As someone who has made a couple of short films I understand how hard it is to get the stars to align and make anything. There’s a reason why the great directors are so revered and it’s because they managed to catch a tiger by the tail and then ride it into glory. Even with a lot of funding in place you then invite a lot more people into that room to tell you what they think you should be doing. Saying this, there’s a reason that folks make movies on their one as one-person-shows and found footage is the perfect vehicle for this.
With so much of these films reliant on story, acting, and imagination, it frees the filmmaker up to keep things small, and inexpensive. These movies are really great places to learn how to make movies, to experiment, and to stretch yourself.
The problem with making a film all on your own though is that it lives or dies on you and your skills.
The thing too is that not every film is the same.
It’s not fair to judge them the same.
I can’t look at GOODFELLAS and put it against a movie done by friends and put on YouTube.
Sure, you can do the pass/fail thing but after that, if you’re gonna be fair, you can’t judge them as 1:1.
Which brings me to BAGMA, a found footage film starring one person and seemingly a one-person show outside of some voiceovers. This is a one-location movie and it’s very clear that it’s from a filmmaker that’s learning. So, going into a review for this, those are the things I keep in mind.
BAGMA focuses on a man who runs a paranormal investigation channel on a streaming video service. He heads to seemingly haunted locations, gains access, stays there over the course of a few days in order to do an investigation, and provides the viewers with the case history of the location. The current location is where the story of “Bagma” stems from, the local urban legend about a paper bag-headed killer that is responsible for a string of murders. The locals have no interest in speaking about the mystery of Bagma, and don’t want to speak about the tragedy that led to the notoriety of the area – a strange man that had been targeted by locals and who had seemingly murdered the people who had come to his home to harass him. While staying on site the investigator begins hearing and seeing things, though he can’t bring himself to believe it, but as his investigation wraps up, he begins to believe in the power of Bagma and slowly realizes his own tie to them.
This is amateurish on every level.
The film feels improvised, the location doesn’t fit the film – a seemingly long-abandoned home – and the scares are corny.
It’s not a fully realized film.
It has a lot of ideas that just don’t jell.
SAYING that, it’s got heart.
It has an idea that’s interesting.
It knows what it wants to be.
It keeps to the rules of the subgenre.
What this feels like is a very early effort from an emerging filmmaker. It will have limited interest to lovers of these movies, but it’s admirable in that it is pretty fully realized. Heck, I have seen movies with bigger budgets, and more crew that have no idea what they are. I can’t say it’s good but making a film and putting it out into the world is a heck of brave movie.
I didn’t like the film but admire the work behind it and encourage the filmmaker to keep at it. To keep working on their craft. To work within the box of your budget and to focus on story and implying over showing – we never see one bigfoot in WILLOW CREEK but it’s a heck of an impactful film just the same. Write down what you do well – editing, basic visual effects ,and a sincere leading role – and then work on the rest. And darn it, don’t let people like me dissuade you from making more movies.
We all need practice.
Keep practicing.
Keep making your movies.
1 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 