Binding Polymer had a virtual sit-down with Desirae Seter, the writer and editor of the Final Sacrifice 2 and Final Sacrifice 3 (a Space Mutiny cross-over) fan-films. Desirae also produces short videos starring her pug dog, Lucy, called Literary Lucy, and a podcast (G.O.A.) with her friends Matt, Kevin and Don.
Who are you, and why are you important?
Kevin Gentilcore is the grumpy artist for Creephouse Comics and is currently working on his newest book Bearcano. Don Austin is an artist/illustrator currently working on his latest comic BETAMAX. Matt is just Matt. I’m a teacher with nothing better to do on summer vacation. As far as our importance goes, that’s debatable.
When did your love affair with MST3K begin?
I can’t speak for the guys, but when Comedy Central played reruns of MST3K, I’d stay up late watching [it]. This Island Earth was my favorite. [I have been] a die-hard fan since I was a kid. All four of us have, and I think it’s part of what holds us together — that mutual obsession and similar sense of humor. About six or seven years ago we discovered Rifftrax and it became a ritual — “what movie will we rifftrax this week?” We couldn’t get enough. I guess we still can’t.
What inspired you to finally get off your duff and make a your fan-films?
One of our schticks is to conceive ridiculous plots for films that don’t exist but should. We’ve been doing it for years, but only recently started recording it for our podcast. One night, after watching [The] Final Sacrifice, we were joking about what would happen next for ol’ Zap, and the idea for the first fan-film was born. We had so much fun doing it [the FS2 fanfilm] we thought we would try a Space Mutiny sequel over the summer and it grew into a Rowsdower in space script.
Who first brought up the idea to do your first Final Sacrifice fanfilm? How did that conversation go?
Initially, my idea was to do a Final Sacrifice fan-film with Lucy [the pug dog]. We were all laughing about it one night and Kevin said he thought Matt would make a good Pipper and maybe he could act in the film with Lucy. We took it from there and came up with a story that included Don as Zap and Lucy as the power he summons. I took some notes down and later wrote the script based on our conversation. I don’t think the guys thought we were really going to do it until I started buying costumes and making props.
What inspired you to do a podcast?
It started as a joke. A casual friend of ours said they thought we were pretty funny and we should think about podcasting. We figured if we did a podcast we would talk about nothing but Tom Atkins — and there probably isn’t much of a market for that. It became a running joke of ours. And then one night, we were talking about Tom Atkins again, and I turned on the recording in GarageBand and caught it all. The guys didn’t realize I was recording. Kevin peeked over my shoulder and caught on about halfway through, but Matt and Don were clueless until afterward. Once we had an episode, we figured maybe we should post it and see what happens.
Do you think you’ll do a stand alone Space Mutiny fan-film now that you have all the props already made, or is your SM urge sated by the crossover? Do you plan to shoot any other GOA flights of fancy?
I don’t think we will do another Space Mutiny. Matt says he’s retiring from acting all together after this one, but I am not so sure. We will probably do another video at some point, but we don’t have anything in the works right now. We just do them for fun when we get excited about an idea.
Did you have to overcome any perils during the shooting of FS3?
No peril. But, Don was pretty mad that he had to shave his mustache twice. We had to film the opening scenes with Don a full week before we filmed the rest so I would have time to sew all of the patches on the jacket. We scheduled two full days to do most of the filming: one day with just the G.O.A. [cast] and the next with the supporting characters. Saturday morning, G.O.A. [guys] arrived, and we filmed everything we scheduled for that day in about two hours. [We] had to wait until dark to do the Enforcer chase. We sat around for hours just waiting. We watched I am Thor and Zombie Nightmare while I started editing the footage from the morning shoot.
Which of the props or costumes are your favorite/ were your favorite to construct?
I love Matt’s costume. The silver jeggings are my favorite part. Rowsdower’s jacket was the item I spent the most time on. The Molson back patch is the t-shirt Kevin wears at the beginning that I had to cut up and sew on. The enforcer is probably my favorite thing of all. It is made of cardboard and zip ties held together by an entire roll of duct tape and sheer will. It is still sitting in my living room because the thought of putting it in the dumpster breaks my heart. Matt was not impressed with the Enforcer and had a hard time holding it up and moving around in it. The toga Don wears at the end was the worst. I hated making it the entire time and complained non-stop. Don had to have it though — Manos is his favorite MST3K and we wanted to pay homage to that. I’m not a very good seamstress, and I hate sewing so much as a button, so this was an enormous undertaking for me.
How many packs of Molson and Labatt’s were consumed?
Honestly, almost none. I still have a fridge full of the stuff. Sadly, I can’t give it away. I planned to pay each of our supporting cast members for their time with a can of warm Molson, but they didn’t even want it!
What’s next for Literary Lucy?
Lucy has Pugamorphosis coming next week. I’m thinking about trying to do a Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut before I go back to work in August.
Were your friends all scrambling to be in FS3, or did you have to rope them in with free beers?
They all seemed pretty excited about it. They all got up early on a Sunday and let me cover them in insulating bubble wrap in 100 degree heat while slathered in face paint, so that has to count for something. They really didn’t want the beer!
Is there any significance to the clock on the space ship reading 12:07 or was that just what time it was when you were shooting that shot? On average, how many takes did each shot take? How long did it take to shoot? What camera do you use?
It was 12:07 when we shot that scene. I was going to cut it out, but I felt like it worked with it being late at night. We usually got each scene in 2-3 takes. I used my iPhone and, when my memory was full, I used Kevin’s. We shot a few scenes ahead of time, but mostly over one weekend. Probably 7 hours in total.
Did you sew all those costumes by hand or was there a sewing machine involved? Did Don ever doff that wicked jacket?
Those are all hand-sewn couture costumes. I don’t have a sewing machine. I have one spool of white thread. Don took the jacket with him when we were done, and I hope to see him wear it out in public one day.
What’s your best memory?
Of working on the fan films? Probably when Matt first put on the Bolt Vanderhuge costume. I laughed for days.
What’s your worst memory?
Probably when I was editing the first fan film. My computer crashed and I lost about four minutes of finished product. I had to redo all of the effects and it just killed me.
If you saw a “molson” of something, what something would that be?
I think G.O.A. is the Molson of podcasting. We’re cheap and not that good. But we are the best Canada has to offer.
Can Zap run faster than Usain Bolt?
I think they are pretty evenly matched. It would be like the Canadian version of the Superman/Flash race.
Are you currently working on anything you’d like to divulge?
Literary Lucy [starring Lucy, who also played Pugsdower in FS2 and FS3] still has new episodes every other Saturday on YouTube. I am currently working on a Hitchhiker’s Guide episode.
What are you going to be for Halloween?
I haven’t dressed up since I was a kid. I do have a Frankenstein beanie I pull out around Halloween if I’ve had enough LaBatt’s though.
Are you affected normally by gravity?
Totally.
Post a Comment