Michael Raso is an Executive Producer, who has almost a hundred films to his credit including such underground erotic films like “The Erotic Witch Project," “Suburban Secrets,” “The Seduction of Misty Mundae”, which he made his directorial debut to some more recent horror films, such as “Dark Chamber”, “Bacterium” and the upcoming “Splatter Disco”, which will be released this November. Today in part one of my two-part interview, Michael Raso is here to talk about his company Pop Cinema and its recent releases.
1) Tell me about yourself and why did you decide to start your own film company?
While working for Comcast Cable in 1988 I started my own film production company called ei Independent Cinema. (“ei” means film speed which is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light.) I worked my commercial production job 9-5 and after hours, weekend and vacations I spent shooting films with college pals Tim O’Rawe, John Fedele, Jeff Faoro and Zack Snygg. My 
dream was to be a cameraman/director of photography. I shot many short films and music videos – anything to get my hands on a film camera. In ’89 under Tim O’Rawe’s direction, I shot a feature film on Super 8mm called THE BASEMENT. It was a great leaning experience for all involved and was devastating for me when I discovered that about 50% of the film I shot was underexposed and unusable! Fearing that I would never be offered another job, I was thrilled in 1990 when Tim O’Rawe suggest that I shoot his next film GHOUL SCHOOL, this time on 16mm. Needless to say I was nervous as hell and thought for sure that I’d be fired! After all, this film was produced by David DeCoteau’s company Cinema Home Video and was my first “real” gig. Pay was little and hours were grueling but I really didn’t care…I wanted to shoot films. I remember being nervous as hell when I FedExed my first day’s worth of footage to the West Coast for processing. I could help but think that I’d be “canned” if the producer’s didn’t like the footage. Turned out, the footage was fine and the 20 day shoot was completed. Unfortunately, the experience had burned me out both physically and mentally. I’d been working non-stop for two years and felt it was time for a change. I took a break from feature filmmaking and decided to concentrate on my job at Comcast Cable and the late night TV show I developed with John 
Fedele called “Meadowlands Showcase.” The 30 minute monthly show was a showcase for local artists, filmmakers and musicians. Much of the show was original sketch comedy shot by John and I. Although “Meadowlands Showcase” was strictly a voluntary job, what I didn’t know then was that this was really my first producing job and first experience with distribution. My goal was to have the show seen nationally. As an employee of Comcast Cable, I literally called dozens of cable companies across the country who cablecast local programs. Using my own dime, I duplicated our shows (on bulky ¾” format video) and bicycled the show via US mail to any cable system that would broadcast us. By 1991 we were coast to coast on at least 24 cable systems include the New Jersey state-wide CTN (Cable Television Network). We had a small staff, we had T-shirts…heck, we had fan mail! It was an amazing experience and was the staring point for my next business venture – the home video distribution business!
In 1994, I quit my cable TV job and I officially started ei Independent Cinema. A friend of mine was running a successful corporate video production company and I convinced him that I would be an asset to his company as a corporate sales rep. I needed office space and a phone in order to start my new enterprise. I wasn’t picky and in December of 1994 ei Independent Cinema was born in a converted fax closet inside in a Bloomfield, NJ office. I held up my end of the bargain by bringing in corporate clients while planning feature film productions and distribution. I had never aspired to start a theatrical film company. It wasn’t a practical idea. Home video was the market for low-budget horror and VHS was the product of the day. Pete Jacelone was a friend of mine from the Comcast days. He introduced me to a young musician named Billy Apriceno (or Bill Hellfire as he became known). He was interested in indie horror and was working doing phone sales for Gevalia Coffee. How perfect! I had my first sales rep. Now I just needed products! Yes, we were planning film productions but what was I going to sell in the meantime. I reached out to JR Bookwalter, who served as a producer on Ghoul School. He was shooting his own films and publishing a magazine called Alternative Cinema. I literally hopped in my car and drove to Ohio to convince him that my new company should market and sell his films on VHS. Bookwalter and company agreed and ei Independent Cinema was off and running.
A rather long-winded answer but that’s how it all started.
2) Not a lot of people know what the executive producer's role is on a film, but tell me in your view, what does that role means?
The Executive Producer is usually the person putting up the funds for a production. An Exec Producer may also have “final cut” on a film. “Final Cut” is a film industry term usually used when a producer or director have contractual authority over how a film is ultimately released for public viewing.
3) Tell me about Pop Cinema's subdivision Bloody Earth Films, Retro Seduction Cinema, Shock-O-Rama, and Seduction Cinema and how they were started?
I actually own two separate companies, Pop Cinema and Alternative Cinema. Although operating out of the same studio, the two companies do operate as separate entities. Pop Cinema (originally called ei Independent Cinema) was formed in 1994. Its labels or “imprints” were started in 1998. Shock-O-Rama and Retro-Shock for horror – Seduction Cinema and Retro-Seduction for soft-core erotica.
I purchased Alternative Cinema in 1997. It was started in 1993 as a mail order catalog and as a nationally published magazine (of the same name). The magazine was published through early 2003. The mail-order catalog is still going strong. In 2007, Alternative Cinema launched its own home video labels – Camp Motion Pictures (campy horror), Bloody Earth Films (cutting edge micro budgeted horror) and Secret Key Motion Pictures (soft-core erotica). I launched the Alternative Cinema labels because I wanted to experiment with different distribution opportunities. This was something that I could not do with the Pop Cinema labels since they were already contractually obligated to a national distribution company.
4) I've always been interested in how some of these small studios acquire some of these films that no one hears of except those who've spent countless hours on MySpace and film festivals alike. Tell us, what are the factors that you look for, before acquiring a film for any of your labels?
Since all of the films we either make or acquire are ultra low-budget, the first thing I look for either in a script or a finished film is its “entertainment value.” That is the number one factor in a film – entertainment value. A movie should be either fun to watch or have a story so compelling that the viewer can’t turn it off.
5) I was first turned on to your company when it was called E.I. Cinema back in 1999 when "The Erotic Witch Project (erotic spoof of "The Blair Witch Project") came out. Did you think that the film would succeed to the point that you would still be distributing movies today?
Our “Erotic Witch Project” wasn’t our first film to be distributed. We had started three years prior in 1996 with “Psycho Sisters.” Yes, to some degree I think that I thought that I would still be distributing today. I really love what I do so I’m not surprised that I’m still here plugging away.
6) You directed a film back in 2004 called "The Seduction of Misty Mundae". What was it like directing your own film and would you do it again?
It was fantastic directing my own project. I had directed numerous short film and commercial projects, so I really felt it was time to direct a feature film. I am very happy with my finished film. I have plans to direct another film – hopefully in the near future.
7) Tell my readers about the company's current releases "Erotic Werewolf of London", and the remastered versions "Drainiac" and Confessions of an American Housewife".
“Erotic Werewolf in London” is a Seduction Cinema film that was shot in 2001 and directed by William Hellfire. Our studio was so busy in 2002, that the film was “shelved.” The film was dusted off and released mostly because of fan demand. Misty Mundae has garnered quite a large fan base and they have been very vocal about this “lost” Misty werewolf film.
Filmmaker Brett Piper was our resident Shock-O-Rama Cinema director from 2003 to 2007, heading up and finishing four new, original feature films. One of his older films, “Drainiac” was produced independently by Brett in 1996. It received a small and modest home video release in 2000. We decided to remaster from the original film elements and re-release the film. It was actually slated as an HD-DVD release but the format became defunct before we could get it out!
I met filmmaker Joe Sarno in 2001 when I acquired his 1967 film “Inga.” A master of erotic cinema and a native New Yorker, Joe and I have become friends. He has directed over 200 erotic films from the year 1961 to present. “Confessions of a Young American Housewife” is one of Joe’s films from 1974. With Joe’s participation, we have remastered the film and have recorded numerous extras including deleted scenes and interviews. Restoring older, obscure films and working with the creative people who made them has been an ongoing project for me for the last two or three years. Very satisfying work and fans are delighted to see the films, restored to their original brilliance.
8) What was it like filming "An Erotic Werewolf in London?
The filming for “Erotic Werewolf” was very different from any other film that I have produced. Almost all of our films from my studio are shot within a twenty day period. “Erotic Werewolf” was shot over the course of a few years, with shoots in both New Jersey and London. It is not an ideal way of shooting and it was this disorganization that led to the initial “shelving” of the project.
Misty Mundae was discovered by William Hellfire when he was producing low budget VHS films with his company Factory 2000. Very much like Andy Warhol’s factory of freaks, artists and hangers-on, Bill’s Factory 2000 had its own stable of weirdoes. (I do mean that in the most loving way, of course.) Next to William himself, the most talented of the group was Misty Mundae, his girlfriend at the time. She is a “natural.” She began acting in our early Seduction Cinema spoofs beginning in 2000. She was cast in the lead for our “Play-Mate of the Apes” – the rest is history.
In part two of my interview with Michael Raso, I’ll talk to him about his two other recent releases “Drainiac” and “Confessions of an American Housewife," along with the future for his company.
To view part two of my interview with Michael Raso, you can goto:http://www.filmarcade.net/2008/07/10-questions-with-michael-raso-part-two.html
Until then, my name is Anthony Thurber and that’s 10 Questions.
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