Squirt (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Squirt was a New Zealand
children's television show, produced in Dunedin
. It had been aired since 1996 and on two different TV networks, coming to a close on 25 November 2006. Squirt was aired every Saturday morning, originally from 7am to 9am, then from 8:30am to 10am, but now only 30 minutes running from 8:30am to 9am. In the original time, many cartoons were aired, such as Cow & Chicken, Batman of the Future and Earthworm Jim
just to name a few. There were also weekly competitions, and many informational segments such as "Out There!" and "Astounding Squirt Facts".
It was notable for Dunedin based production company TaylorMade, and Animation Research Limited's (ARL) pioneering use of "live" motion capture
, used in the 3D animation of the digital co-host Spike The Penguin. A performer was off camera in a special costume, making all the moves and vocal responses to the main host's comments, which played back in real time on a monitor for the crew, while all the motion was digitally recorded, which could then be applied to a fully rendered Spike, and composited
into shot in post-production, ready for broadcast.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
children's television show, produced in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. It had been aired since 1996 and on two different TV networks, coming to a close on 25 November 2006. Squirt was aired every Saturday morning, originally from 7am to 9am, then from 8:30am to 10am, but now only 30 minutes running from 8:30am to 9am. In the original time, many cartoons were aired, such as Cow & Chicken, Batman of the Future and Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim (TV series)
Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series which appeared on Kids' WB! for two seasons from September 9, 1995 through December 13, 1996. It is based on the video game series of the same name...
just to name a few. There were also weekly competitions, and many informational segments such as "Out There!" and "Astounding Squirt Facts".
It was notable for Dunedin based production company TaylorMade, and Animation Research Limited's (ARL) pioneering use of "live" motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
, used in the 3D animation of the digital co-host Spike The Penguin. A performer was off camera in a special costume, making all the moves and vocal responses to the main host's comments, which played back in real time on a monitor for the crew, while all the motion was digitally recorded, which could then be applied to a fully rendered Spike, and composited
Compositing
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called "chroma key", "blue screen", "green screen" and other names. Today,...
into shot in post-production, ready for broadcast.
Final Presenters
- Ryan Inglis
- Jo Holley
- Spike T. Penguin (3D computer graphics3D computer graphics3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
voiced and performed by Katie Brockie)
Previous Presenters
- Matthew GibbMatthew GibbMatthew Phillip Gibb , is a television presenter in Auckland, New Zealand.Gibb was born in Christchurch. His first television appearance was on the television series Squirt. As of 2004, he was a co-host on the popular children's show Studio 2 until the series ended on 1 October 2010...
- Dominic BowdenDominic BowdenDominic Joseph Bowden . is a New Zealand television personality, host, radio and voice actor. He is best known as the host of the reality series New Zealand Idol. Bowden was also the host of TVNZs game shows Are You Smarter than a Ten Year Old? and Dare to Win, which has a similar format to Minute...
- Thomas RobinsThomas RobinsThomas Robins is a New Zealand actor who was the original host of Squirt, a children's television series. He has also played roles in two films directed by Peter Jackson.- Filmography :* Forgotten Silver - Colin McKenzie...
- Chris Dykzeul
- Beau Jeffries
- Jason GunnJason GunnJason Gunn is a New Zealand television personality. He is now best known as the main host of the hit New Zealand entertainment television show, Dancing with the Stars, Wheel of Fortune, and The Rich List.- Early career :...
- Gordon (Animated Fish)
- Hamish (Animated Fish) (voiced by Simon McKinney)
- Newt (Animated Fish)