Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a five-episode military sci-fi web series set in the Halo universe. Each episode runs about 15 minutes, with the first released on October 5, 2012, and the rest following weekly. It was later compiled into a single film for DVD and Blu-ray, and added to Netflix in 2013. The story takes place 31 years before the game Halo 4 and follows Thomas Lasky, a cadet at a military academy in the 26th century. Lasky is uncertain about his military future but feels pressure to match the legacy of his mother and brother. When the alien Covenant attack the academy, Lasky and his surviving squad are rescued by the Master Chief and must flee the planet. The series was created as a marketing push for Halo 4, aiming to attract viewers unfamiliar with the games and serve as a stepping stone toward a potential Halo film. It was written by Aaron Helbing and Todd Helbing, and directed by Stewart Hendler. Filming took place over 25 days in May 2012 in Vancouver, with a budget just under $10 million. The production used nearly 500 computer-generated imagery shots—about a quarter of what a feature film would have—and the visual effects were praised by critics. Forward Unto Dawn won a Streamy Award, and several crew members received awards for editing, producing, and cinematography. It also earned a Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for sound editing. Reviewers praised the special effects and the action-heavy second act, but criticized the slow first half and underdeveloped characters. The series was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for main title design. After the success of earlier live-action shorts like Landfall and The Life, 343 Industries wanted a live-action series to reach people who didn’t play the games. Matt McClosky, director of franchise business management at 343, explained that if something looks like a video game, it attracts the same crowd. The live-action format allowed for deeper character development, and the series introduced Thomas Lasky before his role in Halo 4. The developers wanted a protagonist with more emotion than the helmeted Master Chief, to help new viewers connect with the universe. Microsoft saw the series as the next step between advertising and a full-length film, after a previous film effort failed, and aimed to make it a standalone story enjoyable without playing the games.