INTERVIEW: Anthony & Claire Bueno – Creators of Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

When there’s something strange,

In the neighborhood,

Who ya gonna call?

(All together now)

GHOSTBUSTERS!

Ghostbusters is a classic as far as sci-fi comedies go, but I don’t think people really understand just how powerful the legacy is behind this franchise. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t seen the original movies, and almost everyone who has seen them will admit that they are excellent!

That being said, it is a bit upsetting that we’ll never get a true sequel. Sure, we have a reboot coming out this year, and it could be decent, but I think most fans would’ve preferred a real Ghostbusters 3.

While we won’t be getting a true sequel, we can at least enjoy the classic franchise in other ways. In fact, that’s why we’re excited for Bueno Productions LTD’s upcoming documentary, Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters.

This Kickstarter plans to bring us a feature-length film that investigates the making of the Ghostbusters movies right from the filmmakers’ own mouths!

Check out our interview below with creators Anthony Bueno and Claire Bueno.

 

A Place to Hang Your Cape: Why exactly did you decide to start this campaign?

Anthony and Claire Bueno: We decided to run a Kickstarter for Cleanin’ Up the Town as we’ve been making the documentary for eight years, and being a self-funded project we literally ran of money. Sadly, doing the “day job” no longer afforded us the time or the funds needed to complete it. Many friends recommended crowdfunding as an option, so we looked into it and finally did it!

AP2HYC: What will the documentary entail? Is it moreso for the die-hard Ghostbusters fans, or do you think it will be great for the casual viewers?

Buenos: We hope the documentary will reach a wide audience, entertaining and informing fans of the films and filmmakers with a love of 80’s films and filmmaking techniques. And yes we definitely want to reach the casual viewer of “Making of’s”. Although, if you don’t like Ghostbusters, it might not be for you.

AP2HYC: We see that you’ve interviewed dozens of people involved with the production of the Ghostbusters franchise. Which interview did you find the most insightful/entertaining/informative?

Buenos: We’ve been very fortunate with the people we’ve met from the films. Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and many others are ALL lovely people. But the four that come to mind who were insightful, entertaining, and informative were Ned Gorman, who gave us the longest and most insightful interview about Ghostbusters 2; just fascinating! Richard Edlund and Terry Windell who were really good fun and very funny… they didn’t hold back! And the late, great Harold Ramis was a lovely man, very generous with his time and with all the tales he told us.

AP2HYC: What was your favorite part of the project so far?

Buenos: Meeting the cast and crew of these films has been inspirational. Learning about how the industry worked and the techniques that were used has been our favorite part. That, and seeing the new trailer edit for the first time was quite emotional.

AP2HYC: If the documentary plans to be a big success, would you like to do the same with any other beloved franchises? … (Terminator, Aliens, etc.)

Buenos: Would love to! We’ve many favorite films from back in the day that we’d love to cover, but most have been done now. However, Terminator would be good… But only one and two!!

We also have a company called Premiere Scene (http://premierescene.net/) where we interview filmmakers as they promote their latest film; which is great, and we love it. But there is something very special when talking to people retrospectively about their films; there’s a nostalgia and a sense of history, which is a privilege for us to share.

AP2HYC: Aside from funding, what was the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far in the campaign?

Buenos: We’ve only just started the campaign, so we’ve not faced any major challenges yet. Our main challenge over the past eight years is that we’re based in the UK and everyone we needed to interview is in the US.

AP2HYC: Is there anything you have learned about Ghostbusters during the production of the documentary that completely blew your mind?

Buenos: There are so many things! But the one that stands out most right now was when we interviewed the Boss Film crew (mainly Richard and Terry who I mentioned earlier). They had to completely set up the company (Boss Films) from scratch. These people were/are pioneers. They had to design cameras and printers to complete the visual effects work. You couldn’t buy them off the shelf; they had to invent and fabricate, so they REALLY had to know what to do!

AP2HYC: Finally, there seems to be a huge rift in the Ghostbusters community regarding the upcoming reboot. How do you feel about it?

Buenos: I don’t mind it. I was initially disappointed that the film would be a reboot, but if it’s a good story, well-acted, captures the same spirit of the original films (pardon the pun!), is successful, and makes money, then at least the franchise will continue… and maybe we get Ghostbusters 3 after all. Ether way, best of luck to the new film! I hope it does well, especially if they want to put money in our Kickstarter!