OBKI
*
OBKI *
THE ECO ALIEN
Brief
Obki the alien is on a mission to save planet Earth… but he’ll have to learn how first!
Obki and his trusty sidekick, The Orb, embark on an array of ecological adventures to discover the little ways we can all help our planet.
We were given an amazing opportunity by Obki Productions and Sky Kids to create three series of the show and highlight a subject close to our hearts - nature and the environment.
The message of the show was clear - to give children the education and know-how to begin making a difference. We wanted our lovable alien to inspire the next generation of eco-warriors and ultimately, save planet earth.
Client
Obki Productions / Sky Kids
Style
3D / 2D
Genre
Character / Educational / Kids TV
Behind the scenes
Having been involved in the development of Obki since Ritzy first began, we couldn’t wait to bring his world to life in 15 x 2-minute episodes.
With ‘character’ at the heart of Ritzy, the stars of the show, Obki, and the Orb were the first assets to focus on. We spent a lot of time developing their textures and shaders to feel tactile and believable. Obki’s skin needed to feel wet, transparent, fish-like, and full of jelly - no easy feat! In contrast, the Orb needed to feel mechanical, shiny and a little rough around the edges.
But it wasn’t just the way they ‘looked’ that was important, we were adamant that Obki needed to move with zap, elasticity and copious amounts of wobble.
To learn about the world, Obki often needs to leave the base and travel to other parts of the world.
For these environments, we decided to use matte paintings combined with 3D props and foreground greenery to achieve beautiful scenes.
The designers worked closely from the storyboards and layout to ensure the right backgrounds were painted for each angle or moment in the story. Creating a wide shot usually covered most of the action and allowed Obki and the Orb to move freely left and right without feeling too limited within the frame.
With a long list of props and gadgets to create, we made sure every detail was meticulously researched, environmentally sound, and designed with the ‘Obki’ aesthetic in mind.
By providing the model/texture team with comprehensive guides and specific material references, we were able to create a smooth process and limit the amount of amends required in the latter stages of the production.
With complex messages and only 90 seconds to tell our stories, we needed a method of communicating the environmental issues clearly and concisely, whilst retaining the charm and humour needed to engage a young audience.
For this, we turned to motion graphics. For every episode we designed and animated an exciting, colourful, explanation of the problem which played out on the monitors at Obki’s desk.
These stylish snippets featured a cast of fun characters and locations and helped set the framework for each episode.
WATCH
CREDITS
〰️
CREDITS 〰️
SERIES 01
Production Company: Obki Productions
Creator & Executive Producer: Amanda Evans
Executive Producer: Emma Pemberton
Series Director: Simone Giampaolo
Executive Producers: Charlie Batho, Dan Edgley
Production Executive for Sky: Sam Shields
Executive Producer for Sky: Ian France
Voices: Zawe Ashton (The Orb), Steven Kynman (Obki)
Written By: Evgenia Golubeva, Myles Mcleod
Music: Flavio Gargano
Animation: Philip Ward, Valentin Puig, Imo Rolfe,
Jessica Kersey-Preston, Sydney Hopkin, Simone Giampaolo
Pipeline TD: Michael Bond
Lighting & Compositing: Michael Bond, Richard Goodchild, Nina Pumpalovic
Motion Graphics: Maya Reményi
Audio & Sound: Simon Couzens (Fuse Post), James O’Brien (Fuse Post)
Online & QC: Ally Morgan (The Farm Group)
Developed By: Ritzy Animaton
&
Obki Productions
for
Sky Kids & Sky 0
Producer: Jade Jordan
Production Coordinator: Anika Zinat
Production Assistant: Chloe Edgley
Production Accountant: Ben Saxton
Character Designer: Giacomo Autili
Prop Designer: Abigail Whitnall
Background Matte Paintings: Lorenzo Premuroso, Ilaria Di Sante
Character Modeller: Tom Paterson
Prop Modeller: Kiki Pela
Rigging: Roberto Ciriaco, Jessica Kersey-Preston, Simon Duclos, Louise Masse
SERIES 02
Production Company: Obki Productions
Creator & Executive Producer: Amanda Evans
Executive Producer: Emma Pemberton
Series Director: Rory Cooke
Executive Producers: Charlie Batho, Dan Edgley
Production Executive for Sky: Sam Shields
Script Consultant: Simone Giampaolo
Executive Producer for Sky: Ian France, Lisa Mackintosh
Voices: Zawe Ashton (The Orb), Steven Kynman (Obki)
Additional Voices: Sam Hunt, Scarlett Cooke
Written By: Evgenia Golubeva, Myles Mcleod
Music: Flavio Gargano
Producer: Anika Zinat
Production Coordinator: Leah McAdam
Production Assistant: Elena Escalante, Aleksandra Sikorska, Beth Yirtaw
Production Accountant: Ben Saxton
Storyboard Artist: Marta Calvo
Character Designer: Giacomo Autili
Prop Designer: Chloe Dominique
Background Matte Paintings: Ola Kolendo, Karen Castillo
Character Modeller: Leo Rezende
Model/Texture Artists: Ines Coimbra, Amina Muench, Ewan Macdonald, Sophia Shepherd
Pipeline TD: Michael Bond
Rigging: RIG-IT, Aleksandra Sikorska
Lighting & Compositing: Mike Bond, Callum Harwood
Motion Graphics: Maya Reményi, Teresa Gasco, Dan Tyrer
Editor: Millie Trussler
Audio & Sound: FUSE POST: Simon Couzens, James O’Brien, Andy Wade, Abbie Sprake
Online & QC: Picture Shop
Developed By: Ritzy Animaton
&
Obki Productions
for
Sky Kids & Sky 0
SERIES 03
Junior Production Manager: Emma Day
Production Assistants: Callum Brettell, Beth Yirtaw
Stpryboard Artists: Marta Calvo, Luca Tagliarini, Joe Healey
Prop Designers: Gilbert McGirr, Ruben Dias Dos Santos, Chloe Dominique, Alexandre Forner
Background Matte Painting: Alexandre Forner, Hannah Krut, Maurycy Szymczak
Model / Texture Artists: Amina Muench, Kiki Pela, Tina Amigaipalan
Rigging: RIG-IT.net
Animation Director: Jordi Cidoncha Parellada
Animation: Henry Fenwick, Kirsty Anna Harris, Mason Haynes, Adam Johnson, Luke O’Sullivan, Vytautas Puisys, Gianluka Tieghi
Production Company: Obki Productions
Creator & Executive Producer: Amanda Evans
Executive Producer: Emma Pemberton
Series Director: Rory Cooke
Executive Producers: Charlie Batho, Dan Edgley
Executive Producers for Sky: Ian France, Isaac Nartey
Voices: Zawe Ashton (The Orb), Steven Kynman (Obki), Rasmus Hardiker (Lumi the Penguin), Sara Starling (Pax the Panda)
Written By: Paul Rose
Music: Flavio Gargano
Lighting & Compositing: Arnau Altimira Ros, Adria Carballada Mallofre, Daisy Haig, Gilbert McGirr
Motion Graphics: Maya Reményi
Audio & Sound: FUSE POST: Simon Couzens, James O’Brien, Abbie Sprake
Online & QC: Picture Shop, Robert Leventhall
Financial Controller: Chris Rhodes
Special Thanks: Dan Dalli, Anika Zinat
Developed By: Ritzy Animaton
&
Obki Productions
for
Sky Kids & Sky 0