Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 8, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
From Advertising to Cult Series
“Niezły kanał” (“What a Channel”) was originally an animated series produced by CANAL+ Cyfrowy to promote the broadcaster’s offerings.
CANAL+ Cyfrowy Sp. z o.o. is one of the leading companies in Poland’s media sector. It offers digital platforms that transmit television channels across more than 350 cable networks: CANAL+, CANAL+ Film, CANAL+ Film HD, CANAL+ Sport, CANAL+ Sport HD, CANAL+ Sport2, as well as kino!, ZigZap/Hyper, MiniMini, PLANETE, and Kuchnia.tv. Alongside its leading position in television rights, it continually introduces new offerings based on technologies such as DSL, HDTV, PVR, and VoD.
“What a Channel” - produced by Platige Image for CANAL+ Cyfrowy - is intended to introduce subscribers to the new technologies and offerings in a humorous way. It was directed by Sebastian Pańczyk. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław in 2000. He later began working as a director at an advertising agency in Warsaw while simultaneously working on a series of animated films titled “Kort & Albin.” His path then led him to MTV Poland. Since 2005, he has directed music videos and commercials. Tomasz Minkiewicz and Bartosz Mickiewicz, the authors of a comic series called “Wilq - Superbohater” (“Wilq the Superhero”), are responsible for writing the individual episodes.
The Story
Essentially, it is about an ordinary family, the Plusiaks, who take part in an audition for a television show by a well-known producer. Opinion surveys had shown, however, that the family members looked too average and were therefore not funny and original enough for the planned sitcom. The decision was therefore made to use fairly elaborate make-up and pink rabbit costumes as clothing to make the production more marketable. Every character has their quirks, but they share one thing: they love television.
#what_a_channel
The Concept
The series is a new form of communication with CYFRA+ subscribers. The aim was to create a new, unconventional form of infotainment.
To avoid stamping the whole production too heavily as advertising and to generate greater audience interest, purely entertainment-oriented episodes were also created. These examined the main characters more closely and included interaction between the characters and the “camera crew.”
Audiences responded to the Plusiaks with great enthusiasm beyond the promotional spots, so the decision was made to continue the characters as a standalone television series without advertising content.
The short films are produced using current 3D-animation techniques combined with traditional set designs recorded using Milo motion-control systems. The 35mm footage is combined with the virtual characters in 3ds Max, with post-production in After Effects and Avid.
Team: Grzegorz Kukus, Maciek Wojtkiewicz, Krzysztof Rusinek, Daria Zawada, Szymon Kaszuba, Michal Dziekan, Marcin Filipek, Wojciech Idzi, Michal Gryn, Bartek Opatowiecki, Marcin Stepien, Kamil Pohl, Krzysztof Kamrowski, Adam Janeczek, Lukasz Sobisz, Adam Wierzchowski
Company: Platige Image
Client: Canal+ Cyfrowy
Software used: 3ds Max, Photoshop, After Effects, Avid
