Zombie lovers, comic book fans, and self-respecting geeks everywhere are eagerly anticipating the Halloween premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead, a TV series adaptation of the critically acclaimed comic book series of the same name by writer Robert Kirkman about survivors of a zombie plague. In fact, Daniel Kanemoto is so ready to be a fan of the drama (led by Oscar-nominated director Frank Darabont) that he took it upon himself to create a credit sequence for the series—and in turn has gained some fans himself. Since Kanemoto posted the credits on Sept. 24, he’s received Tweets of appreciation from the likes of Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and sci-fi author/BoingBoing blogger Cory Doctorow. (You see it here at Daniel’s website.) Even if you have no intention of watching The Walking Dead, you can surely appreciate the creativity of Kanemoto’s work, which was made using artwork from the comic by Charlie Aldard and Tony Moore. We thought it was pretty damn cool, too, so we tracked down Kanemoto this weekend and asked him about the response via email.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you do it?
DANIEL KANEMOTO: I’m obviously a big admirer of everyone involved with The Walking Dead, from Frank Darabont to Robert Kirkman, and I’ve been following the development of the show since it was first announced. I also love everything about filmmaking, and I’ve always paid close attention to title sequences, because I’ve always wanted to direct one of my own. So The Walking Dead felt like a perfect fit for a spec project, considering the source material was already teeming with disturbingly brilliant imagery. But most importantly, I made this to get noticed. I’ve been working in film and television for over a decade (all my other shorts are online at www.exmortisfilms.com), either for various companies or for myself, and in that time I’ve watched in awe as the Internet exploded into the world’s most amazing, never-ending film festival. I’ve always wanted to take advantage of this resource to prove I can direct, and my ultimate goal has always been to get enough attention to help get my next project off the ground. Or get hired to help make somebody else’s project even more awesome.

How did you do it? READ FULL STORY »