Meet Joe La Scola | Filmmaker, SFX Artist, & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe La Scola and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The dream has always been to make films and tell stories. I quickly learned that even though you have the passion, talent, and even the tools, it does take a bit more than that to actually make a film–it takes a community. The idea of a podcast came to me, as talking about movies I love was something I did with friends on a daily basis anyway, but we wanted to use it as a comedy-based platform to jump off from, creating consistent and engaging content. We needed to connect with other like-minded people in an easier way while also being able to integrate and introduce our flavors of design, video, and even special effects.

The Movie Dumpster podcast was basically the wheels for the creative train to start rolling. It allowed us to dive into short-form storytelling and world-building, while picking up people along the way–growing a dedicated audience without any lulls in releasing content and keeping people engaged. It’s much easier to make a film when a large group of people come together to support it. Gathering fans of the films we celebrate and admire creates a smooth transition of support for the types of films we’re interested in making.

My passion for independent and low-budget horror films is really the driving force behind it all. Trying to turn that into a business venture could have gone a lot of ways, but this really clicked as a way to integrate all aspects of filmmaking in a more consistent and concise path, albeit ever-evolving. We keep growing and have big plans going forward–we’re very excited for what the future brings.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s a little difficult to answer this question because I feel like I’m still in the middle of the story. I always knew I wanted to do something with movies–I really love movies, especially horror movies. I’ve always been fascinated with special effects and make-up as well. I used to create stop-motion movies with a little Tyco camcorder using all different kinds of toys I had–from Star Wars to Spider-Man. And of course every year for Halloween I made my own costume and did my own makeup. I loved making up stories, writing, drawing, and sculpting. I read a lot as a kid (probably things I shouldn’t have read at that age), but there was always something in me to create. I loved nothing more than to be scared and try to scare or wow other people with my stories, home movies, and makeups.

That eventually lead to me going to school for video, design, and animation. It was easier than regular school for me because I really loved it all–learning the technical aspects of the craft, trying to replicate scenes from movies, figuring out lighting and cinematography techniques, learning how to create characters and believably place people in exotic places via green muslin. Though when I graduated, I didn’t move to Hollywood. I wanted to learn how to properly create practical effects at the Tom Savini Makeup school, but that ended up not panning out. So, I taught myself instead.

I ended up starting my professional corporate-orientated career in 2006, and have been bopping around design and video jobs ever since–never quite landing where I wanted to. All the while, I was directing, shooting, and doing special effects for personal projects with friends or a low-budget movie here and there on the side.

The dream was still very much alive, and I needed to figured out how to make movies pay in a less risky, more consistent way. I’m not sure if I’m quite there yet, but the prospects look good (though I can’t help but wish the results worked themselves out a little faster). The Movie Dumpster podcast is the first block in a building that’s currently under construction, but it gets taller and sturdier everyday.

Hard work does indeed pay off, but it also needs its friends dedication and passion to really make it work. You can’t build a brand like this with the sole goal of making money. There needs to be a driving force from inside you that allows you to keep going at any cost. There are going to be a lot of sleepless nights and weekends dedicated to it, and even the possibility of it not panning out. But with hope and determination, you’ll hang in there until it comes to fruition. It’s not easy to obtain, and nothing that’s worth having comes easy. Follow your dream, never lose sight of your goal, and above all else, make sure you’re having fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Josh Schafer. He is a great friend who has really been there since the beginning, even before Movie Dumpster. He’s constantly supported and encouraged me, whether he was trying to help me get a film project off the ground, sharing some art that I had done, or even asking me to collaborate on projects. He was and still is a huge positive influence in my life, especially to keep going and not give up. He built his brand from the ground up as well, and I’m so proud of him and what he’s done and is doing–and he’s still growing! Make sure to check out lunchmeatvhs.com.

Website: moviedumpsterpodcast.com

Instagram: @MovieDumpster @BladeintheDark

Twitter: @MovieDumpster @JoeLaScola

Facebook: facebook.com/moviedumpster

Youtube: youtube.com/moviedumpster

Image Credits
David Ayllon