no one gets out alive

Posted on 13. Aug, 2010 by Nick in music

words > CRAIG AINSWORTH

photo >KARL LAMBERTE

How would you describe this film to someone who has not seen it or is not familiar with Gooding?
One guy told me, “It’s like David Lynch meets True Blood.” I probably would tell people that it’s [a] long form music video for the rock band Gooding and then leave it at that… I know it’s a weird little film, and I accept that people are either going to like it or hate it. I have said to some people, “Michael Jackson had Thriller, Lady Gaga has Telephone, and now Gooding has No One Gets Out Alive.” (Sorry, Gooding doesn’t dance as well as MJ or Gaga by the way.)
How did this project start? Did you have a vision and then Gooding came along, or did Gooding approach you before you developed the concept?
I’m an extremely close friend of Gooding, and he always sends me the rough tracks of songs for his upcoming albums/CDs. And I was definitely a huge fan of the song No One Gets Out Alive from the beginning and pushed for it to be on the album. Anyway, I was out visiting Gooding last fall in L.A. and he asked me to do a music video for one of the songs off his new album, The Return. At first I told him I didn’t think I would have time because I was planning on starting production on my first feature film… [but] my feature film was a vampire film, and I always said the lyrics to No One Gets Out Alive would fit well with [it]; and I could always see the song being used during the closing credits. So, Gooding said, “You’re doing No One Gets Out Alive, because you’re the one that fought for that song.” So, some of the elements from my feature film script worked their way into Gooding: No One Gets Out Alive.”
Where was this filmed and how long did it take?
All of this was shot in Wichita. We shot [it] in my bedroom, my living room, my Mom’s house, and a large chunk of it was shot in an old elementary school. And we shot on some random streets around Wichita also.
We started shooting in February and wrapped in June… we did a lot of shooting for just 16 minutes.
Were there any unseen complications?
In filmmaking there’s always unseen complications. We blew breakers, set off fire alarms, had security guards run us off, [had] people on the set butting heads, but you always have to take it in stride and just move forward. The final film is always the goal and (as the director) you have to find a way to keep it together and get this sometimes-dysfunctional family to the finish line. It’s a gigantic juggling act, and as Rod Pocowatchit has said, “Filmmaking is not
for wimps.”
The actors you had in this were amazing. How did you find them?
Rod Pocowatchit is a very close friend of mine and I’ve had small parts in most of his films, including his zombie film, The Dead Can’t Dance, in which I played the lead zombie. Rod actually play[ed] 3 roles in my film; he plays Cowboy, one of the Reds (the red masked guys), and one of the Whites (the white robed guys with the half-
red masks).
Besides Rod, the two main stars in this film are Casondra Twitchell and Ryan Johnson. I met them on the set of The Dead Can’t Dance. They were zombie extras and we got to talking. They had said to me that they were interested in acting in any of my upcoming film projects. I’m big on “getting a vibe” off of people and Ryan and Casondra seemed so sincerely nice and humble…. I was instantly drawn to them (plus they are engaged to each other in real life, so that helps in their “chemistry” on screen). So, when it came time for me to start thinking about the concept of the film… I thought of Casondra and Ryan. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know them at all and they could have turned out to be flaky or just crazy, but they turned out to be so awesome, hard working, and fun to be around, which is why I’m writing another feature length script based around the two of them as the leads.
Ryan also play[ed] 3 characters in this film. He’s the guy in bed with Casondra at the beginning, one of the Whites, and one of the Reds (the one with the sweet dance moves, by the way).
The 3 of them almost covered all the roles, and they were so awesome throughout all my crazy ideas and costumes. We did use Jamie Sumner, an old friend of Gooding, and Jesse as the “Large White” that carries Gooding. He was awesome and a very good sport, considering I had him dress in hot white plastic and carry Gooding all over the place. And my bother El stepped in as one of the Whites during the Gooding stage performance.
Do you anticipate working with Gooding in the
future and if so then any ideas on what?
I have done the art and design for 15 of Gooding’s albums/CDs, including posters, logos, shirts, etc. So, we have been working together a long time, and will continue to for a long time. We have spent many hours talking and fantasizing about life and artistic endeavors. He’s like a brother to me and I always look forward to seeing what he and the guys in his band come up with next.
To view behind-the-scenes video, visit