Tag Archives: horror

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

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One of the best parts of covering “Dawn of the Dead” for Pittsburgh Magazine was getting to watch the make up and special effects people at work. Film making can sometimes be boring, but there was no downtime in watching Zavini and his crew create Zombies and other disgusting stuff. These folks were all artists,upbeat and fun to watch. It also helped that this was done early in the evening, by three in the morning everyone looked like a zombie, make up or not. Buy this one or see other images from my Zombie collection at my commercial portfolio by clicking here.

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

Script Review

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During downtime on the set of Dawn of The Dead (1978), George Romero would frequently sit down and review the script. Kind of like a Pitcher figuring out his next pitch. It was Romero’s attention to detail that makes this film a relevant classic nearly thirty five years after its release. Buy prints and cards or see more images from my Zombie catalog by clicking here.

Script Review

Script Review

My Interview with UndeadZine

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The new issue of UndeadZine is out which features my interview about being a photojournalist on the set of Dawn of the Dead (1978). The magazine has lots of other interesting stuff and is available for tablets and phones with the free Undeadzine App that you can get at the App Store. The issue itself cost just $2.99. You can see my exclusive behind the scene images on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Richard Burke Interview at UndeadZine

Zombie Touch Up

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The funny thing about make up is that after time and heat it starts to melt away. This can be very problematic for Zombies since there whole appearance is usually make up based. During breaks and downtime on the set of the Dawn of the Dead (1978) you wold see the make up artists roaming throw the throng of Zombies touching up the makeup as required. See other Zombie images on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Zombie Touch Up

Script Review

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On a movie set there is a lot of down time, waiting time, non productive time. Producers hate this but Directors take advantage of it. While the crew was setting up and blocking a scene for Dawn of the Dead (1978), George Romero used the time to review the script and decide on his next moves. You can buy a print of this image on my professional gallery by clicking here.

Script Review

Director of Photography (DP)

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Michael Gornick was the director of Photography on Dawn of the Dead (1978). He was patient and soft spoken, talents that were needed with a large cast of inexperienced extras. This image was originally published in Pittsburgh Magazine in 1978 and shows Michael Gornick filming David Emge. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Michael Gornick Filming Dawn of the Dead

A Day in the Life

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It occurred to me that the life of a film director is filled with extreme highs and lows. I didn’t realize until working on a film set that these could come within seconds of each other. It takes a special person to be able to handle this kind of stress. These images of George Romero were taken within seconds of each other on the set of Dawn of the Dead 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

Zombie Gaffers

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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

2 A.M Zombie Time

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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

Even Zombies Need Coffee Breaks!

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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