The Bill Cosby Story

For those of you who have never seen Dr. Bill Cosby in person, it's kind of an intimidating thing. Remember when you were a kid and you'd have to tell your dad you did something wrong? It's pretty much that feeling - except you don't know what you might have done wrong.

About a year ago, before pre-production on Semi-Dead ever began, I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to get into the whole web series production thing. But after Dr. Cosby came and spoke to our group in the 2009 Cosby Fellowship and, well, something about his oddly indirectional, confrontational humor pretty much jump started everything. It was really that last push I needed to know this is something I needed to do.

He probably doesn't even remember me and if he saw an episode of Semi-Dead I'm pretty sure it would, at the very least, freak him out...and at most possibly piss him off (which, I won't lie, might be pretty damn cool either way)

But thank you just the same Dr. Cosby. Thank you very much. You'll probably never know the difference you made.

Here's some grainy Youtuby-type footage of me sharing the story with a group of web series creators from NYU for the Tisch West Web Series Showcase They're a great and talented group and I would really encourage people to keep their eyes out for their shows when they debut.

The Science Behind "Semi-Dead"

Hey zombie fans.

This is going to be the first in a series of blogs I'll be doing over the course of Season 1. I thought it would be cool to talk about some of the real science behind the idea of zombies and in the process talk about how some of these ideas have made their way into the show and will be playing out in the plot. Hope you Enjoy - Chris Wiltz

Did you know that the U.S military is doing active research into creating "semi-dead" soldiers? The idea is to place wounded combatants in a sort of suspended animation in which their body functions slow down - thus prolonging their life long enough for them to seek treatment. In shorthand: slower heart rate = less bleeding = more time to treat a bullet wound. Scientifically, the idea bears some semblance to the Haitian notion of a zombie in which a chemical mix (derived primarily from the puffer fish) is used to induce a hypnotic, zombie-like state in individuals.

It's an idea I came across a few years ago that always stuck in my mind and a recent article in Wired Magazine has touched on the idea that this research is still moving forward. I came across the original a few years back in a Wired article about The Pentagon's Human Enhancement Project

A big part of this plays into Semi-Dead as well and some of the keys to the larger world of the story. Of course, I'm not going to spoil too much, but if you look closely at Episodes 1 and 2 as well as 3 (being released this Wednesday, Dec. 16th) you'll see hints of what's going on with Chris and Joe.

Episode 3 Debuts Dec. 16th!

Keep on the lookout Dec. 16 for the debut of episode three of "Semi-Dead."

This is the first half of a two-part episode. If you think Chris and Joe have problems, wait until you meet Sean, their new third roommate.

We hope you'll join us and remember you can always subscribe via iTunes or RSS to keep up to date on episode releases automatically!

Semi-Dead: Episode 2 is now online!

Semi-Dead - Episode 2: "If You Can't Eat 'Em...Date 'Em!" from Semi-Dead on Vimeo.

Semi-Dead - Episode 2: "If You Can't Eat 'Em...Date 'Em!"

Joe's hunt for food continues and leads to a run in with an old friend. Meanwhile, Chris plans an Internet hookup that doesn't quite turn out like he imagined.

Semi-Dead: Episode 1

Semi-Dead Episode 1: "If You Can't Beat 'Em...Eat 'Em" from Semi-Dead on Vimeo.

Episode 1: If You Can't Beat 'Em...Eat 'Em

When food gets scarce around the apartment, Joe comes up with an interesting solution to the food shortage. But Chris isn’t so happy about the mess it creates in the kitchen.