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LMC: How is that progressing?

MR:  It comes and goes. You get bites here and there. Just this last week it has been kind of a whirlwind. We've sent stuff out to a few people connected to other TV shows. We've had some starts in the past that haven't gone anywhere, so we don't want to jinx ourselves.

LMC: Would you still go for the Cops feel?

CW: At the time that was about all we could do since we had a cheap camera. Then we went to a digital camera and since have upgraded to yet a better camera. So, the quality is improving alot. If we did get a show, we would graduate to a much bigger production.

LMC: Were you guys wearing all the hats?

MR: Oh yeah, everything. It was very tiring working nights and weekends.

CW: We did a follow up to the film.  In the first one, Frank talks about teaching children about zombies using a puppet show which was totally improvised by Frank. He just threw that out while we were shooting and both of us had to leave the room we were cracking up so much. So, we did a short feature of a puppet show teaching about zombies.

LMC: I read the puppet show has lead to merchandising possibilities for these zombie puppets?

CW: Yeah, that's another funny story. In an attempt to promote the zombies film, we made a few for ComicCon with Frank there in character. We built these 4 puppet zombies and brought them just as a prop on display and people were coming by looking to buy the puppets. No reaction to the video, they want the puppets. We had 2 or 3 toy companies approach us to see if we wanted to do anything with it and we were like, Yeah I guess. Soto toys is now going to carry them definitely in time for Halloween.

LMC: Will this be something you can get at Spencers or your local novelty store?

CW: Oh yeah, a number of them will be carrying it. Online stuff too.

LMC: What plans do you have if the cable show doesn't pan out?

CW: We recently have been talking about that. We've been working on a feature script which is more ambitious, but we still want to keep an independent feel.

LMC: Do you feel you can get your foot in the door easier with your background and connections, plus the success of your first video?

CW:  We thought that it would. The biggest benefit we bring is that we can get the FX done ourselves and not have to explain the budget or where we would go to get that. Guillermo is a big fan of zombies and he has actually attached his name to the project just in the last few days, so that is a big help for us.

LMC: Tell us about your history at Cinovations. You guys have been at the pinnacle of FX there for literally decades.

MR: I started at a few other shops but I've been at Rick's for about 15 years straight. You work with the best of the best. The best sculptors, the best hair people, the best makeup people. It's amazing. We were able to snatch alot of those people for Hellboy. Everyone was on Haunted Mansion and really didn't know much about Hellboy, but we got a good number of them to work with us. It was funny, everything was Haunted Mansion and by the end everyone had on Hellboy hats and t-shirts. Over the years it's been a buildup of great people there.

LMC: Do you have a notion of going off on your own? Start your own shop?

CW: Everything changed when Rick closed the doors. We were still in Prague ending the Hellboy shoot.

LMC: Was it a surprise?

CW: Yeah, pretty much a surprise for everyone. When we came back, we didn't have anywhere to go. Having been there so long we weren't in the groove of doing something by ourselves, but we are so busy with our projects it has actually been great and allowed us to focus on them and have the time to put into it and get it done. We are definitely having to reevaluate what we do. Rick is starting up again, but we don't know to what extent and for how long. Also, Computer FX is cutting into the number of shows doing Creature FX. It's a good wakeup call for us to look into other avenues and see what we can do with our talents in other areas too.

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