The production history of Bobtales

Bobtales was the idea of film-maker Todd Williams, and the idea was trialed in the video magazine "Blue tongue". Stephen (Baamba) Albert told the stories, (including one that was later re-made in Bobtales). The unit making Blue Tongue closed soon afterwards, but Todd was so impressed with the results that he took it to Pat Evans, and their production company, Gripping Films & Graphics.

In conjunction with WAAMA, Gripping Films secured a loan from Screen West (the Film and Television office of Western Australia) to develop a series and make a new pilot episode. The proposal documents were drawn up, filming for the pilot episode started and the story board was finalised. Then a problem occurred. Todd Williams suddenly moved up to Darwin.

At the last moment, Alan Thompson, an animator then based in Fremantle, Western Australia, was brought in. Using drawings provided by the children of the Gnowangerup and Jerramungup primary schools, the episode was animated on an Amiga 3000 computer, then transferred to video at the Film & Television Institute (WA). The finished episode was assembled at Telepro Post. Total production time was about 4 weeks in mid 1994.

The Pilot Episode: Watj and the Djindong (pronounced waych and the gindies) (emu and the stars)
was screened at the 9th WA film and Video Festival in 1995 and won the Best Animation award.

There was a two-year gap between the making of the pilot episode and the production of the final series. SBS Independent pre-purchased the series on behalf of SBS Television fairly early on, but time was consumed in raising the rest of the budget and obtaining the necessary clearances for the use of the stories.

Full production finally commenced in May, 1996 in the WAAMA building in East Perth. Todd Williams directed via fax from Darwin. An Amiga 4000 computer was now used to produce the animation. In late June, animation production shifted to Alan Thompson's home in South Perth.

Animation was completed by January 1997 of the twelve five-minute episodes. The live action introduction scenes with Stephen Albert, were shot in near 40-degree heat over two days in various locations around Perth. A Location in York had to be abandoned due to bush fires. The final episodes were edited at the FTI on an Avid Edit suite and delivered on Betacam -SP to SBS Television by the 20th of February 1997.

The official launch was held at the FTI in March.
A Screen West launch was held a few days later at the Cinema Paradiso, Northbridge screened two episodes.

Film Australia, the international distributor, sold the series to a TV station in Norway.

The Australian television premiere of Bobtales has been announced for Monday 29 June on SBS Television at 5.50pm (to be confirmed)