Press Kit

Transcription

Press Kit

PRESS KIT
Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life
Press Kit
Table of Contents
One Line Synopsis......................................................................................2!
Short Synopsis.............................................................................................2!
Long Synopsis ..............................................................................................3!
Episode Synopses........................................................................................4!
EPG Synopses ..............................................................................................8!
The Characters ........................................................................................ 10!
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Producer’s Note ...................................................................................... 16!
Production Team..................................................................................... 17!
Publicity Contacts.................................................................................... 19!
Production Company ............................................................................. 19!
CHRIS HUMFREY’S WILD LIFE – PRESS KIT
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Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life
One Line Synopsis
Follow Chris in this chaotic, animal-crazy series that captures the drama, the danger, the
animal antics and the sheer exhilaration of Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life. Every day, a new
saga unfolds at the zoo! Everyday there is something new to learn – even for Chris.
Short Synopsis
Meet Chris Humfrey, a zoologist who lives with his young family and their REALLY big
dog in an idyllic bush haven in country Victoria. But the Humfreys also share their home
with a few other pets – more than 2000 and each one of them needs care and attention
24/7. This isn’t your average family home. It’s a private zoo where human and animal
sagas unfold on a daily basis. Chris and his wife Nicole work around the clock to keep
their very extended family happy and healthy and manage their enthusiastic crew of Gen
Y zookeepers/presenters. Each week Chris will share with us this extraordinary life and
his amazing knowledge of Australia’s fauna. Follow Chris in this chaotic, animal-crazy
series that captures the drama, the danger, the animal antics and the sheer exhilaration
of Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life. Every day, a new saga unfolds at the zoo. Every day there is
something new to learn – even for Chris.
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Long Synopsis
Imagine if your home security was monitored by a howling pack of dingoes? Could you
share the couch with a koala that has a thing for reality TV? And what about being
woken up every morning by the lick of a Ringtail Possum sitting comfortably on your
face.
Welcome to Chris Humfrey’s world. He’s a zoologist, passionate about wildlife, who
lives with his wife Nicole and their young family on a sprawling private zoo in country
Victoria. With more than 2000 amazing creatures in their care – including their
daughters Taasha (4 yrs) and Charlie-Ashe (6 yrs) – Chris and Nicole share their
property with an enthusiastic crew of Gen Y zookeepers. Every waking minute is
consumed by animal and human dramas and dilemmas of one kind or another.
The Humfreys run a thriving business that brings thousands of school kids and people
from all over Victoria into direct contact with wild animals. They have an incredible
collection of birds, reptiles, venomous snakes, insects, marine life, marsupials and more.
Chris has dedicated his life to preserving Australian wildlife and providing an opportunity
for the public to be part of nature and experience it first hand. But family life, work life
and wildlife don’t always fit neatly together.
New sagas unfold every day at the zoo. In between training staff and taking calls, Chris
figures out what to do with a giant python with a back problem or cares for baby owl
masked chicks. He struggles to breed new animals and always delights in seeing new life
– even if it means bottle-feeding baby wallabies in the middle of the night. Just when
Chris and Nicole think that things are running smoothly, something wildly unpredictable
always surprises them: one of his presenters loses a large snake in an inner city
residential area; a door carelessly left open results in the office being over run by
thousands of stick insects; tragedy strikes when feral foxes attack in the middle of the
night.
Even running his own private zoo doesn’t fully satisfy Chris’ appetite for wildlife; any
chance he gets, Chris escapes in search of more adventure. He travels off-road to
explore the ranges, rivers and deserts of Australia in the hope of tracking down animals
and learning more about them. His relentless impulse to drop everything and ‘go-bush’
often exasperates his wife Nicole who is trying to keep their family and business
together. For now, the Humfrey home is the business office for the zookeepers and the
incubator hub where baby animals are reared. One day they’ll have a home of their
own.
animal antics and the sheer exhilaration of Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life.
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Episode Synopses
Episode One
The natives need nurturing. It's not easy to feed and look after native animals, and at
his private zoo, Chris Humfrey faces some unique problems. From finding just the right
food for koalas, to caring for an orphaned baby kangaroo, there's never a dull moment.
Chris takes to the air in an ultra-light plane to find just the right blue-gum leaves for his
breeding koalas, as well as starting the delicate process of hand-rearing a Joey that was
lucky to escape a terrifying fox attack. To prevent future tragedies like this, Chris
discovers an ingenious use for dingo poo.
Episode Two
It's not just dealing with the native animals that occupies Chris Humfrey's time; he is also
running a full time business. When a presenter for his wildlife shows walks out at the
start of the busy season, Chris is forced to fast track another staff member. Darren has
been presenting with the team for a while, and while he's a unique combination of snake
catcher, theatrical actor and comedian, he's petrified of water. So when Chris takes him
snorkeling to collect species for the marine show, the challenge for Darren is not just
impressing the boss and hopefully landing the new presenting job, but also in conquering
his fears. Meanwhile, a door carelessly left open results in the office being over run by
thousands of stick insects.
Episode Three
Meet Danielle, a very enthusiastic volunteer who is desperate to get a full time job as a
wildlife presenter. And all she has to do to get it is to impress Chris, and some very
cranky animals. It's a grueling audition process, requiring Danielle to show that she can
handle the dangerous animals and some tricky questions from a very demanding
audience. As well as interviewing Danielle, Chris has his hands full trying to prevent a
potentially devastating parasite outbreak on his pythons, before it possibly spreads to
the rest of his extensive snake collection.
Episode Four
If humans have a sore back, the answer is often a chiropractor. But what about a snake?
Chris takes the unusual step of calling in a very brave chiropractor for a very large
python. The zoo is struck with a tragedy, a possum has died and left a baby in need of
urgent care. The Humfrey family rally, but its touch and go whether Lilly Pilly makes it.
The zoo's ocean loving staff member Xavier does a night dive to look for new creatures
for the marine shows. In the murky depths, he witnesses a rare and extraordinary sight the mass migration of thousands of spider crabs. And Danielle, the zoo's newest staff
member, is training up on handling dangerous animals. She's about to be challenged by
the Snake Bite Test.
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Episode Five
Breeding wild animals in captivity is a very specialized job, and Chris calls for the help of
Australia's dingo expert when he needs some new dingo pups for his classroom animal
shows. New recruit Danielle is ready and enthusiastic for her first ever show, so why
has she gone missing in action?
Episode Six
Chris wants to breed quolls to help increase their numbers in captivity. Last year’s
attempt to breed failed – this year Chris is determined to succeed. Chris loans Matt, a
young student at the local primary school struggling with his studies, a bearded dragon
in the hope the responsibility of caring for it will help him focus. Cabby, the family’s 70
kg pet dog, is suffering from arthritis. So Nicole books him in for a radical treatment,
that will attempt to use Cabby’s own fat cells, to repair his arthritic joints. Meanwhile,
there are animals escaping everywhere. The film crew has left a gate open and some
kangaroos have got out while Inger has to deal with squirrel gliders that have escaped in
her car.
Episode Seven
Chris is suffering from eye troubles attributed to stress, so following doctor’s orders,
heads to the Western McDonnell Ranges, in central Australia, for a week’s break. But if
Nicole and the kids were expecting a relaxing vacation, they’re going to be disappointed.
Chris, unable to sit still, ends up tangling with some of Australia’s most dangerous
creatures. Meanwhile, back at the zoo, the staff cope with looking after the 2000 animals
and 10 children who arrive for Junior-Zoo-Keeper Day. Needless to say, managing
children and dangerous animals can be tricky.
Episode Eight
Chris’ so-called holiday continues. The Humfreys head north towards Darwin. Chris
doesn’t exactly pick the tourist hotspots. He can’t resist stopping at an outback dump,
where amongst the garbage, lies a treasures trove of hidden animals. Back on the road,
Chris decides to make a staff training video about handling large pythons. But things go
horribly wrong when the snake wraps itself firmly around Chris’ neck. Chris gets news
from his staff that one of the zoo’s animals has died and is understandably upset. But it’s
at Fogg Dam, just out of Darwin where Chris faces the most danger. It’s night time,
there are crocodiles lurking, but Chris is determined to find the beautiful Rainbow
Serpent.
Episode Nine
Chris’ zoo looks after the most secretive owl species in Australia - the Masked Owl.
And this season, two of them have become first-time parents. But Chris is worried their
inexperience means the owls won’t be capable of looking after their young. He’s going
to have to take over the care of the newborn chicks if they are to survive the next few
days. Chris and Nicole audition for two new presenter positions. Each of the candidates
will face a rigorous test of their scientific knowledge, as well as their performance skills,
plus a few surprises. All the current zoo’s staff have their favorite animals, and Adam is
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passionate about anything that flies. He’s brought his two tawny frog mouths, Gonzo
and Marbles, back to the zoo for a check-up.
Episode Ten
Last week, Chris and Nicole auditioned two new presenters to join their team. But
before they are allowed out to do shows at schools, Chris needs to ensure they are up
to scratch in their animal handling skills. So he has designed some challenges involving
some of the zoo’s more dangerous animals. Meanwhile, in inner city Melbourne, Adam,
is about to put all his training to good use. One of the snakes he keeps at home has
escaped and he needs to find it – fast. After three weeks of intensive training, Chris
considers new recruit Laura is skilled enough in handling wild animals, to keep some at
home. So it’s time to move in the tanks and enclosures for her new animal friends ready for her first ever Wild Action show. Chris, always keen to spread the word about
endangered Australian native animals, is off to appear on a morning TV chat show. But
with wild animals on live television - anything can happen.
Episode Eleven
It’s a long weekend, and the Humfreys head north again, this time to Nymboida in New
South Wales for a short break. But any sort of holiday for Chris always involves animals
- and this times it’s turtles in the river, frogs in the toilet, and snakes in the living room.
Arriving back at the zoo, with foxes still lurking, Chris needs to check on some newly
laid emu eggs. But nesting emus are highly protective and one well-aimed emu kick can
kill. Chris comes up with the crazy idea of crawling up to the nest hidden under a box
and discovers six beautiful blue eggs, that later hatch into little emu chicks. Gypsy gives
birth to seven dingo pups but tragedy awaits, as one little pups doesn’t make it through
the night. To keep their animal handling skills honed, Chris decides it’s time for some
staff training. The team head off up a local mountain, on a treasure hunt with a
difference. They split into two teams, and the competition is fierce. Whoever finds the
most animals, will win the inaugural Wild Action Cup.
Episode Twelve
Xavier notices something is wrong in the wallaby enclosure. A joey has been killed
overnight by predatory owls. Chris rescues the remaining joey, saving it from a similar
fate. With lots of care, Nova the Masked Owl, has grown dramatically. Masked owls
learn how to fly when they are three-months-old so it’s time Chris found out how to
train her. Researching on the Internet, he finds a raptor park on Kangaroo Island that
demonstrates birds-of-prey in free flight. Chris discovers another good reason to travel
there. There’s a wild life park for sale. This might be the opportunity Chris has always
wanted to expand his business. Due to its isolation from mainland predators, Kangaroo
Island has become a true wild life sanctuary. So for animal obsessed Chris – it’s going to
be a jam-packed 48 hours. Chris returns to the zoo. Spring has arrived and with it
Chris has a new set of animal babies to look after - squirrel gliders, rainbow lorikeets
chicks and his two prized koala babies – Gum-nut and Bruce.
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Episode Thirteen
Chris’ dream has come true. He has successfully bred 15 tiger quolls. Always keen to
educate kids about this endangered species, Chris decides to adopt two quoll joeys to
hand rear and take into classrooms. The dingo pups have grown up and now need to be
socialized before appearing in public. The emu chicks have also grown up. Out in the
wild they are predator and prey, but for now the dingoes and emus get up to all sorts of
antics. Chris is on his final mission. His main purpose for breeding the quolls this year
was to raise their numbers in captivity. To maintain genetic diversity Chris plans to swap
some with another wild life park. So Chris is off to Sydney’s Featherdale park. But just
how do you travel interstate with a couple of feisty young quolls on the plane?
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EPG Synopses
Series Synopsis
animal antics and the sheer exhilaration of his Wild Life.
Episode One
Some native animals are very fussy eaters. Chris takes to the air in an ultra-light plane to
find just the right blue-gum leaves for his breeding koalas, as well as starting the delicate
process of hand-rearing a Joey.
Episode Two
When a presenter for his wildlife shows walks out at the start of the busy season, Chris
is forced to fast track training another staff member.
Episode Three
Danielle, a very enthusiastic volunteer desperate to get a full time job as a wildlife
presenter, tries out with Wild Action. All she has to do to get it is to impress Chris, and
some very cranky animals.
Episode Four
The zoo's ocean loving staff member Xavier does a night dive to look for new creatures
for the marine shows. In the murky depths, he witnesses a rare and extraordinary sight the mass migration of thousands of spider crabs.
Episode Five
Breeding wild animals in captivity is a very specialized job, and Chris calls for the help of
Australia's dingo expert when he needs some new dingo pups for his classroom animal
shows.
Episode Six
Chris wants to breed endangered tiger quolls to help increase their numbers in
captivity. Last year’s attempt to breed failed – this year Chris is determined to succeed.
Episode Seven
Chris is suffering from eye troubles attributed to stress so heads to the Western
McDonnell Ranges for a break with the family. But if Nicole and the kids were expecting
a relaxing vacation, they’re going to be disappointed.
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Episode Eight
Chris’ so-called holiday continues. The Humfreys head north towards Darwin but Chris
doesn’t exactly pick the tourist hotspots.
Episode Nine
Chris and Nicole audition for two new presenter positions. Each of the candidates will
face a rigorous test of their scientific knowledge, as well as their performance skills, plus
a few surprises.
Episode Ten
Last week, Chris and Nicole auditioned two new presenters to join their team. But
before they are allowed out to do shows at schools, Chris needs to ensure they are up
to scratch in their animal handling skills.
Episode Eleven
A highly anticipated litter arrives with dingo Gypsy giving birth to seven pups but
tragedy awaits, as one little pup doesn’t make it through the night.
Episode Twelve
Chris returns to the zoo from a short trip to Kangaroo Island to a zoo full of new
animal babies - squirrel gliders, rainbow lorikeets chicks and his two prized koala babies
– Gum-nut and Bruce.
Episode Thirteen
Chris has one final mission. To maintain genetic diversity in his captive endangered tiger
quoll family, Chris heads off up to Sydney to swap some with another wildlife park.
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The Characters
The Family
Chris Humfrey
Chris Humfrey is 37 and a native of Melbourne, Australia. His passion for wildlife started
at the age of three when he found his first green-tree frog sticking to a public urinal in
Coffs Harbour. It was love at first sight and ever since then, it's been animals, animals
and more animals. When he turned six, Chris turned his gift for eco-education into a
profit making, charging people outside his family's holiday caravan 10 cents an animal
viewing.
As Chris got older, the Humfrey family's menagerie steadily grew; snakes, lizards,
parrots arachnids and frogs all lived in the suburban backyard in Kilsyth, Victoria. When
he was 1twelve Chris was President of the Basin Field Naturalist Club, rubbing
shoulders with scientific experts and editing its newsletter for more than four years.
Chris' interest in all areas of natural history, studying fungi, fossils or frogs, grew even
more. Throughout Chris' secondary schooling, he developed a knack of entertaining
teachers and classmates with his unique oral presentations. Whether it was a giant
python snake devouring a rat, or showing off his skills as a foster parent wiping the
backside of a kangaroo Joey, Chris managed to use his knowledge of animals to his
advantage, and gain an A-plus to boot.
Understanding the importance of acquiring Tertiary qualifications in his field of interest,
Chris completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, co-majoring in
Botany and Zoology. During his tertiary training, Chris created Wild Action, his dream
job. Wild Action has now been operating for 14 years, and has grown into a thriving
vibrant company. Chris employs eight full-time employees as well as numerous casual
staff. Wild Action educates well over 250,000 plus people a year in Victoria. The rapid
growth of Wild Action has helped Chris and his wife Nicole to create a private zoo
facility in the Macedon Ranges.
As well as Chris and Nicole, the Humfrey family consists of their six-year-old daughter
Charlie-Ashe, their four-year-old daughter Taasha, the dingoes Gemma and Luka, a 70kg
Newfoundland Cabernet, and more than 2000 other various animals. When the human
family aren't hectically managing their company, they take every possibly opportunity to
head bush and go outback. Here, Chris uses his knowledge and experience to track
down animals and learn about them and occasionally compromises with Nicole and visits
a resort.
Chris' other passion is keeping fit at an elite level. He has been a member of the
Australian white-water kayaking team for the past 16 years, and has competed in
numerous international events and World Championships. His love of kayaking arose
from his passion for wild places. With a kayak, Chris is able to access environments
where very few people get to go. That's where the animals are.
Chris is also an Executive Producer of the series.
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Nicole Humfrey
Nicole's family background is Indian. She grew up in a typical suburban house, with
goldfish and guinea pigs as pets. The wildest was a Pomeranian called Kahlua. Family
holidays were to Dreamworld or Seaworld, with no dangerous wild adventures allowed.
Nicole studied Science at Melbourne University, graduating with an honours degree in
Microbiology. It was at University that she met Chris, but after sharing lecture notes and
assignments, they went their separate ways. Seven years later, Chris heard Nicole's
voice while paddling on the Maribyrnong River, and three months later, the pair was
married. Now, they share two wonderful daughters and an amazing life.
Charlie-Ashe Humfrey
Six-year-old Charlie-Ashe has done a lot in her short life. Travel is a big thing - she's
seen a Nilgiri Langur (an endangered species of monkey) in India, almost been charged
by a herd of elephants while watching a cheetah cub play in Africa, had an orangutan
wee on her in Borneo, and saw the critically endangered pink dolphins in Hong Kong.
She's also participated in the frequent family pilgrimage from Melbourne to Darwin along
the Stuart highway, umpteen times. Her life at home, living in a zoo, seems normal to
her. She often shares breakfast with a Joey kangaroo, before rushing off to school to
check on her pet emus. She also never fails to impress with her weekly show and tell.
Her favourite animal would have to be the dingo - and she spends hours curled up with
the litter of dingo puppies each season. Charlie-Ashe also does ballet and jazz in her free
time, along with plenty of TV watching and playing Nintendo DS.
Taasha Humfrey
Taasha is four-years-old, the fairy princess of the Humfrey family. She loves frilly
dresses, make-up, jewellery and glitter. She is also fond of the cute cuddly animals until
they poo on her. Secretly, she wishes for a kitten. She is quite the entertainer, regularly
singing and dancing for the family, trying to put a different slant on her Daddy's shows
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The Wild Action Staff
Inger Ford
- Staff Manager
Mother of two, Inger grew up like all children, loving animals. The family had cats and
dogs like most people although Inger was always bringing new ones home such as
tadpoles, frogs, ducks, yabbies, budgies, skinks to name a few. Inger met Chris in 1998
when he did one of his shows at the kinder where she was working. She later went on
to become nanny to their youngest daughter Taasha, having applied for the job because
it had requested applicants must like animals as the family lived on their own private
zoo. In February 2010 she became the office/staff manager. At home Inger has
Gippsland Water Dragons, Eastern Water Dragons, Stimson’s python, skinks, frogs,
turtles, a Rainbow Lorikeet, Squirrel Gliders and of course two dogs.
The Gen Y Team
The zoo staff are young and fun. It's more than a job working at Wild Action - it's a
lifestyle. Staff are responsible for taking care of their own school kit of animals at their
homes, so there will be crocs in the kitchen, frogs in the toilets and wallabies bounding
down the corridors of inner city share houses. That's just part of the job.
Fiona Rose - Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Fiona's the right hand woman in the zoological operation. When Chris and Nicole are
away, Fiona is responsible for running things, and it tends to be a bumpy ride. Hailing
from a farm, Fiona is down to earth and has a real soft spot for marsupials. She's not
fazed by crocs in the hallway, but it was tough going when her wallaby 'Moby' and
kangaroo 'Matilda' got too big for city life. Luckily, she has very tolerant housemates.
Xavier Morello - Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Xavier is a marine specialist and he shares the team leader role with Fiona. He's the
loudest and most outgoing of the crew, which makes him a great presenter for the
school shows. Having grown up on the coast, his daring streak and passion for outdoor
adventure draws him into aquatic action of all kinds: surfing, sea kayaking, snorkeling and
diving. If it's in the ocean, Xavier's in there with it. At night when the sea creatures and
most active, he's diving into the dark depths collecting for the marine displays. Xavier
shares the front seat of his van with his loyal mate 'Kahn', a pet dingo hand-reared by
Chris.
Adam Lee - Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Adam is an inner city dude with a penchant for nocturnal activities. This can make some
of the early morning school visits a bit of a challenge, particularly when the kids aren’t
behaving themselves. Living in an inner city share-house, Adam’s flat-mates were used to
him bringing home animals from his previous job at a pet store but nothing prepared
them for the installation of a crocodile in the kitchen, frogs in the toilet, and ‘Norman’
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the Fruit Bat in the living room. A self- confessed bird freak, Adam has a deep respect
and love for all birds – from the smallest of finches to the biggest of eagles – even bats
get his heart racing. He thinks that maybe he’s just jealous they can fly (even though he
is scared of heights).
Darren Lever - Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Growing up in the North Coast of NSW, Darren at five was sure of two things - that he
was going to be John Farnham when he grew up, and that he was going to work with his
favourite animal, the crocodile. After leaving school early to enter the workforce,
Darren spent his spare time performing in various local theatre musicals, as well as
rescuing injured wildlife as part of a volunteer organisation. Winning a local competition,
Darren discovered a love for stand-up comedy, which lead him to the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival and his new hometown Melbourne. Joining a wildlife
rescue group in Melbourne, Darren also decided to go to university to study theatre
and drama. Then, he heard of Chris Humfrey. Wild Action allows Darren to combine
his love of performing with his passion for animals, his perfect combination. So while
he's yet to become John Farnham, he is working with his favourite animal.
Katie Rumble - Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Katie grew up in Wodonga, Victoria, in a family that always had a lot of pets. A cat,
dogs, sheep, mice, chickens, ducks, a turtle, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds. So it's fair to
say, she's always had a love of animals. Dux of her high school, Katie moved to
Melbourne to go to Deakin University and, despite not studying any science in high
school above year nine, is almost finished a Science degree with majors in Zoology and
Indonesian. Katie would love to go and volunteer in an orangutan sanctuary in Indonesia
one day. Meanwhile, she shares her home with her Wild Action animals and two pet
rats.
Laura Hogg – Wild Life Presenter/Educator
Growing up with her brother and parents in Templestowe, Victoria, Laura’s pets were
your average family pets - goldfish, hermit crabs and budgies. However it was from
these humble beginning that her passion for animals and nature grew. After completing a
Bachelor of Science with majors in Marine Biology and Zoology, Laura has been
fortunate enough to be involved with numerous volunteer projects such as turtle
research on a deserted tropical island and elephant conservation in the jungles of
Thailand. She has also worked in outdoor education and at the aquarium before she was
lucky enough to get a job with Wild Action, where she can engage with the next upand-coming generation of eco-minded kids.
Laura Harbridge – Wild Life Presenter /Educator
Growing up in a huge, raucous family in a small country town, surrounded by farm
animals, domestic animals, rescued wildlife and an abundance of land to explore, paved
the beginnings for Laura’s love of animals, the environment, and world exploration.
After finishing high school Laura took off to Melbourne to pursue her second passion
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after wildlife, the Arts. She studied and worked in Melbourne and Brisbane's Music &
Entertainment industry for a few years, before scrimping together enough cash to take
off overseas working and travelling through the US, UK and Europe. Whilst travelling
throughout the world, Laura spent time volunteering at various animal rescue centres
and reserves, from elephants in the Thai jungle; to monkeys in Andean Ecuador;
tortoises in Galapagos; pumas in the Bolivian Amazon; and cheetahs in the bushveld of
South Africa. During these travels, she decided that it was time to pursue a career and a
lifestyle that would contribute to making some sort of difference, whether large or
small, to ours and other nations way of life. Joining the Wild Action team in 2010, Laura
is now living in a big old crazy sharehouse in inner Melbourne, with three housemates,
a Pug dog called Gus and 13 Wild Action Zoo Animals.
The Animals
With more than 2000 animals from 300 different species, the summer and autumn
seasons are full of drama. The non-human residents include:
• Reptiles Crocodiles, Lizards, and Snakes including a deadly cranky Taipan (one of the
most dangerous and toxic snakes in the world). Summer brings the hatching of hundreds
of reptile eggs and the birth of baby Death Adders – cute but lethal.
• Birds Emus, Cockatoos, Kookaburras, Owls, Lorikeets, Parrots and Native Ducks.
• Marine Life Blue Ringed and other Octopus, Crabs, Seahorses, Sea Stars and Baby
Sharks.
• Marsupials Kangaroos, Wallabies, Koalas, Quolls, endangered Potoroos and
Bettongs. The toddler Tiger Quolls will be sitting on Chris’ shoulder between bottlefeeds while he works in the office.
• Insects Spiders, Stick Insects, Beetles, Desert Scorpions and an amazing Giant
Burrowing Cockroach who’ll be bearing live young in the summer season.
There are so many animals but some creatures we will get to know as individual
characters:
‘Cabernet’ the Newfoundland Dog
‘Cabbie’ is a gentle giant. He’s a black, shaggy 70kg family dog who likes to roam the zoo
and flaunt his freedom as if he owns the place. You will find him chewing bones right
outside the Dingo enclosure just to tease those other funny looking dogs. Luka the
dingo and the Newfoundland have a rather shaky relationship. If Luka escaped he would
love to kill the ‘domesticated interloper’.
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‘Jack’ the Crocodile
Chris held the egg that Jack hatched from in his own hand, since then Jack has grown to
become a feisty and occasionally grumpy two metre long handful.
‘Jabba the Hut’ the Green Tree Frog
When Chris was still a kid he found Jabba in a toilet block and fell in love. The rest, as
they say, is history.
‘Gemma’, ‘Luka’ and their Dingo Family
While Gemma is a little bit shy, Luka is a feisty little warrior. Luka is the family watchdog
(and part-time burglar alarm). He knows the difference between a friend and a stranger
and his howl alerts the entire zoo if something’s not quite right.
‘Quiggly’ the Tiger Quoll
Hand reared by Chris since she was a baby, Quiggly is a bit neurotic. This year she’s a
proud new mother and Chris can’t wait to help her bring up her babies.
‘Dee Dee’ the Deer
She’s the deer who thinks she’s an emu. She lives in the emu enclosure and loves to
cuddle up to them at night. She’s also adopted some very peculiar emu characteristics.
‘Big Bertha’ the Water Python
Having reached the grand old age of 23 years, Bertha lives out her retirement in Chris’
zoo. She’s soft, floppy, and wrinkly and her favourite things are peace and quiet – the
simple things in life.
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Producer’s Note
Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life features the animal-crazy adventurer Chris Humfrey and his
extended family of humans and creatures. The show is an unscripted half-hour ‘docusoap’ animal series located in the sprawling bush-land zoo they call home in Macedon in
Victoria.
Each episode is a carefully crafted mix of both human and animal interest stories. We
open the door and enter into Chris’ chaotic life where family, wildlife and work are
inseparable. At every turn there is something new we find out about animals.
Executive producer Tony Wright says “The series uses observational - ‘point of view’ documentary-style allowing us to watch and listen to the stories as they unfold. We see
the world through Chris’ eyes but his personal journey is inter-cut with candid
interviews to provide a sense rhythm to the overall narrative.
The 13 episodes are self-contained but the central story surrounding Chris and the
struggles he faces as he manages the Wild Action zoo provide a strong through-line for
the entire series while giving us the opportunity to learn plenty about Australian wildlife.
The series was shot over five months during late summer, autumn and into winter with
some final filming in the spring of 2010. It was an intensive and hectic period for the
Humfreys. They faced a host of challenges ranging from the real threatened repeat of
the terrible bushfires that ravaged the region the previous summer to the hatching of
scores of birds, reptiles and insects. Many story lines unfolded over an extended time
frame; animals grew and developed and staff members tackled personal and professional
challenges. All these factors made for fascinating real-life drama.
Because much of the important ‘animal drama’ occurred during the night hours and in
the privacy of the animals’ own homes, we set up strategically positioned motion sensor
video cameras and the latest infrared technology to make as much action was captured
as possible. With those measures in place and Chris own video diaries not much was
missed from the hatching of a clutch of python eggs to the nighttime visit of animal
intruder roaming around the property was captured. Infrared cameras were also used
to shoot the more secretive nocturnal animal shenanigans.
16
Production Team
Nick Fletcher
Director
Nick has been a self-shooting Director/Producer for the past 15 years. He started off
working at the BBC Natural History Unit in the UK, and having directed various
productions for the BBC, branched out to Antipodean television following emigration to
Australia, directing productions for the New Zealand Natural History Unit. He then
went on to spend a few years working for ‘BBC Comic Relief’ and ‘BBC Sport Relief’,
producing and filming fundraising films in various remote locations in Africa, Asia and
South America. In 2007 he became involved in Annie Lennox’s SING charity that
focuses on the issues of AIDS/HIV in women and children in South Africa, moving her
campaign forward through various media campaigns, including videos broadcast during
her live performances, online media and photographic projects. After a few years
working in the charity sector, Nick now compliments this with more commercial
productions, recently directing Bear Grylls in Morocco, and of course, Chris Humfrey.
Tony Wright
Executive Producer
Tony Wright is as an award winning and highly experienced producer in documentary,
drama and children’s television production. He has worked in all these areas with the
commercial networks, the ABC and SBS in Australia as well as the BBC and
Nickelodeon in the UK and other European broadcasters. His credits include: Plasmo
(international co-pro), 52-episode children’s series Li'l Horrors (internationally financed),
Grey Voyagers (international co-production) and Revealing Gallipoli (international coproduction) and the multi-award-winning four-part series Captain Cook – Obsession and
Betrayal. Most recent credits include Producer of the award-winning ABC / National
Geographic Catching Cancer, the blue-chip science documentary IMMORTAL, and the
ABC natural history documentary Out of the Ashes. Tony is the Managing Director of the
December Films and is Executive Producer of its projects.
Bruce Permezel
Series Producer
Bruce Permezel is a multi-skilled television maker - director, cameraman, editor and
producer. His extensive output ranges from natural history (Croc Country), adventure
travel (Peking to Paris), lifestyle (Bills Holiday), comedy (The Games), music (Hessie’s Shed),
documentary (Pirate Patrol) and observational series (Choir of Hard Knocks).
Brendan deMontignie
Director of Photography
Brendon has been a freelance cameraman/Director of Photography since 1984. Prior to
establishing his own company Visual Link Productions, Brendon worked for 10 years at
all of Australia’s main commercial networks. As a Director of Photography, Brendon has
worked with some of Australia’s foremost directors, production companies and
television networks. Recent factual works include Masterchef, Surf Patrol and Random
Acts of Kindness. Brendon has also worked internationally for the BBC, CBS Sports,
CNN, NBC and NHK Japan.
17
Jody Muston
Director of Photography
An early love for cameras and stills photography drew Jody into the world of cameras,
film & cinematography. Jody has worked on many and varied projects, from filming on
the streets of Mumbai (The Waiting City) and trekking the depths of the Papuan jungle
(Kokoda – Women on the March) through to following the unconventional Abbotsford
restaurant Lentil as Anything for SBS’ The Naked Lentil. Jody’s most recent documentary
credits as Director of Photography include Miss South Sudan Australia, Anatomy – Face &
Guide Dogs, Support Scent.
Luke Collin
Editor
Wayne Hyett
Editor
Luke Collin has more than 30 years experience in the broadcast and communications
industry, having worked in both the network television and post-production fields.
He began his career working in-house at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
working on projects such as The Gillies Report, The D-Generation and Attitude.
He has since gone on to complete work for many high profile corporate organisations
and edited content for major television networks both in Australia and overseas.
His
recent
factual
credits
include
Mooramong
–
Private
Hollywood,
Olivia’s Great Walk & The Devil Inside.
Locally produced children’s drama and documentaries have been a speciality for editor
Wayne Hyett A.S.E. His career, spanning more than 24 years, also includes feature films,
drama series and documentary dramas for all Australian networks and international
audiences. Drama credits include The Castle, The Murray Whelan Series, Stingers, The
Games, Wicked Science and Pirate Island. His documentary highlights include The Kindness
of Strangers, the major ABC series Captain Cook – Discovery and Obsession, Once Bitten.
Catching Cancer and most recently IMMORTAL. In 2004 Wayne was awarded
accreditation by the Australian Screen Editors Guild “In recognition of excellence in
screen editing and outstanding contribution to Australian screen culture” and in 2010 he
was recognized at the Realscreen Awards, winning Best Editing for the December Films’
production Catching Cancer.
18
Publicity Contacts
Kerrie Theobald
Ph:
Mob:
Email:
03 9078 2820
0417 998 552
[email protected]
Production Company
December Films
Address:
Ph:
Fax:
Email:
Web:
Level 1, 462 City Rd, South Melbourne, Vic 3205
03 9699 8911
03 9699 8611
[email protected]
www.decemberfilms.com.au
A December Films Production for the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation & ITV Studios Global Entertainment
© December Films & Film Victoria
19

Press Kit

Transcription

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