Vincent Nero

Biography
Vincent Nero, formally enrolled as Vincent Banzaca until he legally changed his name in the Fall of 2008, was a Hampshire College film/video student in the incoming class of 2005 or the graduating class of 2009 depending on how you count it.

With Bill Brand as his chair and Eva Rueschmann as member, Vincent embarked on his DIV III project, a retelling of the 1932 film White Zombie originally starring Bele Legousi.

Before even graduating, Vincent had legally created Big Penguin Productions which he along with Jill Erwich and William Colon did much freelance video work under as well as producing White Zombie and Nick the Shoe. Moreover, Vincent had secured a job post-graduation producing videos for YoCEO.com and Successories.com. Currently he resides in Delray Beach, FL.

To find current information please visit www.VincentNero.com

Division III
''This article is part of a Climax Div III Issue. By Josh Schneider, Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor. ''

Filmmaker Vincent Nero's Division III project is a remake of the 1932 horror film White Zombie. The original film starred Bella Legosi, of Dracula fame, and is often considered to be a primary touchstone in the genesis of the zombie film genre. Considered out of context, the original White Zombie is something of a forgotten gem, owing in no small part to Legosi’s classic performance. Although the zombie genre has been the fodder for low-budget B-movies, recent blockbuster zombie films have reinstituted the horror staple.

Nero, a New Jersey native, raised fifteen thousand dollars in pre-production to fund his film. The movie is a true Hampshire product, featuring Hampshire student actors and the children of Professor Christopher Cox as zombies. In postproduction, the film utilized HELgA, a Hampshire made production management open-source software system. Although the film promises terror, Nero’s adaptation is more then the average bloodbath. The film’s website (whitezombiethemovie.com) describes the story as “the Gothic tale of Jordan, a young lady on the path to adulthood, who runs away with her equally as young fiancé in order to get married, but when the road gets bumpy and they are stranded in a desolate village, they rely on a rich man whose broken heart is mended at the sight of Jordan. Foolishly in love, he will do anything to keep Jordan for his own, even turn her into a zombie. It may be a zombie movie, but it’s a love story at heart.”

When asked as to his most beloved Hampshire memory, Nero responded, “I rang the bell my second year. My friend Zardon, who recently graduated, was a tour guide, and this one time he saw me passing the library and asked me to ring the bell. I thought he just wanted to show the tour group what Div IIIs did when they pass. Apparently, he was trying to demonstrate the fear that students have for the urban legend of not being able to pass if you ring the bell early, a superstition that no one told me about until after I had already rung the bell. All seems to be going well for me, now. I can only hope that I don’t get struck by lightning right before my final meeting.”

Fun Facts:

 * Was the only Vincent enrolled at Hampshire College during his first two years
 * Worked as a workstudy student at the HCCC in the infant room for all 4 years of college
 * Was part of VCOE (Video Core of Engineers), a videography team that recorded many of the events that took place on Hampshire campus and the Pioneer Valley
 * Met the love of his life his first year, Jill Erwich, but didn't know it until Jan Term of his second year.
 * Lived on A1 and C3 and in Greenwich 25 and 14. Lived with William Colon all 4 years.
 * Favorite places to eat: Packards, Judy's, Thia Garden, Sully's
 * Favorite place to order take out: Wings, Zhang's Kitchen, Butterfly
 * Was rejected from the Five College Film Festival... twice.
 * Notoriously critical of Hampshire students work
 * Got large scholarships to Ithica, Boston University, Drexel University and full ride at Hartford University, but decided on Hampshire because of their academic structure
 * Advocate for narrative film at Hampshire

Websites
Big Penguin Pro

White Zombie The Movie

Vincent Nero