Published Thursday, 05 April, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
WORLD LAUNCH OF ANIMALIA TO ILLUSTRATE QLD’S CREATIVE TALENTS
Queensland animators are part of an international team producing the multi-million dollar 3D animated children’s series, Animalia, in preparation for its world launch on 16 April at the international television and trade market, MIPTV in Cannes, France.
Minister for State Development John Mickel today had a behind-the-scenes look at the production based at Warner Roadshow Studios at Coomera near the Gold Coast.
Animalia is led by executive producers Graeme Base, Murray Pope and Ewan Burnett in association with Los Angeles-based PorchLight Entertainment and is due to hit small screens in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Canada in September and October 2007.
“This ground breaking series is set to cause a sensation and significantly boost Queensland’s reputation as a film and animation powerhouse,” Mr Mickel said.
“Queensland animators are among the hundreds of people who’ve been trained for this groundbreaking series which, upon completion, will have created some 300 jobs and injected over $20million into the State’s economy.
“I congratulate the talented team behind the impressive 3D animation, including Gold Coast company Photon VFX which is the prime animation contractor on the series.”
The Queensland Government, through the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC), provided $1.6 million to help with the making of Animalia in Queensland.
Mr Mickel said Photon VFX had developed all of the series’ 3D computer generated virtual-assets, was animating 20 of the 40 half-hour Animalia episodes and lighting and rendering the entire series.
“Animalia received a gobsmacking reception when it was previewed to major international broadcasters in New York and London last month, so I look forward to hearing about the reaction when it’s shown to the international television market soon,” Mr Mickel said.
“This kind of sophisticated 3D animation is usually only employed in feature films – such as Shrek and Happy Feet – so it really sets a new benchmark for television animation production worldwide.”
One of Animalia’s executive producers, Ewan Burnett, who is managing director of BAFTA award-winning Burberry Productions which developed the series, said a team of designers, 3D animators, editors and directors based themselves at Warner Roadshow studios in Queensland specifically to work on the project.
”Animalia is ground-breaking television for children and families around the world. It presents feature quality animation but in a quantity unheard of for television. We had to find a way to rescale a highly creative, technologically complex process to realise a project of such unprecedented ambition. The Queensland Government through State Development and PFTC have supported this endeavour in an extremely valuable way,” Mr Burnett said.
Mr Mickel said plasticine maquettes sculpted by Gold Coast animatronics artist John Cox provided the Animalia team a real-world reference point for developing virtual geometric models in the initial animation stage.
“Visual effects artists and animators at Photon VFX then digitally refined the characters, providing surface texture, lighting, movement, expression and other nuances – even down to the details like the creatures’ whiskers – to re-create the layered, painterly look of the much-loved book.”
Visual effects and animation house Photon VFX was recently awarded $200,000 in Queensland Government funding to develop the leading edge technology used in production of Animalia.
Established in 1991, Photon VFX has worked on major productions by Paramount, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Disney, Columbia, Sony, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.
Photon VFX founder Dale Duguid said Animalia provided an outlet for both high end digital and emerging young talent at Photon and this would result in invaluable intellectual property being retained within Queensland.
“High levels of automation within our animation pipeline will enable our workforce to compete head on with low-labour-cost operations throughout the world,” Mr Duguid said.
“Automation equates to the retention of digital jobs in this key Smart State industry, and the support of State Development in fostering these efficiencies at Photon will pay dividends to Queensland for many years to come.
“Animalia has been the catalyst for many of these innovations and the relationships between Photon, Animalia Productions, and the burgeoning Queensland animation industry has certainly been win-win-win.”
‘An armoured armadillo avoiding an angry alligator’...is the familiar start to Animalia, the classic Australian children’s picture book featuring 26 animal illustrations and verses for each of the letters of the alphabet.
First released more than 20 years ago by Melbourne author and artist Graeme Base, more than three million copies of Animalia have been sold worldwide.
Media contact: Elouise Campion (07) 3224 6784.
5 April, 2007
Minister for State Development John Mickel today had a behind-the-scenes look at the production based at Warner Roadshow Studios at Coomera near the Gold Coast.
Animalia is led by executive producers Graeme Base, Murray Pope and Ewan Burnett in association with Los Angeles-based PorchLight Entertainment and is due to hit small screens in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Canada in September and October 2007.
“This ground breaking series is set to cause a sensation and significantly boost Queensland’s reputation as a film and animation powerhouse,” Mr Mickel said.
“Queensland animators are among the hundreds of people who’ve been trained for this groundbreaking series which, upon completion, will have created some 300 jobs and injected over $20million into the State’s economy.
“I congratulate the talented team behind the impressive 3D animation, including Gold Coast company Photon VFX which is the prime animation contractor on the series.”
The Queensland Government, through the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC), provided $1.6 million to help with the making of Animalia in Queensland.
Mr Mickel said Photon VFX had developed all of the series’ 3D computer generated virtual-assets, was animating 20 of the 40 half-hour Animalia episodes and lighting and rendering the entire series.
“Animalia received a gobsmacking reception when it was previewed to major international broadcasters in New York and London last month, so I look forward to hearing about the reaction when it’s shown to the international television market soon,” Mr Mickel said.
“This kind of sophisticated 3D animation is usually only employed in feature films – such as Shrek and Happy Feet – so it really sets a new benchmark for television animation production worldwide.”
One of Animalia’s executive producers, Ewan Burnett, who is managing director of BAFTA award-winning Burberry Productions which developed the series, said a team of designers, 3D animators, editors and directors based themselves at Warner Roadshow studios in Queensland specifically to work on the project.
”Animalia is ground-breaking television for children and families around the world. It presents feature quality animation but in a quantity unheard of for television. We had to find a way to rescale a highly creative, technologically complex process to realise a project of such unprecedented ambition. The Queensland Government through State Development and PFTC have supported this endeavour in an extremely valuable way,” Mr Burnett said.
Mr Mickel said plasticine maquettes sculpted by Gold Coast animatronics artist John Cox provided the Animalia team a real-world reference point for developing virtual geometric models in the initial animation stage.
“Visual effects artists and animators at Photon VFX then digitally refined the characters, providing surface texture, lighting, movement, expression and other nuances – even down to the details like the creatures’ whiskers – to re-create the layered, painterly look of the much-loved book.”
Visual effects and animation house Photon VFX was recently awarded $200,000 in Queensland Government funding to develop the leading edge technology used in production of Animalia.
Established in 1991, Photon VFX has worked on major productions by Paramount, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Disney, Columbia, Sony, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.
Photon VFX founder Dale Duguid said Animalia provided an outlet for both high end digital and emerging young talent at Photon and this would result in invaluable intellectual property being retained within Queensland.
“High levels of automation within our animation pipeline will enable our workforce to compete head on with low-labour-cost operations throughout the world,” Mr Duguid said.
“Automation equates to the retention of digital jobs in this key Smart State industry, and the support of State Development in fostering these efficiencies at Photon will pay dividends to Queensland for many years to come.
“Animalia has been the catalyst for many of these innovations and the relationships between Photon, Animalia Productions, and the burgeoning Queensland animation industry has certainly been win-win-win.”
‘An armoured armadillo avoiding an angry alligator’...is the familiar start to Animalia, the classic Australian children’s picture book featuring 26 animal illustrations and verses for each of the letters of the alphabet.
First released more than 20 years ago by Melbourne author and artist Graeme Base, more than three million copies of Animalia have been sold worldwide.
Media contact: Elouise Campion (07) 3224 6784.
5 April, 2007