Zombie Wedding by Jervy Santiago Photography

ombie action thriller for a wedding shoot. Anyone? What could be more romantic than starring in an action-packed thriller as you’re being hunted down by a pack of blood-sucking, flesh-ripping zombies?  Jervy Santiago turned the post nuptial trash-the-dress session of Igle and Aimee into a conceptual cinematic photo shoot inspired by Left 4 Dead.

Jervy said he “got bored with the usual trash-the-dress photo shoot by the seashore, by getting it all wet and stuff like that. .. so, why not mud and blood?”. We thought we ought to serve up this feature fresh when the blood is still hot! In this exclusive interview, we caught up with the man of the hour, Jervy Santiago for a ‘quickie’.

WALK US THROUGH THE THEME. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS CONCEPT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I must honestly admit that I got the idea from another couple – but unfortunately, various reasons such as budget costs didn’t allow it to push thru. Conceptualisation usually starts with me asking the couple several questions on how they spend their time together, things like clubbing, watching movies – all the boring stuff.  Then one of them mentioned that they enjoy playing video games together – one of which is Left 4 Dead – light bulb! I presented this to our team and planning immediately followed.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR THIS PRODUCTION?
It took us only 2 weeks to finish the project. We did our pre-production meetings a week before the actual shoot. Choosing a location was the hardest part, we didn’t want to alarm the local town folks, so we had to secure a permit and shoot at a private place, an auto mechanical repair shop. The team came up with the story board, props and time frame which was crucial and since we were not working with real actors here, I was afraid the couple might lose their momentum if the shoot dragged on for another day.  Add to the fact that another day of shoot will escalate the cost and we, or should I say, the couple who’s shouldering the bill wouldn’t want that!

WE’RE CURIOUS. WHO ARE THE ZOMBIES? WE HOPE THEY ARE NOT THE IN-LAWS…
In-laws!!! … Hmmm, now that you have mentioned it, I might actually consider it for the next shoot.
Three of the zombies were actual employees of that auto mechanical repair shop, talk about multitasking!  One of them even moonlights as a movie extra, doing stunts. The zombie in the red shirt is the only professional stuntman. He does Parkour.

WE’RE REALLY SURPRISED THAT THE BRIDE IS GAMED UP FOR SUCH AN UNCONVENTIONAL SHOOT. WAS SHE AGREEABLE TO THIS RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING?
Yes. Both of them were very cooperative and psyched for the shoot. Ingle, the groom even prepared pegs for the shoot. And if Aimee the bride and mom, wasn’t lactating, we could have done more. Like jumping from one truck to another, sliding and rolling on the ground.. pretty insane.

*We also noted that the bride, Aimee looks stunningly gorgeous despite the dirt, mud and blood… not a single hair out of place!

ONE LAST QUESTION, WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT DURING THE SHOOT?
Our EP Mike Pelayo brought out a case of beer for the zombies to make them act more natural. That’s part of their talent fees also. Hahahaha! Just kidding. But… it worked! The more alcohol they took, the better the acting we got. Hahaha!  … Ingle dug the idea, and had a couple of beers too … it worked!!!

Jervy Santiago’s humble beginnings found their roots when he apprenticed Peter Tsao from Taiwan. Manila opened up and gave Jervy his opportunity to shine. Even after more than nine years in the business, Jervy maintains his ‘cinematised’ approach.

“All my shots are guided by instinct and emotion.”

He laughingly calls it his ‘click before think’ mode where he deftly leaves things to chance and anticipates the unexplainable poetry found in his candid shots. When asked how his shots seem to just come together into one perfect creation, his sentiments are warm and authentic.

“Shooting is one thing, aesthetics is another thing. Always remember that doing wedding photography is not about the photographer, it’s about the wedding, the couple, the clients. We still have to give what they want, and not force what we want onto them. We may pitch an idea here and there, and if they are up to it, we start off from there.  Clients’ personalities vary from one to the other, and as a photographer, I have to find a common ground to infuse their personalities with my art.  In the end, the final photo should be about their story.”

Jervy Santiago operates out of Manila, Phillipines but is available for shoot anywhere in the world. If you’d like to view more of Jervy’s work, click here to visit his website.

Shooting Location: Phillipines

Venue: Candaba, Pampanga
Wedding Photographer: Jervy Santiago
Associate Photographer: Jeff Cadis
Executive Producer: Mike Pelayo
Creative Director: Krista Nogueras
Prosthetics: Leo Velasco and Raphael David
Costume Design: Krista Nogueras, Tipay Caintic and Bernice Beltran
Graphic Artist: Bernice Beltran