The online animated series, Afterworld (which I first wrote about here) has now reached the halfway point in it’s 130-episode post-apocalyptic journey. After what was perceived as a shaky start while distribution issues were sorted out, which had some fans bristling, the creators of Afterworld stated at the end of August that they would be releasing daily (5 days a week) episodes until the series completion. It’s a big commitment, and one which I’d never seen made by an online series of any kind, much less honored. But apart from a few minor hiccups (again related to distribution challenges) they have kept their word, and the only major hiatus in that release schedule came this week - at the fans’ request. People wanted an opportunity to catch up on the story so far, so the producers decided to take one week off to let them do so.

The secret to being able to perform this kind of release schedule? It’s no big secret, actually; it’s something television has been doing for decades. Your production is being completed WAY before it’s time to release. In Afterworld’s case, they were scheduled to finish production on episodes 121-130 yesterday, though the release date for those is months away.

I am happy to report that the strong storytelling I observed in the early episodes has continued throughout the series to-date. We follow the travels of Russell Shoemaker, a man who wakes up one day in New York to find 99% of the human population has disappeared, and all modern technology has been rendered useless by some kind of inexplicable worldwide event. He sets about on a journey from New York to Seattle, Washington - on foot - in hopes of reuniting with his family… if they, too, survived.

Afterworld is a science fiction story of the highest order, and immensely believable. I’ve read at least one critique that the mythology has inconsistencies… but I think such a view misses the point; all of the characters in Afterworld are in the dark about what caused “The Fall,” and theories are flying fast and furious. If the explanations of what happened and why seem inconsistent… well, they are! People are confused, scared, and grasping for something to explain what has occurred. And much like in real life, in matters of “faith” people often disagree, and often come up with radically different “answers.” Portraying that is not a flaw in the storytelling; it’s a strength which lends credibility.

The story serves as an exploration of human nature in the modern world, and an examination of ideas about society and civilization which is not without a number of what I’d term “political” messages and nuances - though they are so craftily woven into the story that they almost work on a subliminal level. I don’t feel like I’m being preached to (even though in a very real way, I am), because the ideas are so inextricably mingled with the story itself. Yet another hallmark of good science fiction.

As we discovered by some interaction with the author of the series in the comments of my previous post, Afterworld is made using Poser, a lot of beautifully hand-crafted backdrops, and everything is brought together with some excellent After Effects compositing work. The film plays out like a living breathing graphic novel with gorgeous environments, professional voice acting, exquisite sound design, and a phenomenal musical score. No screen time is taken up by credits or “previously on” segments; each episode begins with a few seconds of intro, and then launches straight into the story. That strikes me as a remarkable show of humility, to elevate story to such a radical degree, and is also a tremendous show of respect for their viewers’ time.

I highly recommend Afterworld, which can be watched on Afterworld.tv, on their MySpace page, or on their YouTube channel (the YouTube version only works for U.S. viewers). Watch a few episodes at a time, or sit yourself down for a marathon. And check out the other sections of their Flash-driven website, a virtual dissection lab for the universe they’ve created. It’s good stuff.

The story behind the story - of the production and distribution challenges - is an interesting one as well, especially if you are yourself a content creator. The links below have a good deal of info about that subject.

Related:

• Interview with Brent Friedman (Writer) - Part 1, Part 2
• Behind the Scenes with Duane Loose, Senior Art Director & Production Designer
• Afterworld Team Q&A (May contain spoilers): Part 1, Part 2
• New show breaks new ground in online entertainment
• The Best Sci-Fi Web Series of 2007
• YouTube: Teaser for Seasons 3 and 4