Interview with Dave Reda - Bit Parts
By: Marcus Ingelmo

Evil Dread: Hi Dave! Tell us a little about your film, BIT PARTS, what it is about and how it came to be.
Dave Reda: Bit Parts is a story about Dr. Cranston, a successful plastic surgeon in Los Angeles until his daughter is horribly disfigured in a car accident that he caused.

To ease his remorse, he tirelessly labors to replace the mangled features of his sweet Maggie.

Wanting his daughter to be perfect, Dr. Cranston seeks women with the "perfect nose," "perfect eyes" or "perfect breasts" for his daughter. Seeking stardom, Melissa runs away from home once again to audition with her "perfect lips".

Big sister, Brenda rushes to Hollywood in search of Melissa and enlists the help of a local cab driver and wannabe actor, Bobby. But the pair discovers that this time Melissa is in much more trouble than they realized.

The movie came about after I realized I took my sketch comedy TV show and troupe as far as we could go. We had to do something different, we had to evolve or die. With the help of my excellent writer/friend, Jon Rosenberg - a major horror fan, we were able to come up with a script strong in story but low in budget.

ED: How long did it take to shoot the film, and how long have you been working on it all together?
DR: We actually shot the film the 12 shooting days but in order to keep costs down and still make the best film that I could make, it actually took me 3 ½ years to edit and complete.

ED: Could you give us a short background of yourself, like when did you first get into the movie biz and how you started out?
DR: I have entertainment in my blood. As Italian immigrants, my great-grandparents realized their American dream by owning and operating their own movie house. My grandfather later opened a chain of theatres and drive-ins in Kentucky. Not satisfied with merely playing films, my father left the family business and worked as a Jazz pianist in New York City.

I began my career at a young age in Northern California. My early professional credits include performing at the Gaslighter Theatre, Comedy Sportz, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Angels in the Outfield and in national commercials.

To compete for larger roles, I moved to Los Angeles where I appeared in Smash TV, Street Smartz, Senseless, Dirt Merchant and on HBO as body double to Luke Perry in Indiscreet.

I soon began creating my own opportunities by forming the sketch comedy group Click This! where I took up producing and directing in addition to refining my craft. I took pitch meetings regarding the show with executive producers at MTV and VH1. Click This! has won Best Comedy Short at Angel City Film Festival and Hollywood Underground Film Festival and Best New Show on Pasadena Cable Access.

Looking for a new challenge, I (a horror movie buff) was very excited at the opportunity to produce, direct, and act for Bit Parts. It was incredibly hard but now I truly understand the phrase 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!!

ED: BIT PARTS is a low-budget film, but just out of curiosity; if you were to be given a much higher to re-make the film with, then what would you have done different, if anything?
DR: More money would've bought more time and any film could always use that. Not to mention there are few explosions and things that would have been nice to have. As well as just being able to go a little crazier with gore effects when it serves the scene. Other than that the script justifies a small budget so well that we were able to do a lot.

ED: How did you find the actors for your film. Were they friends of yours - did you have auditions or how did you go about finding them?
DR: A few of the roles were filled by my sketch comedy troupe but we also held auditions as well. We placed an ad in BackStage West for auditions. One of my actors owns a costume store and we were able to hold auditions there. Just like my film, we tried to make it look creepy and abandoned inside just to see if the actors had any reservations about auditioning in a place like that. None of them appeared to have any reservations at all. A little bit of life imitating art.

ED: As far as I understand, BIT PARTS has a lot of gore in it. Were those scenes difficult to make so it would look good? Is it a film for gorehounds?
DR: Special effects are always hard, especially for a low budget crew. We were lucky to have Peter Redman along with us, who owns a costume store, thus giving us as much blood and latex needed. What gore hound doesn't love a close-up on plastic surgery gone awry?

ED: Would you say that any horror films has inspired BIT PARTS, and if so, which ones and for what reasons?
DR: Definitely! Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Army of Darkness - anything from Sam Raimi, Alfred Hitchcock and Psycho, House of a Thousand Corpses, even The Blair Witch Project. I love Chainsaw for its gritty feel, thus being one of the reasons why we chose to shoot on Super 16 mm Film. I was raised on Hitchcock, whose story telling style taught me that's it's about the story first. Sam Raimi's use of humor sprinkled in always seemed so brilliant to me. And Blair Witch taught the world that you don't have to spend millions to make a profitable film.

ED: Will you try and get a theatrical release for the film or will it go straight to DVD?
DR: We had a small theatrical release already and it was very well received. We are scheduled to release on DVD in the U.S. and Canada on February 13, 2007 thanks to Cinema Epoch and Koch Vision. However, Amazon.com is taking pre-orders right now.

ED: BIT PARTS is a horror film, but that apparently has a lot of slapstick humour in it as well. Was it hard to combine humour and horror rather than, for example, making a straight forward horror movie?
DR: It has its funny moments for sure but I think slapstick is a little strong. It's definitely not a spoof, thus making the balancing act a bit tougher. I think it's important to be able to see the funny in any tragedy. The audience needs to take that breath so they can reset and then you can hit them all over again with something new and hardcore. Everybody loves a good roller coaster.

ED: Would you say that your film delivers a message or is it just mindless fun?
DR: It most definitely has a message. I live in LA, a city where 14 year old girls get nose jobs and other things and they are not even fully grown yet. It tends to be a place that focuses on beauty today, don't worry about tomorrow. The problem is that sooner or later tomorrow comes and you reap what you sow.

ED: What is your favourite horror movie(s), and what is it that makes it/them so good?
DR: Shaun of the Dead is one of the most brilliant horror movies with comedic value made. I feel like it has the perfect balance of getting something really funny and then WHAM! You get a scare and vice versa. I don't think you can make a better zombie horror/comedy than that. Brilliant!

And of course, like I said anything from Hitchcock, Raimi, Toby Hooper, Wes Craven, George Romero, and Argento.

ED: In short words - why should people watch BIT PARTS?
DR: I think films like mine are important to see and support because we made the best with what we had. We took the time to find the right script and story and kept pushing forward to make something worthwhile, not just to get to the finish line. It's these kinds of films that will show the huge budget studios that making something great comes from within, not from a bank account. You really never know what the public will respond to, but to quote another film, "If you build it, they will come." I think when you give a little of your soul into your project and work hard, the audience responds to it. But I guess we'll see what happens. Like my film this journey has been quite a roller coaster ride, but at least I am starting to enjoy it and ride with my hands in the air!

ED: Do you have any plans for the future, new movies, projects etc?
DR: With this film I hope it brings us the opportunity to make many more and with a real budget. I want the chance to take movies back to the traditions of Hitchcock and movies like the 70's Texas Chainsaw - justified gore, not just splatter. Strong characters and story and make it all move like a rocket.

ED: Anything else that you would like to add and say to the readers before we wrap this one up?
DR: I think it's important for the word to get out on films like mine, where the people take their time in trying to do it right rather than just reach the finish line. I'm not saying that you have to like independent films, or even my film, but if you do it's the fan base that can make careers. So get out there and support the films you like. They need it. Oh, and don't forget to visit the website at www.bitpartsthemovie.com

ED: Thanks Dave and best of luck with BIT PARTS and all your future films!