Undead Labs

It’s been a crazy week around here! We’ve all been busting our asses to cram as much awesome as we can into our final pre-production milestone for Class3, so Jeff has asked me to hold off on preparing a meaty web article this week to let everyone focus on Getting Shit Done (commonly abbreviated GSD here at the Lab). I’m sure you guys would agree that this is a good idea.

Don’t worry, though. We’re not going radio silent. Next week, we’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming with an introduction for Gronk, the author of last week’s post, and early next month, we have a big design update headed your way.

In this upcoming article, Phinney will be talking about damage, infection, healing, and death — you know…the fun stuff about a zombie apocalypse. He has the high level points for the piece planned out, but there’s still time for you to contribute by telling us if there are concepts or issues you’d love for us to cover.

Have a question that you’d like to see answered in this article? Post a comment and let us know.

Have an awesome weekend!

Emily

Are you a kick-ass game or horror writer looking to do something new and different? if so, there may be a place for you on Team Zed! We’re currently on the hunt for a passionate, self-driven, zombie-obsessed writer to help us breathe life into the world of Class3.

If this sounds like a dream job to you (or anyone you know), check out our newest job post to find out exactly what we’re looking for!

When you think about the zombie apocalypse, zeds aren’t the only things that count. A huge part of an outbreak is the aftermath — the destruction of civilization and everything that goes along with it.

This setting has be a great inspiration for our art director, Doug Williams. By now you’ve probably seen a ton of his awesome concepts, but that doesn’t really tell you about his vision for the world of Class3 or the look and feel of the game.

That’s why I decided to sit down with him and get his thoughts on the visuals you’ll see in our world. Our conversation started with two words:

“Faded Americana”

We’ve been describing the art style of Class3 as “Faded Americana.” What does this mean to you?

When I picture Faded Americana, I think of the America I remember as a kid growing up in a small town — the parades that would go down Main Street during holidays, the patriotic knicknack shops that popped up downtown. Things had a sort of quintessential 1776 flavor to them. Nowadays, lots of these places have started to age. You see small stores closing, driven out of business by the larger chain stores in the newer parts of town. If there are parades at all, they’re smaller and less celebrated. It’s like these places have started to fade, slowly becoming obsolete as time ticks on.

Faded Americana really resonates with me because there are many analogies between the style and a zombie apocalypse. In both cases, you see society hanging onto the ghosts of its past — whether it’s an old store owner still hanging his faded American flag in front of his run-down shop or whether it’s a group of survivors banding together to keep the flame of humanity alive in a world that’s been ripped apart.

Why did you choose a small town setting for Class3?

I felt that it would be easier for most players to make a connection with small towns than exotic cities. If you remember Jeff’s recent article, we actually asked people to mark their own hometowns on a world map. We had thousands of responses, and the results definitely backed up our guess: most of us don’t live in major metropolises. Many of us are from smaller towns, suburbs, and rural areas all over the world.

[On that note, if you haven’t added your hometown yet, you should! - Emily]

How do you strike a balance between beauty and horror in a post apocalyptic world?

In games and movies, lighting and setting is a huge part of horror. If you look at movies like Monster Squad, Poltergeist, and The Thing, you’ll see that moody feel. They use a lot of lens flares, eerie blues lighting, fog, and shadows. This is definitely a good way to get across that scary feeling, but in the real world there are other things that can drive that point home, too.

For example, the feeling of being alone.

One memory that’s been a big inspiration for me was the time I saw a coyote out in a field by my house when I was a kid. I was walking in the tall grass by myself and suddenly realized that there was something else there, and that it was eyeing me. I froze. My heart pounded. I was terrified. This experience was actually the inspiration for this field zombie concept I did for Class3.

Horror isn’t always about something exotic or supernatural. Normal can be terrifying when it’s flipped or when foreign things invade that familiarity. Think about the way you’d feel if you came home one night to find one of your bookcases flipped over; or if you walked in and saw a zombie in your living room. That instant fight-or-flight instinct you get is the heart of horror.

What is one of your favorite art styles in this generation of gaming?

Well, I like a lot of games for a lot of different reasons. The atmosphere and ambiance of Alan Wake and Silent Hill 2 really resonates with me — knowing that there’s something out there in the fog waiting for you is incredibly creepy. As far as non-horror titles go, I think that games like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Legend of Zelda: Windwaker are gorgeous. I’m also a big fan of the look of Red Dead Redemption and the cool style of Borderlands.

What has been the most difficult thing about creating the world so far?

I’d say that the biggest challenge artistically has been the lack of abundant light sources in the world. When you think about it, when the zombie apocalypse hits, power is going to eventually go out and there aren’t going to be a lot of humans around. Now think about how dark it gets when you’re out in the middle of the country, away from cities and towns. Because of this, we have to light the world naturally, using only the sun, the moon, and the stars. Of course, if survivors get a generator going they will probably have some light in their base, but that’s not really going to be a common occurrence.

What’s the scariest thing about a zombie apocalypse?

Since I have a family, the scariest thing for me would be worrying about keeping my kids safe. I’d also need to make sure that they’d be OK if something were to happen to me, which is a grim possibility in a post-apocalyptic world. The thought of having to let go is something that no parent really likes to think about.

I guess there would be some kind of closure if I were to come back as a zombie and get finished off by my family, though.

Will buildings be all destroyed/burnt out or will it look like people failed to come to work one morning?

You’ll see a mix of both. It’s going to be obvious that something has happened, but the world hasn’t been completely destroyed. As you can see in some of our concepts, places like Dunniway City have had fires break out, but it’s not a widespread occurrence. Since a zombie apocalypse would pretty much wipe out human society, it really provides us with the opportunity to add a lot of natural, haunting beauty to the environment.

With all of the movie, book, and game influences out there, how do you separate yourself from the pack to create a unique visual zombie experience?

There are a lot of things that zombie fans have come to expect, so I try to take inspiration from as many sources as I can. For instance, I’ll watch movies to get ideas for scenes, then take the elements I like to paint new things.

Paying attention to what other people have done is important (especially when you’re looking at things that define the genre you’re working with), but the trick is to not get stuck on established lore or canon. You need to take what you like and build on it to make your own thing.

Will zombies be wearing the clothes that they had on while they were alive? Would some be missing clothing?

Zombies prefer eating brains to changing outfits, so yeah…they’ll be wearing the things that they’d had on before they were turned. Assuming they were fully dressed at the time, of course.

What kind of look and feel are you going for with the zombies? Are you going with ultra-gore or more of a Night of the Living Dead, dead-eye look with little massive trauma?

Our zombie types will vary — some will be freshly dead while others will be older. Personally, my favorite kind of zombies are the super gaunt, skeletal ones…like this guy from Tom Savini’s 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead.

How graphic will the anatomy of the zombies be?

Depending on the zombie, the anatomy can get pretty graphic — and not always in super realistic ways. When we’re designing things for the game, we focus on what that we think is fun. I think it’s much cooler to slice open a zed’s belly and see a big, black pile of phlegm plop out as opposed to seeing realistically modeled piles of intestines and organs.

Out of all of the concepts you’ve created, what’s your favorite?

I really like the one of the sun setting over the abandoned main street of McMillanville because it captures the contrast between the natural beauty of the world and the bleakness of a ruined town. It’s been a treat watching the guys bring this image to life in the game.

Thanks for sitting down and chatting with us, Doug! It’s always cool to get an inside scoop straight from the source

I hope you guys liked this interview. We’ll be doing more of them as we get further along in development, so stay tuned.

Have an awesome weekend!

Emily

Special effects and the modern zombie go hand in hand. If makeup legends like Tom Savini had decided to use their skills on romantic comedies instead of horror flicks, the entrail gobbling ghouls that we all know and love probably wouldn’t exist. Thanks to the creativity of these FX pioneers, a whole new genre was born, and generations of gorehounds were thrilled by their work. Some fans didn’t stop at just admiring the creations of the masters; they were inspired to make effects of their own.

Tim Shea is one of those guys.

I saw Tim’s work for the first time a few months back. He’d spotted one of our fan art posts and decided to send in pictures of a zombie head that he had made in his spare time. As a die-hard makeup fiend myself, I immediately bombarded him with questions and discovered that his passion for this stuff runs really, really deep. So deep, in fact, that he decided to surprise us with a mounted zed head for the Lab.

The world of special effects is really fascinating, especially when you dive into how props and prosthetics are actually created. To give you guys some insight into how it’s done, I decided to interview Tim about his sculpting hobby, his inspirations, and more. Read on to check out what he had to say!

Tell us a little bit about yourself! How did you get into special effects?

Well, my name’s Tim. I’m a firefighter with an amazing family, and I like long walks on the beach, puppies, and kittens. (I’m especially partial to kittens.) I’m also looking forward to the eventual zombie apocalypse. Until that happens, I enjoy spending some of my spare time creating zombies, robots, aliens, and anything else I deem “awesome”.

I got interested in special effects when I was a kid. I’d spend my Saturdays watching a TV series called Creature Double Feature, which played tons of old horror movies, including all of the classics. I always wondered how all those amazing creatures were made.

One day, my dad bought me a magazine called Cinemagic, and I was officially hooked.

I picked up a copy of Tom Savini’s Grande Illusions next, and read that thing until it fell apart. My first gag was actually inspired by his book. When he did the effects for George Romero’s Martin, he came up with a way to imitate realistic slashing — he’d have actors hold a dulled razor blade between their thumb and forefinger and blood-filled bulb syringe in their palm. When they pretended to slice their victim, they’d squeeze the blood out of the syringe, which left a super realistic trail of blood on the fresh “wound”. My mother loved that one.

As I got older, I read as much about special effects as I could. When I graduated high school, I moved to Pittsburgh and enrolled in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s industrial design program, where I had some wonderful instructors and learned a lot.

Now I fight fires, which is a different route from the world of professional SFX, but I really dig what I do.

What inspired you to start making zed heads?

The head I sent to you guys was actually inspired by Mike Mignola’s art work. I love the way he draws his corpses: teeth exposed and completely wasting away.

How do you make your zombie heads?

I start with an armature, which I usually make out of foam covered in foil and tape. When that’s ready, I stick it on a wooden base and cover it with an oil based clay called Roma Plastilina, (or whatever I have on hand). From there, it’s just a matter of building up and taking away chunks of clay to form the head.

After I rough out the features, smooth the clay, and add texture it’s time to make a mold. To prepare the sculpt, I take a water based clay and build walls to separate two or three parts of the head — these will act like containment barriers for the cement I’ll be pouring into my mold. When that’s done, I start the actual molding process.

I cover the head with a gypsum cement called Ultra-cal 30, then reinforce it with burlap. When it’s dry, I flip the head over, remove the wet clay walls, and Vaseline the exposed cement. Then I repeat the process. When the head has completely dried a second time,  I pry my mold apart, remove all of the leftover clay from the halves, and thoroughly clean the inside.

Now it’s time for me to put the halves of my mold back together and cast the head in latex.

When I’m casting, I usually fill my mold to the top, wait about 15 minutes, and pour any remaining latex back into the bottle. After the latex has set, I’ll wait about two days before I move onto my next step — filling the head with foam. Lately I’ve been using Great Stuff, which is the canned stuff you can pick up at any hardware store. (In the past I’ve used a cold foam kit, but for my needs I really like the effect I get from Great Stuff — it tends to shrink the cast a bit, which leads to the shriveled look I really like.)

After the foam is dry, I carefully remove the plaster cast from my mold and smooth out any seams with a dremel. Then it’s on to painting.

For my sculpts, I like to apply thin washes of acrylic paints, layering them until I get the depth and color that I’m looking for. When that’s done, I’ll sometimes add wool for hair and a clear gloss coat for the teeth, eyes, and gore.

How long does it take to make one of these heads from start to finish?

The casting, molding, and painting process generally takes me about a week, mostly due to the the time it takes for my foam filler to dry. (When I use a two part urethane foam, it cuts that time substantially.)

Since sculpting is my hobby, I make the heads on my free time. With my work schedule, complete heads (from sculpt to cast) take about a month to build.

What’s your favorite zombie movie? What zombie movie do you think has the coolest special effects?

My favorite zombie movie is the original Dawn of the Dead, hands down! I think I’ve seen it at least twenty times, probably more.

As far as my pick for best special effects, I’m gonna have to go with Dead Alive. Seriously — that movie has a kung-fu preacher throwing roundhouse kicks and a mild mannered fella using a lawnmower to take out zombies. How can you get more visually impressive than that?

What other types of SFX projects do you do?

I have experience working with foam latex and bladders that shoot out pus and blood (which are always fun). I’ve also dabbled with some cable control effects, but I’m old school — I’m not so big on electronics. If I can’t use a ball-peen hammer on my project, it’s too delicate for me.

What’s the most challenging part of creating props/masks/etc?

Having the time to start and complete them. I have so many ideas, but I need to work on a limited budget and schedule.

What makeup/SFX artist has been the most influential for you?

Tom Savini! He was the first artist that I started following. Then you have people like Rob Bottin, Greg Nicotero (a zombie god for sure), Steve Johnson, and, of course, Dick Smith. I really love Jordu Schell’s sculpting style as well — he’s amazing!

Do all of your friends ask you to make them Halloween costumes? 

Occasionally. I’ve been known to do a project or two (or three) for friends and family. I don’t consider it work, so it’s rarely a bother. I love this stuff.

Do you have any advice for aspiring effects artists?

The most important thing for an artist is drive and motivation. Read everything that you can and keep practicing! There are so many forums out there with real professionals who are extremely helpful — I’m talking men and women who are actually in the business and are willing to share information and constructive advice. I wish I had the internet when I was in my teens…there’s so much free information out there that it’s crazy.

Thanks for sharing all of these details with us, Tim! Now I’m even more antsy for Halloween…

Now it’s your turn to help us name our new undead friend (shown below)! If you have an idea, post a comment and let us know! I’ll gather up all of your suggestions and ask the team to vote for their favorite.

Have an awesome weekend!

Emily

PS: If you’d like to check out more of Tim’s work (and read some sweet tutorials that he wrote), head over to his website.

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Back in February, Jeff sat down with Mike Griffin from Gamasutra to discuss Class3. In this short interview, he fields questions about our technology, design choices, and more!

To read what he had to say, head over to the Gamasutra website!