Day 3 of Four

Biggest day and biggest sh!t show ever! 80 plus people on set. Musicians showed up four hours late and they were required for most of our shots. Food ran out. Paramedics arrived because someone on set went into an epileptic seizure. Turns out it was due to fatigue and low blood sugar levels. She is fine and I just talked to her. I must tell you there were times today that I felt like throwing an epileptic fit myself because it seemed that we would not get our day due to our late start.

After everything was said and done we powered through the rest of the schedule and completed a bunch of gore shots and an elaborate action scene. We even finished our day with a few extra shots! We also had a specialist rig up a squib pack on one of the zombies and he was “shot” with a shot gun. It was my friends life long dream to assist with rigging something like that and he was in awe when it went down.

This is were the moral side of things come into play however. If someone is having a seizure and is in your shot, do you ask the paramedics to wheel them slightly out of the way to continue shooting? We didn’t, but the person in the seizure was joking about it when I talked to her.

Almost through! There is light at the end of the tunnel! It can only get better from here on right?

George Somerwill

Hello,

Today was a solid start. Not too many crew members though, and some had to pull double duty such as grip/ boom op and the ever important 1st AD/ Caterer, but the scene set ups only focused on a few of the main characters standing still. This is not to say we didn’t get any exciting shots. There was one that I am particularly pleased about. It blows my mind, it was so graceful.

So far, it seems everything is coming together. We feel tired but confident about what we have so far. Tomorrow will be the next test as we have about thirty extras coming out to join us on the production!

All in all, we got our day and knocked off a few extra shots as well. Lets hope this immaculate weather holds up for the next four days of production.

George Somerwill

Hey!

It’s been a long journey, and I bartered my pants away for a few pesos to get back to Vancouver, but our location is officially locked. Remote enough to get good sound and stage a good zombie attack, and close enough to be accessible by transit. Bathrooms and running water help too.

Speaking of pants, I stopped in on my talented prop master Kathleen H, where I managed to sculpt some new ones out of paper mache with the leftovers she used to make fake instruments.

The police have been disturbingly (luckily) laid back about allowing us to run riot with a double barrel shotgun in a public park. They say as long as we phone in and let them know where we are and what we’re doing with the gun, it shouldn’t be a problem. This means any 911 calls they get regarding a priest with a shotgun killing zombies they’ll just shrug off and file under “crazy”. I foresee tons of fun.

We are officially one week away til day one of four! Still lots to do! Check back soon and sign up to be an extra.

George Somerwill

Casting went so much better today! I take my rant from yesterday back. 90 percent of the actors that turned out were amazing in their own right. Great emotions. Great delivery. Great zombies! Now I just need to call some of the actors back in and see how their chemistry works together.

It’s a long process, but focusing on and being picky about your actors in auditions really pays off in the long run. I’m ecstatic about today. Everyone had a blast, and actors are coming together well.

George Somerwill

Hello!

Just going into a second week of casting and to tell you the truth, I am impressed with the caliber of actors coming to try out. The younger ones seem more natural, while the older ones…well, we’ll make something work. Oh and if you come to a zombie film audition, make sure you can act like a zombie.

Finding older seasoned actors on the cheap is tough! This is where a Canada Council grant (bags of cash) would come in handy to entice Bruce Greenwood or Mary Walsh (with bags of cash) to join our zombie cause! But they too are probably hardcore hollywood by now. The two most Canadian icons in the pantheon of cinematic Canadiana, and even they are kickin it pool-side in California with a gin n juice in one hand and a burning Canadian flag in the other. I hope you have some minor medical scare and then need to have a check up, so you do that, but then you realize this is not Canada, but it’s too late because you have already spent 10 000 dollars on a check up. They tell you to eat more greens, give you the all clear and send you on your way. I don’t think the Canada Council even likes zombie movies.

We’ll see how casting goes tomorrow!

George Somerwill

Hello, this is the birth of hellofawedding.com! Through this website you can check up on the development process of the short zombie film, Hell of a Wedding! We will put up all sorts of pictures and regale you with tales of creating the film. We are currently in preproduction and are wheeling and dealing our way towards the film shoot dates of August 28-31.

Live on!

George Somerwill