The ending

He has been told to either straighten up, or get out. Should i see another post from him that adds no value to any conversations, i will ban him. He knows this.

I have no problem with that.

Back to topic...
I thought the ending was already finallised, though?

What is the overall theme of the film? Because I feel the ending should try and reference that. For me it is about globalization. It will be a film made by a global community about a global event. It has been long that you could chat to anyone else in the world in an instant, that you can be good friends with people in different time zones. One way to reach the ending would be to strip the characters of every means of communication as they go. TV, Internet, Mobile (as already happens) the next step could be to have a break down in communication between two characters; maybe they fall out, maybe one can't talk from a n injury or maybe one just dies.

Another thing to consider is the level of the outbreak. Has it been controlled or does it spread to fast. If the former was the case then the film could conclude with them reaching the outer limits of a quarantine zone. I can think of three endings off the top of my head from that:

1. The aforementioned Butch Cassidy Ending: The two main characters are being pursued by a horde of zombies. The are getting closer to a outpost on the borders of the zone. The soldiers see them and their pursuers. The get ready for action. The two characters seem them and just as they get nearer to safety they realise that the soldiers aren't aiming at the zombies. They are aiming at them. B/O gunshots. (A bit like Night of the Living Dead)

2. They are brought back into the zone and the government start spreading misinformation about the virus. A cover story is spread through all forms of media and we conclude that all though we have access to all this information, what can we believe. (A bit less of an impact that one but it does seem to have more of a point.)

3. The guys are taking into custody by men in bio-suits once they reach the quarantine zone. They are bundled into the back of a van and as they are driven away they go over everything, finally concluding, "At least we made it. We're alive" The doors of the van open and they are confronted with a horrific sight. Firing squads are executing any civilians who may have come into contact with the undead and beyond that a pyre of corpses is sending black smoke into the air. They are dragged out and lined up with the rest. Ben watches the smoke rise bitterly as they wait. He then says, "Hello Maddie," and Ethan looks at him funny. He then follows his eye line to the rising smoke. As the camera stays fixed on the smoke we hear a gunshot. B/O. (Also a bit like Night of the Living Dead)

My brain has stopped working now. Mmm Brains.

Here's an idea...

After Maddie dies, I see Ethan and Ben putting aside their difference in favor of unbridled rage and making their final stand. They turn on the zombies as they crash through the walls or come hobbling down the street and they cut a bloody swathe through the horde as we are further and further removed from them and the screen finally goes black. On comes a web video. Someone is messing about, having a lark. They're Australians. They've made a safe haven in Australia for all survivors and are now looking for other survivors of the apocalypse around the world. They move their webcam around to show a bunch of people celebrating and having good times or some such. "Together, if we find eachother, we can make it." Fade to black.

Or something like that. The Australia bit feels a bit sentimental, but it would be rough (like any webcam vlog) and quick.

Personally, I wouldn't WANT a sequel to this movie. If a follow-up were to be made, I would have liked to see some other genre be attacked in the same manner that this has, with the power of the internet and all that jazz.

Magnulus wrote:Here's an idea...

After Maddie dies, I see Ethan and Ben putting aside their difference in favor of unbridled rage and making their final stand. They turn on the zombies as they crash through the walls or come hobbling down the street and they cut a bloody swathe through the horde as we are further and further removed from them and the screen finally goes black. On comes a web video. Someone is messing about, having a lark. They're Australians. They've made a safe haven in Australia for all survivors and are now looking for other survivors of the apocalypse around the world. They move their webcam around to show a bunch of people celebrating and having good times or some such. "Together, if we find eachother, we can make it." Fade to black.

Or something like that. The Australia bit feels a bit sentimental, but it would be rough (like any webcam vlog) and quick.

Personally, I wouldn't WANT a sequel to this movie. If a follow-up were to be made, I would have liked to see some other genre be attacked in the same manner that this has, with the power of the internet and all that jazz.

Got some interesting ideas and points there, although I found it hard to not get distracted by your kick-ass dp

Hahahah, thanks. ^_^ I will assume DP refers to my Avatar.

By the way, I should say why I think a webcam thing should be the last part of the movie. I feel it's important to end the movie there, because it strengthens the theme of the internet media that runs through the film. As the internet videos have helped people survive through the film, so will the internet videos be how people find each other in the end and how they have a hope of rebuilding society. It brings us full circle.

Magnulus, you and I had almost exactly the same idea for the ending. That, after Maddie dies, Ethan and Ben just don't give a shit anymore. They're gonna go down fighting. I was just saying the other day to Alexis that I wish we could get a helicopter shot to pan out as they're making their final stand. Of course, a helicopter shot isn't plausible, I was just pipe dreaming.

I also agree we should end with another montage of vlogs and such, illustrating things aren't getting better.

Be Well,
Shane

Actually, you can make it BETTER without the helicopter shot. If you have a home-made steadycam, you can track backwards along the street, with the clump of zombies around Ben and Ethan becoming more and more distant and more zombies coming from all directions, staggering past the camera as it tracks. Could look really cool if the tracking is done well and the zombies passing the camera are well-placed.

EDIT: A helicopter shot isn't THAT unfeasible, actually. A helicopter ride shouldn't cost much more than a PS3, really, and that would give you a lot of time to do several takes. But the tracking on the ground is cooler in my opinion.

Oh, also: As you move away from the central heap of zombies, arms and legs and blood and guts could be thrown about from the center of it, indicating that carnage is taking place, though we don't know who's being mauled. ^_^

I tend to agree. The ground shot would lend itself much better to the overall feel of the movie. Well done.

Be Well,
Shane

Adding on to ending with the webcam idea... End with the power going out mid sentence. Then do a shot of each 'group' who has been in contact as they now realise they are isolated and alone. They have no way to contact anyone else... Then as each of them stare in realisation fade out.

I like the ideas that have been put forward, the end having those still alive & in contact losing this contact, coming to see that there is no hope anymore.

Ben & Ethan wondering off into a zombie infested city would be good, having lost Maddie( thought her name was Abigail) they are both accepting their fate but will go down fighting, not that we have see them fighting, just them both facing reality that surrounds them.

Iain

Yes, just a simple shot infront of them as they scream and charge towards and then past the camera would be a strong ending indeed.

Sometimes the simple endings have the most power behind them.

The web-video going black mid-sentence is kind of silly. Think about it for two seconds. Who uploaded the unencoded, half-recorded video to Youtube without any power?

Of course, you could do a twist on that:
"
Camera tracks back as the zombie horde closes in on Ben and Ethan. More and more arrive down the street as boy parts fly around the two.
CUT TO WEB VIDEO.
Australians are delivering a message of hope. Australia is free of contamination and they are using their video to look for survivors. One such group of survivors (or Eric, for example) is shown watching this video just before everything goes black. As the computer fans tick to a halt, a sound emanates from the blackness... Something is moaning.
END.
"

Oops. Quick note. I know I keep saying "Maddie", that's force of habit. Her name will most likely be Abigail (or "Abbey", for short).

And I like where you guys are going with all this. Any more ideas along these lines?

Be Well,
Shane