Unlike the quite terrifying glare of Hannibal Lecter, one could say that fate has done nothing but smile upon filmmaker and DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika. After graduating from the prestigious USC School of Cinema-Television, Lauzirika quickly found his talents in demand from the likes of Lucasfilm and Lightstorm Entertainment. He then went on to directing and producing commercials, music videos and short films, which led to his DVD producing work with - most famously to DVD fans - Scott Free Productions.

Now, with the recent DVD release of the blockbuster Hannibal, Lauzirika is enjoying his most high-profile release yet, and the brothers Scott are keeping him very busy indeed. In addition to future Ridley DVD projects such as Thelma & Louise, the upcoming Black Hawk Down, and what promises to be (at last!) the definitive version of Scott's masterpiece Blade Runner, Lauzirika is branching out into new territories, tackling such non-Scott fare as a new special edition of the Jan DeBont megahit Speed.

Like many of the top DVD producers working today, the format has allowed Lauzirika the opportunity to explore and celebrate the craft of filmmaking. We chatted with the producer recently about creating a disc as complex as Hannibal, his work with Scott, and the challenges of pleasing both the filmmaker and the film fan. With plenty of Scott Free and other projects on the way, we're glad to see Lauzirika is back on the case... of Hannibal, that is!