Aqua Teen Hunger Force is probably one of the greatest shows ever made on television. One of the people behind the series is Jay Edwards, a producer and editor for the Adult Swim block of programming at Cartoon Network. We recently got a chance to talk to him about Adult Swim, comic conventions and a feature length film he wrote and directed about this thing called the Skunk Ape.

To begin, what do you do for Aqua Teen Hunger Force?
I am an editor and producer on episodes and the movie that came out last year. I’ve been working full-time for adult swim since Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro hired me in 2000 to work on the ATHF pilot.

What other shows have you worked on?
Recently, I’ve edited episodes of Squidbillies, but I started out editing Space Ghost Coast to Coast. I worked on that show off and on from 1996 to 2001. I’ve also contributed to Sea Lab, The Brak Show and 12 Oz Mouse, pretty much every show that comes directly from the Williams St. studios in Atlanta. I am also a producer and editor for all the DVD extras for ATHF and Squidbillies.

IMDB says you’ve also edited some documentaries for CNN, a sister network of Adult Swim, and you’ve made some documentaries of your own. What kind of tips could you give to people who want to make documentaries?
Docs are great to work on, especially if you’re an editor at heart. Virtually every doc gets re-written or re-imagined in the edit. If you think you’ve got a great story, go shoot it, but know that the story will probably completely change as the production goes along.

How did you get involved in working for Aqua Teen?
I worked for Turner Studios (Turner’s in-house production facility) as a senior editor from 1995 to 2000 and edited something like 35 Space Ghost Coast to Coast episodes with Dave and Matt. So when they were putting together a team to do the ATHF pilot, I was the first person they hired. Been here ever since.

What’s life really like behind the scenes at the Adult Swim studios?
It might be the best job there is, but it’s still a job. Everybody here works very hard and is a little crazy.

Tell people about your film Stomp! Shout! Scream! and where people can go to get more information or see it.
Synopsis: The beach party rock and roll monster movie Stomp! Shout! Scream! is set in 1966 and intertwines the adventures of an all-girl garage rock band with the legend of the Skunk Ape (the Florida Everglades’ version of Bigfoot). Theodora, Jody and Carol, collectively known as The Violas, are on tour when their van breaks down in a small southern beach town. Meanwhile, the local police are investigating the disappearance of the parents of a little girl who was found walking the beach in a state of shock. But they are also trying to determine the origins of a strange pile of pungent debris that has washed up on the beach. Scientist John Patterson is called in to help investigate. Both John and a local mechanic, Hector Garcia, fall for The Violas’ lead singer, Theodora. She initially shows little interest in them, however, and seems to be harboring a mysterious past. Hector convinces the girls to stay in town when he offers to repair their van in exchange for playing at his party, but a strange and menacing creature appears to be on the loose…

I wrote, produced, directed and edited the film. It was shot on 35 mm film in 12 days, finished in hi-def. SSS premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2005 and has played over 30 festivals in five countries, winning three best-of awards. Here’s some press burbs:

Stomp! Shout! Scream! does it better than American International Pictures ever did…as much fun as an episode of Hullabaloo– snappy bouffants, earnest braniacs, hippy-hippy-shake and all!

–Austin Chronicle

…a sweet can of camp…a ridiculously delightful cinematic experience.

–Film Threat

… campy and fun with a lot of rock n roll thrown in for good measure… great recreation of beach-blanket mayhem.

–The Portland Mercury

Stomp! Shout! Scream! was a total hoot. It’s a note-perfect homage to ’60s beach flicks and monster movies.

–The Albuquerque Tribune

Stomp! Shout! Scream! plays like a cross between Twin Peaks, Repo Man and Stranger Than Paradise with a little Beach Blanket Bingo thrown in to keep things interesting.

–Bradenton Herald

… lighting was fabulous throughout – vibrant, evocative, sculptural. I loved it…the cast was great – just the right mix of real person and B-movie cliche, so that the whole movie came off like an episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, but with the ‘bots’ quips wrapped up into the movie itself.

–TheyreComing.com

Edwards certainly knows how to make a film and how to pay homage to those wonderful old B-movies of our past.

–Filethirteen.com

…a modern-day homage to that short-lived but eternally kitschy art form: the beach party rock-n-roll movie. With monsters. Think Beach Blanket Bingo meets Creature from the Black Lagoon. Edwards proves his devotion to B-movies and garage rock with this polished and entertaining bit of warm-weather fluff.

–SciFi Dimensions

Stomp! Shout! Scream! is a unique B monster movie romp that’s a lot of fun… Edwards never seeks to spoof, but tell an actual story, with great performances, and a wonderful soundtrack. I really enjoyed this in all its demented straight faced glory. John Waters would be proud.

–Cinema-Crazed.com

The film is close to signing a domestic DVD distribution deal, but for now is available on the website: www.stompshoutscream.com

What are your thoughts on the Lizard Man sighting in Bishopville, SC? Could it have been a bigfoot?
I’m not familiar with that story, but now that I’ve read up on it… It’s awesome. Please send me a Lizard Man t-shirt from the chamber of commerce. Every state has a cryptozological creature — the Skunk Ape in Florida, the Fouke Monster in Arkansas, the MoMo Monster in Missouri, Wookie in Louisiana… They all have a place in my heart.

What is life like as a director of a full length film as opposed to the life of an editor?
As an professional editor, you’re always working for somebody else. Editing usually involves creative input, but ultimately you’re working inside someone else’s vision. That’s why I started making short films and eventually made Stomp! Shout! Scream! — so I had things to edit that were all my own. Directing is really editing the whole film in your head before you shoot, then breaking it apart and organizing it so that it can be shot effectively and efficiently.

I met you at DragonCon while I was stalking Dana Snyder. What are your experiences usually like at comic book/ sci fi conventions?
I love ‘em, DragonCon especially. Nowhere else can you see so many of the dorkiest, geekiest people soooo happy. Dana and I have traveled to a couple of cons together and it’s always a blast. I’m mostly his straight man, but will occasionally get in my own zingers.

What can people expect from the new season of Aqua Teen?
I’m not part of the programming or marketing of Adult Swim, so nothing I say is official. Plus, I don’t really know the big plan. We ARE making 10 new episodes in 2008. Four of those will premiere on the the next ATHF DVD, out in December, which is chock-full of good extra stuff. Dave and Matt wrote/directed a short called Terror Phone, starring Dana Snyder and the rest of the ATHF crew. I produced and edited it, and I must say… it’s pretty awesome. All the new eps will be on the air sometime early in 2009. We’re doing a Carl look-alike contest this fall on adultswim.com, too.

What’s next for Jay Edwards?
I plan to keep making good stuff for adult swim to pay the mortgage. There’s another feature film script in me that I hope to get onto paper this winter. No telling how long that will take or how it will be produced, but I’ll certainly keep you posted.

3 Responses to “Interview: Jay Edwards, Adult Swim Producer/Editor”

1. 

   On 10/8/08 2:42 PM, LenIVM said:

   Good interview.

3. 

   On 10/8/08 8:28 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

   Even the worst Aqua Teen Episode is pretty good.

   I want to win that Carl contest, too.

5. 

   On 10/31/08 10:18 PM, Cool dude said:

   Family Guy

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