Crash Zone
Encyclopedia
Crash Zone is an Australian children's science fiction television series which aired on the Seven Network
from 1999 to 2001. It was produced by Australian Children's Television Foundation
, in association with the Disney Channel
, and ran for 26 episodes. The series starred five high school students, "high-tech whiz kids" of varied backgrounds, who are hired by the president of the Catalyst software company to save her failing business. The premise of the series was unique in that it was one of the first series to examine the early use of the internet
as well as the video game industry and artificial intelligence
.
high school students who all have a strong interest in computers, online gaming and the internet. While playing an online computer game, they each discover a coded message. The message prompts them to follow a series of clues that eventually leads them to a meeting with Alexandra Davis (Nicki Wendt), president of the software company Catalyst.
Confessing that she was the author of the messages, Davis reveals to the teenagers that her company is struggling and she would like to hire one of the teens as game testers in order to design games for her company at "The Crash Zone". Davis proposes a competition in which the winner takes the job, and while the competition is fierce, she is impressed by their teamwork and offers them all positions in the company. The one exception is Ram, whom she feels is too young, but is allowed to remain with the teens. As well as the developing friendships with each other and their social lives, the teenagers also discover Virgil (Matthew Parkinson), a mysterious artificial intelligence
which exists on the internet.
The second series has the teenagers returning from their summer vacation
s to find the financial situation at Catalyst to have become much more serious. Davis has been forced to lay off most of her staff and the they may be next. Two new characters are introduced in the second series, 12-year-old Penny Gallagher and her father Matthew Gallagher. Penny Gallagher, who is befriended by Ram, persuades her father to offer Davis a deal to save Catalyst from bankruptcy
. Although knowing very little about the video gaming industry, Matthew Gallagher is a very successful businessman and very quickly turns the company around. However, his changes often results in conflict between him and the staff.
and the Disney Channel
. It proved a very successful show and eventually aired in Canada
and the United Kingdom
as well. The series was nominated for several awards including the Australian Film Institute Awards
, Prix Jeunesse and the New York Film Festival
. It was also given honorable mention at The Chris Awards and was an official selection at the Prix Danube, the Chicago International Children's Film Festival
and The Museum of Television and Radio.
In 1999, series producer Patricia Edgar
was nominated by the Australian Film Institute
for "Best Children's Television Drama", specifically its first episode "The Dream Team". Esben Storm
was also nominated for "Best Direction in a Television Drama" for directing its first episode. Edgar was again nominated to receive "Best Children's Television Drama", along with Bernadette O'Mahony, for their work on the episode "Skin Deep" in 2001. Its second season saw the series also nominated for "Most Outstanding Children's Program" at the 2001
and 2002 Logie Awards
.
A novel
based on the series was written by Amanda Midlam and released in 2001.
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
from 1999 to 2001. It was produced by Australian Children's Television Foundation
Australian Children's Television Foundation
The Australian Children's Television Foundation is a non-profit, government-funded organisation in Australia concerned with the development, production, dissemination and promotion of children's television and other audio-visual material for children....
, in association with the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, and ran for 26 episodes. The series starred five high school students, "high-tech whiz kids" of varied backgrounds, who are hired by the president of the Catalyst software company to save her failing business. The premise of the series was unique in that it was one of the first series to examine the early use of the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as well as the video game industry and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
.
Plot
Mike Hansen (Nikolai Nikolaeff), Alison 'Pi' Renfrey (Cassandra Magrath), Rebecca 'Bec' Chan (Frances Wang), Marcello Di Campili (Paul Pantano) and Abraham 'Ram' Foley (Damien Bodie) are five MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
high school students who all have a strong interest in computers, online gaming and the internet. While playing an online computer game, they each discover a coded message. The message prompts them to follow a series of clues that eventually leads them to a meeting with Alexandra Davis (Nicki Wendt), president of the software company Catalyst.
Confessing that she was the author of the messages, Davis reveals to the teenagers that her company is struggling and she would like to hire one of the teens as game testers in order to design games for her company at "The Crash Zone". Davis proposes a competition in which the winner takes the job, and while the competition is fierce, she is impressed by their teamwork and offers them all positions in the company. The one exception is Ram, whom she feels is too young, but is allowed to remain with the teens. As well as the developing friendships with each other and their social lives, the teenagers also discover Virgil (Matthew Parkinson), a mysterious artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
which exists on the internet.
The second series has the teenagers returning from their summer vacation
Summer vacation
Summer vacation is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.-Students:In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports, summer camps, and...
s to find the financial situation at Catalyst to have become much more serious. Davis has been forced to lay off most of her staff and the they may be next. Two new characters are introduced in the second series, 12-year-old Penny Gallagher and her father Matthew Gallagher. Penny Gallagher, who is befriended by Ram, persuades her father to offer Davis a deal to save Catalyst from bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. Although knowing very little about the video gaming industry, Matthew Gallagher is a very successful businessman and very quickly turns the company around. However, his changes often results in conflict between him and the staff.
Characters
- Alison 'Pi' Renfrey (Cassandra MagrathCassandra MagrathCassandra Magrath is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayal of Miranda Gibson in the Australian ABC 1998–2000 television series SeaChange and in the lead role in the 2005 Australian horror film Wolf Creek.-Early life:Magrath attended a drama class for a ten year period...
) - is the daughter of a highly popular actor and is usually regarded as the richest of the group. She is pretty, spirited and occasionally rude. - Marcello Di Campili (Paul Pantano) - an Italian, he has high hopes of becoming super rich one day and often gets into trouble as a result of his various shady dealings. He is lively, humorous and comical.
- Abraham 'Ram' Foley (Damien BodieDamien BodieDamien Bodie is an Australian actor.-Biography:Bodie was educated at Sandringham Secondary College and is best known for his role as Dylan Timmins on the Australian television series Neighbours . Bodie played the role of Oscar in the television series Short Cuts which won three awards in 2002...
) - is the second youngest of the group but is the most creative and technically intelligent of the group. He remains one of Mike's best friends from the first. - Rebecca 'Bec' Chan (Frances Wang) - is Chinese and is often portrayed as an intelligent, highly successful academic student. She is popular with the Catalyst staff.
- Mike Hansen (Nikolai NikolaeffNikolai NikolaeffNikolai Nikolaeff is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the television series Sea Patrol, Power Rangers: Jungle Fury and Wicked Science....
) - is probably the oldest of the group and the most successful game designer and tester. He often assumes control of the group when things go wrong. He is also the funniest of the group and is patient and quick-thinking. - Alexandra Davis (Nicky Wendt) -
- Nigel Hartford (Richard Moss) -
- Virgil Reality (Matt ParkinsonMatt ParkinsonMatthew "Matt" Parkinson is an Australian comedian, actor and radio presenter. He began acting at school and studied Theatre Arts at W.A.I.T....
) - Originally a "Buggy" Artificial intelligence experiment created by Alex when she was working for Sunjim. Virgil was "born" when Alex trashed the AI 2000 program when she couldn't get it to work properly. The remains floated about the internet like a ghost before forming the AI Virgil who spent the next few years wandering the internet before appearing in the Catlyst network server where he met the Crash Zone team and subsequently met his creator Alex. The name 'Virgil' is given to him by Mike. - Penny Gallagher (Heidi ValkenburgHeidi ValkenburgHeidi Valkenburg is an Australian television actress.She attended East Doncaster Secondary College but began acting at an early age, her first big break came in 2000 when she was cast for the role of Penny Gallagher in the children's series Crash Zone alongside Cassandra Magrath, Paul Pantno,...
) - is the youngest of the group at twelve yet she is quick and computer savvy and has produced ingenious creations. She is introduced to Catalyst by Ram. - Matthew Gallagher (Jeremy Stanford) -
Series One
| # | Title | Writers | | Original airdate | | Series No. |
|---|
Series Two
| # | Title | Writers | | Original airdate | | Series No. |
|---|
Reception
The series was the first collaboration with the Australian Children's Television FoundationAustralian Children's Television Foundation
The Australian Children's Television Foundation is a non-profit, government-funded organisation in Australia concerned with the development, production, dissemination and promotion of children's television and other audio-visual material for children....
and the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
. It proved a very successful show and eventually aired in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as well. The series was nominated for several awards including the Australian Film Institute Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
, Prix Jeunesse and the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. It was also given honorable mention at The Chris Awards and was an official selection at the Prix Danube, the Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Founded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
and The Museum of Television and Radio.
In 1999, series producer Patricia Edgar
Patricia Edgar
Patricia May Edgar AM is an Australian author, television producer and educator, best known as the founding director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation....
was nominated by the Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
for "Best Children's Television Drama", specifically its first episode "The Dream Team". Esben Storm
Esben Storm
Esben Storm was a Danish-born Australian actor, screenwriter, television producer and director, well known for his work with Australian children's program Round the Twist. He worked to adapt John Marsden's Tomorrow series but lost the rights to the film...
was also nominated for "Best Direction in a Television Drama" for directing its first episode. Edgar was again nominated to receive "Best Children's Television Drama", along with Bernadette O'Mahony, for their work on the episode "Skin Deep" in 2001. Its second season saw the series also nominated for "Most Outstanding Children's Program" at the 2001
Logie Awards of 2001
The 43rd Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Sunday 22 April 2001 at Crown Casino in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Shaun Micallef from the ABC was the Master of Ceremonies...
and 2002 Logie Awards
Logie Awards of 2002
The 44th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Sunday 28 April 2002 at Crown Casino in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Wendy Harmer from the Sydney radio station 2Day FM was the Master of Ceremonies.The ratings of the 2002 logie awards averaged around 1,865,000 and ranked at #5...
.
A novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
based on the series was written by Amanda Midlam and released in 2001.
Further reading
- Edgar, Patricia. Bloodbath: A Memoir of Australian Television. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-522-85281-5
- Gough, Noel. "Teaching in the (Crash) zone: manifesting cultural studies." Deakin Centre for Education and Change. Australian Association for Research in Education. 15 July 2009.
- Gough, Noel. "Locations, liminalities and literacies: science education in The Crash Zone (and other heterotopian spaces)." (Post)modern Science (Education): Propositions and Alternative Paths. New York: Peter Lang, 2001. 249-73. La Trobe University. 15 July 2009.