Just had to cancel Day 15 due to an injury to a cast member – not on set i hasten to add. These kind of things are unavoidable and part of the game. It just got me thinking though – guerrilla film making is a serious test of persistence. No/Low budget film making tests your will power – have you the passion and the belief to continue what may? We’ve been shooting Zombie Undead for over a year now, a day here and there to fit peoples commitments. Is a serious demand on cast and crews time and a testament to their dedication. As Suzanne Alizart from Em-Media put it to me, paraphrasing Thomas Edison, film making is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.

Also its worth quoting Eliot Grove from Raindance who postulated in lo-to-no budget filmmaking that “a clear positive mental attitude .. and passion” were key requirements. Amen to that. With 3-4 days left to shoot we’re getting close, damn close. We’re gonna make it people.

On the eve of Day 13 I’m just waiting for the morning to see whether its snowing. All shots are indoors but have cast and crew coming from Cambridge and London. We’ve had the worst snow in 20 years here in Blighty and while other countries shake it off Britain comes to a standstill. If trains are off and grit doesn’t reach Cambridge villages then its going to be an early rise for nothing, and a lot of ringing round. The most frustrating thing is the amount of planning just one shooting day takes – postponement is damn hard to take. Fingers crossed for sun, sun, sun.

Here we go. Got a whole weekend booked for te 7th and 8th of February. Still at DMU and after this we have probably 2 days left at the University. Then we need a basement and for the final day we’re out in the open air. Hurrah!

This weekends shoot sees the end of several characters and a mass zombie scene. We’re getting there folks, we’re getting there.

I’m flying now, taking off on the editing suite. Started yesterday to edit circular tracking shots around six actors. This was my Reservoir Dogs diner moment. Man its tricky to edit but when it comes together, as it is now, its awesome. Just love the pace and urgency of the scene as the group decide who will stay and who will leave. I’m loving this, just loving it! Chew? Toby Chew? Charlie fucking Chan.

Heres the outstanding Joe as Morrissey Zombie. Being a serious Smiths fan i just had to get Mozza in the film somewhere. Even sacrificed my Meat Is Murder long sleeve tee. Now THATS dedication.

New Year, new round of planning. Oh yes, i have my producer hat on trying to arrange the next shooting dates. Looking at the script I’d say we have 4 more days at DMU. I need to source a basement for the day after this then its the final days shooting outdoors. Looking forward to that one. No lighting set ups. But maybe rain! Who knows. So as i sit and type i’m awaiting responses from cast and crew as to when we can next shoot. Really chomping at the bit here to get going again as the end is in sight. Also Kris is working on a new script which is panning out to be a real corker. This one is going to scare the hell out of you.

As Xmas and my MSC take over things go very quiet ……

Well, well, well – an interesting day this one to say the least. For starters we had two awesome signature zombies. First off was MORRISSEY ZOMBIE portrayed by my DMU co-student Joe. Nice one fella. secondly we had COCK ZOMBIE – which needs no explanation. James, a DMU drama student, stepped up to the plate and barred his buttocks and prosthetic member.

After a couple of pick ups we moved to a corridor scene which involved a cast member, Sandra taking a fall. Unfortunately after a couple of excellent trips she actually fell and hurt her knee. Have spoken to her since and she is OK – take care Sandra and you’ll be pleased to know your part is more sedate from now on.

The final scene of the day was FRANKS death. Really enjoyed this one as cast and crew chipped in ideas and his death scene became a collaborative blood fest. The days shoot ended for me with a trip to the toilet to be sick. After this joyful event i came back and we nailed the last shot. Packed up, went home and spent the evening in bed as sick as a dog,hence this is being posted the next day!

Cheers also to Viraj who did came in at late notice as a runner. Nice one.

Day 12 approaches. Over the half way point now and characters are beginning to die off…. Haven’t filmed for over a month so looking forward to this.

Behind the scenes work is being done to recover so audio. In a lift scene for the last days shoot we seemed to looses the audio to a very low level. Russell is working hard to get the sound to a reasonable level without it sounding like the lift is underwater. Here’s hoping we avoid those reshoots or ADR. It was a seriously bad feeling to potentially loose 3-4 minutes of footage so here’s hoping.

Ok – back on track with another days filming tentatively penned for the 16th. Having to shift some scenes around to compensate for some scheduling difficulties but its all good stuff. Need to schedule a day in december for the pick ups we need from last days shoot as well.