Episode 35: Conspiracies can come true

A radical discovery is unveiled about the New World Historians the Contrarian need Russ to believe his theory, for reasons only he understood ... all evidence told Russ The Contrarian was dangerous, and that The Historians were his only hope ... he had his evidence on him all the time, he shows Russ the letter ... Russ had no idea what he was looking at, a memorandum ... Parthia Group, Russ remembered Jack Hastings travel itinerary ... the logo PG, the line about a PG meeting ... the WordWall was also mentioned, how it was used to contact operatives .. it looked like it had been laser printed after The Fall, but that was impossible ... The Contrarian is shot ... my name is Paul, Arnold is covering up, for Parthia ... at that moment Russ did not know what to believe ... where's the letter, Shoemaker will stop you ... the letter was real, and The New World Historians, were every bit the threat that Paul had said ... that's the thing about Conspiracies, some times they are true

Episode 34: The River

The Contrarian reveals the origins of his conspiracy theory finding the truth was not easy, it required an open mind ... the Historians dismissed information, if they didn't trust the source ... all points of view had to be considered ... Russ tried to give The Contrarian the benefit of doubt ... you seem to know a lot about me, heard about you from Luther Gates ... the world had become very small ... Luther told him what Russ did in New Eden, your looking for answers too ... The Contrarian falls into the water, he can't swim ... Russ has to deal with the consequences of saving him or not ... Russ told him he would save him on once condition, that they go back to shore ... then just when the situation seemed under control, the Historians call from the shore ... The Contrarian shoots one of them

Afterworld is 'Espresso-style TV' at its best

The three-minute TV drama has arrived. And like a cup of Italy's finest, Afterworld is hot, dark and packs a heavy punch.

A cross between one of Frank Miller's graphic novels, a video game and Radio Four's Book at Bedtime' ... Afterworld

A couple of months ago, Anna Pickard wrote on this blog about Sony's plan to launch a series of episodic dramas in which each episode would last no longer than three minutes, the idea memorably described as "espresso-style TV". In her blog she imagined a future determinedly youth orientated and bereft of dialogue and characterisation - a dismal thought for anyone who ever became hooked on The Wire, OZ or The Sopranos. I had a vision of a vacuous, hideously condensed, hyper-sexualised version of Hollyoaks.

Well the three-minute drama arrived late last month in the form of the animation Afterworld, and I am delighted to report that thus far it is excellent. Looking, feeling and sounding like a cross between one of Frank Miller's graphic novels, a video game and Radio Four's Book at Bedtime, Afterworld is about a man who wakes up in New York to find that everyone else in the city (and perhaps the planet) is dead. Our hero, a computer salesman called Russell Shoemaker, is represented in stiff graphic form against swirling, eerily marbled backdrops, his voiceover at once soporific and hypnotizing. As Russell attempts to make sense of a life he must apparently lead entirely on his own, his reflections allude to Camus and more obviously to crime writers such as Dashiell Hammet. "The thing about loneliness is that you are never really alone" he intones, as the ghosts of his dead family shimmer into view.

What is remarkable about Afterworld is that it does not, as Anna and I had feared, eschew dialogue and characterisation. Neither though does it ignore the YouTube generation it is so obviously aimed at. In one scene, for instance, Russell is seen dragging a bike and a trolley through empty streets before hitting a pot-hole and careering of the road. It looks great, is very witty and makes deliberate reference to the YouTube micro genre of shopping cart crashes. Equally though, it is aimed at people who are utterly reliant upon technology and attempts to imagine what a Metropolis without so much as a light bulb would look and feel like.

Afterworld is already up to its 21st episode and the first season will run for another 109 (each to be screened daily) meaning it will last for six and a half hours in total spread over three months. Much like any other drama in fact. And that comes as a huge relief to me.

as posted on Guardian Unlimited

Episode 33: Confliciting Reports

Kidnapped and held captive by a conspiracy nut, the Contrarian the New World Historians offered Russ something he had been searching for, Hope he would get home, and Hope he would find the truth ... but all Hope seemed lost as he was kidnapped by the Contrarian ... Russ is pushed of the moving train, the Contrarian follows ... Russ asked what he wanted, tried to connect with him, but he would not tell him anything ... no I can't trust you yet, there was no reasoning with him ... please I have a wife, yes I know all about you, your walking to Seattle, but first your going to help me stop the Historians ... he did not explain how he knew Russ, not then anyway, but he did explain how he met Arnold, a completely different story to what Russ had been told ... the Contrarian saw their flyers, with their big fancy words, he thought he could trust them ... but when they realised how much he really knew they dosed him up with truth serum ... he told them everything he knew ... they did not want to hear the truth, they wanted to supress it ... why would anyone wipe out the people they were trying to control ... the Contrarian said he had evidence to prove his theory, and that Russ would see it soon enough ... he lead Russ off, they boarded a raft, to cross the river ... Russ knew it was a strong chance that they would not make it ... some people will die to prove their point of view, while others will kill

Afterworld - a fan review

Posted by Tricia Harris at Tuesday, September 18, 2007 10:17 PM and is filed under Cultural Wasteland

Imagine that you have an ordinary day. You woke, you ate, you chatted with family, friends and co-workers. You ate a few times. Then you go to bed. You go to sleep, everything is normal.

You wake up the next day and no one is there. Your “significant other” isn’t laying next to you. Your children have disappeared. None of the neighbors are anywhere to be found. You can’t find anyone – at all! You reach for the phone, but it doesn’t work. You try to turn on the TV – nothing. You turn on your PC – nothing. Cell phone? Nothing. Nothing works and everybody is gone!

No electricity, no technology, no people!

…was it the Rapture of the Church, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Was it something else? How would the “afterworld” react? I just can’t even imagine. Get your life right with God! Don’t get “Left Behind”!

And so the story goes in Afterworld. I’m only on episode #35 of Afterworld.tv, but – job well done. “An immersive, multi-platform sci-fi series”, a “new kind of computer-animated entertainment”. For my A.D.H.D. brothas’ and sistas’, you’ll appreciate the length – the average episode is under 3 minutes…HOLLA back and tell me what you think...

Check out the 1st episode…if you like it you can catch most of the episodes on YouTube or www.afterworld.tv

as posted on Are YOU sleeping...

The Contrarian

Age ............... 25
Gender .......... Male
Before Fall: .... Computer Salesman
After Fall: ....... Conspiracy Theorist

Stalker of the New World Historians; doggedly believes they are not what they seem. Will the truth prove to be his demise?.

Episode 32: Fail Safe

Promised a ride home, Russ joings the New World Historians. Arnold's offer to join his group was more than a quick way home, it was a faster road to the truth ... there were lots of theories about the fall, but the New World Historians actually had hard evidence ... initially they assumed it was terrosim ... but our research proved otherwise, as you can imagine the Pentagon was a treasure trove of information ... it took weeks to wade thru hard copies, but they finally found the smoking gun ... a highly classified black box weapon, a global satellite network ... it was a new kind of bomb, just like Mr Tanaka said ... this one did not blow things up it produced a massive elector magnetic pulse ... a fail safe designed to destroy incoming missiles ... of course if the whole network was activated, all technology would be disabled by the EMP ... except at hardened structures, which means those that control these sites, now have immense power ... this theory was a work in progress, it still did not explain the people disappearing, but it raised a very troubling revelation, our own government caused The Fall ... who pushed the button remains a mystery, but we believe there was a secret group inside the Pentagon that controlled everything ... Russ showed them what he had found on the speaker of the House, but Arnold said that he was just the target of a political smear campaign ... beware the dis-information out there, case in point, the Contrarian, who a prosperous theory, a crack pot ... but no matter what the opposition the New World Historians are committed to printing the truth, hopefully with your help Russell ... Russ told Arnold he was in, that he would join the historians ... the Contrarian grabs Russ by gunpoint

Afterworld Trailer - a fan review

This is Awesome. I watched several of the mini shows already. Click here to see more.
They are making 130 episodes to watch. I loved what I saw so far. Looking forward to more. AFTERWORLD is about a man - Russell Shoemaker - who awakens to discover that more than 99.9% of the population has disappeared, and that all technology has mysteriously shut down. As clues surface of a larger conspiracy afoot, Russ is determined to make it home to Seattle in the hopes that his family is still alive. He embarks on a journey that will change his life - and the fate of the world's - forever.

as posted by ThunderHawk on Yahoo360

Arnold Schaffer

Age ............... 46
Gender .......... Male
Before Fall: .... Professor, Anthropology
After Fall: ....... Leader, New World Historians

Founder and leader of the New World Historians, traveling the U.S. to document The Fall. But how will history record Arnold?.

Intermission: Press

Popular Internet Sci-Fi Series Afterworld Adds Interactivity to Programming Through Sony ACIDplanet.com Contest

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACIDplanet.com™, one of the Internet’s premier sites for user-generated music, video content, computer-based recording and remixing tools, today launched the first of their monthly music video remix contests, “Afterworld Reimagined”, with the popular online sci-fi series, Afterworld. Season one of Afterworld includes 130 episodes of the uniquely animated series. Contestants will be able to download assets from the ACIDplanet website to rescore and remix to create their own sci-fi music video.

“Since its initial launch, Afterworld has been closely watched because of the excitement it generated among fans and observers of Internet-based media,” said Stan Rogow, CEO Electric Farm Entertainment. “Taking the show to the next level through this type of interactivity was a natural next step as we progress to the second season. Through the ACIDplanet.com ‘Afterworld Reimagined’ contest with Sony Creative Software, fans now have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the Afterworld experience, adding their own personal creativity to express the world of Russell Shoemaker in entirely new ways.”

Through computer-animated characters and compelling story lines that blend the elements of video games, graphic novels and anime into one dynamic experience, the series tells the story of how life on Earth is nearly extinct after an inexplicable global event renders technology useless and 99.9% of the population missing.

Afterworld chronicles the adventures of main character Russell Shoemaker, who wakes up in New York after “The Fall” and is compelled to walk to Seattle in the faint hope that his wife and child have survived. Russell’s own harrowing journey from technological dependence to total self-reliance mirrors the world he discovers along the way, where other survivors are rebuilding society in strange and surprising ways. Piecing together the complex mystery of what caused the global event, Russell eventually paves the way for the bold new future of mankind.

“With its online distribution and tremendous popularity, the Afterworld phenomenon is an exciting progression of entertainment content,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. “Through the ACIDPlanet.com ‘Afterworld Reimagined’ contest, Sony Creative Software is pleased to be able to offer the fan community the opportunity to be part of the creative evolution of the series.”

Contestants may download Music Video #1 of Afterworld starting today and must submit their video remix entry by midnight September 28. ACIDplanet™ remix contestants may use ACID XPress™ software that users can download for free or they may also use their software of choice. All entries must be two minutes or less in length. The contests will run monthly and the winners will be selected by Electric Farm Entertainment, producers of the Afterworld series. Each winning video will then be posted on ACIDplanet™, Afterworld.tv, and on the Afterworld Channels on MySpace.com and various additional social networking sites. The winning contestant will also be awarded prizes including Sony Creative Software products, a Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) and merchandise from the Afterworld series.

For more information and complete contest rules, please visit: http://www.acidplanet.com.

About Sony Creative Software

Sony Creative Software inspires artistic expression with its award-winning line of products for digital video, music, DVD, and audio production. As a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the company also develops applications that enhance the experience for users of Sony hardware devices. Sony Creative Software customers span the globe and include seasoned professionals in the film, television, video game, and recording industries, as well as students, educators, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. For more information, visit www.sonycreativesoftware.com.

About Electric Farm Entertainment

Electric Farm Entertainment is a digital studio for the development of intellectual properties across multiple platforms. The company principals are Stan Rogow, Brent Friedman and Jeff Sagansky, who together created the revolutionary online series “Afterworld.” Their latest online venture “Gemini Division” will star Rosario Dawson in a live action/motion-capture animation sci-fi series. Rogow has produced some of the most successful series targeted at the youth audience, including The Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire,” Discovery/Kids’ “Darcy’s Wild Life” and “Flight 29 Down.” The long list of credits also include NBC’s “Shannon’s Deal,” the critically acclaimed show that was nominated by the Television Critics Association for the “best show of the year,” the CBS series’ “Middle Ages” and “South of Sunset” and the UPN series “Nowhere Man.” Friedman wrote the feature “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” based on the best-selling video game, and his current projects include “Godzilla 3-D!,” an original 3-D Imax project on which he is serving as creative consultant and “Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars,” a sci-fi/action videogame written by Friedman and just released for Electronic Arts. He also recently served as co-executive producer on 44 episodes of the UPN drama series “The Twilight Zone” and created, wrote and/or co-wrote 12 episodes and served as supervising producer of the sci-fi series “Dark Skies” for Columbia Television, which aired for a full season on NBC. Jeffrey Sagansky was recently named Co-Chairman of the Board of Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. Jeffrey, who has been CEO, CBS Entertainment; Co-President, Sony Pictures Entertainment; President, TriStar Pictures; SVP/Programming, NBC; and CEO, Paxson Communications, will serve on Peace Arch’s Board along with the company’s former Chairman and now Co-Chairman, Drew Craig.

as posted on BusinessWire

Journal behind ...

the Journal is still stuck on Day 94 and back in Aurora, Ohio

Episode 31: The New Historians

An Introduction to a group of scholars writing a post-Fall history It is said that history is written by the victors, hard to imagine anyone claiming victory, after The Fall ... the new world history would be written by survivors, but with some many points of view ... Russ sees his first WordWall, they were springing up all over, people were adapting to life without technology ... we here the whistle of a steam train ... the new world historians pulled up in a restored locomotive ... Russ new they were a force to be reckoned with ... how would you like to help us make history ... he spoke to people along the way, they all wanted to know what happened, what caused The Fall ... I told them we should write a new history of the world, they said I was kidding ... using the WordWall they circulated newsletters, reporting what was going on around the world ... Russ spent most of the day telling them his story, what he had seen and heard ... Arnold asked if he wanted to stay, said he could have be in Seatle in a month ... Russ told him he would sleep on it, but for the first time, home felt more like a reality than a dream ... Russ settles down for the night, a face appears in the window

Episode 30: An Offering to Uktena

The Serpent Mound gives Russ a new understanding of The Fall Russ has always tried to be a rationalist, Russ - come on Man, wakeup ... that trip to the Serpent Mound changed the way he looked at the world ... whatever happened, opened his eyes, the unseen possibilities ... Welcome back, according to Jeff, Russ was only out for about five minutes ... they went into the cave to save the boy, but about 20 feet in Jeff said they met a dead end ... there was no way to go any further, that's when Russ passed out ... Jeff dragged Russ out of the cave, and called for help ... it made no sense, Russ could not understand what happened ... what happened to the boy, there was not boy said Jeff, all the evidence said that Russ just imagined the boy, and everything that happened in the cave ... maybe it was a lost memory of the past or a premonition of the future ... or maybe it was just a message, a wake up call ... from his own sub-conscious, take your time Russ ... he throws his watch into the cave, as an offering ... no it wasn't an offering, and he wasn't a convert, he just saw the value it getting rid of certain things from his life ... letting go of plans and deadlines, letting go of expectations ... Jeff had become a convert, he said believing in something, was better than believing in nothing, they parted ... plus the women were pretty hot ... Russ watch only weighed a couple of ounces, but he felt 50lbs lighter ... the truth was buried under the Serpent Mound, or was it just the tip of an iceberg