Born: Established: 1963 Melbourne Victoria ;
Gender:
Male
Chris Anastassiades is a dramatist and script-writer, with extensive experience in television script-writing, particularly comedy and children's television.
Anastassiades's earliest television scripts were for Col'n Carpenter (1990-1991), a spin-off from the successful skit-comedy program The Comedy Company. Following this, he wrote scripts for such programs as G.P., as well as contributing extensively to Acropolis Now.
Anastassiades had a long-running association with the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF), for whom he wrote the script for Yolngu Boy: according to Patricia Edgar, the script was 'developed over two years, with Chris absorbing the culture and working with Gordon Glenn, the principal script editor (p.348). Anastassiades was one of the writers whom Edgar particularly valued as having the 'precise elements' for which she was looking in ACTF writers: indeed, she describes him as a 'close second' to her first-choice director Esben Storm when describing her choice of writers (p.317). As well as Yolngu Boy, Anastassiades worked on such ACTF productions as Legacy of the Silver Shadow, Round the Twist, and Lift Off.
Anastassiades has also written extensively for Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, including scripts for The Elephant Princess, H2O: Just Add Water, Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji, Scooter: Secret Agent, and Wicked Science.
His film scripts include Hating Alison Ashley, The Wannabes, and The Kings of Mykonos.
He has also worked as a script editor and a story consultant.
(Source: Patricia Edgar, Bloodbath: A Memoir of Australian Television, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2006.)
Saskia (living in Australia) has on online friendship with Noah (living in the UK). Each 'deceives' the other with their online personas, Indy (for Saskia) and Max Hammer (for Noah): Indy and Max allow Saskia and Noah to be the people they hope to be, without any of their own anxieties and uncertainties. Despite this element of deceit, the friendship between the two is presented as genuine and strong. The program received much praise when it first aired for offering a counter-argument to the anxiety that often marks debates about online friendships.
According to Patricia Edgar's account of the creation of this program,
To take such an abstract philosophical concept and create involving stories with appealing characters was a difficult task for any writer. Elaine and I needed smart observers of people and situations who understood the world Noah and Saskia inhabit, who had a flair for sharp, witty dialogue for a modern, pacy story. With the different components in the United Kingdom, Australia and cyberspace, it could be structurally confusing. Chris Anastassiades, who had written the Yolngu Boy script and worked for several other ACTF projects, was the answer, along with Sam Carroll, a young woman who had not yet been spoiled by the demands of writing formulaic drama. She brought her youth and vitality to Saskia; Chris would write Noah.
(Source: Patricia Edgar, Bloodbath: A Memoir of Australian Television, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2006, p.401.)
Further Reference:
'Interview with Paul Nichola'. The Making of Noah and Saskia. ABC.(http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/noahandsaskia/behind_the_scenes/making_of/paul_interview.htm). (Sighted: 12/9/2012).
'Interview with Pino Amenta'. The Making of Noah and Saskia. ABC. (http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/noahandsaskia/behind_the_scenes/making_of/pino_interview.htm). (Sighted: 12/9/2012).