It’s time to make your own terrifying zombie outfit. All zombie extras need to bring their own costume. It should be simple, casual, and everyday. We’re an ordinary group of people who just happened to be turned into zombies, so you should just wear ordinary clothes. Then distress it! Stains, tears, rips, shreds will all complete your “fresh from the grave” look.
If you’d prefer to be a specific “zombie personality,” with a specific occupation, feel free to! Some ideas are listed on page 2.
THIS IS IMPORTANT:
NO BLOOD OR GORE will be allowed on any part of your costume.
None. Nada. NO BLOOD. Or anything reddish that could possibly resemble blood.
“But aren’t we going to be ZOMBIES? That tear flesh and eat brains and are usually dripping in blood?”
Yep. But we got approval from BYU for this project only on the condition that there be NO blood. So, because we’d like to make and show this project, we’ll stick to it. No gory zombies (or even with reddish tinges and stains) will make it onto the screen.
Anyone that shows up with a bloody costume will be appreciated as a food server for the day.
We’re serious.
No Blood.
HOW TO ZOMBIFY YOUR COSTUME
STAIN IT.
Your flesh has been rotting onto your clothes. Make it show! A little barbecue sauce, Coke, mustard, salad dressing, soy sauce, or vegetable oil will help do the trick.
Stay away from Ketchup or Strawberry Syrup that will look like blood.
The picture below has been stained with mustard and barbecue sauce.
ROUGH UP THE EDGES.
Collars, sleeves, hemlines will all be the first to go, and should have tears and missing sections. Think about the moths that have been eating away at the fabric.
SHRED and TEAR.
Nothing shows the apocalypse like a few slashes and rips. Keep in mind, these shreds came from your last victim clawing away their escape—so the rips should be done by hand. Scissors will leave unnaturally clean lines.
Take it for a DRIVE.
Maybe a tire track across your shirt will help your look.
SAND it down.
A little distress? Ain’t no stress. A little sandpaper should help you with the threadbare look.
WASH IT.
A couple of cycles through a washer and dryer will make your stains look more natural, fray the shreds, and wear it down.
After that, come to the set and we'll do your make-up. Then you'll have a facebook profile worthy look similiar to this:
CLOTHING STANDARDS
Ok, this is a BYU production. Let's keep church standards in mind. For these costumes:
If anyone even seems to be out of line with these standards, we won't be able to show you on camera. We've had shoots shut down for these issues in the past. Err on the safe side. It's better to make a character based off a beautician than a bikini model.
Men: Nothing overly extreme. No excessive tattoos or piercings. No short shorts or full spandex outfits.
If skin is showing, it needs to be in keeping with the character. Ex: a construction worker might have a sleeveless tank on. A basketball player would be wearing a jersey. Bad Ex: Zombie grandpa needs to be wearing more than just suspenders up top.
If facial hair is worn, it needs to be in keeping with the character. A plumber might have scruff. But a groom would be clean shaven. And you can't use growing it out for this shoot as a reason to not shave for school.
No cross dressing. Come on.
Women: Let's keep it covered. No plunging necklines or low back. No midriffs or belly buttons.
Women's costumes need to have sleeves. I know not every animated corpse is in keeping with modesty standards, but we're going to portray a world where they are. Find clever ways to cover up under your distressed costume. You're no stranger to this.
Any questions? Write them up on the facebook wall and we'll answer.
