All Signs of Death
Encyclopedia
All Signs of Death is a television pilot
based on the 2009 novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston
, who also wrote the teleplay. Huston served as executive producer along with Alan Ball
who directed the pilot. It was produced as part of Ball's multi-project contract with HBO.
who becomes a crime scene cleaner
and discovers that the work helps to ease the pain of his own past trauma. However, Web soon finds himself at the center of a murder mystery that eventually puts his own life in jeopardy.
, author of the popular series of novels
that inspired Ball's current HBO series True Blood
. Huston and Ball became friends and one day, Huston confided that he was thinking about pitching his then latest novel as a series, to which Ball replied "I think it could be a great series," after which Huston requested that Ball have involvement with the pilot's development. Speaking of the book, Ball said "It's not so much about the crime, it's about the personal story of the central character and his journey back to being fully connected with his life after some very traumatic things... All Signs has a hard noir feel but it's also ironic; it's graphic and gritty but human and very moving at the same time - it is able to capture all those elements in a very distinctive tone."
On shooting the pilot, Ball has stated that he wants to stay away from the typical visual style of the crime noir genre. "The show is about contemporary Los Angeles, but not the glamorous LA, it’s about the dirty underbelly of LA," said Ball. "We’re going to try to go against the grain, away from the overlit, stylized noir for a more frantic, contemporary, naturalistic style."
HBO announced on December 8, 2010 that it would not be taking All Signs of Death to series. The pilot remains unaired.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
based on the 2009 novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston
Charlie Huston
Charlie Huston is an American author of crime novels and superhero comic books. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Virginia Louise Smith...
, who also wrote the teleplay. Huston served as executive producer along with Alan Ball
Alan Ball (screenwriter)
Alan E. Ball is an American writer, director, actor and producer for film, theatre and television.-Early life:Ball was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Frank and Mary Ball, an aircraft inspector and a homemaker...
who directed the pilot. It was produced as part of Ball's multi-project contract with HBO.
Story
All Signs of Death tells the story of Webster "Web" Fillmore Goodhue, a typical twentysomething slacker living in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
who becomes a crime scene cleaner
Crime scene cleanup
Crime scene cleanup is a term applied to any situation involving biological cleaning and or health concerning issues. Such issues may include:*Clandestine methamphetamine laboratory contamination*Flood and sewage backups*Suicides*Homicides...
and discovers that the work helps to ease the pain of his own past trauma. However, Web soon finds himself at the center of a murder mystery that eventually puts his own life in jeopardy.
Production
Ball became aware of Huston's work through Charlaine HarrisCharlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children...
, author of the popular series of novels
The Southern Vampire Mysteries
The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris that were first published in 2001 and now serve as the source material for the HBO television series True Blood...
that inspired Ball's current HBO series True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
. Huston and Ball became friends and one day, Huston confided that he was thinking about pitching his then latest novel as a series, to which Ball replied "I think it could be a great series," after which Huston requested that Ball have involvement with the pilot's development. Speaking of the book, Ball said "It's not so much about the crime, it's about the personal story of the central character and his journey back to being fully connected with his life after some very traumatic things... All Signs has a hard noir feel but it's also ironic; it's graphic and gritty but human and very moving at the same time - it is able to capture all those elements in a very distinctive tone."
On shooting the pilot, Ball has stated that he wants to stay away from the typical visual style of the crime noir genre. "The show is about contemporary Los Angeles, but not the glamorous LA, it’s about the dirty underbelly of LA," said Ball. "We’re going to try to go against the grain, away from the overlit, stylized noir for a more frantic, contemporary, naturalistic style."
HBO announced on December 8, 2010 that it would not be taking All Signs of Death to series. The pilot remains unaired.