The science fiction series Orbital Redux has been awarded Best Drama Series, Best Directing (Drama), and Best Original Music at the 2022 International Academy of Web Television Awards. Produced by Butcher Bird Studios, the innovative series broke new ground in live interactive entertainment by combining innovative live production technology with classic filmmaking techniques.
The initial live streaming of Orbital Redux incorporated interactive audience elements, making viewers a part of the narrative — such as choosing character dialogue and plot points through on-screen interactive functions — but also used old-school techniques for effects such as zero-gravity scenes. A canonical narrative edition of the series launched in August 2021 through the free science fiction streaming platform Dust.
As with the filming of the show, the plot combines both mechanical and digital technology, with characters facing a computer virus-infested future that forces astronauts to rely on Apollo-era equipment while working to save an Earth facing a global energy shortage. The story follows former hot-shot astronaut Zachery Levodolinksy, played by Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Love, Death + Robots, Dota: Dragon’s Blood) as he teaches his rookie partner Tomasina al-Qasimi, played by Yasmine Al-Bustami (NCIS: Hawai’i, The Originals, and Nashville) how to navigate the space program of 2050.
Steven Calcote, director of Orbital Redux and partner at Butcher Bird Studios said, “We’re beyond thrilled to see Orbital Redux’s success at this year’s IAWTV awards. As an exploration into what is possible in a new age of independent media and digital streaming, the series has truly taken on a life of its own. Of course, this would not have been possible without the incredible cast and crew who made the series their own at every step of the process and the viewers themselves, who created such an engaging and surprising narrative experience!”
All eight episodes of Orbital Redux, as well as an insight into its live production in Orbital Redux: Behind the Scenes are available on Dust.
Butcher Bird Studios butcherbirdstudios.com