Rod Durick Teaches You How to Bring the Dead to Life in Filming the Undead
Steve Barton
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If there is any subject closer to a young horror filmmaker’s heart than zombies, we don’t know what it is. Most every horror director has touched on zombies in some way, and it remains a favorite subject to this day for aspiring filmmakers. Trust us; we see a lot of stuff come in for zombie films.
But how to make yours different? Or even get it made at all? Sure, you love horror and have a soft spot for the walking dead – but how do you get your idea in front of a camera and, eventually, in front of an audience?
Rod Durick is here to help.
Published by Barron’s Educational Series (and available September 1st), Rod Durick (of Zombified Studios in Buffalo, New York) has written the instructional filmmaking book Filming the Undead: How to Make Your Own Zombie Movie. Durick promises that he will school you aspiring filmmakers in the entire process of bringing the walking dead to life: development, creation and producing.
From the Press Release:
Rod Durick has carved out a career for himself as one of the leading special make-up effects artists in Buffalo, which has an active independent horror film production scene. He served as the special make-up effects supervisor on Greg Lamberson’s Slime City Massacre and DefTone Pictures Studios’ recent indie zombie film The Final Night and Day. He also produced Jay Mager’s The Pigman and Born to Die and recently directed his first short, A Change of Plans, as part of the 48-Hour Film Festival.
“When Barron’s contacted me about writing the book, a few thoughts raced through my mind,” says Durick. “First, ‘Jesus, 40,000 words is a lot.’ Second, ‘This might be a good thing for all of us locally, as well as a useful tool for those looking to get in to the fast paced world of no budget zombie film making.’ I contacted many of the players in the local film community and grilled them on ‘how they do it,’ I got pictures from other effects artists, and I got overwhelming support from everyone while I was writing the book.”
In the book Durick covers all facets of film production from concept and development through production, post-production, and marketing. “I’ve been involved in a lot of independent movies with small or non-existent budgets. I’ve seen firsthand the mistakes that were made and have been guilty of many of them myself. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work; I’ve picked up tips and techniques that seem like common sense after the fact. I put all of that into this book.”
Durick cut his teeth on the low-budget circuit so you can be sure he will be getting to the nitty-gritty of what it takes to get your film made.
Filming the Undead: How to Make Your Own Zombie Movie is heavily illustrated and features sample storyboards, screenplay pages, and make-up tutorials. Durick will be a guest at the Horror Realm horror convention in Pittsburgh from September 16th–18th, where the book will have its official launch.
You can learn more about Rod and his work at the official Zombified Studios website.
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