Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Here's a story I wrote for work. If you are a nerd, you would probably enjoy it.
Zombies of New York
Meet Troma Entertainment, Long Island City’s Newest Film Company
By Jeffrey Harmatz
“Who let you in here?” Lloyd Kaufman asked me after I mysteriously appeared in his office. I had just been hustled from the sidewalk in front of his film studio’s new headquarters right into the executive office by two young employees out for a smoke break. Just as soon as I had told the executives that I was there to conduct an interview, I was forced to explain how I had gotten into the building, who had let me in, and why I looked like a serial killer.
Though my sudden appearance in their office was unexpected, the manner in which I arrived speaks volumes about Troma Entertainment, the near-legendary independent film company that Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz have been running for three decades.
This is not to say that they don’t know how to run a successful company. As the owners of the oldest independent film studio in America, Kaufman and Herz have no need to prove their business acumen, and though the company has become something of an overlooked institution in the mainstream entertainment industry, it remains innovative, accessible and remarkably anti-establishment. As they settle into the company’s new headquarters in Long Island City, the lack of security that befuddled Kaufman and Herz reaffirms that after thirty years of success, they still hold the same skewed, ground-level perspective that has informed the company’s most successful films and inspired countless amateur auteurs all over the world.
Kaufman described the earliest Troma films as raunchy sex comedies. “We came up with the idea of mixing erotic content and humor,” he explained. “Before our movies Waitress! and Squeeze Play, you weren’t supposed to mix sex and comedy, and sexy movies only existed to facilitate the sale of raincoats.”
According to Kaufman, the success of the early Troma films paved the way for Hollywood movies like Porky’s and Meatballs. “We started the trend, but once Hollywood caught up to us, we moved on,” he said. “We added horror into the mix and created the slapstick gore genre. Our movies are like a Cuisinart of genres. All the major studios look to see what we do.”
This stylistic innovation would serve the company well, as its most famous films fall under the slapstick/gore category. The company’s most successful creation is the Toxic Avenger, who was first featured in a 1985 film of the same name. In the film, which was written and directed by Kaufman and Herz, a 90-pound nerd encounters a barrel of toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a muscle-bound but disfigured superhero. The character has starred in several sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and has become Troma’s mascot. Speculating on why the films have become Toma’s most popular, Kaufman remarked that Toxic Avenger “is the only movie where the viewer can see a young boy’s head smashed in by an automobile.”
Troma has also acquired a library of films created by young, like-minded directors outside of the studio system, which they promote and distribute. Among these films is early work by a number of high-profile Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Kevin Kostner, Samuel L. Jackson, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
As their films have received critical and commercial success and notoriety, and the company has become something of an institution in the film industry, Kaufman, Herz, and the entire “Troma Team” remain fiercely independent, both in practice and in attitude.
“Troma has been on a crusade for the last 15 years to support independent art and fight against consolidation, especially in the film industry,” said Kaufman, bemoaning the current state of independent film. “We’re trying to bring art back to the young people. We want Americans to understand that they are being spoon-fed their entertainment, and as a result, you have garbage like Fool’s Gold being put into wide release. Did you know that 50 million people were brainwashed into seeing Jumper?”
The Independent Avenger
It’s easy for Kaufman to dismiss the cinematic flavors of the week, but he has made enormous inroads in protecting what he considers true independent art. After attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which is generally regarded as the premiere film festival in America, he questioned what was being labeled as “independent.”
“After going to Sundance, I was horrified at how not-independent in spirit it was. It’s outrageous that such a rich festival would charge so much money to participate,” he said, referring to the fact that filmmakers must pay a steep fee just to be considered for the festival. This fee, however, Kaufman described as irrelevant, as most of the films shown at Sundance are produced by small companies that are owned by bigger ones.
As a response to what he feels is Sundance’s lack of artistic integrity, he founded the Tromadance Festival, which is held in close proximity to the Sundance Festival at the same time. “We don’t charge people to submit their films, and we don’t have any kind of VIP guests,” he said. “Karen Black ate the cold pizza like everybody else, and we had a lad pick her up from the airport in a beat-up Honda.”
Kaufman was recently named president of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), which he described as the independent version of the Motion Picture Association of America. The IFTA promotes, represents, and provides services for dozens of small and independent film companies. “Part of what I’m doing at the IFTA is trying to get young people involved with our group,” he said.
If prompted, Kaufman will speak at length about the current environment of corporate consolidation that is succeeding in squeezing the little guy out of business, both in and outside the film industry. He’ll explain that independent films have been blacklisted from television networks, movie studios, and even festivals and venues that claim to support independence, and suggests that these practices are as common in film as they are in any other industry. He is especially critical of New York City, which was once a bastion of independent culture, but is now owned by a small number of big companies. “It’s a disgrace that Milwaukee has more independent theaters than New York. It’s a shanda.”
Leaving Manhattan
Troma was founded in New York City thirty years ago, and since the 70’s, both have changed dramatically. Almost from the very beginning, Troma operated out of a landmarked building in Manhattan’s Clinton neighborhood. “When we moved into that building 30 years ago (when the neighborhood was still called Hell’s Kitchen), we completely renovated it. We made it the nicest building on the block.” Kaufman admitted that the neighborhood’s once-gritty atmosphere contributed to the biting satire of their films and their street-level attitude as a production company, and the building itself grew into a haven for independent and creative-minded New Yorkers, who as Kaufman put it, were always hanging around. The building become closely associated with the company, and was featured in some of their promotion material.
“Since we moved in, the neighborhood has become swanky, and we weren’t the nicest building on the block anymore” bemoaned Kaufman. The same movement of consolidation that has squashed independent film had changed the city, replacing bodegas and diners with fast food franchises and banks and driving up rents in the city.“Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and you’re paying to be in a building with a McDonald’s next door. It’s not interesting.”
At the beginning of 2008, Troma left their home in Manhattan and set up shop in an industrial section of Long Island City north of the Queensboro Bridge, a far cry from the “swank” that engulfed the company’s former headquarters. In a neighborhood more reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s than modern-day Clinton, Troma’s arrival may herald an increasing interest in the area. However, Kaufman thinks that the neighborhood is fine the way it is. “When we moved into this building, we renovated it, but this time it wasn’t the nicest neighborhood on the street,” he said, indicating that a new school across the street has provided them welcome competition for the title, as well as an improved atmosphere. “All day long we hear the laughter of the children across the street, and it’s almost musical.” He expounded on the neighborhood’s character, recommending sandwich shops and describing the beauty of nearby buildings.
“Emerson said that the substance is governed by the form. I think that by being in this community, we will be more creative,” said Kaufman. “This move will freshen our approach. I’m an old man and on my way out, but Michael is still young and attractive. We’ve only been in this building a month, but he’s already thinking about another Toxic Avenger movie.”
Troma’s new building on 11th Street, a few blocks away from Silvercup Studios, was previously a Chinese food distributor. “I believe it was called, ‘Well Hung,’” joked Kaufman. The new building already holds a production studio, an editing studio, archives for film and video negatives, a number of props from recent films, a small warehouse, and they hope to turn the former meat locker into a special effects studio. “We might also be able to help out the local butcher.”
Just as the old building in Manhattan attracted fans and artists from around the globe, Kaufman hopes that the new building will become a significant part of the neighborhood’s culture. “The Manhattan building was kind of a Mecca. We had so many creative people all around us working on our movies, and creative people were just around, drawing inspiration and hanging out,” he recalled. “We think that there will be the same appeal for this building. I’ve already gotten calls from a guy in Sweden who wants to come and see the new place.” One structural advantage that the new Troma building has over the old is a rooftop garden that will serve as the setting for both formal and informal gatherings.
Troma’s newest film, Poultrygeist, is another manifestation of Kaufman’s anti-consolidation activities. Kaufman co-wrote, produced and directed the film, which is about a zombie infestation at a fast food restaurant. The film is both a horror movie and a send up of consumer culture. “The zombie image is a good metaphor for our current culture, and so is fast food.
The film continues Troma’s tradition of experimentation by adding another genre into the current mix of satire, sex and gore: musical theater. “I wanted to do a musical, and the idea behind Poultrygeist gave me the opportunity to do one.” The film is already playing in theaters across the country, and will open in New York City on May 9. And though his partner is considering a return to the successful Toxic Avenger character, Kaufman is hoping to work on something that is more character driven. “We’ve got a great bunch of actors right now, and we’re looking for an entertaining and controversial script. If you’ve got one, send it to us.”
Zombies of New York
Meet Troma Entertainment, Long Island City’s Newest Film Company
By Jeffrey Harmatz
“Who let you in here?” Lloyd Kaufman asked me after I mysteriously appeared in his office. I had just been hustled from the sidewalk in front of his film studio’s new headquarters right into the executive office by two young employees out for a smoke break. Just as soon as I had told the executives that I was there to conduct an interview, I was forced to explain how I had gotten into the building, who had let me in, and why I looked like a serial killer.
Though my sudden appearance in their office was unexpected, the manner in which I arrived speaks volumes about Troma Entertainment, the near-legendary independent film company that Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz have been running for three decades.
This is not to say that they don’t know how to run a successful company. As the owners of the oldest independent film studio in America, Kaufman and Herz have no need to prove their business acumen, and though the company has become something of an overlooked institution in the mainstream entertainment industry, it remains innovative, accessible and remarkably anti-establishment. As they settle into the company’s new headquarters in Long Island City, the lack of security that befuddled Kaufman and Herz reaffirms that after thirty years of success, they still hold the same skewed, ground-level perspective that has informed the company’s most successful films and inspired countless amateur auteurs all over the world.
Kaufman described the earliest Troma films as raunchy sex comedies. “We came up with the idea of mixing erotic content and humor,” he explained. “Before our movies Waitress! and Squeeze Play, you weren’t supposed to mix sex and comedy, and sexy movies only existed to facilitate the sale of raincoats.”
According to Kaufman, the success of the early Troma films paved the way for Hollywood movies like Porky’s and Meatballs. “We started the trend, but once Hollywood caught up to us, we moved on,” he said. “We added horror into the mix and created the slapstick gore genre. Our movies are like a Cuisinart of genres. All the major studios look to see what we do.”
This stylistic innovation would serve the company well, as its most famous films fall under the slapstick/gore category. The company’s most successful creation is the Toxic Avenger, who was first featured in a 1985 film of the same name. In the film, which was written and directed by Kaufman and Herz, a 90-pound nerd encounters a barrel of toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a muscle-bound but disfigured superhero. The character has starred in several sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and has become Troma’s mascot. Speculating on why the films have become Toma’s most popular, Kaufman remarked that Toxic Avenger “is the only movie where the viewer can see a young boy’s head smashed in by an automobile.”
Troma has also acquired a library of films created by young, like-minded directors outside of the studio system, which they promote and distribute. Among these films is early work by a number of high-profile Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Kevin Kostner, Samuel L. Jackson, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
As their films have received critical and commercial success and notoriety, and the company has become something of an institution in the film industry, Kaufman, Herz, and the entire “Troma Team” remain fiercely independent, both in practice and in attitude.
“Troma has been on a crusade for the last 15 years to support independent art and fight against consolidation, especially in the film industry,” said Kaufman, bemoaning the current state of independent film. “We’re trying to bring art back to the young people. We want Americans to understand that they are being spoon-fed their entertainment, and as a result, you have garbage like Fool’s Gold being put into wide release. Did you know that 50 million people were brainwashed into seeing Jumper?”
The Independent Avenger
It’s easy for Kaufman to dismiss the cinematic flavors of the week, but he has made enormous inroads in protecting what he considers true independent art. After attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which is generally regarded as the premiere film festival in America, he questioned what was being labeled as “independent.”
“After going to Sundance, I was horrified at how not-independent in spirit it was. It’s outrageous that such a rich festival would charge so much money to participate,” he said, referring to the fact that filmmakers must pay a steep fee just to be considered for the festival. This fee, however, Kaufman described as irrelevant, as most of the films shown at Sundance are produced by small companies that are owned by bigger ones.
As a response to what he feels is Sundance’s lack of artistic integrity, he founded the Tromadance Festival, which is held in close proximity to the Sundance Festival at the same time. “We don’t charge people to submit their films, and we don’t have any kind of VIP guests,” he said. “Karen Black ate the cold pizza like everybody else, and we had a lad pick her up from the airport in a beat-up Honda.”
Kaufman was recently named president of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), which he described as the independent version of the Motion Picture Association of America. The IFTA promotes, represents, and provides services for dozens of small and independent film companies. “Part of what I’m doing at the IFTA is trying to get young people involved with our group,” he said.
If prompted, Kaufman will speak at length about the current environment of corporate consolidation that is succeeding in squeezing the little guy out of business, both in and outside the film industry. He’ll explain that independent films have been blacklisted from television networks, movie studios, and even festivals and venues that claim to support independence, and suggests that these practices are as common in film as they are in any other industry. He is especially critical of New York City, which was once a bastion of independent culture, but is now owned by a small number of big companies. “It’s a disgrace that Milwaukee has more independent theaters than New York. It’s a shanda.”
Leaving Manhattan
Troma was founded in New York City thirty years ago, and since the 70’s, both have changed dramatically. Almost from the very beginning, Troma operated out of a landmarked building in Manhattan’s Clinton neighborhood. “When we moved into that building 30 years ago (when the neighborhood was still called Hell’s Kitchen), we completely renovated it. We made it the nicest building on the block.” Kaufman admitted that the neighborhood’s once-gritty atmosphere contributed to the biting satire of their films and their street-level attitude as a production company, and the building itself grew into a haven for independent and creative-minded New Yorkers, who as Kaufman put it, were always hanging around. The building become closely associated with the company, and was featured in some of their promotion material.
“Since we moved in, the neighborhood has become swanky, and we weren’t the nicest building on the block anymore” bemoaned Kaufman. The same movement of consolidation that has squashed independent film had changed the city, replacing bodegas and diners with fast food franchises and banks and driving up rents in the city.“Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and you’re paying to be in a building with a McDonald’s next door. It’s not interesting.”
At the beginning of 2008, Troma left their home in Manhattan and set up shop in an industrial section of Long Island City north of the Queensboro Bridge, a far cry from the “swank” that engulfed the company’s former headquarters. In a neighborhood more reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s than modern-day Clinton, Troma’s arrival may herald an increasing interest in the area. However, Kaufman thinks that the neighborhood is fine the way it is. “When we moved into this building, we renovated it, but this time it wasn’t the nicest neighborhood on the street,” he said, indicating that a new school across the street has provided them welcome competition for the title, as well as an improved atmosphere. “All day long we hear the laughter of the children across the street, and it’s almost musical.” He expounded on the neighborhood’s character, recommending sandwich shops and describing the beauty of nearby buildings.
“Emerson said that the substance is governed by the form. I think that by being in this community, we will be more creative,” said Kaufman. “This move will freshen our approach. I’m an old man and on my way out, but Michael is still young and attractive. We’ve only been in this building a month, but he’s already thinking about another Toxic Avenger movie.”
Troma’s new building on 11th Street, a few blocks away from Silvercup Studios, was previously a Chinese food distributor. “I believe it was called, ‘Well Hung,’” joked Kaufman. The new building already holds a production studio, an editing studio, archives for film and video negatives, a number of props from recent films, a small warehouse, and they hope to turn the former meat locker into a special effects studio. “We might also be able to help out the local butcher.”
Just as the old building in Manhattan attracted fans and artists from around the globe, Kaufman hopes that the new building will become a significant part of the neighborhood’s culture. “The Manhattan building was kind of a Mecca. We had so many creative people all around us working on our movies, and creative people were just around, drawing inspiration and hanging out,” he recalled. “We think that there will be the same appeal for this building. I’ve already gotten calls from a guy in Sweden who wants to come and see the new place.” One structural advantage that the new Troma building has over the old is a rooftop garden that will serve as the setting for both formal and informal gatherings.
Troma’s newest film, Poultrygeist, is another manifestation of Kaufman’s anti-consolidation activities. Kaufman co-wrote, produced and directed the film, which is about a zombie infestation at a fast food restaurant. The film is both a horror movie and a send up of consumer culture. “The zombie image is a good metaphor for our current culture, and so is fast food.
The film continues Troma’s tradition of experimentation by adding another genre into the current mix of satire, sex and gore: musical theater. “I wanted to do a musical, and the idea behind Poultrygeist gave me the opportunity to do one.” The film is already playing in theaters across the country, and will open in New York City on May 9. And though his partner is considering a return to the successful Toxic Avenger character, Kaufman is hoping to work on something that is more character driven. “We’ve got a great bunch of actors right now, and we’re looking for an entertaining and controversial script. If you’ve got one, send it to us.”
Here's a story I wrote for work. If you are a nerd, you would probably enjoy it.
Zombies of New York
Meet Troma Entertainment, Long Island City’s Newest Film Company
By Jeffrey Harmatz
“Who let you in here?” Lloyd Kaufman asked me after I mysteriously appeared in his office. I had just been hustled from the sidewalk in front of his film studio’s new headquarters right into the executive office by two young employees out for a smoke break. Just as soon as I had told the executives that I was there to conduct an interview, I was forced to explain how I had gotten into the building, who had let me in, and why I looked like a serial killer.
Though my sudden appearance in their office was unexpected, the manner in which I arrived speaks volumes about Troma Entertainment, the near-legendary independent film company that Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz have been running for three decades.
This is not to say that they don’t know how to run a successful company. As the owners of the oldest independent film studio in America, Kaufman and Herz have no need to prove their business acumen, and though the company has become something of an overlooked institution in the mainstream entertainment industry, it remains innovative, accessible and remarkably anti-establishment. As they settle into the company’s new headquarters in Long Island City, the lack of security that befuddled Kaufman and Herz reaffirms that after thirty years of success, they still hold the same skewed, ground-level perspective that has informed the company’s most successful films and inspired countless amateur auteurs all over the world.
Kaufman described the earliest Troma films as raunchy sex comedies. “We came up with the idea of mixing erotic content and humor,” he explained. “Before our movies Waitress! and Squeeze Play, you weren’t supposed to mix sex and comedy, and sexy movies only existed to facilitate the sale of raincoats.”
According to Kaufman, the success of the early Troma films paved the way for Hollywood movies like Porky’s and Meatballs. “We started the trend, but once Hollywood caught up to us, we moved on,” he said. “We added horror into the mix and created the slapstick gore genre. Our movies are like a Cuisinart of genres. All the major studios look to see what we do.”
This stylistic innovation would serve the company well, as its most famous films fall under the slapstick/gore category. The company’s most successful creation is the Toxic Avenger, who was first featured in a 1985 film of the same name. In the film, which was written and directed by Kaufman and Herz, a 90-pound nerd encounters a barrel of toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a muscle-bound but disfigured superhero. The character has starred in several sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and has become Troma’s mascot. Speculating on why the films have become Toma’s most popular, Kaufman remarked that Toxic Avenger “is the only movie where the viewer can see a young boy’s head smashed in by an automobile.”
Troma has also acquired a library of films created by young, like-minded directors outside of the studio system, which they promote and distribute. Among these films is early work by a number of high-profile Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Kevin Kostner, Samuel L. Jackson, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
As their films have received critical and commercial success and notoriety, and the company has become something of an institution in the film industry, Kaufman, Herz, and the entire “Troma Team” remain fiercely independent, both in practice and in attitude.
“Troma has been on a crusade for the last 15 years to support independent art and fight against consolidation, especially in the film industry,” said Kaufman, bemoaning the current state of independent film. “We’re trying to bring art back to the young people. We want Americans to understand that they are being spoon-fed their entertainment, and as a result, you have garbage like Fool’s Gold being put into wide release. Did you know that 50 million people were brainwashed into seeing Jumper?”
The Independent Avenger
It’s easy for Kaufman to dismiss the cinematic flavors of the week, but he has made enormous inroads in protecting what he considers true independent art. After attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which is generally regarded as the premiere film festival in America, he questioned what was being labeled as “independent.”
“After going to Sundance, I was horrified at how not-independent in spirit it was. It’s outrageous that such a rich festival would charge so much money to participate,” he said, referring to the fact that filmmakers must pay a steep fee just to be considered for the festival. This fee, however, Kaufman described as irrelevant, as most of the films shown at Sundance are produced by small companies that are owned by bigger ones.
As a response to what he feels is Sundance’s lack of artistic integrity, he founded the Tromadance Festival, which is held in close proximity to the Sundance Festival at the same time. “We don’t charge people to submit their films, and we don’t have any kind of VIP guests,” he said. “Karen Black ate the cold pizza like everybody else, and we had a lad pick her up from the airport in a beat-up Honda.”
Kaufman was recently named president of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), which he described as the independent version of the Motion Picture Association of America. The IFTA promotes, represents, and provides services for dozens of small and independent film companies. “Part of what I’m doing at the IFTA is trying to get young people involved with our group,” he said.
If prompted, Kaufman will speak at length about the current environment of corporate consolidation that is succeeding in squeezing the little guy out of business, both in and outside the film industry. He’ll explain that independent films have been blacklisted from television networks, movie studios, and even festivals and venues that claim to support independence, and suggests that these practices are as common in film as they are in any other industry. He is especially critical of New York City, which was once a bastion of independent culture, but is now owned by a small number of big companies. “It’s a disgrace that Milwaukee has more independent theaters than New York. It’s a shanda.”
Leaving Manhattan
Troma was founded in New York City thirty years ago, and since the 70’s, both have changed dramatically. Almost from the very beginning, Troma operated out of a landmarked building in Manhattan’s Clinton neighborhood. “When we moved into that building 30 years ago (when the neighborhood was still called Hell’s Kitchen), we completely renovated it. We made it the nicest building on the block.” Kaufman admitted that the neighborhood’s once-gritty atmosphere contributed to the biting satire of their films and their street-level attitude as a production company, and the building itself grew into a haven for independent and creative-minded New Yorkers, who as Kaufman put it, were always hanging around. The building become closely associated with the company, and was featured in some of their promotion material.
“Since we moved in, the neighborhood has become swanky, and we weren’t the nicest building on the block anymore” bemoaned Kaufman. The same movement of consolidation that has squashed independent film had changed the city, replacing bodegas and diners with fast food franchises and banks and driving up rents in the city.“Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and you’re paying to be in a building with a McDonald’s next door. It’s not interesting.”
At the beginning of 2008, Troma left their home in Manhattan and set up shop in an industrial section of Long Island City north of the Queensboro Bridge, a far cry from the “swank” that engulfed the company’s former headquarters. In a neighborhood more reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s than modern-day Clinton, Troma’s arrival may herald an increasing interest in the area. However, Kaufman thinks that the neighborhood is fine the way it is. “When we moved into this building, we renovated it, but this time it wasn’t the nicest neighborhood on the street,” he said, indicating that a new school across the street has provided them welcome competition for the title, as well as an improved atmosphere. “All day long we hear the laughter of the children across the street, and it’s almost musical.” He expounded on the neighborhood’s character, recommending sandwich shops and describing the beauty of nearby buildings.
“Emerson said that the substance is governed by the form. I think that by being in this community, we will be more creative,” said Kaufman. “This move will freshen our approach. I’m an old man and on my way out, but Michael is still young and attractive. We’ve only been in this building a month, but he’s already thinking about another Toxic Avenger movie.”
Troma’s new building on 11th Street, a few blocks away from Silvercup Studios, was previously a Chinese food distributor. “I believe it was called, ‘Well Hung,’” joked Kaufman. The new building already holds a production studio, an editing studio, archives for film and video negatives, a number of props from recent films, a small warehouse, and they hope to turn the former meat locker into a special effects studio. “We might also be able to help out the local butcher.”
Just as the old building in Manhattan attracted fans and artists from around the globe, Kaufman hopes that the new building will become a significant part of the neighborhood’s culture. “The Manhattan building was kind of a Mecca. We had so many creative people all around us working on our movies, and creative people were just around, drawing inspiration and hanging out,” he recalled. “We think that there will be the same appeal for this building. I’ve already gotten calls from a guy in Sweden who wants to come and see the new place.” One structural advantage that the new Troma building has over the old is a rooftop garden that will serve as the setting for both formal and informal gatherings.
Troma’s newest film, Poultrygeist, is another manifestation of Kaufman’s anti-consolidation activities. Kaufman co-wrote, produced and directed the film, which is about a zombie infestation at a fast food restaurant. The film is both a horror movie and a send up of consumer culture. “The zombie image is a good metaphor for our current culture, and so is fast food.
The film continues Troma’s tradition of experimentation by adding another genre into the current mix of satire, sex and gore: musical theater. “I wanted to do a musical, and the idea behind Poultrygeist gave me the opportunity to do one.” The film is already playing in theaters across the country, and will open in New York City on May 9. And though his partner is considering a return to the successful Toxic Avenger character, Kaufman is hoping to work on something that is more character driven. “We’ve got a great bunch of actors right now, and we’re looking for an entertaining and controversial script. If you’ve got one, send it to us.”
Zombies of New York
Meet Troma Entertainment, Long Island City’s Newest Film Company
By Jeffrey Harmatz
“Who let you in here?” Lloyd Kaufman asked me after I mysteriously appeared in his office. I had just been hustled from the sidewalk in front of his film studio’s new headquarters right into the executive office by two young employees out for a smoke break. Just as soon as I had told the executives that I was there to conduct an interview, I was forced to explain how I had gotten into the building, who had let me in, and why I looked like a serial killer.
Though my sudden appearance in their office was unexpected, the manner in which I arrived speaks volumes about Troma Entertainment, the near-legendary independent film company that Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz have been running for three decades.
This is not to say that they don’t know how to run a successful company. As the owners of the oldest independent film studio in America, Kaufman and Herz have no need to prove their business acumen, and though the company has become something of an overlooked institution in the mainstream entertainment industry, it remains innovative, accessible and remarkably anti-establishment. As they settle into the company’s new headquarters in Long Island City, the lack of security that befuddled Kaufman and Herz reaffirms that after thirty years of success, they still hold the same skewed, ground-level perspective that has informed the company’s most successful films and inspired countless amateur auteurs all over the world.
Kaufman described the earliest Troma films as raunchy sex comedies. “We came up with the idea of mixing erotic content and humor,” he explained. “Before our movies Waitress! and Squeeze Play, you weren’t supposed to mix sex and comedy, and sexy movies only existed to facilitate the sale of raincoats.”
According to Kaufman, the success of the early Troma films paved the way for Hollywood movies like Porky’s and Meatballs. “We started the trend, but once Hollywood caught up to us, we moved on,” he said. “We added horror into the mix and created the slapstick gore genre. Our movies are like a Cuisinart of genres. All the major studios look to see what we do.”
This stylistic innovation would serve the company well, as its most famous films fall under the slapstick/gore category. The company’s most successful creation is the Toxic Avenger, who was first featured in a 1985 film of the same name. In the film, which was written and directed by Kaufman and Herz, a 90-pound nerd encounters a barrel of toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a muscle-bound but disfigured superhero. The character has starred in several sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and has become Troma’s mascot. Speculating on why the films have become Toma’s most popular, Kaufman remarked that Toxic Avenger “is the only movie where the viewer can see a young boy’s head smashed in by an automobile.”
Troma has also acquired a library of films created by young, like-minded directors outside of the studio system, which they promote and distribute. Among these films is early work by a number of high-profile Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Kevin Kostner, Samuel L. Jackson, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
As their films have received critical and commercial success and notoriety, and the company has become something of an institution in the film industry, Kaufman, Herz, and the entire “Troma Team” remain fiercely independent, both in practice and in attitude.
“Troma has been on a crusade for the last 15 years to support independent art and fight against consolidation, especially in the film industry,” said Kaufman, bemoaning the current state of independent film. “We’re trying to bring art back to the young people. We want Americans to understand that they are being spoon-fed their entertainment, and as a result, you have garbage like Fool’s Gold being put into wide release. Did you know that 50 million people were brainwashed into seeing Jumper?”
The Independent Avenger
It’s easy for Kaufman to dismiss the cinematic flavors of the week, but he has made enormous inroads in protecting what he considers true independent art. After attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which is generally regarded as the premiere film festival in America, he questioned what was being labeled as “independent.”
“After going to Sundance, I was horrified at how not-independent in spirit it was. It’s outrageous that such a rich festival would charge so much money to participate,” he said, referring to the fact that filmmakers must pay a steep fee just to be considered for the festival. This fee, however, Kaufman described as irrelevant, as most of the films shown at Sundance are produced by small companies that are owned by bigger ones.
As a response to what he feels is Sundance’s lack of artistic integrity, he founded the Tromadance Festival, which is held in close proximity to the Sundance Festival at the same time. “We don’t charge people to submit their films, and we don’t have any kind of VIP guests,” he said. “Karen Black ate the cold pizza like everybody else, and we had a lad pick her up from the airport in a beat-up Honda.”
Kaufman was recently named president of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), which he described as the independent version of the Motion Picture Association of America. The IFTA promotes, represents, and provides services for dozens of small and independent film companies. “Part of what I’m doing at the IFTA is trying to get young people involved with our group,” he said.
If prompted, Kaufman will speak at length about the current environment of corporate consolidation that is succeeding in squeezing the little guy out of business, both in and outside the film industry. He’ll explain that independent films have been blacklisted from television networks, movie studios, and even festivals and venues that claim to support independence, and suggests that these practices are as common in film as they are in any other industry. He is especially critical of New York City, which was once a bastion of independent culture, but is now owned by a small number of big companies. “It’s a disgrace that Milwaukee has more independent theaters than New York. It’s a shanda.”
Leaving Manhattan
Troma was founded in New York City thirty years ago, and since the 70’s, both have changed dramatically. Almost from the very beginning, Troma operated out of a landmarked building in Manhattan’s Clinton neighborhood. “When we moved into that building 30 years ago (when the neighborhood was still called Hell’s Kitchen), we completely renovated it. We made it the nicest building on the block.” Kaufman admitted that the neighborhood’s once-gritty atmosphere contributed to the biting satire of their films and their street-level attitude as a production company, and the building itself grew into a haven for independent and creative-minded New Yorkers, who as Kaufman put it, were always hanging around. The building become closely associated with the company, and was featured in some of their promotion material.
“Since we moved in, the neighborhood has become swanky, and we weren’t the nicest building on the block anymore” bemoaned Kaufman. The same movement of consolidation that has squashed independent film had changed the city, replacing bodegas and diners with fast food franchises and banks and driving up rents in the city.“Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and you’re paying to be in a building with a McDonald’s next door. It’s not interesting.”
At the beginning of 2008, Troma left their home in Manhattan and set up shop in an industrial section of Long Island City north of the Queensboro Bridge, a far cry from the “swank” that engulfed the company’s former headquarters. In a neighborhood more reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s than modern-day Clinton, Troma’s arrival may herald an increasing interest in the area. However, Kaufman thinks that the neighborhood is fine the way it is. “When we moved into this building, we renovated it, but this time it wasn’t the nicest neighborhood on the street,” he said, indicating that a new school across the street has provided them welcome competition for the title, as well as an improved atmosphere. “All day long we hear the laughter of the children across the street, and it’s almost musical.” He expounded on the neighborhood’s character, recommending sandwich shops and describing the beauty of nearby buildings.
“Emerson said that the substance is governed by the form. I think that by being in this community, we will be more creative,” said Kaufman. “This move will freshen our approach. I’m an old man and on my way out, but Michael is still young and attractive. We’ve only been in this building a month, but he’s already thinking about another Toxic Avenger movie.”
Troma’s new building on 11th Street, a few blocks away from Silvercup Studios, was previously a Chinese food distributor. “I believe it was called, ‘Well Hung,’” joked Kaufman. The new building already holds a production studio, an editing studio, archives for film and video negatives, a number of props from recent films, a small warehouse, and they hope to turn the former meat locker into a special effects studio. “We might also be able to help out the local butcher.”
Just as the old building in Manhattan attracted fans and artists from around the globe, Kaufman hopes that the new building will become a significant part of the neighborhood’s culture. “The Manhattan building was kind of a Mecca. We had so many creative people all around us working on our movies, and creative people were just around, drawing inspiration and hanging out,” he recalled. “We think that there will be the same appeal for this building. I’ve already gotten calls from a guy in Sweden who wants to come and see the new place.” One structural advantage that the new Troma building has over the old is a rooftop garden that will serve as the setting for both formal and informal gatherings.
Troma’s newest film, Poultrygeist, is another manifestation of Kaufman’s anti-consolidation activities. Kaufman co-wrote, produced and directed the film, which is about a zombie infestation at a fast food restaurant. The film is both a horror movie and a send up of consumer culture. “The zombie image is a good metaphor for our current culture, and so is fast food.
The film continues Troma’s tradition of experimentation by adding another genre into the current mix of satire, sex and gore: musical theater. “I wanted to do a musical, and the idea behind Poultrygeist gave me the opportunity to do one.” The film is already playing in theaters across the country, and will open in New York City on May 9. And though his partner is considering a return to the successful Toxic Avenger character, Kaufman is hoping to work on something that is more character driven. “We’ve got a great bunch of actors right now, and we’re looking for an entertaining and controversial script. If you’ve got one, send it to us.”
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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