It started in April 2014 as an idea and turned into a DIS (Directed Independent Study) that would last for two semesters. Thomas Adams and a group of friends decided their coursework would involve writing, filming and editing a web series. Chronos was born.
Chronos is an eight part sci-fi web series centered on the idea that time travel is possible, but not controllable. Time travel occurs spontaneously in the form of natural disasters, known simply as “time storms.” Chronos follows a variety of characters as they battle the tests of time and seek to control and maintain their past, present and future.
Once the idea turned into a project, the group sought out a faculty advisor to sponsor their idea. “Ultimately, our trail led straight to Dr. Stephen McDowell,” shared Adams.
Dr. McDowell saw Chronos as a way to showcase the skills of CCI’s students. The Digital Media Production students would showcase their technical skills and the Media Communication Studies students could exercise their skills in advertising, publicity and distribution.
The concept got off the ground in Fall 2014 and the group spent sixteen weeks developing scripts, finding a cast and locating film locations. In December 2013, the group founded IronZoo Productions. Co-Creators Thomas Adams and Colby Natal are joined by three managers, Carlos Cribeiro (Props and Costumes), Sarah Tatum (Director of Development) and David Eby (Visual Supervisor).
Production hit the ground in January 2015 and ended in April, when editing began. In total, the project took one year from conception to completion. Yes, you read that correctly. A group of students wrote, researched, produced and edited an eight episode web series in one year.
“Our greatest triumph was simply completing the show,” said Adams.
Rightly so, the project was ambitious. The group had never worked on more than two short films, while Chronos was eight films.
“Getting there was stressful, but seeing the reactions and hearing the praise that our audience has given us so far makes it all worth it.”
Adams said the largest challenges for the group was finding locations and managing on a minimal budget. The group received funding from their families, friends and the FSU community via a SparkFSU campaign. Location proved difficult during business hours, as businesses were not usually willing to forfeit time and resources that disturbed operations. The group was able to work around the obstacle and completed their series.
Other members who made Chronos possible include David Maisel (Post Production Supervisor), Tony DeNiro & Van McInish (Art Directors), Camila Carpio & Caludymir Baptiste (Casting Directors), Michael Trobiani (Location Coordinator) and Gage Agnew (Director of Volunteer Recruitment).
On Thursday April 30, 2015, IronZoo Productions debuted their web series at the Student Life Cinema. Every Tuesday at 2 PM, a new episode will be released on the IronZoo Productions YouTube Channel until all eight are live. Keep up with Chronos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.