I couldn't exactly turn down the opportunity now, could I?
-The former food serving area.
For the shoot, Caley had booked access into the disused (and soon to be demolished) college canteen as it was likely one of the few places they could shoot in and make a mess that wouldn't cause an inconvenience.
-The former dining area (one of three), home to the survivors of the zombie outbreak.
Although, God only knows why we should have to clean up fake blood in a building that's gonna get demolished… seems rather redundant when everything else is pretty much a mess.
Upon arrival the production seemed to have some pretty good quality material to work with…
-Mmmm, gibbets
There was a nice selection of material for make up… and some pretty globby blood material…
…and decent quality (for a college of its size) camera equipment. No, the ‘cleaning in progress sign is not a prop from production… although in hindsight, they should’ve used it. And of course, pool cues… Shaun of the Dead, style!
Whilst on set two people arrived after me, one of which (Sydney) was a zombie participant) and she elected to go first into makeup.
The process for zombification was simple:
A fake store-bought would would be glued to the face using the included glues and the edges of the fake would hidden using wax. Once the wound had been stuck on a grey coat of paint was applied directly to the skin. Whilst the paint on the face was still damn, black was applied with makeup pens and smoothed into the grey to make darker regions for the eye sockets.
Finally, fake blood would be squirted into the fake would and allowed to drip and a light dabbing of fake blood would be added to the face to enhance the illusion of decomp.
During this time, a fake would was added to Luke's arm to act as a concealed zombie bite.
-“This? Mosquito bite, I swear those bastards in Cornwall are as big as robins”
As makeup on Sydney and Luke continued, shooting at the entrance to the old canteen commenced.
-The Crew, and the girl with the vision: Caley
And finally, it came to be succumbing to the zombie virus:
-“Dead, and loving it”
One of the props… the fake blood covered tissues added to the end of the fake foot to act as flesh that can be ripped off were actually a little unnerving… despite being utterly fake.
And a little after that, work began on our fourth victim… erm, actor, Christian.
Sydney's make up reaches completion.
Our third participant (and second to be made up), Katherine:
Nearing completion with Christian's transformation:
Nearing completion myself now, here you can see the clothes I didn't mind getting splattered covered in fake blood, and the original head wound that just wouldn't stay stuck to my temple:
-“Everyone kept asking, where was I… all I'd done was go out for a bite.”
Rob, displaying the results of a cheaply achieved, but impressively gruesome scene where he pokes out a zombie's eyeball. All achieved using fake blood and one of those garden pump-sprayers.
Lewis, the zombie who lost the eye amd also one of the make-up artists (incidentally, he did his own make up as time ran low close to the end):
-"Oh this? I just needed a hand with something…"
The gang: (Sadly, I didn't get her name… but she was manic, and really funny between takes), Christian and myself.
-“No! You're not meant to be chummy with her! You're meant to be eating her!”
Post filming, some slight deconstruction of the makeup but I thought the dried blood was woth showing just how nicely it worked out through the way it dried…
Let me tell you, it was pretty fun walking home still in makeup and costume (shooting ran a half hour late and the building services people wanted us out ASAP), whilst I got a number of looks from people, it was also amusing seeing how many pedestrians passed by without batting an eyelid.