Category: Operation Z

Why Los Angeles?

The port of Los Angeles/Long Beach is one the biggest ports of entry into the United States. A huge percentage of imported goods comes through these ports. In our back story, the outbreak happens at about the same time in both Los Angeles and coastal China. The Chinese think it came from America and the Americans think it came from China. The origin of the virus is the subject of much speculation, especially among “conspiracy theorists”…  YouTube has recently removed the heavily watched video “Zeitgeist: The Truth behind the Outbreak” due to pressure from families of the victims.

Could you explain your casting process? Did you use actors?

We definitely spent time on casting. We wanted to get people of different ages and backgrounds, men and women. With only 5 students there couldn’t be too many different types, but the goal was to represent some key ages in society. We did not want it to just be young males in their physical prime under 35, etc.

We did cast people with acting experience, but then we asked them not act. Nothing was scripted, but we wanted them to play a character within the world of Operation Z. They were real people having a real experience. The reason we cast actors was that we had a large film crew there with about 6 cameras. Actors are usually not distracted by cameras, but the average person would have a hard time going through everything with that kind of distraction. They went through some really tough scenarios considering their weapons experience, which was minimal or none at all. Overall, we are very thankful that they were a part of this project and we had a great time making it.

What’s the deal with the 12 volume thing?

When we started planning the series, we knew we wanted to do something comprehensive that touched on the complete survival experience and not just weapons. All of the different subjects are connected. So we wrote out an outline of the various subject matter and planned what the content would be and ended up with 12 volumes, each about 3 hours for a 36 hour series total. We didn’t want to do something superficial, so we went all out.

Is Operation Z just another product trying to cash in on the “zombie” craze?

No way. While we at our company are big fans of good zombie fiction, we are all too aware of a lot of the crap out there.
When we did our research for Operation Z, we were amazed to find how much crappy product was out there. Tons of knockoffs of Max Brooks’ Zombie Survival Guide and stuff like that. We felt like no one had really tackled the subject matter from a realistic perspective. We wanted to create something that could be informative with take-away, but that was entertaining as well.

Like most zombie fans, it’s fun to think about theoretical “What would I do?” type of situations. Most of what we saw out there in the marketplace was very unrealistic. We felt like the more real and relevant we could make it, the more believable the fiction would be, the more satisfying the project is.

We feel like Operation Z is a great companion to existing properties like The Walking Dead, Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, Dawn of the Dead, and others.

Why Chris Costa?

We have a long relationship with Chris and have worked with him on many previous projects, including the Magpul Dynamics “Art Of…” firearms training DVD series. When we developed this project, we wanted an instructor that we felt could communicate well to a mainstream audience and Chris was great at that. Over the years, we have developed a really good working relationship with him and I believe, were able to film a lot faster based on that.

Chris had just started his new company, Costa Ludas, when we approached him to be a part of the project. He graciously agreed to film in between his already packed training schedule. He’s a pro at what he does, and yet is incredibly humble and down-to-earth. Anyone that’s met him I’m sure would say the same. Chris also has a great sense of humor, especially when things get stressful during filming, which the film crew always appreciates.

Is Chris Costa the only instructor in the Operation Z series?

While Chris teaches the introduction to firearms portion of the series, each volume we produce will have an instructor hired based on their experience and competency in the subject matter. Many of these volumes are not firearms related and so there will be a variety of instructors featured in the series. We hope to have Chris back though on some future firearms related volumes.

Where did the idea for the Arrow Gun and other improvised weapons come from?

A key focus of Operation Z is the importance of human creativity.

One thing that most disasters can show us is that human beings can be very resourceful when their lives are on the line. In each volume of the series we profile a “survivor” that created something unique in order to help them stay alive. It’s all well and good to train with firearms, but being firearm dependent can be a weakness too, just like any dependency.

Will my wife enjoy Operation Z?

Yes! We hope so. In our test audiences women of all ages were some of the biggest fans. Almost 50% of the audience for The Walking Dead TV show is women. They love this stuff.

Operation Z is a great way to expose your loved ones to learn about self reliance and personal defense. After watching Operation Z, your loved ones will finally understand why you have to buy so much ammo.

Who knows, maybe they’ll even buy you that .338 Lapua Sniper Rifle you’ve been lusting after.