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The Jewellery Quarter’s newest development, Golden Square, will be transformed into a place of devastation as a living statue finds himself caught in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

Carl Timms is the writer and director of short zombie horror film, Still, which is being shot in the city, and starring Birmingham born Joe Capella.

Currently a director of local digital media company, Made Media, Carl has written and produced films on the side for 20 years and is now fulfilling his dream to make a zombie movie, to be filmed in just two days this October. But a short turnaround will not mean a lack of Hollywood quality zombies. Timms has already recruited top SFX and prosthetics man Stuart Conran, who lives in Stourbridge, and whose extensive film credits include classic zombie films Shaun of the Dead, and Peter Jackson’s 1991 cult classic Braindead, plus some of the biggest UK horror films of the last 20 years, including The Woman in Black, The Descent, Attack the Block and Eden Lake.

The film has already pulled in support from the Birmingham community with Zombie Earth, the creators of live-action zombie chase games acting as production partner and providing zombie school to supporters of the project.

Extras and makeup artists have also pledged their involvement – including Zombie Walk founder Jamie Chapman and film and TV student make-up artists from Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMET).

Carl, 38, who has been a zombie fan ever since he saw Michael Jackson’s Thriller, aged 6 said: “It has always been my dream is to make a zombie film and I’m aiming to make the best zombie short of the year (and there are many!).

“We have had great support from Birmingham including is the Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District  who is kindly supplying us with market stalls to throw all over Golden Square.”

JQBID Manager, Luke Crane, comments “I loved the idea when Carl approached me–Zombies are old hat now, but Still has a fresh new vibe to it, so it’s only fitting it should be set in the Jewellery Quarter. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with our market stalls!”

Carl is now appealing for funds to cover the effects needed, and for zombie extras to create an impressive crowd. In return film donors can be a featured zombie extra, with training provided by Zombie Earth’s zombie school, or have the opportunity to be made up by Stuart Conran himself, and have a portrait photograph taken as a memento of the day.

Carl adds: “I’m hoping to have Birmingham’s biggest zombie horde on film, with over 100 zombies on set. We’re already halfway there, so just need some extra zombie enthusiasts to join the invasion.

“Being able to work with Stuart is absolutely amazing, it’s an honour to work with someone who has created the effects on some of my favourite zombie films, and it means that our zombies will look genuinely gruesome.

“For any zombie fan willing to add in a little extra, the chance to be made up by a professional like Stuart is a fantastic opportunity.”

If you would like to help with funding please visit igg.me/at/zomshortstill you can also find more at www.facebook.com/zomshortstill or @zomshortstill, an Indigogo campaign launches tomorrow Thursday 17^th September.

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