I had the pleasure of seeing Dead Crossing at the zombie short film competition Dead on Film, hosted by the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, BC. This was the competitions second year and the standard was much higher, Dead Crossing came in at 3rd place which I think was fair. 


This film really stood out for me for several reasons, it wasn't a comedy so it was much darker than the other entries, it wasn't in English and it felt really well produced. The direction was strong, it was well written and the zombies looked good. The only real problem I had with it was it was too short, but it had to be because it was a short film.
If you want to see for yourself then just hit that play button, don't forget to rate it and leave comments...

Born and raised in México City, Mexico, Gigi Saul moved to Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 13 with her family.  She enjoys the diversity of Canada, but never forgets her Latin roots! Gigi has always held a passion for entertaining, whether it being acting or storytelling, and she received her first taste of Directing in grade 12, where she put on a one‐act play titles “Zinderella Walts”, in White Rock, BC.  Since then her interest in behind‐the‐camera has grown, especially for telling stories filled with blood and gore! 
Gigi is currently attending Capilano University, going into her 4th year of Motion Picture Arts.  She is strong‐minded and a perfectionist, but she knows how to have fun on set by cracking jokes with all the departments, keeping the mood light‐hearted on set.  Her recent success was directing one of the final projects, titled “Next Door Nightmare”, which has just been accepted into the Okanagan Film Festival (OFF)!
Inspired by her culture, Gigi is a big fan of the “3 Amigos” directors (Cuarón, González Iñárritu and del Toro), as well as the quirky and visually stunning films of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.  She wants to make it in the industry as an actor and/or director, but most importantly she wants to be a part of the creative process of telling a visual story, which is where her passion resides: making movies.

ZombiesDrule - Your role was?

Gigi Saul Guerrero - I was the Director, Co‐Writer, Co‐Editor, Co‐Producer and of course… the pretty Mexican girl in the film, Maria (hahaha).

How did this film come about?
My film partner, Luke Bramley, and I heard about the Rio Theatre’s “Dead On Film Festival”, and we began brewing up ideas. We only had a matter of weeks before having to submit a 5 minute film before the deadline; however, it was a zombie festival, so it was totally up our alley, since we have a passion for the gore. We spent the first week trying to figure out an original story, but were hit with writer’s block. We felt “when it comes to Zombies, everything has been done!” until finally I went home, frustrated we hadn’t gotten anything accomplished. I sat down to watch “BABEL”, by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and the scenes of the Mexicans crossing the Border happened and I said to myself… “That’s it!! That’s it!!” And so was born the idea for “Dead Crossing”!

What were some of the difficulties faced in shooting the movie?
When it came to shooting Dead Crossing, the hardest thing was to get this entire film shot in one night. With the long days of the summer, once the sun went down it was a race against the clock to get as much shot before the light began creeping on us again!  The pressure was on!

How was it funded?
It was pretty much a zero budget film. Myself and fellow Producers Luke Bramley and Danny MacDonald used our own money for props/set dec/food. Everything else was donated to us, such as the vehicles and the location.

How did you find the location? Cast?
The location was probably the luckiest thing that happened for Dead Crossing. We were able to get (for free) the entire property to West Coast Gardens in return to have the care‐taker be one of the Mexicans in the Van. As far as casting, we were fortunate to have previously worked with excellent actors, and they were more than happy to collaborate on this film!  All the extras were friends and family of ours, who came out to help support our dream!

People seem to think it's easy to make a zombie movie, what advice can you give them?
Well, just remember that making gore costs money, and so many zombie movies are out there so for one to stand out you need to think outside the box!

What is your most memorable moment of the production?
The most memorable moment was definitely the night shoot, from 10 pm to 7 am in the morning, and it was a blast! Everybody was cracking jokes (especially the Mexican actors), laughing and simply loving the story and giving it their best. We all had a great time shooting the scenes with the Mexican Extras in the van, on the field and jumping the fence! A few cars passed by and gave us very strange looks (haha).

What is your favorite part of the movie?
My personal favorite part of Dead Crossing is definitely the music and sound design for this film… but I love the last shot of the movie with the Zombie eyes in the rear view mirror of the truck!

How do you feel about the final film? Is it how you imagined it would be?
I feel fantastic! I am only 21 years old and I of course want to improve at every single film I make and learn from my mistakes. However, for only having one night to shoot and three days to edit with no sleep… I am so proud! Even though I looked like a zombie the moment we finished the film, I couldn’t have asked for a better team of people.

What is next for you? What will your next movie be?
My partner Luke and I have many ideas that we will be working on over the course of our last year at school, with plans for something very new and exciting for next year!  But it’s a bit of a secret, so you’ll have to wait!  Plus, there are now talks of making “Dead Crossing” into a feature‐length film, so stay tuned….

Silly ones

How long do you think it'd take you to turn?
Like every Mexican… really fast! So fast I would have already ran away with your wallet! Ha ha!

Which do you prefer Fast or Slow Zombies?
Fast! No question about it!

What is your weapon of choice for taking on Zombies?
Probably the shotgun, it seems to do the most damage, and a quick shot to the head can put down a Zombie pretty fast…plus when you’re out of bullets, it makes a great weapon to hit them with!

What is your favorite Zombie Film?
There are just so many great ones out there!  But my top favorites have to be REC, and REC 2. Those Spanish films are awesome!

Worst Zombie Film?
A bad zombie film? I don’t think so!  (actually there’s some pretty bad ones, I just can’t think of them right now..)

Favorite Zombie Book or Game?
Zombies: The Complete Guide to the World of the Living Dead by Zachary Graves

Final Say? Anything else you would like to add?
A big thanks to everyone who helped out on this film, and also to all the people who have given us amazing feedback and support!  We love you all, and can’t wait to show you our next projects!