Having (almost) finished the script we have started looking at the tone that the film should take. Are we in it for the humor? The gore? To make something shocking or outrageous or funky and stylish? In the midst of these on going negotiations about what we want and what is achievable our sound producer sent me this link for the trailer for Dead Island a yet to be released computer game.
The trailer itself seems to be causing quite a stir on the internet with comments from people about the sick nature of the content to questions of relevancy to the game.
The concept of an island of zombies takes the myth right back to its roots in Haiti, the book The Magic Island and films such as White Zombie, which was made in 1932 staring Bela Lugosi. This film is similarly set on an island which provides the backdrop for claustrophobia and terror.
However the content of the two stories do seem to differ greatly. White Zombie was a story about a young couple, she gets transformed into a zombie by a sex crazed European plantation owner while the boyfriend is left to battle with the one zombie and an evil sorcer. Meanwhile it looks as though Dead Island plays on fears of a family going on holiday to a remote island (which funnily enough my Mum and Dad did last month) and it turning out that the island is over run with zombies…not just the one but an arm of fellow holiday makers caught mid-joliies by some very nasty turn of events.
However, interestingly it is thought, by some, that the rise of popularity of the concept of the zombie in the early 30’s may have been connected with the powerlessness felt by the suffering that followed the Wall Street Crash in 1929 (I got this form a book I am reading called Book of the Dead by Jamie Russell FAB Press 2008). People were afraid of joining the zombie-like queues for food handouts.
Mmmm… could we attribute the recent rise of the zombie genre to the shifting economic sands of the last couple of years? Or are we really just afraid of going on holiday and turning up at the resort only to find that the place is over run with the living dead and frankly they are ruining your vacation?
Any hoo, I thought the trailer itself was really very moving and something new for me. I thought it was pretty inspirational in the way that it was desperate and sad. The zombies were even more terrifying than usual because in a very short space of time the trailer was able to stir some incredible connection between the girl, her family and myself. Perhaps this is down to the music and the slow motion/reverse motion. Or the sympathy I felt with the girl as I watched her graceful fall from the window or perhaps being able to identify with some thing as ordinary as a family on holiday.
Although is something we want to create or recreate in this short movie? Anyone else got any other ideas?
1 comment:
Hi Rachael
Great video game trailer.
I feel myself concerned about the girl and would love for her to be special in a 'Resident Evil' way being a 'SuperTeen' would attract people who like the Teen vampire movies, and that is a big crowd.
My imagination is very comic book like...Thinking about a Teenager who has a scientist parent that develops a vaccine against the virus and injects the teenager at the last moment. The teenager travels the land in search of family members or uncle in the military she tries to convince the military not to kill everyone.
or she/he can save friends and family by letting them drink her blood (too Vampiry?)
The main excitement is what can be encountered on the trip.
She/he is small but tough with Muay Thai training or Kung Fu.
Sounds like Buffy abit.
I will think some more.
Ocean park after hours would be a good location similar to Left for dead 2.
cheers.
Gary
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