Dead Gentlemen Productions

First of all, tell all the nice people who you are and why we should care.

Who am I? Who am I?! I am Don Early, Director of Demon Hunters 2: Dead Camper Lake, which is precisely why you should care. I am the organizational mastermind behind this incredibly well directed movie… okay, enough of the crap. I am the director, and this movie is gonna rock. A little about me: I am one of the founding members of Dead Gentlemen Productions; I was of course in the first movie as Silent Jim. I graduated from PLU in May 2000 with a BA in Classical Languages, a degree which is about as applicable to daily life as Underwater Basket Weaving In The Workplace. Luckily, I’ve also been doing video production for the past four years. Hence, my technical involvement with our group.

What are you still doing around? Didn’t you graduate?

Indeed I did graduate, and then had to move back to my hometown, Boise, ID. Here I continue to advance in madness, potato slaughtering, and fighting sheep. I hope to return to Tacoma in the near future to participate in the launching of the official Dead Gentlemen entity, whatever form it takes.

What’s the deal with Dead Gentlemen? Who are these guys anyway? Where does the name come from?

The Dead Gentlemen are a very unique group of people. There are actually two entities of Dead Gentlemen: The Dead Gentlemen, and Dead Gentlemen Productions. Dead Gentlemen Productions of course came out of the Dead Gentlemen. The Dead Gentlemen started out as a group of guys who thought of themselves as gentlemen, the ones who are the romantic wooers, the poets, the dreamers, the “nice guys”, who have a code of honor and a true respect and love for women. But, since the art of “wooing”, of being a “gentlemen” seemed to be dead, we began to refer to ourselves as the “Dead Gentlemen”, a phrase actually coined by Matt Vancil. As it happened, we began to share our artistic expressions with each other, and as a result, discovered we were quite a diverse and talented group of individuals. We turned our focus to movies when “Demon Hunters” came along, and Ben Dobyns joined us. Soon after, the ideas for forming Dead Gentlemen Productions where flowing. DGP does include women, and the DG really doesn’t exclude women either, just seemed that most women weren’t interested in our shared experience. The rest of DGP is as you know it now.

So how’d you get roped in to directing Demon Hunters 2?

There’s a lot of truth in the wording of that question. I was in Scotland at the time, studying at the University of Glasgow. The guys had just sent me the first copy of “Demon Hunters”, converted to PAL format so I could watch it in the UK. It was about a month and a half after the premiere when I began to hear from Matt Vancil that they were maybe thinking of doing a Demon Hunters 2. I thought it was crazy, but cool nonetheless. I just figured we’d never get organized enough to do the project. Finally in late November, early December 1999 I think it was, I got an email from Vancil telling me, not asking me, that it was I who was to direct Demon Hunters 2. I basically panicked, though was very flattered. Vancil and I exchanged a few emails about what it would mean if I did decide to accept his unoffered, but commanded, position as director. We talked about Ben’s role, and what it meant by not asking him to direct this one since he directed the last one. It basically boiled down to, Ben was fried and physically not well, he didn’t want to do another Demon Hunter movie, Vancil wanted a fresh perspective, and really believed in me that I could do it. He said I was his first choice. So, after really mulling it over for about a week or so, I decided to accept the position on the basis that he agree to my terms. He did, and the rest is history.

Throw the fans a bone. Give us a brief synopsis of the movie.

Demon Hunters 2: Dead Camper Lake picks up directly where Demon Hunters left off. Gabriel and Chris are on their way to a nearby Brotherhood safehouse, Dead Camper Lake, to recuperate, report, and try to build a new team and start a new mission. When they get to Dead Camper Lake, they encounter Gabriel’s old team, Chapter Alpha One of the Brotherhood of the Celestial Torch (insert tattoo sequence here), lead by Gabe’s old friend Ichabod. While at Dead Camper Lake, Chris encounters Sam Hell, a member of the Order of the Infernal Scepter (insert tattoo sequence here), the exact opposite of the Brotherhood. They are angel killers, to quote Gabriel, “Satan’s answer to Demon Hunters”. Chris and Gabriel soon begin to uncover some kind of dubious plan involving Sam Hell and the Order. Ichabod’s team begins investigation of the Order’s activity at Dead Camper Lake, while Gabe and Chris recruit members for a new chapter of the Brotherhood. There’s a taste, come and see what the full course entails.

Do you see DH2 as stylistically different from DH1 due to the change in directors?

Absolutely. DH1 was a satirical comedy from the start. Ben’s approach to the film reflected appropriately what the movie was about. DH2’s script was very different than the first Demon Hunters. DH2 is more plot-oriented and focuses much on character-development of Gabriel and Chris, as well as some other characters. We learn a lot more about Gabriel’s relationships with others, and the history that brought him where he is at today. I wanted Demon Hunters 2 to be as different of a movie from Demon Hunters 1, as Army of Darkness is different from Evil Dead 2. I played with a lot of visual themes that are reflective with the story. We were more focused on lighting this time. DH2 is a darker movie than DH1. I really wanted to focus on creating good pictures, as well as bringing out the relationships in characters in as many meaningful ways as I could. Demon Hunters 1 is about satire. Demon Hunters 2 is about relationships.

I did bring Ben on as my main Assistant Director, and I did so for a reason. I admire his acute attention to detail, and his organizational skills. I know my limitations and my strengths, and Ben’s strengths complimented my limitations. He was able to find the details that I overlooked, since I was concentrating on the big picture, shot composition, and how I was going to bring the relationships out. Ben told me once that the things I brought out were things he would never have thought of, and through that complimentary nature our relationship, we discovered a great strength for future projects by putting us together if one of us was directing. I look forward to another opportunity for us to work together like that again.

Give me one good reason to go see this movie.

You were in it, Jimmy. Don’t you want to see it?

And now for the lightning round… What’s your favorite:

• Movie?: Army of Darkness, or Dark City (no Dark theme intended)
• Musician?: Mark Knopfler: yeah, Clapton’s great, but he ain’t got nuthin’ on Knopfler.
• Author?: Ian Fleming
• Beverage?: Alcoholic: Single Malt Scotch, Non-alcoholic: Pepsi
• Ethnic Food?: Baklava
• Childhood Toy?: He-Man
• Stooge?: The dead ones. I’m more of Marx Bros fan.
• “Evil Dead” trilogy one-liner?: Honey, you got real ugly.
• “Your Mom” joke?: I screwed Nathan’s mother. OOOHHHHHH!!!!!

And the ever important question: Boxers or Briefs??

Black Joe Boxers baby, oh yeah.