Thursday, July 16, 2009

Be in a Zombie Movie


This is really funny, and I just love Noel Fielding – he’s just the kind of guy you’d want in your gang. I really wanted to flag this up to you because there’s also a chance for you to get involved and help to break a world record for the largest amount of zombies caught on camera! Not entirely my bag, maybe a bit lo-fi, but looks fun.

Noel Fielding, renowned as one half of the comedy duo The Mighty Boosh, will star as the Zombie King in Film4 and Warp Films’ upcoming production I Spit On Your Rave which will be filmed at this year’s Big Chill Festival.

The year is 2018. The apocalypse has happened. Zombies rule the world. Human beings are kept only for food (and sometimes entertainment). But old habits die hard, so once a year the zombies still hold a music festival and this year at The Big Chill Festival Warp Films and Film4 will be recreating this ghastly event. With the Zombie King Noel Fielding presiding over proceedings, its time to come and join the fundead!

The Might Boosh Band headlined the Big Chill Festival 2008 and Fielding is set to perform a solo set again this year in addition to his duties as Zombie King. A highly regarded comedian in his own right, Noel’s television work includes appearances in Nathan Barley, Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place and The IT Crowd. He also appears in Paul King’s debut feature ‘Bunny & The Bull’ produced by Warp Films and due for release later this year.

On Thursday 6th of August, Big Chill Festival and partners will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest amount of zombies caught on camera, when shooting begins on. In order to take part in these events wannabe zombies have to be a Big Chill Festival ticket holder and look like one of the undead. Whilst the festival would love for everyone to arrive as a zombie, if revellers don't have time to get make-up and gear together, the Big Chill Festival will provide Zombification Stations at the arena entrances and get undeaded!

Make-up stations will be open all-day, starting as soon as festival goers start to arrive and set up camp. Once the entertainment area opens at 3pm, revellers will only to be able to get into the Open Air Stage field if they are zombiefied. White face make-up and a bit of fake blood will do, but festival organisers would love it if participants could go the whole hog. There will be zombie-themed DJ sets and other entertainment to keep festival goers in the mood. More details can be found at www.ispitonyourrave.com.

Getting to the zombie extravaganza – The Zombie Bus
If prospective zombies are in London and don't know how they’re going to get to the festival, why not join fellow zombies at The Big Chill House (Pentonville Road, Kings Cross) or Big Chill Bar (Dray Walk, off Brick Lane) and get on the Zombie Bus? Revellers will be gathering at 11am on Thursday morning for breakfast and a drink, as well as the all important zombie makeover. Zombie bus packages cost £170 (includes festival ticket, bus travel to and from the festival, a zombie makeover, sandwiches / croissants, tea / coffees, beers n Bloody Marys, tunes on the bus and fun times had by all!) are available to book through www.nationalexpress.com/metrochill.

The record breaking attempt
At 7.00pm on Thursday 6th August Warp Films and Film4 will film the highlight of the zombie festival, 'The Running Feast'. This is where we need the biggest possible zombie crowd so we can beat that world record! The crowd will be greeted by their Zombie King, Noel Fielding. This will be staged as a live event, with music from Toddla T and other special guests. Think 'It's a Knockout' meets 'The Running Man', with specially 'captured' humans chased through an obstacle course by zombies hungry for brains... Gory fun for the whole post-nuclear family!

Further zombie entertainment
After this, zombies will be especially welcome at British Sea Power's live accompaniment of 'Man of Arran' ('Zombie of Arran'?) and 'Winged Migration'. Then there's more undead fun with zombie movies from from dusk till dawn in the Film4 Cinema Tent, featuring two of the '...Dead' films by zombie movie legend George A. Romero, John Carpenter's haunting 'The Fog' and Sam Raimi's cult horror-comedy classic, 'Evil Dead II'. And if zombies feel like strutting your undead stuff, they can shuffle over to the zombie disco in Big Chill Nights.

Throughout the weekend smaller events will be taking place, including a zombie battle of the bands, an undead fashion show, zombie weddings and a zombie rave. If potential zombies want to take part in any of these events let us know, either by emailing ispitonyourrave@warpfilms.com, or come and say hello at our Zombie HQ by the Film4 Cinema Tent.

Zombies will also be particularly welcome at the Dereliction Drive-In, a post-apocalyptic drive-in cinema where you can join graffiti gurus Pete Fowler and Kid 30 in pimping your undead ride. Chill out to mixes from beyond the grave from Monsterism, Hexstatic and Osymyso, or add your own ghoulish sounds to the mix with our AudioBoo crew. The culmination of the weekend's life and death antics with be the ceremonial burning of the zombie on Sunday night - a 20m wooden effigy of living death itself, brought to us by The World Famous, the pyrotechnic team behind last year's Big Warm finale.