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Silent Hill Oniero is a live-action mini-series creating an original story around the Silent Hill videogames. The project originated on
MySpace as part of the director's (Tim Connery)
blog, but later moved to
YouTube, due to file size issues. The team has been releasing the episodes one at a time over the course of this year. What makes the mini-series worth mentioning is that unlike many live-action fan films, which tend to be very amatuer, this project has a similance of professionalism. Everything is taken into consideration from set locations and props, from the narrative and flow, to the cinematography and filming perspective. The level of attention to detail is so prevelent in the episodes that it is often overlooked due to its non-invasiveness. This alone is a sign of a creative mind.
The mini-series itself is character-driven as are most of the games, with this chapter focusing on our protagonist, Edward Bauer. Edward was heading to Silent Hill in order to join a therapy support group, but wakes up in the Paleville area on the shores of Lake Toluca. However, after a chance meeting with Trevor Brachman, things begin to take the traditional (and somewhat cliche') turn for the worst as strange things start to appear. The word oneiro itself is derived from greek and means "dream." The title is fitting for this mini-series as the character has an inherent fear of nightmares and will often avoid sleeping for extended periods of time or sometimes altogether just to avoid dreaming. (Additional movies, books and music use the word oneiro in their titles, but I've found no particular significance with this project.)
As for characters, our protagonist, Edward, is your average sloppy-joe, who doesn't really mind being by himself, which could account for his lack of social graces. He doesn't usually raise objections and generally tends to go-with-the-flow of things. As such, after waking up in Silent Hill without reason or purpose, rather than searching for signs of life or a way out, he takes a smoke break. As such, you really won't see him raising too many eyebrows at the occasional dead body or out-of-place object. Yet, despite of this, Edward's saving grace is that he manages to maintain his focus on the bigger picture at hand. He questions the reasons for the current state of things and helps to focus the audience's attention on what's important in the midst of his series of mundane tasks and actions.
One really has to appreciate the effort that went into creating the narrative of this story, because not only does it remain faithful to the general writing style of the game series, but it also incorporates many of the major characteristics of the franchise. What I found great were the incorporations of the games' HUI into the live-action elements, giving it a familiar feel and allowing a progression in the narrative without relying on vocal dialogue. I'm most particularly pleased with the use of an actual loop in the story, which so many fan projects tend to overlook. Plus, there's even a toilet reference. Definitely check this one out.
Silent Hill Oneiro:
YouTube - "New Silent Hill Oneiro Trailer"
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YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Part 1 - Toluca Awake
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oniero: Part 2 - The First Foci
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Part 3 - The Downtown District
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Puzzle (Part 3.5) - Nine Black Statues
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Part 4 - Basement Narrow
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YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Part 5 - Faith's Flame
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Part 6 - God of Nightmares
| Director's Commentary
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Ending 1 - Dreamless Nights (Good Ending)
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Ending 2 - The Awakening (Normal Ending)
YouTube - Silent Hill Oneiro: Ending 3 - Lakeside Resurrection (Bad Ending)
Crew and Cast:
Directed by Tim Connery
Written by Tim Connery & Raleigh Moon
Music by Akira Yamaoka; Encomiast
Edward Bauer............. Raleigh Moon
Trevor Brachman......... Sean Hulburt
Steven....................... Tim Connery
The Second Foci......... Ian Scheideberg
The Third Foci............. Tina Heer
Basement Monster...... Drew Bissell
Dead Body In Park...... Chris Metcalf |
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