Press Release – 8th March 2009
ELLENOR COX AND MARCUS GILLEZEAU NOMINATED FOR AN INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD FOR THEIR ALL-MEDIA DRAMA “SCORCHED”
Producers Marcus Gillezeau and Ellenor Cox, along with collaborators Michael O’Neill and Brad Hayward have been nominated for a International Digital Emmy® Award for their all-media drama Scorched. Marcus will attend the awards ceremony at the 2009 MipTV conference in Cannes, France on March 30th.
Scorched has also been nominated for ‘Best Entertainment’ for the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association’s (AIMIA) Awards to be held on Friday 13th of March in Sydney.
Scorched is set in 2012 in a climate ravaged world. It has not rained for over 200 days when giant blazes ringing a water starved Sydney break their containment lines. Marcus and Ellenor are the original concept creators behind the multi-platform delivery of Scorched, a major 90-minute feature-length television and online event that was broadcast via the Internet and on Nine Network Australia in September 2008.
A gripping 90-minute tele-feature was augmented by an extensive 8 week online drama series that led into, provided clues for, and ultimately concluded the drama. In the story, an ensemble of characters find themselves engulfed by raging bushfires in a futuristic Sydney that has, due to the effects of global warming and climate change, completely run out of water.
Starring Cameron Daddo, Vince Colosimo, Rachel Carpani and Georgie Parker, the Scorched experience included the most sophisticated and comprehensive cross-platform element yet created for a television event in this country. The online prequel and sequel drama starred up-and-coming actors Kate Bell Zachary Garred. Ultra realistic news stories and weather reports were anchored by Nine Network newsreader Mark Ferguson and iconic weatherman Mike Bailey and written by Gold Walkley award winning journalist Mark Davis.
Scorched was financed by Nine Network, ITV International, Screen Australia and the New South Wales Film and Television Office and developed through the Australian Film Television & Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP), which is Australia’s premier emerging media research and development production lab.
Scorched hooks the viewer in with an intriguing conservation message – the reality of global warming makes the idea of a city that has run out of water seem a likely possibility. Gillezeau and Cox wanted to bring to the mainstream audience’s attention to the issues of water scarcity and drought in Australia but needed to find a way of making these subjects seem ‘compelling and entertaining’. Hence the concept of Scorched was born. In the weeks leading up to the Scorched television broadcast, audiences are invited into this future world without water through www.scorched.tv to meet Cassie Hoffman – an 18-year-old girl living in Bourke who has become obsessed with diarising her life on her website ‘Cassie Has Dreams’ to compensate for the loneliness of being one of the few remaining teenagers left in her dying town.
Online director Marcus Gillezeau explains, “Once you entered www.scorched.tv, you could follow a serialised drama (60 minutes of 2-3 minute webisodes) which unfolded on a daily basis. The prequel drama took the viewer right up to the very first scene of the telemovie. The audience were able to participate in an interactive conspiracy-style investigation online, both through the drama, the news reports, the user generated videos and a series of faux websites, which armed them with bonus material and story lines. After the TV broadcast the drama continued with the sequel to the online story and continuing news reports.”
When Scorched aired it won the ratings in the coverted 25-54yr demo for Nine on what was deemed the toughest ratings night of the year. The online wrap-around was also a huge success with over 300,000 video views in less than 8 weeks. “We were incredibly happy with the scale of the interaction with Scorched and the amazing response we got from the audience. People loved that they could write to the characters and they would write back.” says Cox. The project also gained attention and stirred controversy with its strong political and environmental themes “Even though it was set in the future, it was totally plausible. In some ways an environmental bushfire disaster now seems quite prescient.”
Along with its success with the audience and the message behind the story, the producers are now celebrating their nomination in what is possibly one of the most prestigious awards for digital interactive projects in the world, the International Digital Emmy Awards. If they win, they will be adding the trophy to the award they received last year for Best Rich Media project at the Content & Technology Awards.
The project was executive produced by Rosemary Blight and Chris Hilton. The telemovie was produced by AFI Award winning producer Kylie Du Fresne and Ellenor Cox, written by Tim Pye and directed by Tony Tilse. Scorched, produced by Goalpost Pictures Australia and Essential Media and Entertainment in association with Firelight Productions, revolutionised the way Australians engage with television drama.
GO TO www.scorched.tv to see more or click here: Scorched
For interviews or further information, please contact;
Marcus Gillezeau
M 61+(0)412 278 516
Firelight Productions
Linked Press