A Sit-Down With Actor/Director: Jason Skorski
by
Sarah Sala
Skorski’s Shogam combines the aesthetics of film with the idea of old school video games so that the film itself creates a new genre. A satiric and deeply disturbing look at modern America, this hybrid comes with a sleek techno track and plenty of fight scenes.
Why did you choose the name Shogam for your film?
It’s a fusion of “show” and “game.”
You say that your film "looks like a video game, but feels like a movie." How did you come up with this genre-bending format for your film and how do you pull it off?
The video game is a progressive art form and an incredibly effective medium of communication. Shogam utilizes the narrative elements of the video game, as the story progresses in a linear stage-by-stage format.
If you were to choose two films or television shows that are in the same scope or could be considered cousins to your film, what would they be?
I haven’t seen anything like this - that’s why I created it. But the show does loosely draw inspiration from 80´s Japanese TV series Hokuto No Ken (Fist of the North Star), with its bizarre characters and over the top battle sequences. In terms of humor, Family Guy is the only current show that comes to mind that shares a similar absurdist style, though its approach is much different.
For the more game oriented flair of the show, did you have any particular games in mind aesthetically?
The greatest influences were the Mega Man series, as the show’s soundtrack and stage select screen might suggest, and the Final Fantasy series, which explains the unusual visual approach to combat. And of course, a tip of the hat goes to aesthetic masterpiece Metal Gear Solid, which is basically Shogam´s converse: a video game that looks like a movie.
If you had to create a slot marker at Wal-Mart for your film, how would it read?
An absurdist videogame-style action-comedy.
Talk to me about the soundtrack of the film. What kind of motivations were you working under?
I’ve been making music of this style (dynamic techno-trance) for a few years now, and I feel as though the music has evolved in complexity with this soundtrack. The majority of tracks were actually produced before their respective scenes were filmed, and the songs heavily influenced what went into those scenes. Actually, some of the new tunes like "Kiss of Blood" and "Hello! Friend" will end up in an upcoming album release independent of Shogam.
What’s your take on the electronic genre?
I feel that many old-school video game music composers are misunderstood visionaries. 8-bit NES hardware only allows about four parts of primitive-sounding harmony, and somehow these composers were still able to create grand masterworks with those limitations. It’s almost tragic how these soundtracks are relegated to obsolete cartridges and experienced by few. There just aren’t enough tears in the world to be shed for them. Sniff.
Tell me a little about the character, Clyde, you play in the film. What is Clyde like and what is his role/mission in the film?
Clyde is a diabolical yet charismatic anti-hero. He approaches situations with reckless abandon, displaying irreverence for just about anything he faces. Part of the experience of watching the show is just figuring out what Clyde is really after.
I know there are a lot of combat scenes in the film. What kind of training did you and your cast undergo to be able to fight safely and realistically?
We all had different levels of martial arts experience. To equalize the field, the majority of the cast took a crash course from our black belt choreographer. In the earlier stages of production, we went to a shooting range and tried out a series of handguns for use in the show. As for safe....ty? What’s that? Most of the cast came out unscathed, but I naturally sustained the most injuries. Aside from being grazed with blades and flaming weapons, I did take a nasty internal wound for the final fight scene. According to the doctor I saw the following week, Clyde’s fashion sense (i.e. his thick, absorbent leather trench coat) narrowly saved me from puncturing my spleen.
What was with that outrageous pink phone in the show?
by
Sarah Sala
Skorski’s Shogam combines the aesthetics of film with the idea of old school video games so that the film itself creates a new genre. A satiric and deeply disturbing look at modern America, this hybrid comes with a sleek techno track and plenty of fight scenes.
Why did you choose the name Shogam for your film?
It’s a fusion of “show” and “game.”
You say that your film "looks like a video game, but feels like a movie." How did you come up with this genre-bending format for your film and how do you pull it off?
The video game is a progressive art form and an incredibly effective medium of communication. Shogam utilizes the narrative elements of the video game, as the story progresses in a linear stage-by-stage format.
If you were to choose two films or television shows that are in the same scope or could be considered cousins to your film, what would they be?
I haven’t seen anything like this - that’s why I created it. But the show does loosely draw inspiration from 80´s Japanese TV series Hokuto No Ken (Fist of the North Star), with its bizarre characters and over the top battle sequences. In terms of humor, Family Guy is the only current show that comes to mind that shares a similar absurdist style, though its approach is much different.
For the more game oriented flair of the show, did you have any particular games in mind aesthetically?
The greatest influences were the Mega Man series, as the show’s soundtrack and stage select screen might suggest, and the Final Fantasy series, which explains the unusual visual approach to combat. And of course, a tip of the hat goes to aesthetic masterpiece Metal Gear Solid, which is basically Shogam´s converse: a video game that looks like a movie.
If you had to create a slot marker at Wal-Mart for your film, how would it read?
An absurdist videogame-style action-comedy.
Talk to me about the soundtrack of the film. What kind of motivations were you working under?
I’ve been making music of this style (dynamic techno-trance) for a few years now, and I feel as though the music has evolved in complexity with this soundtrack. The majority of tracks were actually produced before their respective scenes were filmed, and the songs heavily influenced what went into those scenes. Actually, some of the new tunes like "Kiss of Blood" and "Hello! Friend" will end up in an upcoming album release independent of Shogam.
What’s your take on the electronic genre?
I feel that many old-school video game music composers are misunderstood visionaries. 8-bit NES hardware only allows about four parts of primitive-sounding harmony, and somehow these composers were still able to create grand masterworks with those limitations. It’s almost tragic how these soundtracks are relegated to obsolete cartridges and experienced by few. There just aren’t enough tears in the world to be shed for them. Sniff.
Tell me a little about the character, Clyde, you play in the film. What is Clyde like and what is his role/mission in the film?
Clyde is a diabolical yet charismatic anti-hero. He approaches situations with reckless abandon, displaying irreverence for just about anything he faces. Part of the experience of watching the show is just figuring out what Clyde is really after.
I know there are a lot of combat scenes in the film. What kind of training did you and your cast undergo to be able to fight safely and realistically?
We all had different levels of martial arts experience. To equalize the field, the majority of the cast took a crash course from our black belt choreographer. In the earlier stages of production, we went to a shooting range and tried out a series of handguns for use in the show. As for safe....ty? What’s that? Most of the cast came out unscathed, but I naturally sustained the most injuries. Aside from being grazed with blades and flaming weapons, I did take a nasty internal wound for the final fight scene. According to the doctor I saw the following week, Clyde’s fashion sense (i.e. his thick, absorbent leather trench coat) narrowly saved me from puncturing my spleen.
What was with that outrageous pink phone in the show?
Who are you to judge my phone?
What was your favorite scene in the show to film or act in?
The battle against the guitar-gun-wielding musical assassin Cactus was fantastic. It involved the explosion of the vigilante’s guitar-gun (an architectural fusion of an acoustic guitar and M16-A2 assault rifle), and some insane pyrotechnics. We also spent the entire scene knee-deep in mud, which was entirely unplanned. Good stuff.
What are you trying to do by meshing multiple genres, including riotous interludes detached from the reality of the show and inventing "America City" as a sort of satiric America? Is this a personal project or are you trying to say something bigger about the film industry itself or our current Western society?
America City is the manifestation of the United States in one concentrated location. That explains the incongruous amalgamation of urban and rural landscapes in the show. But yes, consequently, America City serves as a monument to the degenerated American ideals of soullessness and personal gain through dehumanization.
Isn’t the premise of Shogam every gamer´s dream? That as Clyde says in the film, `We can do whatever we want to whomever we want´ with legal immunity. What is your take on this?
The characters in Shogam are after a form of control that transcends monetary wealth or social status. They measure their level of success not by their happiness but by their ability to dominate others. The irony, of course, is that peak societal functionality involves mass cooperation, not destructive competition, so these characters are just perpetuating the very ideals they hate.
Why did you choose to include that hilarious interlude with the fruit and vegetables at the midpoint of the film?
Repressed bad jokes, all funneled into one brief interlude. Also, for those who think the show is too dark, they can just watch that scene and then return to their little bubbles.
What do you see as the future of Shogam? I know you mentioned this film to be something of a pilot episode. What kind of venues would you like to plug SHOGAM at? Film festivals or are you more interested in network TV?
What was your favorite scene in the show to film or act in?
The battle against the guitar-gun-wielding musical assassin Cactus was fantastic. It involved the explosion of the vigilante’s guitar-gun (an architectural fusion of an acoustic guitar and M16-A2 assault rifle), and some insane pyrotechnics. We also spent the entire scene knee-deep in mud, which was entirely unplanned. Good stuff.
What are you trying to do by meshing multiple genres, including riotous interludes detached from the reality of the show and inventing "America City" as a sort of satiric America? Is this a personal project or are you trying to say something bigger about the film industry itself or our current Western society?
America City is the manifestation of the United States in one concentrated location. That explains the incongruous amalgamation of urban and rural landscapes in the show. But yes, consequently, America City serves as a monument to the degenerated American ideals of soullessness and personal gain through dehumanization.
Isn’t the premise of Shogam every gamer´s dream? That as Clyde says in the film, `We can do whatever we want to whomever we want´ with legal immunity. What is your take on this?
The characters in Shogam are after a form of control that transcends monetary wealth or social status. They measure their level of success not by their happiness but by their ability to dominate others. The irony, of course, is that peak societal functionality involves mass cooperation, not destructive competition, so these characters are just perpetuating the very ideals they hate.
Why did you choose to include that hilarious interlude with the fruit and vegetables at the midpoint of the film?
Repressed bad jokes, all funneled into one brief interlude. Also, for those who think the show is too dark, they can just watch that scene and then return to their little bubbles.
What do you see as the future of Shogam? I know you mentioned this film to be something of a pilot episode. What kind of venues would you like to plug SHOGAM at? Film festivals or are you more interested in network TV?
www.shogam.com will host the full episode as well as a bunch of other things related to the show, like production stills and soundtrack music.
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