Elmhurst resident brings Godzilla fan film to life

ELMHURST – Since he first emerged from the Pacific Ocean in 1954, Godzilla has wreaked havoc on his way up the pop culture ladder. But, for one impressionable 6-year-old, his ascendance through chaos and his bouts with other classic movie monsters were more than just a passing phase.

Billy DuBose, 31, was born and raised in Elmhurst and graduated from York Community High School and Elmhurst College, but it was in 1989 that he came across the movie "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero/Invasion of Astro-Monster" playing on T.V.

After getting a high grade in kindergarten, and following his new found interest, DuBose's mom took him to Toys R Us to find a movie based on the King of the Monsters.

"The only one they had was 'King Kong vs. Godzilla,' and after I saw that film I was hooked," he said.

Godzilla followed DuBose most of his life, but he started getting serious about it in 2008 when he began working on his own Godzilla costume. Following a year of work on the suit, DuBose wore it to the annual G-Fest convention in Rosemont, which basically celebrates all things monsters.

After seeing his costume at the fest in 2010, DuBose was approached by some costume coordinators for the fest who talked to him about making a fan film based on Godzilla.

"I totally jumped at the chance, because I always wanted to do that since I was a little kid and be the character I always watched on film," he said.

Over the past four years, DuBose has been working on a film that not only celebrates Godzilla, but also 20 other classic movie monsters all at once with his film, "Godzilla: Battle Royale," a feature film about 90 minutes long that showcases monsters, including Mothra, Mechagodzilla and Zombie King Kong fighting in Chicago.

DuBose said he and the crew, which he organized with personal friends, people he knew from G-Fest and others he met online, assembled cardboard buildings, made costumes and set up a dark room to simulate background, but as for the editing and special effects, that was all DuBose.

"I was literally learning as I went, but I was really trying to visualize how the films did it and tried to manipulate it the best I could, but not really copy it and make it my own too," he said.

DuBose also plays a maverick jet plane fighter known as Razor Shark, to pay homage to Top Gun as well as other classic films. The film also includes wrestling and video game references.

Filmed mostly Chicago, DuBose said the first year he started there were about 10 monsters, but as filming continued, more volunteers entered the film requiring DuBose to rewrite aspects in the script. Much of the green screen work was done in the garage of his Elmhurst home, while the city backdrops involved long commutes.

"For my city backdrops I went up to Chicago and went up on a whole bunch of parking garages to get mid level city shots and used those," he said.

DuBose admits he took a risk with the plot line of the movie. About 70 percent of the film is monster action with 30 percent involving people in the story line. But, he said, if there's one complaint he hears often among monster movie fans it's that there isn't enough action.

"I wanted the story to act like a wrestling match where the monsters are telling the story through a humongous fight where all these monsters are in Chicago at one place at one time," he said.

A new Godzilla movie, directed by Gareth Edwards, premiered earlier this month, and DuBose said he hopes the hype around that blockbuster will help his fan movie. He plans to release it in November for the 60th anniversary of Godzilla. DuBose said that whether fans love it or hate, he hopes they remember it.

He recently heard an interview with the director of the new Godzilla, who said that trying to please all fans, no matter what fandom you're making a film for, is "literally impractical. All you can do is put out what you love, the story you've always wanted to see, and you can only hope others will agree with you."

"He hit it right on the nail there and that's really all I can hope for with this film," DuBose said. "In the end, it was really all about us getting together and having a good time making this."

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Cast:

• Billy DuBose (Razor Shark)
• Sarah Breidenbach (Cmdr. Amanda Lexington)
• Olivia Wolniak (Capt. Kumi Wakabayashi)
• James Sayson (MGIII Pilot Yuki)
• Vicka Xaika (Queen Xaxious)
• Jonathon Goldyn (Sargyle)
• Jeanette Acquino (Mothra Fairies) - (voiced by Sarah Breidenbach)
• Aaron Heminger (Braddock)
• Jessi Fletcher (Madison)
• Joseph Flores (Sgt. Daimajin)
• Rosa Mendez (SWAT)
• Mike Prost (SWAT)
• Jenni Whipple (SWAT)
• Jacob Baker (Hunk/Lickers)
• J.D. Won (Kumi's Assistant)
• Lenell Bridges (Chicago Typewriter Gunman)

• Robert Scott Field (Agent M11)*
• Akira Takarada (Secretary Gen. Fuji)**

*M11 from "Godzilla vs King Ghidorah 91'"

**Lead actor from the original black and white "Gojira 54'"

Monsters
• Billy DuBose (Godzilla/Ebirah/Hedorah/Zombie Kong)
• Jacob Baker (Hyper Godzilla/Varan/Maguma)
• Scott Whipple (Zombie Kong)
• Jeff Magnussen (MechaGodzilla III)
• JD Lees (G-Fantis)
• Krys Baioa (Angurias/Gigan)
• Nicolas Huber (Zigra)
• Riley McGee (Orga)
• Ian Jones (Zombie Kong)
• Tommy Haire (Hedorah)
• Paul Gavins (Ebirah)
• Tristan Domay (Ebirah)
• Rich St. Andrews (Hedorah)
• Brant Morrin (Gezora)

Prop Puppeteers
• Mothra (Paul Gavins/Billy DuBose)
• Biollante (Chris Elchesyn)
• Rhian (Krys Baioa, Rich St. Andrews, Chris Elchesyn)
• Varan (John Drooney, Chris Elchesyn)
• Gezora (Chris Elchesyn, Billy DuBose, Paul Gavins, Joseph Flores, Riley McGee)