Exclusive: Emmy Winners Szymon Weglarski and Jonathan Dorfman Talk Gingerbreed
The upcoming film Gingerbreed (Kickstarter), about evil gingerbread men from space, has such an incredibly original premise that we were automatically hooked. We were so interested by the film that we reached out to directors Szymon Weglarski and Jonathan Dorfman, who won an Emmy for their VFX work on “Boardwalk Empire,” to learn more.
DC: So, how did there come to be killer gingerbread men from space?
SW, JD: You’ll have to see the movie for the reveal. Without getting into spoilers, we can say is there’s a mysterious alien goo involved.
DC: Was it a difficult task to make food scary?
SW, JD: The look of the gingerbread men was tricky. We experimented with a few designs and ended on something that starts out looking friendly, but is able to turn evil looking. The idea that something can go from friendly to evil is scary. We also like the featureless eyes, which make them look more alien.
DC: Is the film set primarily in space?
SW, JD: Yes. The film begins on a space colony being overrun with killer cookies. We then follow a crew on a rescue mission, with most of the action taking place on a Russian spaceship. The final climactic battle takes place in space along the ship’s exterior.
DC: And there are giant robots too?
SW, JD: There is a giant robot called LBR-7, and it’s a parody of the Powerloader from Aliens, with a dash of ED-209 from RoboCop. It’s primary function is to change lightbulbs, but the crew quickly discovers that it can also kick ass! Additionally, one of the crew turns out to be an evil cyborg, because of course!
DC: As you have backgrounds in VFX, will the film have the look and feel of a Hollywood blockbuster?
SW, JD: The scope and look of the movie is ambitious, and we’re definitively going for high production values. Since the whole film is shot on green screen, we are able to create sets and locations that would have been impossible to achieve with our low budget.
DC: And it’s been in production for a long time? I understand that it started while you were in college?
SW, JD: Yes, we’ve been working on this movie for over 10 years. It’s taken so long primarily because it’s remained self-funded, so we’re not able to work on it full time. The downside is it’s taking a long time, but the upside is that we can stay true to our vision.
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