'Portrait of a Zombie' Director Talks Shop

Last weekend, we showed you the trailer for a new independently produced film called Portrait of a Zombie, which operates as a documentary made by an American film crew studying an Irish family that continues to take care of one of its own who has become a zombie. Of course, he still has to go feed and everything, but the family nevertheless tries to protect its son. After we wrote the article, the film's writer and director, Bing Bailey, contacted me and shed a little more light on what the film is all about and how he and his crew made Portrait of a Zombie. "It's been a very odd journey the last eight years from working in the World Trade Center doing IT & Engineering to making this movie on the street in Dublin where I grew up," Bailey said. He added that the trailer on YouTube and Vimeo don't do the video quality justice, and that he's still working on that aspect of the film. "It was shot with a RED One Camera in 4k digital with 35mm lenses. so the quality is quite high. I intend to dirty it up some. Everything I do is about adding layers and textures visually and emotionally." Here's more on the story from Bailey:

"I'm very glad you picked up on the fact the film isn't the usual we're trapped in a barn and zombies are trying to get us fare. The teaser is really a mood piece. There is quite a bit of satire and dark humour in the film and it really is about the family having to cope with what's happened to their son who had hopes and dreams for his life before he turned. They want to pretend everything is ok and love him and treat him the same way just like they always have but it proves very difficult for them and they make lots of sacrifices for their decisions." "On the crew's side it's about how long can you observe something before you have to become involved. I'm a huge fan of zombie movies that entertain but provide social commentary." "Many zombie films deal with outbreaks and the immediacy of dealing with survival. This film goes further and asks what would a parent do if something really awful happened to their son or daughter. How far would they go to try and make it all look normal? What we can do as independent filmmakers that the studios can't is push boundaries. I believe with this film we have."

Bailey also sent us a bunch of stills from the film, and he told me he'll have some information on upcoming festivals soon, but that it's too early to comment on anything specifically. So, when the time comes, we'll let you know when and where you can check out Portrait of a Zombie. And here's the film's Facebook page if you want to stay informed that way.