MISS DECEMBER 2007

EMILY NISHIMOTO

Deep down filmmaker Shane Ryan thought he’d never get his directorial debut distributed. It was a total guerilla-style product. He had shot the film in one night with one camera and no crew. It starred himself and one of his friends. They improvised the film over a few hours. It took place in his car and a motel room. It cost him a total of $45. But three years later, his tiny movie called “Amateur Porn Star Killer” is available at Virgin, Border’s, Best Buy, Suncoast and a number of other stores.

Though his movie deals with controversial issues like snuff filmmaking, degradation and the sexual exploitation of underage girls, perhaps the biggest obstacle Shane had to overcome in getting his shocking work of art available to the public was providing distributor Cinema Epoch with artwork for the DVD cover.

“I was always hoping that if the film got distribution that the actual movie would be good enough to pull stills from for that kind of stuff,” Shane said. “I’ve seen plenty of indies get picked up in which they did that. Some of the films even had big stars in them.”

“Lots of times unfortunately, they look like shit,” Shane added. “But given that ‘APSK’ is supposed to look bad like an old snuff picture, I thought that it would be okay. That was my amateurish mind thinking. Cinema Epoch persuaded me otherwise.”

Shane had lost touch with his co-writer and star Michiko Jimenez. He tried to track her down with no luck. Then one night having dinner with his girlfriend Nikki Nishimoto, Shane got an idea to use a body double. He decided he would photograph them nude and just not show their face. He even thought of someone perfect for the gig.

“She was the same height and pretty close to the same build as Michiko,” Shane said of his potential DVD cover model. “She also had black hair that was close to the same length, about the same skin complexion and looked young just like Michiko. So, I realized all this and thought, ‘Awesome.’ Then I was thinking, ‘How do I ask Nikki?’ She’s pretty open, and didn’t mind coming on as executive producer with my brother for the DVD release, but it’s still awkward asking the girl you’re dating if you think her sister would pose naked for you.”

Wait… What? His girlfriend’s sister? Turns out his girlfriend didn’t mind. The sister didn’t mind either. And thus the shy 20-year-old Emily Nishimoto became the poster girl for the production from Alter Ego Cinema.

“I wasn’t sure it would happen until it did,” Shane said. “I also doubted that she would ever get fully naked for the shoot. But she completely stripped down and was cool with it. She had her limitations, and she was nervous about some of the more revealing pictures, but they were all in good taste, unlike the movie.”

Shane says originally he had planned to spend about an hour trying different ideas for photos. Yet in the studio he and Nikki kept getting idea after idea on how to pose Emily. When it was all said and done, the photo session ended up lasting longer than it took to shoot the movie.

“It was all pretty fun and funny for everybody,” Shane said. “So nobody complained and Emily was a great sport about it all. At first it was awkward, but we all quickly got into it, and everybody collaborating made for some great photos.”

So what made Emily decide to become the mysterious girl on the DVD cover of Shane’s film, why did she feel violated later once she saw the film and will we see more of her any time soon? PollyStaffle.com gets these answers, as well as all the details on the photo shoot in this Happy Holiday edition of Polly’s Pinups.

COVER GIRL

CCF: First thing I was curious about was what made you decide to model for the “Amateur Porn Star Killer” publicity photos? I understand you knew Shane and all, but having not done any type of modeling before, what was it that made you say, “Hey, I can do this” or “I’ll give it a shot”?

EN: Well, I knew that I would be comfortable with Shane and I trusted in him to not make me look bad. I also thought that it would be a fun and interesting experience. I knew that I would be able to be in any position - no, I don’t mean sexually (LOL) - that Shane wanted me to be in because I used to be a dancer and a gymnast. And I’m comfortable with getting my picture taken. I didn’t have a problem with being naked given that Shane wasn’t going to show my face. It was fun being merely a body double. I ended up having a blast.

CCF: You actually did the photo shoot having not yet seen the film and later saw it at its Los Angeles premiere in August, right?

EN: Yeah, that’s right.

CCF: What was your initial reaction to the movie when you first watched it?

EN: When I saw the film I felt really disturbed and awkward. When I watch movies, I sometimes put myself in the actor’s position, so I felt very violated because of the lead girl’s situation. But Shane did a fantastic job with the movie, he disturbed everyone I brought to see it and that was one of the main points, to make people feel uneasy. My boyfriend is usually very friendly, but after the movie he went into the restroom and a guy was talking to him and all he wanted to do is get the hell out of there. He did not really want to be touched by anyone, not even me. What made it even more awkward was that he was sitting between Shane and me, and Nikki was on the other side of Shane. Neither one of them knew how me or my boyfriend would react, and if we had chosen to leave we would have had to climb over Shane and Nikki. Shane said he was really uncomfortable as well. Think about it; you made a fake snuff film, the movie shows real sex acts, you need a photo double for the lead girl, you photograph her naked, then have to sit next to that girl’s boyfriend at the movie theatre and it’s his first time seeing it...

CCF: (LOL)

EN: So you don’t know how he’s going to react. It’s also the photo girl’s first time seeing the film, so you don’t know how she’s going to react either. And on top of that, that photo girl is your girlfriend’s sister!

CCF: (LOL) Yeah, doesn’t sound like a fun place to be… So how do you feel about the film since then?

EN: Every time I watch “APSK” I feel the same way as I did the first time I saw it. It always makes me cover myself up, like put a jacket or sweatshirt on. In the beginning of the movie my legs were in front of me and by the end of the movie my legs were cuddled in front of my chest. As a girl you just feel very violated more than anything else. Then again, as a guy you might feel that way as well, which would mean the film really stirred you up.

CCF: Yeah, it’s quite a disturbing film. I’ve just seen it twice. The first time was when I reviewed it and the second time was when the film hit DVD. Knowing exactly what was going to happen the second viewing didn’t change the power the film has. On a lighter note, what’s pretty funny about the film’s promotional artwork is it actually took longer to shoot than “Amateur Porn Star Killer” itself did. The film was done over the course of four hours with three hours of filming and an hour break. How long did the photo shoot clock in at?

EN: The photo shoot took about six hours total. My part of the shoot took about three hours. My sister Nicole was a model as well. Shane took her pictures after I left, but that was also another 3 hours or so. She was more like the hand model. There’s a picture of her hands bound on the back of the DVD cover.

CCF: What was the photo shoot like?

EN: Shane took a lot of photos and I mean a lot. I had to be in several different positions. They had to figure out if they wanted my hair up or down and if I should have jewelry on or not. Shane and Nikki were even being picky about the bracelets I was wearing on my ankle and wrists, the hair piece I had, which ended up on the DVD cover, how revealing it should be sexually. Some pics were of me laying completely spread out naked while others had me covering myself by huddling up in ball. It was funny because Nikki and Shane would both keep trying to direct me and they would bicker at each other for getting in the other one’s way. My sister is a hair stylist so she was really concerned about my hair and overall beauty versus Shane, who was really focused on the feeling, tone and look of the picture. It’s difficult when a couple is trying to direct the same person. It’s Shane’s project, but I’m Nikki’s sister and naturally she was concerned about her area of expertise. But together, despite the bickering, I think they worked very well in creating some really effective photos. The cover picture on the DVD ended up being the second to the last picture out of nearly 500 photos taken. That picture was a last minute idea. We were shooting on both a film and a digital camera. I believe the film had been all used up, so Shane grabbed a couple of last ideas with the digital camera, and that last idea ended up being the one.

CCF: Cool... Was it a tad bit weird given the fact Shane and your sister are a couple?

EN: It was a little awkward at first, but after a few minutes past I became comfortable. I had my best friend there with me. It was a great experience because this was my first time posing nude. An interesting little story; during the shoot I got stuck in a position that was not very flattering. My hands were bound together behind my back and I needed to have them in front of me. So instead of untying my hands, I decided to try and move them to the front myself. I ended up getting my hands stuck between my legs so my sister and my friend had to help me get out of my weird position. And my butt was stuck in the air the entire time and Shane took a freaking picture! Hope nobody ever sees that one.

CCF: So, you are naked, your sister’s boyfriend has a camera in his hands and he’s just about to start taking photos for this little movie you haven’t seen that has the words “Amateur,” “Porn Star,” and “Killer” in the title. Tell me a bit about what was going through your head at that exact moment.

EN: Nothing bad really. I just knew that I had to portray a victim. I tried to look sexy, but scared at the same time, and with my body instead of my face. When I was having my picture taken I tried my best to not look unpleasing, which is pretty funny since the girl in the actual movie is definitely not trying to look sexy, but instead crying out for help.

CCF: So what’s it like being a nude mystery girl on a DVD cover?

EN: It’s very thrilling and pretty cool having my picture out where everyone can see it. I love experiencing fun and knew things. My friends can just tell that it’s me because they know me too well. But I try to keep it hidden from my parents and it has not been easy because my sister Nikki and I both live at home and Shane comes over all the time with the “APSK” T-Shirt on, the DVDs, posters, etc. Nikki wears her “APSK” shirt some times too, and she even showed the DVD cover to my mom! Shane stopped her before my dad could see it, but luckily my mom didn’t have her glasses on, so I don’t think that they know it was me. Unless my other sister tells them! Hopefully I’m gone out of the house before they ever find out, and hopefully that’s years down the road.

CCF: (LOL) Well, let’s hope Dad isn’t a PollyStaffle reader... (LOL) I understand you might be doing some other box covers as well?

EN: I was recently asked to do another photo shoot for somebody else, but I’m not quite sure if I am going to or not. This was really just a one time thing for Shane and Nikki and I’m not sure if I want to model again, but we’ll see. I never expected to have anybody approach me after “APSK,” especially since people don’t know me, but somebody else from Cinema Epoch was at the theatre screenings. Shane and his brother Jeremy, along with Nikki and I were all introduced at the beginning of each show, so once people saw who I was, I guess I became a target for movie cover modeling.

CCF: So if Shane ends up not just making this a trilogy, but a full blown franchise like “Friday the 13th,” will you be ready for “Amateur Porn Star Killer: Part 10,” which could be nicknamed “XXX Killer X”?

EN: Well if Shane does make a part 10 I might be too old by then to be on the cover. Unless he wants to take pictures with me in a wheelchair. (LOL) Or maybe it’s a “Mature Porn Star Killer.” Maybe it will be about killing cats and I’ll be the naked girl who protects them.

CCF: (LOL) What about starring in one of Shane’s films?

EN: I’m not much of an actress. I’m just photogenic. I can get really camera shy sometimes, too. Maybe if Shane tortured me into it, then we’d have a real “Amateur Porn Star Killer” movie. (LOL) We’ll see.

CCF: Well, let’s say I have a movie called “Barely Legal Alien Necro-Nymphomaniac Leprechauns From Hell” you think you’d be down with posing for the DVD artwork?

EN: Well, of course! (LOL) That is before someone tries to kill me because of that title. (LOL)

CCF: Cool. Okay, well that will do it for now. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

EN: Thanks for the interview Chad. I hope to remain your mystery pinup girl!

- CCF, December 2007