Gavin Hesterdale’s further research into what will lead to the deadly attacks may be derailed when new information about the Knight of Xeno arises, including their previously hidden symbol!
Three new entries in the Gavin Hesterdale Journal further tell the tale of a world on the unknowing brink of disaster!
New updates on the horizon from the Depleted team:
Score composer daVid Singleton completed the entire first draft of the score for Depleted: Day 419. General excitement seems to be high as this crucial stage has been passed. Still no word on the final release of Day 419, but Jeremy Hanke did say this…
“While some of the setbacks on the post-production end of things for Day 419 have been very difficult for us all, it has permitted us to further improve other elements of the film, including the effects sequences, and to refine our production and post-production workflow. Readers of Viking’s imprint, MicroFilmmaker Magazine, can look forward to in-depth articles and tutorials about the workflow we’ve been developing.”
Rumors abound that new crowd participation is going to directly impact the story world of Gavin Hesterdale, and the world of Depleted itself. So far, no one will give any specific details to this, so we look forward to hearing more in the near future!
Fight choreography for the Depleted feature film has now begun. Day 419′s fight choreographer, Jay Kerr, seems to be playing an important role, although no word has come through whether he will be helming this division in the future.
Casting for the Depleted feature film has now been cheduled for February 19th in Lexington, Kentucky. Actual locations haven’t been finalized yet, nor has the official call for submissions from other parts of the country.
Continued rumors about an official Depleted role playing game circulate, especially after the grievous news that 93 Games Studios, publishers of the amazing Twilight 2013 role playing game, were closing their doors. Fans of this game had noticed that, while much of the backstory was very different, a lot of the real world play mechanics fit very well with Depleted. Because of this, there has been speculation that some sort of an agreement might be able to be arranged with the Twilight 2013 creators, so that their mechanics and gameplay might not be lost. No official word has surfaced, however.
Finally, fans of the increasingly popular Gavin Hesterdale journals will likely find more new secrets and information, as the journal seems primed for explosive new revelations in the very near future. How this will connect with the ARG elements still in discussion remains to be seen!
It’s always exciting when one of your creative team is nationally recognized for excellence in their craft! Sheri Candler, the head of Depleted’s marketing team, was placed in the Top Ten Brave Thinkers in Indie Film by innovator Ted Hope of the nationally regarded Huffington Post!
Hope had this to say of Candler:
“When you believe in something you want to share it, right? Sheri embodies this statement like few others. Her commitment and faith in audience and community building is contagious. An avid user of social media, it is hard to miss Sheri in the virtual world, as she lends her voice, heart, and hand to filmmakers trying to sort out a way to connect and build the necessary bridges. Added bonus for following Sheri? Her ideas are good and well thought out! Last year’s Brave Thinker, Jon Reiss attests: “I met Sheri just over a year ago after I had just finished Think Outside the Box Office — where else — but on Twitter. She reached out to me, as she does with countless others, and since our first meeting has been an invaluable partner – passionate, incisive and always on the hunt for new ideas and new people that can help filmmakers (myself included) connect with their tribe and help solve the problems facing us all in this challenging time. Her tireless engagement and generosity sharing her wisdom and discoveries is a constant inspiration to me and should be to all in our community.”
Our congratulations go out to Sheri for this public recognition of her outstanding mind and talent. It is a wonderful boon to the World of Depleted to have someone of Sheri’s skills and creative outlook involved so dynamically in helping spread the word and grow this audience!
The Depleted team have plenty of new updates for us this December.
– New Day 419 FX – Rather than wasting time during the recent change-up in score composer for Depleted: Day 419, writer/director Jeremy Hanke chose to use the time to create a new effects sequence that adds emotional impact to a crucial scene where the heroine follows the bullet from her gun as she fires it. While Mr. Hanke says that he believes the final scene will indeed make the film better (as well as slicker looking), he went on to state that he is not so married to it that, if it ends up being too flashy and inadvertently distracts from the film, he will try to force it to work. “Rest assured, though,” Hanke went on to say, “if the new sequence doesn’t make it into the released film, it’ll be part of the extra bonus features of the collector’s edition DVD set.” You can see some of the complex work in the image below, which, according to Hanke, combines the 3D effects of Cinema 4D r12 with the video compositing of After Effects CS5.
– Day 419 Audio Work- 419’s new score composer, daVid Singleton, has been hard at work on the new score fo the film and, according to insiders, both John Howard (the audio designer) and director Jeremy Hanke will be listening to portions of the score this weekend. Additionally, John Howard has been laboring to sculpt the sonic landscape of the short in his studio at Oakwood Sound Design, which is made extremely complex due to the fact that the conclusion of the film was shot in a warehouse. In addition to the unique challenge of matching the sonic signature of this sort of space for the actual dialogue sequences (for which Howard is using plugins Speakerphone and Altiverb), there is the difficulties that come with a large scale gun battle (much of which is in some form of slow motion) and a knife fight.
– New Depleted Story Developers – World co-creator Jeremy Hanke has revealed that he is currently in talks with some talented writers to help assist the core development team of Depleted. While their duties may be varied, some of the early exploration would be in expanding the ARG (Alternate Reality Gaming) elements and in writing fully realized short scripts that other filmmakers could direct. For filmmakers who are interested in creating a film that is almost certain to be Canonized, doing so from a Canonized script would be a major boon. (So far, the only officially canonized script that hasn’t been directed by Jeremy Hanke is Blood of Martyrs, which is slated to be shot in Israel by Jason Frederick Gilbert at a future date.)
-Living in the World of Depleted – After much request, the Living in the World of Depleted page has now gone live. This page features many elements about the state of life in the world of Depleted after the Fall, which had hitherto been revealed only to a select few. Director Jeremy Hanke states that, technically, the information in this section could already permit creatives to sculpt fully realized stories and films set in the World of Depleted that could readily be Canonized. (With that said, he’s also exploring ways to allow talented creators to “unlock” secret canonical information which could augment their tales. )
– Depleted: Role Playing game? – While not an official Depleted role playing game, director Jeremy Hanke did state that much of the paper role playing game, Twilight 2013, could be readily modified to fit the world of Depleted. In its third iteration (this one released by 93 Games Studio), Twilight 2013 tells the tale of an apocalyptic world that has been destroyed through a cataclysmic war that has broken down the supply lines of the world and led to the deaths of billions of people. Hanke especially suggests using the set for developers who want to create fully realized characters, “because,” he went on to say, “the advanced character generation information for [Twilight 2013] is excellent for intuitively creating the sort of flawed, multi-dimensional characters that make incredible protagonists and villains for any sort of creative tale, but are especially necessary for film.”
For fans and developers who are interested in picking this set up, 93 Games Studios is making the .PDF version of the entire set available for $10 through the holidays–as opposed to the $60 it normally retails for. (If you’re interested in checking it out, click here.) Although Hanke did say that the Depleted development team are very open to discussing an official Depleted expansion for the RPG, which would allow fans to have the world elements of Depleted as part of the campaign rules, he did state that those talks have not yet been opened up with 93 Games Studios. Hopefully they will, as it would be pretty cool to be able to game in the World of Depleted in-between official chapters! (Plus, although the creative team will neither confirm nor deny this, I have to assume that they could also release new ARG components throug RPG expansions, which would be even cooler!)
Today we are pleased to make the official announcement that daVid Singleton has been selected as the score composer for Depleted: Day 419. After he had first met with Sound Designer John Howard, I had a chance to personally meet with him at the Oakwood Sound Design studio for more than two hours and found that his understanding of both the genre of apocalyptic literature and his creative musical talent made him the right choice for the score composer for this film!
Singleton moved to Lexington, KY after living in LA for a number of years, where he recorded background vocals for Arnold Palmer’s smash “Addicted to Love” as well as Fleetwood Mac’ s “Rock a Little” album. (He also sold an original melody to A&M Records in 1990, which became Amy Grant’s chart topping smash, “Baby Baby.”) In addition to his work with other bands and composing for television and film, he has three albums of original music that have been released. We’re extremely excited to complete the film under his score composition!
New updates for the beginning of December surround the World of Depleted, include:
*The first map of the overall structure of the submission process for World of Depleted content, as well as the breakdown to Canon and Apocrypha has now been released. (See below) Director Jeremy Hanke has clearly stated that there will be a more polished map that will be used in the official release and that subsections will be more clearly broken down at that point. ( Additionally, he’s gone on to say that videos will be created to more clearly explain each step in the process for folks who prefer this to text and images.)
* Finalized contracts to open up the World of Depleted to creatives around the world are being beta tested by filmmakers currently. So far, with the exceptions of a few clarifications of the processes, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
*Day 419’s Jeremy Hanke and Sound Designer, John Howard, are slated to announce a new score composer for Depleted: Day 419 on December 3rd. (While his name has not yet been released, aparently the new composer has a lot of professional film and television scoring experience.)
*Ben Nash, of the upcoming short film “Forsaken,” is in the process of approving his contracts for submission for Official Canon Consideration. Once completed, the Forsaken trailer will be posted to the World of Depleted website. The film’s release is still TBD, but it appears to be closing in on its completion. Once done, the core Depleted team will review the film for inclusion as Canon.
*Editor Jeremy Hanke’s work on an advanced special effects sequence for Day 419 seems to be drawing close to conclusion as he’s now enlisted the aid of 3D artist Mark Bremmer to help him polish the look of the effects sequence!
*A large amount of work has now been done on the Depleted feature script, according to writer/director Jeremy Hanke, who is connecting even more elements of the ARG experience and the mythology of the world to the film. (Early rumors suggest that more than one feature film is currently being planned in the series.)
*In addition to vocalist Trista Mabry, it has been revealed that another band is in the process of coming on board for the Depleted soundtrack. While the production team is closed mouthed on who it will be until contracts have been officially received, they did reveal that this particular band has a cult following for an album that major studios tried to block from being released. If everything goes according to plan, most of the songs from this album will now be included in the official Depleted soundtrack!
We are now essentially done with the Contributor contracts that will allow the World of Depleted to become the global movement it is. (We are about to commence the final testing process to make sure everything is where it needs to be.) Prepared meticulously by our entertainment lawyer, Paul Battista, these agreements will allow fans from all over the world to submit pieces of the entire Depleted landscape to be used, mixed, and remixed by fans around the world. The Canonization process will allow everyone to easily know which elements are actually part of the massive world we invision and which ones are not. (Those that are not, but which are still interesting, will be shown in the Apocrypha section of the website.) Content creators whose work is Canonized will share in profits any time time their work is used for profit. As such, you don’t have to be a filmmaker to contribute to Depleted and profit from your involvement…you could be any sort of creative person: photographer, videographer, special effects artist, writer, artist, editor, musician, remixer, whatever. If you enjoy the World of Depleted, you can find a way to help sculpt it into the truly global, breathing entity that it’s designed to be! And, for the content that’s truly extraordinary, the Depleted Core team will have special secrets and mysteries that the content contributors can add to their work, so that fans will have additional reasons to be drawn to the different elements that make up this universe!
The folks at Depleted have been burning the midnight oil on new updates for our viewing excitement:
While we’re still waiting to see how many fans snapped pictures of Sheri’s secret QR code today and are going to share them, we have gotten a new update from Depleted’s creators about the new ARG video. According to them, the new video content will introduce a new character from the overarching world (which will tie into a unique pre-planned storyline). This information comes after earlier information that the video will give insight into some of the more recent Gavin Hesterdale journals.
Additionally, the producers have now confirmed that the ARG video will feature the debut of the first of the songs from the album: “Songs From The Fall: Inspirations for Depleted, Vol. 1″ Creators tell us they will announce the band and song title after fans have gotten a chance to view the video itself. (As a special bonus, the first 10 fans who see the video and email the producers about it at their special contact page, will receive an MP3 of the song.)
While folks are waiting to get a chance to see the new Gavin video, the most recent Gavin Hesterdale Journal gives massive insight into some of the pressing questions about the past of Gavin Hesterdale, his pupil Jenna, and the mysterious Ryan!
Finally, there is more news about the Depleted Gear section. Creators had originally considered the idea of having two different vendors for products, with a more basic line of products and a more deluxe line of products. However, they’ve abandoned that plan after finding that their preferred merchandise company had far more competitive prices than the more basic company they’d originally considered. As such, fans will be able to go to one location and have numerous options for apparel, merchandise, and gear at almost any price point they desire. (Plus, there will routinely be new coupons and discounts for fans who sign up on the mailing list!) Additionally, the new Depleted Gearsection has now been installed into the World of Depleted website, so that fans can shop while they’re at the website!
Lots of new stuff happening with the World of Depleted:
The new World of Depleted Gear Store is up and functional. In the near future, there will be a fully interactive portion of the World of Depleted website where fans can directly buy their gear and secrets! Fans can show their support with the Gavin Hesterdale Was Right! QR Hat or wear some of the Jenna Whitmore Bullet Time design on their T-Shirts!
The most recent Gavin Hesterdale Journals hint at the darkness of Gavin’s past and finally reveal a new and exciting twist to the future!
The sound design for Depleted: Day 419 is going very well at Oakwood Sound Design, as Sound Designer John Howard and Composer Steven Vaught work to create a brilliant whole! Because of the attention to detail on both the audio side of things and the visual fx side of things, the release date for Day 419 will be delayed beyond the original October 31st goal. While the final release date is not yet known, director Jeremy Hanke is quick to assure us that the extra time will permit them to get in the touches that will make Day 419 the fitting prequel that it needs to be!
In the mean time, Depleted creators have been crafting a whole new video chapter that bridges the Gavin Hesterdale Journals (especially the most recent ones) with the core Jenna Whitmore storyline of the features. Besides giving fans some more clues into the mythology of Depleted, viewers will get a chance to hear one of the songs from the Official Depleted Inspirations Soundtrack. Folks who spy Sheri Candler’s T-shirt on November 4th and scan in the code will get a chance to check it out first! (If you’re not able to be at the Loews Hotel, I’m sure one of the other fans will post the picture so you can check it out later!)
After lots of questions about what things were especially inspiring to the creators of Depleted, they’ve posted a newInspirations section of World of Depleted that allows you to read about the different inspirations and link to more information about them!
Finally, the work on opening up World of Depleted to all of its fans to help customize and create is nearly complete. When fully launched, fans will be able to contribute a number of different types of creative content for consideration as Depleted Canon, from full films and novels to voice recordings and photographs. Canonized content will have the ability to share in profits of any direct sales associated with it!
As Gavin tries to untangle the darkest visions to date–figuring out who the mysterious N.I.R. organization is, when the Neo-Palidins will be set loose, and when the attacks before the Fall will occur–he must finally come face to face with the darkness of his own life. Only as he reaches into the splintered remnants of his past will he be able to have a chance to improve the future!