MAKING
MOVIES
WITH
BALLS
by
Paul
Blom
An
interview
with
Ryan
Nicholson,
Canadian
make-up
FX
artist
and
director
of
Gutterballs.
He
was
set
to
visit
South
Africa
for
its
screening
at
the
first
X
FEST
Extreme
&
Cult
Film
Festival,
but
due
to
unforseen
circumstances
this
unfortunately
did
not
transpire.
Copies
of
his
movie
Live
Feed
will
however
be
up
for
grabs
at
the
5th
annual
South
African
HORRORFEST.
www.Xfest.org
www.HORRORFEST.info
Paul
Blom:
What
is
your
first
cinematic
memory?
Ryan
Nicholson:
I
remember
when
I
was
a
kid
watching
a
Canadian
horror/comedy
variety
show
called
"The
Hilarious
House
of
Frightenstein".
It
starred
a
brilliant
actor
named
Billy
Van
who
played
all
these
different
characters
in
the
show.
And
it
also
had
Vincent
Price
close
out
each
episode
with
a
creepy
epilogue.
The
show
really
was
a
huge
inspiration
to
me
and
I've
since
rediscovered
it
on
DVD.
Watching
it
is
like
re-living
my
childhood!
PB:
How
did
you
get
into
the
Horror
genre
in
particular?
RN:
I
loved
monsters!
Magazines
like
"Famous
Monsters"
and
"Fangoria"
caught
my
eye
and
my
Grandfather
would
buy
issues
for
me
I
didn't
have.
I
collected
all
the
magazines
and
got
really
into
horror
movies
after
seeing
the
original
"Dawn
of
the
Dead",
it
blew
me
away!
I
started
watching
George
Romero
movies
and
John
Carpenter
movies.
My
father
took
me
to
see
David
Cronenberg’s
"The
Fly"
and
I
knew
I
wanted
to
do
make-up
FX
and
make
movies.
The
horror
genre
was
the
only
genre
I
knew.
I
love
all
genres
really,
but
horror
was
in
my
blood!
PB:
How
did
you
get
into
the
movie
business?
RN:
I
was
on
the
Westcoast
of
Canada
when
"Hollywood
North"
really
took
off.
I
had
worked
all
across
Canada
doing
make-up
FX
but
decided
to
settle
down
in
Vancouver
-
a
beautiful
city
with
a
lot
to
offer.
I
was
always
interested
in
making
movies,
and
doing
make-up
FX
gave
me
the
opportunity
to
watch
famous
directors
work
their
magic.
Film-making
is
like
going
to
war,
you
assemble
the
troops
(the
crew),
you
have
your
map
(the
script)
and
you
bring
everything
you've
got
to
the
frontline.
And
in
our
cases,
it's
always
a
bloodbath.
PB:
Tell
us
a
bit
about
the
productions
you've
worked
on.
RN:
I've
had
the
pleasure
of
working
on
some
great
movies.
I
did
the
first
"Final
Destination"
before
it
became
a
franchise.
It
was
cool
at
first
because
it
was
an
original
idea
and
the
kills
were
secondary
to
the
script.
But
they
did
away
with
that
later
and
decided
gory
kills
is
all
the
audience
wants
to
see.
I
did
the
movie
"Scary
Movie"
and
that
was
a
blast!
I'm
a
fan
of
the
Wayans
series
"In
Living
Color"
from
the
90's
so
working
with
them
was
awesome.
I've
also
done
action
movies
like
the
recent
Jet
Li/Jason
Statham
movie
"War".
We
did
all
the
gory
fight
deaths
and
prosthetics.
Seeing
the
fight
director
work
the
action
scenes
out
was
fantastic.
It's
amazing
how
the
camera
moves
play
so
much
into
the
dynamics
of
a
fight
scene.
A
punch
is
much
more
effective
with
the
camera
swiping
across
the
movement
and
giving
a
slight
shake
also
lends
to
the
chaos.
I've
done
the
typical
low-budget
horror
movies
that
basically
share
the
same
mold
and
are
very
stale
like
week
old
bread.
Those
aren't
always
fun
to
work
on
because
you're
usually
working
with
washed
up
stars
on
their
last
legs
and
they're
very
miserable,
or
you’re
working
with
some
new
out-of-film
school
director
that
thinks
he's
Stanley
Kubrick
and
this
movie
will
be
number
one
with
a
bullet.
Those
are
the
movies
I
dread
having
anything
to
do
with.
PB:
What
do
you
think
attracts
filmmakers
and
audiences
to
the
horror
genre
respectively,
as
opposed
to
something
like
romantic
comedies?
RN:
It's
morbid
curiosity.
People
in
general
are
very
morbid.
Movies
like
"Saw"
and
"Hostel"
make
a
killing
at
the
box
office
because
the
audiences
want
to
see
the
carnage,
the
torture.
Those
movies
aren't
scary
to
most
people,
they're
just
disgusting
and
people
love
that.
They
love
to
watch
a
person
other
than
themselves
suffer
at
the
hands
of
a
murderer.
Romantic
comedies
can
be
torture
too!
Have
you
seen
the
last
couple
of
Farrelly
Bros.
movies?
PB:
Do
you
think
audiences
are
becoming
saturated
with
a
barrage
of
images,
in
effect
causing
it
to
lose
its
impact?
RN:
Oh,
for
sure.
That's
why
the
methods
of
killing
off
people
in
movies
are
becoming
so
outlandish.
I
mean,
what
hasn't
been
done
already
a
thousand
times?
The
audiences
have
seen
it
all
and
then
some.
So
the
onscreen
deaths
are
just
becoming
like
science-fiction
now,
they're
not
practical
and
nor
realistic
but
just
throw
some
blood
in
the
mix
and
the
audience
will
pay
to
see
it.
That
mind-set
is
why
most
movies
nowadays
throw
the
story
away
and
focus
on
the
carnage.
Audiences
are
numb.
You
need
to
light
a
fire
under
their
ass
to
get
them
going.
The
last
thing
that
shocked
me
was
"Rambo".
It
was
so
over
the
top
with
the
gore,
I
was
laughing
out
loud.
How
can
John
Rambo
get
away
with
this
onscreen
and
get
an
R-rating
yet
little
movies
like
"Live
Feed"
are
given
an
NC-17
unless
I
cut
all
the
gore
out?
The
movie
business
is
full
of
double
standards.
PB:
What
do
you
personally
enjoy
about
movies
in
general,
and
horror
in
particular?
RN:
I
love
how
anyone
can
make
a
movie
in
this
day
and
age,
so
there's
a
lot
to
choose
from
and
usually
the
cheaper
it
is,
the
more
I'll
like
it.
When
you
have
no
money,
you're
forced
to
be
creative
and
it's
the
little
direct
to
DVD
movies
that
I'll
go
out
and
buy.
That's
what
I'm
a
part
of.
Horror
is
a
very
open
genre
and
you're
very
likely
to
have
your
movie
seen
due
to
the
huge
volume
of
fans.
If
you're
making
a
horror
movie,
you
generally
can't
lose.
You
have
a
market,
albeit
saturated
with
tons
of
product,
but
you
still
have
a
market.
For
me,
my
market
is
myself
and
a
few
select
people.
I
made
"Live
Feed"
for
me,
because
it
was
a
challenge
and
I
like
challenges.
"Gutterballs"
was
an
even
bigger
challenge
but
that's
what
is
so
great
about
doing
this.
You
set
a
goal
and
you
see
it
happen
before
your
eyes.
Anyone
can
do
this,
you
just
need
a
camcorder
and
some
pocket
money.
PB:
How
hard
is
it
to
stick
to
your
guns
in
the
horror
film
industry?
RN:
It's
not
hard
when
you're
making
small
movies
because
you
have
the
creative
control,
it's
mostly
your
money
and
your
say.
When
you
start
making
bigger
movies
and
it's
other
peoples
money,
you
have
less
and
less
creative
control
and
your
vision
can
be
compromised.
I've
seen
it
happen.
That's
why
"Plotdigger
Films"
is
a
small
company,
we
like
doing
things
our
way.
To
get
wider
distribution,
sure
I'll
cut
the
movie
down
to
an
R-rating,
but
you
can
bet
I'll
be
pushing
the
Uncut,
Unrated
version
hard
and
that's
the
version
most
people
will
see.
The
R-rated
versions
usually
end
up
in
the
big
video
stores
where
the
mainstream
public
who
wants
to
see
a
horror
movie
on
a
Friday
night
rents
it.
The
hardcore
audience
will
source
the
Uncut
version.
That's
the
movie
that
I
want
seen
and
if
someone,
a
horrorfan
for
instance
rents
the
R-rated
movie
and
complains
about
the
lack
of
gore,
etc...
I've
been
known
to
send
them
the
Uncut.
This
has
happened
a
few
times
and
I'm
more
than
happy
to
do
so.
PB:
Who
are
your
favourite
horror
moviemakers
and
why?
RN:
I'm
a
fan
of
Alexandre
Aja,
I
think
"High
Tension"
is
brilliant.
As
well
as
David
Slade,
"Hard
Candy"
was
amazing.
These
are
film-makers
that
you
know
love
horror,
love
suspense
and
it
shows.
Movies
that
producers
spend
tons
of
money
making
aren't
the
kinds
of
movies
I
like.
Mind
you,
I
did
enjoy
"Transformers"
but
that's
another
genre.
I'm
a
big
fan
of
Argento
and
Romero
as
well,
as
long
as
they
keep
making
movies,
I'll
be
watching
them.
PB:
What's
your
top
10
horror
movies,
and
top
10
general
favourites?
RN:
Zombie,
Dawn
of
the
Dead,
Suspiria,
Re-Animator,
The
Thing
(1981),
The
Fly
(1985),
The
Howling,
Videodrome,
The
Beyond,
and
The
Texas
Chainsaw
Massacre
(orig)
Midnight
Cowboy,
The
Godfather
trilogy,
Porky's,
Jaws,
The
French
Connection,
Midnight
Express,
Scarface,
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
The
West,
Dirty
Harry,
MASK
(not
the
Jim
Carrey
one)
PB:
Contrary
to
belief,
Canada
is
not
a
carbon
copy
of
the
USA
-
what
do
you
like
about
it
and
what
makes
working
in
the
film
industry
there
different?
RN:
Canada,
in
global
terms,
is
a
peaceful
nation
and
we
generally
keep
to
ourselves
unless
it's
helping
others.
Whereas
I
cannot
say
the
same
about
the
USA.
It's
night
and
day.
Now,
I'm
not
saying
we're
a
perfect
country,
we
have
a
problem
with
guns
and
crime
in
our
major
cities
like
the
US
but
our
culture
isn't
one
of
violence.
The
film
industry
has
long
been
fueled
by
US
dollars
and
I'd
say
99%
of
the
movies
made
in
Canada
aren't
Canadian.
I'd
like
to
see
Canadians
making
movies.
It's
not
common
here.
Our
own
film
industry
is
a
joke.
The
Canadian
government
makes
it
so
hard
to
get
any
kind
of
support.
My
last
two
movies
were
entirely
free
of
government
grants
and
it's
more
or
less
because
what
I
make
isn't
shot
in
Quebec,
where
the
government
of
Canada
seems
to
like
to
support
that
specific
province
when
it
comes
to
film-making.
Bizarre,
because
a
few
years
back,
Quebec
wanted
nothing
to
do
with
Canada.
I
lived
there
and
I
can
tell
you
that
it's
the
sad
truth.
But
they
want
our
money.
PB:
What
was
it
like
growing
up
in
Canada?
RN:
I
grew
up
for
the
most
part
on
the
prairies,
in
Edmonton,
Alberta
which
was
very
cold
and
very
flat
for
miles.
But
I
still
love
it
there.
When
I
was
about
11,
we
moved
to
the
USA,
to
Altlanta.
Where
it
was
very
hot
and
at
the
time,
The
Atlanta
Child
Murderer
was
loose,
so
it
was
scary
times.
We
then
moved
to
Portland,
Oregon
where
we
lived
for
about
4
years.
It's
a
very
nice
city.
Finally
we
moved
to
Victoria,
BC,
back
in
Canada.
This
was
all
due
to
my
Father
getting
his
education
to
become
a
Chiropractor,
which
he
spent
several
years
practicing
before
joining
me
in
the
film
business.
He's
actually
gone
back
into
practice.
PB:
When
was
the
first
time
you
came
to
South
Africa?
RN:
I
traveled
to
Cape
Town
in
2003
to
shoot
a
cell
phone
commercial
that
we
had
built
this
big
creature
for,
my
Father
was
actually
the
man
inside
the
suit!
He
was
very
excited
about
acting
in
the
suit
but
when
I
put
it
on
him
in
South
Africa,
he
was
hot
as
hell
and
sweating
up
a
storm.
He
regretted
it
the
moment
we
arrived
there
and
found
out
that
Cape
Town
was
no
place
to
wear
a
100
pound
foam
latex
creature
suit
covering
every
inch
of
your
body
and
the
suit
was
2
inches
thick
in
parts!
That
aside,
Cape
Town
was
so
awesome!
I
loved
it
there
and
didn't
want
to
leave.
PB:
Are
you
psyched
to
attend
the
X
Fest?
RN:
I'm
very
excited.
I've
wanted
to
get
back
to
Cape
Town
the
moment
I
left.
The
X-Fest
is
a
brilliant
festival
with
it's
extreme
program.
The
line-up
of
movies
is
very
diverse
but
they
all
share
the
notoriety
of
being
anti-establishment,
anti-mainstream
or
for
lack
of
better
words,
fucking
cool.
PB:
What
can
people
expect
from
your
movie
Gutterballs?
RN:
The
movie
is
campy,
so
that's
the
first
thing
audiences
should
expect.
But
it's
also
very
brutal.
The
gore
is
over
the
top
as
is
everything
else
in
the
movie.
It's
odd
because
you
really
don't
know
to
laugh
or
feel
sick,
or
both.
It's
a
hard
movie
to
describe
because
it's
all
fun
and
games
until
someone
gets
raped.
But
then
it
switches
gears
and
becomes
this
killing
spree
with
deaths
that
don't
stop
coming.
It's
a
fun
movie
but
not
for
the
whole
family.
PB:
What's
next
for
you?
RN:
I'm
working
on
a
movie
I've
written
called
"Star
Vehicle",
it's
kind
of
like
"Falling
Down"
meets
"One
Hour
Photo"
meets
"Last
House
on
the
Left".
We're
slated
to
shoot
early
this
summer.
I
have
a
creature
feature
in
development
as
well.
Other
than
that,
"Live
Feed
2"
still
is
running
through
my
veins.
I
have
a
wicked
idea
that
goes
beyond
this
torture
porn
crap
that
is
old
news.
But
we'll
see.
In
the
meantime,
I
have
balls
to
play
with
;)
-
Paul
Blom