4th day of filming - 01/11/12

Today, Campbell and I filmed the Bouncing Betty scene, the re-film of the shed/window scene, and the zombie run scene. It was important that we filmed the window scene today as we had already had one attempt and we were running out of time. Likewise we probably weren’t going to have another opportunity to film the Bouncing Betty scene and light was a crucial factor. Campbell and I agreed that anything we didn't film today would be discarded and something would have to fill its place.

Bouncing Betty scene
We met up fairly early in the morning so that there was good light in order to see the bouncing Betty. If it was too dark, it would have been difficult to see the Bouncing Betty rise up above the zombie. In order to construct this scene, we used an old CD rack and wrapped it up in black tape - this was the mine. Campbell then brought along some string so that we could pull the mine up when Campbell stepped on it. This worked by hanging the string over a tree branch with the other end attached to the Bouncing Betty. When Campbell stepped on it, I pulled the string and the Bouncing Betty would be suspended. Around 10 minutes into filming, I had an idea that we could pan around Campbell so that it looked dramatic and unique. I got inspiration from films where everything freezes and the camera pans around the action in high definition. It worked well as we reviewed the footage and agreed that when sped-up, it would look effective. In terms of the explosion of the Bouncing Betty, this is something that I will construct in Final Cut Pro X as this would be far easier than doing it real-time.

Window scene
Campbell and I then walked to Easby Abbey so that we could film the zombie run scene. In our plan, we would both be wearing SAS outfits with weapons and grenades. This is why I brought along a massive bag with all the gear as we wanted to look as realistic as possible. Campbell's brother acted as the zombie here, and we made sure that the camera was level and still by using the tri-pod. We decided not to use any makeup on Campbell's brother because only his back would be showing, and he would be on screen for a long enough amount of time. This scene took a few attempts as throwing the canister was difficult to get right. We also had the problem of shadows as the camera was visible in almost every angle. However after multiple attempts, we finished and were very happy with what we had filmed. Campbell's brother then went home, and we moved onto the window scene.


Window scene
This time round, Campbell brought latex spray and blood so that we could rip holes in his skin. We bought this from Party Poopers in Richmond, along with the fake blood and teeth. We had to find the right spot in Easby Abbey as we didn’t want people walking through our set - this happened occasionally and we had to stop filming for a while. We also made sure that the window that we were using had a good depth as this would allow for one of the soldiers to reach through it and trigger the zombies face. First, we filmed ourselves looking at the iPad for a map that we were going to use to eliminate the opposition. We then both huddled up to the wall, however we then stopped filming and Campbell went behind the window. This was a clever idea as it made it look like Campbell was still standing next to me. I then gave Campbell the thumbs up to stick his head round. This only took around 2 attempts as we knew what we were doing due to having the script and the action plan. After about an hour, we finished filming for the day and prepared for the next few scenes.