Interview with RISEN director Damon Crump

We have been following the progression of Risen for a while now and it has always looked and sounded like an impressive film. Risen has been making the festival rounds and has carved out quite a name for itself by taking Best Feature Film and Best Make-Up Effects at the Chicago Horror Film Festival this past October.

"For Sam Mills(Joseph Thackery), his wife Jenny (Gigi Erneta, El Chupacabra, Crossed, Raptor) and his brother Nick (Jason Harper,) the dawn of a new day in suburbia quickly becomes hell on earth when an army of flesh-eating dead invades. With their infant daughter suddenly lost in a city abandoned by the living and ruled by the dead, Sam and Jenny embark on a desperate mission to find her. When the rising tide of the dead forces them into a makeshift rescue station under the rule of a lone Texas Ranger (Steven Lee) and beseiged by ravenous hordes, they fight to prove that a parent's love for a child is a force not even the undead can stop."

We had the chance to sit down with Risen director Damon Crump to talk about Risen...

FD: Damon, tell us a little more about your film career. How long have you been working in film?

DC: I’ve been writing, producing, directing, shooting and editing film and video productions for nearly 19 years now. I started my own production company, Jackalope Entertainment a few years after college, and I’ve mostly made my living off commercials and corporate work, but movies have always been the goal, and I’ve tried to stay involved when I can.

FD: What inspired you to take up film? Where did you begin?

DC: Ever since I saw the” Making of Star Wars” on TV back in the late 70’s, I was intrigued with filmmaking. Soon after that I began making short films with my dad’s super 8mm camera. I always thought it would be really fun to do that for a living, but didn’t really think it was possible.

During college, I had a chance meeting with Robert Watts, who produced the second two Indiana Jones movies for George Lucas. He took me into the Lucasfilm UK office and then down to the Star Wars sound stage where they were shooting LABRYNTH. Being on that set, in that environment, had a profound motivational influence on me. From that point I knew I had to stay involved with film production. After graduation from college, I got involved in the TV/Film program and one thing lead to another. While I enjoy all facets of production, directing is the one thing I believe I can do and should be doing.

FD: Have you directed features of this size before?

DC: RISEN is my first feature to direct, but I’ve directed a number of short films and have helped produce and shoot several other independent movies and shorts. Directing a feature has been a life long goal, so I’m excited to finally get the chance.

FD: David Talbot is credited as the writer and Producer of Risen, did you two know each other prior to working on Risen?

DC: David Talbot is the creative force behind RISEN. He’s a huge zombie fan, and he finally thought one day after viewing so many bad zombie pictures that he could do a better job. So it became a goal of his to make a zombie film in Waco. David contacted me in the summer of 2004, having found me through the Waco Film Commission. At that point he had already written the script and had lined up many of the elements for the picture. He had looked all over the country for a director, and then found me right there in his own backyard. Upon meeting him, I was immediately impressed that he had a script, that he wanted to make this film, but he didn’t want to act in it or direct it. That’s the first time I have encountered that, and I knew it was a good sign.

FD: Give us a little backstory to Risen, it sounds like an interesting story.

DC: The story is basically about a married couple and the husband’s younger brother. Everything is going along normal until the zombies arrive. The story then follows the three main characters as they try to survive and find their daughter who was spending the night at her grandparents. It’s got elements of action, adventure, suspense and horror throughout.

FD: What was the budget like for this movie? I know from experience that feature films of this type require a hefty budget just to cover effects costs. Did the budget effect the feel of the film at all?

DC: Well it’s hard to have a zombie movie without some effects. And those do take time. But I think we have a good balance between both. Working with a limited budget, we could only achieve so much effects-wise, but even then the effects were all based on telling the story, which was the primary focus. We never shot any effects just for the sake of having them. They were all a part of the story.

FD: What was the casting process like?

DC: We ended up having a great cast, which is so critical on any level. GiGi Erneta and Joe Thackery play the wife and husband. Jason Harper plays the younger, freeloading brother and Stephen Lee plays a Texas Ranger. I was involved in casting all four of these parts along with David Talbot. During the auditions, all four actors made strong impressions. I always like to see what each actor brings to the role, and then form and shape it from there. There are always certain things I know I need, but I believe it’s important for the actors to have some creative input. They all did a wonderful job.

GiGi just looked and fit the part. She looked like she could be a mom and yet handle the drama and the action sequences. She came across as a real pro, and that made a huge impression on me. I think GiGi really wanted to do the part too. Her character isn’t just another scream queen role, it’s got a lot of substance.

FD: What attracted you to Risen?

DC: My first super 8mm movies were horror movies. And I like fantasy type movies and this fit the bill. David Talbot basically said go make your movie. Here’s a script, do what you need to it, and make a really good movie. I took his passion and tried to make the best zombie adventure movie I could with the resources we had. He gave me a lot of freedom for which he is to be commended on. That’s rare. The final script had a good balance between all the elements I wanted to explore: horror, drama, action, special effects etc. And lots of zombies.

FD: In regards to the production of Risen, was there anything you felt limited on? Did you stick to your guns with what you wanted or did you have to cut any corners in terms of the budget?

DC: I really let David handle the budget on this movie. He told me what we could do, and I set out to do it. Originally it was planned to be a 9-day shoot. But once I read the script and broke it down, it was apparent that this was a much more ambitious production. We got a lot of great deals on equipment, and we had a small, but dedicated crew throughout. We adjusted the budget as nearly every independent does, and hopefully we’ll stay on course during post.

FD: From the production stills of Risen I have seen, it appears that you had a number of crane shots with tons of extras. What was it like having to direct that many people all at once?

DC: Any time you work with a large number of extras, and makeup, and special effects, it just takes a lot of time. We ended up having a number of large shots, but they were all planned out very well. The only thing we avoided was having animals to contend with. Crowd scenes are challenging, but we got a lot of great production value out of them. Fortunately since I have been working in production for nearly two decades, I wasn’t really shocked or surprised by anything that happened during the production. That’s where experience pays off, so most of it came naturally.

FD: When can we expect to see Risen? This interview is making me itch with anticipation.

DC: We’re still aiming for a Fall 2005 release. But post-production can bring it’s own set of challenges and rewards. It generally takes six months to edit a feature film, and that’s with people working on it every day. We’ve got to get the picture edited, get the sound effects in, and have it scored. That’s tough to do on our level. But we’re aiming high on this movie, so we may spend a little extra time perfecting it. I want it to be a creative process, not a rush job to meet a deadline. That’s the beauty of doing independents. You can control a lot more. As far as a theatrical release goes, it’s been mentioned, and it would be nice. We’ll just have to see what develops on the distribution end.

FD: How does Risen compare to the current zombie fare coming out?

DC: RISEN plays much more as a drama verses a comedy. From what I’ve seen with so many of the upcoming zombie movies, they’re going for laughs. We just believe in our story, and we’re going to put it together the best we can and hopefully the audience will find it refreshing and entertaining.

FD: Is there any movie or director in particular that inspired your directorial technique?

DC: Halloween was one of the first horror movies I saw as a teenager. I took a lot from that when I made my first short film and it’s stuck with me to this day. There’s a lot you can learn from those guys.

The look, the feel, the pacing. There’s a touch of Hitchcock in this too. I grew up with the movies of Steven Spielberg also, so there’s a blend of all the directors I admire in this movie. I’ve developed my own visual style for telling stories through the years, and I hope it lends itself to making this a fun movie to watch. To make a zombie movie, you also have to throw some credit to George Romero.

FD: We’re conducting a zombie top ten list of people’s favorite zombie movies. Could you give us a few of your favorites?

DC: My favorite pure zombie film is probably DAWN OF THE DEAD 04. It had everything. I’m a really big fan too of 28 DAYS LATER. I found both of those films inspirational for RISEN. And you have to go back to the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I tend to like the ones that are more serious in tone verses the ones that play it for laughs.

FD: Hollywood seems to be lacking some creativity lately. It seems the past few years have been a sort of stale era in the horror dominion with a ton of horror remakes. How do you feel about old classics being rehashed for the big screen to capitalize on the genre?

DC: Well there needs to be a reason for remakes. And it’s usually money. Most movies that we love and are fond of are sacred to us, and few of these remakes seem to capture the magic and replace the originals in our minds. They may be technically better, but that doesn’t make a better movie by itself.

FD: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Is there a project out there that your itching to direct?

DC: I wouldn’t mind doing another horror movie. It really depends on the script. You live and learn from each experience. My ultimate goal as a director is to direct a James Bond movie. Of course the main challenge is to keep working in your field. I’d love to do movies full time. Let’s see how RISEN turns out and see if David Talbot is ready to do RISEN II.

I’m in talks right now about working on another movie this summer in a producer-type role. There have been a few other offers to direct and produce, but nothing concrete yet. The main project coming up for me is editing RISEN. That’ll keep me busy for the foreseeable future.

FD: I know through working with people in this type of capacity that you grow attached and become a sort of extended family. Is there anyone that you’d like to thank or anything you’d like say in closing?

DC: Well thank you for showing interest in our movie. The goal is to always entertain your audience, and have them go away with positive thoughts. RISEN was a wonderful, yet challenging experience. And that’s what you want. I’ve worked with several of the crew for years, and want to thank everyone involved in our movie. John Franklin, the DP, and I have worked together since graduating from Baylor back in the mid to late 80’s. There were a handful of crew guys that we work with all the time in our corporate world, and that makes it special too. You meet and make new connections on every production. It’s fun to maintain those memories and connections after the project is over.

FD: That’s great to hear Damon. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you and on behalf of Revenant I’d like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We wish you the best of luck and our skin is crawling to see Risen.

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