05/13/2024
Roger Corman, 1926-2024
excerpt from "Film Schooling: The Down & Dirty (and painfully honest) Guide to Independent Filmmaking."
ON THE SET OF 'STRIPTEASER'
One of the films I worked on at the Roger Corman studio was an ultra-low budget flick called Zipper's Clown Palace. That was the working title, but it was changed prior to its straight-to-home video release. An upcoming Demi Moore movie had been getting a lot of hype. That film was called St******se and was still several months away. The powers that be at New Horizons (Corman's distribution wing) decided to capitalize on that and changed the name of our little film to St******ser. I'm sure you've seen this title game played before. Little films seem to think they can benefit from fomenting confusion among consumers with names that bear a striking resemblance to bigger, studio fare. Occasionally, lawsuits even result from this, but it must be a viable marketing tactic as it continues to this day.
Almost the entire film takes place in a strip club. It was a small cast and crew and I’d wager it was shot entirely non-union. Just three weeks total. I would put the entire budget at $100,000 or less. This was the Roger Corman formula. This next part, however, wasn't part of his business model (to my knowledge). I worked on Zipper's as On-Set Dresser. When I rented or bought anything for the art department, I was told to get the receipt in the name of “Captain Nuke.” Weird, right? So, here's the thing…
At the same time we were shooting Zipper's Clown Palace, we were also shooting another Corman project on the lot called Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys. Captain Nuke was a bigger budget family film starring Martin Sheen. Of course, by bigger budget, it was probably a million or two, so still pretty modest, but compared to what we had for St******ser, it was a fortune. Anyway, when I was told to get all my receipts in the name of “Captain Nuke,” I was suspicious, but smart enough not to ask.
Finally, one of the producers came clean and explained what I already suspected – Captain Nuke wasn't financed by Roger Corman. It was a Corman company production to be distributed by Corman's New Horizon's distribution wing. But it was funded by a third party(ies). That third party had no idea that they were actually funding two films; Captain Nuke AND Zipper's Clown Palace. So, every receipt for Zipper's was in the name of Captain Nuke. I don't know all the specifics, but I was told when it was done, Zipper's would be 100% owned by New Horizon's and having never cost them a penny to make or acquire. The investors in Captain Nuke would never have a clue. Genius? Debatable. Shady? Absolutely. Welcome to the world of low budget filmmaking.
So, you want to make movies? Well, you can spend $100,000 on a film school degree, or invest twenty bucks in this book. It may surprise you to learn that what you’re holding in your hands will actually give you more real-world information and practical knowledge about this industry than a campus ....
