Archive for the ‘Behind-the-Scenes Photos’ Category

Naked Zombies

Posted: 1st February 2013 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Episode 6, On Location
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On balancing the theoretical reality of zombie behavior with the practical constraints of live-action production, and shooting on location in the middle of the mountains.

In the earliest days of Night Zero, we on the production team spent most of our time discussing and debating the “rules” of zombies—which were universal, which were negotiable based on zombie type, and which we would invent for our own purposes. Some zombie rules are irrefutable, such as a bite or scratch leading to infection and their innate ability to distinguish their own kind from living persons. Other zombie rules are flexible, such as their cognitive abilities and whether they eat humans or just kill. We had our own rules on top, relating to the severity of infection and the counteraction of alcohol.

But there’s another class of rule to consider, often raised among fans but rarely (if ever) addressed on screen: impossible rules. For “living dead” zombies, the biggest impossible rule is the rate of human decomposition—within 20 days, all non-bone mass is on its way out. After a month, there’d be no zombies left. For the “infected” zombies, the biggest impossible rule is that the infected should have no clothes on.
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Think of the Children

Posted: 4th January 2013 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Concepts & Development, Episode 6, On Location
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On the development and production of the “Orphans” epilogue with Axel the skullhunter, Sam the messenger, and more than a handful of children in the woods.

The first of the Night Zero Epilogues is brief, but loaded. I don’t recall exactly how or when I decided to frame the entire saga under a participant narrator, but even the first assembled draft of Episode Six has this scene nearly word-for-word as it appears in the final comic.

Choosing a narrator involved serious considerations. It would have to be a character who recurs enough to be remembered on sight, but far enough from the center that they wouldn’t need their own closure. It would have to be a character capable of caring for children but unexpected enough that it would warrant notice. And finally, it would have to be a character who survived the bloodbath without a strong allegiance, so that they wouldn’t be notably absent from another of the Epilogues.
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Exit, Pursued by the Horde

Posted: 28th December 2012 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Episode 6, On Location
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On the conclusion of episode six act five, the official end of the graphic novel serial and the New City storyline.

And so has the tale of the New City come to a close, concluding six episodes of adventure, betrayal, and sacrifice. What began with the storehouse fires has ended with assassination, revenge, and the collapse of a struggling civilization. Page 101 marks the end of the day, the conclusion of act five, and the official completion of the Night Zero serial.

But wait. There’s more.
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Enter the Bloodbath

Posted: 26th October 2012 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Episode 6, On Location
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On the creation of the Bloodbath sequence, the high-action three-way battle crescendo climax of Night Zero: Episode Six.

This current sequence of the finale, which we refer to as “Bloodbath,” is the climactic evidence of the Episode Six philosophy: go big and go outside. It’s one of the last scenes we shot, due to its scale and complexity, and was an incredible accomplishment by all members of the Night Zero team. With more than fifty extras, more than a dozen cast members, and nearly two dozen crew, we descended upon an abandoned building at the Sand Point Naval Base and spent a weekend creating and shooting chaos.

The production required an expanded basecamp, to quarter the masses of participants, the makeup, and food from potential rain and wind participation. While there was some wetness to manage the morning of the second day, overall we were very fortunate with the weather and managed to shoot for two full days with minimal interference.  Base camp was well secluded on the opposite side of the building from the shoot location, which added travel time for actors and production assistants but allowed the cameras to roll all day long while base camp managed its own responsibilities.

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the Essential Eulogy

Posted: 12th October 2012 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Episode 6
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On the final passing of Marion Clark, first heroine of the Night Zero world.

And so another chapter of the Night Zero world comes to a close, one of the original and most essential components of all we’ve done in the last five years. It is with great pride and respect that I congratulate Katrina on her four years of work as Marion “Marathon” Clark. She was Night Zero’s first cast member, the first hero, and she saw it through to the very end.

The pilot episode of Night Zero was a necessary step, with which I decided to begin production with me creating a character for myself to portray. As both actor and director, alongside Forest as photographer, we could get our feet under us about shooting HDR while wasting as little of other people’s time as possible. Unfortunately we would still need somebody to play opposite me, so it was Katrina’s time we would start wasting, and never let up.
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the Longest Day

Posted: 31st August 2012 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Digital Production, Episode 6
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On the meeting of Marion and Jill, and the considerable length of Episode Six in the scheme of Night Zero comics.

The scene that ran last week and this, entitled “Rescue,” is a brief but pivotal moment of Episode Six, as well as a notable crossroads. It is the intersection of Marion and Jill, two central characters of Night Zero and two of the most represented.

Marion was created at the beginning of the Night Zero serial, drawn from character ideas and discussions with Katrina. She began shooting on our first production day, attended every shoot for the entire first year, and appeared on every page of Episode One.

Jill was created at the beginning of the Originette period, drawn from character ideas and discussions with Krista. During the following year she attended more production shoots than any other actor (averaging more than one a month), and quickly became an iconic part of our world.
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