Fireman Sam Goes CGI And HD

HRTv has been commissioned by HIT Entertainment, a leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights owners, to create new series of the much-loved animated TV programme, Fireman Sam.
HRTv will produce 52 x 10 min programmes of Fireman Sam and for the first time it will be in CGI and in High Definition.
HRTv won the production project for Fireman Sam after a competitive pitch. The brief for the new series expands the world of Fireman Sam with the creation of several new locations in the expanded coastline of Pontypandy and new characters including Neptune, a lifeboat, with fresh new storylines centred on adventure and exciting rescues.
HRTv are also charged with refreshing the designs of existing characters to fit in with the show's new CGI look. The series is scheduled to be delivered in late 2009.
HRTv managed to complete production on all 52 episodes thanks to unique proprietary software that significantly speeds up the pre production processes by using CGI aided storyboarding and automating digital layout set-up
Lenora Hume, Executive Vice President Production and Programming, HIT Entertainment, commented: "HRTv has worked with HIT on several projects and have a proven track record in producing animated television for a young audience.
"We are delighted to be working with HRTv again on the beloved and iconic character new series, bringing it to life in CGI.
"HRTv has a unique proprietary software that will significantly enhance our production process and, combined with the expertise of Xing Xing, will deliver a fresh and exciting show to fans around the world."
HRTv Director, Jerry Hibbert, said: "Fireman Sam is such an iconic character in children's TV that the thought of updating him with CGI may seem like sacrilege to some. But we have tried to ensure that all the original charm remains while making the most of the new technology. All the characterisation still exists, and we've had plenty of scope for humorous stories based on the teaching of contemporary safety issues."
HRTv's Head of production, Charlotte Loynes, said: "Under HRTv's supervision Xing Xing producing fantastic work for us.
"We've built excellent lines of communication and smooth running procedures, so we haven't needed to send an on-site supervisor and our trips there have been infrequent.
"It was a match made by HIT and has been a very successful one; we would definitely choose to work with them again.
"The choice to online in-house came after many tests and is an excellent way of improving cost-efficiency. In fact, we can now handle all work in-house, with the exception of sound and tape cloning."
(BMcC)