SFX Zombie Graveyard Projections

            For my next project in special effects is a short featuring zombies rising from the grave. I can either use clips of graveyards supplied by my professor or collect clips for myself on my own time. I think I’ll do a mix of both. For a while now I’ve thought of making a zombie music video short using the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. While their official music video is cool, I just could never understand how the lyrics translate into a dog/cock-fighting ring with puppets–or should the term be sockfighting? I digress. Nevertheless, whenever I listen to it, I just think of this scenario involving a zombie apocalypse and I think this assignment will give me the opportunity to produce it. This is partly the reason why I would use clips supplied by the class and some of my own.

            My story involves a girl visiting a graveyard carrying books on dark magic. She is going to attempt to resurrect a lover of hers, who unfortunately died an untimely death. The spell worked . . . a bit too well. And the result is a mass of zombies rising from the grave to wreak havoc and unleash a zombie apocolypse. 

            Before I begin this project, I think I should dwell on the potential pitfalls I would have in making it. First, in the past I’ve had this pattern, this tendency to think up high-concept projects and failing to deliver when the due date arrived. I partly attribute this to my congested schedule and choking on other assignments due around the same time. Completing this project will probably be no different because in the next few weeks my schedule is going to be very tight.

            If I were, however, able to get started on my project, this is what I should consider. I need to find a working camera. I’m not sure if my school’s library now has them available on loan, especially after my attempt from my first video project for music video class. Nevertheless, I need a camera and actors to film the parts storyboarded as well as the actions depicting typical zombies rising from the grave. Finding actors should be tricky, as I’ve never garnered a large circle of friends. I wonder, however, if the friends I do have could introduce me to their other friends that might interested. I’ll see how well this plan turns out.

            Next is scheduling when shooting dates. Like I have mentioned, my schedule is tight for the next few weeks, and I’m sure some of the actors are in similar situations in addition to having jobs. In order to effectively film, we have to schedule proper meeting times.

            Part of the project is utilizing Adobe After Effects to implement certain effects into the short. Including but not limited to rack effects, turning night into day, flashlight effects, figures rising from the ground, masking, type floating into space, and green screen/rotoscoping. Half of these I know how to do well such as masking and potentially turning day into night and flashlight. Some skills I still need to learn such as green screen and making a figure rise from the ground. And some skills that I’ve started to learn but unsure that I’ve attained mastery over, namely rack effects. 

            However, in the event that this project is too complex for me to complete on time or I’ve just bitten more than I can chew; I could just forgo the narrative aspect completely. The second page of storyboards are just vague ideas based on the supplied clips, I could easily start there instead of having to work from scratch.