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Monday saw us bring the group together for a script read through. George and Charlie have run through the music with the cast, and they began learning them (I've been very impressed with how quickly the cast have picked up the songs, especially with three cast-members having to focus on their showcase this week). This script read through has quickly allowed everybody to be on the same page regarding the content of the film.

I created different production groups, then handed them a brief, giving them tasks to make a start on. I spent some time discussing the logistics of the film with the Camera and Editing department. I broke down my first draft of the shotlist with our DOP, David Gitobu. We sourced lists for props, makeup, etc.

I went away with the actors later and started rehearsing songs. These songs need to be complete by the end of the holiday. I also went through some characterisation notes, and started blocking scenes with actors.

By the end of this day, people had made a strong start to their individual tasks. They also had a complete idea of what the film would look like.

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I brought in all available actors for another round of rehearsals, we focused on songs we intend to record by the end of the week. They have progressed quickly and know the songs well now. I noticed a lack of energy in the room, so I worked on trying to bring that energy up. These songs require the cast to really go for it. I went through some important characterisation notes with them.

I talked with Libbigail about costume and the intended outcomes for each character, while also focusing on feasibility and seeing what items we can source from within the group.

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Myself, David Gitobu and Georgia Davis booked out the camera equipment we intend to use, we spent a few hours experimenting with what lenses we'd like to use and familiarising ourselves with the setup.

I later rehearsed with all available actors. John-Michael Kerford, Ronan Kemp and Georgia Nash were all able to record their songs today, I worked with them beforehand to prep them for the recording session later.

I had a brief meeting with Jamie Harper, for Locations, his work has been excellent. However, there is still much to do.

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I worked more with actors, now that some songs are recorded it has been more about creating a comfort and energy within the cast towards the music.

I had a meeting with Alex Haggart from our Lighting Department, where I broke down his equipment list and went over my expectations from lighting on this shoot.

I started creating a shooting schedule, and worked with Charlie Lewin to source a new location for our 'Zombella concert'. We will now be using Maxwell Hall, I passed this info to Jamie Harper.

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Started the day by dropping by the recording studio to see what Evan Dottridge and Alex Buttner had been up to. I'd asked them to create some zombie sound effects our editors could use for the film. They had created some alternatives for ripping flesh and braking bones, I gave them some feedback.

We were able to get the full cast together for a full breakdown of the script, I'm happy with the speed at which progress is being made. Mia Aspinall was able to record her vocals today.

I had a meeting with Costume and Makeup to talk about what work would need to be done over the holiday period. We are all very clear on what needs to happen now:)

I also had a meeting with Jamie Harper for Locations, we managed to secure two more locations (Now three) and have been able to put together the beginnings of a shooting schedule with Alisha Asanova.

We had a full group meeting before the end of term, we went through everybody's jobs so they are clear on what needs doing over the holiday/when we return.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O1yjbe9eO7mKqlg-sTtXAw0GKLZF1vi-/view?usp=sharing

Here is my copy of the script, with notes from the shoot:)

Over the holiday, myself and our Production Co-Ordinator, Alisha Asanova, have finally been able to put together a shooting schedule.

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After the holidays, all songs had been recorded and this has enabled me to finally complete an amended version to the Shotlist.

I have decided not to storyboard, because of time restrictions, however, I also believe I work better from a shotlist

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What's New!
- The Magical Fruit (From the Simpsons)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbKzaL7RYN4

Run
- I Wish That I Could Wear Hats, Brian David Gilbert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmFGbBmlyKQ&list=PLd7AZkWcCddvHSIFyDjRmPKnYqJ19Hl9N&index=2
- Zombie, Orla Gartland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpZv3BV1jxE

Unsafe Safehouse:
- Madhouse, Matt Maltese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2bZCf7okr0
- Hallway Fight, (From Daredevil)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaXXoTfPqUo

I'm Gonna Get Ya
- I Wanna be Your Dog, (From Cruella)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHGu1wUvUMQ
- Dark Necessities, Red Hot Chilli Peppers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0oIoR9mLwc

Bitten
- We Love Each Other So Much, (From Annette)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ8Jiy8kqVM
- If You're Not The One, Daniel Bedingfield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nevGNYTkA
- We Need To Talk, Matt Maltese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaJz4NqVepI

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Matt Maltese - We Need To Talk [Official Video]

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Today we travelled to media city to use the news studio, this was to shoot the opening scene of the film, Tim T. Thompson's news broadcast. We were only allowed a small number of crew on set due to the studios' regulations, so we brought a smaller but essential crew.

We managed to shoot everything on the cameras in the building, coordinate with the tech team there to give us sound and lighting too. Overall, today we wrapped early and I'm happy with the results.

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For today I scheduled a relatively simple shoot, Scene 7. This is a short flashback sequence, it's barely a page long and I believe it was a good way to reintroduce the cast and crew back to this week of shooting. Due to the time we could use the 5th floor New Adelphi Kitchen (from 5pm onwards), we had a late start to the day but it meant that everyone could be there on time and we could spend the rest of the day accumulating equipment.

We used the time earlier in the day to do a costume fitting, inviting every actor in to try out their costume. I'm very happy with the Libbigail's work, every character seems to pop. The costumes are doing a lot for characterisation, and the actors seem comfortable wearing them.

We completed the scheduled filming with time to spare and we were able to capture some b-roll for the editors to play around with. Overall, a successful first day.

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I purchased a heart shaped light for the shoot. My plan was to give both Martha and Arthur a heart in their eye when they first saw each other. However, in practice, it failed to show up properly on camera, so instead we positioned the microwave to show the light instead. We managed to time it perfectly for when James walks into the room. It adds to the heightened, romanticised, rose tinted view of this memory.

I was inspired by this moment in Punch Drunk Love (2002)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grJBl365FjY

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Setting up a track and dolly to get motion in the shots 

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We completed shooting Scene 22 today, it's by far the longest scene in the film.

However, we ran into some issues... Due to the James and Tierney not being available in Manchester at the same time, we hadn't had an opportunity to choreograph much of this final song. So I'd created a basic plan in my Shotlist that wouldn't be too complicated to perform on the day.

But once we came into the space, it was clear that this choreography wasn't working for the actors. So we had to improvise new blocking on the day, and I had to work with David Gitobu to ensure that the cinematography was getting enough coverage of the scene.

Reworking the entire scene as we were shooting was not ideal, it meant we were in the space for just under half an hour longer than we should've been. I believe it will have a detrimental impact on the scene as a whole, so in future I will ensure that I have ample rehearsal time with my actors for key scenes.

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A since deleted shot, but nonetheless shows the level of fan fare we were going for in this sequence

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Today we shot half of 'I'm Gonna Get Ya', Zombella's solo song. This takes place during scenes 19 and 20.

When I first heard the song, I immediately recognised the Punk elements to Zombella's characterisation. In fact, the first thing I asked our costume designer, Libbigail Evans, to look at for inspiration was Cruella (2021). So when reading the script, I thought we could enhance the scene by interpreting it as a rock concert. We would cut between Zombella's concert and her hunting Martha. It heightens the already ludicrous premise and fits in with my magical-realism concept.

We used Maxwell Hall as our location, and today we shot the concert half of this sequence. We gave two extras guitars, so she'd have a little band with her and she sang into a bone microphone. I worked with Hannah Porter and Mia Aspinall to choreograph the verses. I believe Mia gave an incredible performance today and I'm very happy with the footage.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9B5Z_1RJs

After running into issues on Wednesday, I took the time today to work with actors choreographing the sequences we would do next week. It cleared up confusion and I believe it will be beneficial to next week's shoot. You can see our early work above^

I also took the time in the morning to shoot scene 10, which was incredibly short (it's one shot lasting merely seconds), but we needed to get it out of the way. David Gitobu, Lucia Rodero Hernandez and Evan Dottridge came to my house. They applied makeup to our actor, Ben Smith and we had the time to get a few different versions of the scene.

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0:00 / 2:19•Watch full video

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Today we were able to wrap principle photography on the shoot. We went to Dukes Drive County Park to film scenes 4, 5, 9, 11 and 23.

We began by filming scene 4, as it was only a singular shot. It was an extreme wide shot, so there was difficulty waiting for the space to be cleared. We were able to capture the shot quickly but there was one big issue. One of our actors, Georgia Nash, tripped and hurt her ankle while running. I stopped the shoot for a moment, made sure she was able to sit down. I rearranged the shooting over the next hour to give Georgia some rest. Afterwards, she assured me that she was feeling better and we continued with the shoot.

I explored the location and found a variety of locations we could use for the character intros in 'Run'. These shots were easy to setup and for the actors to perform, we wrapped this part of the shoot very quickly.

Then we transferred our equipment to another location to film scenes 9 and 11. In the opening shot, there was a plank of wood the actors had to step over. However, Georgia, who had just recently hurt her ankle, was less confident stepping over it. So we blocked it with one small change, she would reach her arm out to Mia for support. This allowed Mia to help her over, while also providing some fantastic characterisation for Vicky and Brianne.

We also had the issue of filming a moving shot without a steadicam, but our DOP, David Gitobu, adapted well to the circumstances.

Once this was wrapped, we took the equipment back to the first location and filmed the very last shots of the film. Scene 23 is a post credits scene. So we had James and Tierney into zombie makeup as quickly as possible. We had to act fast to capture the golden hour light. However, there were some other happy accidents, like a perfectly placed mound of dirt. I placed James and Tierney there, it framed them nicely, but also gave this impression of the plants dying around them because their undead nature. The blossom also blew nicely through the wind that day, it added another nice quality to the scene. I told the actors to treat this as the most sincere moment in the film. For Mia, Georgia and Ronan, I told them to use emotion memory. Picture passed-away grandparents dancing in the field. I believe the results speak for themselves, the performances were very moving.

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dnzTkZI05nE

Today we spent a full day shooting scene 15, Unsafe Safehouse. This is the biggest number in the piece, and by far the most complicated to shoot.

We brought in 9 extras and had makeup and costume applied to them. We blacked out the windows, changed the lighting and layout of the space. Luke Harrison had purchased a number of props for us to use, which helped to create the space.

The choreography session from Friday helped to speed the shoot along. However, the biggest issues we faced were lighting and mistakes in choreography. It meant we had to do more resets than would've been ideal.

At the end of the shoot, we waited for it to get dark so we could film scene 16 with John-Michael Kerford. A smaller crew of four people was used. We finished within half an hour.

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Back

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As we wrapped principle photography yesterday, all that was left to do today was to film this above, a small titlecard. It's a lightbox I own, I covered it in blood and flickered the light.

Afterwards we returned camera equipment. The Editing process is about to begin!

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Today we filmed a lot.

I started the day filming the missing sections of scene 19 and 20, the song 'I'm gonna get ya'. We had Mia and two extras into makeup, and we setup an area to look like a street in the apocalypse. We took two cars, placed a smoke machine in one of them, added extras as dead bodies etc. The footage looks very strong.

We moved on to the moment that Zombella attacks Martha. I filmed this in slow motion, so we could emphasise the importance of the moment, while also giving our editors a chance to play around with footage.

John-Michael Kerford arrived and we shot scene 12 with Mia Aspinall. Both actors were then free to go home.

With the remaining cast, we shot scenes 18 and 21. With some small inserts of James Malam for scene 20. Finally, we set up inside the house and shot scene 17. We had a zombie extra put into makeup, placed a large spotlight outside to simulate the morning sun, and dressed the scene to look like the end of the house party.

We wrapped around 5 and I went off with George Benning, Hannah Porter, David Gitobu, Lucy Taylor and Charlie Lewin to discuss the plan for the next two days of shooting.

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Today we were able to finish our filming at Waterside Village.

We started the day by filming scenes 6 and 8. It was raining so we covered actors with umbrellas. The main issue with filming these scenes was co-ordinating the whip pans. We wrapped quickly on this scene.

We then filmed the opening and chorus of 'Run' (Scene 5). I set Lucy Taylor and Luke Harrison in charge of creating some kind of backdrop for the set design. After this had been setup we shot the sequence, there was a strong focus on set and we got through the scene very quickly.

Then we setup the front of the house ready for scene 13. This required a parked car, smoke machine, Safehouse sign and three extras. For Ronan Kemp's monologue by the door, we were able to use a macro lens, the footage looks good and it was interesting to use a new type of lens.

Finally we finished the day by shooting John-Michael Keford's final scene, after the house party. His clothes needed to be torn up so it had to be the final one we could shoot.

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I have been overseeing the edit over the past few weeks. I will make this one post as I don't believe the specifics will make for exhilarating reading. But I have been coming in nearly every day to see the edit come together.

Ben Smith and Leah O'Neill have been our editors. They are really strong editors and I'm very pleased with their work. We decided on two editors because we knew the workload for this film would be too large for just one editor to complete. We were right.

Leah focused on Data Wrangling, and edited the dialogue scenes. Ben edited the musical numbers (as he has experience editing music videos) and he put the whole film together.

There were a number of small issues we faced in the edit, most were easy to overcome. I ensured a lot of safety takes were captured on set, they have really helped in the editing process.

The main issue was pacing. We put the entire film on the timeline and it came to just under 30 minutes. I've had to arrange a meeting with Clare Neylon. We agreed to a 24 minute cut of the film as we believed that was the best way to ensure everybody's work is seen properly.

However, even with this longer cut some scenes have been removed. Scenes 23 and 14 were removed, as well as a large chunk of scene 18. However, it doesn't seem to affect the pacing too badly and the story can be comprehensively told and understood.

I am currently arranging a time with our editors to create a directors cut.

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David as the runner, Georgia as the zombie

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We needed a small piece of footage for the opening of the film, where a runner is seen, and is chased by a zombie. Our camera department, David Gitobu and Georgia Davis kindly volunteered to do the scene. We shot it one morning in Peel Park.

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Here is the full cast here, we arranged a little photoshoot while we still had the costumes. These posters will be used for promotion when we are (hopefully) able to take this to film festivals.

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We brought in the actors for an ADR day, however not a lot of audio needed replacing. I would attribute this to the fantastic work of Evan Dottridge as our sound recordist.

We had to record three small sections of dialogue and scene 14. This scene is a soundscape, so we needed all actors there to record.