Zombie Girl: The Movie is a documentary that I heard about a few months ago and one that I have been wanting to see ever since. It is currently being offered for free on Snag Films and Hulu through August 20th. I've embedded the Snag Films version below.
Zombie Girl: The Movie follows 12-year-old Emily Hagins has she ambitiously attempts to make a feature length zombie film called Pathogen (which I just ordered online for 10 dollars) with the help of her sixth grader friends and her mother. The film follows Emily's struggles to make her first film at such a young age. Like most 12-year-olds, Emily is disorganized and has trouble communicating what she wants most of the time. The film shows many of the pitfalls of trying to make such a difficult film at such a young age and the growth and strain it puts on Emily's relationship with her mother.
I identified with this movie on various levels. For one, being an independent filmmaker myself, I really could identify with what Emily was going through a lot of the time. I've been involved in film shoots that just don't go right and it's kind of hard to savage it and keep your faith in what you are doing. I could also identify with the restlessness that comes up in a lot of the film shoots that go behind schedule (something that pretty much always happens in independent filmmaking). On an amusing side-note, I was happy to see that Emily was using the exact camera that I used to use for all of my movies before I got my
Canon XH A1 1.67MP 3CCD High-Definition Camcorder. Emily, you need to invest in a new camcorder. That thing really isn't that great... especially when it comes to sound (a problem that she talks about a lot during the editing process).
Another important aspect of this film is that it addresses the phenomenon of independent digital filmmaking. In today's world, young people have access to all the tools you need to make movies. Digital filmmaking is much easier and accessible than making movies on film and, because of this, pretty much anyone with a bank account can become a filmmaker. The film ponders whether this is a good or bad thing. Now more people are able to make movies but, most of the time, the movies are pretty bad. Plus, making a movie on a digital level is not the same as making it on a traditional film level. Being a digital filmmaker myself, I can see both the good and bad sides of this issue. I definitely prefer the look of film and I think that filming digitally on a larger film scale is a bad idea (the digital look of Public Enemies just about killed that movie for me). However, because I do not have access to film and because I am comfortable with digital filmmaking, I will continue to make films digitally until I get more experienced or get into the position to start shooting on film.
As for the point of a lot of people making bad movies on a digital level, I don't see that as necessarily a negative thing. Bad movies are made in Hollywood everyday and they cost a lot of money. I feel that the best way to learn how to make a film is just to go out and do it. I've made bad films before. I do not regret this. Every film I have made has been an incredible learning experience. If people can learn by getting a bad film out of their system in a format that can be relatively inexpensive, then they should do it. They will only become stronger filmmakers in the process.
One of the most important sections of the film explores the relationship between Emily and her mother. Her mother really goes all out to help Emily with the film, whether its making a fake head that is chopped off an actor with an axe or holding the boom mic. The two have a close bond that is formed because of their love for movies and it's really heartwarming to see this. However, the film also explores the many strains that are formed in their relationship due to the difficulties of making the movie. Emily and her mother have many different creative views on the film and this causes a lot of tension between the two. The long shoots and many delays that occur also really cause her mother to wear down, causing fights to break out between the two.
Overall, I'd recommend that you all watch this movie, especially if you have any interest in digital independent filmmaking. I cannot tell you how identifiable this film was for me, even though Emily did have certain advantages that I didn't have when starting out (living in Austin, Texas where digital filmmaking has taken off; being friends with the guy who owns the Alamo Drafthouse and Harry Knowles). The fact that Emily is able to make a feature length zombie movie at the age of twelve is pretty astounding. While independent filmmaking is a lot of fun, it is a very exhausting process that is incredibly time consuming and that causes a lot of stress, tension and self-doubt. I didn't make my first film until I was 16 or 17. Even if Emily's first movie isn't a good one, she's gotten a good start, has learned a lot and has been a real inspiration to independent filmmakers like myself. She can only go up from here.
7/10
Be sure to watch Zombie Girl: The Movie soon if you plan on watching it. It will be taken off the Internet on August 20th. Watch the Snag Films version below. Watch it on Hulu here.
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