International documentary producer NHNZ has teamed up with leading edge animation studio Pixeldust Studios in a partnership set to redefine the future of television documentaries.
A rapidly increasing appetite from audiences around the globe for high end computer graphics in factual television has prompted a unique collaboration between Washington DC-based animation house Pixeldust Studios and New Zealand-based production company NHNZ.
In what NHNZ’s Executive Vice President of Development and Marketing Neil Harraway describes as a first for the company, the Emmy® award winning Pixeldust Studios has established a small graphics studio within NHNZ’s Dunedin premises which is linked back to the graphics company’s Washington HQ. The partnership is enabling designers in both the US and NZ to work in real time on a new generation of computer generated imagery for a soon to be announced dinosaur series.
“Pixeldust Studios have a great reputation for producing high end graphics used in factual television programmes and are highly regarded by many of our key international clients.
“There is intense demand across our programming slate to integrate graphics into our story telling. By joining forces with Pixeldust Studios, we can deliver a complete package of stunning footage, creative storytelling and some of the most extraordinary computer graphics available,” Mr Harraway said.
Pixeldust Studios creative director Ricardo Andrade says PDS is delighted to partner with a global company like NHNZ which has an extensive track record of quality and innovation.
“By doing this we can work from concept to delivery and interact with story developers, producers and executive producers before production starts.
“At PDS we use every technological tool at our reach to keep everyone in the project connected. With our technology, we can have producers in Berlin, New Zealand and Washington interacting and video conferencing as we all watch animations in real time – being able to see the facial expressions of your producers say more than a page of feedback.”
With Studios in Washington DC, Toronto (Canada), New York City and New Zealand, a robust digital network, proprietary techniques and a large pool of multitalented artists Pixeldust Studios can handle any project with great efficiency and at documentary budgets, Mr Andrade said.
Pixeldust Studios’ most recent credits include top rating shows Apocalypse How (Discovery), Six Degrees That Could Change the World, Egypt Underworld (National Geographic Channels) and Illicit: the Dark Trade (PBS). Last week the company received three Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic and Artistic Design for Six Degrees That Could Change the World, Apocalypse How and Illicit: the Dark Trade.