Based on the comic book series of the same name, AMC's The Walking Dead is one of the most popular TV shows running. Going ten seasons strong with an upcoming eleventh season, the post-apocalyptic universe of The Walking Dead has acquired many fans of the zombie genre throughout its eleven-year run. One of the key features of the show are obviously the zombies, or as they are known in-universe, walkers.
The world of TWD is infested with such walkers, and thousands of extras have been employed over the years to appear in the episodes as walkers. Naturally, a lot of unique makeup and modification goes into making these walkers appear as realistic as possible.
It Takes About An Hour And A Half To Finish A Zombie Makeup
The show makes use of some of the finest makeup artistry seen on not only television, but the entire industry in general. Naturally, it's a time consuming and detailed process, but the crew behind TWD have been doing this job for a long time and thus have it down to a science.
Not only do they know how to finish the job as efficiently as possible, but the artists work in an assembly line, so they all work on their own separately assigned parts of the ensemble.
20 To 30 Gallons Of Fake Blood Are Used For A Single Episode
The use of fake blood in Hollywood films and shows has always been an integral part of the production process, especially more so when it comes to something like TWD. In the zombie-filled post-apocalyptic world of TWD, blood is as common as the walkers themselves, and as expected, LOTS of it is used in the production of episodes.
Different kinds of blood are used as well, depending on the situation, and apparently walkers have thicker and darker blood than humans, owing to the fact that their blood doesn't flow in the same, regular way human blood does. This indicates incredible attention to detail on part of the production crew.
Lots Of CGI Is Used
Although the well done special effects are one of the most attractive parts of TWD, some situations still call for the use of CGI. For example, "Beside the Dying Fire" was shot during a cold night outside, and editors had to digitally remove the vapor that was visible coming from the mouths of the extras, as zombies aren't supposed to breathe at all.
In other cases, CGI has also been used to erase any instances where the extra's happened to blink on camera, as it would be very unlike a zombie to blink. Proof of computerized alteration can also be seen when a severed corpse or limb is featured.
Tons Of Hair Conditioner Are Used
The walkers in TWD have spent years worth of time just aimlessly roaming around, under the sun and in other possible unfavorable weather conditions, so their hair should look rough. To give the hair of the extras this damaged aesthetic, bottles after bottles of hair conditioner are used during production to give it a "flat, greasy" look.
It is one of the aspects of the whole zombified makeup that is unnoticed by many, but it is still important to complete the overall look and feel. Fake blood is also used sometimes as a final touch.
Sunscreen Is Put On The Walkers
The location where most of TWD is shot, Georgia, is a place known for its hot and humid atmosphere. As walkers, the extras who are playing the role might have to spend hours walking or just standing about under the searing heat of the sun, depending on what the scene or situation calls for.
Also, to prevent the actors from getting overheated the production crew only uses partial masks and never full masks.
Extra's Playing The Role Of Walkers Are Told To Walk As If They're Drunk, Silently
Hundreds of walkers appear on TWD, and each and every one of the extras playing the role of one is sent to "zombie school" where about 200 people are auditioned at the start of every season. They are all taught to walk and behave in the same manner so that a level of consistency is maintained in everybody's performance, and they are told to act as if they're drunk.
Moreover, the extras are told to be as quiet as possible, as all of the noises that walkers make in the show are added later in post-production.
The Zombies Are Deteriorating
Towards the beginning of the series, although the walkers do look extremely ghastly and horrendous, some traces of humanity could still be seen if a walker was comparatively clean and had all its limbs intact.
But as the series advances through the seasons, the makeup department makes the walkers look more and more rotted and decaying. This seems logical, because as the events of the series progress, the story is moving further away from the original zombie outbreak, and naturally the walkers should be decaying at some rate. For all anyone knows, at some point all the walkers might go extinct by decaying.
All Walkers Are Not Treated Equally
There are mainly three types of walkers present in the show during a sequence. If numerous walkers are present during a scene, such as in the first episode of the sixth season "First Time Again", they are divided into three parts. The ones that are featured most, directly in front of the camera and have the most screen time are the ones that require the most devotion when it comes to makeup.
The walkers that are a bit further from the camera don't need to have the most perfect look, and the walkers that are the furthest in the background require little makeup. This saves time and costs for the production team.
The Walkers Are Actually Eating Pickled Ham
One of the most well-known aspects of zombies is their yearning for eating flesh, mostly human. It is one of the most common tropes associated with zombies in Hollywood, seen in several zombie movies such as World War Z and 28 Days Later.
The walkers of TWD follow the same trend, but obviously since they can't eat human flesh in reality, so instead the walkers in the show are given pickled ham to eat.
Hand Painted Contact Lenses Are Used
The eyes are colloquially referred to as the window to the soul, and they are indeed one of the most expressive parts of the human psyche. The eyes of the walkers are an important part of their makeup which binds their whole ensemble together and completes the zombified look.
While it would seem best to just apply CGI to the eyes of the extras, as it has been done many times before in other zombie movies such as I Am Legend and Zombieland, TWD had a reputation to uphold as a practical effects specialist in the industry. Hand-painted contacts are used, and new ones are designed every season as they become more cloudy and lifeless.