Diana and Co are the leading female Force behind new films coming out over the next two years. Adam spoke to Diana to find out about their latest film; Blood Brothers. The film is the second film to be made by Scoffer Studios, which is groundbreaking as it is an all-female lead production. What makes it an interesting work of art is that practically most of the cast are local actors who came from the area where Blood Brothers was made Also, she talks about what is like working with a female director, Brittany sellers, as well as working with locals and doing artistic collaborations on a very big scale.

All in all, we are very proud of what we have created

From the images released so far, the project looks like quite an eclectic piece so far, what actually inspired it?

We went through a personal trauma in our lives which solidified the need for strong personal relationships, attachments to loved ones, and what is important in life. Our zombie film, although it is a fictional setting it deals with human emotion and deep meanings of loyalty, sacrifice, love, and heroism.

How did you manage to get the people on board with it to participate?

This is a labor of love, everyone involved felt like it was one nonstop party, and that everyone was either close friends or family. As with all of our films, Scoffer Studios is family-based that considers its cast and crew to also be part of the Scoffer Family.

Tell us a bit about the film if you can, basically what's the gist of the plot?

When a rabies-like virus floods the country and as panicking survivors become just as deadly as the infected, brothers Enoch and Aaron must fight to protect their family no matter what, but when Enoch is infected with the virus and slowly begins turning into a zombie, Aaron finds that he can no longer trust his older brother and comes to ask himself the question; is blood thicker than water?

Blood brothers is a very emotional and heart-wrenching story about two brothers, Enoch and Aaron, who must fight to survive and protect those that they love from certain death. Facing not only the zombies but the people as well, they must try to overcome the apocalypse and get the ones they love to safety.

From what I've seen so far can we expect something of a gore-fest?

Yes absolutely. Tastefully and artfully done, a bloody gore-covered piece.

Now the title itself, Blood Brothers, how did the name come about?

Blood Brothers Life Harvest sums up the film in that they are two brothers, fighting to survive on their family farm in an apocalyptic situation of desperate proportions. There is a strong bond between the brothers, and that is clear throughout the film. They are very young, and they are in a situation that tests all of the human conditions, love, guilt, hate, devotion, and family ties.

Was there ever a working title?

Blood Brothers Life Harvest

Now the film follows two brothers, Aaron and Enoch, what can you tell us about them?

Enoch is the older brother, he is the one responsible for the safety and well-being of his two siblings fourteen years old Beck five-year-old in love with a girl named Jenny, who is living with him during the apocalypse. His only goal is to make sure the ones he loves are safe. He is willing to sacrifice anything and everything to achieve that goal. Enoch is played by Alex Hohn.

Aaron is the younger brother in the film, and he is one of the most complex in the movie Blood Brothers’ Life Harvest. He is carrying a lot of guilt and fear and trying to be brave even though he is terrified. This character is played by a fourteen year old actor named Bobby Batson, we feel like he really brought a lot of emotion and weight to the character of Aaron, he is someone to look out for in the future.

Was it important for the actors playing the brothers had a good friendship chemistry off-screen as well as on-screen?

Yes very, the two boys Alex Hohn and Bobby Batson who played the two brothers Enoch and Aaron. And became very close during the filming of Blood Brothers Life Harvest. We suggested that they have a good friendship established even before filming began. Because we wanted that to translate onto the screen. On the last day of filming, they even told one another that they wished they were brothers in real life. And which we thought was very sweet.

Tim Curry and Emily O’Brien, both big names in the acting industry, how did you manage to get them appear in the project, and were you surprised when they agreed?

These two actors are not in Blood Brothers Life Harvest they are in our animated film Dagon Troll World Chronicles which is a separate film. Doug Bradley from Hellraiser is also starring in Dagon as well as voice actor Bryce Papenbrook from Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer. This animated film is still in production and will not be released for another year. 

Taking a look at casting most, or all of them, are locals. Was it a straight forward task to persuade them to take part?

Everyone wanted in the film, and everyone was very excited for the chance to play the characters they were given. All in all, it was very straight forward and they all did an amazing job. In addition to local cast, we also had stars Louise White from Walks Around Britain, celebrity spokesperson, play a news caster character in the film, and we had Charlotte Jenner who plays the corpse bride. We also had Aysen Djemal a model, TV personality, and fashion editor/designer play the character of news anchor Daphne Allbright.

And were they given leeway to contribute their own ideas and creativity?

We encouraged input and creativity on the set, but used our own discretion on whether or not it fit into the main story line and the tone we had set for the film. 

And did this go as far as the scripts?

Our actors stuck pretty close to the script, occasionally they were encouraged to add lib or improvise if the scene or situation warranted it. All in all we are very proud of what we have created. It is very unique and there really isn’t anything comparable to it out there in the pipeline.

The director of the project, Brittany Sellers, what was she like to work with on the film?

She was brilliant, and determined to get the scenes and the reactions and the tones exactly as she wanted them. And She brought out the best in the actors, and she did it all with Artistic flair and choreography. She filmed with dramatic angles and mood lighting. She did great.

What was it like to work with Diana Firefly as Executive Producer?

As the director, you always need someone who can have your back in all situations. Sometimes I would be going in a direction that needed changed, because it just didn’t fit with the tone or the scene, and Diana would step in and help me rewrite and rework everything until they were perfect. She also wrote most of the action scenes in the film, as well as created one of the main supporting protagonists and the hero of the apocalypse, Dakota the freedom fighter. Without Diana, there would have been no comedy in the film, or dramatic fight scenes, and killer death scenes. Diana brought a lot to the film, and I, Brit Sellers, couldn’t have made Blood Brothers without Her.

Your other film project with Louise White, Dagon Troll Chronicles, has an R-rating. Will Blood Brothers be the same or different?

R rating for Language and Gore and violence

On which format can we expect a release?

4k, DVD, theatrical, pay per view, and various streaming platforms. And finally, like Dagon Troll Chronicles this project is entirely female run. Considering that a lot of projects are majority run by men how does it feel to have one done by females? We consider that women in film are underrepresented and we are changing this industry one film at a time. We are paving the way for other female filmmakers and women in film to be able to do what they want to do with their own studios instead of working on projects run by male dominated studios. 

Is championing female talent, both on-and-off screen something you'd probably invest in at some point?

We already are, and we try to help upcoming actresses and female talent wherever possible. And we have indigenous artists and minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community in our films whenever possible. We are champions for the underdogs, and we welcome support from our fans and from people in the industry everywhere.

LINKS AND FACTS

Blood Brothers Life Harvest IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21443306/  

https://www.facebook.com/BloodBrothersZombieFilm

Film Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziv2vLto5WU

Blood Brothers Life Harvest: About the film…

When a rabies like human virus floods the country and as panicking survivors become just as deadly as the infected, brothers Enoch and Aaron must fight to protect their family no matter what, but when Enoch is infected with the virus and slowly begins turning into a zombie, Aaron finds that he can no longer trust his older brother and comes to ask himself the question; is blood thicker than water?

Blood brothers is a very emotional and heartwrenching story about two brothers, Enoch and Aaron, who must fight to survive and protect those that they love from certain death. Facing not only the zombies, but the people as well, they must try to overcome the apocalypse and get the ones they love to safety.

In October of 2022, Scoffer Studios Productions began shooting a live action zombie film in Mountain Home, Yellville, Flippin, and surrounding areas.They just finished filming and are entering post production on the film. They are aiming for a theme similar to The Crazies and are anticipating interest from Netflix and other distribution giants. Determined to bring attention and excitement to their local areas, Scoffer Studios is giving Blood Brothers Life Harvest a down home, countryified, zombified apocalyptic film feel unlike anything ever seen before.

About the producer: Diana Sellers is an author, writer, poet, and co-creator and co-owner of Scoffer Studios productions. She wrote most of the action scenes in Blood Brothers Life Harvest as well as created one of the main heroes in the film, the character Dakota and his freedom fighters. Diana is one of the main driving forces behind Blood Brothers Life Harvest, and Brit couldn't do it without her.

In her free time, Diana Sellers likes to stay up late watching horror movies with her daughter Brit, writing mysteriously dark and charming poetry, and playing around with Tarot cards.

About the Director:

Brittany Sellers is a 25 year old Film Director, criminal Justice student, and zombie enthusiast. She has lived in Arkansas all her life and was born in Harrison and graduated from ASUMH with honors with an associates in criminal justice then went on to ASTATE to complete her bachelors in criminal justice.

She is the owner of Scoffer Studios Productions llc, a local female owned company that makes animated films, audiobooks, and comics and now is going to film a live action zombie apocalypse film in the Mountain Home area. Her studio is run by herself and her mother Diana Sellers.

This live action film Blood Brothers: Life Harvest features an amazing 90% local cast and crew, including Alex Hohn who plays older brother Enoch, Bobby Batson from 90 Minutes in Heaven who plays younger brother Aaron, Rae Dickens who plays Jenny, Maehgan Eddy who plays Pyro, McKenzie Eddy who plays Becka, Nathan Kirby who plays Dakota, Uk celebrity Editorial Director, actress and presenter Louise White who is playing herself, Tommy Kramer who plays Old Farmer Murdock, Robert Wilson who plays Old Todd, Nathan Kirby who plays the unstoppable Bull Zombie, Rikki Manen who plays Rachael McFarlon the News Reporter, Devin Newton who plays zombie killer Tonya, Aysen Djemal who plays an investigative reporter named Daphne Allbright, Kyria Johnson as Star, Rosa Morales who plays Dr Sarah Welhelm, Cheryl Vanwinkle as Dr Laura Grayson, Richard Morton who plays Roy, Erric Toddy who plays Corporal John McClintock, Anita Bruffett Karr who plays private Edith Turner, and Issac Morton as Melvin, and many more amazing local talent and crew!

Blood Brothers Life Harvest has an amazing soundtrack that was written by local star Robert Wilson whose song 226 will be one of the main themes for the film, and Discovery Channels very own Luke Truan came on board and wrote one of the other main titles Chaos which will be used during attack scenes!

Blood Brothers Life Harvest also had help from Boster Castle Productions who brought props, actors, great advice, and helped with production on the film!

Local businesses helped out with production by donating their time, food and energy to the film by helping to feed the zombie actors and crew! Shout out to local food truck At the Curb Food Truck and Catering run by Nathan Buck,

About the Studio:

Scoffer Studios is a local female owned and run grassroots film studio that creates horror films. It finished filming their zombie apocalypse film in October 2022 in Arkansas in the Mountain Home and surrounding areas. Their Productions is an all-woman created, directed, produced, designed, and owned animation. And live-action studio that is doing what many in the industry have said simply can’t be done. It has created their first cult following film packed with iconic Hollywood stars, really big talent, and dark artistic flair. As a result, they have been overwhelmed by the support, love, and interest of their fan base. They have shown them by their emails, messages, posts, and comments that they are greatly anticipating their multiple upcoming projects. This has left Scoffer Studios grateful, humbled, and enormously excited.

How this all came about isn’t just luck and happenstance, as an all-woman studio. Hoveever it has fought hard for their dreams. And vision to succeed and their unique style and dedication to excellence might have something to do with it. Their projects attract quality actors and seem to strike a chord with their audience everywhere. Whether it is their fabulous stars or their quirky flavor, whatever Scoffer Studios is doing seems to be working. Scoffer Studios started out an optimistic dream. And then became a reality four years ago when three women decided to take their comic book ideas, screenplays, and manuscripts. And hen merge them all together, and produce everything themselves.

Back in the 60s and 70s rock music bands would pack their members into a beat-up old bus. And drive around to every club, bar, and festival in order to get their name, face, and music out there. Well, that is what Scoffer Studios has done in the 2000 era. They have posted around to every group and attended every comic con available to promote their projects to their audience. They have found that as an all-woman studio it is not easy to get respect. The horror film world is one of the toughest male-dominated industries in the world. And they stand out like a unicorn in this business.

Scoffer Studios has come across a lot of resistance but that hasn’t really bothered them any. They just keep doing what they are doing, making the magic happen. And their fan base keeps growing and that is really all that matters. When Tim Curry, Emily O’Brien, and Bryce Papenbrook joined their cast for Dagon Troll World Chronicles. They knew they had arrived and the gatekeepers and begrudgers in the industry would have to rethink their attitudes. When Kirk Thatcher and Richard Ashton signed on to their audiobook Over the Hills and Far Away, Scoffer Studios knew that they were succeeding in a big way.

Now, all of their projects including their brand new upcoming live-action country down-home zombie film Blood Brothers Life Harvest. That have become a magnet for the best actors in the business and focus for their fans out there. However they love their unique brand of art, humor, animation, horror, and story plots. Scoffer Studios loves what they are doing, loves their actors, and especially loves all of their fans!
https://whatson.guide/talking-films-with-diana-and-co-of-scoffer-studios/