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| Lights, camera, action...zombies |
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| News | |||
| Written by Aaron Cedeño | |||
| Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:00 | |||
The early morning light was cold and gray in downtown Louisburg, when a chorus of angry, almost desperate moans shattered the stillness.  Clutching a crowbar so tightly her knuckles whitened with the effort, a young woman crept silently toward the source of the haunting sound. It was hunger that had driven her from the relative safety of her home in search of food, but curiosity that guided her steps now. Pressed closely against the bricks of MoKan Dial, she peered carefully around the corner. That’s when she saw them: a pack of ravening zombies, as they fell upon yet another unfortunate victim. Transfixed, all she could do was stare in horror, until one of them noticed her. Tempted by the scent of a fresh meal, the undead shambled toward her — first, one, then a second and a third, until the entire horde joined in the chase. At that point, the young woman turned and ran, the distance between she and her pursuers shrinking with each step. In the instant it appeared hope was lost, a cry rang out: “CUT!” At that moment, the chase stopped, and the young woman — 2009 Louisburg High School graduate Valeri Bates — turned to her cast of pursuers, started laughing and congratulated them on a job well done. No, the zombie apocalypse had not fallen on Louisburg. Bates and several of her friends and classmates at the Art Institutes International of Kansas City were shooting a film — a post-apocalyptic zombie tale set in Louisburg. The overcast weekend skies and empty Sunday streets provided the perfect backdrop for what she had in mind. “As far as short films go, this is really my first experience directing,” said an excited Bates, who also starred. “I’ve acted before in a few of my classmates’ films. It was a good experience, I really enjoyed it, and it was a lot of fun.” Bates always knew she wanted to do something creative with her life, and it was a love of anime — and of movies, of course — that pushed her to study film at the Art Institutes International of Kansas City. This semester, a pair of classes required a final project, and Bates figured “Why not join them?” A 15-minute short film would effectively take out two birds with one stone, she said. Almost instantly, an idea began to form in her mind. A “zombie” kind of idea. “I’ve always had an obsession with the Resident Evil and Silent Hill video games,” she said, of the popular survivor-horror titles. “And I’ve acquired a taste for horror films over my life.” So Bates set about organizing her cinematic undertaking, calling on the aid of classmates and friends to fill out the cast and crew. Life behind the camera, so to speak, produced some unique challenges with which to deal, she said; tasks like hiring a make-up artist, writing a script and compiling a shot chart, even approaching the Louisburg City Council to request barricades for the section of Broadway Street where she wished to shoot. “I’ve always loved Broadway,” Bates said. “I love those old buildings and I really wanted to get them on film because I think they’re so beautiful.” On Sunday, proper authorization from the city council in hand, a somewhat eclectic group gathered downtown for principal photography. Though the early-morning shoot wasn’t what she had in mind initially, director of photography Jordan Caldwell noted the gray skies fit perfectly with the film’s tone and theme. From here, Bates will lock herself in an editing bay at school, accompanied by hours of raw footage; footage which will ultimately wind up as the 10-15 minute final product. For her, she said, that’s when things really start getting good. “That’s always my favorite part of any type of film project I’ve ever done is the editing part,” Bates explained. “I love seeing how it all comes together. You can manipulate it exactly how you want it.” In the end, the combination of the right idea, the right talent and the right location came together to create a learning experience for the budding filmmaker. “It seemed like the perfect combination and perfect opportunity to do what I wanted,” Bates said, of the short film. “To execute this idea I’ve had for quite awhile.”
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