Corey Schubert

What is your name, company name, and URL?

I'm Corey Schubert, and our production company is Escape Velocity Films. Our URL is escapevelocityaz.com -- and all of our films are available to watch on the site for free!

What is your specialty: filmmaking or screenwriting? If filmmaking, which aspects?

I'm a screenwriter first and foremost, and have also been having a fantastic time co-producing short films for the past five years.

What are you currently working on?

We're doing two horror shorts this year, and I'm working on a treatment for a feature version of Remnants (a short that played at Shriekfest last year).

Ooh, I'm excited about that! Who do you consider your mentor and why?

I like to put a big emphasis on the "co-" in co-writing and co-producing, because I love the partnership involved in creating projects with talented people. I'd say my biggest mentors are my co-writer Eric Joel La Fuente and our director David Ugarte, because I learn a ton from them throughout the process every time.

Why do you think the horror/sci-fi genres have such a large following?

I just spent 10 minutes trying to come up with an answer that would make me sound wise, using words like "catharsis" and "metaphor for society's fears." But honestly, I think it just comes down to the simplicity of the fact that seeing a masked killer with a weedwhacker chase around a victim on screen is fun as all hell.

LOL very true! What do you love most about this business?

The absurdity that often results from making films on an ultra-low budget is fantastic. We buried a woman up to her neck in the Arizona desert in 110-degree heat and took shelter in a burned-out old meth lab for shade. Some guys came through shooting at cacti out of their truck windows at one point. That was just one day on set.

Wow, that sounds like a horror film!! What do you dislike most about this business?

"I love this idea, guys. Let's make a movie! I'll call you tomorrow and we'll start moving this forward." Then crickets. I absolutely understand the legit reasons of how and why that happens, but dang. Experiencing this enough times helped inspire me to co-produce, though, so maybe it's ultimately a plus.

I hear ya! That is frustrating. What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

We made our 16-minute short Remnants for about $2,000 -- and people seem to really enjoy it. A lot of folks seem really surprised the budget was so low, which is a helluva compliment. We're so honored to have been selected to play at Shriekfest among so many incredibly talented filmmakers! That's honestly among our biggest accomplishments!

I love that! Thank you! I was honored to have you guys there! I'm impressed with what you guys did for that amount of money! Any advice you'd like to give to newbies?

Be sure to put as much time into the story and script that you put into everything else involved in the production. Taking that extra time will make a huge difference for the cast, the crew and (most importantly) the audience.

Great advice! Anything else you'd like to say?

Thanks so much!

Thank you Corey! It was great chatting!