Images: The highs and lows of digital drama

Red vs. Blue (2003)
Some of the first Web shows to really take off were animated, but Rooster Teeth Productions' Red vs. Blue stood out: it was animated through gameplay of the hit Xbox game Halo, a form of digital filmmaking known as "machinima." Dialogue was dubbed over to turn the whole thing into a witty sitcom, and hilarity ensued.

Other early pioneers in Web animation were Homestar Runner and Atom Films, which was eventually acquired by Viacom.

Photo by Rooster Teeth Productions

Caption by Caroline McCarthy