Riese: Kingdom Falling

Last updated
Riese: Kingdom Falling
Riese Kingdom Falling DVD cover.jpg
DVD cover for the series
Genre Science fiction
Fantasy
Steampunk [1]
Created byRyan Copple
Kaleena Kiff
Starring Christine Chatelain
Sharon Taylor
Ben Cotton
Patrick Gilmore
Allison Mack
Alessandro Juliani
Emilie Ullerup
Ryan Robbins
Narrated by Amanda Tapping
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
ProducersGalen Fletcher
Nicholas Humphries
Production locations Vancouver, British Columbia
Running time6–11 minutes
Release
Original network Syfy.com
Original release2011 (2011)

Riese: Kingdom Falling is a science fiction-fantasy web series which debuted on Syfy.com on November 2, 2009 (under the title Riese: The Series). [2] The series is about a traveller named Riese, who flees across the wartorn lands of Eleysia with her wolf, Fenrir. Hunted by a terrifying religious group, The Sect, Riese must evade the assassins that have been sent to kill her and discover their true objective.

Contents

Production

Riese is co-created by Ryan Copple and Kaleena Kiff, and produced by Galen Fletcher and Nicholas Humphries. Production of the first five episodes was completed on Sept. 2, 2009. [3] The first chapter went online during the fall of 2009 and was very successful, so that a second chapter was developed. This drew Syfy's attention: Syfy digital owned by NBC Universal decided to buy the broadcasting rights.

The cast of Riese includes actors and actresses from other notable science fiction and fantasy television series, such as Stargate and Sanctuary 's Amanda Tapping; Sanctuary 's Ryan Robbins and Emilie Ullerup; Stargate Universe 's Patrick Gilmore and Peter Kelamis; Stargate Atlantis 's Ben Cotton; Battlestar Galactica 's Alessandro Juliani and Smallville 's Allison Mack.

Syfy started airing Riese on October 26, 2010 with a new name: Riese: Kingdom Falling. [4]

On November 30, 2010, Space announced [5] that Riese will start airing on spacecast.com early in 2011, making Canada the first country after the United States to air the complete webseries.

Riese has been noted for its usage of the Red One, a digital cinematography camera. [6] It is also one of the first live action sci-fi web series to feature the steampunk genre. [7] Production-value wise, it has been compared to the web efforts of Sanctuary [8] and features a cast of top Sci-Fi actors from a variety of shows. [9] It is also one of the first dramatic web series to incorporate animals as one of their cast ensemble. [10]

Characters & organizations

Web series (2009)

The original Riese web series ("Riese: The Series") was divided into two chapters, with a total of six episodes. It was available on the creators' website and on YouTube, beginning November 2, 2009.

Shortly after releasing Beast, the producers withdrew all online episodes, due to the deal with Syfy, who purchased the broadcast rights.

TV series (2010–11)

Syfy broadcast one season of Riese: Kingdom Falling, consisting of ten episodes, beginning October 26, 2010, [11] also available on their website and Hulu.

Existing webisodes were recut, rearranged and renamed for the Syfy broadcast, and new footage was added introducing Amanda Tapping as narrator.

#TitleDirectorWritersOriginal air dateLength
1"Hunt"Kaleena KiffRyan Copple, Kaleena Kiff, Miguel Valdez Lopez, Alyssa Ciccarelli26 October 2010 (2010-10-26)9:44
Riese and her wolf, Fenrir, fight off hunters the Sect has sent to capture her. She is wounded and seeks help in the village of Helmkin.
2"Bind"Kaleena KiffRyan Copple, Kaleena Kiff, Miguel Valdez Lopez, Alyssa Ciccarelli27 October 2010 (2010-10-27)9:05
Riese is treated in a hospital, and discovers a secret ward full of newborn babies. The empress assigns Herrick to track her down.
3"Fragments"Kaleena KiffRyan Copple, Kaleena Kiff, Miguel Valdez Lopez, Alyssa Ciccarelli2 November 2010 (2010-11-02)9:15
Riese finds the babies in a warehouse, ready to be shipped away.
4"Spares"Kaleena KiffRyan Copple, Kaleena Kiff, Miguel Valdez Lopez, Alyssa Ciccarelli3 November 2010 (2010-11-03)8:24
Riese finds a ledger documenting the Sect's baby shipments and escapes from Helmkin.
5"Dawn"Kaleena KiffRyan Copple, Kaleena Kiff, Miguel Valdez Lopez, Alyssa Ciccarelli8 November 2010 (2010-11-08)7:26
Riese slips out of Helmkin and continues on her journey for safety.
6"Prey"Nicholas HumphriesRyan Copple, Alyssa Ciccarelli, Kaleena Kiff1 February 2011 (2011-02-01)6:22
Riese follows the trail of child shipments to Vidar only to find the town strangely empty of citizens.
7"Beast"Nicholas HumphriesRyan Copple, Alyssa Ciccarelli, Kaleena Kiff15 February 2011 (2011-02-15)8:45
The terrible secret of Vidar is revealed.
8"Indoctrination"Nicholas HumphriesRyan Copple, Alyssa Ciccarelli, Kaleena Kiff1 March 2011 (2011-03-01)9:20
Riese searches for safety as she is pursued by the Sect's failed creations.
9"Retribution"Nicholas HumphriesRyan Copple, Alyssa Ciccarelli, Kaleena Kiff15 March 2011 (2011-03-15)8:17
Still in Vidar, Riese learns of a more complex plot weaved by the Sect that involves a close family member.
10"Reunion"Nicholas HumphriesRyan Copple, Alyssa Ciccarelli, Kaleena Kiff29 March 2011 (2011-03-29)11:18
Tired from her journey and numb from the realization of the Sect's twisted plot, Riese is caught by surprise by Herrick and his henchmen.

The Sect Is Here - alternate reality game

The Sect Is Here, an online alternate reality game, began on 20 September 2009 at thesectishere.com. The game centers around the Sect, the villainous religious cult from Riese, existing in our world. Players must solve numerous online and location-specific puzzles in order to unravel the true objectives of the Sect. [12]

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References

  1. Bill Gorman (2010-10-13). "Syfy.com Will Premiere 'Riese: Kingdom Falling', Steampunk Digital Series, Beginning Oct 26". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved 2010-10-23.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "'Riese' ARG Lures In Steampunkers Before Series Launch". Tubefilter. September 23, 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009. Retrieved Sep 29, 2009.
  3. Twitter / Riesetheseries: And that's a wrap..., Riese the Series' Twitter
  4. Syfy's Riese gets a premiere date (and Amanda Tapping, too!) Archived 2010-10-16 at the Wayback Machine , Riese on Blastr
  5. Riese: The Hunt Begins 2011 on SPACECAST.com Archived December 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , Riese on Spacecast.com
  6. McNaughton, Mathieas (September 9, 2009). "Introducing Riese the Series'". Webseries Today. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  7. 'Riese' Is Like A Shakespearean Tragedy Actor Patrick Gilmore said: "A steampunk inspired series, to my knowledge, hasn't really been done before."
  8. VFS Blog on Riese, Interview with creator Ryan Copple
  9. Riese on IMDB, Coverage of Riese on IMDb
  10. Riese the Series : Fenrir, Fenrir : Profile
  11. "Press Release: SyFy to Premiere RIESE: KINGDOM FALLING, Critically Acclaimed Award-Winning Steampunk Digital Series Tuesday, October 26 2010". 13 October 2010.
  12. Riese the Series: Delivering Transmedia with a Side of Steampunk, ARGNet discusses Riese's ARG