Richard Elfman on Losing His House, FORBIDDEN ZONE, Being Tenacious and Seizing Opportunities
Film Courage: At the time you made FORBIDDEN ZONE after all these years, when you think about the time you put into making it, did you consider the original release a failure?
Richard Elfman, Filmmaker of The FORBIDDEN ZONE and FORBIDDEN ZONE 2: Economically, yes. I mean it bankrupted me and I lost my house. But artistically I was glad I did it.
Film Courage: At the time that you did it you felt this way? Or later you felt…
Richard: Completely glad I did it.
Film Courage: Really okay, wow.
Richard: Yes.
Film Courage: And so you are able to talk a little bit about what happened in terms of how it bankrupted you?
Richard: Yes, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t clear the music rights. The animation cost…(although I had a very talented animator) it cost like 20 times what I thought it was going to cost. And I was just starting in real estate and [had] part-time jobs as a bus boy and a cab driver and I’m forking money in.
It was like some people go to film school. I just made a film.
Film Courage: Have you always done things this way, sort of seat-of-your-pants and you just jump right in and that’s how you learn the good and the bad?
Richard: Yes.
Film Courage: Did people try to stop you?
Richard: Just economic. Only economic.
Film Courage: Yes, that’s scary.
Richard: I had to shoot it in starts and stops as I’d get some money. I had a little bit of help from friends and some partners. Mostly on my shoulders.
Film Courage: And then I’m assuming you took out a second on your house in order to fund the movie?
Richard: Yes. Well more than that. To finally get it released I had to sign away all control…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
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