"Train to New York" shooting commences

By the time the movie started filming, Joseph Benjamin had secured more than $5M in sponsorship, significantly reducing the film's production costs. It was highly likely that Firefly Films wouldn't end up spending more than $55M on the entire movie.

On May 2, 2004, the set preparations were complete. In a disused railway siding near California, close to the Arizona state border, Zack Snyder, who had been in the film industry for over a decade, finally began filming his first movie.

Early in the morning, he was dressed casually with a cap on his head, exuding an air of confidence. The set was bustling with activity, and he seemed more spirited than usual, his voice noticeably louder.

From afar, you could hear his enthusiastic words of encouragement to the crew members.

Zack liked to take on challenging tasks. The first scene he chose to film on the first day was a group scene inside a train compartment. Unlike Lyman, who preferred to start with simpler shots, Zack's philosophy was to work on slightly more challenging scenes to help the crew adjust.

Dwayne Johnson, known for his muscular physique, had recently played a role with a bald head. This made him look even more intimidating and rugged. However, despite his tough appearance, he had a surprisingly pleasant personality.

When he saw Lyman, he approached him with a friendly greeting. He had arrived early in the morning and greeted everyone.

"Mr. Lattes, hello," he said with a smile, suddenly appearing quite amiable.

The entire crew consisted of about a hundred people. After a few actors and extras had changed into their specific costumes, they took their seats in the train compartments with guidance from the set crew.

Before filming the scenes inside the train, Lyman asked Zack to shoot a scene of the train's exterior, capturing the logo of the railway company that sponsored the train.

Since the train was sponsored by the company, they needed to give them some exposure.

"Later, when the train attendants come by, you'll buy a bottle of Coke and some snacks," Zack carefully assigned tasks. He then turned to another extra and said, "You chat with the person next to you, talk about anything, but make it seem like a noisy conversation, understand?"

The extra nodded, and Zack, satisfied, exited the train and stood behind the director's monitor.

There wasn't much to set up inside the train, as many required interior scenes had been prepared days in advance, ensuring that nothing would reveal the train's already scrapped condition through the camera lens.

Once the actors were ready, Lyman stood next to Zack, watching the actors' performances.

Eva had a noticeable baby bump, exuding a motherly aura even while seated in her designated spot. Her posture and expression were on point.

Dwayne, on the other hand, donned a colorful outfit, giving off an aura that suggested not to mess with him. However, his attention was entirely focused on his wife who sat nearby.

Nevertheless, the main character in this scene was Christian Bale.

He truly was a remarkable actor.

His eyes were particularly expressive, a fundamental requirement for any good actor. Additionally, his rugged facial features, coupled with a suit and a slightly furrowed brow, conveyed a sense of deep contemplation.

This scene was primarily a dialogue scene.

The extras played their roles well, engaging in casual conversations that portrayed the feeling of passengers on a typical train ride. It went smoothly.

However, the next scenes presented some challenges.

The female extra playing the first person to undergo the transformation often made minor mistakes, resulting in unsatisfactory shots, and they had to redo the scenes multiple times. It wasn't until three or four takes later that she found her groove.

In front of the camera, she lay on the ground, her body convulsing. The train attendants nearby rushed over upon hearing the passengers' cries, attempting to assess the situation. But suddenly, just as she had been convulsing, her body moved in an unnatural and eerie way, something that an ordinary person could never achieve. This was because Zack had enlisted a yoga instructor for the cameo. With her extraordinary flexibility and the added visual effects in post-production, the transformation process was bound to astonish the audience.

The train attendant was bitten on the neck by a passenger who had already turned into a zombie, and she screamed for help incessantly.

A few courageous passengers were preparing to assist, while some others sensed something was wrong and, fearing for their safety, moved to the train doors.

However, most passengers remained in their seats, watching the commotion. It wasn't until the attendant's blood began to flow continuously that many people finally reacted.

Everyone was now frightened and wanted to escape, but it was already too late...

Filming continued until the afternoon before they completed the scenes inside the first transformed train compartment.

To make it look realistic, the fake blood used was of a pure red color, created by mixing specific pigments. The design of the zombies' appearances was crafted with great care. Whether it was their challenging movements that showcased the discordance in their bodies, their makeup, or their extraordinary running speed and jumping abilities, all of these elements set them apart from zombies in other films.

Of course, there were common elements as well, such as imitating the post-mortem lividity seen in humans and the aggression towards the living. In order to achieve the desired effect, every extra playing a zombie had to undergo over two hours of makeup. The bulging veins, black veins, completely white pupils, and sharp teeth, along with their distinctive movements, were meticulously designed to provide a terrifying visual experience.

"Looks good, but it's quite a hassle," Marc Abraham commented with a smile to Lyman.

At this moment, right after finishing a few shots, the actors had to go back for makeup. They added some bloodstains, tore their costumes a bit to make them look ragged, and applied makeup on their faces once again.

Lyman watched the bustling scene with appreciation. "Filming a zombie movie can be exhausting, but everyone is doing a great job, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Marc nodded in agreement.

As a producer, he could see everything firsthand. After half a day of shooting, more than one extra had sustained injuries.

To portray the survival instincts of humans convincingly in the confined space of a train compartment, each extra had to exert a great deal of physical effort. Effective directing was also crucial.

Fortunately, Zack had a strong foundation, and even when there were retakes, he could quickly find solutions.

The entire train compartment scenes took over a week to film.

When filming was finally completed, representatives from the train company inspected the train and their faces turned pale.

Many seats were collapsed, and some paint had not been cleared from the top of the train compartment, making it look rather frightening.

But that wasn't the worst part; the doors and windows of the train were severely damaged, with many glass panes directly shattered.

However, Lyman understood that although this was a sponsorship, they couldn't go too far. He took the initiative to approach the train company and settled the matter with a payment, and that was the end of it.