Most recently, director Alex Ferrari has been pushing to fund his project “Red Princess Blues” and along with a bevy of crew members from Numb Robot, he’s pushed to fuel his potential film franchise and hopefully we’ll be granted another splatter series of “Kill Bill” proportions. Ferrari along with director Dan Cregan continue their strategic push for film funding by creating a short introduction into the universe of Princess, with “Red Princess Blues: The Book of Violence” an animated action short showing our title character as a child learning the tricks of her trade and gaining a fascination with knives, which Ferrari hopes will be the jumping point and potential hook for buyers and producers. He is not alone though, as he has gifted Special effect supervisor and storyboard artist Dan Cregan who took it upon himself to grab the preamble to the film series and hopefully spark interest creating an eye catching and exciting prologue to bait potential fans hoping to see more. As well, Ferrari and co. have movie star Paula Garces at the helm.
How long have you been working in film and special effects?
I’ve been in the business about 5 years now… ever since I was asked to do some freelance work on a film while I was in grad school. I saw “Red Princess Blues,” and being a fan of The Enigma Factory, I was simply blown away by it, so my compliments on the film. Thank you very much.
I likened the “Red Princess Blues” prologue to the story of Lucy Liu’s character in “Kill Bill,” was that coincidental?
Not entirely. That was one of the many inspirational influences that made me want to do something like this film. I remember telling Alex that I wanted to direct a short animated film because I had been doing a lot of visual effects work for live action films and I thought it would be a great change of pace. I’ve been a huge fan of Japanese Anime since I was a kid and this seemed like the perfect time to attempt one of my own.
How long did it take to complete “The Book of Violence”?
About six months.
What was the overall budget on the short?
It was just man hours for the most part. I already had the software so it was just the value that I put on my time. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without Alex, our amazing actors or the incredible sound design by Mark Roumelis of Cmpozr Inc. Honestly, knowing how many hours I put into it… not to mention all the work done by the people who helped… I imagine it would have been pretty expensive, but there’s no real way to put a number on it.
How long have you and Alex Ferrari worked together?
A little over three years now. Time flies…
What has the general reaction been to this, and has the faith in this project flourished after the short?
So far so good. All the reviews have been positive and many people have remarked that this was a unique way to promote a project. Making an independent short animated prequel or prologue for a live action film hasn’t been done many times in the independent film community. I can only hope that it sells Alex’s live action film in a way that just a script and some storyboards wouldn’t.
Where would you and Alex go after this introduction?
Hopefully, there is someone in the business who would be interested in helping us make the feature and we can get right into that as quickly as possible. The live action film itself has a much different tone than the Anime but it shouldn’t feel like a total departure.
Are you including this short film as a way to sell the concept of “Red Princess Blues”?
That’s the plan.
Would this short act as a completely detached part of the story, or a prologue?
It has some elements that are in the live action feature but it also fills in a few gaps. It should feel like a good compliment to the feature film.
Where are you and Alex shopping this film to?
Pretty much anyone in the business who would like to take a look at it. Festival showings will also be a part of it’s life span. Hopefully one day it will be a feature on the Red Princess Blues DVD!
Could you see “Red Princess Blues” living on as a franchise?
I can see a lot of possibilities in live action and animation. Anything is possible… with a little luck we’ll get to find out.
What is Enigma Factory doing to get the word out about the movie?
We’ll be using the web, taking industry meetings and and playing the festival circuit… then we may start telemarketing… no… on second thought… not the last one.
How can fans of the film, Ferrari, you, and Garces contribute to helping this movie get shopped and made?
I guess by just trying to get the word out to as many people as possible. If you know someone in the business let them know you want to see more from us.
Where can people find more from you?
www.numbrobot.com
Thanks for the interview Mr. Cregan!
My pleasure!