Zomblog.
A couple of days ago i was asked to do a set visit for a 'lower budget' zombie film (Exit Humanity) being shot a few hours north of me in the middle of nowhere - ski country. I wasn't able to go because my wife has been away for 3 weeks in work training so my life has been on hold - or the part of it that would result in me being able to leave the family for a few hours. So the filmmakers send a message - bring your boy - we'll make him a zombie extra.
Sold.
I keep my kid out of school on thursday (after they see the pics of him in makeup they'll surely believe he was too sick to attend classes) and off we go on a 3 hour drive leaving the civilized world far behind.
After a long but scenic journey we find ourselves at a farmhouse with a crew just starting to set up, slogging through mud. The first thing we see stepping out of the car is a small barn cat walking past with a doomed mole in his mouth which it proceeded to torture before killing and eating it. We're there for 2 seconds and already we see carnage.
we get a tour of the place, get the lay of the land, meet and chat with the FX guys and generally try to stay out of the way until its time for kiddo's transformation. By all the grimacing he's doing its plain to see that he's not too keen on it to say the least but he was a trooper and sticks with it until he's been changed into this little ghoul with his face half bitten off in what would have been the best halloween outfit ever a week earlier. He could have scared people into throwing the deeds of their houses into his loot bag.
After they finished him they eyeballed me. Apparently only 4 zombies showed up and they needed more. So i volunteered and took my turn in the chair making every tortured face my kid did a few moments earlier.
So there we are .. father and son zombies.... and the wait begins.
Between the process of makeup and the business of waiting you quickly begin to appreciate what movie extras go through. They chat among themselves (which is funny in itself given how we all looked) play cards, watch movies, diddle with their i-phones... anything to while away the time and try to forget the freezing temperatures until needed on the set.
Sadly my son and i had to leave before the zombies were needed. Bill Moseley, one of the principle actors, was leaving production after that night so they needed to get all of his coverage first - understandably a top priority. Given my son had to be in school the next day,and the long drive home in front of us ... and the fact that he's 10, tired, hungry, and just about to completely lose it (after a very valliant 11 hour run) it was time to head home. So we dont get the bragging rights that would have come with seeing ourselves in our first ever movie appearances - but it was still a great time - i made new contacts and met a lot of cool people.
Oh - and got a 20 minute interview with Mr Moseley - an incredibly nice and down to earth guy - so much so that you get a whole new appreciation for this guys acting chops as he couldn't possibly be any more opposite in nature to the characters he's constantly portraying.
Anyway - an adventure like this just isnt complete without some visuals so - here he is .. my own zombie kid
(had we gone before the cam, teeth and hair makeup would have been added to complete the effect).
A couple of days ago i was asked to do a set visit for a 'lower budget' zombie film (Exit Humanity) being shot a few hours north of me in the middle of nowhere - ski country. I wasn't able to go because my wife has been away for 3 weeks in work training so my life has been on hold - or the part of it that would result in me being able to leave the family for a few hours. So the filmmakers send a message - bring your boy - we'll make him a zombie extra.
Sold.
I keep my kid out of school on thursday (after they see the pics of him in makeup they'll surely believe he was too sick to attend classes) and off we go on a 3 hour drive leaving the civilized world far behind.
After a long but scenic journey we find ourselves at a farmhouse with a crew just starting to set up, slogging through mud. The first thing we see stepping out of the car is a small barn cat walking past with a doomed mole in his mouth which it proceeded to torture before killing and eating it. We're there for 2 seconds and already we see carnage.
we get a tour of the place, get the lay of the land, meet and chat with the FX guys and generally try to stay out of the way until its time for kiddo's transformation. By all the grimacing he's doing its plain to see that he's not too keen on it to say the least but he was a trooper and sticks with it until he's been changed into this little ghoul with his face half bitten off in what would have been the best halloween outfit ever a week earlier. He could have scared people into throwing the deeds of their houses into his loot bag.
After they finished him they eyeballed me. Apparently only 4 zombies showed up and they needed more. So i volunteered and took my turn in the chair making every tortured face my kid did a few moments earlier.
So there we are .. father and son zombies.... and the wait begins.
Between the process of makeup and the business of waiting you quickly begin to appreciate what movie extras go through. They chat among themselves (which is funny in itself given how we all looked) play cards, watch movies, diddle with their i-phones... anything to while away the time and try to forget the freezing temperatures until needed on the set.
Sadly my son and i had to leave before the zombies were needed. Bill Moseley, one of the principle actors, was leaving production after that night so they needed to get all of his coverage first - understandably a top priority. Given my son had to be in school the next day,and the long drive home in front of us ... and the fact that he's 10, tired, hungry, and just about to completely lose it (after a very valliant 11 hour run) it was time to head home. So we dont get the bragging rights that would have come with seeing ourselves in our first ever movie appearances - but it was still a great time - i made new contacts and met a lot of cool people.
Oh - and got a 20 minute interview with Mr Moseley - an incredibly nice and down to earth guy - so much so that you get a whole new appreciation for this guys acting chops as he couldn't possibly be any more opposite in nature to the characters he's constantly portraying.
Anyway - an adventure like this just isnt complete without some visuals so - here he is .. my own zombie kid
(had we gone before the cam, teeth and hair makeup would have been added to complete the effect).
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And I had a wicked awesome visit with the supercute Kyley the day before! wweeeoooo