concept

The inevitable zombie apocalypse has fallen upon the world, billions have been killed or infected. Survivors in the city of Seattle have withstood the onslaught to some extent, having fought a bloody war to reclaim their home and erect a protective wall around their domain. In the following months, the citizens of this "New City" must continue the struggle to rebuild a functioning society amidst the chaos and anarchy that surrounds them.

Where other zombie tales focus on the constant battle with the undead, Night Zero instead focuses on the lives of the survivors and the challenges they face. By shifting the story to the months following the apocalypse, less time is spent runnning from the infected and more time is given to the unique growing pains of a society in a world after civilization.

The art of photography-as-a-comic is not new by any means, dating back to the fumetti of the 1970's as a way film companies could capitalize on their releases after theatrical runs (prior to the VHS tape and home theater market) as well as distribute to foreign-language markets without the expense of dubbing a new dialogue track. The ubiquity of consumer photography equipment and the webcomic trend in the early 2000's inspired a handful of new photocomics of various styles and genres, each bringing a new approach to this niche medium.

Since 2007, Night Zero has been ceaselessly raising the bar on what a photographic novel can be, thanks to its diverse and talented production crew. Incorporating experienced hands and extensive toolsets from professional photography, feature films, improvised theater, and collaborative art, the Night Zero family encompasses a scope of talent and technology beyond the typical independent production.

The immediately recognizable trait of Night Zero is its distinct visual style, the result of High Dynamic Range photography and tonemapping. In this emerging techonological process, the scene is held perfectly still and every photo is taken three times in quick succession: first the properly-exposed shot, followed by an underexposed shot and then an overexposed shot. In post-production, these three exposures are digitally composited into a single image with the combined dynamic range of the source photos. This new, High Dynamic Range image contains all the shadow details of the overexposed shot, all the highlight details of the underexposed shot, and all the midtones of the initial exposure.

Shooting for HDR photography is but one factor in the overall appearance and quality of the Night Zero graphic novel. Powerful DSLR cameras in the hands of talented photographers, full environmental lighting by experienced gaffers, carefully designed costumes and makeup, and a family of cast and crew from the local theater and film communities are all integral parts of the complete stylistic evolution that Night Zero has brought to the photographic novel genre.