Janet Hetherington looks into how the cutting-edge, animated futuristic worlds and images of the Skyland series were conceived and achieved.
Science fiction takes us to worlds far away, and often, into the future. The genre usually involves speculations based on current science -- and in the case of the futuristic TV series, Skyland, the science involves cutting-edge animation that includes an impressive combination of 2D, 3D and motion-capture techniques.
The look of Skyland is so unique that, as AWN reported in October 2005, the show topped the list of the most requested series at MIPCOM Jr. in Cannes, France.
"The result of the animation combination is to provide the finished product we were looking for and that this property deserved," says Vince Commisso, president/ceo of 9 Story Ent., which is the series' co-production partner with Method Films. "People in broadcast have described to me as having the highest quality animation ever broadcast on television. Without the motion capture and the rendering, the look and style could never have been adequately presented to the audience."
Skyland follows the adventures of two farming children -- Mahad and Lena -- who must grow up quickly and fight oppression to save their mother. Skyland is set in the year 2251, at a time when Earth has been broken into separate blocks, orbiting the core, or Skyland. Water has become the most precious commodity, but it is being controlled by a corrupt leadership known as "The Sphere." A group of rebels still hold out against The Sphere.
When Mahad and Lena insult visiting representatives of The Sphere, their mother, Mila, uses her "Seijen" magic to overcome a Sphere ship, and sends her children away in the vehicle. They become involved in the battle with the rebels to overthrow The Sphere and to free their imprisoned mother.
While Skyland features child protagonists, it was originally envisioned as a show for adults. "The premise was conceived originally as an adult animated series in 2000 by Emmanuel Gorin, and was subsequently re-developed for a younger audience in 2002," Commisso says, adding, "It is currently targeted to 9- to 14-year-olds."
International Appeal
Skyland was created by Emmanuel Gorin, Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte. The series, which has 26 episodes slated, has enjoyed broadcast sales to some 70 countries, including the Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network.
"In addition to its rich visual style and stunning imagery, Skyland is an epic, sci-fi action adventure of good verses evil -- universal story lines kids have loved for ages," comments Keith Dawkins, vp/gm, Nicktoons Network.
Skyland is a France/Canada co-production, which means that creating the show requires international co-operation. "There is a division of services among project activities versus episodes, between the two production companies," says Commisso of 9 Story Ent. "This allows each company to focus on the activities it does well and can allocate resources for ramp-up and execution for the entire 26-cycle run. This also has the effect of improving quality as each company has more experience with, and becomes better at, its particular set of production activities."
This joint effort includes the scripting stage, as the show uses both Canadian and French writers. "They have a great deal to do with the direction of the series in that they define the characters and write the stories appropriate for the series concept and the characters," Commisso says. "Some things, as in the case with most series, change in storyboard for various creative and technical reasons -- but not unusually so."
Out of This World
The Skyland writers use their imaginations to the fullest, and then animators must bring these rich visions to the screen. Unlike other TV series that employ one animation style, Skyland takes a "mixed media" approach -- using motion capture, CGI, 2D and keyframe animation -- resulting in artistic, fluid movements for the characters and ultra-realistic treatments of buildings, spacecraft and other vehicles.
"The combination is used in a unique configuration to create the unique look of the show," comments Commisso. "The final presentation is achieved by meticulous assessment and analysis of what elements are required for each and every shot."
"Different companies do, in fact, provide different parts of the animation," Commisso says, "with the finished picture put together in both France and India." DQ Ent. Ltd. of India provided 3D animation for Skyland.
Interestingly, proprietary hardware or software is not being used for Skyland's animation. However, Commisso advises that "the software packages used are Maya, Motion Builder, Photoshop, Shake and Renderman."
Commisso says that final audio is done in Canada. With all of the international interaction, he notes that production process for Skyland is long and complicated. "It is a pipeline that is unique," Commisso says. "I have never worked on a project that has a process that is close to this one, and I would venture to guess that there is not another project out there like it."
Voice acting is another important element to bringing Skyland and its characters to life. In this case, the animation must match both the voice actor and the motion capture actor. In Skyland, Mahad is voiced by Tim Hamaguchi and performed by Julien Girbig, while Lena is voiced by Phoebe McAuley and performed by Christelle Ouvrard.
"We utilized a traditional casting process at first," Commisso says. "Later, we had much greater ability to determine the suitability of the voice for the character because we knew, in advance, the expressions the character model could deliver and the range of motion offered. It allowed for a 'tighter' match to the voice actor."
Skyland Influences
Skyland appears to have struck a chord with its viewers, who are drawn to the visuals as well as by the mix of hard science fiction and mystical fantasy in the series. A comprehensive description of the show appears on Wikipedia.org, which also features links to forums and blogs in both English and French. Fans are creating their own fiction and art based on the show.
Even before its network debut on the Nicktoons Network, Skyland was made available to American audiences as original Nicktoons Network programming content via the iTunes Store. Four episodes of the show were offered on iTunes -- including a free sneak-peek of the premiere; episodes were regularly priced at $1.99.
Still, it's the broadcast support -- its international market -- that keeps Skyland afloat. "As you would expect, the budget required to produce a series of this quality is substantial," Commisso says. "The continued support of the broadcasters is essential to its continuation."
Janet Hetherington is a freelance writer and cartoonist, who shares a studio in Ottawa, Canada, with artist Ronn Sutton and a ginger cat, Heidi. She watches Skyland on Canada's TELETOON network.
