Terrance Zdunich
Encyclopedia
Terrance Zdunich is an American
actor
, writer
, composer
, producer
, illustrator
and storyboard artist
. He is most known for his role as Graverobber in the 2008 film Repo! The Genetic Opera
.
. As a storyboard artist he worked on live-action films such as What We Do Is Secret
about the punk band The Germs
, and Into The Wild
, directed by Sean Penn
. He also worked part-time teaching drawing and painting in Calabasas, California.
While transitioning from studio work in animation to life as a freelance artist, Terrance enrolled in an acting class at the South Coast Repertory Theatre
where he met future collaborator Darren Smith
. Together, in 1999 they formed "The Gallery" and the two began writing and performing theatrical rock music in the form of ten-minute operas. As a duo they played the Los Angeles club/theatre scene. Due to the positive response to their first ten-minute opera, The Necro-merchant's Debt, they decided to expand the piece into a full-length theatrical format which was later renamed Repo! The Genetic Opera.
directing. The original engagement also featured Zdunich in the role as the narrator “GraveRobber." ‘Repo’ was remounted again in 2004 at West Hollywood’s SplitID Theatre, and finally, for the last time, it was seen on stage in 2005 at the Off-Off Broadway
Wings Theatre in NYC with Zdunich both acting and directing.
Zdunich, Bousman and Smith put together a ten-minute short film of Repo starring Zdunich, Shawnee Smith
, Michael Rooker
& J LaRose
in 2006 . The short film was screened for agents and producers at Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills, CA. Lionsgate
and Twisted Pictures
eventually brought Repo to the big screen in 2008, which starred Anthony Head
, Alexa Vega
, Paul Sorvino
, and Sarah Brightman
. Zdunich maintained his acting role as “GraveRobber” and assumed new roles as well, which included drawing the film’s animated sequences and becoming an associate producer. Despite the film’s initial limited theatrical release to 11 theaters world wide, Zdunich still regularly travels the US attending "shadowcast" performances of Repo at conventions and private events.
In 2009, in an effort to return to his drawing roots, Zdunich began work on a solo project, a comic book
series dubbed The Molting. The Molting, which is being published independently, is expected to be released in 12 parts. Zdunich wrote the story arc in its entirety before a single page was drawn. He releases a new issue every few months, drawing the frames himself. He completes the work with the help of letterer
Oceano Ransford and colorists Brian Johnson & Molly Rodman. Zdunich admits the series is in part based on his real life experiences growing up in Southern California
. He also catalogs his artistic process in a blog
series entitled “Molting with the Molting.” As of April 2011, six chapters have been published: Guilty Susie, The Happiest Place on Earth, Ootheca, Lethal Raids, Mother’s Day and Allied Forces.
On May 28, 2010, at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival, Terrance debuted the first in a series of weekly online instructional videos, a project entitled The Tutor, described as a “Bob Ross meets Ted Bundy” school of art. As The Tutor, Terrance taught viewers how to paint a still life. The Tutor encouraged audience participation through “homework”– video and still art assignments provided in The Tutor’s accompanying blog. On Saturday, October 23, 2010, The Tutor project concluded in an event held in Hollywood, California called The Tutor’s Gallery. The event included a live performance by Zdunich and an art show of the work created by his students.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and storyboard artist
Storyboard artist
Storyboard artist is a profession specialized in creating storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment...
. He is most known for his role as Graverobber in the 2008 film Repo! The Genetic Opera
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Repo! The Genetic Opera is a 2008 horror-rock opera musical film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich....
.
Early career
After graduating from Otis College of Art & Design in 1998 Terrance took a job at Sony Animation drawing storyboards on such animated television shows as Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles and Max Steel. Creatively frustrated, he left animation in 2002 to pursue freelance illustration gigs, including work on Fox’s television series BonesBones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
. As a storyboard artist he worked on live-action films such as What We Do Is Secret
What We Do Is Secret (film)
What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
about the punk band The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
, and Into The Wild
Into the Wild (film)
Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...
, directed by Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
. He also worked part-time teaching drawing and painting in Calabasas, California.
While transitioning from studio work in animation to life as a freelance artist, Terrance enrolled in an acting class at the South Coast Repertory Theatre
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
where he met future collaborator Darren Smith
Darren Smith (actor)
Darren Smith is an American actor, writer, composer, and producer.- Career :He, with Terrance Zdunich, composed and wrote both the short film and theatrical film Repo! The Genetic Opera. Smith also had a minor role in the film.-External links:...
. Together, in 1999 they formed "The Gallery" and the two began writing and performing theatrical rock music in the form of ten-minute operas. As a duo they played the Los Angeles club/theatre scene. Due to the positive response to their first ten-minute opera, The Necro-merchant's Debt, they decided to expand the piece into a full-length theatrical format which was later renamed Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Career
In 2001, Zdunich and Smith assembled a small group of actors and musicians and began performing Repo as a one-act set at clubs in Los Angeles, California. In 2002, Repo: The Genetic Opera received its first full-length staging in Hollywood, California at the John Raitt Theatre with Darren Lynn BousmanDarren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
directing. The original engagement also featured Zdunich in the role as the narrator “GraveRobber." ‘Repo’ was remounted again in 2004 at West Hollywood’s SplitID Theatre, and finally, for the last time, it was seen on stage in 2005 at the Off-Off Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
Wings Theatre in NYC with Zdunich both acting and directing.
Zdunich, Bousman and Smith put together a ten-minute short film of Repo starring Zdunich, Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
, Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
& J LaRose
J. Larose
J. Adam Larose, who uses the professional name J. LaRose, is an American actor.He has worked with Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the films in the Saw series, on five projects; Identity Lost, Butterfly Dreams, Saw III, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and the Fear Itself episode "New Year's Day"...
in 2006 . The short film was screened for agents and producers at Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills, CA. Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
and Twisted Pictures
Twisted Pictures
Twisted Pictures is an independent production company, mainly creating films of the horror genre. The company was founded in 2004 by Evolution Entertainment's Mark Burg, Oren Koules and Gregg Hoffman...
eventually brought Repo to the big screen in 2008, which starred Anthony Head
Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head , usually credited as Anthony Head, is an English actor and musician. He rose to fame in the UK following his role in television advertisements for Nescafé Gold Blend , and is known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Uther Pendragon in...
, Alexa Vega
Alexa Vega
Alexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
, Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
, and Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
. Zdunich maintained his acting role as “GraveRobber” and assumed new roles as well, which included drawing the film’s animated sequences and becoming an associate producer. Despite the film’s initial limited theatrical release to 11 theaters world wide, Zdunich still regularly travels the US attending "shadowcast" performances of Repo at conventions and private events.
In 2009, in an effort to return to his drawing roots, Zdunich began work on a solo project, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series dubbed The Molting. The Molting, which is being published independently, is expected to be released in 12 parts. Zdunich wrote the story arc in its entirety before a single page was drawn. He releases a new issue every few months, drawing the frames himself. He completes the work with the help of letterer
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
Oceano Ransford and colorists Brian Johnson & Molly Rodman. Zdunich admits the series is in part based on his real life experiences growing up in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. He also catalogs his artistic process in a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
series entitled “Molting with the Molting.” As of April 2011, six chapters have been published: Guilty Susie, The Happiest Place on Earth, Ootheca, Lethal Raids, Mother’s Day and Allied Forces.
On May 28, 2010, at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival, Terrance debuted the first in a series of weekly online instructional videos, a project entitled The Tutor, described as a “Bob Ross meets Ted Bundy” school of art. As The Tutor, Terrance taught viewers how to paint a still life. The Tutor encouraged audience participation through “homework”– video and still art assignments provided in The Tutor’s accompanying blog. On Saturday, October 23, 2010, The Tutor project concluded in an event held in Hollywood, California called The Tutor’s Gallery. The event included a live performance by Zdunich and an art show of the work created by his students.
Themes
Followers of Zdunich will notice recurring ideas in his projects. He regularly attests to his love of the macabre and produces work normally dubbed “horror.” From his earliest pieces, such as the illustrated God & the Box (seen on his website), his work has always prominently featured bugs, especially cockroaches. His website boasts flash representations of the critters with factoids about the animals and he maintains pet roaches as a hobby. His fondness for the creatures, he says, comes from their generally misunderstood nature and their tenacity- characteristics he identifies with.Awards and honors
- Fangirltastic's Mr. November 2008
- Scary Stud of the Year 2008
- Most songs written for one film
- Fantasia Film Festival Most Innovative Film 2008
- Comic Related Best Horror Comic Series 2010
The Molting Comic
- Gulty Susie (2009)
- The Happiest Place on Earth (2009)
- Ootheca (2010)
- Lethal Raids (2010)
- Mother's Day (2010)
- Allied Forces (2011)
Fantastique Magazine
- "Fantastic Finds: Creeps & Dames", Fantastique #1, July 2009
- "Fantastic Finds: To The Crystal Chamber!", Fantastique #2, August 2009
- "Fantastic Finds: Adult Toys That Require Batteries", Fantastique #3, October 2009
Actor
- Repo! The Genetic OperaRepo! The Genetic OperaRepo! The Genetic Opera is a 2008 horror-rock opera musical film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich....
(2008) - GraveRobber - Repo! The Genetic OperaRepo! The Genetic OperaRepo! The Genetic Opera is a 2008 horror-rock opera musical film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich....
(2006) - GraveRobber - Chain of Souls (2001) - "Hell" man
Storyboard artist
- Firedog (2010)
- Powder BluePowder Blue (film)Powder Blue is a 2009 drama film with an ensemble cast featuring several interconnected story arcs. It was written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui based on the 1997 novel Ponto de Partida by brazilian medium Chico Xavier, and features Patrick Swayze's last film appearance before his September 2009...
(2009) (uncredited) - Into the WildInto the Wild (film)Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...
(2007) (uncredited) - What We Do Is SecretWhat We Do Is Secret (film)What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
(2007) - BonesBones (TV series)Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
(2006, one episode: "The Superhero in the Alley") - I Left Me (2004) (uncredited)
- PC and the Web (2001)
- Special Unit 2Special Unit 2Special Unit 2 is a short-lived, American sci-fi/comedy television series, filmed in Vancouver, BC and aired on UPN for two seasons from April 2001 through February 2002...
(2001, one episode: "The Brothers") (uncredited) - Max SteelMax SteelMax Steel is a science fiction–action, CGI, animated series which originally aired from February 25, 2000 to January 15, 2002, based on the Mattel action-figure of the same name. Max Steel ran for three seasons, totaling thirty-five episodes with a predicted audience of young males from the ages of...
(2001, two episodes: "Shadows"; "Sphinxes") - BigLoveBigLovebigLove is a 2001 short film, written and directed by Leif Tilden. It was first shown on January 19, 2001 on the Sundance Film Festival. It won the award for Best Short at the 2001 Flickapalooza Film Festival and both Best Director of an HD Film and Best High-Definition Short at the 2001...
(2001) - BedazzledBedazzled (2000 film)Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled , originally written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust legend...
(2000) - The Great American Office Worker (2000)
- Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles (4 episodes)
- Heat Vision and JackHeat Vision and JackHeat Vision and Jack was a proposed 1999 comedy/sci-fi television show directed by Ben Stiller and starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Ron Silver. Christine Taylor and Vincent Schiavelli guest starred in the pilot episode, the only episode filmed. While the Fox Network didn't pick up the show,...
(TV) (1999) (uncredited)
Discography
- The Necromerchant's Debt (3-track teaser, November 2001)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera: Selections from the Premiere Cast (7-track album, September 2002)
- Pre-Surgery Sampler (7-track teaser, July 2008)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera Soundtrack (September 2008)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera Deluxe Edition (February 2009)