Tyranny Ep.9 “The Man From Atlantis” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

4 Swirlies

“HAARP. Mind Control. Beaming images from Alaska. Bouncing them off the ionosphere into our brains. Using microwaves.”

A nice, tense little episode that delivers a fair bit of exposition without feeling like it does.

This episode really highlights the beautiful rich art direction and cinematography. The sound and music is expertly done, too. What really sells this episode is the mood - everything works together to create a mood that both ominous and fun.

I really like the secondary characters in this series. Quite often in a web series, even if your main guys are strong performers, the day player type actors are noticeably less experienced. Here every actor and actress feels both well cast and talented (and charismatic) enough to carry their own series. Even this bookstore guy - his mostly expository lines are delivered with just the right blend of jaded passion; exactly like so many of people I know from that sort of world.

Let’s go back to the lighting and camera for a moment. After you’ve watched this episode (you are watching, aren’t you?) click on any frame at random while Daniel is in that bookstore - each frame would make a remarkable photograph. It is just lit and shot beautifully. Some D.P.’s are afraid to let things go too bright or too dark, but this image uses the whole range, and the shooter, Silas Funk, is willing to let a face go dark, as long as it looks natural and aesthetically pleasing.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 9 of Tyranny the Web Series:
“Man from Atlantis”
Taking his friend Kurt’s advice, Daniel ventures to Atlantis Books in downtown San Francisco, where he meets an unusual book store owner who decides to educate Daniel on various conspiracies.

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