Interview with Mike DiSario, Writer/Director of 'War of the Dead: Z.E.R.O.'

Joe Sena: Creator/Executive Producer
Mike DiSario: Writer/Director
Melissa Rubin: Producer

Jonny Cage (JC): Where did the idea start?

Mike DiSario (MD): Joe, Melissa, and I were working together developing and managing content for a website. Melissa and I have a history of working together and actually attended film school together many years ago. We met Joe during one of our funding adventures which turned out to be a nightmare and crashed and burned.

Years later Joe called us up to develop an idea he had been kicking around for awhile. The idea was the War of the Dead saga. The entire story will be represented in many different forms of media (i.e. a series of novels –the first of which I’ve written and is in editing/ rewrites, comics, a card game, etc.) we wanted to begin introducing the idea visually, with the web series.

Long story short, Joe pitched us his idea for a low budget zombie series. This idea involved very few people, possibly us, running around with a camera in a very basic “Cops” style show. Melissa and I loved the idea but not the approach. So, I sat down and wrote out a script (the teaser episode). He liked the approach I took on the script and a few weeks later we were preparing to shoot.

JC: Who/What are your influences?

MD: That’s hard to say. I will be the first to admit that I am not a horror junky. I enjoy horror movies when they’re done well and or really poorly (Check out Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) if you’ve never seen it) Because of this my influences are widespread.

I’m equally influenced by directors I admire (Orson Welles, Luc Besson, David Fincher, Tim Burton, Guillermo Del Torro, Julie Taymor), as I am by amazing performances from great actors. I find inspiration for my stories or shot choices from headlines in the news or photographs in a magazine. I can’t say any one person or thing is more influential on my work than another.

JC: What research have you done apart from what we see on the silver screen?

MD: As a self admitted nerd, I have taken the lore of the classic zombie and extracted what I felt was useful. I threw away some things that I thought were ridiculous. To fill in gaps and answer my own personal questions I turn mostly to science and logic. I’ve studied anatomy and biology, even some chemistry and applied these truths to what I think a zombie should be/ would be.

Sure, some people might have a problem with this approach, I accept and expect that. But, I think we are lucky enough to live at a time where many classical horror ideas are being rethought instead of regurgitated. Things like vampires, werewolves and zombies are being approached in a variety of different ways. Personally, I think that is what keeps the genre evolving and moving forward. I’m by no means saying I’m doing anything ground breaking; I think we’re just making these zombies a bit more of our own.

JC: Have you read Max Brooks’ book ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’? If so, what are your thoughts about the information given? Have you applied any of it to the story?

MD: I flipped through the book and enjoyed what I read. He really thought through many situations and circumstances and came up with logical conclusions on how to deal with the menace.

I did read World War Z and thought it was good. It was an interesting look and take on the classic zombie apocalypse. I have not applied any of those thoughts to the world I’m creating, though obviously there are some parallels that could be drawn. My only complaint would be that his approach was based on the Romero zombie model. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, I would just liked to have seen a more progressive take on an old specimen.

JC: Episode 1 seemed to take a while to release to the public, should we expect to wait that long for each episode?

MD: Yeah, sorry about that, there are a lot of things in the works right now. We’re planning to potentially shoot five more episodes back to back some point around January. If this comes to fruition, than we’ll have episodes being released in more regular, shorter intervals.

JC: Why not have all of the episodes already made, then air them, like the Devil’s Trade series on FEARNet.com?

MD: There are many obvious differences between Devil’s Trade and ZERO. Our production is a lot bigger and more involved. Our episodes are in some cases more than 5x as long. As I said we’re planning on shooting the rest of the “season” in one clip and having the episodes released quicker. This, unfortunately, depends on a lot of variables.

JC: Why Fangoria?

MD: Joe has had a long standing professional and personal relationship with Tony Timpone. From what I understand they went to high school together. So, when we started this venture it seemed only natural to get involved with them. The truth is that even though Joe and Tony are friends, he owed us nothing. He wasn’t out to do us favors but, he does believe in the show and it’s potential.

JC: How is it working with one of the most influential ‘horror news’ mediums out there?

MD: Tony and Mike Gingold have been nothing but supportive of us and the series. As a matter of fact, Tony was one of the first people to watch the show. We screened it for him in the Fangoria office meeting room. I have to say it was nerve racking to sit there with him, as nice and friendly as he is, while he watched it. It was a relief to see him laughing and enjoying himself as the teaser episode played out. He was impressed with the quality and made it a point to attend the screening of the first episode at the Weekend of Horrors. While I, unfortunately was unable to attend it myself. I heard Tony and Mike started a standing ovation. It’s a great feeling when two people with such knowledge and exposure to the industry enjoy our show as much as they seem to.

JC: How much publicity has the series been getting?

MD: The series has been getting a good amount of recognition. We had an entire page dedicated to us in Fangoria Magazine as well as online praise. We have gotten unexpected praise from certain forums. We found articles on the show in other languages and fans from other countries. What is most pleasing to me personally is the fans feedback. We have come across people on MySpace that have ZERO listed as their favorite show. We’ve gotten E-mails saying how much people like it because it’s not what they expected it would be. Maybe that’s what is most satisfying to me. That people enjoy it because it’s a show with zombies and not a show about zombies. They are becoming attached to the characters, quote the lines, and want to see what they get into next. As a writer that makes me smile.

JC: Even though the series is still in its infantile stages, any plans for a movie?

MD: I’ve heard rumors…

JC: Could we be expecting a DVD of the series in the late future?

MD: If all goes according to plan you can expect to see something by the end of the summer ’08.

JC: Online only or full retail?

MD: We’re in negotiations.

JC: Is a season two already in discussion?

MD: We locked ourselves in a room one day and planned out the series story line which will stretch for as many seasons as we’re able to do. You’ll begin to see reoccurring themes and ongoing character arcs which started in the last episode (Episode 1). We have all the episodes set for this season and I’ve already begun writing them. The places that you’ve seen ZERO go and the situations that they’ve gotten into are nothing compared to where they’re headed. It’s going to be as much fun to make as it will be to watch.

JC: What are your plans to keep the story alive and away from becoming redundant?

MD: Because there is a bigger, more complex story attached to ZERO the chance of it becoming stale is minimal. If it were a series of vignettes you would have nothing to follow. No stories carrying over, no real character development, just mission after mission. Though it would be entertaining it wouldn’t be very engaging in the long run and people wouldn’t be drawn back. The stories we’ve created are intended to draw the viewer in. Like I said, you’ll have to wait and see.

JC: Could we expect more quarrels between the members of Z.E.R.O. and local law enforcement?

MD: Possibly, the ZERO team that the show focuses on is a rowdy bunch.

JC: Are we going to get a back story on the characters?

MD: Because my aim is always to focus the show on the characters we are going to see every side of them. They are our heroes but, as with all people, they’re flawed. This being the case they become more real and viewers can identify themselves with the characters.

JC: Are we going to get the story on how the outbreak began?

MD: In the show and the novel we never give a detailed explanation of the outbreaks inception. We think keeping it vague and hinting at various reasons without beating people over the head is the best thing to do.

JC: Are we going to see more ZERO members?

MD: The show focuses on one ZERO team but in reality there are dozens and dozens of teams. In future episodes you’ll meet members of other teams and even see some of them in action.

JC: Who is your favorite character?

MD: I can’t answer that, the actors would kill me! I’m just kidding. I don’t have a favorite. I love Gellow (Andrew) because he’s an obnoxious asshole in an endearing way. I love Justin (Don) because of his leadership and compassion- and for reasons you’ll soon see-. I love Tara (Dina) for her impossible mix of vulnerability and strength. I love Jones (Sean) for all his mysterious complexities.

The strange thing about writing a series or really developing a character in any medium is that, at a certain point, you stop controlling them. You find you no longer tell them what to do or where to go. They come to life and you realize you’re no longer guiding them. You place them in a situation and they react as they would naturally. You can’t force it or push them one way or another. You become an onlooker merely chronicling the journey.

Then when that comes off the page you shoot the script and you take in the actors’ strengths and their choices with the characters. Sitting and writing the next episode becomes more complex because now you’re dealing with two separate personalities –that of the characters and the actors- and then meld them into a more believable, living, breathing piece of autonomy. It’s a journey and experience that’s difficult to explain and very personal to each writer. Many times I’ll be just as excited to see how a scene is resolved as the viewer is.

JC: Any plans for cameos? Can I suggest Bruce Campbell?

MD: Bruce Campbell? Bruce? Are you out there reading this? We love you! Please do our show! We are in talks with a few people. I don’t want to ruin anything. You’ll just have to see who pops up along the way.

JC: Were there any scenes in particular that stick in your mind?

MD: At the end of episode 1 there is a scene where the boys (Don, Andrew and Sean) are bullshitting as usually and stepping over the bodies. The way the scene was originally written was that they were merely walking down a hallway talking. On location while watching the rehearsal we decided to mix it up to give the scene a little more impact. I asked Alice (SFX) to quickly make up some more zombies (which after 12 hours of shooting she wasn’t thrilled about) and had them lay down in various areas so they would be reached at key points of dialogue. Then I wanted to play with it a step further and have them putting a few more shots into them as them moved past. As Andrew put it, it was like live theater. We were just flowing with it, making things up, feeling out the scene. Everyone was caught up in the momentum of making the scene as we were shooting. In the end I believe this scene, which was originally strictly a walk and talk, became a fun and memorable moment in the episode. Plus who doesn’t like zombies getting shot in the head repeatedly?

JC: Just out of curiosity, how many FX artists did you interview or entertain before choosing your current? Or did you already have someone in mind before inception?

MD: None, we asked for recommendations from people we knew and a close friend of ours gave us Alice’s info. We took a look at her portfolio, met with her and that was it. We clicked right away. That’s the way it was with most of the crew. These people are professionals at what they do. What it comes down to for Melissa and I is who we get along with. You have to take into account that someone may be slightly more skilled than someone else but sometimes you know you’re just not going to get along with them. After the ten hour mark on a set people’s true personalities come out to play and sometimes they’re not so pretty. We were careful to choose people who we knew would mesh well and we are now a family.

JC: What about actors?

MD: We had over a hundred people come and read for the parts. What it came down to was chemistry. During callbacks we had different actors sit in a room in different configurations. It wasn’t until we put the current cast together that we felt like we had a cohesive group. They really are good friends and I think you can see that in the show.

JC: At any point in time, before, during, or even after the creation of the teaser, has there been doubt about the series’ success?

MD: There are always doubts. I’m very hard on myself and my work, perhaps to a fault. The true test of any production is to watch it in a room full of strangers. That’s when you’ll get the truth. When we premiered at ICON with the teaser it was uplifting and a huge relief to hear everyone laugh and cheer. We were happy with the show personally, but it wasn’t until after the crowd stayed (over 100 people) to ask us questions and get autographs, that we realized what we had was special.

JC: What snags have you run into?

MD: None yet **Knocks on every piece of wood in a ten mile radius**

JC: Have you run into any budget trouble?

MD: Thankfully, Melissa tends to keep that information away from me. We work with the budget we’re given and thus far have stretched every cent to make the production value soar.

JC: In our many conversations, I’ve noticed an uncommon willingness to help the little guy; whether it be advise, or adding an up incoming review site’s banner on your MySpace, or offering an exclusive interview, or simply responding to a fan’s emails. From the director of a horror web-series…why the attention?

MD: You’re right. Interview over. If you post this I’ll have my lawyers punch a lawsuit through your face.

Actually, I’m as surprised by your reaction just as much as you seem to be surprised by mine. So I direct a horror web series? So what? What if I was directing 100 million dollar studio films (My phone line is never busy Mr. & Mr. Weinstein)? Does that mean I can’t be bothered with other people? I’m not better than anyone else, believe me, I do what I do and appreciate your support and loyalty to the show. It is only fair that I support what you do, whatever it may be, and help you out if I can.

In my outlook there are no little people or big people. There are sometimes annoying people and I ignore them. For the most part, I don’t see a hierarchy.

JC: At what age did you view your first horror movie? What was it?

MD: My brother tied me down when I was younger, don’t know what age, and made me watch A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). For a while soon there after I had many a nightmare. For this I will never forgive him.

JC: What is your favorite horror movie?

MD: There are so many. I love the Evil Dead series and Dead Alive (1992). Those are definitely on the top of the list.

JC: Zombie movie?

MD: My favorite zombie movie might just be the re-make of Dawn of the Dead (1978). It was so well done. I really have never seen a zombie movie that I didn’t like though.

JC: What would you like to say to the people who are just now getting into the series?

MD: The series is going to take the “zombie story” places it’s never gone and do things with it that have never been done. Keep watching!

I would just like to thank Mike for taking the time to do this interview and for being so damn thorough! You guys are awesome and on behalf of the entire Jonny Cage’s Horror Movie Reviews crew and our readers…THANK YOU!