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
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
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
After the Zombies were created, zombie master Tom Savini would give the makeup a blow dry so it would set properly. Between scenes the make up crew would roam the group of zombies and check their makeup and retouch it if necessary, You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.
Toma Savini give a Zombie blow dry
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
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.
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
Imagery Photography 