ve seen lots of websites that are really slick, but too damn confusing. If it takes more than 5-10 seconds for somebody to figure out how to enter your site, forget it.

Another thing is make sure you have releases for everything, avoid copyrighted music, logos, anything you do not have the rights to. I still see filmmakers constantly not doing this.

When it comes to festivals, make sure that you do your homework. Submit to the right ones that fit your kind of film. Make sure you check the guidelines. Enter free ones, there’s lots of good free film festivals or ones that are really cheap to enter. They don’t all cost 30-100 bucks. There’s lots of 5-10 dollar ones and no entry fee festivals.

Get your film out to reviewers, like Cinema Crazed! Film Threat and lots of other places will review your film too. We’ve had stories and pictures in the local papers about 15 times, so get a hold of your local papers, get on local TV. Make a trailer and put it online everywhere you can. Undergroundfilm.org, YouTube, MySpace (yeah, MySpace) are all free places to host your films. Send stories of your film to movie sites. Do whatever you can that doesn’t cost you anything, and there’s quite a bit of stuff you can do. Go to film festivals and pass out flyers for your website (just don’t piss off the festival - ask them, and they surprisingly might let you, especially if you’re local). And make friends with EVERYBODY. Remember, it’s who you know, not what you know. But you better know what you’re doing if you finally connect with the right person. And you never know who might be somebody one day, so don’t piss people off.

That’s pretty much what we’ve done so I don’t know what else. If you do lemme know.

The last thing I could say is just get ready to hear the most rudest, nastiest, lamest remarks anybody has ever said to you. People are pathetic, and they’ll try and make you feel miserable, so don’t let it get to you. The more people that love you, the more haters you’re going to get. And that can hurt. I’ll hear 30 compliments in one day and then the second I get a rude comment it gets me down. Don’t let that happen, just ignore it. The key is if you can turn your ears off to all the bullshit people spit at you, but keep them open to the constructive criticism, which can really help sometimes. But learning how to do that is probably harder than actually making a movie.

What are you working on right now? What do you have lined up for audiences, next?
We are still in post-production of “The More The Better” (about gay, lesbian and straight interracial relationships) and “Reality Sucks” (about out-of-work actors, writers, directors who rage war on reality show producers). So, hopefully those will be done eventually. And then, of course, we’re trying to secure distribution for “Amateur Porn Star Killer” and “Big Boobs, Blonde Babes, Bad Blood.”

But all of our time lately has been devoted to getting “Romance Road Killers” made. That’s our biggie. That’s my baby. So, that’s the main thing we got going on.

Shameless plug time:
In three words, why should people be interested in your company?
I dunno…potency.

For more information on Alter Ego Cinema, "Amateur Porn Star Killer", or anything else you've read during this interview, be sure and visit Alter Ego's official website: http://www.alteregocinema.com, which is already on my bookmarks. There you'll find reviews, production notes, and so much more.

Our thanks go out to the kind folks at Alter Ego including Michael Brian, and many thanks to director Shane Ryan for taking the time out to answer our questions and filling us in! Best of luck, guys, we're rooting for you.