In honor of its recent release, I sat down with writer/director of Leaf Blower Massacre 2, Anthony Cooney, to discuss the film and it's shooting schedule, release and upcoming projects.
Me: Hello, and thank you for your time. We'll start with your new film, 'Leaf Blower Massacre 2,' what can you tell us about the film?
Anthony Cooney: The film is a continuation from part 1 which was a short that was filmed in 2013-2014. Leaf Blower Massacre 2 is about two police detective’s Randy (Michael Schmid) and Stew (Thomas Nowicki) who accidentally stumble upon a mass murder that was committed in the Ravenswood area (Chicago north side neighborhood). The police detective’s come up with a couple leads of who they think is causing these brutal murders in Chicago. One of the main leads is Shavar Jennings (Shavar D Clark) the local professor at the community college in Chicago who is known as somewhat an underground playboy who has an eye for his students. Shavar Jennings himself is on his own man-hunt to find out who the killer is with one of his fiancé Nicole white (Anita Nicole Brown).
Me: What inspired you to expand the story further from the previous short?
AC: Honestly, I did the first one as a fun project trying to think outside the box and have fun with it. Then I submitted to film festivals and had it for sale at horror movie conventions and film festivals and people kept emailing and asking me to continue the story. Josh Stephenson and I along with Michael Wade Johnson thought well what would make this story something interesting for this project. So honestly the fans and friends of the film were the true inspiration of continuing the story and making it bigger than what I thought it could be.
Me: Having worked on both shorts and features, do you have a preference for working on one over the other?
AC: I would say features I enjoy more. Yes, they are more work, but they are fun to make if you have the right people to work with. People who you can trust and take the filming seriously.
Me: What was an unexpected difficulty, if any, that arose on the shoot once you began filming?
AC: Wow that is a loaded question. This film was cursed well not as bad as the exorcist, but it was very difficult. The funding was one part of the problem. I really thought with the help of the cast and crew that we would have the bigger budget to do what we fully wanted to do, but that didn’t happen. Most of the funding came from family members and also, I myself sold a lot of personal items at horror film festivals and conventions to make this happen. I did, however, have some good friends invest into the film afterwords.
Another difficulty was dealing with actors and actresses who at first were committed to the project and then at the last second dropped out without any reason just didn’t show up on set.
Another difficulty was the cinematographers on the project as well who didn’t show on shooting days so always make sure you have back-ups on everything you do in Independent film-making. Scheduling was another difficulty for filming as making sure everyone’s schedule worked out for filming it can be nerve-racking at times cause of last minute call offs.
Me: How did the cast, in general, get along during filming? How did they cope with some of the intensity required for the shoot?
AC: The cast, in general, got along great. Many of my fellow directors and writers worked many of the cast and crew before on projects I worked on or I helped them on their projects almost like a trade-off in a way, but the common goal is to get the project done especially if you are dedicated to the work of art.
Me: What was your reaction to the casting of Ari Lehman once you heard?
AC: Some of the cast was happy about it. Many have worked with Ari in other films he has been part of. Ari does promote the projects he has been a part of. Actually, he and I did a convention in Kansas City (Crypticon kc) in July and Ari had the Leaf Blower Massacre 2 poster in his booth promoting the project.
Me: How would you describe your directorial style? What genre filmmakers did you look to for inspiration?
AC: I would say professional and understanding when it comes to filmmaking. Yes, I can be very serious, but I also like to make sure the cast and crew is having a good time on set as well when we are not filming or taking a break.
Me: When can we expect to see the finished film? What is the projected release schedule for the film?
AC: The film is finally done and is out now for sale. This year I did (Crypticon) Kansas City were Leaf Blower Massacre 2 won for the goriest horror film. Also Flashback weekend in Chicago this past August and was selected. The film is also going to be shown at Chicago Horror film Festival in Dekalb at the end of September. The film is available online at www.leafblowermassacre2.com for purchase as well or contact me directly through Facebook.
Me: Lastly, do you have any other projects you'd like to share with
our readers? Thank you again for your time.
AC: Yes this year I’m working with Derek Braasch of Cheevies Film productions on Redder, a short film written by Christopher Siaens and also Guardian Angel, and Torture of the Flesh which we will start production in 2019.
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