AUGUST 25, 2008

BD: You have worked on over 100 films thus far, most of them horror, what are some of your favorite experiences?

GN: THE LIST GOES ON AND ON….IN 20 YEARS Howard Berger and I have had our hands in CLOSER TO 700 FILMS…EVERYTHING FROM THE GREEN MILE and GRINDHOUSE to MEN IN BLACK, RESERVOIR DOGS, TRANSFORMERS and MINORITY REPORT. Some of the best memories come from films like DAY OF THE DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2, THE MIST, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN…all of those shows had a tremendous amount of work, kept us busy, and all turned out to be milestones for each of those director’s in terms of either putting them on the map or redefining the kinds of films that want to make.

BD: Which directors were the easiest to work with?

GN: Easy isn’t really the right word…there are directors that have vision and stick to that vision….and to me that is what in part makes a great director. In this day and age it is so easy in post to change and or modify things vs a computer….but what stands out are the films where the plan was laid out at the beginning and followed to the t. Tarantino is like that….has the entire movie in his head and can point you in the exact direction of what he wants. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Darabont are 2 of my best friends and we have been in the trenches together and come out closer for it. We just wrapped Sam Raimi’s DRAG ME TO HELL and I have to say that it had been awhile since we had worked so closely with Sam and all of his enthusiasm, imagination and sense of humor came crashing back….it was one of the best experiences we’ve had this year.

BD: You have second unit directed quite a few times, are you looking to direct your own feature any time soon?

GN: It is something I have fallen into…..many of the director’s we worked with trust me and know that I will do my best to get our work to look as good as it can on screen….and that has opened a lot of doors….and after doing it more and more you get a flair and a vision for it. I have a few things I’m working on that I’d love to do….but it is tricky juggling that interest and running KNB everyday….something I’ve done for 20 years.

BD: How did you get your start in special FX?

GN: I grew up in Pittsburgh and fell into a friendship with George Romero (who I met due to a relationship between he and my uncle Sam who is a local actor and had a part in THE CRAZIES). You grow up in Pittsburgh and love horror movies and George Romero is THE GUY. After we got to be friends I met Tom Savini and after a few stutter starts…got offered a job on DAY OF THE DEAD. I had no idea that’s where I was going to end up. I was pre-med at Westminster College outside of Pittsburgh and the next thing I knew I was working on a zombie movie.

BD: Who were some of your major inspirations?

GN: I loved fantasy stuff…grew up watching the CASTLE films of all the UNIVERSAL stuff, WAR OF THE WORLDS, GODZILLA…anything I could get my hands on at the time. It is so much easier now….you flip on the computer and you can find anything you want…then it was FAMOUS MONSTERS MAGAZINE and CHILLER THEATER on satruday nights AND THAT WAS IT. JAWS was it for me….when I saw that movie it burned an image in my brain that is still there today…and all I could think about was “how did they do that” I have a poster in my office of one of the mechanical sharks in the drydock with a bunch of fx guys standing around it and I think….”that could have been me” if I was born earlier….

BD: What are some of your favorite horror films/directors?

GN: JAWS, DAWN OF THE DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, ALIEN, THE THING (both versions), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE EXORCIST….wow….I could go on for a long time.

BD: How much preparation time do you need for a film?

GN: What we need and what we want are always 2 different stories. Generally a release date is set even before we get into pre-production…and of course casting and the likes….so it really is out of our hands. The more time we have to test/prep the better the stuff will look, but sadly there aren’t many films that have a front heavy prep schedule.

BD: What are your feelings about CGI vs practical FX work?

GN: Every tool has it’s pluses and minuses – the reality is that it is always better to have something practical on set…and any good director will tell you that….and there are times that our work outshines digital…and there are times when digital is the most logical solution….it really is based on what is best for the particular shot and sequence. That is the way you have to go into this business….when we did THE MIST we had a great marriage as Everett Burrell and I had worked together in the past and designed out how each shot would be executed.

BD: What horror films are you guys going to be working on in the coming year? We’ve been knee deep in stuff for the last 10 months….

GN: Sam Raimi’s DRAG ME TO HELL, TRANSFORMERS 2, THE SURROGATES with Bruce Willis, FINAL DESTINATION 4, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, The Michael Mann film PUBLIC ENEMIES with Johnny Depp, THE UNBORN directed by David Goyer and Diablo Cody’s JENNIFER’S BODY

BD: Do you think that jobs are more difficult to come by in special FX now that computers have become so easy to use? Is this a dangerous career path for kids growing up loving what you do?

GN: Kids grow up loving movies 1st, then fall into the character/creature world as part of their love for a specific genre. Honestly today’s kids would be more interested in digital work because it is more accessible…what we do is a much more specific skill requiring knowledge of sculpting, molding making, painting, prosthetics application….stuff that is part intuitive and part training. Computer work can be taught…having someone that can do both is a home run.