Sydney production company, Ambience Entertainment celebrates the release of The Adventures of Figaro Pho, a 13 x 30-minute animated television series airing on Australia's ABC3.
Conceived and Directed by award-winning illustrator Luke Jurevicius, Ambience partnered with Melbourne production company Chocolate Liberation Front (CLF) and Jurevicius to further develop the excessively paranoid character of Figaro Pho whose life began in 2008 as a series of 1-minute shorts that aired on ABC TV. The shorts were so popular that they were awarded two AFI Awards as well as Best Direction, Best Animation and Best Animated Series in the World at the 2009 Kidscreen Awards, prompting the ABC to encourage further development.
Produced for an audience of 6-14 year olds, the new longer-form adventures take the series to the next level in terms of story as we see Figaro Pho take his audience on a surreal, comedic ride through an endless list of phobias in his goth-inspired world.
Drawing upon previous experience of producing long-form animated series such as Erky Perky and the character and pipeline knowledge developed therein, Ambience was able to offer a solid framework for the production of the animation from story-reel right through to final render under the guidance of producer David Webster.
Webster worked closely with Jurevicius to hand-pick a team of talented digital artists and took on the role of Animation Director for the series. “Figaro Pho is very close to Luke’s heart, so I was well aware of the importance of building a team that could understand and compliment his vision, but also exceed everyone’s expectations in terms of the quality of the final result.”
A team of 50 artists and technicians were assembled by Ambience in Sydney to produce the animation based on storyboards and concepts that were developed out of Jurevicius’s Adelaide studio Vishus Productions. A script and story team was managed by Ambience and CLF out of CLF’s Melbourne studio while Jurevicius’s long-term collaborator Deane Taylor (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ren & Stimpy) came on board to Art Direct.
“Working with David and the team at Ambience has been one of the most inspiring and fulfilling experiences in my career thus far. I believe we have created a world-class show that dares to explore new territories in both quality and the way stories are told. I am truly grateful for my producers at Chocolate Liberation Front and the ABC who have shown incredible vision, and also to the handpicked artists that have passionately embraced my desire for excellence. In short, I am like a kid in a candy store.”
“It’s been a great experience to collaborate with Luke, Chocolate Liberation Front and the ABC on this series. We’re incredibly proud of the outstanding animation our artists have produced and we’re looking forward to wowing audiences in Australia and around the world,” continued Webster.
The Adventures of Figaro Pho is currently airing in Australia, with worldwide distribution to follow.
For more information http://www.ambienceentertainment.com