Zombie Movie

[LordLeavy]

I have a great idea for a zombie movie but it is way to much like Resident Evil. My idea for the movie is that a group of animals releases an organism from there body that cause the local town of Mayo to begin having outburts of people eating other people. Then as the story continues on there is a group of survivors who must fight to survive. I plan it being a 3 part series but I need advice on how the story sounds?
PLEASE HELP

 

[Goose]

Haha, zombie movies are great. Unfortunatly there isn't to many options when it comes to the base story line.

PPL get infected. PPL Turn into ZOMBIES. ZOMBIES geat PPL. PPL fight back and kill ZOMBIES.

Maybe develop some side story, like an issue other than the zombies for the characters??

I had this same problem when I wrote mine. So i thought outside the typical zombie movie and now I have a kick ass script, ready for production.

Best of luck with your script man, sry i cant give to to much advice.

Zombie movies are wicked!

 

[Staypuft]

Honestly, it sounds very cliche. But of course, its all in the execution (you could say Dawn of the Dead is about people hiding from zombies in a mall, but of course we know how the real movie plays out). So if you think you execute the idea well, go for it.

 

[Andrew]

response

response

with a dry pitch like that anyone would be ready to shelve that idea, yeah its cliche but it lacks the element that keeps people interested. :roll:

 

[3CardMonte]

I say write the damn thing. You'll get practice.. and the worse that will happen is you'll decide you don't like it. No time is wasted because you're practicing your screenwriting skills. And if you really have a passion for it.. it might just turn out ok. You've got nothing to lose

 

[kickmagnet]

I don't think you know what you're doing.

I don't think you know what you're doing.

Why does it need to be a three part series? Where did that come from? Your brief explanation of a plot barely even warrants a single film.

I'm not trying to deter you from writing as many movies about zombies as your heart desires, but please, please, please don't write a zombie movie for the sake of just writing a zombie movie.

Dawn of the Dead isn't just about zombies; it is about consumerism. Resident Evil may have started as a video game about killing zombies, but the story evolved into the classic man vs. machine drama. An amoral corporation (the souless machine) making human sacrifices for better profit margins.

Try re-evaluating what a zombie is. Your mention of organisms in animals reminded me of eXistenZ and The Puppetmasters.

Or try using zombies as a backdrop for another, more important story. For example, the love story in Shaun of the Dead.

Personally, I've always been curious why hunger is the only driving force in a zombie. If they're purely instinctual, shouldn't they also be looking for water and shelter? I don't think zombies are too stupid to get out of the rain. And are sexual impulses instinctual? Why have your zombies chanting, "Brains!" when they could also be shouting, "Fresh @$$!"

 

[MarkG]

Why have your zombies chanting, "Brains!" when they could also be shouting, "Fresh @$$!"

I take it you never saw 'Porno Holocaust' ?

Actually, I'd recommend not seeing it as the title is the best part .

 

[fat jack]

ok along the same lines.... im just a high school student (junior) but i need to make a movie for a scolarship. i want to make a zombe movie about the holocaust, where dr. megele's expeiriments come bake from thier mass graves and zombie attack the concentration camp.....ps sorry for buttin in but i need feedback.....

 

[temerson]

Holocaust victims coming back as zombies...hmm...sounds very sacriligious to me. If you think you can pull it off, bon chance. The only real way to set your movie apart from other zombie movies is not in the story, but the gore factor. Besides, nobody goes to a zombie movie for the story - they just like to see the undead return and eat people.

If you want to watch a good zombie film that had a surprisingly interesting stoy (though bad dialogue. "Napalm"), then check out an old French import called Le Lac de le Mort Vivant - English title: Lake of the Dead.

 

[kickmagnet]

I have to disagree with Temerson. I think it's easier to set your movie apart through story than gore. The story of Shaun of the Dead is what made it a good movie, not the gore. And the realism of character is what set apart 28 Days Later, not the gore.

Of course, it really comes down to a difference of opinion. Some people really like zombie movies because of the undead cannibalism (gore). But I like them because I like to watch killing sprees without the guilt of having living beings die for my enjoyment. So the real fun is seeing how characters are driven to finally fight instead of flee.

If you're writing a film for your scholarship application, go with a more unique and inspiring story. If you're making a film for your scholarship application, it would be better to show off special effects as I doubt you'll have access to outstanding actors.

 

[temerson]

So the reason 28 Days Later did well was because the characters were more fully developed? I'm not sure about that, but we can go with it.

The truth is, what makes zombie movies different from other zombie movies are the characters. So, kickmagnet, you are half-correct.

In Shaun of the Dead, we find characters that are blatantly comedic - a distinct departure from the norm in this genre.

In 28 Days Later, it's the same characters that you would find in Dawn of the Dead.

The main character, who believes that every life is valuable - then kills it once it turns into a monster.

The character who doesn't take any crap from anybody, and will shoot you if you disagree with them.

The bad-ass.

The nice guy, who will always be doomed to get eaten.

The child orphaned by zombies (generally the child of the Nice Guy).

Zombie movies are formulaic. Go for gore in your writing.

 

[fat jack]

well my best freind is a very goog special affects artist but however i would like to make a film based more on the story because i miss the classic low budget movies like the orginal night of the living dead. good story, bad effects, great movie.....and as far as the religious aspect its not about religion...im athiesst so i try to stear clear of religious conflict, but the zombification is due to an expeiriment by mengele....he thinks he fails, buries the corpes whom later come after their maker....my zombies will be intellegent and ritualistic in their killings...not just mindless stomachs i want to send a message about this movie. in the fact that appearance means little about people

 

[gwyddion]

The truth is, what makes zombie movies different from other zombie movies are the characters.

turn it on its head and write it from the POV of the Zombie..say not all of the rational side of a victim was destroyed in the conversion...and run with it and see where it takes you...

 

[rogermarsh]

the work is in the detail

the work is in the detail

As others have said, it's the detail in the script that's important. We have to have a basic sympathy or understanding of the characters or why this is happening. Especially maybe the group of survivors that effectively keeps their distance, and health, from the ones doing the eating - look at relationships in this group - making them likable and the audience wanting to see them survive. Beyond that, I would have an interesting case as to how this all got off the ground; and some great special effects planned. I heard when Romero was doing the follow up to Night of the Living Dead that they used animal guts for the human guts pouring out of the zombies - but on the set, he offered an additional $500 to any actor who would eat the guts during film - and he was taken up on that offer I heard. Focus on fear situations that will draw the audience in with seemingly no way out - and through sheer determination they somehow overcome their situation. As far as producing three films, make sure you leave something open ended in the first film as the germ that sets the next script in motion. Like the baby dinosaurs hatching in the forest at the end of the first Jurassic Park film.

 

[fat jack]

yeah i think i understand...the thing with the guts is...they were pig guts in romero's moviec (same thing i'm gonna use) but his fridge broke and they started to rot so i feel sorry for the guy who ate them

 

[rogermarsh]

guts

guts

Ah, hadn't heard the story about the fridge. That would be awful.

 

[fat jack]

id imagine