We got kicked out of our warehouse in Bastrop. Apparently, the building was not zoned for occupancy. Time to reconfigure our plans.

Rockhouse Pictures: When did you first start acting?

Joel Moody: I scored my first gig when I was 17, but didn’t start pursuing acting full speed until a couple years ago.

RHP: Who would say inspires you most?

JM: Christian Bale; intensity.

RHP: How much do you identify with Eli, your character?

JM: About 3 years ago I was traveling the country year round with a camcorder, so I would have to say I identify with him, except the whole not bathing hippy thing. I like to take showers.

RHP: Favorite liquor?

JM: Patron! Hello, I love Mexico!

RHP: If you survived the apocalypse, what would you want to have at all times, not including food, water, guns?

JM: A guitar, my bike and my shit-kickin’ boots.

RHP: So you’re being chased by demons; weapon of choice?

JM: Ohhh shit! Gotta be the Barbarian Sword; Schwarzenegger style!

RHP: Who’s your favorite action hero?

JM: Spiderman.

RHP: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

JM: Dio, “Rainbow in the Dark.”

RHP: Once again, post-apocalypse and you can plunder anywhere you want. Which three stores do you hit and why?

JM: American Apparel cause when shit gets hot, I get hottaa! H&M for a lil swaggaa! And REI for all the post-apocalyptic needs such as cliff bars, bad ass sleeping bags in case the temp drops to like 30 below due to some crazy demon shit and a kick ass mountain bike.

Interview by: Liz McCormick

Rockhouse Pictures: When did you first start acting?

Adriene: I started acting as a child because my parents were actors who became directors and writers. I grew up in the theater, literally, it was a home away from home and the concessions closet with the candy was my favorite spot(the booth being second as it was always black lit and full of so much mystery). I was so inspired and eager to work as I entered college that I traveled to train with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and jumped at every local theater job offer I could get. I actually started my relationship with the Austin theater community as a Cinderella sort of stage hand – sweeping the stage, making fake blood, and ironing costumes. Eventually that got my foot in the door and since then I have been extremely blessed and lucky to work with some of the most talented music, dance, theater and film artists in Austin and beyond.

RHP: Who would say inspires you most?

A: Holy hell, this is a tough question. I am most inspired by my family. I am also really inspired by my high school theater students. However, I am truly inspired by anyone who has a great sense of humor and fun and takes what they do seriously, works really hard. Those qualities paired together keep me inspired and eager to create!

RHP: How much do you identify with your character?

A: I love crackers.

RHP: Favorite liquor?

A: Whiskey river take my mind…mark it Makers, dude.

RHP: If you survived the apocalypse, what are five things you’d want to have at all times, not including food, water, guns?

A: Sunglasses. Paper/Pencil. The pocket Rumi. A chapstick of minty delight. Does my dog Blue count as a ‘thing’? I would like to have him with me.

RHP: So you’re being chased by demons; weapon of choice?

A: An official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle.

RHP: Who’s your favorite action hero?

A: This is a close tie between Harold Loyd and Buster Keaton.

RHP: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

A: “Make Me Yours” by Phyllis Dillon, the queen of Jamaican soul!

RHP: Once again, post-apocalypse and you can plunder anywhere you want. Which three stores do you hit and why?

A: Cost-Co. Seriously, have you been into one? All you would ever need to sustain is in this store. Home Depot; to build and plant. Uncommon Objects, Atx. Um, well, because, I simply love this darn shop and would take any chance or offer to plunder it.

Interview by: Liz McCormick

Rockhouse Pictures: When did you first start acting?

Sarah: I’ve been performing since I was a kid. I got my start in my grandparent’s kitchen. My brother and I would come up with comedy sketches and entertain the family when we could get them all together. I pictured myself acting in front of the camera as a kid, but really aside from a bit of theater growing up and being a feature in both the “Hell On Wheels” documentary and the A&E TV series “Rollergirls”, I’ve waited till 2008 to finally pursue a roll in film. Since then I was cast in a Dos Equis commercial and have been featured in three full length films, “The Spider Babies” being my third role and by far the film I am most excited about!

RHP: Who would you say inspires you most?

S: In addition to my Austin friends of course, the late Carl Sandburg is a huge source of inspiration in my life right now. I suggest you Google him. In film however, my inspirations are Zoe Bell, Uma Thurman, and Steve Carrell.

RHP: How much do you identify with your character?

S: Greta is awesome. I identify with her a great deal and it’s not just because we share a love for bangin’ on the drums. Greta’s a super resourceful gal and she sees potential in every scenario, fun or life threatening. When you have those abilities you can handle the toughest and most challenging obstacles life can present. It’s those same qualities that got me this far in life.

Greta also has this lust for action. She gets off on it. She’s excited when she pulls something unthinkable off and she’s genuinely impressed when her friends press their own abilities farther. I was born with a very similar appetite, so you know I’m gonna have a ton of fun with all the action on set! But, through all this playfulness and toughness there is a real nurturing side to Greta that I relate to. She naturally assumes the caretaker and protector of her friends, her pack, much like myself.

RHP: Favorite liquor?

S: I don’t have favorite liquor anymore. Jager and I had a good thing going for years, but I’ve moved on to Damiana or Agavero. Damiana is a natural aphrodisiac liquor. Agavero is Damiana infused Tequila. Whiskey, if there’s no police within range. Tuaca straight, if I’m Bartending. Vodka, if it’s home made. Tequila top shelf, if I got time to pass.

RHP: If you survived the apocalypse, what are five things you’d want to have at all times, not including food, water, guns?

S: My “Crew” aka MY DOGS. My boots. My Multi-Tool. My Back Pack. My sense of Humor… and a bottle of Damiana.

RHP: So you’re being chased by demons; weapon of choice?

S: Hmmmm…rock salt and a shotgun, or Dynamite on a stick (why not?) Woooo! Better yet, a submarine. Yeah! Demons don’t swim do they? Either way, They’d have to be some intellectual demons with some serious strength to get into a submarine while it’s under water.

RHP: Who’s your favorite action hero?

S: I’m tempted to say Tank Girl. I hate to choose an action hero so obvious, but she’s tough, funny, and super hot. My favorite combo.

RHP: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

S: “Gold Spandex Lullaby” by Leslie Hall

RHP: Once again, post-apocalypse and you can plunder anywhere you want. Which three stores do you hit and why?

S: Stores of any kind would be the last place on my list to hit during an event such as the apocalypse. Stores during crisis become head quarters for stupidity, mob mentality type shit. Anything worth grabbing would likely be picked over by the smart or the lucky that got there first, and the rest would be killing each other off for a bag of Doritos and free TV’s. I have enough to get by in most events and anything else I would need, I’d find along the way.

Interview by: Liz McCormick

It’s great to be back in Austin working on the creative side of the movie – rather than moving around strips on the production board and trying to figure out how the hell we can get everybody to the right place at the right time. Yesterday, I met with Chase and Craig to go over the details of sets that need to be built and overall production design. The conversation ranged from corrugated metal to which of our friends we could convince to be on the cover of a fake porno magazine. There was also an extended conversation on how best to make a fake Cheetoh’s bag.

We decided to head to Bastrop to check out the warehouse where we’ll be building the sets. Finding a warehouse or studio space has been one of the most difficult aspects of this project. On low-budget movies, you normally don’t build sets. It just isn’t in the budget. I now realize that it’s not really the cost of the sets themselves, but the building you have to find to build them in. My dream was to shoot at Austin Studios, but it just wasn’t meant to be financially. Days and weeks of phone calls later, we finally found a place we could afford (thanks Eric G.). However, the building is in Bastrop (about 40 minutes outside Austin) and it definitely lacks a few important things – like sound proofing and air conditioning.

But, it will put a roof over our heads and give us some space to work. We are going to hopefully minimize some of the downsides by shooting at night, keeping the cast and crew to a minimum and bringing in lots of orange shag carpet and other sound-dampening materials. The big upside is that the building will actually match the exterior location pretty well. We’re planning on using the corrugated metal walls as a design feature. And this movie takes place in the summer… in Texas. People will be sweaty, so we’ll just make that a part of the production design.

Chase spotted this couch on a trash pile behind the building and immediately zeroed in on it. He and Craig grabbed it and it has officially become our first set piece. This movie will be all about scavenging whatever we can get our hands on. In the next week or so we will be putting out the call for donations of assorted odds and ends. Because of the level of detail we want to bring to this world, there’s no way we can do it the traditional Hollywood way – so we will be begging, borrowing and stealing.

We also found this shelf of bones. These are most likely left over from another movie that shot here. Or possibly they were left behind by a serial killer that is prowling the streets of Bastrop. Either way, I took it as a good omen and a nice foreshadowing of the grisly things that will go down in this warehouse very soon.

The Spider Babies Director’s Journal is reprinted from the official website of writer/director Christopher Sharpe.

ROCKHOUSE PICTURES: When did you first start acting?

HILAH: Fourth grade musical: Li’l Abner. I got the lead female role. Eat that, fifth grade bitches.

RHP: Who would say inspires you most?

H: My dad, I guess, in a weird way.

RHP: How much do you identify with your character?

H: As a ball-and-nut-stomping rocker: I can totally identify.

RHP: Favorite liquor?

H: Whiskey, gin, what do you got?

RHP: If you survived the apocalypse, what are five things you’d want to have at all times, not including food, water, guns?

H: Strike-anywhere matches, a kickin’ boom box with some bad ass mix tapes, spf 30 chapstick, my cold-ass stare. Oh, and some batteries for the kickin’ boom box. That’s too many things. I am so fucked.

RHP: So you’re being chased by demons; weapon of choice?

H: Grenades.

RHP: Who’s your favorite action hero?

H: She-Ra. I used to want to be her just so I could do it with He-Man, but then there was that episode when it became really clear that they were brother and sister. That was so confusing.

RHP: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

H: I don’t know. Something really upbeat and funky that would sound good with boots and mini skirts. “The Happening” and “Papa was a Rolling Stone” come to mind. Those are both kind of sad songs, though. What does that mean?

RHP: Once again, post-apocalypse and you can plunder anywhere you want. Which three stores do you hit and why?

H: The battery store to get batteries for my boom box. The ammunition store for grenades and bullets and maybe a stuffed deer head off the wall. The liquor store. For Molotov cocktails, and drinking.

Interview by: Liz McCormick

BONUS FEATURE: Since you read the whole thing, here’s a cartoon version of Hilah and The Hot As Shits in this video animated by Craig Staggs.

I feel very nomadic lately. I don’t even have a permanent place to call home at the moment – instead I rely on the kindness and couches of family and friends. When this is all over and I have a permanent residence, I will owe lots of couch-surfing time to so many people. The reason for all the traveling is that the Spider Babies cast and crew are scattered across different cities in Texas and Oklahoma. I am putting lots of mileage on my sad, abused Honda Civic. Yesterday, I paid a visit to Jacknife Ruby on my way back to Austin. She has already completed a ton of work on the costumes – but I was even more excited to see another production wall. At every stop I make, it seems like there is some kind of collage-style wall, each wall reflecting a different aspect of the movie. I snapped a few photos.

Originally, we had planned on bringing in Jacknife for just hair and makeup on the girls. But she is way too talented to use in such a limited capacity. Over time her role has grown to encompass hair, makeup and costumes for the entire production. She has taken the ball and run with it and the results are going to be amazing. Here’s a preview of Polly’s bikini!

We’ll have a lot more for you to look at in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, check out this interview with Jacknife Ruby.

The Spider Babies Director’s Journal is reprinted from the official website of writer/director Christopher Sharpe.

ROCKHOUSE PICTURES: When did you first realize you wanted to become a make-up artist?

JACKNIFE RUBY: I started doing makeup when I was four years old.  My mother would buy me every failed ex-Avon/Mary Kay rep’s kit she could find at garage sales.  My favorite victim was my 70 year old grandmother. She never minded that I made her look like a haggard streetwalker.

RHP: What would you say is your favorite look to create?

JR: I really like to do color studies. Very clean with vivid pops of pigment.

RHP: Do you have a favorite movie monster?

JR: So many.  If I had to pick one it would probably be Medusa.

RHP: What do you think will be your biggest challenge while working on set?

JR: I am a perfectionist.  I will be running my self ragged and bordering on OCD while working on this film!

RHP: Favorite liquor?

JR: Jacknife Ruby = Jack Daniels.

RHP: If you survived the apocalypse what are five things you?d want to have at all times, not including food, water, guns?

JR: Lipstick, Parliaments, my Diamondback BMX bike, champagne, and a flat iron.

RHP: So say you?re being chased by demons; weapon of choice?

JR: Knife, of course.  Preferably my 14 inch carbon blade.

RHP: Who is your favorite action hero?

JR: I have three: Jackie Chan-as Wong Fei Hung in Drunken Master, Harrison Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner, and Takashi Shimura-as Kambei Shimada in Seven Samurai.

RHP: If you had a theme song what would it be?

JR: “Baby’s on Fire” by Brian Eno.

RHP: Once again, post-apocalypse and you can plunder anywhere you want. Which three stores do you hit and why?

JR: Barney’s, because I would be working nothing but Alexander McQueen and Laboutin in the last days.  Jackson Armory, they have the most amazing collection of vintage and antique weapons in Texas.  Godmudders, so that I could have the most rad Monster Truck in all the land.

Interview by: Liz McCormick.
Photo by: Alicia Stepp-Woody.