Morris Ruskin, the CEO of Shoreline Entertainment, sat down to a chat with me about what it takes to run a fully independent film studio. Every so often we get an opportunity to bring the BD readers some informative industry insider tips. This time around, we got to chatting about what it takes to run an indie studio, and found out exactly what they are looking for in new films. If you are a budding filmmaker, I highly suggest you read on for this enlightening article from a man who has been in the biz for many, many years.

BD: How long have you been a fan of horror films?

MR: I got hooked during my key high school years. I remember seeing ALIEN twice in a row. Being so knocked out at the 10 pm showing that a group of us stayed for the midnight screening. THE SHINING came out the next summer and then maybe two years later THE THING. They were impressive films that hit me at a very influential age and have become part of my identity, in both a personal and professional sense.

BD: Which remake is more interesting to you and why? Susperia or Prom Night?

MR: How about Dario Argento directing PROM NIGHT 3? Seriously though, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to mess with a classic like SUSPERIA. You can only go down from there. So much of that film’s appeal is from the twisted mind of Argento; the premise itself isn't all that special. I’ve heard David Gordon Green may direct SUSPERIA and by the way David used to work for me. If David directs and Natalie Portman stars then okay, that sounds pretty cool. If you assemble the right talent, then regardless of the project's starting point, you're giving yourself a good chance. PROM NIGHT was not in my mind a visionary classic but it was a lot of fun and a remake had a good built-in marketing hook.

BD: The Signal was an amazing and yet unseen film, what attracted you to pick it up, and why didn’t more people see it? It ruled!

MR: Thanks for that compliment! Just getting a movie made is such a massive undertaking, so when people actually like the movie then that really makes all the work worthwhile. We developed and produced THE SIGNAL because we wanted to make a film that would be commercial yet unique.

There’s little point in making an indie horror film that blatantly copies a studio horror film. We can’t compete with their budgets and marketing machine. So why not make something original? That uniqueness is what got THE SIGNAL into Sundance.

I wanted to make the film because of director Jacob Gentry. We handled sales on Jacob’s film THE LAST GOODBYE and because of that we became friends and started having discussions about talking decapitated heads and killing people with hedge clippers and balloon pumps. He told me he always wanted to do something with three directors and the ball started rolling.

Despite the lackluster box office, THE SIGNAL is a success story because it sold for so much more than the budget. Not only did it sell in the US but it also sold well in France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK, Australia, etc. It’s hard to say why it didn’t work theatrically in the US. It may just be the state of independent films and how difficult it is to get the public’s attention without huge advertising dollars. I’m not going to let the state of the market deter us. We will march on and figure out ways for an audience to discover good movies, unless a terrible sequel to something like TERROR TRAIN comes to me with 98% financing in place.

BD: In today’s world, horror films have become more widely accepted than ten years ago. Do you think this is because the movies are getting better. Or because horror is a safer bet for an emerging filmmaker/studio?

MR: The hardcore fans will be there, but the appeal of horror films to a general audience seems somewhat cyclical, and I'm not going to earn an honorary academic degree (unless it's from Obvious University) by saying that that appeal has something to do with an era's social climate. Right now, there's a general unease in the air, and that's helping keep horror popular. Another factor is the technologically-aided boom of the micro-budgeted picture, and it is acceptable to make horror films for less as there is an audience for the genre around the world that isn't buying tickets or DVDs just because a production cost 100 million dollars and the trailer played during the Super Bowl. Plus, as the worldwide market has become the thermometer in terms of gauging a film's ultimate commercial value, you don't have the same issues of translation with horror films that you have with comedy or drama. It’s easy to understand a horror film because they are visceral and visually driven.

If you are an emerging filmmaker and you can pull off a fantastic horror film it will open up all sorts of doors for you at the studios. But I plead with you, don’t make another version of SAW. If I see one more "exploitation" film that has more dismembered body parts than intact breasts, I might just give up. You have to try and set your own trend by coming up with something we’ve never seen.

BD: When someone pitches a horror project to you, what are the key things you want to see before you sign on?

MR: The key thing for me is the director. I’m looking for unique voices, directors that can create something interesting and bizarre that will stand out. We produced DARK CORNERS with Thora Birch in the lead. You may love the film or you may hate it but you can’t say it doesn't take any risks. We made SENSELESS which stars Jason Behr and if you see the film you will agree that this is a cool filmmaker. I want to continue working with these guys and other interesting directors. We have to balance both art and commerce so the film has to be unique to have any chance of breaking out, but it also has to have the marketable aspects that make distributors interested in the film in the first place.

BD: If I have a project I want make, how do I get it to you?

MR: We generally do not take unsolicited material, but if a cast, director, or money is attached, then we'd be happy to look at it. In that case, you'd contact our Director of Acquisitions Brandon Paine.

If you have already made the movie and want to get distribution, or are in the midst of making it then Brandon is always willing to take a look at it and determine whether it's something that we want to sell worldwide. When we pick up finished films we are usually interested in the creative team behind the project and want to continue making films with the same people. Right now we are in production on our first animated film titled THE LIVING CORPSE which is based on the comic book. The director is Justin Ritter and I met Justin because we picked up his film KATIE BIRD.

BD: Will Shoreline fund my person vanity project called “SpookyDan Rocks? It’s a horrific coming of age tale about a boy and a monster who lives under his bed. Trust me it will be GREAT!!!

MR: Depends on how cool the monster is. If it’s a man in a costume, forget it. If it’s a retro puppet, then maybe. If it’s a computer-generated creature, our interest is piqued, and if you have your own CG workstation in your spare bedroom, then definitely.

BD: Shoreline has many kinds of indie films that it produces and distributes, what genre has proven to be the most successful for you?

MR: There's a constant ebb and flow in the likes of both viewers and distributors. So, we've taken the approach of having a purposefully eclectic line-up of movies. That gives us the ability to sustain in the ever-changing marketplace. We have two banners – RIPTIDE and WATERMARK. WATERMARK films are cast-driven or film festival titles. My first above-the-line credit was as Co-Producer of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, so I know how to put together WATERMARK titles. On the other hand, RIPTIDE titles are horror movies, action titles and thrillers -- the movies a lot of distributors have a specific need for.

We’ve had movies in Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, et cetera, but our movies are also regularly represented in Sitges, Brussells International Fantastic Film Festival, and the like, and I've had the opening night film at Slamdance and a movie in the midnight section of Sundance in the same January. In the last year five of my films have been in theatres. EVERYTHING’S GONE GREEN, CONSTELLATION, WEIRDSVILLE, THE SIGNAL, and HANK & MIKE. None of those films is alike, and I like it that way. I’ve produced so many films each with so many stories I could write a book. Many more are in the works with a plan to make bigger budget films.

You know, there is a bit of snobbery in the industry around horror films. As if they are not real films. I remember being on the set of a film I produced with Marisa Tomei, John Goodman and Robert Carlyle and having to leave that set for the set of a horror film we were shooting. You can imagine the reactions I got. “Why would I associate myself with those kinds of films?” In fact, horror films are just as creative and just as hard to make. I love developing Watermark titles and Riptide titles at the same time. The creative process is gratifying and different. Once the camera’s start rolling it’s all filmmaking – the dramas just have a little less gushing blood.

BD: What’s the secret to the success of Shoreline Entertainment?

MR: It's the balance between RIPTIDE titles and WATERMARK titles, our knowledge of sales, our ability to produce, along with long-term relationships with filmmakers. As a sales company we hit 12 markets a year plus some of the major film festivals so we are in constant communication with distributors around the world. We know what the buyers are looking for and what they already have too much of. We know how to put together co-productions so that we can take advantage of tax rebates and government incentives. We’ve shot movies in Romania, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the UK, China, Canada and, yes, even in the USA. So we know how to develop, pull together financing, take advantage of soft money opportunities and most important we are in the market, we have the relationships with the buyers and the infrastructure to sell, deliver and collect. Also, we love what we do. How can we not?