World War Z is a 2013 zombie film directed by Marc Forster, starring Brad Pitt. The film had an original budget of $125 million but went $65 million over budget to $190 million due to script rewrites and reshoots. It was filmed in locations like Glasgow, Falmouth, Budapest, and London, though some planned locations like Royal Tunbridge Wells and Philadelphia had to be changed due to budget and tax credit issues. The producers struggled with budget management and following regulations, including incorrectly documenting a weapons shipment to Budapest that was raided by authorities.

1. WORLD WAR Z
LAURA SIMS

2. FILM OVERVIEW
WORLD WAR Z IS A 2013 AMERICAN ACTION HORROR FILM DIRECTED
BY MARC
FORSTER. WORLD WAR Z WAS PRODUCED BY BRAD PITT, DEDE
GARDENER, JEREMY
KLEINER AND IAN BRYCE. THE PRODUCTION COMPANIES WERE
SKYDANCE
PRODUCTIONS, HEMISPHERE MEDIA CAPITAL, GK FILMS, PLAN B
ENTERTAINMENT AND
2DUX2. THE BUDGET FOR THIS FILM WAS $190
MILLION AND
THIS IS A VERY BIG BUDGET FOR A FILM.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zSJS9Zdz80

3. PLOT
WHEN FORMER U.N. INVESTIGATOR GERRY LANE (BRAD PITT) AND HIS FAMILY GET
STUCK IN URBAN GRIDLOCK, HE SENSES THAT IT'S NO ORDINARY TRAFFIC JAM.
HIS SUSPICIONS ARE CONFIRMED WHEN, SUDDENLY, THE CITY ERUPTS INTO
CHAOS. A LETHAL VIRUS, SPREAD THROUGH A SINGLE BITE, IS TURNING HEALTHY
PEOPLE INTO SOMETHING VICIOUS, UNTHINKING AND FERAL. AS THE PANDEMIC
THREATENS TO CONSUME HUMANITY, GERRY LEADS A WORLDWIDE SEARCH TO
FIND THE SOURCE OF THE INFECTION AND, WITH LUCK, A WAY TO HALT ITS
SPREAD.

4. FINANCE
THE BUDGET FOR THIS FILM STARTED AT $125 MILLION, YET THEY WENT OVER
BUDGET AND IT ENDED UP BEING $190 MILLION, WHICH MEANT THEY WENT OVER
BY $65 MILLION. THEY COULD HAVE TRIED TO SAVE MONEY ON THINGS THEY
DIDN’T NECESSARILY NEED AND THIS COULD HAVE STOPPED THEM FROM GOING
WAY OVER BUDGET. IN JUNE 2012, SCREENWRITER DREW GOGGARD WAS HIRED
TO REWRITE THE FILMS THIRD ACT WITH RESHOOTS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN
SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER 2012. I THINK DOING THIS WAS A BAD IDEA BECAUSE IT
MEANT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY THE SCREENWRITER FOR LONGER
RESULTING IN MORE MONEY BEING SPENT. HOWEVER IT IF IMPROVED THE FILM I
BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A GOOD CHOICE BECAUSE BY CHANGING IT THEY MAY
HAVE MADE THE FILM BETTER RESULTING IN MORE PEOPLE GOING TO SEE THE
FILM MEANING THEY'D MAKE MORE MONEY. HOWEVER THE RE-SHOOTS CAUSED
THE BUDGET TO BALLOON TO AROUND $190 MILLION AND THIS WOULDN’T HAVE
HAPPENED IF THEY HAD BEEN A LOT MORE CAREFUL WITH THEIR BUDGET.

5. LOGISTICS
WORLD WAR Z WAS FILMED IN MANY LOCATIONS SUCH AS GLASGOW IN SCOTLAND, FALMOUTH IN CORNWALL,
GRANGEMOUTH IN SCOTLAND, BUDAPEST, LONDON, MALTA AND THE ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY SHIP. HOWEVER THEY
ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR FILMING TO TAKE PLACE IN ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS IN ENGLAND BEFORE MOVING TO
GLASGOW AND I BELIEVE THAT IF THE PRODUCERS PLANNED BETTER AND EFFECTIVELY THEY WOULDN’T BE
CHANGING THEIR MINDS. THEY ALSO WANTED TO FILM IN PHILADELPHIA BUT THIS IDEA WAS PASSED ON DUE TO
"UNCERTAINTIES ABOUT STATE TAX CREDITS FOR FILMMAKERS" SO INSTEAD THEY FILMED IN GLASGOW AND
ATTEMPTED TO MAKE GLASGOW LOOK LIKE PHILADELPHIA BY HAVING FALSE SHOP FRONTS BEING CONSTRUCTED
AND HAVING AMERICAN CARS ON THE ROAD. I THINK DOING THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE INSTEAD OF NOT
HAVING 'PHILADELPHIA' IN THE FILM AT ALL, THEY IMPROVISED AND MADE GLASGOW THE DOUBLE OF PHILADELPHIA
AND IN THE END THIS MOST LIKELY SAVED THEM SOME MONEY AS WELL. THE LOCATION MANAGER FOR THE FILM
SAID GLASGOW HAD BEEN CHOSEN BECAUSE OF ITS ARCHITECTURE, WIDE ROADS, AND GRID LAYOUT WHICH MEANT
THAT USING GLASGOW FOR THE LOCATION WAS CRUCIAL. FILMING HAPPENED ALONG A ROAD ON THE PERIMETER OF
THE GRANGEMOUTH REFINERY IN GRANGEMOUTH, SCOTLAND, THE LOCATION WAS CHOSEN FOR THE LENGTH OF
THE ROAD WHICH WAS CRUCIAL TO THE SHOT. TO SAVE MONEY THE PRODUCERS COULD HAVE MADE THE DECISION
TO FILM IN LESS LOCATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DIDN’T GO OVER BUDGET. THEY SHOULD HAVE ONLY FILMED
IN THE LOCATIONS THAT WERE CRUCIAL TO THE FILM AND MADE SURE THEY DIDN’T FILM IN ANY UNNECESSARY
LOCATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE THEY COULD HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO FILM IN FALMOUTH IN CORNWALL; THE LOCATION
MANAGER NEVER MADE A CLAIM THAT USING THIS LOCATION WAS CRUCIAL TO THE FILM. SEVERAL OF THE SCENES
SHOT IN BUDAPEST, INCLUDING A LARGE-SCALE BATTLE WITH THE ZOMBIES IN MOSCOW'S RED SQUARE, WERE
DROPPED FROM THE FINAL CUT IN ORDER TO WATER DOWN THE FILM'S POLITICAL UNDERTONES, AND STEER IT
TOWARDS A MORE GENERALLY FRIENDLY SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER. I THINK IF THEY HAD THOUGHT AHEAD AND
PLANNED MORE EFFECTIVELY THEN THEY COULD HAVE AVOIDED WASTING TIME AND MONEY SHOOTING THESE
SCENES.

6. DOCUMENTATION
THE FILMMAKERS INITIALLY INTENDED TO FILM A CLIMACTIC BATTLE SCENE SET IN RUSSIA, AND THE
CREW MOVED TO BUDAPEST TO FILM IT THERE. FILMING IN BUDAPEST COMMENCED ON THE EVENING
OF OCTOBER 10TH 2011. BUT THAT MORNING THE HUNGARIAN COUNTER TERRORISM CENTRE
RAIDED THE WAREHOUSE WHERE GUNS HAD BEEN DELIVERED FOR USE AS FILMING PROPS. THE 85
ASSAULT RIFLES, SNIPER RIFLES AND HANDGUNS HAD BEEN FLOWN INTO BUDAPEST OVERNIGHT ON A
PRIVATE AIRCRAFT BUT THE FILM'S PRODUCERS HAD FAILED TO CLEAR THE DELIVERY WITH THE
HUNGARIAN AUTHORITIES. THE DOCUMENTATION ALSO STATED THAT THE WEAPONS HAD BEEN FULLY
DISABLED BUT THEY WERE FOUND TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL. I BELIEVE THAT FILLING THE
DOCUMENTATION OUT INCORRECTLY WAS A VERY BAD IDEA BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE HAD VERY BAD
CONSEQUENCES. ALL THOUGH, THE PRODUCERS WERE VERY LUCKY BECAUSE ON FEBRUARY THE 10TH
2012 THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED BECAUSE THE INVESTIGATORS WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY
EXACTLY WHICH ORGANIZATION OR PERSON HAD OWNERSHIP RIGHTS, THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT
ESTABLISH WHICH PARTY WAS CRIMINALLY LIABLE WHICH MEANT THE PRODUCERS GOT AWAY WITH IT.
HOWEVER, THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT DIFFERENT AND THEY COULD HAVE BEEN FINED A
LOT OF MONEY.

7. REGULATIONS
• PRODUCERS HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEIR FILM COMPLIES WITH THE CODES OF PRACTICE. FILM CENSORSHIP IS CARRIED OUT BY
VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO DIFFERING DEGREES, FILMS ARE REGULATED TO DECIDE WHAT AGE THE AUDIENCE SHOULD BE TO WATCH
THE FILM AND TO CHECK THAT ITS APPROPRIATE FOR CERTAIN AUDIENCES. FILM AND VIDEO RELEASES IN BRITAIN ARE AMONGST THE
MOST TIGHTLY-REGULATED IN THE WESTERN WORLD AND THEY ARE REGULATED BY THE BBFC (BRITISH BOARD OF FILM
CLASSIFICATION). THE FILM WORLD WAR Z WAS CERTIFIED AS A 15 RATING AND THE BBFC STATED THAT IT CONTAINS SUSTAINED
THREAT AND STRONG VIOLENCE. I DON’T THINK THAT THE PRODUCERS PLANNED EFFECTIVELY TO MAKE SURE THE FILM WAS
APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR TARGET AUDIENCE BECAUSE IN THE END THEY MADE A DECISION TO GET RID OF THE SCENES SHOT IN
BUDAPEST BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT WITHOUT THEM THE FILM WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE OF A GENERALLY FRIENDLY SUMMER
BLOCKBUSTER.
• WORLD WAR Z CONTAINED A LOT OF STUNTS AND THIS MEANT THAT A LOT OF RISK ASSESSMENTS WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE
CARRIED OUT TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING GOES WRONG DURING THE STUNT. IF RISK ASSESSMENTS WEREN'T MADE AND
SOMETHING WENT WRONG DURING THE STUNT THEN THE PRODUCERS WOULD BE AT RISK OF BEING SUED. THE PRODUCERS FOR
WORLD WAR Z DID INFACT CARRY THESE RISK ASSESSMENTS OUT.
• WHEN ALL FILMS ARE BEING MADE THE PRODUCERS HAVE TO FOLLOW CERTAIN REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES SUCH AS HAVING
INSURANCE, GETTING CLEARANCES, FOLLOWING HEALTH AND SAFETY, COMPLYING WITH THE CODES OF PRACTICE AND GETTING
PERMISSION TO USE COPYRIGHTED CONTENT. THIS IS SO THAT THEY DON’T GET IN TROUBLE AND IF THEY DON’T FOLLOW THESE
REGULATIONS THEY ARE AT RISK OF BEING SUED. ONE REGULATION THE PRODUCERS FAILED TO FOLLOW WAS WHEN THEY DIDN’T LET
THE HUNGARIAN AUTHORITIES KNOW THAT A DELIVERY OF WEAPONS WERE GOING TO BE DELIVERED AND THIS RESULTED IN THE
HUNGARIAN COUNTER TERRORISM CENTER RAIDING THE WAREHOUSE THAT THE WEAPONS GOT DELIVERED TO. THE PRODUCERS
ALSO CLAIMED ON THE DOCUMENTATION THAT THE WEAPONS WERE FULLY DISABLED BUT IN ACTUAL FACT THE WEAPONS WERE
FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND BY NOT FOLLOWING THESE REGULATIONS IT MEANT THAT THE PRODUCERS COULD HAVE BEEN SUED.