australian television information archive

ZDF Enterprises launches 'H2O ­ Just Add Water' at MIPCOM 2006 with a splash!

ZDF Enterprises announces the launch of 'H2O - Just Add Water' at this year's MIPCOM television trade fair in Cannes (9th - 13th October 2006).

Says ZDF Enterprises President and CEO Alexander Coridass: 'We are proud to continue our successful relationship with Jonathan M. Shiff with yet another spectacular series from this creative and powerful BAFTA-award-winning producer. MIPCOM visitors will be thrilled by our 'H2O - Just Add Water' booth decoration. On top of this, we are giving away a luxury vacation for two on the original set of the series, Australia’s Gold Coast. All one has to do to participate in the sweepstake is to answer a question on our website www.zdf-enterprises.de.'

Produced by Australia's Jonathan M. Shiff Productions and coproduced by Australia’s Network TEN, German Pubcaster ZDF as well as ZDF Enterprises, the new half-hour live action series for children, teens and families relates the adventures of three 16-year-old girls growing up on Australia's sunny Gold Coast. After a visit to a mysterious island, they discover that they've only got seconds to dry off at the contact of water before they start growing tails. They've become mermaids! What's more, they also have superpowers. The girls just want to live normal lives, and their friend Lewis is ready to help them, but there's a bad boy out there who wants to get to the bottom of the mermaid mystery ...

The production boasts spectacular underwater scenes and CGI effects such as the computer-enhanced mermaids, which heighten the program's appeal to young viewers. Twenty-six half -hours are already available, another twenty-six are currently in production Down Under for Australia's Network TEN and the Disney Channel Australia, as well as for Germany's public network ZDF and its children's channel KiKa.

ZDF Enterprises is handling the worldwide distribution of all rights outside Australia and New Zealand. Major broadcasters in France, the U.K. and Italy have already secured the rights for their channels or are in final negotiations. With a budget of more than ¤ 14,040,000 (US$ 17,950,000) for the entire series, 'H2O' is the fourth teen-skewed live-action coproduction involving the Australian and German partners, following two seasons of 'Wicked Science' (52 x 26') and 'Scooter: Secret Agent' (26 x 26').

'H2O' starts airing on ZDF in December 2006 and is already being shown in Australia (Network Ten), with Disney getting first-run ahead of Ten. The same partnership is now developing 'Lost Treasures of Fiji' (13 x 30'), a US$ 9 million sequel to Shiff's previous Pirate Islands.

September 26, 2006
Press release
ZDF Enterprises

Young talent tales

CLAIRE Holt, Cariba Heine and Phoebe Tonkin ­ the three teens who are playing part-time mermaids in Channel 10's new kids show H2O ­ found a clever way to keep their eyes open during long sessions of filming underwater.

The trio, with the assistance of the set nurse, discovered that a few drops of full-cream milk in their eyes meant that the chlorine in the water tank at Sea World wouldn't burn as much.

"The chlorine starts to sting when you have to keep your eyes open underwater for a while and we tried a lot of things, but the milk in our eyes worked a treat," Holt says.

"It was a trick I used in water polo but I never thought of it for H2O and the nurse was researching on the internet and she suggested we try a few drops of milk, but it had to be full-cream milk."

Holt, from Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane, plays Emma Gilbert, one of three friends who take a swim in a volcanic pond and become mermaids with magical powers every time they touch water.

Tonkin, who is from Mosman in Sydney, and Canberra local Heine round out the core cast while Angus McLaren from Leongatha in Victoria is the token boy who plays the trio's protective male mate.

"H2O is about three girls who stumble on each other and friendship first, and then on to the volcanic island, and then the next time they touch water they turn into mermaids," Heine says.

"The show is about their adventures trying to keep away from other people while they have their tails, and coming to terms with their magical powers.

"I think there will be a wide range of kids who will watch it and it won't matter if they don't get the storyline because they will have the visual stuff.

"The young girls will go nuts over the mermaid stuff, because the way it was shot looks spectacular, and then there's the drama and the older girls will watch because of that side.

"I think there will be a lot of older brothers and sisters who will become closet watchers."

H2O was shot on the Gold Coast earlier this year with the inside scenes done at the Warner Studios and the water segments filmed in the giant tank at Sea World.

Holt, who graduated from Stuartholme School in Toowong last year, says that the $10 million spent creating H2O was worth every cent because children's television was such a big market.

"It's really important that kids have an escape and can get involved in the magic. I think it's really important for children to have that stimulus and be able to develop their imagination," she says.

"There are so many shows on television now with fighting and violence and guns, so H2O is really great because there is no swearing, there's nothing that can harm them. It's a really positive show for kids to be able to watch."

H2O, Ten, Friday 4pm

By Sarah Nicholson
July 02, 2006
The Courier Mail

H2O - Just Add Water

Quality Australian children's show tells of three girls who are magically turned into mermaids.

Trapped on a mysterious island off the Gold Coast after a naughty nautical adventure, Emma (Claire Holt), Cleo (Phoebe Tonkin) and Rikki (Cariba Heine) swim to freedom through an underwater channel. But the full moon has a magical effect and the girls now find that contact with water turns them into maids - and not the parking-metre variety.

Even better, each has a magical power over the H20 - just the ticket when they're being hassled by the resident bad boy.

This first episode sets up the story, so it's occasionally slow but there is the promise of many adventures to come.

It's a quality piece of Australian children's television - it looks good, the three female leads are engaging and there's some lovely underwater photography.

By Clare Morgan, Reviewer
July 06, 2006
The Age

Mermaid power

Heine says the tails are difficult to lift and weigh from 12 to 15 kilograms. The costumes took six months to build, with the tails made from body casts and comprising individually hand-crafted scales. Once in costume, the girls are lifted into the water.

"You basically do have your legs stuck together," Heine says. "Sometimes we just roll down the beach."

Shiff says the actors had to be strong swimmers and "psychologically able to stay and act underwater."

But ask Heine how you go about acting underwater and she giggles: "We've got saltwater in our eyes so we can't see what we're doing - it's pretty hard.".

Unlike Ocean Girl who was an alien, Shiff says he wanted to tell a story about real teenagers.

"The stories emanate from them being normal teenage girls trying to cope with the fact that they're also mermaids," he says.

The show has sold well internationally and a second series has been green-lit. The appeal, Shiff says, is in doing something that has universal themes.

"You need to be pushing buttons with themes around the world: friendship, adventure, growing up and coping with families and boyfriends and girlfriends," he says.

"On top of that you've got the fun that you have if you're going to get a tail when you're touched by water."

Shiff hopes the show will appeal to teenage girls and boys, as well as younger viewers.

"It's aspirational - you've got your 12-year-olds out there thinking, 'What's it like if a boy tries to kiss me?' And it's proactive modelling for girls - girls can do anything."

By Heather Gallagher
July 06, 2006
The Age

For instant stardom… Just Add Water

HUNDREDS of budding actors lined up at the Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast yesterday for their chance to star in a teen drama that promises a twist in the tail.

After holding interviews throughout Australia, producers of the $10 million TV show H20 ­ Just Add Water are confident their three lead actors will be Gold Coast girls.

Filming begins on the tourist strip in October for the Jonathan M. Shiff Productions project, which follows the company's international success with Ocean Girl, Wicked Science and Cybergirl.

Associate producer Joanna Werner said a decision on the leads, who would play mermaids, and the eight support roles should be made in a fortnight.

"Ideally, we're looking for 14-to-17-year-olds, who are gorgeous, athletic and fantastic actors ­ we're not asking for much," Ms Werner joked.

"They will have to perform underwater and be mermaids. Hopefully, we will find our girl here. It's perfect. Gold Coast teenagers tend to be out on the beach, in the sun."

Ashleigh Lawrence, 16, believes she might be a good chance to appear in the series, which will run on Channel 10 next year.

The Merrimac secondary school student has appeared in several other productions, including The Sleepover Club.

"I'm doing marine studies at school," she said. "We have to do snorkeling and swimming. I love boats and jet skis."

By Paul Weston
August 07, 2005
The Sunday Mail