[Old Tom]

Folks,

Nothing has been decided as of yet.

I personally don't mind the location, it's a lot of time to discuss the plot. So far we haven't even decided whether the zombies are the fast zombies, or rather the slow "Romero" ones. I got a decent amount of stuff to read through from ScumLord and we have to see if we have at least a similar approach to the idea and how easily we can compromise, etc.

I am awaiting feedback from ScumLord regarding the initial setup and organisation of, let's call it, "a virtual, shared office" and bringing the project to the very beginning of it's life.

If we have to make something, it has to be well planned and perfectly organised. I really, really wouldn't like the idea to die in the next few days or weeks.

Personally - if it goes ahead, I hope to have great time working with you on making this video. So fingers crossed and let's hope that all goes well.

[Doc Ruby]

Here's a Galway short that got funded on fundit, just some food for thought...

http://www.fundit.ie/project/who-nee...letion-funding

an oul sitewide announcement and who can say? If we can capture the feel from a few seconds of footage like at the very start of this where the guy lights up



Pure class. Thats if anyone wants to even get money involved, I dunno.

[Old Tom]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Here's a Galway short that got funded on fundit,

Nice, shiny special effects work, really pro if you ask me - but that's all about it.

Red eyed zombies...? Come on. Unless they are feckin terminators.
The film itself may be quite pleasant too look at, but is not a bit scary. Looks like tens of other new generation zombie films - a show for the teenage vampire lovers. No comments on game characters, the whole idea deserves no more than just a facepalm in my opinion.

Too much fantasy and computer effects, but lack of the atmosphere, sweat, fear, the feeling that makes you look through the window to make sure nothing's there...

My idea is to make something very heavy, very dark, very scary and memorable. Something that makes people feel uncomfortable... I am not about extreme gore and tons of fake blood, no. Instead of making a computer show, I'd rather invest in creepy lights, scenery, sounds...

Well, we'll see. I have a few ideas but I would like to hear from ScumLord first.

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by Old Tom

Red eyed zombies...? Come on. Unless they are feckin terminators.
The film itself may be quite pleasant too look at, but is not a bit scary. Looks like tens of other new generation zombie films - a show for the teenage vampire lovers. No comments on game characters, the whole idea deserves no more than just a facepalm in my opinion.

Sorry you misunderstand, the kind of western gothic sepia feel in the first few seconds and the callous ruggedness of the last few seconds are about all I was referring to. I like that lived-in atmospheric feel. Edit: also the galway short isn't that movie, click the fundit link.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

My idea is to make something very heavy, very dark, very scary and memorable. Something that makes people feel uncomfortable... I am not about extreme gore and tons of fake blood, no. Instead of making a computer show, I'd rather invest in creepy lights, scenery, sounds...

Sounds great, the trick will be to avoid the "everyone turns on one another" psych at the same time. Done to death and reanimation to be honest.

[Old Tom]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Sorry you misunderstand, the kind of western gothic sepia feel in the first few seconds and the callous ruggedness of the last few seconds are about all I was referring to. I like that lived-in atmospheric feel.

Ah yeah. I misunderstood.

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Sounds great, the trick will be to avoid the "everyone turns on one another" psych at the same time. Done to death and reanimation to be honest.

Now this is it.

I find scary whatever appears to be real. If something looks real enough, it's scary. My idea is to use our daily environment, places that people find safe. We could make them safe no more

Gunshots, action, a little army walking along the road shooting everything with automatic guns with limitless ammo? Meh.
Saving survivors? Meh, done billions times.

A black&white footage, a blurred figure in the dusk, slowly walking into the forest dragging in complete silence a shape that reminds a human body? Yes... This is more of my thing.

[Doc Ruby]

Being honest, although its probably not a popular notion, the zombies in Rec and Rec2 were terrifying, vicious and malicious in equal quantity. It was like a cross between the Exorcist and Dawn of the Dead. And really if the only excuse for not liking it is Science, we're talking about the walking dead here. Science Says No right from the start, there's no combination of social situations and biological vectors that would cause a zombie apocalypse in nature or indeed in bioweapons development.

Just my opinion of course, I'm not pushed one way or the other.

To go a bit meta, if the survivors assumed the zeds were like the movies at first (ever notice nobody in zombie movies has ever seen or heard of a zombie movie?) before the horrifying realisation that they were more like Rec, that opens a lot of avenues, changing zombies from a passive background to active enemies.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

A black&white footage, a blurred figure in the dusk, slowly walking into the forest dragging in complete silence a shape that reminds a human body? Yes... This is more of my thing.

That right there, sex.

[Old Tom]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Being honest, although its probably not a popular notion, the zombies in Rec and Rec2 were terrifying

Agree..

I also hate when people try reinventing zombies. Add red-glowing eyes, super powers like running on the ceilings, etc. I personally find it tragic that today's zombie films are made by people who have no idea what zombie is or what is vampire, etc. They are in 99% an utter pile of crap.

I like the unusual and at the same time very classic things.

I don't like teams, I rather prefer lone survivors as it would most likely happen in the real world.

I don't like too many guns, very few people have actually access to firearms. Unless someone finds an old Glock in the abandoned Garda station, there is very little chance to see a group of 5 (all obviously great looking, fit and super cool ) spreading a rain of bullets all over the place. What actually most of us would do? Feck all to be honest. Grab a metal pipe or an axe from the shed in most cases, crying loud and trying to hide.

I also don't think that the explanation where the disease comes from is necessary. Seriously though, what for and who really cares? It's not Zombie Survival Guide and lecture about the Solanum virus.
It's only an argument that we give to people who want to find weak points in the plot. Have you watched/read "The Road"? Excellent film, an absolute masterpiece. Did they explain what caused the disaster? No, and it's even better this way, as viewers can use their own imagination.

Ah, there are so many more little things

I find this one real quality...

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

That right there, sex.

Laughed

[ScumLord]

Originally Posted by Tzar Chasm

Does it have to be a Dublin based project tho,

It would probably be easier if we did stay out of the city. You'd have more control over your environment in a countryside setting.

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by Old Tom

I also hate when people try reinventing zombies. Add red-glowing eyes, super powers like running on the ceilings, etc. I personally find it tragic that today's zombie films are made by people who have no idea what zombie is or what is vampire, etc. They are in 99% an utter pile of crap.

I have to admit, the resident evil drilling through the foundations zombies kinda lost me. I'd settle on sort of low-grade Deliverance style psychotic redneck zombies, with a dull but vicious cunning, and occasional bursts of really active nastiness like cutting power lines or secreting themselves in the trunk of a car. Also lots of opportunities there for a bit of dark humour.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

I don't like teams, I rather prefer lone survivors as it would most likely happen in the real world.

Bit risky to hang the whole thing on one character though.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

I don't like too many guns, very few people have actually access to firearms. Unless someone finds an old Glock in the abandoned Garda station, there is very little chance to see a group of 5 (all obviously great looking, fit and super cool ) spreading a rain of bullets all over the place.

As mentioned earlier, PC or not, travellers would likely be the ones with the guns. Snatch dealt with that pretty well, but in something like this I'd imagine them to be more agents of convenience than the puppetmasters they were made out to be in that movie.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

What actually most of us would do? Feck all to be honest. Grab a metal pipe or an axe from the shed in most cases, crying loud and trying to hide.

Some of us have already picked out the boglands we're going to fade away into!

Originally Posted by Old Tom

Have you watched/read "The Road"? Excellent film, an absolute masterpiece. Did they explain what caused the disaster? No, and it's even better this way, as viewers can use their own imagination.

Keep them guessing alright. Some of the best stuff is where the mysteries are never explained, look what happened when the force turned into midichlorians in star wars for example. The force became the farce.

[Old Tom]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

I have to admit, the resident evil drilling through the foundations zombies kinda lost me. I'd settle on sort of low-grade Deliverance style psychotic redneck zombies, with a dull but vicious cunning, and occasional bursts of really active nastiness like cutting power lines or secreting themselves in the trunk of a car. Also lots of opportunities there for a bit of dark humour.

Romero zombies are best. There is a lot of fear in their slow, but unstoppable, twitchy moves. Watched the Night from 1968 last night - still scary!

Humour? Not a slightest chance. Comedies are for humour, zombies are pure fear and apocalypse scenario. Mixing the two makes both look sh1t. And no, I don't get "fantastic" films like Zombieland. Can't be afraid, can't really laugh. Meh.

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Bit risky to hang the whole thing on one character though.

Well, how about 3 (2,4) separate stories about 3 different people in 3 different locations and circumstances who find themselves in the middle of the zombie outbreak? All 3 stories in the 20 minutes footage. Lots of variety, lots of action (not the "shoot everything" one of course) - can't get bored! Lets make it a bit unpredictable. Each character will be acting a different way, they won't be helping anyone and they are all gonna die.. Or maybe not? There is plenty of room for ideas

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Some of us have already picked out the boglands we're going to fade away into!

But the trick is that the 99% haven't

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Keep them guessing alright. Some of the best stuff is where the mysteries are never explained, look what happened when the force turned into midichlorians in star wars for example. The force became the farce.

In my opinion we would also need to decide what each one of us finds most scary (whether it's walking dead, the collapse of society, feeling of constant danger, etc) and try to pick the common bits, then apply them to the story or use for building the zombie world.

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by Old Tom

Romero zombies are best. There is a lot of fear in their slow, but unstoppable, twitchy moves. Watched the Night from 1968 last night - still scary!

Humour? Not a slightest chance. Comedies are for humour, zombies are pure fear and apocalypse scenario. Mixing the two makes both look sh1t. And no, I don't get "fantastic" films like Zombieland. Can't be afraid, can't really laugh. Meh.

Well there's humour and humour in it. I already mentioned the dark humour of Boy Eats Girl in the moped robbing incident, its not quite slapstick but it does raise a chuckle. Even truly bleak movies like La Horde had a few laughs in there, as when the old guy starts quipping about his tubby wife.

The big issue with a slow tomb herd, or even fast zombies is they are basically pack predators. People have successfully dealt with pack animals for hundreds of thousands of years, even before guns. Its hard to swallow that they could be a serious threat witout mitigating circumstances like a seriously mean attitude and a dash of intelligence, even if random.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

Well, how about 3 (2,4) separate stories about 3 different people in 3 different locations and circumstances who find themselves in the middle of the zombie outbreak? All 3 stories in the 20 minutes footage. Lots of variety, lots of action (not the "shoot everything" one of course) - can't get bored! Lets make it a bit unpredictable. Each character will be acting a different way, they won't be helping anyone and they are all gonna die.. Or maybe not? There is plenty of room for ideas

Hrm. For a feature I'd say yeah, but you won't get any empathy between the characters and the audience in a short if you're splitting it across three unconnected stories. Maybe it could work but you'll be falling back on stereotypes if you want an instant connection. The damsel in distress, the naif, the rugged hero.

Originally Posted by Old Tom

In my opinion we would also need to decide what each one of us finds most scary (whether it's walking dead, the collapse of society, feeling of constant danger, etc) and try to pick the common bits, then apply them to the story or use for building the zombie world.

Fear by committee! Its got potential.

[Old Tom]

Originally Posted by Doc Ruby

Hrm. For a feature I'd say yeah, but you won't get any empathy between the characters and the audience in a short if you're splitting it across three unconnected stories. Maybe it could work but you'll be falling back on stereotypes if you want an instant connection. The damsel in distress, the naif, the rugged hero.

I mean more like 12/14 year old boy, 30+ year old office worker and an old woman. The skill is to avoid any stereotypes, maybe to give them characters that wouldn't be "expected" (like the office worker doesn't have to be a dickhead or the boy can be really bad and cause death of his own family?), sure 3-4 heads could make this look really good! It's just a free idea that came to my head when I was on the Dart home from work

[Doc Ruby]

Originally Posted by Old Tom

I mean more like 12/14 year old boy, 30+ year old office worker and an old woman. The skill is to avoid any stereotypes, maybe to give them characters that wouldn't be "expected" (like the office worker doesn't have to be a dickhead or the boy can be really bad and cause death of his own family?), sure 3-4 heads could make this look really good! It's just a free idea that came to my head when I was on the Dart home from work

Its doable alright, just you have to make sure your plot and character development are mostly the same thing. Tricky but achievable, you don't want the audience fading out over three inexplicable randomers but at the same time you don't want to just be rehashing two dimensional stereotypes. I get the strong feeling there's a middle ground we're groping blindly towards.

[Peetrik]

Always thought the magizine fort in the pheno would make a cracking setting for a Zombie experience.

I'd be up for being an extra. For what its worth, I'm an athlete, in case you were looking for sprinter/28 days later type zombies.

[ScumLord]

A Dublin family fleeing the city and being ostracised by country folk afraid they're either gang members or infected would be a very likely scenario.