Link Round-Up: March 1, 2016

"The Walking Dead" by Patrick Brown

Artist Amanda Lee, aka "dada16808," has transformed her love for Disney and Hayao Miyazaki films into lovely character mashups drawn using color pencils.

AT&T Ads Highlight How Text-Driving Causes More Casualties Than War

Check out this Firefly 2.0 collection from Living Dead Clothing! I think my favorite might have to be the dinosaur “This Land” dress.

My Wife And I Create Fantasy Creatures From Another World

Not everyone wants to make their own Storm Trooper armor from scratch — but if you’ve got the means to buy a full set, Kevin Weir of KW Designs has designed this FEM7 Armor Kit for female Storm Troopers.

Paramount Must Explain Star Trek in Court or Lose Ownership: "this is why, from a legal perspective, Disney’s decision to destroy the Star Wars extended universe was a masterstroke. The lines there aren’t blurry, which means the studio can encourage fan-made tributes without freaking out about the nature of its ownership."

SoNieuf: I Drew 100+ Movie Scenes That Inspire Me

You're walking on art in France , Seattle [1, 2, 3], Minneapolis, Moscow, Brisbane, Japan [previously], and elsewhere all over the world [1, 2].  Manhole Cover Photography. Photos of manhole covers from around the world.  The Japanese make beautiful manholes. Original idea by Mimi and Robert Melnick who started this obsession back in 1974.  Check out the The Japanese Manhole Art Museum. More art of streets and cities at Ruavista, from Fifties Buenos Aires to Belfast to reverse painted glass signs in Paris, 1900.  More at the Typographic Signage Project; Vancouver's Neon Heritage; Early American Tavern and Inn Signs; and the Emergence of Advertising in America.

Short Film: Turning Point

"Turning Point" by Joe Penna
Written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison

"Turning Point" is yet another great sci-fi short from Joe Penna.  This one takes us into a post-apocalyptic near future in which a lethal contagion transforms people into zombies.  Far from being the typical zombie horror cliché, though, Penna offers a fresh take on the genre with a story about a woman trapped in the midst of an outbreak.

Below, you can watch an excellent behind the scene featurette demonstrating how the film came together, as well as all the unexpected difficulties the director encountered during production, including the lead actress being involved in a serious car accident on her way to the shoot.

"Abandoned and exposed to a deadly disease, a young woman wakes up to discover she must survive the night alone."

Fan Film: Harley Quinn vs. Zombies

"Harley Quinn vs. Zombies" by Matthew Talamantes

Harley Quinn takes on a horde of zombies in this fun fan film directed by Matthew Talamantes. Actress Aly Fritz gives a very solid performance as Suicide Squad star Harley Quinn.

"Harley Quinn vs. Zombies is a fan film in which Harley ventures on her own to a recent zombie outbreak for what she considers to be a dream vacation. In the midst of her zombie slaying adventure she comes across a group of civilians who are desperate for a hero, but instead get Miss Harleen Quinzel."

Quick Pic: Zombie Gingerbread Ornament

Zombie Gingerbread Man Plush Christmas Ornament by Tranifer Lovely

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$11

"You can run and run as fast as you can, he'll still catch you, he's the gingerbread man.

This adorable holiday Zombie ornament is hand stitched from soft fleece with acrylic fabric paint details. Stuffed with polyester fiberfill, then topped off with a white polyester ribbon to hang him from (covered in blood splatter, because zombies!)

Approximately 5" tall and 4" wide. Ribbon is 3.5" long."

Fan Film: Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies

"Lego Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies" by forrestfire101

You’ve got to check out this ultra-violent and blood-filled stop-motion animated LEGO short film called "Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies." It was created by Youtube user Forrestfire101 (aka Forrest Whaley), and it’s just as awesome as you hoped a film with this title would be.

It starts off with Captain America riding his motorcycle through a German city occupied by the Nazis. He ends up hitting a landmine that explodes, and he is knocked unconscious until nightfall. When he wakes up he finds himself surrounded by Nazi zombies he must battle to survive!

This needs to be adapted into a live action film ASAP!

Humor: Zombie Adventure

Created by Jim Benton

Quick Pic: Zombie Pumpkin

Zombie Pumpkin by Mikey Fish Hook

[ Check out more Halloween Pumpkins! ]

Quick Pic: Zombie Pumpkin

Zombie Pumpkin by Shmowzow

[ Check out more Halloween Pumpkins! ]

Short Film: Over My Dead Body

"Over My Dead Body" by Timothy Plain

"Over My Dead Body" is a comedy short with a Halloween flavor.  It centers around the trials and tribulations of dating and dealing with the undead.

"Marie's night goes horribly wrong when a zombie shows up for her blind date. Now she must figure out a way to let him down easy, or else...a new short film from writer Zergog Sebastian Tovar and director Timothy Plain. Produced by Alrik Bursell. Starring Karina Wolfe and Jeremy Mascia."

Short Film: Waterborne

"Waterborne" Directed by Ryan Coonan of Octopod Films

Octopod Films bills "Waterborne" as the world's first zombie kangaroo movie, and while I haven't checked with Guinness, I'm guessing they're probably right.  The short piece was conceived as a proof of concept for a feature film currently in development and crowdfunded by 249 backers who made the giant  zombie kangaroo puppet possible.

This ten minute horror film blends dark comedy and puppetry into something both gory and silly. If you're a fan of such good-bad B-movies as SyFy's Sharknado, you'll love Waterborne.

The film is set in a small town in which years of alternating drought and flood have taken their toll. When a local ranger finds a strange algae infesting the water supply, he knows something’s wrong, but it’s not until the sun goes down that he discovers just how wrong.  The algae turns not only humans but also animals into zombies.

Posters: iZombie

"iZombie" by Edward Pun

Graphic Design: Brands vs Zombies

"Brands vs Zombies" by Josh Namdar and Aditya Hariharan

A pair of Miami Ad School students have launched a fantastic Tumblr dedicated to re-imagine big brand marketing for the zombie apocalypse.  The friends were inspired by the television series The Walking Dead.

"So one day, while watching another tastefully graphic installment of the Walking Dead series, Adi turned to Josh and asked, “Ever wonder what would happen if brands could use their existing resources and influence to help mankind survive? Also, wouldn’t it be a cool way to get a potential employer to see how clever and insightful we are?”"

Some examples of their work include ads for an IKEA line of furniture that keeps your home safe from zombies and an Airbnb that lists safe accommodations for people to take refuge from wondering hordes at night.

We've included a few examples of their best work below, but you really need to click through to see the site.  It's quickly growing into the kind of Tumblr that you can loose track of time browsing.

Short Film: Cargo

"Cargo" Directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke

"Cargo" is a heartbreaking tale of survival that breathes some new life into the old tropes of zombie horror films.  "Cargo" shifts its focus from zombies, chase scene, and hacking violence in favor of a story of a father carrying a helpless child on his back running through the woods from unseen pursuers.  The result is a very meditative film that builds an immense amount of tension without any dialog.

Accompanied by lovely, ethereal music and beautiful hand-held cinematography, it’s a beautiful piece.  By the end, you may very well be fighting back tears, despite being a film featuring the flesh eating undead.

"Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect his precious daughter."

Short Film: Row Z

"Row Z" Written and Directed by Dusty Rhodes

"Row Z" is a crowd-funded psychological horror film about a family coping with living in the zombie apocalypse.  In it, Michael and his father George, who are the only survivors of a biological epidemic, attempt to maintain their humanity through nostalgia.  They set out to relive one of their happier memories on what would traditionally be a match day.  They grab a pint at the pub, place their bets, and head out to watch the match.  When Michael takes to the pitch, however, the stadium is quickly overrun with the infected.  In a bittersweet ending, Michael, lost in his memories of the past, sees them as fans, congratulating him on the score.

"Row Z" isn't your typical zombie flick.  It's focus is on the psychological landscape of the survivors living out their lives amid horror, rather than on the spectacle of the horror itself.  It's a refreshing take on the genre and well-executed.

"Row Z is a psychological drama based in a post-evacuation Britain, 15% of the population managed to evacuate while the remaining were abandoned by the government and were left to be devoured by the biological epidemic that took the lives of millions. Michael and his father, to his knowledge, are the only survivors that remain in the South-West of England. He looks to retain his humanity and state of mind by holding onto what is dearest to him. Nostalgia guides him and his father to where they attended football games. He journeys through an abandoned city to the stadium so that they may relive one of his happier moments prior to the evacuation."

Fan Film: Dying Light Parkour

"Dying Light Parkour POV" directed by UK-based Scott Bass from Ampisound

"Dying Light" is an exhilarating zombie action short based on the survival video game of the same name by Warner Bros. Interactive. Like the game, the short is presented in a first-person perspective, and it’s a really fun non-stop parkour-style zombie chase sequence.

"Inspired by the highly-anticipated action survival game, Dying Light, this Real-Life Parkour video puts you in the POV of a runner and takes you on a frantic escape from zombies through the rooftops of Cambridge, UK. We had a lot of fun making this and cant wait to play the game when it comes out at the end of the month! [...]

The game is set in a vast and dangerous open world. During the day, you roam an urban environment devastated by a mysterious epidemic, scavenging for supplies and crafting weapons to help you defeat the hordes of mindless, flesh-hungry enemies the plague has created. At night, the hunter becomes the prey as the infected grow in strength and aggression – but even more lethal are the nocturnal, inhuman predators that leave their nests to feed. You will need to make use of all your skills and any available means to survive till dawn."

Short Film: PROJECT: ZERO

"PROJECT: ZERO" Directed by Brandon Di Luca of 1047 Studios

In "Project: Zero," the son of a weapons billionaire, Daniel Virgil, is given a membership to an exclusive and secretive club where the main attraction is hunting "degenerates," a type of zombie, in the hope that it will curve his propensity for violent behavior.

Illustration: Zombie Claus

"Zombie Claus" by Turkey-based Kerem Beyit

Short Film: Five Minutes

"Five Minutes" written and directed by Maximilian Niemann

"Five Minutes" is an interactive short film that prompts its audience to perform a series of simple on-screen tasks to advance the plot of the story.  Unlike other "Choose you Own Adventure" style videos, this film forces you to engage with the story by remembering small bits of information in order to complete the task that moves the story forward.

In the film, a man named John thinks that he may have been infected during a struggle with a zombie. The first symptom of the zombie virus, memory loss, manifests within five minutes of exposure.  Viewers must assist John in frantically self-administering a memory test to determine whether or not he's contracted the virus by performing a series of tasks quickly enough to assure John that he isn't falling victim to the virus.

The piece is a clever market campaign for the Casio G-Shock from digital agency Unit9.  It's best viewed with a touch screen device. 

Posters: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Posters by Colin Morella

Short Film: Blown Away

"Blown Away" directed by David Bryant from All Dayer Films

David Bryant made this cool zombie short, Blown Away, as part of the Colchester Film Festival 60 Hour Film Challenge.

"A tragic tale of life, death and the undead as a zombie remembers his lost love. A non linear story that unfolds in reverse chronology."