Movies
George A. Romero Foundation Shares ‘Dawn of the Dead’ Test Screening Results from 1978
“Dedicated to honoring the life and work of George A. Romero and supporting a new generation of filmmakers and artists inspired by his legacy,” The George A. Romero Foundation is a must-follow on social media and beyond, a place for Romero fans to come together and celebrate the late horror master’s life, career, and legacy that will endure until the end of time.
The foundation regularly digs up interesting gems from the Romero archives, and this week on Twitter they’ve shared something that Dawn of the Dead fans will get a kick out of.
What you’ll find below is a vintage questionnaire from a 1978 test screening for Romero’s zombie classic, showing off the results of one of the movie’s original test screenings. This is where, for those unfamiliar, audience members are invited to preview a movie before it’s released in the theaters, the studio taking notes based on those early reactions to the movie.
From 230 total responses, the results of nine different questions are presented here, including “How would you rate this film?” “Do you like the title?” “Did you find the violence necessary?” and “Would you go see the film again?” Here are some of the more interesting results:
- 35% said the film was excellent
- 51% said the film was too long
- 29% found the violence offensive
- 77% found the violence necessary to the film’s meaning
- 70% would recommend the movie to friends
- 23% of the responders were female, 74% were male
The general results here are that most people liked Dawn of the Dead, most liked the title of the movie, and about half would go see it again, while the other half likely would not.
You can see the full questionnaire below, courtesy of the official Romero Archive!
A look into the #GeorgeARomero Archival Collection: A 1978 questionnaire for a test screening of DAWN OF THE DEAD. Which scene was YOUR favorite? pic.twitter.com/Arr1kBoTXU
— The George A. Romero Foundation (@theGARFofficial) February 22, 2022
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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