BY CHRIS GRAVES

CHRIS GRAVES: For those who do not know, what is your background and how were you introduced to the world of View Askew and Kevin Smith?

VINCENT GUASTINI: My Background is that I headed up and or did effects for or design work for the following movies: The Last Of The Mohicans, Dogma, Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Father, Scary Movie 4, Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back, Hannibal, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Stephen King’s Thinner, Child’s Play 3, Super Mario Bros. The movie, Virus, Doom the Movie, Man On The Moon, Requiem For A Dream, Saturday Night Live, Dirt, Third Watch, Law and Order.

I have worked with or did effects for the following directors and producers in my 20 some odd years of effects: David Zucker, Clint Eastwood, Joe Dante, Michael Mann, Darren Aronofsky, Sam Raimi, Tom Holland, Stephen King, Brian Yuzna, Randall Kleiser, Milos Forman, Lorne Michaels, Martin Scorsese, Gale Anne Hurd, Fred Caruso, Rolland Joffe, Ridley Scott, and Steven Spielberg.

I was introduced to Kevin Smith’s world from the film Chasing Amy; I saw that in the movies and I had never even seen Clerks yet. So I was blown away by that film and I really wanted to work with this guy who made this film.

That’s when I tracked down Scott Mosier the producer over AOL and emailed him my stuff. At the time I was working on the Movie DOOM, for Universal Pictures. This version of the film had Arnold Schwarzenegger attached which was in the late 90’s.

I contacted View Askew, and Scott Mosier to set up a meeting, about 6 months after talking to him on the phone. Scott asked me to come by and meet Kevin.

I wanted to go in the meeting prepared so based on the script I had drawings and models of what I thought the effects for Dogma should look like. It was after this lunch meeting in Red Bank that Kevin signed the cover of my Filmmaker magazine that I brought with me for him to autograph. It said “Vincent I can’t thank you enough for all the cool swag! Let’s do DOGMA”. It was then I knew I had the job and was totally sold on the dancing Transvestite Clown and The View Askew gang.

CG: How were you introduced to special make-up effects? What are your influences?

VG: Well a lot of movies influenced me. I’m a child of Star Wars, & Indiana Jones Etc.

So Yoda and Indiana Jones are my heroes, but those films made me think “Hey, I want to direct or produce movies.” Was not until later that I saw American Werewolf, The Howling, and then John Carpenter’s THE THING, that I said I’m going to make monsters for a living, so my aspirations to direct were put away and I wanted to make creatures. Rob Bottin was a direct influence that changed my life. But if I really think about it, it was my dad’s fault. He took me to 42nd street and we would see all these double features, namely the one big space film that I saw at like 8 or 9 was 2001 A Space Odyssey & Bruce Lee movies etc. So filmmaking itself was my first true love and so was the work of Stanley Kubrick. But thanks to John Carpenter and Rob Bottin, they kind of side tracked me into doing monsters.

CG: Can you talk about your experiences on such movies as Super Mario Bros., Child’s Play 3, Man On The Moon, and Requiem For A Dream? Also, how did you get involved with the original film version of Preacher?

VG: Requiem for a Dream was an interesting experience. Well I’ll tell you Darren Aronofsky, the films director, is someone who really cares and is a perfectionist. And works his eye balls and brains to the bone to get that shot or scene they way he sees it. As far as visionary artists I know, he is a great fan of Stanley Kubrick. And Stanley is one of my favorites. I was a fan right after I saw Pi.

It was rough I must tell you, Darren’s film was no fun to work on at all. First off, it was a very short pre- production time, 6 weeks. And we had some very complicated effects and make-ups going on. For very little money and we had to test all these make-ups to see if they would even work.

If Darren did not like something, he would get kind of quiet and talk to his producer Eric Watson. Then Eric would come over and say “Hey Darren wants you to try this” etc. Then Darren would come over later and either tell you himself or give you more direction to get what he wanted. Was like he was trying to push you to find his way of thinking if it was not quite what he wanted or was not sure.

As far as working with Ellen Burstyn, the star of the movie, well I was Dr. Pain. Gluing on a different rubber neck everyday… I was also late one day for set and was re-working a problem in the lab, when one of the molds cracked and we were working around the clock to fix the mold that was the star mold, for the show. We were going through appliances like napkins. No time to make back up molds, since the prep for this type of complicated make-up was very short. And we were not given much time for any mishaps, one mistake on that schedule and we were screwed. And then it happened. I’m up like 22 hours or some crazy time making sure that the new necks were ready and on set for the next day’s shoot. Well I show up late and Ellen just starts screaming at me. I was like so taken back to hear the mom from The Exorcist and she’s screaming at me. I was completely burned out, just doing my best, and here I have the star screaming at me. On top of all this I had to get the make-ups done in an hour and half. It was a very demanding and difficult film to work on.

My involvement with Preacher was that I loved the comic, and it was another project I wanted to wrap myself around. I heard that producer Rupert Harvey’s wife Rachel Talalay was going to direct with Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier producing. Arseface was my favorite character, so I decided to do him as a test make-up. It was made from gelatin and I sculpted it keeping quite true to the comic book’s look. I also did some designs of the various demons and other characters out of the comic book. Kevin saw Arseface and was really blown away. Since then as you know, Kevin Smith is no longer attached and HBO is trying to do it as a series. My agent is in pursuit of my studio possibly doing the effects as we speak.

CG: You worked on Bryan Johnson’s Vulgar. What was it like on the set of that film and what effects did you create for that project?

VG: This was a very strange film, but after reading the script I knew I wanted to do it. I mean how many films have graphic violence and a clown being raped? After all, this was my way of first introducing myself and my work to Kevin Smith and View Askew. So producer Scott Mosier and Monica Hampton asked me if I could help out their friend and first time director, Bryan Johnson, with an effect for their film that had to have actor Ethan Suplee’s face being blown off at close range by a hand pistol being fired in his face.

I was very glad to do it. So we went to Kevin Smith’s then apartment in Red Bank New Jersey and I face casted actor Ethan Suplee’s face. >From there I had about 2 days to get the whole effect together. I sculpted in a day and ran the foam piece the next day.

It took me and my make-up assistant in training Louie Zakarian over 4 hours to apply to Ethan. We had to piece Ethan’s face back in over the damage.

Plus connect each piece with fishing line to later be yanked in front of the camera as we pumped blood and Ethan falls back out of camera frame quickly to see his face just blown away. It was a very gory and disturbing effect. I wish it was on camera longer but it was not about that. Everyone seemed very pleased with the results, myself as well as Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, because they hired me for Dogma.

CG: Can you describe your experience on the set of Saturday Night Live, in which you were nominated for an Emmy? Was it a challenge to work at such a fast pace with make-up and effects?

VG: Crazy and fun. I was working and partying with some incredible talents and hanging around some really cool actors. As far as me being nominated, it was for turning Darrell Hammond into a fat old lady. I was on that show almost 4 years and was Will Farrell’s personal make-up artist on that show.

I miss it sometimes, but it could be stressful, you had like 2 minutes and or less sometimes for what they call a quick change to get a bald cap on or a nose or sometimes a whole face in the dark behind the set. So it was crazy, but I loved it.

CG: What was the basis for the angel wings in Dogma? How does Kevin describe to you what he wants in terms of the special effects in his films? Does he give you creative freedom or very detailed descriptions? And do you have a favorite special effect that you created?

VG: Working with Kevin, is like working for your best friend who you would hang out with. Real laid back listens to all your suggestions. No ego man, just no ego. If something was taking a long time to fix or something broke down, Kevin would never yell or place blame on you no matter what was going on. Real solid secure guy. More directors should take his cue on sets. As far as the wings, Kevin opened up a comic book and pointed to the Justice League of America and said I want those (Hawkman’s) wings. And I did designs based off the comic, and I had my animatronics team follow the drawings and mock up what we did to build the animatronic wings.

Scott Mosier, the film’s producer, was the one who got me to meet Kevin.

They were the most laidback, honest, and up front cooler guys in this business that I have ever met. And no bullshit type guys. I was going through a lot on DOGMA to get the best effects I could get on the screen for a certain amount of money. I mean we were building the most complicated animatronic wings in film history for a price. And also doing it in a way that was ground breaking. You must understand most animatronic wings that have been done for other films have been what I call cheat wings. As in they have different type of wings to do certain things to make it look like that one set is doing everything.

I’m not going to put anybody else’s wings down,but Kevin was not a big fan of the “Michael” [the John Travolta film where Travolta plays the archangel Michael] wings at all. He didn’t think they moved much and you really didn’t get to see them at all until maybe the end. The advantage with “Brazil” wings was the person’s arms actually fit into the wings, which helped manipulate them. In the case of “DOGMA,” we didn’t have that luxury whatsoever.

I believe we have the first wings for a human character that the wings do everything in one set. There was a lot of new ground work being laid down animatronically and a lot of it has never been done before and honestly we did not have a lot of time or money. We also built back up sets of wings as well as two other sets for other effects that are in the film as in just a lighter pair that stay open and another set for when they get blown up. Not to mention the Shit Demon, and all the other gore effects in the film.

Scott Mosier understood all of this and what a challenge this was going to be. And backed me up all the way no matter how tough it would get. He helped you through anything, whatever you needed or wanted, Scott was always there. I will never forget that. And Scott is still that same guy. He did not let Hollywood go to his head.

A favorite effect I have done? Well for Dogma, the wings and Noman aka the Shit Demon, the thinning stuff I did for Requiem for a Dream, as well as the Oprah character prosthetic make-up I did for Scary Movie 4. And recently, the stuff we did for “Letters from Iwo Jima”, for director Clint Eastwood, and The Last of the Mohicans gore stuff is another favorite.

Michael Mann was one of the toughest to work on a project with, but as far as one on one, he was awesome. Total respect. He listened and also even asked me how I thought certain effects or scenes should be shot. When it came to one very important scene in Last Of the Mohicans’s, the scene when Daniel Day Lewis comes rushing in while an Indian has Madeline Stowe by the neck with a knife. And Daniel Day Lewis swoops in and stone tomahawk and beats a big hole in the side of the guys head, that was the shot he went through with me as far as the set up and what would be the most effective and were the wound would be.

CG: During the filming of Dogma, what did you learn about Kevin Smith? And what was your response to that film’s controversy?

VG: Well he said he wanted to be an effects artist. That’s how he first wanted to get into this stuff. I was actually surprised. I was like “Well I wanted to be a director at first.” So knowing this, for a Christmas gift I gave him a book he was looking for and could not find. Grande Illusions by Tom Savini. So I wanted to give him that because I know it influenced me reading that as much as it influenced him.

As far as the controversy of the film Dogma, I was like “Jesus, it has a rubber Shit Monster in it”, was that what offended people? Then I was like maybe the fact that Ben (Affleck) playing the Angel, was dropping a cardinal and other people to their deaths from the sky?

To be honest I thought it was way out of hand and silly, and being a born again Christian of recent years, Kevin’s take on the whole thing made me feel like “Wow, how cool would it be if God was like Alanis Morissette in attitude and mind set.” Anyway I thought the whole hoopla was unnecessary. I mean death threats? Come on. It’s a movie, people.

CG: Was there anything cut from Vulgar, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that you created?

VG: The Scooby Doo sequence (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) was dropped a day before the dog was to be shot. Honestly I cried when I got the phone call. Right after he told me, I hung up, started to tear up and I broke down like a little baby. When it was cut out I could not believe it, so much time and work and bam it’s gone.

The original scene involved the dog getting high and attacking Jay and Bob and getting quite horny and humping a van window. It was a fully animatronic robot Scooby Doo dog. It could bulge and move its eyes, ear movement, talk, smile, breath, and hump, wag its tail, full working and swelling genitals, as well as move its tongue forward so far it could touch it’s nose and lick it. It was cut partly due to the fact of running out of time and money to shoot it. And also Miramax being scared that another movie coming out called Scooby Doo would have some sort of problem legally as well having an Icon shooting a load on a windshield.

CG: What were some of the things you designed for Kevin’s now aborted Green Hornet film?

VG: Well I did some ideas and test masks for the Green Hornet’s new look, as well as doing the weapons, Kato’s new look and a couple of designs of the Black Beauty (the car of the Green Hornet) which has haunted my dreams since I was a kid. I did these out of love for the project and realizing I could get the chance to design some really cool stuff. So being a big fan of the original tv show, we went all out. The mask was a full cover mask made of Green metal to protect his face against criminals. And was also homage to the original full face cloth mask of the original 1940’s movie serials and comics. I also designed a regular looking traditional mask with the whole outfit etc. I really wanted to do this show very badly. Then Kevin changed his mind shortly after he got my package. I was bit disappointed he did not do the show. But you have to respect the guy for knowing and or wanting to do things he is comfortable with. So I respect Kevin, for his honesty in changing his mind. Even though at the time I was like “NOOOOO! Please NOOOO!”

The heartbreak is working on all these cool things and some of them never coming about or realized on film. Or even worse yet, having a film change studio heads and going to another effects studio, such as the case with Doom or Battlestar Galactica. When you work on them, you almost feel you have ownership to them after a while. Then when they’re passed off to someone else, it breaks your heart. It’s like seeing your child being offered to other parents.

I sometimes get myself in trouble, having so much love for projects I’m up for or even when I’m on them. When I do get them, I can get kind of taken advantage of. People sometimes mistake my love and admiration as well as excitement and enthusiasm for desperation. Kevin or Scott are not like that at all but some other producers are, once they see how jazzed I get about doing the effects, some producers and directors take advantage of this thinking “Wow, we can ask for a a lot more stuff and he really won’t charge us.” My business manager and agent are always telling me “You have to stop being so giving.” But I can’t help it; I really love this stuff. I’m a big kid making big toys. The only desperation I have is doing exciting great work.

CG: Do you have any new projects coming up?

VG: Well I’m working on a number of different projects that I am either working on or have coming out.

We just did a pilot for a Sam Raimi produced show called “Devil’s Trade”, as well as a huge 60 Million Dollar Fantasy Film called “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” I basically over saw and designed the construction of 100 creature suits for this film, for the villains called The Krugs. They’re kind of the Orcs in the film like Lord of The Rings.

I did a film called Unearthed by director Matthew Leutwyler, who did Dead & Breakfast. We had to re-do some effects for 2 companies that the production was not happy about, as far as how their work came off. We redid some of the smaller alien crab creatures and what they did to there victims. And the one really big gag is the death of Charlie Murphy. We did an animatronic of Charlie Murphy as his head gets split in half. That was probably one of the hardest gags I had to do. Matthew wanted to see his brain explode and split in half and it took us quite a few tries but we did it. And it was pretty fucking gross. We made this sculpture of the head of Charlie Murphy in pain. And then made this silicone duplicate of him that gets spilt in half. With his brains blown to bits all over the trucks dash board. The other big gag we had was this autopsy done on Like Goss where they cut his chest open and all these alien worms have infested his stomach cavity. So we did this while inside of a human being with the ribs and all the organs all made from silicone. That was pretty nasty as well… So we had sort of a cameo effects wise in Unearthed.

I also just did this small little project with Joe Dante, a pilot for HBO called “The Greatest Show Ever”. Joe was so cool. He just left me in charge and let me shoot or supervise all the creature effects stuff. So I got to direct my effects.

CG: What is your favorite View Askew / Kevin Smith flick (Dogma / Vulgar / Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back excluded)?

VG: I would have to say Clerks, Clerks 2, and Chasing Amy. All of these because they’re so funny and have that New Jersey type humor and mentality which make those films very real to me and also because they’re very character driven. Chasing Amy actually made me cry like a big baby when Alyssa did not go back with Holden at the end of the movie.

CG: And finally, have you been contacted about doing the gore and makeup effects for Kevin’s upcoming horror film, Red State?

VG: I have been in touch with the producer Scott Mosier and the script is still being worked on. Scott told me “As soon as it is finished we will get in contact with you.” So it’s too early to tell what’s up with it. But Kevin is writing it as we speak. So I hope to do the effects if there really are any. It could be a very character driven piece with very minimal stuff. Even if that is the case, if there are any effects, I want to do them. I have a really bad need to collaborate and also contribute to a director’s vision. I love this stuff. I never want to stop making monsters and creating fantastic new life forms. So what ever goes on in my life, I never want to stop making monsters.

As far as Red State goes, we will have to see because who knows what he is going to come up with. I do know this: when Kevin does do it, it will be a very exciting and interesting project.

Kevin Smith doing a horror movie? How cool is that?