>> He grew up with an unusual
intelligence for a boy
in the tiny town of Purewater.
>> Hey, pickle head,
whatcha ya doin'?
>> Hi, Bunder.
I'm collecting data on surface
pressure and wind divergence.
It looks like an anti-cyclone.
>> But he didn't exactly fit in.
At first, this didn't bother
Zopp, as he worked toward
advancements
in aviatory physics,
biochemistry,
structural engineering,
and a number
of other disciplines.
>> Your father has quit his job
and is starting
his own business!
>> Son, I've seen the future.
And the future
is travel-sized fly swatters.
It fits in your pocket, see?
>> Hi, and welcome
to Director's Cut.
I'm your host,
Charles Monroe-Kane.
Here at Director's Cut,
we're dedicated to bringing you
the best in independent films
and filmmakers.
Our film this week is called,
"Illegal Use of Joe Zopp."
The film follows the life
of a young genius and inventor
named Joe Zopp.
He's picked on, misunderstood,
and even kidnapped.
But when his parents
squander the proceeds
from one of his inventions,
Zopp skips town,
vowing never to return.
Seven years later,
while leading the life
of a street performing referee
in Toledo, Ohio,
Zopp runs into an old classmate
that tells him everyone
back home thinks he's dead.
Thus, he returns to unravel
the mystery of his own death.
The "Illegal Use of Joe Zopp"
was shot almost entirely
in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
If you haven't guessed it yet,
it's a comedy.
And a good one at that.
We have two members of the
film's entourage with us today,
producer/actor Seth Hedrington,
and producer/editor/writer,
Nick Holle.
Nick also plays the lead
of Joe Zopp in the film.
Excellent to have you both here.
"Illegal Use of Joe Zopp,"
where does the title
come from?
>> Well, actually it was a title
Seth suggested at one point
early on in the production.
I think it's kind of gotten a
double meaning with the referee,
street performing stuff.
And we all quickly dismissed
the idea, and told him
it was a bad one.
>> It wasn't my idea, actually.
>> But it won out, of course,
as the title of the film.
>> Yeah, it eventually
kind of resurfaced
and we decided to keep it.
>> Tell me the process
of making this film.
It's a collaborative effort,
right?
You run a film company that's
run as a collective, right?
>> Exactly.
There are seven of us
that started the company.
This has been four years
in the making now.
When we first started writing
the "Illegal Use of Joe Zopp,"
we formed an LLC.
We kind of have different
personalities and different
strengths in all the members,
so it actually works very well.
Nick is, you know, one of
the most creative of the group,
the writer, the editor.
I'm a little more
business minded,
so I handle a lot of that stuff.
We come together nicely
for this.
>> Did you write it together
as a group, too?
>> Yeah, we actually...
>> Did you argue over beer?
>> Well, we came up with kind of
a one-line concept idea.
Basically, a guy returns
to his home town, where
everybody thinks he's dead.
And we kind of pooled
all our ideas together,
and it kind of snowballed
from there.
We would throw in character
ideas, a plot device,
or something like the Dingo game
that we're going to talk about.
And it just kind of snowballed.
And we had all these pages
and pages of ideas and outlines,
and stuff like that.
And then we kind of had to
sit down and write it.
>> How much did the film cost?
When you're all done,
your film is done,
was it a million dollars?
>> The official budget
is about $8,000.
>> Ah, that's excellent!
How did you get the money?
>> A couple different ways.
We all pitched in a little
to start, to get us rolling.
>> That makes sense.
>> We kind of flooded family
and friends with requests
for pre-purchase of the movie
that will eventually be done.
Actually, we had
an outpouring of support there.
So that was pretty much
the seed money right there.
>> How long did it take
to make the film altogether?
>> Well, the very first idea
of making the movie was in 2004.
But we really got going with
the production in late 2005.
And then we shot it
in the summer of 2006.
So then we put it together
after that,
and are just releasing it now.
>> It is an excellent, excellent
example of an independent film,
because it is a very good film,
because it really brings--
You can see the effort
made into making it that way.
There's no Hollywood in it
at all, but it's still good.
You know, sometimes,
independent film, you're like,
it's not good.
But this is also good.
It was very quirky.
It was a very interesting film.
You play the lead in the film.
You play Joe Zopp.
Tell me about Joe.
>> Well, Joe is kind of a,
he goes through his whole
childhood, and nothing really
ever seems to work out.
He's really smart.
He's interested in science
and inventing.
And it just, even when he has
a little success, his parents
kind of squander that, all
the money he makes from that.
So he decides that he needs
to get out, start over,
do something
completely different.
And he kind of jumps on a train
and heads out of town.
He kind of leads a quiet,
anonymous life.
>> An anonymous life
as a street performing umpire
from Toledo, Ohio.
Real quick,
where in the world did--
That was a killer idea.
Where in the world?
I've never seen that before
in my life.
>> I think one of us
had thrown out the idea
of a street performer,
like early on
in the writing process.
>> That's fair, but umpire?
>> And then we have this
high school friend of ours,
who used to go around
to different bars and just like,
call balls and strikes
on people.
>> Really?
>> And just like,
they'd walk into the bar
and he'd just punch them "out."
He's like, "Ah-ooout!"
>> Wow.
>> So we kind of like
borrowed it from him.
>> I want to show another clip
from the film.
It's a great clip.
We'll set it up.
This is when
he gets kidnapped again.
He's been kidnapped
the first time as a child.
But he kind of gets
kidnapped again.
Set up the clip for us,
so we can watch that.
>> Well, he actually runs
into a high school classmate
who, you know, needs to prove
that he's alive, for things
that will be explained later.
But Joe Zopp does not
want to cooperate with him.
So I think he takes it
into his own hands.
>> So here's a clip
from "Illegal Use of Joe Zopp,"
where Joe is kidnapped by Ike,
and taken from Toledo
back to Wisconsin.
>> I wouldn't do that
if I were you.
Jumping out of a moving vehicle,
you're liable to get
a pretty nasty strawberry.
>> Whoa!
Ah...
So what now?
You take me
to a heavily wooded area?
Have your way with me
in the foliage?
>> Stop!
You've got quite an imagination.
I would never hurt you!
>> Except for knocking me
unconscious.
>> I just grazed ya.
>> You're an idiot!
Kidnapper!
( breathing heavily )
>> Ah! God!
If you would've
just taken the picture,
none of this would've happened.
>> What do you need
a picture of me for?
>> I'm just trying to prove
that you're alive.
>> That I'm alive?
>> A few people back home--
Well, everyone.
>> Everyone?
>> Everyone.
I guess you could say
everyone back home
is positive you're dead.
>> How's that again?
>> Probably
because of the funeral.
>> Probably
because of the funeral!
Seth, enter Ike.
Tell me about Ike.
Who's Ike?
>> Ike is a combination
of a lot of different ideas.
But Ike is really,
he's the driver of a lot
of the humor behind the story.
He's kind of that force
that continues to have
these horrible ideas.
He's that guy you knew
in high school that just was
obsessed with everything.
He couldn't let go.
We'll talk a little later,
I think, about the Dingo game,
is one of those things.
But he's the guy who takes
things to such as extreme that
it's just funny to watch him.
>> Tell us about the Dingo game.
First, tell me about
what the Dingo game is,
like just in a nutshell.
And then, where in the world,
I want to know where that idea
came from.
First, what is the Dingo game?
>> The Dingo game, basically,
is a game that whoever spots
the most former high school
classmates in a certain
period of time wins.
And those classmates are
assigned point values based on
how hard they would be to spot.
And we did this,
with me and some of my friends
in high school.
And we actually did it
for five years, and one of the
other producers won the game.
>> You played the Dingo game.
You called it the Dingo game?
>> We called it the Dingo game.
( all laugh )
>> So somebody you know won.
What did they win?
>> They won pride.
>> Pride.
That's a powerful thing.
>> Yes!
>> In Chippewa Falls,
it's probably a powerful thing,
pride.
>> It's a very prestigious game,
actually.
>> How much stuff--
We're going to see a clip
from the Dingo game in a second.
So, how much of this
is from the small town flavor
of where you all are from?
>> You know, I think this is
really kind of the only
actual thing that happened
in real life.
But I think we were borrowing
things that we had experienced
all throughout.
I think certain characters
were inspired by people we knew
in our town,
or even people we'd experienced
through life sometime.
But you know, I think there's
a handful of things that we took
and tried to incorporate.
>> Sure.
I mean, it's interesting.
I think about
small town America.
And I think about Ike.
And I think about Joe.
And I think about some
of the other characters
we're going to see later.
I grew up in a small town
in Ohio.
Ike exists.
Those people exist.
It's almost like watching
a documentary.
What do people in Chippewa Falls
think of some of the characters?
Are they like,
"Oh, my God, that's me.
I knew it!
I always knew Seth hated me!"
Or, this chick broke up
with you in high school,
and you're like, "I'm putting
her in there as that,"
now she's drunk with two kids.
Do you run into that?
Or do people just love that
this is made in Chippewa Falls
and they're totally happy?
>> I think in general,
people are pretty happy.
They are definitely recognizing
some of the small town things,
and the similar things.
We haven't heard any
real big backlash yet.
Of course, we've only
been released for about a week.
>> For the most part,
they're pretty proud
about the little idiosyncrasies
in the town.
They see that, and they think
that's the way it is.
>> Speaking of idiosyncrasies,
let's see the clip of Ike
describing to Joe
the Dingo game.
>> What the hell is all this?
>> This is where it all happens.
The Dingo game.
A few months after graduation,
Misty Pleasants,
Thomas Ian Tuckers, you know,
and Beto Klitzke and myself
were harking back
to the days of yore, the jocks,
the sluts, the douche bags
we sat next to in math.
We're never going to see 'em
again, right?
Well then Klitzke says,
but if we do,
it should be duly noted.
>> Like a where are they now
map?
>> What the hell is that?
We made a game out of it.
We took our yearbook,
and we applied point values
to everybody in the class.
The points, the Dingos,
are based on the likelihood that
that person will be spotted.
See Al's a cop.
He drives through town
every day.
You can see him
whenever you want.
He's worth five points,
one time only.
Now, Cindy Sulfur supposedly
works for CNN in Paris.
She's engaged to some jerk-off
Spaniard with gray hair.
She's worth 60 Dingos.
You,
by virtue of being dead,
are worth 1,000.
>> That's it?
>> That's like a guaranteed win,
Zopp.
>> What about him, Clete Gay?
He disappeared, right?
>> Vanished
right after graduation.
Dead, we think.
Unconfirmed though, which is why
he's only worth 400.
>> You're watching
Director's Cut, the show
that brings you the best
in Wisconsin independent films
and filmmakers,
like the clip you just saw
from Chippewa Falls film,
"Illegal Use of Joe Zopp."
You made this in a small town
in Wisconsin.
You filmed it there.
You guys are from there.
It must have had
quite an effect on the town,
going through with the cameras.
What was it like for the town
to be filming a film there?
It must have been huge.
>> The town
was amazingly excited.
That was part of what
allowed us to shoot
on such a low budget.
As soon as we kind of
started talking about this,
and arriving,
they opened the doors.
Everybody was so anxio
to help out
in any way they could.
They were pumped.
Actually, they originally
thought it was a movie
about Chippewa Falls.
So we kind of had to make sure
that they didn't think that.
So when they saw it, they didn't
think, well, this is just you
making fun of us.
>> Were people afraid of that?
Were they afraid that you guys
were going to make fun of them?
>> Some people were.
The mayor, in particular,
was a little afraid of that.
>> I think we were afraid
of that a little bit.
I mean, you know, this is more
about our kind of experiences.
And like, you know, doing
a story about this small town.
We're really not out to get
anybody, or anything like that.
We just enjoyed it.
We had fun.
We loved our home town.
That's kind of why
we're making the movie.
>> You just had
a screening, right?
Your first screening
was recently,
like a couple days ago, right?
>> Yeah.
>> What was it like?
The first screening
in your small town.
It must have been amazing.
>> It was great.
We had, the local theater
kind of put on a big party
for us, and had all our actors,
and crew, and families in.
And it was just extraordinary
to be able to finally get it
in front of people,
and hear them laugh,
and all that kind of stuff.
Then, we actually opened
at the theater for a week,
so people have been going
every day, all week.
The response
has been extraordinary.
People are coming out
really overjoyed, and laughing,
still after they're walking out
of the theater,
which is pretty satisfying.
>> I bet it is!
Were you excited or happy with
it, because you know everybody
in the theater.
Did people laugh
when they're supposed to laugh?
Did they shake their heads
when they were supposed to?
Was everyone on cue
to how you wrote it?
>> It's very interesting,
because
we are very in tune to that.
We sat in on several of the
showings to try to figure out
when people were laughing.
At some of the showings,
it just seemed like clockwork.
They were hitting everything
perfectly.
And then at other showings,
they'd miss something, and
we'd kind of look at each other
and what, why not that one.
Especially a couple things
that we would argue about
when we were editing.
You know, Nick wanted
to keep this in, and
I was like, that's not funny.
So if somebody laughs...
>> Hoping they'll laugh at that,
'cause I know I'm right!
Because when I make
the next film, I'm not
letting them put that in!
That's fair.
I get it.
You're like, damn it,
they laughed at that part,
and he's going to have
all this control next time!
Well, let's go back
to the film, then.
Seth, set up the next clip
for us.
It's the one
at the funeral home.
Go ahead, tell us
what's happening here.
>> This is a clip
where the main character, Joe,
is meeting
one of the funeral directors
for the first time.
And when Nick originally
wrote this scene,
it was just full of exposition.
There were a lot of things
that needed to be explained.
He wanted to think of something
to come up with that would make
it a little more interesting.
So he had this idea, you know,
what if the two characters
are doing yoga during the scene.
>> In the funeral home?
>> In the funeral home.
And at first,
he was a little apprehensive.
We read what he wrote
and it was amazing.
It was so funny.
So, we ran with it
and it worked.
>> Let's see Joe Zopp
and the funeral home director
exposit while performing yoga.
>> There was a body.
Did the Zopps see it?
>> I assume they identified it
at the station.
Once it got to me,
it wasn't in good shape.
It went right into cremation.
>> You burn the bodies here?
>> The crematorium's
around the back, yes.
>> Do you do yoga?
>> Excuse me?
>> Yoga.
I'm looking for a partner.
Sugar won't do it with me.
She read in a magazine
that it causes cancer.
>> No, thanks.
>> No, no, no, please.
Please, I insist.
It's just a little partner,
a little Pada-Hasta.
Up, there.
There, loose.
Now turn.
There!
There, yes.
Yes!
Breathe.
Forward!
Ah, yes!
>> Do you ever make a mistake?
Like cremate the wrong body?
>> Ever think about
your own death, Mr. Snidgen?
Up.
Down.
You have to in my line of work.
Up.
Ah, and forward.
>> That was a clip
from the comedy,
"Illegal Use of Joe Zopp."
The funeral director, who
also plays his twin brother,
who's also
the other funeral director
across the street
is one of an excellent cast
of quirky characters.
Where did you find these actors
on an $8,000 budget?
>> When we started casting,
we just kind of put out
a notice, like, come audition
for a movie.
>> In your town?
>> In our town.
And a little bit
in the Minneapolis area.
And we held auditions
for several weeks in a row,
and had people come in,
and trickle in.
People were just excited
about the movie, and didn't
even know what we were doing,
as far as story.
And you know, we just found
all these fantastic
theater actors.
We probably had
a handful from Minneapolis,
a couple from the Madison area.
And the rest were all
western Wisconsin actors,
theater, mostly,
was part of their experience.
>> People want to be in a film,
don't they?
>> Oh, yeah.
>> They didn't ask how much
they were going to get paid?
They just want to be in a film.
They didn't want to see
the script.
We're talking about independent.
That's one thing about
independent films,
is you've got to have actors.
Like me,
I'd love to be in a film.
I've never acted in my life.
I might be terrible
for all I know.
But if somebody asks me,
I'll do it.
I wouldn't ask.
That's nice.
One of my favorite characters
in the film, though,
present company excluded,
is Louie.
Tell me.
Ah, I love him.
I was telling someone a story
about Louie the other day.
Tell me about Louie.
>> Well, Louie is the only,
pretty much, you know,
one of the only black guys
in this small town
that we created.
He is probably
the only sane character
in the entire movie.
You know, even Joe
is probably a little not there.
So he's what's meant
to keep the story together
and kind of keep Joe on track.
He befriends Joe.
He's really the guy
that we turn to when, you know,
we need kind of some relief
from everything else.
>> And set up the clip
we're about to see.
This is a clip where
he's talking about his son.
>> He is actually
referring to this picture
that sits behind him
in the motel that he owns.
He's just describing, you know,
how his son also has died.
>> Like Joe.
>> Well, let's roll the clip.
>> Hey, Louie,
who's the kid in the picture?
>> That's my son.
Oh, whoa, whoa, what!
You think a guy who looks
like me could have a kid that...
fat?
>> Well, no,
that's not what I...
How old is he?
>> There, he's two.
He'd be about 15 now.
>> Does he live here
in Purewater?
>> He's dead.
>> I'm sorry.
>> No, you didn't know.
Wanna know how?
>> I don't want to pry.
>> Train accident,
a few years back.
>> Here in Purewater?
>> The old neighborhood,
a circus train.
Jamal and some of his friends
were playing by the tracks
near our house.
His mother,
not paying attention.
The engineer sees the kids,
and slams on the brakes.
>> No!
>> He stopped on time.
A couple of cars derailed.
>> No!
>> No, everyone was fine.
But the circus freaks were out
inspecting the damage.
The car with elephants
had broken open.
>> Oh, no!
>> No, it was cool.
It's cool.
The elephant trainer
got them under control.
He was showing off the elephants
to Jamal and his friends
real safe like,
just trying to calm them down
after all the commotion.
Well, one of the elephants
had an embolism.
Falls right on Jamal.
Bam!
Flattened him like a pancake.
( no audio )
>> A hell of a way to go, too.
Man, Jamal loved elephants.
>> Man, Jamal loved elephants!
I'm going to use that line.
People won't know
what I'm talking about.
That film, you were
talking about him being
the character who's sane.
But that clip
is totally surreal.
There are actually moments
of the film that are super real,
which makes them surreal.
Is that what life's like
in your mind, as you
look back at Chippewa Falls?
Or is this just how you describe
it when you're having fun
with somebody in the big city?
>> I think that the stories
that would resonate with us,
that we would talk about
from our youth,
just kind of took on
this very surreal legend.
And even the picture of Jamal
is a picture of me, actually,
as a baby.
And you know, it was always
a hit with anybody
who came into my parents' house
and saw it hanging on the wall,
to the point
where these guys stole it
out of my parents' house
and made t-shirts out of it,
and walked around with
my little baby picture.
>> Do you have any left?
>> Oh, yeah.
>> I want to give you
my address.
I'll put "Jamal" on it.
You know, it seems to me
for both of you,
but especially for you,
it seems like this was
a real labor of love,
for the whole group
of your friends.
And even the whole town
got involved.
Do people see this
as part of the history now
of Chippewa Falls?
Is this an important aspect
of what they do?
How involved
were people in that?
>> I don't know.
It might be a little bit
too early to tell if it's
going to be part of the history.
But I think it's certainly
been something where
they've completely embraced us.
And you know, even this week,
just enjoying
being able to see the film
that was made there.
>> You know, one of the stories
I like to tell is,
the funeral home is a place
where we shot a lot of scenes.
We were there a lot.
We were there on multiple days,
all day long.
And the funeral home owner
was the most accommodating
person in the city,
to the extent that actually,
one day, we smelled something
in the basement
and see him coming up
with a plate
full of freshly baked cookies
that he baked in the basement
of the funeral home, which isn't
really as creepy as it sounds.
But you know,
they were delicious cookies.
>> It's funny, you're talking
about baking cookies.
We've been doing this show
for a while, and there's
a theme coming out
in these independent films,
especially the non-documentary
ones, where people
are showing up with baked goods,
and really being a part of it.
I remember the "Onion."
After 9-11, the "Onion"
put out a newspaper.
They had a lady with the red,
white and blue cake.
And she just said
she didn't know what else to do,
so she baked a cake.
( all laugh )
But it's honest.
I really like it.
This is a great film,
a great example.
Daring to do a comedy first,
I might add.
I think it worked.
What's next?
What's next for your company,
and what's next for you guys?
Is this what you want to do
for a living?
>> Yeah, I think we want
to make another film for sure.
That's always been the goal,
to make one, and then
let's do another one after that.
We love comedy.
We're going to try to figure out
something hilarious to do,
and sit down
and write some stuff this fall,
and see what happens.
>> Is the end goal
for the group of you
to go and do this for a living?
Is that the goal?
I think that's
always the stretch goal.
And if that doesn't happen,
or we're not able to catch on
like that, then we'll continue
to make films on our own
as a side gig.
>> We will continue
to have you on.
Please, make another film,
and we will have you on.
I loved it.
It was hilarious.
>> Thanks.
>> Thank you very much.
Thank you, Seth and Nick,
for joining us.
And thank you all for watching.
This has been Director's Cut.
For more information
on "Illegal Use of Joe Zopp,"
or any of the feature films
on our show, please go to:
wpt.org/directorscut
While you're there,
send us an email.
We would love to hear from you.
I'm your host,
Charles Monroe-Kane.
And for everyone here
at Director's Cut,
thank you very much.
Check the gate.