Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Montage

Michael Adam Kraus, USF alumnus with a bachelor's in economics, is the founder of Project Zee and the mind behind - and face of - the film. Special to the Oracle

Most people filming a low-budget zombie movie in their apartment would feel that they were far enough off the beaten path, but not USF alumnus Michael Adam Kraus. As the creator of Project Zee, an underground - way underground - film company, he wants to revolutionize the zombie genre.

"I love zombie movies. I've always wanted to make one and I've had this idea for a while," Kraus said.

In bringing his idea to life, Kraus drew inspiration from the work of two of his favorite directors: Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes) and George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead).

Kraus' film differs from most zombie movies in that the monster, not the survivor, is the main character.

"I don't want to give too much away, but the opening shots are of a zombie, alone, in a tiny, destroyed room. He spends the entirety of the movie trying to figure out how he got there. It was filmed nonlinearly, so the end is kind of the beginning," Kraus said.

He wrote the script, directed, produced and played the main character in the film.

Acting may sound like a dream for some, but Kraus would rather be behind the camera.

"I hated acting, but there were things that needed to be done that I couldn't have asked anyone else to do," he said.

This included wearing a latex zombie suit for several hours - which caused Kraus to break out in hives - and rubbing soap in his eyes to create an authentic bloodshot effect.

"The contacts we had ordered for the shot didn't work. We were strapped for time, trying to wrap it up, so I did it. Hopefully someone will appreciate the special effects. My eyes were swollen for hours after," Kraus said, laughing.

Another situation Kraus experienced while making a zombie movie was getting rid of a blood stained couch - without getting the police involved.

In addition to his eyeballs and his furniture, Kraus had to sacrifice his home in the making of his film.

"We tore apart my apartment guest room and filmed pretty much all of it there," he said.

For the two weeks it took to film the movie, Kraus' guest bedroom had no carpet and was covered in blood, serving as the primary set.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools