“Rich with spookiness. Often, with this type of content, the interface is either incredibly boring or inhibitive. This is a great example of an appropriate interface for the content.” —juror Grace Stanat

“A lush and compelling piece filled with clever narratives and interactive transitions. Through animated stills, video clips and well-thought out audio, it does a wonderful job of capturing the subtleties of the show while allowing users to explore on their own, and experience firsthand, the depth of the show’s characters and storyline.”—juror Craig Swann

Overview: Site for fans of the atmospheric and innovative cable television series further explores the complicated rela-tionships among the main characters and creates an aura of mystery and intrigue. If you haven’t seen the show, this site will make you want to tune in.

• Geared to broadband users with average downloads of 500–800k
• Elements were created and animated in 3D Studio Max
• 4 months from concept to launch, followed by 12 weekly episode launches; 6 people internally at HBO; 2 writers from the show; 6 people at our vendor

Comments by Patricia Wagstaff and Dan Sacher:
“The Wake is a series of explorations of an idea we call The Moment, an emotional instance in the inner lives of the characters on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Coinciding with each episode, we identify and pause a key moment from the show, allowing viewers to experience that instant from multiple perspectives. What’s revealed is a reverse-angle view of each character’s psyche told through a collage of dialogue, sound effects, personal artifacts and fractured animations.

“HBO’s drive for creative innovation coupled with the brilliance of the Six Feet Under team set the perfect foundation for this project. It provides the freedom to reimagine how a television show could be translated into an interactive setting. Once we arrived at our initial concept, we knew hi-Res! was the perfect partner to collaborate with to create the final product. Their past work showed a clear appreciation for slightly bizarre, often profound interactive experiences.

“In some ways, our job was easy. The show itself often probes parallel realities that bend time and bleed into the dreamworld; those surreal flourishes became the launching point for The Moment, our keyhole to a non-linear view of the show’s universe. The stopwatch counter and the site’s various Easter eggs, for example, heighten the feel of a drifting subconscious narrative.

“Observant fans will notice that we used two cemeteries in the main site interface. The initial landscape is actually a photostitch taken by our producer at the exquisite Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. However, when you click on the tombstone marked ‘13 – Lisa’ the view moves up over the knoll—and across the country—to the Hollywood Cemetery in Los Angeles. It’s one of the production compromises that, fortunately, hi-Res! was able to hide seamlessly.

“An interesting footnote: We’ve never actually met Florian and Alexandra (from hi-Res!) in person, neither during the four-month production process or after.”