Legacy

Donnie Darko website

"Wake up, Donnie. I've been watching you. Come closer. Closer!"

Legacy
Donnie Darko website
"Wake up, Donnie. I've been watching you. Come closer. Closer!"

"28 days 6 hours 48 minutes 12 seconds. That is when the world will end. Pay close attention, you could miss something."

The site was created for the Film Donnie Darko by first-time director Richard Kelly. The film plays over a 28 day period in a tangent (parallel universe) between 2 October and 30 October 1988.
The site was launched in numerous phases from early October.
The final phase was launched on 26 October 2001, which was the release date of the film in the US.

What attracted us to Donnie Darko, was its narrative structure and the possibilities it offered for an online expansion. While the film plays over a period of 28 days, the site becomes the narrative's prologue and epilogue and reflects the film's puzzle-like structure in the way it is constructed and left open-ended...

Check out donniedarkowebsite.com, where Rich (Dogwonder) has recently revived the intro from the original Flash website we created in 2001. While the full site and its functionality can't be completely rebuilt, a huge thanks to Rich for bringing this piece back to life!

Donnie Darko website reel
Behind the scenes
We had created 3 phased and then run out of time and therefore left the site open ended. People discussed in forums that there were still level 4.5.6 and 7 to be discovered on the site.
The narrative of donniedarko.com has created its own legend.
We produced a lot of satellite sites to enhance the online experience - which has become one of our trademarks. So we faked malfunction and received emails to the "Webmaster" which we then answered as characters from the film…

Awards and Exhibitions
Webby Award in the Film Category

Flash Film Festival San Francisco
Best Experimental SiteArt Directors Club New York: Silver, Interactive Media

Prix Ars Electronica Net Excellence Award of Distinction

Referenced in numerous online articles, books and magazines.
Exhibitions
The Donnie Darko website was exhibited at the prestigious Barbican Art Gallery as part of Communicate: British Independent Graphic Design since the Sixties/ The Emergence of British Graphic Design.

16 September 2004 - 23 January 2005.


Credits
Created at Hi-ReS! 2001