You can’t make a movie without gaffers. They set the lights, set up the equipment, load film and do just about anything. This is especially true on a small budget movie like the original Dawn of the Dead (1978). Here is the crew setting up the equipment at the beginning of the shoot at Monroeville Mall. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial site by clicking here.
Gaffers setting up the Camera
By 2 A.M the nervous energy that the zombie extras had at the beginning of the shoot had vanished and was replaced by some exhaustion. Most of these people had day jobs and had been up for at least 18 hours at that point. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial site by clicking here.
2 A.M in the Mall
In 1978, Zombies were created almost exclusively through makeup. Today on shows like, “The Walking Dead” they use masks and other methods to create the effects. On Dawn of the Dead (1978), there were no harder working people than the makeup crew. Here is one of the makeup artists creating a zombie before shooting began. You can buy this images and others at my commercial gallery by clicking here.
Time to Make the Zombies
One of the nights I was on location, the crew spent a lot of time filming a scene at the fountain. There must have been some sort of reflection problem and it required reblocking the scene and changing the camera positions. This is George Romero working on resolving the issue. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.
George Romero Solving a Problem
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
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