Troma's Lloyd Kaufman AMA

Just wanted to say how great I think your movies and troma in general is. I discovered them as a teenager in the 90s and they were definitely one of the best things about that time of my life. The Toxic Avenger is a litmus test for me, if someone says they like it I know they are going to be cool.

One of the greatest things you did for me was basically tell me it was ok to be weird. Through the themes explored in troma movies and especially in your director intros and commentaries you've taught me a great deal about life and that its ok to be myself even if I am a little different. Your energy and attitude are hugely inspirational to me.

Now the actual questions,

What is your favorite movie you made?

Your favorite movie to watch?

Top three: 1. Troma's War 2. Battle of Love's Return 3. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (My favorite will soon be "Occupy Cannes" which we are currently fundraising for on indiegogo.com! http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes)

Favorite movie to watch: Anything by Stan Brakhage, Ernst Lubitsch, John Ford, or Laurel and Hardy!

You can also watch 250 of my favorite movies for FREE at youtube.com/tromamovies!

Thank you, everyone! I have to go now. We are getting ready to sound mix Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1 and are on a tight schedule. I also must get a shot of collagen shot in my lips so I can properly blow certain contributors to http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes. If I did not get to your questions, please follow me on Twitter at @lloydkaufman and I will try my best to get to them. Thank you very much for supporting Troma and independent art. The main reason that Troma is the longest running independent film studio in history is because of you, our fans...and air conditioners.

any news about a new toxic avenger movie? the last thing I heard a while back was a reboot by Steve pink.

We are writing The Toxic Twins: Toxic Avenger 5!

that is awesome I can't wait.

just..... please don't let John travolta be attached.

We have no control of the remake, only Toxie V.

I love your sense of humor. It is some of the best shock art I can think of. Is their a method you use to come up with these wonderfully weird ideas?

I follow the Shakespearean mantra: to thine own self be true!

Hey Lloyd, We want more T-shirts and special VHS !!!

Class of Nuke 'Em High VHS is on the way!

Will it have the clam shell case like the Toxie VHS?

Yes, and big box!

I live in Chicago, but it is a dream of mine to work work for Troma. What should I do Lloyd!?

Organize TromaDance Chicago!

With video stores dying, how is Troma dealing with distribution?

Can you talk about Toxic Avenger: The Musical? How much were you involved with that? What do you think of it? What was your experience like ? etc etc.

Fast wind breaking news: I've just been informed that Troma has acquired the classic Japanese titles "S&M Hunter" as well "Sexy Timetrip Ninjas!"

We've come up with an ingenious business model: we give away movies! There are 250 movies for free at youtube.com/tromamovies. Our next step will be to pay people to watch out films.

Re: Toxic Avenger Musical - Bon Jovi, David Bryan, and the producers made sure I had absolutely no input, which is why it's so good.

How long does it take to complete a normal movie for you? It seems you have done a ton of work in 2012.

That's a good question. The Troma movies not directed by me take about a year from inception to completion, but because I am drunken, broken down, old, has-been it takes me about five years from the time of writing the script to finishing the actual movie. Now that I've discovered bath salts, it'll only take me four years.

Also the current Troma production Mutant Blast, which is not directed by me, will be available in a year.

Ive met you on a few occasions at various conventions. You were always very kind to me and any other fans I saw you interact with. Are there any instances you can recall were you had to be rude to a fan or find an excuse to get away because the fan was too crazy even by Troma standards?

There was a guy in Hawaii a while back...I can't remember his name, but it was something like Obama. He kept mumbling something about wanting me to run the National Endowment of the Arts.

Mr. Lloyd Kaufman himself! Its an honor sir. Just wanted to say I've been a huge fan since my early teens watching Troma films :) I own several and would like to ask a couple questions:

1. Whats your all-time fav Troma movie?

2. Whats your least fav?

3. Would you ever consider having a person with acting experience several states away from NJ (WI/IL area) travel over to have a part in the next Troma film? wink wink (yes I'm that much of a fan :p)

4. And finally, do you personally have any favorite or memorable stories from any Troma shoots?

Thanks for taking the time to do an AMA Llyod!

Re: 1-3 - I am a lousy typist so please read my books. You can learn how to dedicate in a paper bag.

Re: 4 - We used a trained duck in Return to Nuke 'Em High. It beat our sound man at a game of chess.

And please do not tell anyone about my upcoming sex change operation, especially the Wachowski sisters.

i deman d proof!! and a role in a troma-movie for a friend and me!! were from germany, so you might have to fly us in :) thanks in advance, yours truly

Get in touch when we shoot Toxie V!

Lloyd Kaufman, Firstly allow me to say thank you for such films as Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke'Em High and even the obscure film Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid (which I proudly own on VHS.)

As a Troma fan I have often wondered what is the process of submitting movie scripts to your company; the opportunities you offer for a script you have interest in and where I can submit a script in the proper fashion to have it read and possibly purchased?

Sincerely, Future Troma Script Writer Myles Arden

Please send all script submissions to:

The Troma Building 36-40 11th St. Long Island City, NY 11106

I know you've said that you lose money on Blu Ray releases but are their any plans to release the Toxie films on Blu? I'm sure they would sell well. Also, are Arrow going to release any more Troma movies? their packaging is top notch, the Class of Nuke 'Em High Blu in particular was fantastic.

Thanks Lloyd, you're the best.

If you liked Arrow's CONH release, check out their releases of Combat Shock and Surf Nazis Must Die!

Poultrygeist, CONH, Tromeo & Juliet, Dark Nature, and Father's Day are on Troma Brown-Ray. We are working on Bloodsucking Freaks. Don't worry, we will continue to lose money for a long time to come because we love our fans!

Also, Drew Bolduc and Dan Nelson's The Taint will be on BluRay in March!

What are your thoughts on filmmakers like Peter Jackson transitioning from the standard 24fps to 48fps?

Peter Jackson is a brilliant auteur filmmaker. By definition, anything he does will be brilliant in the same way anything I do will fail. Toxie V: The Toxic Twins, by the way, will be shot on high frame rate toilet paper. It's going to wipe you out!

How's Return to the Class of Nuke 'Em High coming along?

Troma-rrific! We are currently sound mixing Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1!

Are you still in touch with the guys at Newgrounds?

Yes. Tom Fulp and I keep in touch and he was supposed to be in Return to Nuke 'Em High. Hopefully he can be in Toxie V!

Hey Lloyd! I was a friend of Shane Swenson and was sad to hear about his passing in 2011, as I'm sure you were too. I just want to let you know how highly he spoke about you and how much of an inspiration you were to him....

Also, any word about a Toxic Avenger blu-ray?

Shane was a great guy and a genius. He and I had many years of good, idealistic, and wonderful times together.

We think that the BR of TA should wait until we have a better idea of the direction we're going in for The Toxic Twins: The Toxic Avenger V. Also, we lose money on every BluRay, because all you fuckers do is waste your time on Reddit.com talking to me instead of buying Troma movies at www.troma.com!

I could be misremembering, but at one point wasn't there a troma films "mega pack" of DVD's that contained almost every movie? any chance of that? (as a digital download!)

There is a 250 film Troma pack at www.youtube.com/tromamovies! All of the unsold boxes and DVD cases are there as well.

Troma movies have great themes and soundtracks, I've been wondering, is it possible to see a compilation CD in the future? Or would the rights make it too difficult to put together?

The fact that we have no money makes it too difficult to put together.

I like to think you and Woody Allen are the same person. When Woody was 10 years old he got a chemistry set. He was experimenting with talent potions, and created one to imbue the imbiber with tremendous film-making ability. However, in a twist worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson it gave him a subversive alter-ego.

All I'm saying is I've never seen you two in the same place at the same time, and Toxic Avenger is just as good as Annie Hall imo.

Thank you for comparing me to Woody Allen. The age of ten was a big deal for me, too. That's when I got some wood.

The Wood-man and I also made films featuring blind movie directors, except "Terror Firmer" was made before "Hollywood Ending."

Any plans to bring back Troma's Edge TV? I loved that shit.

Ryan Seacrest brought it back and it's not called American Idol.

What do you think of your Japanese counterpart, Sushi Typhoon?

Are there any other independent film studios that you like?

I had Sushi Typhoon for dinner last night and it was delicious...and I did not sleep with that goat in college. It was in high school!

Hey Lloyd, you've never covered distribution contracts in any of your film school/how-to books/dvds. Can you please tell us all the different ways you fuck over filmmakers with your bullshit contracts at Troma?

Read Sell Your Own Damn Movie published by Elsevier/Focal Press.

It's all there - all 40 years of fighting for independent art.

What was your biggest inspiration in creating the Toxic Avenger?

Read "All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger." The biggest inspiration was a headline in Variety saying that horror films were commercially dead. Therefore, we decided to make a horror film.

So, Troma has always held my heart, and now with the great upcoming production team, Astron-6, I wonder...are you guys going to be putting out any more of their stuff? Father's Day was such a huge success that Manborg is getting great hype. I'd love to see Troma and Astron-6's names together on screen again and again in the future.

Who?

Hey Llloyd, As a Troma fan i'd like to know will working with Starz to distribute Return to Class of Nuke 'em High affect the companies independence at as a studio? And will the remake of Toxie do the same? Also, when will we see Toxie in a new comic series?

Thanks

Good question! The Starz project permits us total freedom in the making of the film. The remake of Toxie will ask us for input and if it goes, will give us a big check so we can make more movies that are 100% movies of the future in the true Troma shit-stirring tradition.

What are the best Tromaesque movies you've seen in the last years?

The best Tromaesque movie I've seen this year was Spielberg's Lincoln, but it had a little too much lesbian sex for my taste. I also thought that "I Saw the Devil" was a masterpiece.

Hi Lloyd! I wanted to ask you about My Dinner With Andre. How did you become involved with Louis Malle? What was working on the film like? I've read that the production was in an abandoned hotel in Pennsylvania and it was freezing the entire time. Are there any stories we haven't heard?

He was a fan of Battle of Love's Return, as was Alain Resnais. Since I speak fluent French and had just directed Waitress, which is also about a restaurant, Louis Malle asked me to do him a favor since his budget was very small. My reward was night with Wally Shawn and being brought up on charges at the Screen Actors Guild.

What is the worst movie idea that you've ever been pitched?

Forrest Gump.

And Hanks a lot for that excellent question!

Is Troma casting for any upcoming films?

Keep visiting troma.com and follow me at twitter (@lloydkaufman) for news on The Toxic Twins: Toxic Avenger V. You can, however, be a producer on and appear in our upcoming documentary, "Occupy Cannes!" http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes

Hi Lloyd, I am a huge fan of your work and you are a great inspiration to me as a budding film maker. I see the Troma team is doing Cannes again this year and was wondering (as i am based in Europe) how or if it would be possible to sign up to help promote the art and be a general Troma lacky/dogs body/slave for the festival?

Stay tuned! If we make our goal, you should join us. http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes

Hi Lloyd. I'd just like to say that I absolutely love Troma. I can sit and watch Troma movies for hours without getting bored, they're all awesome.

Are there any plans to release some kind of comprehensive collection of Troma films on DVD? I would love to be able to buy some big box of some of your best films.

See below.

Hey Lloyd! Just wondering if you are going to grace us with your presence at Cinema Wasteland this Spring? Love 4evr, April

I want to be there and am trying to clear my schedule.

So what's the deal with Occupy Cannes?

I thought you guys went to Cannes every year? What gives, why do you need the money?

Business sucks, because YOU didn't buy any Troma DVD's. For 40 years our fans have been collaborators with us and it's thanks to our fans that we're still here. Fan/Artist collaboration is very important. Just ask the French and the Nazis. http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes

Oops! I just noticed we lost 300 French Euros from our indiegogo.com campaign. I can't understand why.

I want to come to Cannes with you!!!! What can i do ??

Please repost and contribute the indiegogo.com link! And whoever gave us that big $1 donation during this session, thank you very much! Just call me Jerry Lewis without the Oxycontin! http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycannes

will you co-direct a movie with quentin tarantino starring manti te'o where he's humiliated from all of this fake online girlfriend stuff and then he accidentally falls into an open sewer filled with toxic sewage and becomes all toxic-superpowery and then he tracks down the internet hoaxsters that pretended to be his girlfriend and just murders the shit out of them? will you do that?

Perhaps.

Mr. Kaufman, I highly criticized your Cannes indiegogo project and got some backlash so I figured I would ask you in person.

Why, if you were asking for money for a film project, did you put such low production value into the video that was asking for money to make another film? The audio was obviously off, lighting was poor, looked like it was shot on a home camera, etc. Was this all planned?

I am an aspiring film director and I ask this out of actual intrigue than one of insult.

How dare you! I'll have you know that our indiegogo.com video was shot by a very Sven Nykvist, a prominent composer of piano sonatas. What's important is that the mega-media conglomerates and Troma is the last man standing. The documentary is bigger than Troma. It's about the preservation of independent art and commerce.