The first cinematic production by Newfoundland Productions, Me and Zeus is the comedic story of an introverted man who finds a friend in a zombie prowling his garden. With his new found confidence, our protagonist eventually meets the girl of his dreams, but when his secret comes out he has to decide between the woman he has always dreamed of, or his first true friendship.
Me and Zeus was the final year project for the members of Newfoundland Productions and tested their film making capabilities to the fullest with extensive make up work, dramatic special effects and challenging camera work, not to mention the financial restrictions of a University-based production. Nevertheless, the film was an outstanding success, being given the highest mark in the departments’ history and winning the local Harbour Lights film festival, and is still shown to potential film students at the University of Portsmouth.
Click the tabs below to find out more about the project
Inspiration was drawn from the groups’ universal love of zombie movies and was designed to set production standards high in order to draw attention to the high aspirations of the group. The production challenged typical student film conventions by filming at over a dozen locations, using non-student actors and relying on dynamic special effects as film equipment to create their movies. After being cautioned by lecturers at the University to reign in what appeared to be an excessive production schedule, the group relied on solid planning and commitment to all aspects of the film making process to ensure that the deadlines were not only met, but that the finished product met the highest standards in presentation.
Special effects and dolly testing
The biggest challenge of the production was making Zeus the Zombie appear as close to his Hollywood counterparts as possible. The script called for Zeus’s feet, arms and even head to detach at varying points in the plot and this was certainly a challenge for the fledgling film makers. Combined with this, the group had ambitions to utilise home-made dolly equipment for lengthy tracking shots, car mounted cameras to follow actors and extensive night time shooting, all of which made for a challenging production.
The cast and crew between takes
With a bit of luck and a lot more hard work and determination, the group managed to complete the film with a bare minimum of re-shoots and managed to get meet all deadlines and exceed their lecturer’s highest expectations.
After a gruelling editing session utilising all the functionality of the facilities available, Me and Zeus was given a 1st for all aspects of its production and on top of this, attained the highest mark ever received in the history of the department. Later shown at the Portsmouth Harbour Lights Film Festival, a short film festival designed with up and coming developers in mind, Me and Zeus was met with standing ovation and declared that years most promising production.
The cinema used for the Harbour Lights Film Festival
After completing their degrees, the members of Newfoundland Productions left University and began to continue their film development work in Central London, hoping to raise their standards even higher as their skills improved.