The Framework Productions team went hunting for zombies, and they found a horde. Over 80 people from Southeast Missouri and Northern Arkansas arrived to audition for the upcoming movie “HERD” at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on Wednesday, March 23.
A handful of middle school girls interviewed to play a younger version of main character, but most attendees auditioned for roles as zombie extras. Head of production James Allerdyce explained they would also be considered for roles as militia, college students and farmers.
Poplar Bluff native and producer Steven Pierce put people through their paces by having them walk the stage normally, then develop a limp and a migraine before transitioning fully to an enraged zombie. Pierce kept his eye out for people with a good attitude, and able to sink into the role.
He was excited to be bringing everyday people into the project.
“My favorite type of casting is to do with real people. As professionals there’s a decorum... When you work with real people, you can just see like the light in their eyes and the fun that they have,” Pierce said.
Both he and Allerdyce were stunned by the turnout. They are now faced with many difficult decisions as they choose their actors.
“We have so many people that have come out in the whole region to try and be a part of this, willing to be a part of this, that we cannot possibly use everybody,” said Pierce, “Which is kind of heartbreaking, because I want to be able to use everyone that was willing to come.”
“It’s actually a really good problem, because we had such an outpouring,” Allerdyce told the auditionees.
Among them was Warren Looney, a retired police officer from Corning, Arkansas, whose audition video won a Facebook contest held by Framework Productions, the Daily American Republic and Poplar Bluff Realty earlier in the week. He was “super excited” to learn he had won the audition, he said. “This is my first time ever auditioning for anything.”
Looney’s prize was a fast-track into consideration for a part. The opportunity is personal to him because he is currently battling leukemia, and hopes getting on screen will give his family another way to remember him.
“This is an opportunity for me to get on film and them be able to look at it later,” he said.
Pierce and Allerdyce drew inspiration from a variety of zombie movies for “HERD.” Their zombies, called Heps, are living humans infected with a painful disease, which drives them insane — think rabies crossed with Ebola, they said.
“Ours are not the undead. They’re not people missing limbs with their guts falling out, and they are a little more in the world of ‘World War Z,’ ‘28 Days Later.’ They’re kind of more Rage Virus attack zombies, but we have a little bit of a balance with them,” Pierce explained.
They began writing the screenplay in March 2020, but despite their timing coinciding with a real-life pandemic, they tried to limit COVID’s influence on their creative process.
“We like to think very much, this is not a COVID movie. It falls in line with more the mythology, and we actively try and work against it (COVID-19),” Pierce said, admitting, “But there’s no way it keeps out entirely.”
He and Allerdyce also avoided overplayed horror tropes.
“I don’t think either of us are drawn to campy sort of horror movies... For me, ‘The Babadook’ is a great example of an amazing horror film that has just so much emotion wrapped up in it, and it’s done so well. And we hope to be more in that world,” said Pierce.
“HERD” was written with Southeast Missouri in mind, since Pierce knew the studio could find great locations there. Framework Productions plans to film in and around Poplar Bluff from April 2-28. They are also shooting in Cape Girardeau.
“I am so excited we got to come to Poplar Bluff,” Pierce said.
More information on “HERD” and updates on the filming process can be found at the movie’s website, herd.film, and @herd.film on Instagram.