The breakout Snap Originals, made-for-mobile shows started on Snapchat, show Breakwater from Retrofit Films is a futuristic YA drama set in a world of climate refugees. Featuring a unique, diverse cast, the series launched on February 12th, 2022, and is filled with action and romance. And to celebrate the series finale airing today, March 2nd, 2022, Snap Originals released a behind-the-scenes featurette of Breakwater for fans of the show to learn more about how the creators brought the world of Breakwater to life for the mobile screen through a storyline and production design that shines a light on the climate crisis.
Beginning in 2018, Snapchat decided to change the game by creating made-for-mobile television shows. The programs run around five to ten minutes an episode and are filmed vertically, making them perfect to watch through the Snapchat app on a mobile device. Since Snap Originals debuted, the brand has created over 128 original series. According to Snap Newsroom, in the second half of 2020, over 85% of the Gen Z population watched a Snap Original.
In 2021, Snap Originals focused on bringing a slate of new content that reflected the stories that the Gen Z population loves, from shining a light on social issues and racial injustice to honest conversations about mental health, to the impacts of climate change. Included in the slate of content announced at the time was the series Breakwater, a show dealing with climate change and late-stage capitalism, which debuted this February with ten episodes that were ten minutes apiece and launched every 48-hours, ending today March 2nd.
For Snap Originals fans that haven't dipped their toes into Breakwater yet, check out the trailer below:
Breakwater Finale is March 2nd
Directed by Jamieson Fry and based on a script by Zach Craley, Breakwater stars Jan Luis Castellanos of Tall Girl 2 and 13 Reasons Why, Alan Trong of The Tomorrow War and the podcast series Ghost Tape, Felix Avitia of Pete the Cat and Raven's Home Season 5, Te Ao o Hinepehinga Rauna of Head High, and Jonetta Kaiser, who was cast in Vampire Academy in August 2021. The executive producers on the series are Chris Hanada, Tanner Kling, Stewart Hendler, and Zach Craley.
Breakwater is set in the not too distant future after climate change has destroyed the coastal cities in the United States and capitalism has turned survival, not into a game of instincts but into a game of chance (if this reminds viewers of a Futurama episode, that's fair, creators have been sounding the alarm about the climate crisis for a couple of decades now). The Snap series takes place in the dangerous coastal slums outside the Los Angeles Seawall, where people dream of winning the visa lottery to the safe zone. However, Mai, played by Rauna, a savvy 20-year-old fixer who grew up in the Breakwater, must race against an impending hurricane to help a stranger save his sister. But things take a turn and they must race against an impending hurricane for survival.
Each new episode of Breakwater brought an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience, made with cutting-edge technology built by Anrick Bergman and Studio Anrk using Snap Inc.'s AR tech and Lens Studio tools. To learn more about how the filmmakers used cutting edge features to make the series, watch the Breakwater mini-doc below:
Watch the Snap Originals show Breakwater on Snapchat. All ten of the episodes are available for viewing on a mobile device as of today, March 2nd, 2022.