If you're an Asylum fan, Joseph Lawson needs no introduction. But in case there are a few newbies aboard - welcome - here's the rundown: after a few years in charge of The Asylum's VFX department, a reign that produced the best visuals in the studio's 15-year history, Lawson added Director to his resume, standing at the helm of two of The Asylum's most talked-about films of the last couple years - Nazis at the Center of the Earth,and Clash of the Empires (nee Age of the Hobbits). After tackling robo-Hitler and lilliputian warriors, Lawson now turns his eye to prehistoric terrors amok in our modern world with the fantasy-disaster flick Age of Dinosaurs, starring Treat Williams (Hair, Deep Rising, Everwood), Jillian Rose Reed (Awkward, Weeds) and the always-awesome Ronny Cox (Robocop, Total Recall, Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2). In advance of the film's release next week, Mr. Lawson was kind enough to spend a few minutes discussing his work with Committed:
COMMITTED: What can you tell us about the story of Age of Dinosaurs?
JOSEPH LAWSON: The
story of AoD is that a father and daughter who definitely love each
other though they've grown apart since the death of the mom must
re-establish bonds and repair their relationship. With Dinosaurs.
Okay, a LOT of dinosaurs. It's a pretty ambitious film with a number of
threads including a harried police chief, the president of Geneti-Sharp
who must reconcile his drive to save his company with what he has
wrought, his minions and team plus a few other characters who each deal
with their own fates in the face of a dinosaur herd... plus a
particularly driven and vengeful Carnotaurus named Larry. I think folks
will find a lot to have fun with in this movie.
There are also a lot of homages to keep an eye out for, just like my
previous flicks (Clash of the Empires and Nazis at the Center of the
Earth).
C: Your last film - Clash of the Empires - had you traveling to Southeast Asia to shoot; where did AoD shoot, and how long of a shoot was it?
JL: Age
of Dinosaurs was a 15 day shoot in Los Angeles and at East L.A. College,
then a couple of days on a ranch out on the way to Pasadena. It was
nice to be close to home even though the production was so tight on the
heels of Clash of the Empires it was a real challenge to be prepared in
time Fortunately, everyone had the same goal... to make the best
dinosaur film we could with the time and resources we had. I feel the
film looks like we spent a LOT more time shooting than we actually did
and that's a credit to everyone in production. C: What drew you to the project?
JL: I've
always enjoyed dinosaur films where characters have to work things out
while being
chased. When the film showed up on our schedule I hoped it would be
possible to direct though we have a lot of other excellent directors who
were also interested. For whatever reasons the producers... thanks,
gents... let it fall to me to get done. The other thing is that I was
able to eke out from the first draft enough potential for emotional
impact that it made it a good match for my sensibilities as a
storyteller. In the director polish rewrites we added more interplay
between father and daughter. Then on set there was a great chemistry
between Treat Williams and Jillian Rose Reed and a genuinely magical
moment that still brings tears to my eyes. Getting to work with Ronny
Cox was also an amazing joy, an absolute gentleman on set and incredible
to learn from (along with Treat). Overall, the fact that I was blessed
to do a bona fide dinosaur film with such a great and motivated cast,
crew and post teams made all the
challenges worthwhile.
C: What kind of rad VFX can we expect?
JL: A
lot of dinosaur shots, a lot of chomping action, some smart dinos, some
not so smart dinos, the obligatory Asylum helicopter destruction or
two, some shots that I think are among our best. David Michael Latt said
epic, big so we did our best to deliver. He actually joked that our
trailers are supposed to only be two minutes and the one for AoD was
going to be 14... and that the trailer Brian Brinkman did was great and the
movie actually delivered on the promise. I hope folks watching it will
feel the same. Overall, it's great work from modeler Ken Brilliant,
animators Dan Peters, Steve Clarke and John Karner with great VFX from
Sasha Burrow, Aaron Witlin, Paul Knott and compositors Aine Graham and
Derek Serra. I'm also thrilled with the sound design from our sound
teams and Chris Ridenhour's score is just the right music for a JP 3.5
wannabe.
;-)
C: Were there any dinosaur movies you grew up loving, and did they have any influence on AoD?
JL: Valley
of Gwangi, King Kong, ALL the Jurassic Park films.... anything where
genuinely animated dinosaurs or great practical puppet work were the
visual effects, not lizards with cardboard on the back. In the credits
we say thank you to all the pioneers upon whose shoulders we humbly
stand as filmmakers and visualists.
C: What's on the horizon for you? Any new projects in the works?
JL: Nothing
concrete at the moment... a possible bigger budget science fiction
actioner in the near future. They're also letting me write and
hopefully direct a World War 2 movie in 2014 that could harken back to
all the epic films I enjoyed growing up like Patton, Von Ryan's Express,
Battle of the Bulge, The Great Escape... and, of course, always with a
heart at the soul of it.
Age of DInosaurs hits DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday, May 7th. From the sound of things, we'd all be damn fools to miss it.
This week saw 2 new posters pop up for upcoming Asylum productions 100 Degrees BelowZero and Age of Dinosaurs. Dig 'em:
100 Degrees Below Zero was directed by R.D. Braunstein (Layover) and written by myself, H. Perry Horton, and Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies). The film will enjoy a brief theatrical run starting this Friday, April 12th, followed by a DVD/Blu-Ray release on June 11th. Jeff Fahey (Lost), John Rhy-Davies (LOTR, Raiders of the Lost Ark), Sarah Malakul Lane (Sharktopus, 12/12/12) and Mar McKevitt Ewins star.
Age of Dinosaurs was directed by Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Clash of the Empires) and written by Hank Woon Jr. (500 MPH Storm). Treat Williams and Ronny Cox star, and the film streets on May 7th.
Age Of Dinosaurs, the next Asylum feature from directer Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Clash of the Empires) has at long last gotten a trailer, and man oh man does it kick ass. Check it out here. In addition to the trailer, I've also seen the first 15 minutes of this gem (courtesy of a not-to-be-named source), and I can tell you, the first act lives up to the promise. Age of Dinosaurs was written by Hank Woon Jr. - who also penned 500 MPH Storm and contributed to the Atlantic Rim script - and stars Treat Williams (Hair, Deep Rising, Everwood), Ronny Cox (Robocop, Total Recall, Beverly Hills Cop) and Jillian Rose Reed (Awkward, My Super Pyscho Sweet 16 3). We have to wait until May 7th to see the whole film, but by the looks of the trailer, it's going to be worth the wait.
With the New Year now in full swing, there comes info on a handful of The Asylum's 2013 slate, including release dates, new projects, and posters. Let's get into this, shall we?
First up, there's a new poster and a release date for last Halloween's SyFy-Zombie venture, Rise of the Zombies. I don't know what's scarier here, the zombie horde, or huge Trejo-face.
The film also stars Mariel Hemingway, Ethan Suplee, Heather Hemmens, French Stewart, and LeVar Burton, and comes courtesy of director Nick Lyon, maestro of 2011's Zombie Apocalypse - shout out to the zombie tiger - working off a script from Keith Allen and Delondra Williams. This gore-fest lands on February 12th, Lincoln's Birthday.
Next up is 500 MPH Storm, whose poster can be found a few inches below this in the previous post. The storm-flick features Casper Van Dien, Michael Beach, and Sarah Lieving, and will street on February 26th, Johnny Cash's birthday.
Then there's plot, cast, and release date info on two new Asylum films, 100 Below Zero and Age of Dinosaurs.
The former (a.k.a. Dead World and 50 Degrees Below Zero) is a polar disaster flick from director Richard Braunstein (Layover) and screenwriters Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies) & H. Perry Horton (2-Headed Shark Attack, this blog). The plot:
"When a chain of volcanic eruptions rips
through Europe, the enormous ash cloud blocks out the sun, plunging the
continent into a new ice age. An American couple must find their
college-aged kids and get them out of Paris before it freezes over."
The film stars Jeff Fahey, Johnathan Rhys-Davies, and the lovely Sara Malakul Lane (left), and will be released on July 23rd.
Then there's Age of Dinosaurs, which we already knew was directed by the super-talented - and a Committed fan fave - Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Clash of the Empires), written by Hank Woon Jr. (the above-mentioned 500 MPH Storm), and stars Treat Williams and Ronny Cox, but what we didn't know is just what this yarn's about. Well, now we know:
"Using breakthrough flesh-regeneration
technology, a biotech firm creates a set of living dinosaurs. But when
the creatures escape their museum exhibit and terrorize Los Angeles, a
former firefighter must rescue his teenage daughter from the chaos
brought on by the Age of Dinosaurs."
The next disaster flick from The Asylum - 500 MPH Storm - isn't due to street for another month, but today we got ourselves a look at the poster for the windy shindig, and it's typically awesome. Behold:
What'd I tell you? My favorite part is the single car flying through the air off to the left. There's always one dolt who tries to out-drive the hypercane.
500 MPH Storm stars the one and only Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow, Python), Michael Beach ( ER, Third Watch), and - yes Asylum fans - the inimitable Sarah Lieving, veteran of more Asylum films than any other actor living or deceased. This marks Ms. Lieving's 14th time in front of Asylum cameras, the last being, of course, 2011's Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus. So if for nothing else, respect demands you see this film at least three times.
500 MPH Storm is directed by documentarian Daniel Lusko, and scripted by Hank Woon Jr., the pen behind another upcoming Asylum film, Age of Dinosaurs.
We can expect a trailer in a few weeks or so to further whet our appetite, but after that we'll have to wait all the way until February 26th to see the whole thing.
Without a doubt, one of the best Asylum films to date - not just this year, but ever - is Nazis at the Center of the Earth. This mindbending adventure-sci-fi flick commanded international attention and is often the first film mentioned when people (like me and my friends) talk about the Asylum-renaissance that's been transpiring this year: a blend of better stories, better effects, and better direction. In the case of NATCOTE, the director in question was Joseph Lawson - supervisor of the studio's in-house VFX department - working off a script from Asylum producer Paul Bales (Sherlock Holmes, Legion of the Dead). The film was Lawson's first at the helm, and was quickly recognized as the work of a great new director. Lawson returns this December with the hotly-anticipated Age of the Hobbits, an old-world tribal epic from the pen of Eric Forsberg (MegaPiranha, Almighty Thor). He was kind enough to take time out of his scarily-hectic schedule to talk to Committed about his career, passion for filmmaking, and AotH.
COMMITTED: First of all - my readers are dying for any tidbits you can give about the concept or plot of Age of the Hobbits.
Joseph Lawson: Think
Apocalypto meets Frank Frazetta by way of David Lean and Steve
Spielberg with a healthy dose of John Carpenter and Sam Raimi... a
fantasy and creature battle epic somewhat inspired by the true
scientific paleontological Homo Floresiensis living in Indonesia of
12,000 years ago. It's all through the Asylum filter, of course,
including scientifically accurate winged and flying Komodo dragons. It's a very exciting Eric Forsberg script with gorgeous cinematography
by Richard Vialet and it was an adventure
to shoot!
C: What drew you to visual effects? What steps did you take to turn your interest into a career?
JL: I've
been interested in both VFX and directing since I was 10, easy. The
kids in J.J. Abrams' Super 8? That was me. The first thing I committed
to Super 8 film was a visual effect Star Trek Starship, rechristened The
Hood, NCC 1707, and I directed the one reel film with friends in it as
well. It was the first of many including a jungle war movie in the
depths of Okinawa. Over the years, everything has been grist for that
mill... making choices that allowed for opportunities to write, direct,
act, edit, do visual effects. Commercials at KRTV-3 in Great Falls,
Montana... my own animation business... working for Foundation Imaging
on and CG directing an episode of Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles... so many great
opportunities to work with hundreds of people far more talented and
capable than I to learn as much as possible.
The first thing,
though, is you have to commit to the path. I truly believe that luck is
where opportunity and preparation meet for those willing to grasp at
the brass ring. It's not just about being at the right place at the
right time... it's about training enough so that when you DO say "hey,
give me a chance, please..." to folks willing to take a chance on you,
you've both earned it and are ready for it.
My wife forwarded me
another saying shortly after taking on this film... "Don't just follow
your dreams, lead them." I've been blessed to get that opportunity more
than a few times.
C: How did you come to work with The Asylum?
JL: I
was brought aboard in 2010 by another great artist and VFX supervisor,
Mark Kochinski (now at Disney) to help start up the facility in-house.
At the time, my only familiarity with Asylum was Pirates of Treasure
Island, which I'd rented about a month before even KNOWING there was an
Asylum. It took a bit of convincing to get me aboard. It was a
challenging start with lots of technical and time hurdles to overcome
but over the years we've been able to build an amazing little group of
folks who accomplish far more with the resources and time than I think
they'll ever get fair credit for. The producers, Latt, Rimawi and
Bales, have given us a lot of support and patience as we've learned and
grown with each new challenge. We strive to get better every show and,
on the whole, I think our trend has been upward hopefully with good
entertainment results. C: What's been the hardest part about transitioning from VFX supervisor to director? What's been the best part?
JL: The
hardest part is leaving behind such a great group of people in the
department. We have a lot of fun in VFX while hunkering down to meet
the deadlines. It's also hard to switch gears from juggling up to five
films at once to suddenly concentrating on one exclusively and away from
everything you know. And being away from my personal family on Age was
a challenge, though my wife and kids, God bless them, are the
biggest supporters of this crazy dream.
The best part, besides
just the absolute "this is what I was born to do" joy of directing, is
getting to know and respect even more than ever the folks in production
and what THEY have to do to get an Asylum film done. Watching the
dedication and artistry of people like line producer Anthony Fankhauser,
the make-up work of Haley O'Neil, the stunts of Jerry Earr, the various
folks on our Cambodian cast and crew and the amazing things sound man
Alex Hutchinson has to do to get great audio is humbling and
educational. It's probably one
of the best and most challenging film schools on the planet, for those
with the iron will to take it on.
In post, working with Rob
Pallatina a second
time in editorial has been great because we've developed such a
fantastic
shorthand as a team. The Chris Ridenhour score is an emotional,
orchestral and auditory powerhouse. The sound departments' creations
are a wonderful ear loving canvas, the color correction by Mark Quod and
his crew is rich and gorgeous, and the disc work by David Courtice is
really cool.
One should also always remember behind the scenes
folks like Judith, Kala, Courtney and Kendall who handle all the heavy
lifting of getting the film distributed, seen and sold. There are so
many more good folks at The Asylum giving them all their deserved kudos
could fill THREE of these interviews!
So, it all
comes down to storytelling and characters or situations you enjoy
spending time with... and co-workers you enjoy spending even MORE time
with.
C: How do you select the projects you direct? What draws you to a project?
JL: I
select being involved with any project based on two sets of things...
is the story cool/fun/exciting/emotionally compelling and does at least
one part genuinely make me cry (and not out of pain) or laugh. If that
happens... and my wife Kelly has been there when I cried as a result of
character situations for both Nazis, Age and the next one... then I feel like maybe
something can be drawn out that will similarly touch the audience. Ultimately, whether a film has an Asylum budget or a two hundred million
budget, if you care about the characters then people will be
entertained.
What draws me to it in the first place is the
ability to create good, strong visuals and weave a story no matter what
the limitations. That and for Age, Latt handed me a piece of notepaper
with this list: 1. You 2. Direct 3. AotH 4. Cambodia. Both Rimawi and
Bales also seemed pretty excited by the prospect. Who can resist that?
C: Who are some of your favorite/most inspirational directors?
JL: David
Lean. Steven Spielberg. Peter Jackson. James Cameron. Robert Wise. J.J.
Abrams. John Landis. John Carpenter. Robert Rodriguez. Peter Weir. Ridley Scott. I could honestly go on and on but those would be the folks
whose films have most affected my vision and approach over the years. Ultimately, every director has had an effect whether it's in the
inspirational vein or the Mystery Science Theatre school of how NOT to
make movies. I just hope when my turn comes at the bigger bat, I'm
qualified to hold even a tiny little candle to their amazing creations.
C: You shot AotH on location in Cambodia; what sort of challenges did you face shooting in a foreign country with a presumably
small crew?
JL: Snakes. Land mines. Goats. Dangerous pot-hole filled
travel. Rugged
hikes. Monsoons. Sketchy food. A very long plane flight. Lots of
shots. Wait, why DID we do this? Simple: at age 49 David Lean shot
Bridge on the
River Kwai just north in Burma... so while it's a huge bar to aim for in
15 days, it's also the fulfillment of a personal lifelong dream... to
shoot with epic scope in a far off land not seen by many western cameras
for a feature style film. Cambodia is one of those last best places so
we have a GREAT and enthusiastic crew with a mix of Asylum
vets and new eyes. We've gotten some fun
stuff to see and the hope is that the end result of a cool action movie
makes all the challenges worth it.
C: Anything you can tell us about the release?
JL: It's
a feature packed disc, this DVD/Blu Ray. There's a gag reel, a really
sweet making of by Cody Peck, the really-sells-it-but-doesn't-tell-it
kick-butt cool trailer by Brian Brinkman, four deleted scenes and a
commentary where I get to sit in with editor Rob Pallitina and the
wonderful Christopher Judge (who played Amthar) to have a lot of fun...
with a surprise appearance by Richard Vialet, our DP. It'll also be on
VOD and at Redbox (under a different title, I believe) all on December
11th.
C: Any Joe Lawson dream projects or people you're dying to collaborate with?
JL: I
have a ton of personal story ideas and projects I'd love to do, as any
writer/director does, and world building of places we HAVEN'T already
gone would be a great opportunity and challenge. Playing in other folks
realms, though, I'd be thrilled to get to direct a Game of Thrones
episode (or five or ten), or to be part of a Star Wars live action
series... and I'd actually love to have the chance to revisit a very
familiar place with a different take on NATCOTE... but beyond that,
someday I look forward to having the chance to pitch, write and direct
the ideas and stories that I've gathered over the years.
As far
as collaborating, well... it can be the most fun part of the job and
there are so many talented and creative folks in so many disciplines
here at the Asylum and elsewhere. To work with any of the living folks
on my director list would be a dream of a lifetime.
Heck, if
Peter Jackson saw fit to take some time to watch this latest little film, THAT would be
truly amazing... and he could return the favor of putting an arrow
through MY chest in some future film. Consider him humbly and
respectfully invited to do so. More importantly,
though, in the spirit of encouraging folks to take a chance on their
own dreams: get out there and get that ball rolling because the
filmmakers I most look forward to collaborating with someday are, Mr.,
Miss and Mrs. Reader: YOU!
Lawson's next feature is Age of the Dinosaurs: "Age
of Dinosaurs, which is now in post, stars Treat Williams (Prince of the
City, Deep Rising, 1941, Hair and TVs Everwood), Ronny Cox (Robocop,
Total Recall,
Deliverance) and Jillian Rose Reed (Awkward, Weeds) and was written by
northwesterner Hank Woon. Set to release in May, 2013, it's the simple
tale of a father and daughter rediscovering their love for each other in
a city filled with rampaging dinosaurs. For his third film in one year Joe reteams with cinematographer Richard
Vialet (AotH), editor Rob Pallatina (NATCOTE and AotH) and composer
Chris Ridenhour for this action adventure through the streets of Los
Angeles. We like to think of it as Jurassic Park
3.5."
Age of the Hobbits, as Mr. Lawson said, is out on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD December 11th. Get your hands on a copy for what promises to be a truly epic adventure.
