{"id":25988,"date":"2023-10-06T08:50:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T12:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2023-10-09T09:41:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T13:41:51","slug":"cyber-group-studios-collaborative-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/cyber-group-studios-collaborative-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyber Group Studios\u2019 Collaborative Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Based on Scholastic\u2019s best-selling book series written and illustrated by Thomas Flintham,\u00a0Press Start!<\/em>\u00a0has come to life in a whole new way thanks to Cyber Group Studios. The show, a Peacock original for the U.S., is aimed at children aged 4 to 7 and has been developed by Emmy Award winner Scott Kraft (PAW Patrol<\/em>). Kraft serves as executive producer and head writer of the series. The artistic vision of the show is brought to life by Romain Pergod as the character designer and Sylvain Sarrailh as the background artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cFittingly, a show made for kids originated with the passion of a real kid: in this case, the son of Ira Singerman, our U.S. head of development,\u201d explains Karen K. Miller, president and CEO of Cyber Group Studios USA. \u201cIra\u2019s son came across author and illustrator\u00a0\"***Image***\"Thomas Flintham\u2019s\u00a0Press Start!<\/em>\u00a0book series at his elementary school\u2019s library. He gravitated toward the books because they were visually compelling and, more importantly, they were about one of the things kids love best: video games! He brought the books home, and Ira was intrigued the moment he saw them. He immediately read all the titles that were out in the market, and soon after called Scholastic to inquire about the availability of the rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the global team at Cyber Group Studios recognized the potential for a unique show that embodied the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy of kids: to be able to travel inside a video game world and have adventures battling villains, Miller adds. \u201cIt was also important to us to ensure the series would have a lot of heart, and that is reflected by the characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kraft came on board and \u201ctook everything to the next level,\u201d she continues. \u201cHe had a great take that delivered on the wish fulfillment while also really leaning into strong themes of family. He made sure that comedy was front and center, too. We knew the series would have cool action, no matter who developed it, but Scott\u2019s \u2018secret sauce\u2019 is in the comedy and sweetness he brought to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singerman adds, \u201cOne of Cyber Group Studios\u2019 key questions at the onset of the series development was, how do we take Thomas Flintham\u2019s 2D retro 8-bit style designs and adapt them to 3D? We were eager to discover what that would look like. With that goal in mind, the final look of the show is unlike anything kids have ever seen before. It features two distinct design styles. We have slick-looking traditional 3D in the real world and then, when the main characters go into the game world, we have a blocky, almost Minecraft-meets-LEGO-meets-\u201980s-video-game look with a ton of cartoony \u2018squash & stretch.\u2019 It was a challenge for the team to take on two different art styles\u2014it meant almost double the assets\u2014but the end result was worth it. We have a show that looks and feels different than anything else out there, and we are very proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also infusing video game-style fun,\u00a0Alex Player<\/em>\u00a0was inspired by video game competitions. \u201cEsports had become a true phenomenon, reaching kids in a major way,\u201d says Pierre Bela\u00efsch, senior VP of creative development and artistic production. \u201cIt\u2019s massive. People gather in huge arenas and cheer on their favorite teams as if they were watching a Champions League soccer final!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to capitalize on this social phenomenon, so we developed a set of artistic and editorial material (including a 1-minute trailer) that tells the story of Alex and his friends Camille, Amy and Mike, who create their own esports team and strive to win the interregional college Land of Titans cup,\u201d he continues. \u201cThat\u2019s a M.O.B.A. game we invented for the purpose of the show. Our goal was to show that esports is a true sport, based on team spirit and shared adventure, where feelings, emotions, solidarity and friendship within the team have a direct influence on your way of playing\u2026 just like any other sport! Above all, Alex, Camille, Amy and Mike are sweet and endearing kids, and we wanted to focus on this as much as on their competitive abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

This 26×22-minute animated series is a co-production between Cyber Group Studios (France), Graphilm Entertainment (Italy), Scrawl Animation (Singapore), Bee Prod and Webedia (France). The animated series is commissioned by France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions in France and Rai in Italy.<\/p>\n

Alex Player<\/em>\u00a0is a 2D\/3D show. The 2D part is reflected in the \u201creal world,\u201d where Alex and his friends go to school, live their lives as teenagers, have fun and practice their favorite game. The 3D part of the series is dedicated to the game world, which is called Land of Titans, where each member of the team is represented by their own \u201cavatar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the 3D game world, we\u2019re working with our studios in Roubaix, Scrawl Animation in Singapore and Graphilm Entertainment in Italy,\u201d Bela\u00efsch says. \u201cWe\u2019re producing\u00a0Alex Player\u00a0<\/em>using real-time animation, powered by Unreal Engine, leveraged by Cyber Group Studios\u2019 new real-time animation studio in Plaine Images, Hauts-de-France.\u00a0Alex Player<\/em>\u00a0is also Singapore\u2019s first long-term animation series produced using the real-time pipeline. Thanks to Unreal, the 3D scenes of the series really look like an actual video game!\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like its collaborative approach in aligning with international companies and studios on\u00a0Alex Player<\/em>, Cyber Group Studios works together across its L.A. and Paris offices to develop international content.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, Cyber Group Studios is driven by the power of story,\u201d Miller says. \u201cThe stories and characters need to be compelling and memorable and have the ability to appeal to audiences on a universal level. From there, the U.S. team assesses if we think there\u2019s a market for the idea or IP in North America, and the Paris team simultaneously does the same for Europe and the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work collaboratively through each phase of development,\u201d Bela\u00efsch adds. \u201cTypically, on all projects that are considered part of our U.S. slate, the U.S. team will drive the story development, and the Paris team will manage the visual development. But again, it\u2019s all happening in lockstep with daily Zoom meetings between the two offices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singerman says that the process for collaboration at Cyber Group Studios is rather straightforward: \u201cThe U.S. and Paris teams both give notes on story and design, and we discuss them with the goal of making the best show possible. The collaborative spirit and different cultural points of view help make things better than if we were each developing projects in a vacuum. It\u2019s a dynamic that has been working very well for us!\u201d<\/p>\n

For both the American and French teams, it all comes down to a good story, according to Miller. \u201cBoth the U.S. and Paris development teams are super passionate about storytelling and try to create the coolest animated kids’ shows possible. The diversity in our cultural sensibilities is a powerful force because the teams complement one another, infusing our shows with a global appeal. Their European perspective and our U.S. perspective come together harmoniously to enhance the richness of our content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bela\u00efsch adds, \u201cIn France, we have a rich tradition of visual storytelling, with a world-class design talent pool. Our board artists and directors consistently excel in enhancing storytelling, particularly in the realm of comedy, often delivering content beyond expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karen K. Miller, Ira Singerman and Pierre Bela\u00efsch share their collaborative approach when developing the video game-infused series Press Start! and Alex Player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":25989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21],"tags":[8488,145,3653,7131,3805,339,5531],"class_list":["post-25988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-alex-player","tag-cyber-group-studios","tag-cyber-group-studios-usa","tag-ira-singerman","tag-karen-k-miller","tag-pierre-belaisch","tag-press-start","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nCyber Group Studios\u2019 Collaborative Approach - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/cyber-group-studios-collaborative-approach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cyber Group Studios\u2019 Collaborative Approach - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Karen K. 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