Horror movies &stuff Interviews "Night Projectionist" writer and creator Robert Heske
We talked recently with Robert Heske, writer and creator of the Studio 407 comic "The Night Projectionist", which has it's first issue hit stores next month. The comic is set in Crosstown Falls, on Halloween Eve. It's the last night of the condemned town theater, which is closing with an all night Draculathon. But the small group of moviegoers suddenly find themselves trapped inside when the theater is surrounded by a horde of vampires. A deadly siege begins, and the moviegoers soon make the terrifying discovery that the night projectionist is also a member of the coven. Is he friend or foe? The Night Projectionist is a no-holds-barred, bone-chilling tale of blood and revenge.
MR. H:Tell us how the comic "The Night Projectionist" first came together.
Robert:I originally pitched the idea as a treatment to Alex Leung, Managing Director at Studio 407, who responded very strongly to it. The idea, believe it or not, was partially inspired by the Oscar-nominated film 12 Angry Men by Director Sidney Lumet (1957). Swap out the 12 jurors and the accused Puerto Rican juvenile accused of knifing his father with Dragos, the Night Projectionist (who happens to be a vampire) and his captive audience who play a pivotal role in the course of events about to unfold and, ultimately, change their belief about the existence of vampires.
MR. H:Have you ever written a screenplay before and if so, how does writing a screenplay differ from scripting a comic?
Robert:Yes, I have written screenplays before - I just haven't had one made yet. I co-wrote a short that was called WAITING by director/co-writer Lisa Demaine and stars Richard Schiff (best known as Toby Ziegler on The West Wing) and Izabello Miko (Coyote Ugly). I also have a few screenplays (different genres) that I am hoping/praying/selling-my-soul-to-the-Devil get picked up and produced on the coattails on Night Projectionist.
As for how writing a screenplay and a comic differ - well, in a word, a "shitload." In writing a screenplay, you try not to provide too much visual direction or you'll be viewed as a neophyte. Not too mention, the Director (who deems the visual direction as his/her job) will beat you to death with your #2 pencil. Very touchy.
In writing a comic, however; you're given carte blanche to provide as much scene description - even (gasp) provide pics of what characters look like - to help the artist draw the panels on the page as you envision in your head. It's as if you are both the writer and director, and the artist is the cinematographer. It's quite refreshing.
MR. H:Are vampires your favorite subgenre of horror to explore when it comes to writing a scary story?
Robert:Yes. Vampires are 1 and ghosts and serial killers are 1A and 1B. I really like the human element of a monster - in fact, that is how I developed my self-published horror anthology COLD BLOODED CHILLERS: Tales of suburban murder and malice. But I digress...
MR. H:The comic involves an ancient vampire and his pack who trap a group of small-town teenagers, adults, and others inside an old theater during the showing of a vampire picture. That's the gist of the story, but lay out the full storyline for those who may not be familiar with the comic.
Robert:There's actually two story lines played out during THE NIGHT PROECTIONIST. The first is how Dragos became a vampire in the 1700s; that's the backstory and the development of the vampire myth. And the other is the present-day when the night projectionist (Dragos) locks the doors during an all-night Draculathon on Halloween eve. It's the last night for a condemned movie theater - and a "last night" for many of the unwitting attendees in the audience as well. Studio 407, the publisher of the comic, pitches the series as "30 Days of Night" meets "Scream." Here's the premise:
"A night projectionist at a condemned movie theater takes his audience hostage on Halloween. When the theater is besieged by a coven of vampires, the captives discover the night projectionist is more than a psychopath - he's also a vampire making a last stand to confront the demons from his past."
I would describe the series as follows: issue one is the setup climaxing with dangerous happenings inside - and outside - the theater; issue two is the vampire siege as the coven descends on the movie house; issue three is a fight for survival among the captive audience against the coven, and a secret revealed about one of the audience members; and issue four is the final showdown between Burak and Dragos.
MR. H:What did you see done in other vampire comics, films, and the like that you wanted to do differently in your story?
Robert:The big thing? I didn't want to romanticize being a vampire. As for what I was shooting for with the series, I wanted to create a taunt, terrifying tale that is true to the original vampire monster while re-inventing a new twist to the myth. It's bloody, it's gory, but its smart too. I also really liked the idea of the main story playing out inside a movie theater because that is where most people were first introduced to vampires - on the Big Screen.
MR. H:How many vampires are in "Night Projectionist" comic? Having read and reviewed the first two issues, I know there is a pack of vampires trailing the ancient one...but can you give us an educated guess of how many vamps will be featured in the comic?
Robert:Featured? The "Big Three" are Dragos (the Night Projectionist), Burak (a former alchemist who created the new breed of vampire by mistake and is their leader in the Afterlife), and Carmilla (Burak's daughter, who Dragos tried to warn during his human life when the superstitious priest and villagers were enroute to burn her as a revenant). There are probably 8-10 other vampires who show up (two of which I can't say here because they are surprise twists to the story).
MR. H:In "30 Days Of Night", although Marlow was the leader of the pack, a lot of the other vampires had their own personality traits and the like. Will this eventually be touched upon in "The Night Projectionist", with some members of the pack getting their time to shine in the story?
Robert:To a lesser degree, yes. You will meet some vampires - the main one being Carmilla, Burak's daughter in flesh, who have spotlight scenes and sequences in the story. However, the big grudge match here is between Burak and Dragos. While the other vampires impose a serious threat to the audience, the battle royale is between the Night Projectionist and the evil entity who made him into a vampire.
MR. H:What do you think of how the vampire in general has changed over the years, from the dark, alluring bloodsuckers like Dracula played by Bela Lugosi, to the more mainstream, well-dressed-rocker types like Lestat in "Queen Of The Damned" the movie, Gerard Butler's character in "Dracula 2000", and others?
Robert:I'm a traditionalist. I mean, sure vampires can evolve with the times but do they have to fall in love with their human counterparts? If I was going to compare these vampires to any other coven, I'd say "30 Days of Night" is the closest. But my vamps have their own distinct differences.
MR. H:Now that Myriad and Studio 407 are in talks to begin production on a feature film version of "The Night Projectionist", have they approached you to script the film version of your work?
Robert:Not yet. As co-creator, I hope to get a crack at the script. But right now I am happy to close out the comic series and help market it as best I can to get a foothold among the comic book audience. These are the peeps I want to impress first and foremost. I'm really jacked about seeing the floppies and trade paperback. I'll worry about the movie audience later.
MR. H:Do you hope they approach you eventually, and if they don't...what writers out there in Hollywood would you like to see write the film?
Robert:Well, as I said before - I really hope to get first crack at the screenplay. But if I'm laid up in a coma, I wouldn't mind Steve Niles/Stuart Beattie (30 Days of Night), Kevin Williamson (Scream), Quentin Tarantino/Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn), and the 1978 tandem of John Carpenter and Debra Hill (The original Halloween).
MR. H:Would you be interested in directing the film if asked? If so...who would your dream director for "The Night Projectionist" be?
Robert:No, the project would be too daunting as a first film. As for directors, I'll leave that up to the team at Myriad and Studio 407. Unless you have a Time Machine and I can go back and get Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling - that'd be cool!
MR. H:Who would you like to see toplining "The Night Projectionist" film in the male and female leads?
Robert:I think I read in an Anne Rice interview that John Travolta bought the rights to the novel "Interview with a Vampire" but didn't want to do the film. Not sure if that's true - but he would be a great Dragos. And Johnny Depp too. Rachel Evan Wood would be cool for Carmilla. As for Burak - some European character actor that we haven't seen in a zillion films. Somebody "fresh" but experienced.
MR. H:When can we expect issues 3 and 4 of the comic to be released?
Robert:Issue one hits stores on February 25th. Issues 2, 3 and 4 will come out bi-monthly afterwards. And the trade paperback will be released (most likely) in early 2010.
MR. H:Would you like to see your comic and the eventual film version turned into a video game?
Robert:Sure! I'm not much of a video game guy. Can't seem to ever make it out of "introduction" mode in most horror games. Either my character keeps walking into a wall and I can't figure out how to turn him around or he gets killed by the creature at the "Beginner" stage. It's really sad. But I do have a nephew who is an avid gamer, so maybe he'll show me the ropes if NP ever makes it to X-Box. As a comic writer, it's a geeky skill I definitely will have to hone.
MR. H:Would you ever consider writing a prequel to the "Night Projectionist" comic series?
Robert:Not so much a prequel as the 1700s backstory gives us a lot of that information, along with the creation of the vampire myth. I would do a sequel if the audience has an appetite for it. Time will tell!
End.
Preview the first 8 pages of "The Night Projectionist" Here! And be sure to check out Robert's self-published Horror Anthology "Cold-blooded Chillers" at Cold-blooded Chillers.com!
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