ROGER CORMAN
DATE: March 23, 2012
LOCATION: New Horizon Entertainment, Beverly Hills, CA
Photographer : Carol Caldwell
Roger Corman stands as a long time friend of Lloyd Kaufman. But, that said. Roger Corman's influence on cinema culture has rippled into every aspect of filmmaking over the last few decades when you consider the filmmakers he mentored - Ron Howard, Joe Dante, James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola..on and on. As a child of the 60s, I grew up on Saturday matinees with films from American Film International. "The Masque Of Red Death", "The House Of Usher" and "Tales Of Terror" are somehow infused in my DNA. When I concepted the idea of choosing people who had to most relevant influence on cinema who were credibly linked to Lloyd Kaufman, who better than Corman?

Roger isn't just a producer. or a director, or an actor. He's a force that set his sites on producing low budget films that gave birth to a whole cult-ure of cheap, entertaining movies..and in a big way. Just the very volume of his work eventually made it impossible for him to be ignored by the Academy based on his volume of work and influence to all the other directors snatching away the other awards. His credibility is obvious and his appreciation for Lloyd and his body of work wreaks of relevance beyond any doubt.

Roger Corman's New Horizon office sits on a corner in the Brentwood area of Hollywood.His office was
reminiscent of a doctor's office with a counter area along a long hall lined with other offices. I don't know how many people or interns he employs, but there were a half dozen people in the office that day.

As you walk up the stairs and enter the offices, you are greeted by Cynthia, a congenial, professionally versed lady who coordinated our visit, to the point of rescheduling to make another visit that day, possible.

Roger was walking up the hall and greeted us immediately and walked us into his office. He asked that we set-up and he would be in another office just around the corner when we were ready. His office was about a 15 foot square room with one wall a large sliding glass door that overlooked a walk-on roof. Although his office was full of memorabilia and books, it didn't denote any opulence as you might think he could afford. He did have several Oscar nomination certificates behind his desk, as well as posters of films from the 60s.

The one glaring characteristic of Roger Corman was his soft-spoken tone. I imagine there would have to be situations in which he raises his voice, but his voice is deep and nearly a whisper. After each question he would answer succinctly, choosing his words carefully, and starting over if needed to improve his answer, always smiling. He had just been on the CBS Sunday Morning program a few weeks earlier with his 2009 Oscar for Lifetime Achievement looming in the background.

I took the opportunity to give him an audition copy of my latest feature film, as well as letting him know what the budget had been. As a low budget filmmaker, Roger Corman stands as an example of what can be done for little investment. His money-making history, as well as being involved with over 400 films, has been an inspiration to countless filmmakers, including some of the top directors in today's cinema. He told me I could have probably made it for $100 less--and then smiled widely ,and then patted me on the shoulder. Why would I expect any other response?
Randy DeFord -- Set up, waiting on Roger
Roger Corman's wall behind his desk
Poster behind Roger Corman's desk
Roger Corman, Ann Tiemann Loggins -- Pre-interview banter
Randy DeFord -- Putting microphone on Roger Corman
Roger Corman, Ann Tiemann Loggins, Randy DeFord Interview
Roger Corman, Ann Tiemann Loggins, Randy DeFord -- Post interview picture

STAN LEE
DATE: March 23, 2012
LOCATION: POW Entertainment, Beverly Hills, CA
Photographer : Carol Caldwell

I have been a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society for over 45 years. I still have my membership card - nuff said. I grew up when the likes of Spiderman, The Hulk and The Fantastic Four blew off the comic book stands at the local Sundries for 15 cents. The exploits and the imagination of these "Marvel" people were something I had to be a part of. So, when Lloyd Kaufman told me Stan was an old friend - they had even written stories together - the gasp was heard at the neighbors....he would be in this documentary.

In the last decade, we have seen computer graphics dominate the film scene. As the technology improved, it was now possible to bring these super-powered freaks of nature to the screen and include their human frailities with them. Witness this in films involving the X-Men or The Hulk. These works are now the highest grossing films of all time. One man behind that creativity, along with Jack Kirby, was Stan Lee. The resulting mark to the world of comics and film culture is bigger than anything stamped in my collective consciousness. Anything Stan Lee has to say about other content creators and their ability to develop interesting characters, carries with it the onus of "relevance to all". When Stan Lee says his favorite Troma film is "The Toxic Avenger", he has tipped the hat of understanding that Toxie is a part of the hero culture and brings it's own unique twist to the both comics and film. It's the master recognizing mastery..in it's most absurd and contorted guise, from the mind of Sir Lloyd and Troma.

Stan Lee's offices of POW are secured in a nice suite just a block over from Rodeo Dr. After we were buzzed in, his assistant took us directly to Stan's office. It was somewhat reserve for what I might have expected from a guy with this much history of success. The memorabilia on the walls was mostly pictures on Stan and people of note, including Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. The other ensemble picture of note was that of the Big Bang Theory cast We especially liked the life-size model of Spiderman posed in the corner, directly in front of his desk.

Unlike Roger Corman, who is laid back and soft spoken, Stan is effervescent and sarcastic. I would have thought I was in the presence of a New York City stand-up comic. It reminded me of Lloyd Kaufman, who is always "on", ready to throw barbs and witticisms. In a word, it was hard to not laugh during the interview as he was cracking wise at Ann the whole time, whose threshold of laughter is fairly low.

We had a series of questions, 3 of which had come directly from Lloyd. One was why we should even bother to do a documentary about Lloyd Kaufman. His response was "Actually, you beat me to that question....."
Stan Lee's desk
Randy DeFord -- Setting up for interview in Stan Lee's office
Ann Tiemann Loggins -- Stan's Wall of Fame
Ann Tiemann Loggins -- With life size Spiderman in Stan Lee's office
Stan Lee, Ann Tiemann Loggins, Randy DeFord -- Interview
Ann Tiemann Loggins, Stan Lee -- Stan signing a shirt for Ann
Randy DeFord, Ann Tiemann loggins, Stan Lee -- Post interview picture


THE LLOYD KAUFMAN DOCUMENTARY PROJECT
by Randy DeFord

Oak Road MultiMedia
P.O. Box 1161
Monticello, IN 47960