Former Batavian Mark Pirro 'low-budget master' moviemaker
Checking YouTube for Batavia-related videos this morning, I came across one apparently made by two guys sent to Batavia on assignment -- get a picture of 52 Otis St.
The Mark mentioned in the video, the person who assigned the task, is apparently Mark Pirro, owner of Pirromount Studios in Hollywood.
According his bio on the site,
In 1974, Mark Pirro left New York and came out to Hollywood in an attempt to start a filmmaking career, with no connections, relatives or friends in the industry. He sought out other artists with the same dream and after making a few short films in the late 70's, Pirro started his first feature in 1981: A horror/comedy entitled "A Polish Vampire in Burbank". The 84 minute film cost under $2,500 to produce and had ultimately grossed over a half a million dollars in homevideo and cable television sales. Keep in mind that this was long before the "digital age of filmmaking." Today, it's not that unusual to hear about moviemakers who produce their films on ultra low budgets, but in 1981, making a feature produced on film for under $10,000 or $20,000 was not very common.
Pirro has made eight feature films, according to the site. All of them are, it sounds like, what I would call B-films, but that's OK, it sounds like Pirro is making a living doing what he loves. Indy Mogul calls him a "low-budget master." That last link includes a video of scenes from A Polish Vampire in Burbank. Kind of funny, actually -- if you enjoy camp. Here's his IMDB page.
Here's another video from YouTube about the making of Pirro's next film, The God Complex.
