Archive for the ‘“Devon”’ Category

An Intertwining Web of Tales

Posted: 1st October 2010 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Devon", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Concepts & Development
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On the evolution of the “Devon” vignette’s storyline

As time moves forward and Night Zero moves towards the finale of its serial story (coming Summer 2011), I become more and more certain that I will continue producing vignettes at least through the end of next year, if not indefinitely. They are so much fun to produce and the ideas in store are limitless.

Development of the “Devon” vignette went through a number of different concepts and drafts, although the visual focal point of two characters meeting in a dark bar was a constant in all of them. Knowing that Serling was a character to be created and killed in the span of the story, it was a challenge to construct his character justifiably without excessive exposition or gaps. The earliest drafts saw him betraying Yevgeniy for favor with the powers that be, but as a character he was hard to understand; later revisions established him entirely on Yevgeniy’s side, but this lacked the tension that I wanted to build between the two men. In time it settled in the middle, where Serling was playing both sides and trusted by neither, and I’m quite happy with the result.
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A Dark Day At the Bar

Posted: 10th September 2010 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Devon", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, On Location, Photography
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On the day of shooting the “Devon” vignette bar sequences

The primary shoot location for the Devon vignette was the small bar in Seattle’s Market Theater, home of the improv troupe Unexpected Productions (source of many great Night Zero cast members). Despite producing a full range of shows each week, in addition to classes and rehearsals, the team at UP was happily willing to let us take over their bar for a full Sunday shoot, which is where our story begins.

Crew call for the day was the usual 9:00am, and the production team consisted of myself as director, Eli on photography, Phoebe as assistant director, Kai as 2nd AD and assistant camera, Jana on makeup and costumes, and Eric in charge of lights with Jason as best boy. As always, the first step of the day was to review the space and start shifting it to our liking: moving and removing chairs and tables, rearranging the bottles and accessories on the bar, adjusting or removing posters and other decor. A separate space away from the bar was set up for makeup, and another to stage the various lighting gear that may be needed throughout the day.
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Fight, Baby, Fight

Posted: 3rd September 2010 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Devon", Behind-the-Scenes Photos, Concepts & Development, On Location
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On piecing together the zombie fight for the “Devon” vignette

This second act of the “Devon” vignette, wherein our hero dost make most violent an altercation with a member of the infected team, was produced in the “quick and dirty” style of a Night Zero production, with a skeleton crew and a short day to produce a short segment. The quality and length of the finished product speaks volumes to how far Night Zero has come since its early days, when it would have taken a full day’s work and thrice the crew to produce something of still lesser quality. Here are a few disconnected thoughts on the piece: Read the rest of this entry »

Discovering Devon

Posted: 27th August 2010 by Anthony van Winkle
Categories: "Devon", Concepts & Development
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On the origins and backstories for creating the “Devon” vignette

The Night Zero blog has been quiet for a while, which can only mean one thing: busy busy busy! With the post-production of the Devon vignette, rolling into production of episode five, and an ambitious new comic-shop-outreach program, the Night Zero crew has been working their collective butts this last month, but I’m happy to be back here on the blog.

This new vignette seems the perfect place to start, and if you weren’t positive that Devon is Yevgeniy, there you go. This isn’t a case of actor recycling—Yevgeniy as an assumed name has always been part of the overall backstory, just never overtly addressed until now. You can catch mentions of it throughout the various vignettes and episodes, or just check out his character bio on the cast page.
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