How did you get involved in filmmaking in the first place?
I got a passion for film from my grandmother and my uncle who used to spin stories of Rudolph Valentino and my uncle screened movies in the basement of his house. One day I found an 8mm Brownie camera and decided to make a film, I was 13 ...it was kind of a Un Chien Andalou meets the 6 Million Dollar Man. I turned my sister into a flower and then proceeded to run a lawn mover over her. Very cathartic.
Film for me is a passion and a vocation, it is at all times a very frustrating way of trying to make a living, but it's at all times the most fun a boy ever had.
You made a film called Monster Cruise, which is a throw back to the era of family films. Why did you decide to make it?
I love the early 80's period of filmmaking, the films of Savage Steve Holland, the Disney live action films like "The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes", "The Monkey's Uncle" and of course "Meatballs". These films are bright shining lights in my cinematic memory and in my way I wanted to pay tribute to this type of filmmaking.
Jim Wynorski is a close friend of mine and we share a love of populist films. Jim really extended himself and did me a huge favor by directing this picture.
I live in the city of Franklin, Indiana and have introduced this heaven on earth to many of my filmmaking friends. We wanted to pay tribute to the quiet beauty of the town and the sweetness of living there. Franklin really is the true star of the film. I really also want to thank Carl Salminen, who with Jim, fashioned a solid and suitably sentimental screenplay,
You worked with a very small crew, what are the advantages and disadvantages to working with a small crew?
Frankly with today's technology smaller crews are possible and in my humble opinion preferable. We made the film with a core of six people. Everyone worked hard, the lines of communication and the level of efficiency is tremendous. The downside is of course the crew works exceedingly hard and you have to stay away from an in-depth and technically intense screenplay. With a small crew and a small budget you write to pre-existing locations. You have no monetary or crew resources to build sets or do elaborate rigging.
How did you fund this film?
We received funding from a group of local investors and we put in significant sweat equity. There was also a ton of good will investment on the part of the community,
What was the smartest decision you made with Monster Cruise? What was the dumbest?
I think the smartest thing I did was to realize my limitations as a director and had the ability to bring a very experienced filmmaker to execute the vision. The dumbest thing I did was in one situation committed to casting without checking out the references of a certain actor. Unfortunately because of a horrible attitude we had to terminate the actor after one day of shooting. On a low budget and short schedule, your first choice should be based on the talent of the performer; a close second is the attitude of the performer.
You didn't send Monster Cruise to film festivals, why?
There are a huge amount of film festivals out there, so many that most distributors only attend maybe 5 festivals, Toronto, Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Berlin They avoid the rest. They really have little benefit to a filmmaker. Its much more important for a commercial filmmaker to ensure a presence at the AFM. I also have a problem with festivals charging entry fees. The filmmaker is gracing you with the ability to show your film at no charge and you in turn want to charge the filmmaking for the pleasure of doing so. I know that festivals will now light torches and brandish pitchforks in my direction.
I think that festivals do serve a strong purpose for short form films but for features, I think festivals are kind of irrelevant as a marketing tool.
What is your distribution strategy with this film?
I am distributing this film at a very unfortunate time of flux in independent filmmaking. The industry has sold out its soul to online streaming eroding the DVD and cable markets. When we started planning to make this film, which was budgeted under $500,000 and was genre centric, it had a good chance of making a profit. Now that number has been lowered to $200,000 and the markets keep eroding. We are working on a strategy which I feel will create a one to one venue with the consumer. Monster Cruise is now being distributed by traditional methods, we have foreign sales agents and domestic distributors. It's a struggle. We have some theatrical dates coming and we hope that will create some traction.
Distribution is changing, what do you see for the future of Independent Distribution?
Independents are working in a chaotic market right now, it's rough. But within chaos there is opportunity. We have 16,000 theatrical screens that are looking for product, primarily regional theater chains. New cable channels are emerging and the studios eventually plan to circumvent Netflix and go directly to the consumer.
The problem is that the Independent Filmmaker is just too damned independent; they have a real problem working towards a collective distribution model. The members of the IFTA, (the Independent Film and Television Alliance) is collectively the largest holder of films in the world. Together they could end studio dominance of the distribution chain, because, they only think market to market and are timid by nature.
Independent filmmakers need to ensure access to market by aligning themselves with other filmmakers and developing channelized marketing opportunities. I am trying to do that now but face the same problem that no one wants to serve the ideal of independent film, they want to serve themselves and engage in horrible self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. Not many people really want to do the true work. You see filmmakers throw all their creativity into their own personalities and not their work or the marketing of their work.
Technology is about to open, maybe a three-year window for filmmakers to gain access to the market again. Smart TVs with all their access opportunities are our best hope for sustained growth. Combined with increasingly lower cost saturation campaigns, Independents can get a leg up, but they are going to have to work together to provide at least 30 new release titles per month if they want to gain any traction.
If we as Independents cannot collectively define an "Independent Market Vision", we will constantly be forced to live on the scraps of Hollywood.
You have a very interesting "work locally" philosophy, what is that all about and why do you think it's important to work that way?
We all have our own power bases, our own circle of influence. I think it's important to audit what abilities and influences you have, and structure your film and filmmaking on your strengths. In my case I had the goodwill of the local community, a knowledge of the reasonable resources at hand, and I structured a film based on the reality of the environment where I lived and worked. I think in doing so, your film is going to be truer. If you go into a film knowing your limitations and your strengths your gonna make a good movie.
If you say you want to make a submarine picture in Iowa, it might be a struggle.
You are also the creative force behind The B Movie Celebration. What is it and how did it come about?
I love all film, and I see value and vision in all styles and in all genres of film. I realized though that B or Exploitation Cinema was the foundation of modern American cinema. Our superstar directors today were all involved either first hand (or second) in the exploitation industry. In the Midwest, (which was the birthplace of studios like Polyscope and Essanay and the roots of filmmakers like William Girdler, Steve Latshaw and Fred Olen Ray), our domestically based feature film industry is for the most part non-existent.
What I am trying to do is show filmmakers and film fans that entry into feature filmmaking can occur in a more accessible way. That by making these kind of films locally maybe once again we can create an entrenched film industry which does not just bloom because of a momentary influx of tax credits but can grow because of a realization of present market potential and a measured approach.
We have so many young filmmakers who trumpet, "Someone is going to give me $20 million and I am going to make the next great American film". It does not work that way. If you run any business and make 20-30% on your investment then in any sense of the word you are a success.
The B Movie Celebration is a business incubator in many ways and also a re-introduction of a truly pure American Art Form, the Exploitation Film. Our goal is not to take film too seriously after all it is supposed to be fun.
Where can I buy copies of your films?
Some of them are on Netflix, some on Amazon. Heck one was even in 12 theatres last year. Look for the release of Monster Cruise on both Netflix and Amazon shortly.
I have been attending the B Movie Celebration for quite a few years now and I would encourage all filmmakers to attend. It's a great time and a wonderful forum for sharing ideas and experiences. It's great when filmmakers come together and exchange ideas and challenge each other to do better work. I think Bill has some great points and I hope that this interview starts a discussion out there about how to get your own work out there.
I wanted to interview Bill because he has some interesting ideas on the film distribution and the whole concept of staying at home and working local to develop your base. You may not agree with everything Bill has to say, but that's the point. As filmmakers we have to look at and embrace different ideas as our business is changing so quickly. 
