"A
Fucking
Musical?"
Repo!… The reason I got into directing.
This was been a project I had been involved with since 2001.
It defines the type of movies I want to make and enjoy watching: "the indefinable."
REPO! is definitely not for everybody. But screw it… I didn’t make it for everybody. This was a movie I made for people like me…
There is no way to describe my experiences with REPO! I would have to write a series of 1,000 page novels, and even then, I couldn’t begin do it justice.
Make no mistake, REPO! is a passion project. Not just my passion project, but EVERYONE’s passion project who was involved.
Getting this Rock Opera made was the single hardest thing I have ever done, and most likely will ever do. It was a constant battle of trying to persuade everyone it would work… I felt like I was vouching for someone to the MOB. The majority of my time was spent convincing those who "didn’t get it" that it was the most amazing thing ever.
Getting REPO! through production however only turned out to be the first battle, in what would soon turn into a MASSIVE WAR.
Once REPO! was shot and edited, the real conflict began.
No one knew what the movie was. How do we market it? Who do we sell it to? Almost immediately it was deemed "unmarketable" and I was given a STRAIGHT TO VIDEO stamp on the project. Needless to say, this was devastating.
For about a week I entered the darkest place of my life. I LOVED REPO!, was so proud of REPO!, and now there was a chance it would be buried, and no one would see it.
It was at that moment, I knew that I had two options. Sit back, and let the movie fall off into obscurity, or fight for something I truly believed in.
I have not stopped fighting since.
I credit the success of what REPO! has become to the amazing fans who have joined the crusade. The REPO! ARMY has proven not only to be a great marketing machine, but also great friends.
While it was destroyed by mainstream critics, REPO! has managed to find a very loyal, and very dedicated fan base. The movie opened in theaters on November 7, 2008, and still to this day is playing theatrically.
I got into filmmaking to make movies like REPO! Making this movie was an goal I never thought I would accomplish this soon in my career. I feel blessed that I was fortunate enough to have been involved in something that I see being around for a very long time.
TESTIFY!