SANE SHANE

The open-minded conservative Shane Ryan is the young independent filmmaker and actor behind such brutal and sexually charged Alter Ego Cinema releases as “Amateur Porn Star Killer” and “Big Boobs, Blonde Babes and Bad Blood.” Here Shane opens up on his art, his influences, why he likes collaborating on projects with females and his experiences in mainstream television shows such as “That’s So Raven.” Shane also discusses his most recent project “Romance Road Killers,” which is inspired by the 1958 Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate killing spree. I call it his most recent, but the story of “Romance Road Killers,” which is currently seeking funding, actually has its roots from very early in Shane’s childhood. Not nearly as disturbed as the characters he plays, Shane also discusses his beliefs of non-violence, how he was bullied by his peers and how violent films saved his life.

Shane Ryan

CCF: Start by telling us a bit about who Shane Ryan is.

SR: Uh, hmm. Wow. Tough one. I have no idea sometimes. I’m a person who likes art of all kinds, especially movies, of course. I like small towns. They bring out a lot more creativity, better breathing, nicer people, less stress. I’m old-fashioned in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to relationships, which has made it very hard for me to find the right girl. I’m kind of conservative when it comes to everyday life, I guess, but when it comes to art, I’m a very open-minded liberal. Given my dad is a hard-core artistic “movie loving” democrat and my mother a very church-going, athletic & adventurous conservative has given me the best of both worlds, and the worst. I am very forgiving and cannot understand why many people are so damn rude and mean. I refuse to order something while on my cell-phone. I think the waitress/cashier deserves more respect as I usually am one of them when I have “a real job.” And I hate when people tailgate or don’t use their freakin’ turn signal. Note: It’s located on the left side of your steering wheel in case you didn’t notice. Sarcasm is my main weapon most of the time. In real-life, I hate violence. Most of all, I’m just a young guy doing everything I can to try and make a living at making films, which is pretty much impossible. But I don’t know what else I’d do. Maybe work with foster kids or troubled teens? Journalism? Something that feels like and hopefully makes a difference. I tried being a fitness instructor, and hated it.

CCF: You deal with some heavy stuff in your films. Where does a lot of that come from?

SR: I’m not sure exactly. Life, movies, music, and random conversations I overhear. I don’t know. I guess it might be easier to explore selected films. “Romance Road Killers” I’ll talk about later. As far as “Amateur Porn Star Killer” that came from a variety of places. For one, I’ve been exposed to way more stories and images of disturbing things in the world of porn than I would have liked. Although I think given the internet most kids these days are exposed to more than their fair share. And I’ve always liked exploring sex in ways that Hollywood rarely does anymore. We did back in the 70’s and are starting to again, thank God. But “American Pie” and all these films aimed towards teenagers paint sex as a pretty picture, and tell us we’re losers if we don’t take advantage of some young hot girl. But I think that’s the dark side. It’s saying all high school kids must have sex. Nowadays it’s even middle school kids. Get diseases, get pregnant, get raped, get yourself killed, they forget to mention that part. I just like to show the other side. Yes, sex can be a very beautiful thing. But it usually ends up leading to a really fucked up situation, and in “Amateur Porn Star Killer” I wanted to explore that in the most realistic way I could. Every word said, every blink, every gesture, it really means a lot in a situation like that. Sure, it’s not entertaining like “American Pie,” but that’s the point; you shouldn’t be entertained by it. You should be disgusted. If you’re not, then you’re disgusting. Or I just failed as a filmmaker. There’s entertainment, and there’s art. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to incorporate both in a film. I don’t think I’m that lucky yet. As far as the short films that deal with abuse, depression and molestation, that came pretty much from seeing “The War Zone.” It inspired me to explore what I knew, or thought I knew, about the subjects. But I based it more on experimental visuals and sounds, rather than on words and actions. And I tried it in different ways, like “A Normal Life” and “So, We Killed Our Parents” – molestation - or “Isolation” and “The Cleansing” - abuse and depression. I fortunately never personally experienced abuse by my family but was put in all the situations of kids that were abused as far as foster care, dealing with social workers and courts. And then later on in high school I was arrested for something I didn’t do, but when proven it never even happened, I still ended up spending two years once again in and out of courts, probation, community service, therapy, etc. But it was actually in the school system where I was severely beaten for years and nobody at the schools ever did anything to help me. I couldn’t really tell my parents. And I think I have a whole lot of anger towards that, which in every situation the system failed. It interfered and ruined everything when life was good and looked the other way when there was desperate need for help. To answer your question simply, filmmaking is my therapy, which is why it’s so heavy. I have a lot to vent about.

Shane Ryan striking an intense Bruce Lee pose.

CCF: You don’t seem to be one of those filmmakers that just wants to shock his audience, but at the same time, you’re not at all worried about controversy are you?

SR: I’m not sure if I’m afraid of controversy or not. I’m starting not to care when somebody calls me a “sick fuck who must die painfully” but it still doesn’t feel too great. I think if I were to have hit it big after one film, then maybe I actually would fear controversy, because I would have had something to lose. But I think I’m not afraid because at this point I’m still a nobody. Maybe I really am a chicken shit, who knows.

CCF: You ever worry about people taking your movies the wrong way?

SR: I can’t really let that affect me. Again, I don’t think I need to worry about that yet being an unknown but if I were to become known and somebody viewed my work and took something the wrong way, that’s their fault. If my movies were aimed towards kids it’d be different. I think there’s some sort of responsibility if you’re making something directly aimed towards little kids who don’t necessarily know any better, i.e. “Sesame Street,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” etc. But anybody over the age of 14 or 15 should know. And since people under 17-18 wouldn’t be allowed to watch my films without a parent or guardian who should be wise enough to make that choice, there’s no worries. If they let their kids watch it, it’s their fault. I can’t let myself feel responsible for that. Besides, anything that’s created by anybody can be taken the right or wrong way, unless it’s just ignored, which is the most painful thing for an artist. And I don’t think that violent movies cause violence. At least R-rated violent movies aimed towards adults. I think cartoons aimed towards 5 year olds are probably the real problem. “Here, shoot Bugs Bunny with a gun, he won’t die.” When I was about 14, I wanted nothing more than to kill some of the kids at my school. I just couldn’t take one more fucking day of getting my face kicked in, gum stuck in my hair, spit on, not allowed to use the bathroom by other kids, robbed of my lunch money, etc. And I eventually said fuck it, and planned out my massacre. But not having access to guns saved me. I had only kitchen knives, and knives are way too damn personal. A gun is easy. So, I take the knives to school for several days in a row, but I can’t do it. I couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone another human being, no matter how much they hurt me and I wanted them to just stop. So, I put the knives away and turn on a violent film like “True Romance” where the loser/loner Christian Slater character is actually the hero and gets the girl. I live vicariously through that. Those violent kinds of films saved my life.

CCF: Wow. I’m happy you shared that story with us about reaching the point where you actually wanted to cause harm to your peers. I think it is really important for kids that are in that situation that they realize where they are isn’t the same place they will be in five to ten years. I mean, here you were a potential time bomb being pushed around and jump a few years ahead and you’re an award-winning filmmaker. The other thing is I’m one who believes a lot of creativity comes from pain and suffering. It comes from desperation and isolation. In many ways, it seems in order to be a creative person you have to have gone through a fairly rough childhood in some aspect. I myself have always dealt with being on the opposite end of the psychical spectrum. I was the fat kid everyone picked on. But our struggles make us stronger and our anger fuels us. You know, the kid that was given everything on a platter his entire life, who’s never had to deal with any type of adversity, takes what he has for granted and never really has to make something out of nothing. His parents can send him to film school, art school or whatever it is he has an interest in doing creatively, but if he never has to suffer, he’ll never create something that will mean anything to anybody. If you look at the great creative filmmakers of our time, or least some of my favorites, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, Gregg Arakii, Todd Solondz... none of these guys were probably winning any popularity contests in high school.... Smith was fat, Lee was little, Arakii is gay and Tarantino and Solondz are, well, Tarantino and Solondz... Even somebody like M. Night Shyamalan, who might seem like an exception to the rule because his parents were doctors, probably didn’t have it the easiest as he was born in India and has had to overcome discrimination because of his heritage. The same goes for Robert Rodriguez, who came from a family of ten, and has had to kick down walls of racism. Do you kind of feel the same way? That a lot of your creativity is from having to go through what you did as a teenager?

SR: I’m sure it is. Every time something bad happens I usually end up thinking about how it could be put in a film. Unfortunately I don’t create too much when I’m really happy because I’m too distracted and having a good time, and when I’m in between - not happy, but not depressed -that’s just the worst. I feel very blah. It’s like I’d rather be miserable than just alright, which is why I hate when people think my films are alright. I almost rather it be hated. Loving it is best, of course, but alright just sucks. And I hate feeling alright. I think I re-live a lot of my past because it makes me feel miserable. But I hate saying that. I’d hate to think that I’m one of those people that will have to be utterly depressed my whole life in order to actually feel good and be creative. I want to fall in love, get married, raise a family and be happy, but I don’t see that happening with the way I am. It’s because I hold on to a lot of stuff that happened in my past and hope that one day I can really let it out in a film. But if I can’t, I’m afraid it will always stick by my side. And just continue to build. Which is why I really have to make “Romance Road Killers” and do it now, and get it right. It deals a lot with things that happened when I was younger. But then I’ll just have my life after high-school to tell, which is another whole mess. Happy times, too, though.

CCF: You brought the point of violent films not causing violence; I agree one hundred percent with you on that. It reminded me of something Ice-T said around the time his metal band Body Count was making headlines due to the song “Cop Killer.” What he said was he doesn’t think his song would ever plant the idea in someone’s head to go out and murder, but it is possible someone already pushed over the edge that is already headed down the path to commit such an act could adopt his lyrics as a theme song. I think that’s why the lines blur for some people. It’s not that art causes violence, but individuals that are capable of such acts will certainly identify with violent art. Dealing with the type of stuff you do, what is your take on the influence of art that society seems to think goes too far and is there ever a worry something you put out there ends up being some wacko’s theme song?

“...I was severely beaten for years and nobody at the schools
ever did anything to help me” - Shane Ryan

SR: As far as violent films that have been all over the news for causing violence and influencing teenagers and young adults to kill, I think it’s all bullshit. These people can’t tell the difference between fiction and reality, so they blame the film, when it’s the person who is fucked up, like you said. A violent person can identify with violent art. They just need an excuse. And the funniest thing is the movies that portray violence, as well as sex, not to mention drugs, in the most realistic fashion, where it isn’t a fun and peachy site, are the films that get slaughtered. I mean, come on, did “Kids” make you wanna go out and fuck the boy or girl next door? Hell no. I think seeing that film at 15 is what probably made me stay a virgin all through high school. “Reservoir Dogs” made me realize how bloody death is, and how fucking long it takes to die from a gunshot wound to the gut. I didn’t get any of this shit watching Schwarzenegger’s latest film, approved for all audiences. Point is, is the films that made me see the reality of sex and violence at a young age, and which helped me realize that violence in real-life is bad and sex might make your dick fall off, those are the same films rejected by society, that parents everywhere try to keep their kids from watching. I remember seeing “True Lies,” which, to be honest, I enjoyed, and even at 13 years old I remember asking myself, do all those people Arnold’s gunning down like flies have any back story? Do those people have family? They’re only bad because Arnold’s shooting them. I’m a kid, and that’s my perspective. I was watching everything differently than my friends and family were. So, given that, how could you ever judge or know or even worry, if somebody is perceiving your film differently than you hoped or meant? You just can’t. And if some rap guy found a creative way of twisting my film into some perverted “shake your ass” video, well, so be it. At least I know my film is getting out there, and hopefully somebody sees it for what it really is, whatever that may be to them.

CCF: (LOL) Coming to a music video channel near you, the smash single “It’s hard out here for an amateur porn star killer” … I guess that really is the best way to approach it. No matter what an artist says with their work there will always be someone perverting and misinterpreting the message. Like the people that call Larry Clark a pedophile and say his films are filth. As an artist you know what you are saying and you put it out there and hope for the best… You seem to be a fan of co-directing films. How many have you done with another director and what is it that has you wanting to work that way?

SR: I’ve co-directed about 10 films between the shorts and features. Aside from my brother Jeremy Williams, I like having women co-directors. I’ve worked with about 6 different young women. It gives both sides to the story, different points of views, and it’s a fun collaboration - sometimes. There can be that man/woman battle too. But I don’t think it’s really made an impact until now. Most of the films were made in about two to three days and then I was left by myself to edit. But Emily and I have been working on “Romance Road Killers” for 18 months. She’s also the youngest girl I’ve worked with. The selfish thing about the whole collaboration, however, is it helps the film. Being a straight, white, Protestant male over the age of 21 leaves you pretty much void of any special opportunities or programs, so having women co-directors helps the film get more exposure. I hate to say that, but that’s the truth. Every time I go to apply for something I’m either the wrong color, religion, age, sex or sexual preference, so after awhile I got frustrated and started recruiting people to help me out, but I got some good collaborations out of it. And Emily’s been a true blessing in our creative efforts.

Promotional art for “Romance Road Killers.”

CCF: “Romance Road Killers” is the one inspired by Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, right? Why don’t you tell us a bit about that project?

SR: Well, I started working on it really, when I was about nine. It’s evolved a lot since then. I actually spent two or more years shooting it, although this story didn’t have the romance but it involved foster care, runaway kids and murder. I dropped it when I was about 11 or 12 and then came back to it when I was about 18, and it changed quite a bit. This time it did have the romance, and the characters became pretty much the same characters in “Romance Road Killers,” but they didn’t kill people together; the girl actually dies before it all happens. I was working on the script with my mom and she was helping a lot with the psychology of the boy who ages out of foster care, and why kids kill, etc. We never shot this version though, it was a brand new script. I almost finished writing it but then dropped it when I saw “The War Zone” and immediately started shooting “Piñata” which failed as a feature but turned into several award-winning short films. Then, about three years ago almost, I came up with the title for “Romance Road Killers” and decided I really need to go through with this. So, I basically took the script I was working on with my mom, and changed it into a road movie, plus kept the girl alive for the killings. Emily and I then started researching everything we could on the Starkweather case, since it was also about a killer couple, as well as digging into our own backgrounds for story and character development. What this ended up evolving into pretty much, was a combination of the Starkweather events mixed in with our own lives. Or, our lives taken to the extreme, with the essence of the Starkweather events.

(Continued - Click to read Part II)