Michael Gornick was the Director of Photography of some early Zombie Classics like Dawn of the Dead (1978). He was a really nice soft spoken man working with a very limited budget and inexperienced crew. He somehow managed to film one of the greatest cult films of all time. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial site by clicking here.
Michael Gornick Director of Photography
Dawn of the Dead (1978) was filmed in Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh between 9 P.M and 6 A.M when the Mall was closed. It was eerie being there in the middle of the night. Early in the evening, all the extras were excited and animated. Even during breaks, people would talk, get makeup retouches, drink coffee etc. Around 3 A.M. when this image was shot, most of the people were dead tired and the mall was strangely quiet. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial site by clicking here.
Between Takes
I was amazed at how long it took to make up a single Zombie. Not only did they need to have their faces made up but all so their arms, neck and any other exposed skin. They also had to be dressed so they looked undead.I don’t think the process has changed much. When I watch “The Walking Dead” I study the zombies in the background for the makeup effects and appreciate how long it takes to makeup an extra. This is a young lady sitting patiently while being made up for the 1978 “Dawn of the Dead. You can buy a print of this image on my Commercial Gallery by clicking here.
Zombie Getting Makeup
You don’t often get the opportunity to watch an artist work. Tom Savini was the creator of the Zombies for Dawn of the Dead in 1978. He worked with a small staff and created all the makeup effects. The man could make ligaments from a bucket of goo. Here he is backstage creating another Zombie for the Zombie Classic. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial site by clicking here.
There is a lot of waiting around while filming a movie. On the original Dawn of The Dead, the extras would arrive early for makeup and then hang around until they were needed in a specific shot. Sometimes they would wait so long, they had to have their make up retouched. During coffee breaks they had to make sure they didn’t mess up their make up. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.
Zombie Coffee Break
I don’t know her name or official title, but she was clearly one of the Production Assistants on the 1978 Production of Dawn of the Dead. She was very friendly and helpful and extremely busy. Each shot started with her announcing the shot and take, just like in the movies! You can buy a print of this slice of history at my commercial site by clicking here.
Production Assistant on Dawn of the Dead
As a journalist on a movie set you have a license to observe and report. What I found interesting was the mood swings that are cause by events. In this image, the Director, George Romero and Director of Photography (DP) Michael Gornick were trying to figure out how to deal with the reflections from the fountain. The two shots were taken seconds apart on the set of Dawn of the Dead at Monroeville Mall in 1978.. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.
The Joy and Anguish of Directing George Romero 1978
When you think about Zombie films you got to think about the make up. Dawn of the dead in 1978 had a lot of Zombies and they all had different looks. They would arrive on the set hours before the shoot and patiently wait until one of the three make up artists could make them up. Make up would some time include bloody appendages and body parts that were usually made by the Zombie Master Tom Savini. The extras would hang out, play cards, drink coffee and other things until they could be properly gored up.
Waiting for Make Up
I had the pleasure of meeting George Romero in his Pittsburgh Office in 1978 to get press credentials for being on the set of “Dawn of the Dead”. Even though he could have had an assistant handle this, he wanted to meet me first. He basically just asked questions about me and my background and then turned me over to Mike Gornick (Director of Photography) to explain the “ground rules”. This is a picture of him stifling a laugh on the set at Monroeville Mall which was printed in a Pittsburgh Magazine article.
George Romero on the Set of Dawn of the Dead
I had the privilege of being a journalist on the original 1978 “Dawn of the Dead” and have offered some of the behind the scenes images for sale on my commercial site. I don’t have too many of Gaelyn Ross who was the pretty blonde star of the movie. She was hard to get to unless she was in a shot since every male extra and crew member on the set were acting like male dogs. It turns out she became a pretty good documentary filmmaker who made Killing Kasztner in 2008 among others. Here she is being filmed byy Michael Gornick in a scene form Dawn of the Dead 1978.
Gaelyn Ross