|
Well, seeing as there is next to no info
about you on the IMdb, how about giving us a brief
review of The David Quitmeyer Story? Your
background, education, whatever information you
care to share?
 I've been a fan of the horror genre ever
since I can remember. I've just always liked
monsters and scenes of blood spraying all over the
place. I was the kid in class whose parents were
called in because I had drawn a picture of
somebody getting their head cut off with graphic
detail – we're talking arteries, trachea, spinal
fluid, etc.
When I was in Jr. High the creative writing bug
bit me and after a while I decided I wanted to be
a filmmaker so I could make movies based on my
stories. I published a few works and made a few
films throughout high school and college but
nothing ever really took off.
I
have an Associate's Degree in Applied Science and
a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. As
creative as I have always been, my family
strong-armed me to get degrees that I could "fall
back on". I hated them at the time, but now I'm
able to pay my bills while some of my friends are
collecting soda cans for gas money.
How did you get involved in the film industry,
particularly the adult film industry? And I
have read you consider yourself only a “part-time”
pornographer – what do you do “full-time”?
How did I get my start? Well, once upon a time ago
I was an Internet Developer and I set up a ton of
corporate and adult websites. I started setting
up live video chats at a few places that made porn
films and one day they asked me to help out on a
shoot. It wasn't long after that they handed me
the camera because I was doing a great job at it.
While I was working for one of these sites I met
my friend Chris Spoto. We worked together briefly
and then our paths crossed again about a year
later. We were both sick and tired of slaving
away for people and watching them rake in the
money. We were also very sick and tired of all the
mindless porn out there. We stuck our heads
together and created our first adult feature,
“Clown Porn” (The Movie). That movie really
grabbed a lot of people's attention in the adult
industry. We've also received a ton of press and
media exposure for the film. We've been on “The
Howard Stern Show”, numerous other radio shows and
a number of mainstream magazines such as “Rolling
Stone”, “Maxim” and “FHM”.
Chris and I have always wanted to do more than just
make porn films; we've wanted to be creative
filmmakers. While Chris and I have a ton of
similarities, we also have some creative
differences, mainly being that I am a horror
fanatic.
Right now I earn my living as a Respiratory Care
Practitioner. I work 2-3 days a week at the
hospital and the rest of the time I work on film
projects.
“Slaughter Disc” started out as a short story,
“The Tape”, that you wrote 15 years ago.
When you first wrote it, did it have the same
“cautionary” theme as the film, about the dangers
of addiction, whether to pornography, drugs,
alcohol, etc.?
Yes it did. I really didn't change the
original story too much when I wrote the
screenplay. I just had to shuffle a few
things around and cut out a ton of the gore. All I
really did was modernize the story by adding cell
phones, the Internet and DVD technology.
Those things didn't exist when I originally wrote
the story.
Where did you find Caroline Pierce, the adult film
actress who plays Andromeda Strange? In the
“Behind-the-Scenes” extra on the DVD, she seems to
be having a lot of fun doing what is probably her
first more “mainstream” film? Will we be
seeing more of Andromeda in future films?
 Caroline
responded to a casting call I had online for “Slaughter
Disc”. After reading the script she told me it
was as if I had written the story for her.
Caroline has done some extra work on mainstream
movies, art films and TV shows, but I think “Slaughter
Disc” marks her first starring role in either
industry.
If everything works out according to my plans,
Andromeda will actually be the hostess for all of
the future Carnal Morgue films. If there's enough
interest and money, I'll do a sequel to “Slaughter
Disc” that explores the origin and motives of
Andromeda Strange.
How did you go about casting the role of Mike and
how did you finally decide on Robert Williams,
especially as this is his first feature film?
All of the male actors had to audition for
the role by either reading lines from the script
or reciting a monologue. Casting Mike was a hard
choice because there were two other actors who
were really good too. I couldn't make up my mind
so I started showing the casting video to a number
of friends and said, "Who the hell should I
pick?" The consensus was to use Robert because he
was more believable on camera.
With a budget of only $9,000 you became
“Everyman” on the set, not only writing and
directing but casting, editing, cinematographer,
wardrobe consultant, publicist, SFX artist and
playing Mike’s boss in a cameo. Wasn’t all that
exhausting or did your extended shooting schedule
make all of that a bit easier?
Extended? Ha! We filmed most of the movie in
four days! Seriously, every scene involving
Andromeda or Carrie was shot in that four-day
period. I then had to edit most of that
footage to create the scenes that played on the
television during the scenes with Mike.
While it was a bit of a burden at the time, I
believe it actually worked out better for the
film. I didn't have to try and get my point
across to a large crew. I had a makeup person and
a PA on hand for some of the more complicated
scenes, but other than that I would just grab the
camera and shoot. Oh yeah, I was also the stunt
cock for the masturbation scene where Mike became
a little too close and personal with the
television.
When I watched the movie, I thought it was a
very adult and twisted version of “The Ring”.
Did that film have any influence on “Slaughter
Disc”? Definitely helped the “creepy” factor
for me.
I've talked about this in a number of other
interviews – and I've had some pretty heated
exchanges over the subject – but basically I wrote
the story “Slaughter Disc” is based on without
ever having any prior knowledge of “The Ring”/”Ringu”.
When I saw “The Ring” in the theaters I was very
upset because there were some very strong
similarities between the two. However, I think if
you place the stories side by side, they have very
little in common.
I had some male friends of mine ask about the
blood Andromeda masturbates with (as though I’m an
authority on such a subject!) and I guessed, and
apparently correctly, that it was red-colored KY
jelly or some brand of personal lubricant. What
was used for the “brains” Andromeda eats? I
remember jam or jelly in the “Behind-the-Scenes”
extra but there had to be more to get that VERY
realistic (and quease-inducing, for me, effect).
We
had to use water-soluble lubricant for the vaginal
blood because using anything with high sugar
content, such as corn syrup, could have caused an
instant massive yeast infection in our actress.
For the brains, we used a mixture of grape jelly,
strawberry jelly and bananas. One of the effects
people I consulted with gave me the recipe.
 You
list a number of problems you had both during and
after the production of “Slaughter Disc”.
Now that the DVD is out, are you getting any
backlash from the mainstream horror fan who might
not have known what they were getting themselves
into?
Most of the feedback I get is from people who love
the film, despite its few setbacks. Yes, I
know the sound sucks in places but there's nothing
you can do when your sound person quits on the day
of the shoot and you have no budget. You
just have to press forward and pray for the best.
For a guy with no formal film school training I
get a lot of amazed looks from other filmmakers
after they're watched the movie.
The film is pretty gory and I read that you once
worked in the ER of a regional trauma center.
Any secrets to getting that realistic blood that
SO many low-budget films just cannot seem to
manage?
I still work in the ER, so I'm reminded of how
real blood looks every day. There are two common
misconceptions most filmmakers have about blood:
One, it's bright red and Two, it sprays out from
wounds in huge plumes. Real blood is dark and it
oozes more than it "sprays". There are some
occasions in real life where you could get bright
red plumes of blood if you rapidly severed an arm,
but it wouldn't last for long as the body would
run out of fluid volume. For “Slaughter
Disc” we used a mix of over-the-counter stage
bloods to create our effects. We also used medical
syringes and IV tubing to pump the blood for the
effect.
How well did the adult film actors handle
doing a more “mainstream” film like “Slaughter
Disc”? And who in the cast besides Caroline is in
the adult industry?
Everybody had a great time filming the movie.
It was something original and unique, which
doesn't happen too often in either the mainstream
or adult industries. It might surprise you,
but there are a number of actors out there who do
both mainstream and adult work under different
stage names.
Travis Lee, who plays John, was the only other
adult industry professional that we had in the
movie.
Is The Carnal Morgue your invention and what can
viewers expect next from the Morgue?
DQ: Yes, The Carnal Morgue is indeed my
invention. It's my homage to the monster shows I
grew up with such “Tales from the Crypt” and “The
Twilight Zone”, but with more of an adult twist.
It's my goal to create an anthology of horror
stories that have very strong sexual overtones.
I don't want to disappoint anybody, but not
everything The Carnal Morgue produces is going to
be as hardcore as “Slaughter Disc”, but then again
some it will be much harder. It all depends on
the plot of the story and the characters involved.
Our next project is a short film I'm calling “Mail
Order Bride”, which is basically about a
customizable sex doll made from spare body parts.
Were there ever any “embarrassing” moments for
your cast or crew who may not have had any
experience with adult films before “Slaughter
Disc”?
It's funny you mention that. Actually my two
makeup artists, Catherine and Ashley, had never
been around an adult shoot before. They were both
extremely interested in learning and that's part
of what drew them into the project. At first
it was a little weird for them – and I think it
was more dealing with the naked guys than anything
else. It's one thing to see a stranger naked
and to see him jerking-off between takes to keep
his wood. On the other hand it was really
uncomfortable for me to film the scenes of Mike
masturbating. Often I would just turn on the
camera and look away because if I looked at him I
would just bust up laughing. I put a few of those
scenes in the outtakes, but there are plenty more
where that came from.
What sort of fan reaction have you received
so far? I see that you and the cast will be
appearing at NecroComicon September 30 through
October 2 in Woodland Hills at the Spooky
House Haunted
Theme Park. What can fans expect at that appearance?
Most of our fans love the movie and they can't
wait for the next thing we do. Both men and
women seem to really like the character of
Andromeda Strange and the eerie/sexy vibe she
commands then she is on the screen.
NecroComicon will be a fun time for anybody who
attends and they are arranging a special screening
of “Slaughter Disc”. Caroline and I will be there
to meet fans and sign autographs. We'll have DVDs
of “Slaughter Disc” there as well as some other
cool merchandise. I'm hoping on having the
“Slaughter Disc” soundtrack available by then as
well, but right now I can't make any promises. We
may have some of the other cast and crew drop by
our table just to mix things up a little.
 What
are some of your favorite horror movies?
Wow. I love most all of them. My top five
would have to be “Hellraiser”, “House of 1000
Corpses”, “The Blair Witch Project”, “Alien” and
“Re-Animator”.
Do you read many horror writers and if so, who are
among your favorites?
Stephen King and Clive Barker have been my bread
and water for many years. I also enjoy the
Hot Blood anthology of erotic horror.
Is there anything I haven’t asked you that
you would like to add, about anything?
Seven inches.
What is one thing people don’t know about
David Quitmeyer but you think they should?
I don't play by the rules and I never will.
|
