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Children of the Dead [Concept Trailer]

At Zero Hour of the apocalypse, this adrenaline charged allegory follows two 14 year old kids, Tib and Kelly, as they escape from school and run like hell for home. Survival is the name of the game as these two run through a growing gauntlet of undead, putting their school-yard skills to the test... Hide and Go Seek, Tag, you’re it! Game over. Making matters worse, the two are also dogged by a boy named Scott, who didn’t make it out of the classroom alive. Scott’s puppy love infatuation with Kelly has turned insane, driving him even in this state of un-death, he sees Tib as his competition for her affections.

  • Jeff Bassetti
    Director
    F-Stops
  • Jeff Bassetti
    Writer
    F-Stops
  • Jeff Bassetti
    Producer
    F-Stops
  • Brian Hillard
    Producer
    Walking Dead, Lone Survivor
  • Roland Feldman
    Producer
  • Fiana Feldman
    Producer
  • Josh Feldman
    Key Cast
  • Maxim Knight
    Key Cast
    Falling Skies
  • Gabriella Holland
    Key Cast
  • Matthew W Davis
    Director of Photography
    Ender's Game, Tango Late
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 12, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jeff Bassetti

Jeff Bassetti is an Eagle Scout in Pleasanton, CA.'s Troop 998. He graduated from San Francisco State University (BA) and The American Film Institute (MFA), interning for two consecutive semesters at LUCASFILM's Industrial Light & Magic. While at ILM, he worked under Producer's Janet Healey, Ned Gorman, and Head of Production John Weaver on the projects:

John Patrick Shanley's • JOE vs the VOLCANO
Akira Kurosawa's • DREAMS
James Cameron's • The ABYSS
Robert Zemeckis' • BACK to the FUTURE 2
Jerry Zucker's • GHOST

Jeff formed Burning Galileo Films and raised production financing for the Independent Feature Film, "F-STOPS" on which he served as co-writer, co-producer, and director. "F-STOPS" won Best Thriller at Houston World Fest, the International Cinematographer's Guild Showcase and was presented at Cannes in 2004 by the ICG and Eastman Kodak.

Jeff’s feature screenplays CHILDREN OF THE DEAD, THE OMEGA TOTS, and I, PHIEND have received multiple awards on the film festival circuit.

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Director Statement

When I first saw Jason Chan’s “ZOMBIE PLAYGROUND”, it resonated with me on some primal level— like a nightmare I couldn’t shake. I thought it was disturbing and exhilarating, and I wanted to know more— Who were these kids? How did they get here? How are they going to get out of this? And where the hell are their parents?

With real-life horror stories coming out of the 24 hour news streams about school bullies and shootings— would this be another Alamo, or would the cavalry ride in at the last moment to save the day? Or would they have to fend entirely for themselves? A story was starting to take shape in my mind, one which was truly frightening— “Kids against the world!” Where school yard tactics could be the difference between life and death. Silly skills with one, simple enough objective— avoid capture at all costs.

For me, Children of the Dead isn’t just a zombie horror story, it’s about innocence lost— It’s about an awakening, about a kid’s ability to grow up and survive as they grapple against the allegorical monsters living in the real world today. As parents and adults, heck as human beings, one of our greatest fears is the thought of our kids, or our families, in harms way— just as kid’s fear that they may be abandoned or unloved.

“Children of the Dead” is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse, and it has to represent hope.

~ Jeff Bassetti