Jordan Galland is the writer/director and producer of the new superhero indie film “Alter Egos”. He is also known for his film “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead”. Jordan took out sometime to chat with Media Mikes about the new film and what we can expect next.
Mike Gencarelli: How was it going from vampires in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead” to superheros in “Alter Egos”?
Jordan Galland: It’s really fun to work in such a specific genre (Superheroes, vampires) where the rules are so defined that they can have an almost biblical or religious rigidness to them, so that any impulse towards realism, or a deviation from the conventions of that genre results in finding something new, or at least a quirky, comedic take on it.
MG: How did you end up with most of the same cast from “Rosencrantz” in “Alter Egos”?
JG: I wrote the parts for those actors, having met them on the set of my first film. I really wanted to work with them again, and was betting on the fact that maybe they wanted to work with me again too, even if the budget was small and we’d all be sleeping in the same bed. I lucked out, on both accounts.
MG: Having this been your second time directing, what was the biggest challenge this time around?
JG: Biggest challenge was the action sequences, where we didn’t have the time or budget to do it the way I envisioned it. We made compromises, which work, but still. Another big challenge was trying to make the body (in the opening sequence) sink into the ocean. It kept floating back up.
MG: Tell us about the music in the film by Sean Lennon, who appears in the film as Electric Death?
JG: He did the score for Rosencrantz, and I wanted to work with him again. We met through having bands in NYC in the 90’s and ended up playing music together a lot. And in our musical collaborations we often went to film scores as a reference. So we had a certain short hand vocabulary and a familiarity with each other’s tastes… as well as both being fans of the Sci-Fi fantasy genres. Sean’s soundtrack is also out and available now on iTunes, FYI!
MG: How did Kevin Smith end up getting involved with Smodcast Pictures?
JG: Phase 4 films has a deal with Smodcast, where they look for films that they think are suitable to Kevin’s taste; often comic-book type stuff, or comedy that has a conversational naturalism like Clerks. All low-budget, a way for films to get a little extra attention in this cluttered, over-saturated market.
MG: What do you have planned next whether it is music or directing?
JG: I am currently finishing up a new solo record to be released in the late winter / early spring, being produced by Charlie Klarsfeld. And I’ve got two films in development. One’s a new take on a demon possession story. It starts where exorcism films end and is about a girl who’s recovering from demonic possession. The other one is also kind of a horror thriller… like misery Psycho meets Misery, and has an almost a reverse Misery plot where the writer takes the fans hostage. So I’ve been working on those, but not sure when they’re going to get filmed. Hopefully 2013!
