Two guys in their 20s are crafting a thinking man's zombie film, aka "a post-apocalyptic survival drama," and they are enlisting the help of the Penn State student body and local populace.

GULA has been in pre-production since winter 2007, and after two weeks of casting calls in the HUB-Robeson Center, it is now ready to be filmed on location in State College.

Seth Robinson, 25, GULA's writer, director and executive producer, is also the founder of State College-based production company Anthem Film Co. The company consists of about 20 people of varying commitment. Anthem's résumé until this point includes student films and commercials, but GULA is its first full-length feature.

One of the original members of Anthem, Coalin Smith, 22, is the film's director of photography, head of the crew and a producer. Wearing so many hats, he said, it's just easier to be referred to as the DP.

"There's a lot of planning and I'm trying not to stress out over things," Smith said. "It's about getting your nose in there and getting it done. Management skills are required."

Robinson, who temporarily attended Penn State three years ago, spent months researching government protocol for quarantines, emergency preparedness plans and the mechanics of various drugs. By October, the 120-page screenplay reached its final stages.

In the script, a group of college students in a small suburban town are survivors of a pandemic that has wiped out the entire population of the area. Doctors and scientists at the local college's medical center rush to identify a carcinogenic infection called GULA, standing for Gradual Unresponsive Leptomeningeal Abnormality. Meanwhile, the infection has spread, and the group is forced to sequester itself inside the facility.

Robinson said the idea evolved out of a fascination with blood and guts and inspired a study of terror and the psychological impact of being a remaining survivor at the end of the world.

"GULA is less a story about zombies and more about people trying to survive in a completely foreign situation," Robinson said, emphasizing it won't feature the clichéd governmental radiation explanation. "It's a survival drama that also happens to feature zombies."

In describing their creative hybrid of the horror and drama genres, Robinson and Smith dropped a lot of names. It's closer to Cloverfield and 28 Days Later than Pittsburgh resident George A. Romero's cult Dead series, the duo said.

Robinson projects principal photography and the shoot will start in about a week, wrapping up scheduling issues and casting. The first scenes are to be shot inside various stores downtown, Smith said.

Location is one of the most important aspects of a film set in a world subjected to the extermination of civilization. The producers of GULA chose recognizable State College spots, such as Calder Way, South Atherton Street and Mount Nittany, as well as Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Pittsburgh for exterior shots. Smith said the surrounding town has yet to live up its full potential as a locale for various kinds of filmmaking.

"Having an independent film shot around here has a real aura," Smith said. "Pretty much just student films get shot in this town."

Robinson said the architecture in Bellefonte and in the adjoining small towns are untested waters ripe for visual observation.

"It's a very picturesque and versatile area," Robinson said. "With State College, you can get urban scenery depending on where you shoot."

Robinson added most of the quarantine scenes will be shot in Centre Hall, utilizing quarantine fences and simplistic backdrops.

"It's going to be easier because we can't build a massive fence downtown here," he said.

Stunt coordinators from Hollywood will be visiting State College for more perilous sequences, such as a car wreck scene in which a zombie collides with a car, Robinson said.

Students are serving as actors, production assistants, riggers and gaffers in charge of lighting. Almost all the extras portraying police, military personnel, civilians and zombies are local talent. Auditions were held for the 60 prominent and not-so-prominent speaking roles indicated in the script, Robinson said.

Sean Patten (freshman-political science), who met Smith through an acquaintance, plans to be the film shoot's gopher, responsible for holding lights and assisting the crew. He also auditioned for a role in the film, but casting has yet to be finalized.

"My friend and I always wanted to make a zombie movie," Patten said. "Now that people are doing it, they know more about it than we do and we can focus on acting and helping out."

Robinson said he felt reaching out to the campus and local community to fill roles for casting and crew would engage people in the moviemaking process.

The film, which will be shot mostly on weekends, has an open shooting schedule until April, Robinson said. This was done to abet local actors with jobs and students who want to participate without missing class.

Anthem's head honchos understand the time commitment more than anybody. Robinson works part-time for the State College Borough as a parking customer service representative, while Smith shoots videos for weddings.

Neither Robinson nor Smith have college degrees; Robinson left Penn State as an IST major in 2006, and Smith left Pensacola Christian College in Florida to briefly work on short films in Los Angeles. Back in State College, Smith's parents and Robinson's parents were friends and arranged for them to meet and discuss their intersecting interests.

Even though Smith currently lacks a film school education, he said he has discovered teaching as a newfound niche while in pre-production.

"My goal is to teach students who don't know as much as I do," Smith said. "I worked in L.A. and learned things they won't be taught in film school. I love to do that."

Mike Callahan (junior-media studies), a student production assistant, said he relishes the hands-on practice of working on a film set of a greater breadth than a senior film project.

"I was thrilled because I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic horror films," Callahan said. "I figured I would get some real experience on something I'd enjoy working on."

The Anthem team is shooting right now for distribution from a studio, resorting to Smith's connections in Los Angeles to make things happen. Robinson said he would also settle for a straight-to-DVD release.

"Our main goal is distribution," Robinson said. "If we get this in every Wal-Mart in the country, that'd be all right, too."

Smith is confident a studio will select their film because the market for independent films is on the up-and-up. The trend is apparent in that more filmmakers are setting up shop in suburban towns and smaller cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to capitalize on tax credits.

Meanwhile, the first day of shooting looms near, and Smith, whose number of positions on set is multitudinous, feels equally anxious and apprehensive.

"I'm really pumped for it, but you never really know how it's going to go," Smith said. "These are just ideas on paper until you execute it."