The Black Dawn

The Black Dawn
Genre Science fiction
Created by William Hellmuth &
Abraham Sherman
Starring Jordan Warren
Eamon Glennon
Misty Madden
Tristan Scott
Kevin Harland
Country of origin United States
Production
Executive producer(s) Joshua Sikora
Release
Original network WebSerials.com
YouTube
AMGTV
External links
Website

The Black Dawn is a post-apocalyptic, science fiction multimedia project produced by New Renaissance Pictures. The franchise spans a feature film, TV series, web series, short film, comic book, and videoblogs. Created by William Hellmuth and Abraham Sherman, The Black Dawn follows the survivors of a deadly plague that wipes out most of the world's population and turns the sky permanently black. The series first premiered in January 2009.

The mystery behind the "Black Dawn" is unravelled across multiple mediums in an unprecedented interactive, cross-platform, story-driven experience. Viewers are able to engage with any of the individual components (TV series, video blogs, comic book, etc.) and move through the story non-linearly, in whatever manner they so choose.

History

In 2008, The Black Dawn was conceived and developed as an original web series for WebSerials.com by William Hellmuth & Abraham Sherman. Produced by New Renaissance Pictures, the series originally focused on a group of survivors of an unknown virus that appears to kill everyone else in the world. While in production on the series, Executive Producer Joshua Sikora developed the integrated multimedia experience that expanded the world of The Black Dawn with interactive content spanning a short film, an online comic, and in-character videoblogs. The Black Dawn experience launched in January 2009 on WebSerials.com and YouTube.

The series averaged more than 50,000 viewers per month over its six-month run. Critics praised the interactive components of the series, noting the groundbreaking use of web mediums to present a non-linear story.[1][2][3] The series was eventually syndicated on other web networks, including Vuze.

In late 2009, The Black Dawn was transformed into a broadcast TV series.[4] The various components of the multimedia experience were re-compiled into a dramatic half-hour series, which premiered in nationwide syndication in October 2009.

New Renaissance Pictures re-edited and re-mastered the series as a feature film released in 2010.

Television series

The seven-episode television series follows the entire story of the Black Dawn, intercutting between the survivors of the virus and flashbacks to key moments leading up to the disaster. Each episode is 30 minutes including advertising. It was followed by the feature film edit, shown as two parts of one hour each.

# Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code
1"Nightfall"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonOctober 28, 2009 (2009-10-28)101
March 24: A plague has fallen over Los Angeles, turning the sky black and leaving death in its wake. Only 13 survive. Lee gathers the survivors to the laundromat of one of the buildings. While Lee is trying to find more survivors on campus, Adam and a couple others go out into the city to check on his family. Lee shows Mack a news report that reveals there are black clouds over every major city, and Los Angeles was but the first. Flashback videos include clips from The Adam and Ben Show and Lee's campaign for class president.
2"Ghost in the Dark"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonNovember 4, 2009 (2009-11-04)102
After ten days, help has still not arrived. Adam, Wally and Noah drive off campus to look around, and find Fox, another survivor. Fox thinks they are out to kill him, because they nearly hit him with their car, but reluctantly joins them. Lee is upset that Adam & co. left campus, and also demands that the bodies be disposed of. Mack and Lee reveal that help is not coming. Fox tells Adam & co. that he escaped from other people who spoke "mumbo-jumbo". Lee has the bodies burned, and is irritated with Adam both for leaving campus and bringing back another survivor. Fox's fear and paranoia are shown in his video diaries, recorded March 24 and 25. More campaign videos and an "Adam & Ben Show" clip where Ben mockingly interviews Lee about his class president campaign and military past demonstrate Lee's need for control.
3"Deadly Consequences"William Hellmuth & Joshua SikoraBrian Walton and Joshua Sikora & Kevin ChristensenNovember 11, 2009 (2009-11-11)103
Fox tried to stop Tricia from leaving campus, causing a head injury. While the group argues, and afraid of the others he had encountered off-campus, Fox tries to run away, and is shot in the head by Lee. While Lee justifies his actions as preservation, the group divides into separate camps. In flashbacks, federal agents attack a terrorist cell with a circle-and-dot logo. The terrorists have a sample of a deadly virus, which is taken to Dr. Wilkins to investigate. He determines that it can kill in a matter of minutes, and can be carried by the air. Tricia dies from her injury, and the group buries her; Lee tells Adam that his group is no longer welcome.
4"Enemies Among Us"William Hellmuth & Joshua SikoraBrian Walton and Joshua Sikora & Kevin ChristensenNovember 18, 2009 (2009-11-18)104
Ben interviews Dr. Wilkins. Dr. Wilkins and Lila Reed work on an antivirus for the terrorists' toxin, and their relationship deepens. Lila has a tattoo on her shoulder of the same circle-and-dot logo of the terrorist cell. In the present, it is now 23 days after the Black Dawn. Adam, Noah and Wally play with a soccer ball, watched by Julie and Kristen. Later, Noah finds a note addressed to him in Dr. Wilkins' office, with a list of names - the names of the survivors. Lee and Mack retrieve more weapons from the security office.
5"Blindsided"William Hellmuth & Joshua SikoraBrian Walton and Joshua Sikora & Kevin ChristensenNovember 25, 2009 (2009-11-25)105
The morning after their liaison, Wilkins awakens to find Lila has already left. His laptop is open to the antitoxin composition. Mark summons him to the lab; it has been robbed, and he realizes Lila has betrayed him. In the present, Lee takes a team into the city in search of the enemy. Alex is killed and Dwayne is wounded. The girls hear the shots and Adam learns Elyse is Lee's sister. Lee, Mack and Dwayne return with a prisoner. Noah, Wally and Kristen discover all the people on the list were inoculated against the toxin in Dr Wilkins' clinical trials. In a final flashback, Dr. Wilkins is looking out on Los Angeles from a hillside when the Black Dawn bomb detonates over the city at 9:45am on March 24. Lee interrogates the prisoner.
6"The Longest Night"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonDecember 2, 2009 (2009-12-02)106
Elyse tells Adam's group that Lee is torturing his prisoner, and they make a plan to rescue him. Elyse tells Lee she is out of her medication, and he ventures into the city to find more. While out, he follows a terrorist back to their headquarters. Lee returns too soon, and he and Adam fight while Noah and Wally move the prisoner. Noah and Adam attempt to talk to the terrorist. They learn his name is Samuel, and he shows Adam that the list is really a clue. Flashback clips include Lee's concession speech, where he arrogantly claims he will "do what I have to do" to make campus safer, and "The Adam and Ben Show" that they began recording on March 24 at 9:45 am.
7"Dawn"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonDecember 9, 2009 (2009-12-09)107
Adam, Noah and Wally find a videotape in the tunnel, which proves to be a farewell from Dr. Wilkins, explaining about the terror group The Black Dawn, the toxin, and the antivirus. Samuel reveals there is a backup plan - a nuclear bomb. Julie and Adam try to talk to Lee's group about the bomb, but he refuses to listen. Adam's group try to leave campus after a final confrontation with Lee, Mack and Dwayne, who are going to attack the terrorist base. Adam's group avoid terrorists who are invading campus. Adam and Wally go back to try to rescue Elyse, Grace and Beth but are too late; they see the girls executed by The Black Dawn. Adam's group run into the tunnel, chased by terrorists; Samuel stays behind to hold them off so the students can escape. At the terror base, a firefight ensues, and only Lee survives to make it to where the bomb is, with ten seconds left. The nuke detonates behind the car carrying Adam, Noah, Wally, Julie and Kristen out of the city and into the light of day.
8"The Black Dawn (Part 1)"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonDecember 16, 2009 (2009-12-16)001
March 24: A plague has fallen over Los Angeles, turning the sky black and leaving death in its wake. Only 13 survive and no one know how or why it happened.
9"The Black Dawn (Part 2)"William HellmuthAbraham Sherman & Brian WaltonDecember 23, 2009 (2009-12-23)002
The survivors’ final fate is about to be determined, as they come face-to-face with those responsible for the Black Dawn.

Web serial

Focused on the thirteen survivors of the Black Dawn after the virus strikes, the 24-episode web serial premiered in January 2009. The web serial was directed by William Hellmuth and written by Abraham Sherman & Brian Walton. The series was also compiled into six chapters, available exclusively on WebSerials.com.

The Black Dawn: Catalyst

Catalyst is a short film that serves as a dramatic prequel to The Black Dawn, chronicling the story of Dr. Steven Wilkins and his attempts to stop the virus from being unleashed. Catalyst was first released on WebSerials.com and is also integrated into the TV series. The short film was directed by Joshua Sikora and written by Joshua Sikora & Kevin Christensen.

Before the Black Dawn

Utilizing videoblogs released on YouTube, this interactive series gives viewers a unique peek into the backstories of the central characters in The Black Dawn. The videoblogs also include a notable series-within-the-series: The Adam & Ben Show! — an interview series that was perceived as a real college-based news show until the final episode, in which the Black Dawn actually occurs.[5] Before the Black Dawn included more than 30 videoblogs in its run from January to May 2009. The series was directed by Kevin Christensen & Joshua Sikora.

Comic book

Released as an online comic, The Black Dawn: Darkness Falls follows another group of survivors and reveals their dark and hidden connection to the Black Dawn. The comic was written and illustrated by Zach Herring based on a story by Joshua Sikora.

Feature film

The feature film tells the central story of the franchise, focusing on Adam — one of the original survivors of the virus. The feature film is a re-mastered, re-edited version of the web series released in 2010. The film is directed by William Hellmuth and written by Abraham Sherman & Brian Walton.

Cast

The Black Dawn features an ensemble cast across the entire franchise.

References

  1. ↑ "‘The Black Dawn’ Infects Web With WebSerials’ Latest" Tubefilter, February 26, 2009.
  2. ↑ "‘Black Dawn’ Conspiracy Fuels ‘Catalyst’ Prequel" Tubefilter, May 6, 2009.
  3. ↑ "The Black Dawn" Tilzy.tv, February 23, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Black Dawn making leap from Web Series to TV Series" Visioweb.TV, October 22, 2009.
  5. ↑ "The Adam & Ben Show! #8" YouTube, March 25, 2009.
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