Interview with Travis Nicholson - Director of The South Will Rise Again!

By Geoff Bough

With the re-emergence of comedic zombie films ala Shaun of the Dead, there is a new film on the horizon poised to make a name for itself among other cult classics in the genre. Travis Nicholson (Director) and Blake McClure (Writer/Producer) are preparing to shoot their redneck zombie romp, The South Will Rise Again!

The film is the story of Randy and Shane, brothers and karate champions from Cheatham County. Randy and Shane were nearly undefeated in local karate tournaments until Shane became a bad seed and started dealing crystal meth. Randy stayed true to the discipline that karate had taught him and kept his focus. That is until bigger problems arose.

A guy named Bubba started hitting on Randy's girlfriend and talking trash about Shane and karate. Randy couldn't let this go unanswered and decided to kick Bubba's ass in front of all his cronies. Determined to not be made a fool, Bubba decided to retaliate by finding Shane's meth lab and pulling the plug on his operation.

Meanwhile, Shane's buddy was at the meth lab experimenting with the latest batch. Well, it didn't turn out so well and the whole meth lab went up in a fiery explosion. When Shane and his pals returned, they found the ruins of the lab and the charred corpse of their now dead friend. They decided that the best plan was to bury his body in the backyard and act like it never happened.

Their friend didn't stay dead too long and after burial decided to return from his grave. Apparently his little chemistry experiment in the meth lab had some adverse effects which ultimately turned him into a zombie!

Rev: Thanks for speaking with us Travis. After viewing the trailer for THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN, I have to say that it looks absolutely hilarious! Can you tell us a little more about the film?

TN: Sure! The South Will Rise Again is a story about Karate, Rednecks, Meth labs, and of course ZOMBIES. It's sort of like Karate kid with monty python and evil dead sprinkled on top

Rev: You mentioned previously that the trailer is a prequel to the film which has yet to be shot, where and when does filming begin?

TN: We begin shooting in mid october of this year in and around Nashville, TN. I know a lot of rednecks and zombies there.

Rev: I noticed some pretty kickass looking special effects shots along with a sizeable crowd of zombies. It looks like an ambitious project. Have you guys ever done something like this before?

TN: This is our first feature film, but all of us have been working in the industry for awhile, writing and directing short films, commercials, and music videos. We make a lot of country music videos in Nashville, TN, and are basically making people famous on a daily basis. Its great because we get to do a lot of experimentation in those formats.

Rev: Can you tell us about the FX team that will be working on the film? From what I saw in the trailer, it looks like they have some great experience.

TN: Most of the effects were produced by our friend Josh Stafford who is a local animator. He did everything from put mattes together if we shot on a green screen to creating gunshot wounds and motion tracking them onto zombies. Most of the fire was created by him in post, as well as all of the gunshot blasts you see. The guy getting his head chopped off was real. What a trooper.

Rev: What, if any films, media or people have influenced your project?

TN: Something about old zombie films always intrigued me as a kid, but I never really planned on making one. I just find a lot of humor in setting one in the south in a sort of 80's strip mall southern environment. Ironically, we (Blake McClure, Seth Pomeroy, and myself) wrote the film before ShaUn of the Dead came out about 3 years ago, otherwise I would probably list it as inspiration. I'm a fan of Romero's work for the way he uses zombies as a metaphor for consumerism and social disfunction, and how it is usually unlikely pairings of individuals coming together (or not coming together) to survive, or get eaten. There is a lot of that kind of spirit in our project. The only difference is its not to be taken seriously. It sort of flips the genre on its side. I also like HIGH NOON. I think it is one of the most original and socially aware horror films ever made, disguised as a western.

Rev: What kind of equipment will you be working with to shoot the film?

TN: We are shooting on Panavision anamorphic 35mm. Those guys are great to first time film-makers, and have supported us all the way. They donated everything we used for the trailer and are doing the same for the feature. Kodak donated about 11,000 feet of 35mm as well. We owe them a lot of beers.

Rev: Have you been through the casting process yet? How has that process been?

TN: We are just now starting to get into the casting process. It is such an organic thing. We want to cast locally as much as possible. Most of the people in the trailer are old roomates and best friends. We know a lot of really talented, funny people and we want to do this film with that kind of spirit. Hopefully we can find some experienced actors for the lead roles and there are some killer cameo possibilities. We will probably end up hiring a local casting director, and get another one in LA to find some of those leads and cameos.

Rev: What are your thoughts on the more recent resurgence of zombie films and the popularity of the zombie in general?

TN: I think its pretty cool. I hope it helps our cause. It kind of happened right when we finished writing the first draft. At first it was a little concerning, but we feel like nothing has come out that is anything like our project. The script really holds up as a unique film.

Rev: What are some of your favorite zombie films?

TN: I like the original Dawn of the dead. I think its a cool way to inject some metaphors on consumerism into a so underused genre for social commentary under the guise of a blood and guts movie are some pretty profound concepts.

Rev: What have you been listening to lately? (music wise)

TN: We all have a pretty diverse taste in music. I started listening to some old school heavy metal as research for the film and trailer. Stuff I never got into as a kid but have really grown to appreciate. If not in a serious way, for the kitsch of it, and the way it comments on the times when it was created. I think the late eighties and early nineties were a strange and fascinating time for rock music. Bands like Winger, Molly Hatchet, Slayer, Ratt, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden have bizarre and amazing qualities about them. This is the kind of music the characters in our film listen to.

Rev: Will there be a soundtrack to THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN? If so, what bands/music can we expect to hear in the film?

TN: We hope to create some original music as well as license a blend of heavy metal, classic rock and classic country material. I grew up in Nashville and a lot of my oldest friends are professional musicians now, so this would be a fun way to get them involved.

Rev: If you could reanimate the corpse of any dead celebrity to appear in your film, who would it be?

TN: If Elvis could have a cameo to give the guys some Karate tips I would be pretty excited.

Rev: After you wrap the film, are you planning to screen at any festivals?

TN: Yes. I think that would be the best way for us to get a buzz going and find a good distribution deal. I also just really enjoy going to the festivals. They are great opportunities to see what people are doing and meet people who share the same insanity.

Rev: Is there anything that we fans can do to help you guys?

TN: There is so much you can do. We are raising the money independently and it is really tough. Just talking about it and spreading the word is really powerful. We want everyone to anticipate this movie, and the only way we can do that is through word of mouth. We set up a pay-pal button on our site to help raise money. It would be incredible if we could make it that way. If every other person who stopped by our website and watched the trailer gave us a couple bucks we would be set. We're not trying to raise a huge budget, just enough to shoot it and develope it. Mostly we just want people to share their enthusiasm and tell people what we are trying to do. We know there are people out there trying to do the same thing and how hard it is. Hat's off to you. See you at the premiere. Yee haw!

Head over to http://www.thesouthwillriseagain-themovie.com/index.php to check out the trailer for THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN, make a donation and to read more about the film.

I'd like to thank Travis for his time and all of us here at Revenant wish him and the associates of the film all the best with the production.

-FD