Always wondered where those Kickstarter projects come from? Well this one doesn’t open for another week so here’s your chance to get in on the Zombie action early. Infectious is a short movie by Maine based 19image Productions.
In their vision of the Zombie outbreak, it is the development of the cure for Cancer that cases the blood bath. The action focuses on what happens when a small group runs away from a fallout shelter at the local high school, but then has to send a team back into the chaos to retrieve the vaccine. 19image Productions hopes that the movie will develop into a web series that will chronicle the events surrounding this outbreak.
With Geek and Sundry leading the charge in internet programming, Amazon and Hulu branching out with independent productions, 19Image Productions is getting in on the ground floor of an industry that’s going back to its roots, and away from big studios, for ideas and production.
Please don’t watch this if you are as squeamish as I am.
To get to know a little bit more about this movie, I took some time out with Jillian Major, the woman in the driving seat for this project, to see what makes her and this movie tick. Jillian, as I suspected, was one of those geek kids that we all know and love:
Jillian: I can remember going out on recess in fourth grade and all my friends would go play on the playground. I would have a small notebook with me, I would sit at a picnic table by the playground and write out scripts so that me and my friends could make a movie. Now, I would never use any of those “scripts” today but that’s what I did. I didn’t just play pretend or make-believe, I had to plan out how the whole thing would go. The ability to have an idea that you created in your head, and being able to make a physical viewing experience to display that idea to the world, that is why I love this industry.
GM: Once you left elementary school how did you get started making movies?
Jillian: When I was in college in 2003, I met with two Hollywood producers who were interested in one of the scripts I submitted, but when they actually met me they said that I was too young and inexperienced and not worth the gamble. That devastated me, more than I think anyone really knew. So I said, screw it I will do it myself. I worked three jobs but I raised the money and took out loans to file for my company and trademark. Just because I was some 19 -20 year old kid didn’t mean I wasn’t capable of owning and running a successful company. I saved up money and bought my company before I bought my first car!
GM: Looking beyond the creation and release of Infectious, what is it you hope to do with 19image Productions?
Jillian: I don’t want this to continue to be an industry that is so cut-throat, the kind of place that if you don’t know the right person you won’t make it. I want to make it so that no one is overlooked. Just because someone doesn’t possess the amazing talents of the greats in movies, doesn’t mean that they won’t in the future. I have people and friends who I meet along the way, they find out that I own a production company and they always ask to tag along. That’s a great networking opportunity. I will never pass up on someone who is willing to put in the time to learn, it’s something I wish that someone had done for me a long time ago. I might find someone with a hidden talent that will help my company be more successful.
Working with Jillian on Infectious are Georgia Pantazopoulos as Director of Photography and Julie LeShane and Pam Leins as make-up artists on the promo shoot. You can see their work on the promo and clips from the movie on the company website.
