CLAIRE UNDERWOOD

New Pesky Showreel

2008-12-08T08:09:00.004Z

Pesky is a bit quiet at the moment as we develop new projects.

But I did find time to make our new showreel - which you can see in 'HD' (wooo!) at http://vimeo.com/2443834

DVD's Out Now!!

2008-06-27T19:20:00.005Z

DVD's are now going on sale in Australia - you can get them from...

http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=750400

It's the first official merchandise to go on sale in any country. The DVD contains the above 13 episodes plus a couple of the original shorts.

The DVD's are region 4 only - so that's good if you're living in Australasia, Central America, the Caribbean and South America... if not - why not consider moving there!!

Tv's of Titillation!

2008-03-12T10:42:00.009Z

The Peskies are back in business after a 3 month post Adrenalini break. Feeling refreshed and raring to get going on developing new series.

We managed to catch the show in New Zealand when it launched, then in December we switched on in Australia to see the Christmas episode "Sleighs of Hazard!"....

Watching in Sydney with David, daughter Poppy and my old school chum Jenni

...and then on to Hong Kong - where we watched "Kilts of Uproar" on home cinema!

World Domination feels so good!!

Bungee Jumping - Pah! Adrenalini - YAHZAA!!

2007-11-07T01:55:00.001Z

The Adrenalini Brothers have launched on Cartoon Network in New Zealand on Sundays at 9.30am. This is very exciting for me - as I'm currently on a long holiday over here - so I got my first chance to switch on and see the show in another country. A couple we have met here on Waiheke Island (Mike and Ilona) saw the trailers for the launch and threw us a celebratory brunch in it's honour!!

I'm hoping that the worlds most 'extreme' nation is going to embrace all things Adrenalini - we may find that in 10 years time bungee jumping is so 'last decade' as tourists pay to jump over crocodiles on pogo sticks with their underpants on fire... YAHZAA!

International Moustachioed Men of Mystery!

2007-07-09T13:32:00.001Z

The language versions for The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers! are well under way now. The shows are being dubbed into Dutch, Italian, Spanish, French, Polish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, Danish, Russian, Mandarin, Hindi, Tamil, Thai, Korean, Bahasa and Telegu.

Now for the true Adrenalini Geek - here's a list of countries you will be able to see the Adrenalinis in action...

UK, Canada, Ireland, Malta, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Monaco, Adorra, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, DOM-TOM-POM and New Caledonia, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republid of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuala, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Isreal, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgystan, KSA, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Azores, Qatar, Romania, Russia and CIS, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, UAE, Ukraine, Uganda, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Australia, Tahiti, Philippines, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

PHEW! I hope I've not missed anyone off...

It's an amazing feeling to see that list of countries. Not sure how many TV's are actually in Bhutan - but if we will bring a chuckle and a YAHZAA to just one kid over there it will be worth it! I can't wait to be lounging in a Kyrgystanian hotel and just flick on the box to see Enk being stuffed into a cannon!!

It will be interesting to see how it does in each country. So far the Aussies seem to be lapping it up most - judging by the hits we get on our website. Over there it has a great time slot - so it's catching a wide age range. I will be in Sydney the week before Christmas - so hopefully I will be able to see it then - and feel the warm love of adoring fans!!

New Look Website

2007-06-19T09:56:00.002Z

It's been a while since I last posted. The Adrenalini production has now ended - and the teams in London and Vancouver have all moved on to pastures new :-( There are now just three of us left at Pesky - co-ordinating the language versions, and making sure all the other paperwork is complete. I have moved on to 'Brand Management' and have spent the last couple of weeks revamping the website. I've added bits of animation and have given it a general facelift using a lovely font called - Grilled Cheese!!

www.adrenalini.com

We have decided to scrap our forum due to the amount of time it takes to delete the viagra ads and porn spam each day. Poor Melissa has had a few nasty surprises when she's taken a peek in the approval queue!! We have now created a home on MySpace for the Adrenalinis - www.myspace.com/amazingadrenalinibrothers - so that will be the new place to leave messages.

On to my next job - which is to make the Adrenalini Style Guide - which will hopefully take us one step closer to the world of merchandise!!

Bracing Ourselves!

2007-03-09T17:56:00.001Z

The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers are waiting in the wings this weekend... preparing to launch themselves out of a cannon straight onto Cartoon Network in the UK. YAHZAA!! The fun begins on Monday the 12th of March at 3.30 (rpt 7.30). There will be 3 shows playing in a half hour block every weekday from now on.

The lovely people at Cartoon Network have done a great job of making promos - which included building the tour bus in wonderous 3D! As well as making an Adrenalini page for the Cartoon Network site.

And as if you needed more excitement in one post - the latest Cartoon Network Magazine is packed from front to back cover with Adrenalini mayhem - a competition, fun facts and a double spread poster. And Kraze Club Magazine is also running the 4th comic strip "Hotdog of Audacity" - where Enk meets King Kong, via a squirt of ketchup, a spurt of mustard and few flaming onions rings!

Filming the Voice Record

2007-03-01T17:06:00.001Z

Nick Ostler - Adi, Dan Chambers - Xan, Mark Huckerby - Enk

I went down to Brighton last Friday to document the final voice record for "The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers!" A historic occaision filled with Yahzaa's, Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's, and the odd Gumbux! The voice artistes crammed into the sweaty booth in a former bank vault near the Brighton seafront for the final time on this series.

I don't normally go to the voice records so it was great for me to see what goes on down there. Now I know how Mark manages to get Enk's squeaky high pitched squeals (Ouch!!) I even got to perform a line for one of the bystanders in 'Mission of Impossibility' - "He's turned that bus into a sausage!" It only took about 20 takes to get it right!

We also had the privilege of having Olly Smith come and do the voice of "Baron Von Badguy". He is a close friend of Mark, Nick and Dan and performed the voice of the Adrenalini Brothers' Dad in the short 'Box of No Return!' as well as several others in the 7 minute series. Olly has found recent fame as TV's wine expert now presenting on The Richard and Judy Show. He came straight from a filming dressed in tuxedo with a bag full of booze - Nice!

Olly Smith in action!

Finished All Concept Designs - YAHZAA!

2007-02-16T15:30:00.001Z

After 21 months of relentless hard work - but many laughs along the way - we have finished the concept designs for The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers! Episode 78 - "Rivals of Wrath", was delivered to Studio B (our Canadian studio who do storyboards and animation) on Tuesday evening.

That means that Sarah Roper (Production Designer) has now left the building! She has designed 72 of the 78 locations. Both Sarah and I started the production with six month old babies in tow. Sarah finished the production sporting a HUGE tummy and is due her second baby in May. She is expecting a girl.... perhaps Enketta, Xanielle, Adina... ...hang on - that works - I'll put it to her!!!

Still: Concept design - Rivals of Wrath

Dick Arnall

2007-02-14T15:54:00.001Z

Found out some sad news last night. Dick Arnall, the highly respected british short film producer has died. He will be greatly missed by the animation community.

I have a lot to thank Dick and his partner Marjut Rimminen for, as they gave me a lot of encouragement in the early days. Marjut was my tutor at West Surrey College of Art, she was very supportive in the final year with honest criticism and enthusiasm for my film. The following year I struggled to get a foot in the door, and Marjut came to the rescue giving me my first proper animation job. I worked from their house in Islington and got to know Dick then. They both had great faith in me even though I felt totally lost a the time.

And although over the next 15 years I have moved into a much more commercial world - having sold my soul to Cartoon Network! ;-) I can honestly say that I wouldn't have had the privilege of drawing for a living if it wasn't for these guys.

Dick Arnall was an inspiring, enthusiastic, innovative and charming man, who always had his finger on the pulse of emerging new media (he taught me what an e-mail address was back in 1994!) He had the rare qualities of being both a highly intelligent conversationalist as well as having a great sense of humour, and a genuine interest in people. I will always picture him chuckling cheekily as he fiddled with his roll-ups!

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/halloweenshortfilmfestival

Let me take you back a few months...

2007-02-13T13:53:00.001Z

...It's the 26th of November 2006... This was the moment of glory where we won the BAFTA for best children's animation for "The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers!"

Pictured here is David Hodgson (Producer) Dan Chambers (Director, creator and voice artiste extrodinaire!) and Me (Series Director). The prize was awarded to us by Burn Gorman of Torchwood... shame it wasn't the guy who got voted off the X factor 3 weeks before, now that WOULD have been exciting!!

It was a star studded occaision - Keith Chegwin, Esther Rantzen and that ginger guy off Eastenders partying on til the early hours!

Ten of us who work on the show went along... here they all are after far too much champagne!

(L-R) Gary Boller (Character Designer), David Hodgson (Producer), Andrew Brenner (Script Editor), Dan Chambers (Director), Mark Huckerby (Creator / Writer), Melissa Venet (Production Co-ordinator), Steven Lenton (Art Director), Claire Underwood (Director), Paul James (Music and Sound Designer), Nick Ostler (Creator / Writer).

BLOGTASTIC!

2007-02-13T13:46:00.001Z

Welcome to my brand spanking new BLOG!

I hope to keep it up to date with news from the Pesky animation studios as we launch our kids TV series "The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers!" across the world in 2007.

You can already catch it on ITV (UK), YTV (Canada) and ABC (Australia) - but over the next few months it will launch on Cartoon Network in the UK and most of Europe and Asia.

You can find out more about the Adrenalini brothers at www.adrenalini.com, and more about Pesky at www.pesky.com, as well as see the original 10 shorts on www.miniclip.com

ENJOY!