2007 isn’t even over yet, but it would be pretty damn hard for anybody else to create a science-fiction as immersible as what I am about to share with you! But first, I’m going to rant the apparent differences between Commercial and Independent media. (skip the next paragraph if you don’t care).
Traditional television and it’s disruptive, incoherent nature have been miserably failing to the likes of ‘user generated’ video media. It would be my (presumptuous?) assumption that people are simply tired of reality television shows, sitcom’s repetitive story-lines and sugar-coated premises with no present-day relevance; besides the fear factor. Nothing too surprising, the commercialism that fuels it’s creation has diluted it’s quality. While in the inter-world, YouTube offers user-generated content that cannot be persuaded by profit.
‘Afterworld.tv,’ is a prime example of this tantalizingness we know and love as ‘Independent Media.’ It is an on-going Cross-Platform Science-Fiction Internet Series that took off with a quiet bang early 2007. Took me 8 months to stumble-upon this Sci-Fi series, but only 3 hours, 30 cups of Maté and a lot of ‘wow’ factor to zip through all 53 episodes (and rising). Every second I was on the edge of my seat, intensely involved and interested in it’s mind-blowing take on the end of the world. If you are like me, and delve into the end-of-the-world type sci-fi, this is right up your dark alley!
Each episode of Afterworld is 3-5 minutes long. Each one a tastefully and masterfully digitally animated wonder manufactured to leave you hanging from a 1000 foot cliff; every damn time. The creators release a new episode daily, Monday through Friday, with a recap video every Saturday.
A little background on ‘Afterworld:’ Afterworld is a premise based on the life of a man named Russel Shoemaker from Seattle. Russ takes a business trip to New York, one that is supposed to change his family’s financial life forever. Radical change was in his future, but not the way he expected. Upon waking up in his 4 star hotel room and making a trip to the lobby, he was shocked when there was nobody around. It didn’t take this frightened city-slicker long to figure out an unknown and very mysterious event had occurred which resulted in the disappearance of 99% of the population, and the extinction of technology and electricity. At first Russ is scared and lost, without a plan. But as time goes on, he finds other ’survivors’ and learns more about his own humanity. His decision to make a 3000 mile voyage back Seattle to reunite with his family comes quickly; and this ill-planned voyage becomes a discovery of the truth, accompanied by a plethora of clues that obscurely outline the cause of ‘The Fall.’
as posted on synthesisNet "by na3s"
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Afterworld on YouTube ... Santa Fe, Epsiodes 66-70
check out my compilation of clips from this week ... at this stage it just a simple compilation with some background music from the Afterworld website, a visual summary of the week to compliment my written summaries ... I hope to expand it as time goes by ... please take the time to explore my blog, you will find news and summaries of each episode, as they were aired downunder, for those viewers outside Australia, the newer episodes may be spoilers for you so beware : )
Episode 70: Change of Heart
Cale and his stepfather finally put aside their differencesthere is nothing more unpredictable than human nature, Gwen believed we were doing the right thing, not getting involved with the settlers battle, and at first so did Russ, but when he saw the Wayfarer Inn, he had a change of heart ... now I see why you get in to such trouble Russel Barret was one step ahead of him, you get your kid to surrender or I arrest you for obstruction of justice, Barret was haselling Cale's stepfather, alright, OK, I'll try, Russ hope was that if locals saw how Barret was abusing his authorities, they would revoke it, Russ told Barret people were going to get hurt or killed, including his men if he pushed this any further, whack, down goes Russ, but just like Cale, Barret was not about to back down, you should of run while you had the chance, Gwen saves the day again with her gun, let him go, you got spunk missy, but you're going to get yourself killed, ditto, you people hired me and my boys to protect you, this area is safe, ask Gavin Webster if he is safe, dragged from his home, threatened with arrest, unless he helps hunt down his own son, that's not protection, that's fascism, Russ told them that they had set this in motion, and it was up to them to stop it, but Cale had other plans, he said it was their fight not his, returning most of what he had stolen, Cale promised from here on out to trade with the locals, we don't want your tainted goods, and we don't want freaks like you, we are not freaks, we are just different Cale touches Barret, Barret drops to the floor, it began with Gavin, his change of heart, started a chain reaction, and with their amazing new energy source, it became clear their was nothing that community could not accomplish, it they worked together, for Gwen and Russ it was another adventure that brought them closer, but deep in the jungle that used to be the Arizona Dessert, they were about to encounter something that would tear them apart
Friday, November 9, 2007
Episode 69: Fight or Flight
Russ wrestles with the decision to help the Mole People fightfight or flight, it is said that our response to a situation is automatic, that a man will make a quick decision if a fight will cost him his life, but when the fight involves many lives, that decision becomes increasingly complex, we've got about ten minutes until they cross the stream ... Cale was painfully naive, never actually prepared for this moment, but he gave a passionate speech none the less about taking a stand, this is our home, they have no right to make us leave, they have guns, we can't fight them, they will kill us all, they will kill us anyway, there is more of us than them, we can take them, it was obvious to Russ that Cale would not get a consensus before Barret and his men stormed the settlement, so Russ came up with a plan to buy some time, Russel good luck ... according to Gwen the electricity was generated by friction in the mineral content, that meant fast flowing water would carry a nasty charge, don't even think about it, fortunately Gwen came thru in the nick of time, Russ felt like Moses, watching the Red Sea wash away the Pharaohs men, We'll be back and next time, we ain't taking no prisoners ... back to Cale, if we don't take the fight to them, Russ told Cale he would help any way he could, but Gwen brought him back to reality, for a man that refuses to carry a gun, you sure seem eager to go to war ... hard to admit, but Russ had gotten caught up in making a stand, but not entirely for the right reasons, Barret Long represented everything that Russ had come to despise, he was JD and new Eden he was Arnold and the Historians, intolerance and abuse of power, but it was clear that Cale would not flee or back down, follow me and we will be free, fight or flight, the decision was Russ's alone, and he had to ask himself, was this battle really worth risking his life for
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Episode 68: Sanctuary
Cale leads Russ and Gwen down into the realm of the Mole PeopleEarth has always been host to strange phenomenon, but after The Fall it sometimes felt like they were on another planet, after his mum disappeared he could not cope with his dad, and he headed underground,the stream had become electric, but he had never felt so alive, it was like magic, not magic, Gwen figured it was the mineral composition of the water charged by the EMP ... it was the Cobalt power, just on a larger scale, something obviously Cale was immune to, Gwen touches the water, and gets hit by a strike of electricity, and falls back, that would be quite dangerous if the water flowed fast enough, Russ found the idea of a new energy source rather intriguing, Gwen was fascinated by how the water had altered their physiology, how it had slowed their heart rate and metabolism to sub human rates, allowing them to absorb the electricity, the settlement even had luxuries that others didn't, an endless supply of light and heat, but their was one major drawback, the settlers gardens were all above ground, which attracted the attention of the Militia, the settlers had clearly been enhanced by the water, but this had cost them the ability to heal, they need anti-biotic's for their infections, or they will die, NO, we can't go back up there, we can take care of our selves, All you Freaks, You are under arrest, the militia, no matter how fantastic the environment, seems like there was always something,or someone to remind us that we were still on Earth
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Episode 67: The Settlement
Russ & Gwen help one of the Mole People hide from the Militianot all the changes that happened on the planet were biological, there were social mutations to, new forms of justice, law and order, the fugitive said the Militia had been tracking him for miles, but he was either to tired or to cold to keep running ... they said you stole supplies, you think I like scrounging up here on the surface, I only took what the settlement needs to survive, what the hell is he doing here, come on dad just one more time, Webster get out here, I'll do the looking, do what you have to, I assured Barret that we had not seen anyone, dogs don't lie, not like humans, I'm telling you there's no one here, beg your pardon, Barret burst into the bathroom, Gwen in the bath and the "mutant" behind the door" ... Webster, I won't these other rooms unlocked now, if you could of seen the look on your face Russell, for helping him, the "mutant" offered to show us a secret, it's a new energy source, you folks should not get caught up in this boys illusion, my illusion, your the one living in a fantasy world like nothings changed ... the boys mother had always been the bridge between the two, but when she disappeared, so did the tolerance ... the "mutants" father blamed The Fall on terrorism, figured it was only a matter of time before America was back in charge, the "mutant" blamed our government, said we probably provoked some country a deserved what we got, in his mind the fall was necessary, a wake up call, which is why he went underground, and started a settlement of like minded survivors, who were expatriates of the human race, trying to become completely self sufficient
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Afterworld Production Team Answers - Season One, episodes #1 through #65, posted November 6, 2007
• Asked by: compiled theorum
If we were to assume that all other life on the planet is unharmed (plants seem to be fine, maybe animals are too)…is the human genetic adaptation not to survive the Fall but the exact opposite?
The intent of this question is not entirely clear. We’re assuming the question means: “Were those who vanished the ones with a special genetic trait?” And the answer to that question is… not necessarily. All we can say is that those who vanished were genetically different than those who survived. Why? How? Those questions will be answered. Eventually.
• Asked by: darkurth2000
Does the Fall have something to do with all the calanders ending in 2012?
Not to sound coy, but… yes and no. The date has something to do with the “big picture” of Afterworld, but is not directly related to the events that caused the Fall. Confused? We hope so… ;)
• Asked by: DragonAngel
Who came up with the idea of making AW?
As mentioned in various articles and interviews (many of which are available online), the story for Afterworld was created by Brent Friedman. The original visual design was created by Michael Decourcey. The concept of an interactive multi-platform series (broadcast, broadband and mobile) was the result of many minds including both the above names as well as the other Electric Farm partners, Stan Rogow and Jeff Sagansky. Additionally, much credit must go to Sony for building a global digital distribution pipeline to facilitate this vision.
• Asked by: Gwynyvyr
Why would the the Polaroid type camera still be working after the fall when they have circuit boards?
After doing some research on this, we found that early models of Polaroid cameras do not have circuit boards. They were purely mechanical and/or powered by DC batteries. We are, admittedly, cheating when we show a “synch flash” on the camera, which implies a newer, chip-dependent model. We take this stylistic license because, well, it just looks cooler hearing and seeing a white flash before each photo materializes. ;) Also, it’s harder to find digital models of early Polaroids (which were also much more bulky) and it’s simply not feasible from a production standpoint to have one of our artists spending hours building a digital prop… when a similar (albeit anachronistic) model can be found for free online.
• Asked by: lilwillie
Why weren't animals effected by The Fall?
Animals do not have the same genetics as humans. But make no mistake, animals are affected by the EMP in ways both small and large.
• Asked by: Phenix
Did the PG really send Russell to shut the EMP off or are they getting him to find more out about Team Alpha?
PG’s agenda will be an ongoing concern for Mr. Shoemaker. To give away their intentions at this stage of the series would be disservice to the 100s of hours of writing we did on Episodes 66-130… where you will find some (but not all) of the answers embedded within this loaded question.
• Asked by: RangerSergeant
We all love Afterworld, what are the AW team's favorite online series?
Prom Queen! (kidding) Seriously, there is only one other series we feel compelled to plug here: the granddaddy of all web series – “Broken Saints.” If you have not seen this animated epic it’s definitely worth checking out.
• Asked by: RangerSergeant
Did the fall really cause the birth defect in the twin, or is that due to another more mundane cause?
To further expound on the animal question, it’s not the Fall per se which caused mutations or aberrant behavior – it’s more likely the EMP. But the full effects of the EMP (both positive and negative) will be another ongoing series of revelations that continue well into Season Two.
• Asked by: sevens
How do the New Edenites communicate so quickly over vast distances in a world without technology?
“Quickly” is a relative term. If you read Mr. Shoemaker’s journal you will notice that there is more time elapsing than the episodes often indicate or imply. What sometimes seems like a day or two later may actually be a week or two later. And you have to remember that the WordWall existed BEFORE Russell learned about it, so that method of communication is the most obvious answer. Another is simply explained by the fact that word on horse travels faster than word on foot. So with a few horsemen riding around, they create a dynamic information grid servicing just JD and New Eden. Also, you will eventually come to learn that JD has opened “missions” in other areas, increasing the number of horsemen from four to… (insert your guess here)
• Asked by: timtodd
What is AW looking for in a winning video remix entry?
A winning video remix should have evocative music that, when played over re-cut visuals, reveals a new tone or texture to Afterworld that wasn’t conveyed in the original video. For instance, the first Acid Planet winner’s video used an original song that emphasized the loneliness and emotional desolation of Russell’s journey, then it overlaid that song on scratched/distressed video that implied archival footage, adding a sense of nostalgia and loss already inherent in the song. So, in short, we’re looking for a remix that works on both levels – audio and video – to create a fresh and fully realized representation of our show.
• Asked by: timtodd
Can the sample video and loops from AW's first contest be used in the second contest
That is a question for Acid Planet, who makes the rules for the contest.
• Asked by: timtodd
What criteria does AW use in judging? Creativity, Immersion, Authenticity, etc...?
At the end of the day, it’s all very subjective. If a video has the aforementioned qualities it will probably elicit this response from our writing staff: “Coooooool!” The video eliciting the most responses of “Coooooool!” will win.
• Asked by: timtodd
What new elements (games/contests/features) can we look forward too?
We have a couple more in mind but nothing concrete at the moment. Soon as we nail something down you will be the first group to know.
• Asked by: timtodd
What unique challenges were involved in creating Afterworld?
A book could be written on this topic! First and foremost, the challenge of creating a new business model in the entertainment industry has been both incredibly satisfying and incredibly frustrating. Our learning curve has been vertical. And every day we make more discoveries through simple trial and error. The other challenge worth mentioning is the production process itself. While the writing of three minute episodes has proven deceptively hard, producing three minutes of “non-animation” has turned out to be a monumental task for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is the incredible level of design artistry which goes into every episode. Other challenges involve the daily distribution of episodes to multiple portals (all of which require different formatting)… the production of the journal (which was never intended to be as complex as it’s become)… not to mention the marketing and messaging of a multi-platform series to an audience not even sure what that phrase means!
• Asked by: timtodd
What has been the most unexpected development, from production to publishing and user involvement?
Most unexpected? Probably how unforgiving fans are with free entertainment! ;) When a promised episode is a couple hours late, man do we hear about it. Of course, we try to take fans’ impatience as a compliment. After all, the worst thing that could happen would be that no one cares…
• Asked by: X
Is the "Positive" in the genetic testing related to evolution in mankind, this evolution is a resistance to the electro magnitic charged atmosphere created around AC powered technologies?
Great question but the answer is simply too revealing. Here’s a hint, though: the genetic testing (found in Hastings’ house) is not necessarily related to the EMP, at least not in the ways you’re probably thinking (yes, we can read minds here.)
• Asked by: Anna
We always come into the story after Russ has escaped from the danger somehow, but just how does he manage it? We never actually see his escape, and yet in the next episode, he's far from his captors."?
It’s a fair question and, sorry to say, this answer is going to seem like a cop out. But the truth is, Afterworld does not do “action” and/or escape scenes well. We’ve tried a few and just were not happy with the results. We do know what scene has bothered you (yes, we read the Wall regularly) and that scene was scripted to indicate that while Charles was turning to shoot at Ellen, Russell wisely disappeared into the nearby brush. So that when Charles turned back… Russell was gone. After Subu extricates himself from Ted, he and Charles search the brush for Russell, but he’s vanished. In real life, this scene probably would’ve played out in 2-3 minutes… the entire length of an episode!
The point in all this is that we usually conceive the scenes in a realistic manner (or as realistic as most TV shows portray) but in our medium it becomes impossible to visually represent all the “action” beats in a given scene. And at the end of the day, our show is not concerned with the small details of escape so much as the emotional and psychological impact of the events on Russell. As writers it is not hard to contrive ways to escape almost any given situation – can you say MacGuyver? – so, in an effort to keep the story moving along, we often take the liberty of jumping you to the next meaningful encounter.
• Asked by: Anna
Just how is it that Bryson was unaware of the Fall itself, and yet knew that Russ had a bounty on his head?
Again, this detail does not move the story along so it did not make it into the episode. But an explanation was written in one of the drafts. And the answer is simple: he saw a “Wanted” poster somewhere on the fringe of the woods. The language on the poster is just vague enough that, we believe, Bryson could have just assumed Shoe had done what he’d done – committed a crime and fled into the Ozarks. Nothing about the poster says that the Fall has occurred.
And here are the most prevalent generalized questions I received in the latest round of emails and private messages...
• Have they ever reworked an episode because of forum posts?
Reworked? Not exactly. But we have “borrowed” some ideas from the Wall, as well as various suggestions on YouTube and MySpace. For instance, a fan pointed out early on that, with no one to put them out, there would probably be rampant fires burning in drier parts of the country – a fact we, admittedly, hadn’t considered. So we added that wrinkle to some latter episodes. Another example is many fans’ belief that Russell would be better off with a gun(s.) This was never a consideration in the early episodes – we had a point we wanted to make about violence begetting violence – but we decided to challenge this point of view in the second half of the season. We haven’t changed the point we’re making, but we have certainly modified our approach to explore this issue on a much deeper level… examining the emotional and psychological ramifications of murder (justified or not) on Russell.
• Have forum posts influenced the direction and feel that the story takes?
The forum posts have been incredibly enlightening. We have learned not only what fans like and don’t like about the Afterworld experience, but we have learned what details you focus and fixate on… what your expectations are for certain characters and subplots… and, most importantly, what kind or answers your are seeking. All this information has greatly influenced the way we wrote the last two weeks of Season One – it did not affect the facts as we have always known them, but it did affect the extent to which revealed or didn’t reveal certain facts. And ongoingly, we will continue to read the Wall as it will no doubt influence Season Two.
• Are any of the theories out there, close to the mark?
Interestingly there are a few theories out there that contain bits and pieces of what we consider “truth,” but we can honestly state that no theory yet posted comes close to explaining the Fall. That said, you must understand our job as writers was to create a complex and, hopefully, compelling backstory/mythology for our universe. To that end, we have taken great pains to build a narrative “swiss watch” with a lot of moving parts that would be very difficult (but definitely not impossible) to figure out. One hint: many important details have already been revealed by Episode 65… but those details may not have seemed as important to the big picture as they actually are. ;) Might wanna go back and watching some old AW episodes… oh, and read those journals again…
• Are there other stories being developed or to be developed? If so, will there be a beta test group?
By “other stories” we’re not sure if you mean other Afterworld stories… or other Electric Farm stories. If it’s the former, we will continue to reveal other characters’ stories in Afterwords. Through the “locked” sections of these stories we will be not only advancing alt storylines, but also planting clues to the bigger picture. Upcoming storylines include: Luther… Travis… Alice… and Ted (just to name a few.) If you’re talking about the latter, the next series from Electric Farm will be “The Gemini Division” starring Rosario Dawson. For more information on that show try a Google search…
• When the series finishes, will it be released to other media types (DVD/BluRay, etc?) If so, what extras might it include? (Timtodd phrased this the best)
We are planning a DVD release of Season One some time after the conclusion of the show’s distribution on web and mobile. On the DVD we are talking about including not only the original 2-3 min episodes but also the 15 min and 30 minute compilation episodes (one and two weeks, respectively, of episodes artfully cut together) – watching the show in larger clumps is, curiously, a much different experience.
We have plenty of “behind-the-scenes” footage on the making of Afterworld which will be included, along with some satiric remixes of certain episodes, a couple “lost” episodes and the original 8-minute “trailer” for Afterworld that launched the entire show two years ago. There will also be audio commentary tracks on select episodes and, Powers That Be willing, a preview of Season Two. Oh, and we might even throw in our secret recipe for Egg Salad (let’s see if anyone can guess the movie reference to that one…)
as posted on AfterworldTheories
If we were to assume that all other life on the planet is unharmed (plants seem to be fine, maybe animals are too)…is the human genetic adaptation not to survive the Fall but the exact opposite?
The intent of this question is not entirely clear. We’re assuming the question means: “Were those who vanished the ones with a special genetic trait?” And the answer to that question is… not necessarily. All we can say is that those who vanished were genetically different than those who survived. Why? How? Those questions will be answered. Eventually.
• Asked by: darkurth2000
Does the Fall have something to do with all the calanders ending in 2012?
Not to sound coy, but… yes and no. The date has something to do with the “big picture” of Afterworld, but is not directly related to the events that caused the Fall. Confused? We hope so… ;)
• Asked by: DragonAngel
Who came up with the idea of making AW?
As mentioned in various articles and interviews (many of which are available online), the story for Afterworld was created by Brent Friedman. The original visual design was created by Michael Decourcey. The concept of an interactive multi-platform series (broadcast, broadband and mobile) was the result of many minds including both the above names as well as the other Electric Farm partners, Stan Rogow and Jeff Sagansky. Additionally, much credit must go to Sony for building a global digital distribution pipeline to facilitate this vision.
• Asked by: Gwynyvyr
Why would the the Polaroid type camera still be working after the fall when they have circuit boards?
After doing some research on this, we found that early models of Polaroid cameras do not have circuit boards. They were purely mechanical and/or powered by DC batteries. We are, admittedly, cheating when we show a “synch flash” on the camera, which implies a newer, chip-dependent model. We take this stylistic license because, well, it just looks cooler hearing and seeing a white flash before each photo materializes. ;) Also, it’s harder to find digital models of early Polaroids (which were also much more bulky) and it’s simply not feasible from a production standpoint to have one of our artists spending hours building a digital prop… when a similar (albeit anachronistic) model can be found for free online.
• Asked by: lilwillie
Why weren't animals effected by The Fall?
Animals do not have the same genetics as humans. But make no mistake, animals are affected by the EMP in ways both small and large.
• Asked by: Phenix
Did the PG really send Russell to shut the EMP off or are they getting him to find more out about Team Alpha?
PG’s agenda will be an ongoing concern for Mr. Shoemaker. To give away their intentions at this stage of the series would be disservice to the 100s of hours of writing we did on Episodes 66-130… where you will find some (but not all) of the answers embedded within this loaded question.
• Asked by: RangerSergeant
We all love Afterworld, what are the AW team's favorite online series?
Prom Queen! (kidding) Seriously, there is only one other series we feel compelled to plug here: the granddaddy of all web series – “Broken Saints.” If you have not seen this animated epic it’s definitely worth checking out.
• Asked by: RangerSergeant
Did the fall really cause the birth defect in the twin, or is that due to another more mundane cause?
To further expound on the animal question, it’s not the Fall per se which caused mutations or aberrant behavior – it’s more likely the EMP. But the full effects of the EMP (both positive and negative) will be another ongoing series of revelations that continue well into Season Two.
• Asked by: sevens
How do the New Edenites communicate so quickly over vast distances in a world without technology?
“Quickly” is a relative term. If you read Mr. Shoemaker’s journal you will notice that there is more time elapsing than the episodes often indicate or imply. What sometimes seems like a day or two later may actually be a week or two later. And you have to remember that the WordWall existed BEFORE Russell learned about it, so that method of communication is the most obvious answer. Another is simply explained by the fact that word on horse travels faster than word on foot. So with a few horsemen riding around, they create a dynamic information grid servicing just JD and New Eden. Also, you will eventually come to learn that JD has opened “missions” in other areas, increasing the number of horsemen from four to… (insert your guess here)
• Asked by: timtodd
What is AW looking for in a winning video remix entry?
A winning video remix should have evocative music that, when played over re-cut visuals, reveals a new tone or texture to Afterworld that wasn’t conveyed in the original video. For instance, the first Acid Planet winner’s video used an original song that emphasized the loneliness and emotional desolation of Russell’s journey, then it overlaid that song on scratched/distressed video that implied archival footage, adding a sense of nostalgia and loss already inherent in the song. So, in short, we’re looking for a remix that works on both levels – audio and video – to create a fresh and fully realized representation of our show.
• Asked by: timtodd
Can the sample video and loops from AW's first contest be used in the second contest
That is a question for Acid Planet, who makes the rules for the contest.
• Asked by: timtodd
What criteria does AW use in judging? Creativity, Immersion, Authenticity, etc...?
At the end of the day, it’s all very subjective. If a video has the aforementioned qualities it will probably elicit this response from our writing staff: “Coooooool!” The video eliciting the most responses of “Coooooool!” will win.
• Asked by: timtodd
What new elements (games/contests/features) can we look forward too?
We have a couple more in mind but nothing concrete at the moment. Soon as we nail something down you will be the first group to know.
• Asked by: timtodd
What unique challenges were involved in creating Afterworld?
A book could be written on this topic! First and foremost, the challenge of creating a new business model in the entertainment industry has been both incredibly satisfying and incredibly frustrating. Our learning curve has been vertical. And every day we make more discoveries through simple trial and error. The other challenge worth mentioning is the production process itself. While the writing of three minute episodes has proven deceptively hard, producing three minutes of “non-animation” has turned out to be a monumental task for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is the incredible level of design artistry which goes into every episode. Other challenges involve the daily distribution of episodes to multiple portals (all of which require different formatting)… the production of the journal (which was never intended to be as complex as it’s become)… not to mention the marketing and messaging of a multi-platform series to an audience not even sure what that phrase means!
• Asked by: timtodd
What has been the most unexpected development, from production to publishing and user involvement?
Most unexpected? Probably how unforgiving fans are with free entertainment! ;) When a promised episode is a couple hours late, man do we hear about it. Of course, we try to take fans’ impatience as a compliment. After all, the worst thing that could happen would be that no one cares…
• Asked by: X
Is the "Positive" in the genetic testing related to evolution in mankind, this evolution is a resistance to the electro magnitic charged atmosphere created around AC powered technologies?
Great question but the answer is simply too revealing. Here’s a hint, though: the genetic testing (found in Hastings’ house) is not necessarily related to the EMP, at least not in the ways you’re probably thinking (yes, we can read minds here.)
• Asked by: Anna
We always come into the story after Russ has escaped from the danger somehow, but just how does he manage it? We never actually see his escape, and yet in the next episode, he's far from his captors."?
It’s a fair question and, sorry to say, this answer is going to seem like a cop out. But the truth is, Afterworld does not do “action” and/or escape scenes well. We’ve tried a few and just were not happy with the results. We do know what scene has bothered you (yes, we read the Wall regularly) and that scene was scripted to indicate that while Charles was turning to shoot at Ellen, Russell wisely disappeared into the nearby brush. So that when Charles turned back… Russell was gone. After Subu extricates himself from Ted, he and Charles search the brush for Russell, but he’s vanished. In real life, this scene probably would’ve played out in 2-3 minutes… the entire length of an episode!
The point in all this is that we usually conceive the scenes in a realistic manner (or as realistic as most TV shows portray) but in our medium it becomes impossible to visually represent all the “action” beats in a given scene. And at the end of the day, our show is not concerned with the small details of escape so much as the emotional and psychological impact of the events on Russell. As writers it is not hard to contrive ways to escape almost any given situation – can you say MacGuyver? – so, in an effort to keep the story moving along, we often take the liberty of jumping you to the next meaningful encounter.
• Asked by: Anna
Just how is it that Bryson was unaware of the Fall itself, and yet knew that Russ had a bounty on his head?
Again, this detail does not move the story along so it did not make it into the episode. But an explanation was written in one of the drafts. And the answer is simple: he saw a “Wanted” poster somewhere on the fringe of the woods. The language on the poster is just vague enough that, we believe, Bryson could have just assumed Shoe had done what he’d done – committed a crime and fled into the Ozarks. Nothing about the poster says that the Fall has occurred.
And here are the most prevalent generalized questions I received in the latest round of emails and private messages...
• Have they ever reworked an episode because of forum posts?
Reworked? Not exactly. But we have “borrowed” some ideas from the Wall, as well as various suggestions on YouTube and MySpace. For instance, a fan pointed out early on that, with no one to put them out, there would probably be rampant fires burning in drier parts of the country – a fact we, admittedly, hadn’t considered. So we added that wrinkle to some latter episodes. Another example is many fans’ belief that Russell would be better off with a gun(s.) This was never a consideration in the early episodes – we had a point we wanted to make about violence begetting violence – but we decided to challenge this point of view in the second half of the season. We haven’t changed the point we’re making, but we have certainly modified our approach to explore this issue on a much deeper level… examining the emotional and psychological ramifications of murder (justified or not) on Russell.
• Have forum posts influenced the direction and feel that the story takes?
The forum posts have been incredibly enlightening. We have learned not only what fans like and don’t like about the Afterworld experience, but we have learned what details you focus and fixate on… what your expectations are for certain characters and subplots… and, most importantly, what kind or answers your are seeking. All this information has greatly influenced the way we wrote the last two weeks of Season One – it did not affect the facts as we have always known them, but it did affect the extent to which revealed or didn’t reveal certain facts. And ongoingly, we will continue to read the Wall as it will no doubt influence Season Two.
• Are any of the theories out there, close to the mark?
Interestingly there are a few theories out there that contain bits and pieces of what we consider “truth,” but we can honestly state that no theory yet posted comes close to explaining the Fall. That said, you must understand our job as writers was to create a complex and, hopefully, compelling backstory/mythology for our universe. To that end, we have taken great pains to build a narrative “swiss watch” with a lot of moving parts that would be very difficult (but definitely not impossible) to figure out. One hint: many important details have already been revealed by Episode 65… but those details may not have seemed as important to the big picture as they actually are. ;) Might wanna go back and watching some old AW episodes… oh, and read those journals again…
• Are there other stories being developed or to be developed? If so, will there be a beta test group?
By “other stories” we’re not sure if you mean other Afterworld stories… or other Electric Farm stories. If it’s the former, we will continue to reveal other characters’ stories in Afterwords. Through the “locked” sections of these stories we will be not only advancing alt storylines, but also planting clues to the bigger picture. Upcoming storylines include: Luther… Travis… Alice… and Ted (just to name a few.) If you’re talking about the latter, the next series from Electric Farm will be “The Gemini Division” starring Rosario Dawson. For more information on that show try a Google search…
• When the series finishes, will it be released to other media types (DVD/BluRay, etc?) If so, what extras might it include? (Timtodd phrased this the best)
We are planning a DVD release of Season One some time after the conclusion of the show’s distribution on web and mobile. On the DVD we are talking about including not only the original 2-3 min episodes but also the 15 min and 30 minute compilation episodes (one and two weeks, respectively, of episodes artfully cut together) – watching the show in larger clumps is, curiously, a much different experience.
We have plenty of “behind-the-scenes” footage on the making of Afterworld which will be included, along with some satiric remixes of certain episodes, a couple “lost” episodes and the original 8-minute “trailer” for Afterworld that launched the entire show two years ago. There will also be audio commentary tracks on select episodes and, Powers That Be willing, a preview of Season Two. Oh, and we might even throw in our secret recipe for Egg Salad (let’s see if anyone can guess the movie reference to that one…)
as posted on AfterworldTheories
Episode 66: Manhunt
Russ and Gwen encounter a Millitia on the hunt for "Mole People"sometimes the most difficult problem is solved by gaining a different perspective, that's what Gwen provided a fresh point of view on Russ current dilemma, go to NORAD or go Home ... it took Russ the better part of the day, but he got Gwen up to speed, great thing about Gwen is how she never pulled punches, always spoke her mind, feelings be damned, why do they need you to save mankind, she coincided that the EMP might be responsible for all the people disappering and the recent mutation, but if I were you I would do my homework on the EMP and Parthia, before I started switching switches ... there was no doubt that the planet and everything on it was going thru a radical transformation, but Gwen had a theory that Russ had not heard yet, she believed Earth was a living organism, that was dying, and like the human body does, the Earth cleansed itself of the toxins, mankind and all our technology, would turning off the EMP improve life, that's what he had to find out ... dogs barking, the dogs were owned by a Militia man, we are looking for Mole people, damn freaks have been looting our homes and stealing supplies, according to Barret, he and his men had been authorized by residents to hunt down these mutants, Russ looks to Gwen, what kind of mutants are we talking about, pasty white, beady eyes like rats, and live underground like the vermon they are, Barret told us it was not safe out tonight, there were sure to be some bullets flying, so one of the men recommended an Inn down the road ... new talk of mutants raised more question about the EMP, but the more pressing concerns were their accommodations ... sorry honeymoon sweet is not available, I suppose we can trust each other, for one night anyway, think I'll take a bath, Russ sees something green luminescent on the wall, then some footprints, he approaches the door, opens it, a mutant, Please, I need help
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Episode 65: The Brother
Amy gives birth to a second, unexpected babyin the same way hope unites, fear divides, all of the harmony from the first birth disappears like a dream for the second, labor only lasted a few hours this time, but it felt like forever, a sense of dread hung in the air, there was no relief at all, it's a boy, I think ... that baby brought together all our fears in a form so, Russ actually felt nauseous, Gwen had to interbate for the child to breath ... it had no mouth, or nose, and not even any head to speak of, just a sack of flesh, esposed organs, you could hardly call it human ... Amy was sedated and the husband was with the baby girl, it won't make it, a child like this goes straight into ICU, the rest of its life will be spend on machines, Gwen believed a lethal injections was the only merciful thing to do, Russ disagreed, no parent would ever saction that, but Gwen insisted keeping the child alive without technology, require constant supervision, even then, you said it yourself Russell, we can't save everybody, I'll take the baby, under one condition, that the parents don't know it lived, it was a strange request, but Joan knew Amy better than anyone, knew that she was not equipped to deal with this child, but it was more than nobility, she all ways wanted a family, to take care of, Joan saw the child as a blessing, not a curse ... before The Fall, it would of been illegal to do what they did ... Amy and her husband were spared the burden of that second child, and the public were spared yet another thing to fear, at least until we learned what was causing all the mutations, Joan thanked us for all they did, they did not plan to leave together, they had been together for such a short time, but knowing the truth, how tangled up our lives would be, Russ would parted ways right there, but as it turned out Gwen would become a large part of Russ's life, for better and for worse
Episode 64: What Child is This
The first child conceived after The Fall is finally bornthe real miracle of child birth, is it's power to unite even strangers, in a celebration of life ... despite the ominous beginnings the four of them worked in perfect harmony, they put aside their personal agendas and fears, focussed only on the hope that a new born brings ... push, I need you to push Amy, Joan coached Amy along pushing her thru the pain, like only a big sister could, don't you dare give up on me, you can do this, and Amy's husband did the most important thing of all he held her hand, you are going to be OK babe, everything is going to be OK ... thirteen hours after labor began, they were rewarded with the most heavenly sound, a babies cry, it was a girl, a beautiful girl, and she was just as normal as the moon in the sky ... I'm so sorry babe, I'm never going to leave you and our little angel again, Amy decided to name the little girl Joan, I only wish that Mum and Dad were here, they would be so proud of you Amy, while Gwen ran thru post op procedures, Russ was elected to spread the good news, Russ told them the truth, every world of it, but it was not what some of them wanted to hear, it was like they wanted to know that the future of mankind was hopeless ... well that was a regular walk in the park, wasn't it, Joan confessed she was just as scared as everyone, that something unnatural would be delivered, she was going thru so many things, Russ offered her some advise, so many things are out of our control, you just cant save everybody, not alone anyway, you really are a saint, a knock, Doctor you got to come quick ... it did not take Gwen long to realise that there was still something inside Amy, something that wanted out, twins, Russell we will need more compresses
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