INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER DANIEL ISKE

EYEPUS is proud to interview Filmmaker DANIEL ISKE the creator of the classic, spine tingling horror webseries THE DEAD HOUR and THE WRETCHED.  I just saw the last webisode CANNIBAL GIRLS from the webseries THE DEAD HOUR and it just left me jaw opened with great storyline, cinematography, great acting, and just overall greatness - THE DEAD HOUR is a classic must see.  I will be reviewing THE DEAD HOUR in the next blog.  So lets begin our talk with filmmaker Daniel Iske.

VISIT THE DEAD HOUR WEBSITE  WWW.THEDEADHOUR.COM

EYEPUS: CAN YOU TELL US A SMALL BIO ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WORKS?

DANIEL ISKE:  I started making low budget indie films right out of high school and have racked up a handful of feature films over the last twelve years.

EYEPUS: HOW DID YOU GOT INTO FILMMAKING?

DANIEL ISKE:  I was just kind of drawn to it. My grandfather had a clunky VHS camera back in the late 80s and ended up giving it to me when I was able to handle it. I grew up in the country so there wasn't much to do, so my brother and I just started making little films for fun. Usually just goofy stuff, or action films.

EYEPUS:  DID YOU ATTENDED FILM SCHOOL?

DANIEL ISKE:  Yes. I earned a degree in Film from the University of Nebraska. I was one of the first students to go through their program. We were editing in storage closets back then and fighting over little equipment they had. Now the program is booming and they have received a bunch of grants and have all sorts of fun toys. I'm jealous.

EYEPUS: HOW DID YOUR PRODUCTION COMPANY MAGNUM PICTURES EVOLVED?

DANIEL ISKE:  When I graduated college in 2004, I took out a loan and bought a camera and some equipment and started to freelance video production. I started to get more clients and started my own business in Omaha doing corporate video, fundraising videos for charities, weddings and local commercials. Once I was able to pay the bills, I could turn my attention to my creative work. But I wanted to keep that separate so I created Magnum Motion Pictures.

EYEPUS:  WILL YOU EVER TURN ANY OF THE DEAD HOUR WEB EPISODES INTO A FEATURE LENGTH FILM?

DANIEL ISKE:  Yes, actually. And soon. In addition to filming a second season this year. We will be filming our first The Dead Hour movie. We're keeping the details under wraps for now, but we'll be looking at doing a festival run in 2012.

EYEPUS: WHAT WAS YOUR ROUGH ESTIMATE BUDGET FOR MAKING THE DEAD HOUR WEBSERIES?

 DANIEL ISKE:  Not much. Almost all our budget went to food and props. We use a small van load of equipment from my business and that's about it.

EYEPUS:  YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE HORROR FILMS OF ALL TIME?

 DANIEL ISKE:  May, The Thing, Scream, Evil Dead, Dawn of The Dead (either version), Cabin Fever, Zombieland, The Exorcist, Jaws, The Ring, Rear Window, Homicidal, Near Dark.

EYEPUS: WHICH HORROR FILMMAKERS INSPIRED YOU?

 DANIEL ISKE:  Alfred Hitchcock, William Castle, Sam Raimi, Lucky McKee, Darren Arnofosky

EYEPUS:  DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS IN THE WORKS?

DANIEL ISKE:  Just The Dead Hour - Season 2 and the feature film should take up another year at least.

EYEPUS:  ANY ADVICE FOR UPCOMING INDIE/MICROBUDGET HORROR FILMMAKERS TRYING TO STRUGGLE TO MAKE A FILM?

DANIEL ISKE:  Network. Meet people who can make your job easier. Find someone who has a cool location to film at. Meet a musician who could do audio or music for you. Visit the local theater scene and find some interested actors. Basically surround yourself with as talented people as you can find.

VISIT THE DEAD HOUR WEBSITE  WWW.THEDEADHOUR.COM