Day 419 Novella completed…

Day 419 Novella Concludes

Fans of World of Depleted who are getting psyched for the official serial release of Day 419 starting this friday can take pleasure in knowing that the Day 419 novella has now been completed.

According to writer/director, Jeremy Hanke, the novella was completed last night and will answer some of the questions that fans have already been buzzing about.  However, he went on to say, “it won’t reveal everything and, in truth, it will open up a number of additional questions about the characters.  Our goal with our arcs in the World of Depleted really is to answer questions with more questions.  The best literature of all generations does that.  It answers enough of your questions to give you the satisfaction that you’re getting deeper into the mystery, but then unveils a number of new questions waiting to be explored.  Our hope at Viking is that this new novella will provide a tantalizing connection for our fans, giving them even more roots into who the character of Jenna Whitmore is, how she interacts with Gavin, and where things may lead to in the future.”

While an official release date on the Novella have not yet been given, Hanke did confirm that a collector’s bound addition of the novella along with an epilogue to Day 419, the shooting script, and photos from the film would be published in the future.  Presumably it will also be sold along with the anticipated collector’s edition of the Day 419 DVD and/or Blu-Ray, for fans who want to get the ultimate Day 419 collector’s pack.

Additionally, during our conversation, Mr. Hanke refused to deny that there would be an official publication of Season 1 of the Gavin Hesterdale Journals, a refusal that I would interpret as an affirmative.  More on both elements as we know more!

 

The Gavin Hesterdale Season Finale…

Other half of Catacode...

Other half of Catacode...As the pre-release of Day 419 comes out tomorrow, the Gavin Hesterdale Season Finale occured today.  As predicted, the finale gets to the brink of the Fall and, according to folks in Viking, gives clues which move forward into the Day 419 film.

Still no official word on when or where the next season of the GHJ will pick up, although Viking’s Jeremy Hanke assures us that “it will give many new insights into some of the things hinted at in Gavin’s dreams and in Koskin’s Shards stories.”

For those who haven’t yet read the newest entries, which include Megaton, Jojo Stratton, The Catacode, and the Attacks, don’t miss out at:

 

The Gavin Hesterdale Journal

Rumors of the Gavin Hesterdale Season Finale…

Dark Dreamer Logo
Dark Dreamer Logo
The Finalized Dark Dreamer Logo was unveiled in a recent issue of the Gavin Hesterdale Journal...

Rumors are circulating that the Gavin Hesterdale Journal is coming to a “Season Finale.”  While nothing has been confirmed, fans have clearly been seeing the escalation as Gavin races to figure out the mysterious catacode!  In the most recent addition, the final Dark Dreamers symbol was unveiled (which, apparently, folks who got a sneak peak of the Day 419 film got briefly exposed to).  Additionally, a mysterious order of warriors known as the Order of the Steel Rood was unveiled and MEGAT0N (the founder of the Post-Apocalyptic Forums) made a return guest appearance. As a final coup, Dark Dreamer Jojo (an undoubted nod to Contributor Jojo Stratton) is credited with being part of the mystery to unravel the the Catacode whih is said to reveal the mystery of the date the Fall begins on.

That things are rising to a climax is undoubted.  If this is indeed a season finale, it seems likely that it will conclude with the riots that Gavin and his Dark Dreamers foretold.  (I have heard rumors that the finale will be day and date with the first of the Day 419 serials, providing a bridge from the conclusion of Gavin’s journal directly into the film itself.)

Where the series may pick up after this event is currently unknown, although World of Depleted Co-Founder Jeremy Hanke has stated, “This is only the beginning of what Gavin Hesterdale will be involved in.”

For those who missed the newest release (“Cloistered Warriors”), you can catch up on it here at:

The Gavin Hesterdale Journal

10 Months in Hell: The Jenna Whitmore Trade Paperback?

Jenna Comic
Jenna Comic
Special guests of the Depleted: Day 419 exclusive screening, got collector's MP3s, which featured special images as their album covers.

Fans of the Jenna Whitmore branch of the Depleted saga, will likely be excited about a secret image that’s surfaced.  While the folks at Viking are tight lipped about what might be involved, the following image was recently leaked from one of the viewers of the secret Day 419 1st Master showings.

Apparently, cast, crew, and special contributors received a special digital swag bag at this event which included secret information about the World of Depleted, as well as four songs from the Depleted soundtrack.  Each song has custom artwork, with different clues about the World of Depleted on it.  According to Jeremy Hanke and the Viking team, these MP3’s with this artwork will not be made available again, so those who received them have a cool piece of digital memorabilia.   The image in question that has fans in a state of intrigue features a cold-eyed Jenna Whitmore wielding a Beretta with the tagline: 10 Months in Hell.  Due to the stylized look, we assume that this image will most likely represent the cover of a graphic novel or comic book.

No word yet on who might be involved, although some fans have enthusiastically postulated that Frank Miller (Sin City) might be tapped to run the comic book, Neil Gaiman (Sandman/American Gods) might be tapped to write the story arc, and Dark Horse (Hellboy/Terminator/Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse) might be releasing the comic.  We were unable to find any confirmation on these theories and feel it would be safest to put this to bed along with the rumor that Ted Nugent will be appearing in the Depleted feature.

Nonetheless, there’s clearly something up with this image and we will be sure to report as soon as we know more!

The Final Master Session of Day 419 Now Completed…

Yesterday, the final editorial viewing of Day 419 occurred with score composer David Todd Singleton at Oakwood Sound Design.  Final corrections were made on the mix based on his comments and two additional elements will be created by Singleton by Friday.  At that point, the last touches to the Master will be completed and the film will be finished.  According to insiders, the current distribution plan appears to be a serial one, with the short being broken into its five main progressive parts which will be released once a week for five weeks.  For those who do not wish to wait until all five episodes are released, there will be a rental option for $1.99 to check it out ahead of time or the option to purchase the DVD and get a higher quality version than can be currently supported online.    No word has yet been released on what the special features on the DVD will be, although there have been rumors that there may be special training on how to defend your life in the violence of the Fall.

Midnight Screening of 1st Master of Day 419 a success…

Jeremy Hanke At Sneak Screening

 

Director Jeremy Hanke Moderating Questions
The Midnight Sneak Preview of the First Master.

The Midnight Screening of the first Master of Day 419 went well early this morning.  While the late hour and participant conflicts made the last First Master screening an intimate affair, those who participated had a great time.  The film was hosted in a private Sorenson 360 screening room and then the Q&A was moderated in a special Adobe Connect meeting room.  Having watched the taped version of the meeting, it’s easy to see that director Jeremy Hanke was relaxed and having a good time with contributors like Julie “Jojo” Stratton, crew like cinematographer Nate Eckelbarger, and marketing team members like graphic designer Craig McDaniel.

In addition to exploring new places the Jenna storyline will go in the upcoming Depleted Feature, Jeremy used the evening as a time for Nate Eckelbarger to unveil a sneak peak of the upcoming limited edition Day 419 screen print posters, which will be available to fans who help sponsor the crowdfunding effort for the Depleted feature.  Additionally, it was revealed that a special limited edition Day 419 DVD will be available for those who contribute that will be only available through this crowdfunding effort.  (No word as yet as to what all will be in this limited edition, but I understand that it will be a must-have for all true Depleted fans.)

Additional news was brought about different versions of Day 419 that will likely be available and the  episodic release of Day 419, which will allow people to pay a small fee to watch it in its entirety before all the episodes have been released.

In between talking about Day 419, the World of Depleted, and the Knights of Xeno, there was a lot bonhomie about movies and video games, most of which I hadn’t heard of, but which seemed to be sticking points for the participants!

In the end, the showing finally wrapped up just after 3 AM and a good time was had by all.  For fans who’d love to see some of the elements of this session, I’m told that a few of the elements will be going to the YouTube page for everyone to enjoy.  More on that as we know it!

Emergency Alert
The new emergency alert message featured in Day 419 seems to reflect cutting edge changes in alert systems, including the new PLAN system.

 

 

 

 

Day 419: Sneak Preview and Final Mastering…

Yesterday was a big day for Day 419, as Viking’s Depleted team was in the Oakwood Sound Design Studio working on the Final Master of Day 419.  According to director Jeremy Hanke, the film is almost completed, with a final session slated with Score Composer David Todd Singleton for next week.  The last session will allow final comments to be made, at which point any corrections will be made and and the film will be completed!

Folks who were able to attend last night’s Day 419 1st Master preview got a chance to be on the cutting edge of technology!  Hosted on Adobe Connect, the event allowed people to preview the film and then engage in a question and answer session with writer/director, Jeremy Hanke.  While there were some opening night technology issues which led to some inconsistencies in playback and the questions ended up being typed rather than spoken, the overall screening was a success.  As with actress Kat Carney’s screening, the music from composer David Todd Singleton, along with the two songs from zero-project, were highly praised by those who attended.  Director Jeremy Hanke shared some of the inspirations for certain creative choices in the film and regaled those in attendance with stories of past film screenings he’d attended, including one put on by filmmaker Kevin Smith. 

One more sneak screening is slated for cast, crew, and select contributors this week.  After that, the final master version of Day 419 will be made available as an episodic release in five weekly serial segments through World of Depleted’s YouTube page.  A Sorenson 360 version will be available with the film in its entirety shortly thereafter, as will the DVD version.  The limited collector’s edition of the DVD is currently slated to be one of the awards given for fans who choose to support the crowdfunding campaign of the Depleted feature film later in the year.  (In addition, I’ve now gotten word that photographer and Day 419 cinematographer, Nate Eckelbarger, has designed an exclusive screen printed poster for Day 419 which will be made available for special contributors during the  Depleted feature crowdfunding event.  While it will not be shown until the campaign, I have gotten word from an insider at Viking that the poster is: “bitching AWESOME.”)

Stereo Deluxx Joins the Official Depleted Soundtrack

Stereo Deluxx

Stereo Deluxx

Pretty Time Bomb
The Pretty Time Bomb Album was a trendsetter for modern Creative Commons distribution.

Underground band, Stereo Deluxx, has offically come on board for the Official Depleted Soundtrack.  Fronted by Stacey Lux, Stereo Deluxx has a sound that’s been compared to No Doubt and Garbage, and were one of the first bands to experiment with giving out entire professionally created albums to their fans with their cult classic, Pretty Time Bomb.  (Their revolutionary release of the PTB album would predate Nine Inch Nails similar move by over 8 years.)  While we haven’t been told which songs will be on the soundtrack, we have been told that one of the songs will be an unlockable for Contributors before the Soundtrack is available.

More on this as it becomes available!

Sneak Screening of Day 419 First Master…

Kat & Amanda after Secret Screening of Day 419
Oakwood Sound Design Cues Up Day 419's 1st Master
Oakwood Sound Design Cues Up Day 419 For Kat Carney. (Feat. Donovan Davis)

Depleted star Kat Carney had the privilege to be the first member of the cast to see the first master of Day 419 at a private screening at Oakwood Sound Design yesterday, which consisted of her and her best friend Amanda, director Jeremy Hanke, and John Howard (Day 419’s Audio Designer), as well as Donovan Davis of Oakwood Sound Design. While the starlet’s involvement in the franchise and additional responsibilities in the film could’ve commanded the private screening, director Jeremy Hanke clarified that the exclusive prescreening was due to the fact that Ms. Carney would be out of the country during the official release of the film and “it would’ve been unfair for her to miss out on the movie she was so instrumental in.” (As our sources fell us, Ms. Carney will be joining her boyfriend for six weeks in South America where they will be helping build orphanages for the children who’ve lost their parents in areas like Colombia and Venezuela. Once concluded, she will permanently relocate to Los Angeles, flying back for principle photography of the feature next May.)

Mr. Hanke explained that a special viewing of the film will be prepared for the rest of the cast and crew for next week, with his expressed desire that it be a live online viewing event so that people can share thoughts and questions live after the film is completed.

When interviewed about her impressions of the film, Ms. Carney expressed enthusiasm about how the film turned out, with a special appreciation for the sound design and the score which was crafted by David Todd Singleton (with supplemental songs from new Contributor zero-project). As these two elements took longer than the other elements of post-production, the Viking Team was very pleased with the response.

Kat & Amanda after Secret Screening of Day 419
Depleted star, Kat Carney, and her friend, Amanda, were able to see a sneak screening of the Day 419 1st Master before she goes to South America.

As director Jeremy Hanke stated, “when you’re finishing up a film, your perspective is radically skewed due to how much time, effort, and blood you’ve put in. Honestly, you don’t know if its any good or if it sucks. All you can see is all the tiny errors that viewers rarely notice but which seem massive to you. Kat has more distance than the post-production team, but she also has a huge vested interest in this film being as good as it can be and she’s a very smart cookie who really knows her stuff. So the fact that she was pleased was really great.”

In addition to getting a sneak peak of the secret ending (which is currently under wraps), Kat was presented with a prototype of a special collector’s item from next year’s feature. We were not given a name for the item, but we were provided with the picture below. Only time will tell what it’s significance may be (although judging from Ms. Carney’s reaction, it must be fairly important).

Special Prototype of Collector's Item
Special Prototype of Collector's Item Presented to Kat Carney.

For the final release, the Viking team stated that they plan to do a few noise and artifact passes on the visuals, as well as the final adjustments to the audio which will happen in the Final Master. Pending review from the marketing team, it looks likely for a July 4th general release.

Kat Carney featured as MicroFilmmaker Cover Girl for June 1st issue…

Kat Carney Relaxed
Kat Carney Cover Image
As featured in the new issue of MicroFilmmaker Magazine.

 The stunning Kat Carney (star of World of Depleted’s own soon-to-be-released Day 419) has been chosen by MicroFilmmaker Magazine to be the cover girl for their June 1st issue.

The issue, which has a dominant issue on casting, features an article by Day 419 director, Jeremy Hanke, on casting for action films, including images of the lovely Ms. Carney from her work in Depleted as Jenna Whitmore.

To see the new issue, simply go to:

MicroFilmmaker Magazine