Archive for July, 2010

Securely in Security

Posted: 30th July 2010 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Concepts & Development, Episode 4 - "Insecurity"

On the growth and change experienced over the course of producing Episode Four

As you can see, this next vignette is another character backstory piece, and a dark one at that. I’m very pleased with how it’s turning out, and I look forward to telling you all about it in the weeks to come—but first, some final reflections on the recently-ended episode four, “Insecurity”.

For many of reasons, the fourth episode was a paradigm shift for Night Zero, as a production and as a family. The technical challenges of the protest shoot I’ve already discussed on this blog, but it was more than just the impact of large-scale production. The scope of the protest shoot involved more than a year of planning and preparations, and the entire production team was heavily invested in its success. The timing of the shoot coincided with the end of production of episode three, so the event itself was a fitting “last hurrah” for five of Night Zero’s team members (including two from the very first days) before they moved on to their own projects.
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More photos from behind the scenes of the Episode Four protest shoot

And here’s the final photo-retrospective on the epic “protest shoot” from the fourth episode of Night Zero, “Insecurity”. Our “Friday” photo for this post is the group photo from the end of the second day, and although it doesn’t feature everybody involved in the shoot, is still the most satisfying photo I have ever organized in the history of the Night Zero project. I’m so proud of everybody who made it possible, and can’t wait to show you when the story goes to print in Night Zero: Volume Three (coming 2011!).
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More photos from behind the scenes of the Episode Four protest shoot

Here we continue with the photo-retrospective of the grand “protest shoot” from episode four. If you missed the first part, you can read it here. This is the second of three parts while we take a quick break this week, coming back on Monday with a brand-new vignette. Stay with us!
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Photos from behind the scenes of the Episode Four protest shoot

And that concludes Episode Four: Insecurity! I hope you all enjoyed the action-packed story, and can’t wait to show you what happens in episode five. This week we’ll be taking a quick break from the comics to share with you some of our favorite photos from the “protest” photoshoot, posted here on the Night Zero blog.
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Laying It Out There

Posted: 9th July 2010 by Jen Kaiser
Categories: Concepts & Development, Guest Posts

Jen Kaiser on how she met and joined the Night Zero team as post-production designer

I love comics and was eager to attend this year’s Emerald City Comicon to meet the legendary Stan Lee. Armed with a bag of comic books, and dressed as American McGee’s Alice, I ran from booth to booth getting books signed and commissions drawn by my favorite artists. The booth for Night Zero stood out among the many vendors present at the show, and I stopped by for a closer look.

Night Zero’s friendly cast and crew often attend local events (like the recent Red, White and Dead Zombie Walk in Seattle) and part of their booth is outfitted to take HDR photos with a backdrop right out of the comic (gun props and all).
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Words of the Gaffer

Posted: 2nd July 2010 by Eric Thomas
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Guest Posts, On Location

Eric Thomas on his experiences as gaffer with the Night Zero team

I met the Night Zero Crew at the Emerald City Comicon back in 2009.  We chatted and discussed my potential involvement in the series, although it was not until September (when they needed to shoot the courthouse) scene that I got an email from Anthony asking if I could help.

As a gaffer who really only works on narrative films, I was amazed at the difference in workflow and the speed with which they were able to work through all the required shots.

When dealing with full-motion action and dialog there are many moving parts, where failure in any one of these parts will render the take unusable.  The camera can bump or fall out of focus on a dolly or a pan. An actor can stumble over a line or start laughing.  A light or stand can wind up in the shot, or have to be fiddled with to prevent that. The list of things that can ruin a take is long, and the workflow is such that it can take a couple of hours to light a scene before the first shot is in the can.

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