PRODUCTION COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: Siamese
WA production company and post-production house Siamese has had two new animated projects greenlit for production, 200% Wolf and 100% Wolf: The Book of Hath, continuing their successful partnership with NSW's Flying Bark Productions.
WA production company and post-production house Siamese has had two new animated projects greenlit for production, continuing their successful partnership with NSW’s Flying Bark Productions.
200% Wolf, a sequel to the 2020 family feature 100% Wolf is co-produced by Siamese’s Francesca Hope and will revisit the adventures of Freddy Lupin, a lovable pink were-poodle.
Additionally, currently in production is 100% Wolf: The Book of Hath, a 26-part second season of the ABC ME spin-off series 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone, which follows Freddy and his friends at the werewolf-only Howlington Academy.
Siamese’s animation and post-production work on 100% Wolf continues to boost the WA post sector. Specialising in offline and online editing, visual effects, motion graphics and 3D animation, the company has provided post-production services for many local and international productions including How to Please a Woman, 1922, The Furnace and most recently, Ben Young’s Where All Light Tends to Go and a remote VFX shoot for Netflix’s Stranger Things.
We chatted to Producer / Managing Director Francesca Hope and Editor Merlin Eden about their partnership with Flying Bark, how the local industry has evolved over the years and why filmmakers are bringing their projects home to WA for post.
Audiences will be seeing more of were-poodle Freddy Lupin in the future, with a sequel film announced and a second season of the series in production. How did the initial relationship with Flying Bark Productions come about?
Merlin: At the time Flying Bark were in development on a first feature film based on the ‘100% Wolf’ books by WA writer Jayne Lyons, Francesca was given an introduction to their CEO Producer Barbara Stephen. Quickly they both acknowledged the work ethos and company ambitions were shared. The synergy was there from the beginning and we (Siamese) immediately took the leap into partnering on the Film. 100% Wolf was greenlit in 2017 and we’ve been on the journey with Flying Bark ever since.
What have the 100% Wolf projects meant for Siamese over the last few years?
Francesca: The partnership has been a welcomed runway into how we view ourselves and our work. Rather than having a strong focus on the nine to five, we have been able to sustain a slate of work, providing employment and fulfilling the creative pursuits of our team across a diverse selection of screen content.
The Flying Bark partnership also introduced remote work procedures into our studio (long before the pandemic) and for that we are thankful. The biggest take away is seeing the achievement and contribution our team has had across Design, Production, Editorial, as well as our local WA partners in Post Sound, Music Score, and the talents of WA writers across both TV series.
How have the post-production and animation industries in WA changed since Siamese began?
Merlin: This is a big question as we’ve been operating close to 20 years and in this time the rapid advances in technology has seen changes to our operations. Our first TV series work in the early 2000’s was on the 2D animation series Quads (Animation Works/Nelvana). Back then media was sent on hard drives and final masters delivered on Tape, these procedures are now all online.
Francesca: It’s now also possible to seek opportunities globally without necessarily having to get on a flight and do the rounds in person. Particularly since the pandemic, Producers and Directors are now more likely to entertain working remotely in Post. Of course the reputation of the Editor, VFX teams etc plays a significant part in attracting the work, the financial incentives through the Screenwest-run WA PDV rebate is a big drawcard to bringing work and investment here to the state.
Over this span of time, the meaning behind our name ‘Siamese’ has retained its relevance – a collective of like-minded creatives. We have always acknowledged the importance of collaboration, nurturing creative development and growth, because every team member is integral to the end result.
Why should national and international projects complete their post-production in Western Australia?
Francesca: We recently completed the Offline edit to Where All Light Tends to Go, in which Ben Young pushed to work with Merlin and the Siamese team here in Perth. Over the years Siamese has supported Ben, along with a number of other now internationally recognised creatives from their early careers onwards. In turn they have made a push to bring the work back to WA and Siamese, based on their desire to be here and showcasing the quality of work that can be achieved locally (being of an international level). Recently there has also been the added financial incentives to do so.
In the end and more importantly, we pride ourselves on our strengths in collaboration and building on relationships we’ve created with producers and content creators, all the while using our experience to always strive and achieve the best for each project.
100% Wolf is currently available to stream on Netflix here and the first season of the spin-off series, 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone, is available to stream on ABC iview here.
Contact Screenwest
T: +61 8 6169 2100
E: info@screenwest.com.au
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with Screenwest.