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Robot Bastard!

When director Rob Schrab conceived his short film, Robot Bastard!, his goal was to “create a colorful, scratch-built world that was all his own”. Shot on Super 16, the film is a parade of squibs, explosions, stop animation, computer animation and models on green screen.

"I wanted it to have an Ultraman-Classic Trek look about it,” Schrab says on his website. I wanted it to be old/new looking--a low tech version of a high tech thing. Does that make any sense? Is anyone listening to me?"

SubstanceTV listened, and jumped on the chance to include Robot Bastard! in our latest issue. But to fully understand the “Schrabian Style”, we felt we needed to go deeper into the mind behind the film – to find out where Rob came from, and where he’s going.

STV: Let's talk comics first. What was your background prior to creating Scud the Disposable Assassin?

RS: I just graduated from Art School, paying the bills with freelance illustration and Improv comedy. I got sick of not doing my own thing and wanted to impress a girl, so I started publishing Scud off my Kitchen table. Actually I did issue 3 on my bed.

STV: How did the Scud concept evolve?

RS: I love Robots and decided that I was going to do an action book with a kick ass robot in it. In the books I made just for myself in high school, I would get caught up with the history and the bullshit, that's zero fun to draw so I said I'm not going to have any history in this book, just action. The name came from me looking at looking at a can of Zud scrubbing cleaner and thought it would be cool if the word ‘Scud’ was written like a detergent logo. I then thought a commercialized weapon would be funny and neat to design. I love pop art and commercialism.

STV: Were you caught off guard by the almost cult-like popularity of the Scud series?

RS: Still am. Wish I would have opened my eyes while I was in the thick of it. I always saw Bill Tucci's Shi and Jeff Smith's Bone and thought I'd never be like those guys. Pretty jealous but I guess If I would've gotten what I wanted out of comics, I would have never moved on.

STV: When did you first know that you'd be trying your hand at filmmaking?

RS: I said when I was eight that I would go to art school, do comics on the side, get into animation, act and do stand-up, and then become a director by the age of thirty. So far, so good.

STV: Did you work on other films before Robot Bastard!?

RS: I designed the title sequence and smart sequence in Heat Vision and Jack. Also I co-directed the hypno sequence in Zoolander.

STV: Do you find that your comics experience translated well to the "storyboard vision" that is so crucial to directing?

RS: Absolutely. I always told people that Scud was my reel.

STV: Before we move on to Robot Bastard!, tell us about the pilot for Heat Vision and Jack. Great director, top-notch actors, hilarious premise. What the hell was FOX thinking by taking a pass on it?

RS: I haven't the foggiest idea. It's something that still haunts me to this day. It truly was a big set back. What a heartbreak. For Real.

STV: Robot Bastard! was your directorial debut. How did the idea come about, and over what period of time did it develop?

RS: I've been making cardboard robots for years to impress the women I dated. I decided that since Heat Vision didn't get picked up, I was going to go for it and become a director. I wanted to come out with a bang so I just shoved everything I could into RB. It was a blast. I can't wait to do it again.

STV: What contributed to your decision to shoot the film on Super16?

RS: I wanted it to look like Ultra-man. Grainy, imperfect-like the sloppy on-purpose design of the Robot and his universe.

STV: Between live action, computer animation, and stop animation, you really pulled out all the stops. Did you originally conceive the film as such a grand experiment in multiple media styles?

RS: Like I said, I wanted to make a big bang. I really wanted to prove that Low-tech sci-fi is a charming style of story telling that mustn't be forgotten or lost.

STV: What turned out to be more complex: the actual shoots, or post-production?

RS: It's all complex. But you have to do it. The roughest part about the project was begging people to work for free. It's a horrible position to be in and you have no choice but to take advantage of your friends and your friend's friends.

STV: What kind of exposure has the film garnered so far?

RS: The Internet loves the bastard. I'm doing many fests, and it's a great movie to show off what you can do. It's opening doors for me.

STV: What's next on your creative horizon?

RS: I'm working on a feature project where I write, direct, produce, and act in. I want to be a low-rent Ben Stiller. Keep an Eye on the horizon. You haven't heard the last of Rob Schrab.