Archive for the ‘On Location’ Category

Battles in the Backyard

Posted: 29th July 2011 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Arena", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, On Location
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On the day of production for the epic outdoor cage-match vignette “Arena”

The production of our just-concluded vignette “Arena” was one of Night Zero’s biggest shooting days, in terms of cast and crew size. Any shoot with so many actors requires a bit of scheduling negotiation, so for our day we divided the script into three segments and shot them in reverse order. First would be the fight of Claude and Jennifer versus the scratcher, then we’d shoot the dialogue portions in the middle, and finally we’d shoot the opening fight between Rex and Bobbie.

Our crew had the standard 9am call, and fortunately the backyard location had direct alley access for a simple load-in. We marked a staging area on the patio, which would be unseen by the cameras, and the team set to work. Jana setup her makeup chair and started work on the cast right away, applying everything from facial scars to zombie faces to rope burns and bruises. Eric and Justin set to work loading in the lighting gear and rigging up our power for the day, while I took care of building the cagematch stage and spectator area.
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Just the Quiet, Not the Storm

Posted: 11th June 2011 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "The Things You Take", On Location
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On simplifying the production strategies to produce “The Things You Take” as a simple and relaxed shoot.

This brief tale of love and conflict in the immediate dawn of the zombie apocalypse stems from a concept long discussed in Night Zero design: what of the regular couple, the young lovers who face only bad choices when their world comes crashing down? No action, no zombies, no death or blood or pandemonium… just the two of them, having each other. Jana, the creator and writer of “The Things You Take”, will have a blog post next week to talk about the writing challenges and developments. Today, I’ll talk about the production itself.

One of the specific goals for this vignette, from a production design standpoint, was that it should be easy. Our creative team and production team are one in the same, so all story development is influenced by our production capabilities and for this shoot we wanted to take it easy. For that, we approached each of the three major production points: cast, location, and action.
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A Director’s Break

Posted: 29th April 2011 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Maternal", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, On Location
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On the production of the “Maternal” vignette, from the perspective of the non-directing director.

It was a unique experience for me to be on the set of “Maternal” as assistant director, while Phoebe stepped up to direct the vignette she wrote. Over the three and a half years of Night Zero’s production, only twice before have I not been the director: for the Untitled vignette in early 2009, which was directed by our photographer Forest Gibson, and for the general “crowd/battle” sequences in the protest shoot in late 2009, which were directed by the 2nd A.D. Gale Benning.

As the creator and producer of Night Zero, these rare opportunities to step away from the driver’s seat are simply wonderful. Being able to watch the Night Zero project roll along is, in many respects, a greater accomplishment than when I’m leading it myself, and an opportunity I hope to have a few more times before the year is out.
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Blood, Blood, Everywhere

Posted: 22nd April 2011 by Phoebe Richards
Categories: Concepts & Development, On Location
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On the conception, shooting, and post-production of the “Maternal” vignette

        The “Maternal” shoot was my first time directing for NIGHT ZERO. (For that matter, it was also my first time writing, but I will delve into that in next week’s blog.) Having worked as assistant director for the project for the past year I knew it would be difficult, yet rewarding, to direct.

        I decided to use my father’s house for the location because it is nice and easy to get. The only concern I had was the blood element. Much of the blood we use washes out of things very easily; however my father keeps his house really clean and I couldn’t risk staining any carpets or bedding.
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Inertia Part Two: Loew Hall

Posted: 25th March 2011 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Inertia", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, On Location
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On shooting the students’ half of the “Inertia” vignette

There are times when the Night Zero schedule is relaxed, structured, and done well in advance. This February, with the production of “Inertia”, was not one of those times. Between proofing Volume Three (now shipping) and on the eve of a 2 1/2 week trip to Europe, there was not a lot of time available for the vignette, and while early plans had us shooting the two halves on consecutive weekends, the availability of the cast (on which I did not want to compromise) pushed us into shooting both halves on consecutive days. And due to the building schedules at UW, our second shoot day was moved to a new location that we didn’t see until the night before. It was going to be a tough day.
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Inertia Part One: Denny Hall

Posted: 18th March 2011 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Inertia", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, On Location
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On shooting the professors’ half of the “Inertia” vignette

The production schedule for “Inertia” was rigorous, to say the least. Shooting was done on location at the University of Washington on a single weekend, with each half of the vignette taking one day. The first shoot, Saturday, was spent in Denny Hall, home of the Germanics and Anthropology departments and much of my undergraduate studies. In past years I’d spent many hours in this particular classroom, discussing Goethe and Lessing. For this day, we would be discovering the story of Richard and Elisabeth, professors and colleagues on the night of the zombie apocalypse.

In a typical film production, shoots are split between on-location and sound stage, with as much as possible being done on stage because it’s easier, faster, and cheaper. At Night Zero we shoot everything on location, so for us we can only grade difficulty relative to other locations. The University of Washington is a very friendly and accommodating facility, so gaining access to the space is about as painless as could be hoped for, but working in actual classrooms in a building well over a century old, there are other challenges to face.
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