Exclusive Interview with ‘STOPLIGHT’ Director Eric Stanze

Eric Stanze is someone that I have known for some time now, maybe almost a decade. He has always been someone I have looked up to when it comes to independent filmmaking. The Scare Game, The Fine Art and Savage Harvest were the first truly independent films I rented on VHS. Stanze’s films introduced me to the world of B-Movie.com which was run by Salt City Home Video, a company that is still in business today under Sub Rosa Studios, which left quite an impression with me in my formative teenage years as a budding horror film fiend.

In this day & age, independent genre films seem to be getting more buzz than what you see at the mulitplex. This is good news for Eric as he has worked very hard for his art and the time is now for him to benefit from it. This is just my personal opinion and I’m not saying that other don’t work their tails off for it but because I have actually seen some of what Eric has gone through to make it in this industry, I can’t think of anyone else that really hasn’t received the recognition that some other lesser directors have received.

Recently, Eric has been a second unit director on Jim Mickle’s previous films Stake Land and We Are What We Are. Currently, he is working as a second unit director right now on a non-genre film. Eric has not been a guy that had the luxury of being behind a computer and promotes himself/asks for money via crowdsource campaigns in the past to get where he is now. He is old-school and got his name, reputation and dare I say brand by working through the SOV industry when it was thriving and even continued to work during its somewhat decline that coincided with mom & pop video stores being phased out. The way films can be financed has changed. As much as I’m sure he likes to stay independent and find financiers the old fashioned way – by meeting with them and giving them a plan on how he spends their money and their return on investment – there is no doubt that a better option has come around for independents, getting funding from the fans. Yes, this means that he is resorting to the ever popular crowdsource campaign. While Kickstarter or IndieGoGo can be great for some new budding filmmakers that have passion, if their fundraising campaign is successful, they typically aren’t organized (read my follow-up post about Kickstarter projects we have featured previously on the site). The good news is Eric and his company Wicked Pixel Cinema have been doing this for two decades! I think it is safe to say they have a game plan and have enough experience on planning out a schedule.

When I first heard about Stoplight, all I had was the information that Eric was going to be pre-selling Blu-Ray copies of the film in order to get funding for the production. Since Eric is working on a film right now as a second unit director, I corresponded with him via email to ask him some questions about the production. I found out about the IndieGoGo campaign after I submitted the questions but Eric clears that up in his answer.

What can you tell us about the story of ‘STOPLIGHT‘?

STOPLIGHT is about Sam Carter’s Pennsylvania to Arizona road trip being turned upside down when a troubled, terrified woman bolts from an alleyway, directly in front of his car.  What could have been a tragic ending instead becomes the beginning of a fascinating journey for Amber Bedloe, who joins Sam for a cross-country road-trip odyssey.  Pummeled by hardship her entire life, Amber uses the road trip to confront the darkness and violence of her past.  She finally braves an unflinching look into herself – striving for bright horizons while descending uncontrollably into madness.

You have recently been a 2nd unit director for Jim Mickle’s films ‘STAKE LAND‘ and ‘WE ARE WHAT WE ARE‘. Has this lit a fire under you to get back in the director’s chair since your last directorial effort, ‘RATLINE‘?

The fire was always lit.  STAKE LAND and WE ARE WHAT WE ARE were just minor detours.  I wanted to work with Jim (and STAKE LAND producer Larry Fessenden) because I wanted the experience.  I admire them as filmmakers and people, so I wanted to be a part of what they were doing.  I also wanted to use those projects to open new doors, professionally, and they have.  I am absolutely overjoyed to have had those opportunities, and I am very proud to have contributed to two excellent films, but I never intended to stop directing my own flicks. 

You are offering Blu-Ray pre-orders in order to fund the film. What was the reasoning behind this choice?

We’re attacking the fundraising on multiple fronts.  We are offering pre-orders of the Blu-ray at wickedpixel.com.  We have an Indiegogo campaign running now:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stoplight–2  We have a few more tactics up our sleeves too.  But right now, everyone reading this should rush over to Indiegogo and help us get this movie made!

‘SPOTLIGHT‘ is a story about a road trip.  Since you seem to make voice cameos (‘SAVAGE HARVEST‘, ‘ICE FROM THE SUN‘, ‘STAKE LAND‘, ‘WE ARE WHAT WE ARE‘, to name a few)… will we hear you as a radio host?

I actually had not intended that, or even thought of that, but Eli DeGeer, a producer on the film, asked me that very question just a few days ago!  So now, yes, I’m considering doing that.  Maybe as a preacher.

What were your influences for ‘STOPLIGHT‘?

First and foremost, road-trip films of the late 60s and early 70s… TWO LANE BLACKTOP, VANISHING POINT, EASY RIDER… But our road trip film will definitely take a nightmarish, surreal, dark turn.  APOCALYPSE NOW, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, and UPSTREAM COLOR are influences.  So are the films of Terrence Malick and Godfrey Reggio.

What can genre fans expect out of ‘STOPLIGHT‘?

They can expect the unexpected.  STOPLIGHT is a very stark, unflinching drama.  It’s a horror film.  It’s an art film.  I want it to be as beautiful and fascinating as it is horrific and shocking.  It is difficult to put STOPLIGHT into words, and sum up the plot and tone of the movie in a paragraph.  That’s one of its strengths. 

Again, I want to thank Eric for taking some time out to answer our questions. Please help out the production of Stoplight by donating to the IndieGoGo campaign here.