High Roller Studios
http://www.highrollerstudios.com
With: Doug
Interview by Dustin
I got to interview Doug of High Roller Studios in July 2004 about the recent release of the Hellfest Vol. 3 DVD. I also asked him about future DVDs and lots of other crap.
Tell the folks reading this a little about yourself. What is your background in film?
My name is Doug Spangenberg, and I've been doing HighRoller Studios for about 6 years. I used to tour with bands like Brother's Keeper and Earth Crisis and I'd bring a video camera to record all the cool places and events I was experiencing at the time. Soon, I realized I had a lot of footage on my hands so I learned how to edit the footage from books and then took some classes and continued to work for friend's bands. My first professional job came from Carl from Ferret, who was at Roadrunner at the time, so I owe alot to him.
How did you get the chance to do Hellfest's DVD series?
I wanted to do it because I really liked a lot of the bands that were playing that year, and Josh from Trustkill said that he was willing to put it out. He put me in touch with Radiotakeover and those guys were ready to take it to this HUGE level that was way out of anybody's price range. They wanted to have audio trucks and wireless cameras and headsets and all kinds of over the top equipment. We quickly abandoned that idea and took whatever cameras I had and shot with the entire fest for less than $1000. Our only real costs were mini-discs, some audio equipment rentals and DV tapes. I would get done taping a band, run outside and get an interview, and then run back inside...that shit was ghetto.
What aspects are you most proud of on 2003's DVD? What would you change if you had the chance?
I'm really happy with how the audio came out. We only had 8 tracks of audio to work with on Hellfest 2002...on 2003 we had up to 48. We also brought some new people in to work on the mixes, so it was definitely good to get another person's perspective. If I could change anything with the DVD, I would have organized interviews a little better. We just handed Big E a microphone and were like "go nuts". He was cool with it for a while, then realized that it really is not an easy job and can get very stressful trying to get good interviews for EVERY band. That said, he did an amazing job.
I haven't seen much of the 2002 DVD, but I hear it was nowhere near as good as the 2003. How did you manage to improve so much for 2003's Hellfest DVD? Was it due to more funding or what?
I didn't know we were going to shoot 2002's DVD until about a week and a half before the fest. Luckily I was able to bring in some people and borrow some cameras to get everything together. We shot that DVD with about 4 different cameras, so it was hard to make the footage look similiar without adding a treatment that made the video lose some clarity. In 2003, we had more time to prepare and fix some of those mistakes. We shot the footage with all the same cameras, recorded the audio A LOT more efficiently, and had a bit more say as far as lighting and setup of the stage. Probably the most noticible change would be the 30ft. crane angle we added that year...that really stands out. When they told me I couldn't have a crane at New England Metal Fest this year I was bummed.
Is this upcoming 2004 Hellfest going to have even more extensive filming than last year? Do you plan on getting more types of features on there this time, or will you just stick mainly to live sets?
I set up a "confessional" where people could sit in this box and talk as much shit as they wanted, but I'm not sure if it got too much use. I passed it a few times and people seemed into it. Dennis from Bad Luck 13 had the confessional camera on Sunday, so I'm sure he got some classic footage. We had some ideas for features for this DVD, but halfway through we decided to can them. While there is a lot of fun being had at Hellfest, I don't want the DVD to turn into some hokey side show. We usually do some funny teasers and featurettes and edit kids dancing to classical or disco music, but that's just to get people's attention and make them laugh. Nothing's funnier than terrible stage dives set to the William Tell Overture.
I have to ask... why is Converge not on the 2003 DVD? That was a tad bit disappointing for a lot of people.
That was a case of bad timing. At the time of the DVD, Converge was in the middle of moving from EVR to Epitaph, so there was a lot going on and there wasn't enough time to get everything in order. Look for them this year for sure...their new record is smoking!
Does having to direct and film and everything take away from the experience of being at Hellfest? Do you have to miss a lot of the festivities due to work?
One of the best parts of my job is shooting... if I wasn't doing that I'd probably be bored out of mind! I still get time to hang with some old friends at the fest and on the crew, so its always a good time.
What bands seem to put on the best set from a director's point of view in your time working at Hellfest?
I like bands that break the monotony of the fest... last year, that would definately be The Locust. Their fans just crept out of the woodwork with cardboard wings, hockey masks and tin foil swords. They get people talking.
What band(s) are you most looking forward to this year?
I was really looking forward to shooting Sick of It All, and they did not disappoint. They played a bunch of old songs and killed it from start to finish. Bad Luck 13 too... that shit was chaotic.
And finally, will the 2004 DVD be finished up quicker than 2003, or do you think it will take about a year again to get it ready to sell?
I'd like to say that it will be done quicker, but I know better. Getting all those bands to send us their contracts on time is excruciating. We also shot over 70 bands this year... which is 40 more than we taped last year, so we have a lot of work to do.
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