Archive for November, 2009

Post Vignette, Ergo Propter Vignette

Posted: 27th November 2009 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Jezebel", Concepts & Development, Episode 3 - "House Calls"
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On Jezebel’s arrival in the serial story arc, and how she came to star in her own vignette a year prior

It is with great pleasure and a greater smile that I welcome Jezebel back to Night Zero. She’s one of my favorites in our post-apocalyptic world, both on and off the camera. Her origin story you already know, at least to some extent, but her origins as a character are just as engrossing.

It amuses me that, even though it was produced and aired nearly a year before this scene and takes place as a prequel to the serial story, the Jezebel vignette is actually a spinoff of from this very scene. What you’re seeing now, here with the truck at the docks, was the first (and at the time, only) scene written with her character. After floating around in Alexander’s brain for who-knows-how-long she arrived in the first released draft of Episode Three, delivered to the production team in early November ’08. She was immediately notable for her opening character description, which was a full paragraph instead of the usual line or two, and revealed a complex character as well as the basic aesthetic notes. Even though she wasn’t going to be seen for a year, her mannerisms, costumes, and motivations were already an engaging topic of conversation amongst the production team members.
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The Evolution of Episode Three

Posted: 20th November 2009 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Concepts & Development, Episode 3 - "House Calls"
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On the first time rehearsing a scene with actors prior to a photoshoot

And so the truth comes out… or does it?

It’s a challenge to pace out episodes that are both comic books and web comics, with some sequences working naturally more in one realm than the other and other sequences falling slightly flat by splitting the difference. Part of our growth as we move from the pilot episode to the grand conclusion is toying with these balances, and at this point in episode three we can begin to judge how we’re doing.

Night Zero: the Flamethrower!

Posted: 13th November 2009 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Merchandise
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On the new availability of Night Zero merchandise, now in our online shop

By popular demand, I modestly present (the rough approximation of) the official Night Zero store! It seems that people can’t get enough of Night Zero, and for those that already own our completely awesome book, a little something is needed to tide them over until Volume Two comes off the press.

To be fair, members of the production team both current and former have long pressed for official merchandise, specifically a branded T-shirt beyond the coveted red CREW shirts made available to our team. I was the one who resisted these calls, thinking it proper to hold off printing a shirt until… I don’t know what. Until the perfect shirt design magically appeared on my lap, I suppose. Friends, team members, online visitors, all were requesting that T-shirts be made for Night Zero, and I realized that our shirt (and general swag production) would just have to follow the same path as the comic itself: just start somewhere, and keep making it better from there.
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Process Stories

Posted: 6th November 2009 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Digital Production, Photography
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On using Photoshop to create a photographic novel, the evolution of our post-production methods, and the power of non-destructive workflows

The two-year development that has created Night Zero was a process of experimentation, not only in the world of cameras and actors but equally so in the world of digital imagery and photo manipulation. The production side gets more credit all around, because its growth and refinement is more immediately recognizable– just compare the lighting, framing, or backgrounds of the pilot or episode one with what we’ve done in episode three or the Sisters vignette. Throughout the process, post-production has always pushed along in the background, diligently taking its work in and turning the graphic novel out without much fanfare.

In truth, post-production is the most variable part of the entire photocomic process, with a day’s work ranging from an hour or two of rendering and page layouts to a ten- or twelve-hour marathon session of layering, color adjustments, masking, and compositing, all to get the looks just right. Many of the advancements we’ve made in the on-set production over the last two years have been partially driven by what happens in post-production, as we learn what (seemingly) minor changes on-camera can make huge differences in the time required and quality returned in post.
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