If you hadn’t heard, two Australia women are making the story of my life (no pun intended) and yours too – the fangirl story. Jessica and Rita are producing a documentary called, “I Used To Be Normal – A Boy Band Fangirl Story” and have started a kickstarter account to help finish collecting the financing for the documentary.
Check out our little interview with Jessica Leski below and go donate so that the documentary can be finished. It’s your boy band fangirl duty to do so.
1. On your website, it said that you got the idea for this after becoming a fan of One Direction and seeing how passionate fangirls were. What was it exactly that made it so special, in your eyes?
I think it started for me on instagram. I was using it just for picture sharing, but then I started to notice fans making amazing One Direction edits, writing beautifully and emotionally about the band and how it made them feel, plus it was my first introduction to fan fiction and fan art. I’d never really thought much about what it meant to be a boyband fan, other than the screaming and singing along, so this really opened my eyes to all the positive and creative things that fans were involved with and made me think more about fandom communities.
2. What former boy banders have you been able to talk to in your journey filming the documentary so far? Is there anybody that you wish you could talk to?
We were so lucky to speak to Scott Robinson and Abz Love from 5ive and Justin Thorne who was in NLT and One Call. But our focus has really been on the fans. Of course in a dream world we would sit down with Harry Styes, Nick Carter and Paul McCartney and talk to them about their favourite fan experiences. 🙂
3. Out of your research so far and knowing how passionate boy band fangirls can be, who do you think is the most hardcore so far? The older fans dating back to The Beatles, middle aged fans loving NKOTB and Backstreet Boys, or the younger girls who loved the Jonas Brothers or One Direction?
There isn’t one fandom that stands out to me as the most hardcore, that’s what is so fascinating about this documentary. Because we look at fans across the generations it’s really interesting to explore what being a fan means to you at different stages of your life. Some fans grow out of it, some keep it forever. Also the way that you were a fan is different in each generation, I mean you couldn’t send a tweet to John Lennon if you were a Beatles fan in 1965.
4. What has your ultimate fan girl experience been so far in your life or in this journey filming the documentary?
We’ve had a lot of fun making this film. I’ve been to lots of shows and met wonderful girls and women and have loved speaking to experts as we try to analyse and understand this phenomenon. I’ve done some interviews where I’ve been sitting on the edge of my chair because I’ve been so excited about what I’m learning! But the actual highlight for me has been the relationships I have developed with some of the main fans who feature in the film. Some of them I have known now for three years. I’ve seen them grow up and graduate high school, or change jobs and move cities. It’s such a privilege to be welcomed into peoples lives in this way.
5. How much more do you have to film until the documentary is finished?
The film is almost entirely all shot, we have 100s of hours of amazing footage. But we still have the biggest part of the project to go – and that’s the editing and post production. Rita (the producer) and I have been self funding most of this project. We have worked unpaid on it for three years because we believe in this film and know that it will be great. But now, going into post production, we need to be able to pay crew to help us and that’s why we have turned to Kickstarter and the fangirl community to help us finish the film. If each reader of this blog visited the Kickstarter page and pre-ordered their copy of the film that would be brilliant! Let’s prove that being a fangirl is fun, important and worthy of respect.
