Interview: I was a Shaun of the Dead Zombie Part One
Watched a bit of the preview copy of Shaun of the Dead today prior to the DVD.
I'd forgotten how cool that film was. In honour I thought I'd pop up a quick interview with one of the actors that gave me the willies most of all. He played the one-armed groom that prompts the classic line "He's got on arm off!" Ladies, gentlemen and the undead, please welcome Tim Baggaley...
First of all Tim, How did you get involved in Shaun of the Dead?
Direct contact. Special effects / prosthetic make-up artist Stuart Bray worked with me on BBC 1’s ‘Strange’, my first acting job. Stuart was hired to work on Sean of the Dead and at a meeting where he was being briefed on the film’s zombie requirements, he mentioned me and said they should get in touch. They did, I was called for two auditions, the second one with director Edgar Wright, and I got the part.
How long did it take to apply the make-up?
I’m not sure. I’d guess a couple of hours but it was not all applied by one person in one session. Different people worked on different parts of my make up, and I got to have tea-breaks in between. The make-up for ‘Strange’ took 5-6 hours to put on so after that, everything else has seemed light.
What make-up methods did they use? Was it uncomfortable?
The blood and gore on my face and hands was all the usual trade make-up, and there was always someone on hand adding more blood between takes. Special FX artist Stuart Conran made the chewed-off look on my left shoulder. He used a latex mould to create a ragged stump to fit to me, and then added all sorts of stringy bits and pieces and a broken bone end to complete the effect.
For the reverse shot on the scene where I get my head stoved in, I wore a rig for squirting blood and brains about. I also wore contact lenses that were like hub caps.
Both on location and in the studio at Ealing it was bloody hot with all the effects make-up and the morning suit my character was wearing. When we were shooting the front room fight scene - I am the first zombie Simon and Nick kill- we were having a heatwave and we were working under the studio lights. Damn, it was hot. That was close to the end of the nine-week filming run and Simon was looking very tired. At one point, he looked more zombie than I did and the crew sent him off to have a lie down. Certainly, I had no problem getting into zombie mode, I felt like the real thing and probably smelled like one too by the end of each day.
Had you previously worked with either Simon Pegg or Nick Frost before?
No. I’m a big fan of Spaced and I was gob-smacked when I got the part in SotD and realised I would be working with them. They were great to work with, We had a lot of laughs but it was also hard work. I am pretty new to acting and they were very supportive and encouraging. It is good when the other actors and crew support you in that way, it makes it easier to relax and focus on the part you are playing. With any kind of filming, there is big cost and big organisation and you always know in the back of your mind that if you screw up your part, you are screwing up a big project. The pressure is never gone but it is easier to shoulder when everyone is working with you.
I found Simon, Nick, Edgar and producer Nira Park were all very supportive and very helpful and I certainly hope I get to work with them again. They are all buzzing with ideas, there’s going to be a lot more TV and films from them, rest assured.
How long did the shoot take?
They shot the entire film in nine weeks, a blistering schedule especially for Simon, he was in pretty much every scene. For me it was one day on location, at Crouch End, on the very first day filming, then two days at Ealing Studios for my death fight scene close to the end of the run. Each filming day, whether on location or in the studio, is long. The production company always needs to get as much shot as possible in as few a days as possible.
Was their any particular method behind your zombie acting? Did you practice in the mirror?
I did not practice at home but I did work with a choreographer and a stunt coordinator at Ealing and on location. They coached me on movement and how to work it for effect on camera as well as how to look like an ‘authentic’ zombie.
Join us tomorrow for more zombie fun with Tim in part two of the interview, in which Tim explains how he got a right eyeful as his head was stoved in...
I'd forgotten how cool that film was. In honour I thought I'd pop up a quick interview with one of the actors that gave me the willies most of all. He played the one-armed groom that prompts the classic line "He's got on arm off!" Ladies, gentlemen and the undead, please welcome Tim Baggaley...
First of all Tim, How did you get involved in Shaun of the Dead?
Direct contact. Special effects / prosthetic make-up artist Stuart Bray worked with me on BBC 1’s ‘Strange’, my first acting job. Stuart was hired to work on Sean of the Dead and at a meeting where he was being briefed on the film’s zombie requirements, he mentioned me and said they should get in touch. They did, I was called for two auditions, the second one with director Edgar Wright, and I got the part.
How long did it take to apply the make-up?
I’m not sure. I’d guess a couple of hours but it was not all applied by one person in one session. Different people worked on different parts of my make up, and I got to have tea-breaks in between. The make-up for ‘Strange’ took 5-6 hours to put on so after that, everything else has seemed light.
What make-up methods did they use? Was it uncomfortable?
The blood and gore on my face and hands was all the usual trade make-up, and there was always someone on hand adding more blood between takes. Special FX artist Stuart Conran made the chewed-off look on my left shoulder. He used a latex mould to create a ragged stump to fit to me, and then added all sorts of stringy bits and pieces and a broken bone end to complete the effect.
For the reverse shot on the scene where I get my head stoved in, I wore a rig for squirting blood and brains about. I also wore contact lenses that were like hub caps.
Both on location and in the studio at Ealing it was bloody hot with all the effects make-up and the morning suit my character was wearing. When we were shooting the front room fight scene - I am the first zombie Simon and Nick kill- we were having a heatwave and we were working under the studio lights. Damn, it was hot. That was close to the end of the nine-week filming run and Simon was looking very tired. At one point, he looked more zombie than I did and the crew sent him off to have a lie down. Certainly, I had no problem getting into zombie mode, I felt like the real thing and probably smelled like one too by the end of each day.
Had you previously worked with either Simon Pegg or Nick Frost before?
No. I’m a big fan of Spaced and I was gob-smacked when I got the part in SotD and realised I would be working with them. They were great to work with, We had a lot of laughs but it was also hard work. I am pretty new to acting and they were very supportive and encouraging. It is good when the other actors and crew support you in that way, it makes it easier to relax and focus on the part you are playing. With any kind of filming, there is big cost and big organisation and you always know in the back of your mind that if you screw up your part, you are screwing up a big project. The pressure is never gone but it is easier to shoulder when everyone is working with you.
I found Simon, Nick, Edgar and producer Nira Park were all very supportive and very helpful and I certainly hope I get to work with them again. They are all buzzing with ideas, there’s going to be a lot more TV and films from them, rest assured.
How long did the shoot take?
They shot the entire film in nine weeks, a blistering schedule especially for Simon, he was in pretty much every scene. For me it was one day on location, at Crouch End, on the very first day filming, then two days at Ealing Studios for my death fight scene close to the end of the run. Each filming day, whether on location or in the studio, is long. The production company always needs to get as much shot as possible in as few a days as possible.
Was their any particular method behind your zombie acting? Did you practice in the mirror?
I did not practice at home but I did work with a choreographer and a stunt coordinator at Ealing and on location. They coached me on movement and how to work it for effect on camera as well as how to look like an ‘authentic’ zombie.
Join us tomorrow for more zombie fun with Tim in part two of the interview, in which Tim explains how he got a right eyeful as his head was stoved in...
posted by Cav at
1:11 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home