Advertisement
Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson spotlights the life and career of one of cinema’s most revered FX masters. The picture marks podcast host Nick Taylor’s directing debut, and the ambitious documentary took over seven years to make. A big step in its journey comes tonight with its July 23rd world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. Taylor talked to Deepest Dream about his film, his anticipation for the fest premiere, and his thoughts on the engaging (and talented) Johnson.
Read more: Nick Taylor Talks “Embarrasment of Riches” Behind ‘Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson’
If you’re a practical effects fan, then Steve Johnson’s work may have crossed your doorstep on several occassions. Species II, Lord of Illusions, Bicentennial Man, and Spider-Man 2 are just a few of Johnson’s credits. A slew of Hollywood stories, mixed in with Johnson’s self-effacing and engaging personality, make Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson a memorable experience.
“One of the biggest issues, (actually). not issues, was an embarrassment of riches in terms of the content and stories that we had to work with,” said Nick Taylor. “We would have the movie fairly, you know, done, and then he’d tell me some new story. Every fabric of this guy’s life is so hilarious and incredible and there was just so much to work with.”
Although he had a wealth of stories at his disposal, Taylor did not want to make a talking head, fan service documentary. “We wanted it to be entertainment and I wanted it to feel less like an academic style documentary. I didn’t want a typical paint by numbers documentary that was so focused on history (and) that’s where some documentaries can get dull.
As for it July 23rd world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival, Taylor understands it could be “nerve-wracking.” “I’ve not seen it with a live audience, so I’m realy looking forward to it because I always hear that when you see it with a live audience, it’s not what you expect. We couldn’t afford to do test audiences when we were editing it, which I hear is really helpful because you can just vibe out where people are just dropping out of the movie (or) not. I think horror movies should be a shared experience, and one should see these movies with out people and share in the scares and in the fun.”
Along with Johnson, the interviewees include John Landis, Linnea Quigley, Tom Holland, and Bill Corso.
Full interview with Nick Taylor:
