Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Kragen.
Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As an LA native, I grew up in and around the entertainment industry. I had always been interested in making movies, with my first creation a book report commercial starring my dog at age six (with a lot of help for my parents). When given the chance to make a movie for a school project, I was always all in. My first creative professional pursuits began early at age seven when the sketches and musings I wrote on the back of a placemat at a restaurant blossomed into a children’s book entitled THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS. The book spawned numerous book signings and TV appearances throughout my childhood and eventually resulted in a feature film when I was 14. I visited the set in Maine during my spring break and was tasked by director Kieth Merrill with shooting a behind the scenes “making-of” documentary using his mini-DV camera, which later appeared as a “special feature” on the DVD. The sequel was then shot during my senior year of college, where I spent my spring break working as a camera PA in Utah.
As a young teen, I looked up to the recent MFA grads who worked on the “12 Dogs” movie, who had just come off of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, and knew that I wanted to use their paths to the film industry as templates for my own. Throughout high school, I spent my summers in film camps and submitted for the school film festival, taking any opportunity that I could to work on projects and be on set. I had my first internship at Warner Brothers at age 17, where, after a few weeks, security accepted that I was permitted to enter the lot as an unaccompanied minor.
I saw CHILDREN OF MEN at 16, and I knew that that was the type of film that I wanted to make. Thoughtful, cinematic, and a clear message. In lieu of enrolling in a film school at 18, I planned to declare an interdisciplinary major at UC Berkeley and also study abroad, primarily with the goal of learning more about people and places so that I would be better equipped with understanding as a filmmaker. I enrolled in CalTV, where I worked as a cinematographer capturing various events, as well as narrative content, across Berkeley and a lot of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. My summers were spent in LA on studio lots and indie projects paying dues as an intern: lunch runs, script coverage, answering phones, and being told that it was definitely a waste of money to apply to an MFA program.
Naysayers aside, I was accepted to UCLA’s MFA program in cinematography and attended with eyes wide open, knowing that I would get out of film school exactly what I put into it and that an MFA is not an MD, in that there is no promise of work at the end. And so I volunteered on sets, signed up for workshops, worked as a TA, and took full advantage of the access to student crews and equipment that UCLA provided. In my final year at UCLA, I was also given the opportunity to travel with environmental organization 2041 to Antarctica to document their voyage.
It was at UCLA that I met my partner (in life and in business), Zach Marion, who was attending the MFA directing program, which works in parallel with the cinematography program. We worked on narrative school projects together and began also organizing our own extra-curricular shoots during school vacations, one of which involved cold-calling and successfully bringing on Lyft as a partner. As film school concluded, Zach and I were starting to get client work and determined that we should make ourselves a more legitimate entity. And so Zemma Productions was born: One school client begot several, which begot non-profits, brands, corporations, music videos, and finally most recently, our first feature documentary, WHERE SHE LIES, which found distribution with Gravitas Ventures. Throughout the inception of Zemma, I have also continued to work as a freelance DP on a similarly broad range of productions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is truly “smooth” in the film industry. We hear more and more about this now, but it is not easy as a female to enter a male-dominated industry. There is so much subconscious bias everywhere. Both in film school and immediately after graduating, the directors and producers [aside from Zach] that were hiring me as a cinematographer were women and gay men. I’ve been told by older cis straight men, verbatim, that they find me intimidating. (I now consider that a compliment.)
The compatriot to the struggle with gender norms is, of course, imposter syndrome. There is so much more to prove when you’re young, female, and honest. I say honest because it’s hard for me to talk myself up. I have found myself intimidated by other people’s ease at this, and my candor at what I have or haven’t shot has lost me jobs. I’ve also found that there can be unhealthy competition among people starting out as a result of this “hype” mentality, and that can be discouraging.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
By trade, I am a cinematographer. Through Zemma Productions, which is just Zach and I, I have increasingly become a multi-hyphenate Cinematographer-Producer (an unusual pairing, but I find that one can complement the other).
I shoot a lot of documentary, which is fun because it often has such a smaller footprint than narrative filmmaking. The production is nimble, and the storytelling authentic. That said, narrative production is truly my heart. I love working with a full crew and helping to tell a more scripted story. I also do a good bit of commercial, which is more technical and precise and serves as a good foil for me from the other two types of production.
On many occasions, I have heard from clients or colleagues how “easy” I am to work with. I would say that I most pride myself on this. On being nice. On being silly! On my honesty, despite my having previously discussed how at times, it has set me back. I am also fiercely loyal. I grew up playing basketball with very close teammates who are still my friends today. Similarly, most of my crew has worked with me since UCLA, and I always prefer to hire them when I can. Many, many people in this city are talented, but far fewer are good people. I try to be one of the good ones. When I show up at call time, I am prepared and optimistic for the day.
Any big plans?
Zach and I are currently launching what is essentially a new business, VIDEOGYM TRAINING, which is a 90-minute online course aimed at helping fitness professionals create high-quality self-tapes. We found there has been a need for this, particularly in the past year, and we are stoked to get it into the world and help people who have had to pivot their businesses.
I’m also looking forward to diving back into the narrative space. The past year has resulted in a lot of small-footprint productions, so I’m excited for vaccines and fully-crewed productions…
I’ve been working a bit in the climate change space as well and hope to be able to help bring more topical stories to light. Additionally, I recently developed a pitch bible for a whimsical mixed-media kid’s TV show. Hoping to share that with the world ASAP!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: zemmaproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zemmaproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zemmaproductions
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/zemmaprod
- Other: emmakragen.com
Image Credits:
Nick Cruz
