AustLit

'Once upon a time the human world and the world of magic – called the fae world - existed in harmony. But as technology advanced, the fae world was pushed back. Faeries and other magical creatures became endangered species. Now someone wants to change that and restore magic to its rightful place - no matter the cost. Kyra and Peter must solve the mystery of who that enigmatic figure is and how they will achieve their goal. The investigation leads them to uncover secrets in both the human and fae worlds that no one could have imagined.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'When fifteen year-old Zac goes camping on Mako Island, he has no idea his every move is being monitored by real-life mermaids Sirena, Nixie and Lyla, whose job it is to ward off trespassers. When he comes into contact with the magical waters of the Moon Pool on the night of a full moon, Zac is given a taste of Mako's powers, waking the next day to discover he has been granted fin-like feet and the power to control water…causing all sorts of trouble for Sirena, Nixie and Lyla.'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 10/1/2014)

'Lisa McCune stars as Dr Sam Stewart, the Sherlock Holmes of tropical medicine and the head doctor in the only medical clinic for the Great Barrier Reef Islands. Sam leads a handful of dedicated practitioners hoping to extract the hidden secrets from venom that have the power to cure some of the world's most fatal diseases. On a daily basis, her small team of medics deals with everything from deadly snakebites and jellyfish stings, to divers with the bends and tropical diseases that can spread like wildfire. But it's not all medical emergencies and dramas for the vendomdocs on Hope Island. Life's also an adventure — wind surfing, scuba diving, abseiling, and at night, kicking back at the Backpackers Hostel, and in the steamy, romantic tropical nights at the end of a long day, maybe even finding love.'

Source: Australian television Information Archive. (Sighted: 1/5/2014)

Two teenage aliens from a barren planet, Zoey and Kiki, take a forbidden trip to Earth, desperate to see its oceans for themselves. Landing in the small seaside town of Lightning Point, they befriend local girl Amber Mitchell and learn to surf. But their short trip to Earth starts to look permanent when their spaceship explodes. From this point, Zoey and Kiki must keep their secret from the locals, try to find a way home, and work out the secret past of Brandon Benedict--while worrying about boyfriends and surfing competitions.

Alexandra Wilson is a normal girl living in an average suburb. She can sing brilliantly (she's a songwriter at heart). She's funny and driven. Alex's band is her life, and her band-mates, expressive Amanda Tucci and realist JB Deekes, are her closest friends. There's also Marcus, their lead guitarist: he's a year older, and, well, rather attractive. Alex has two grounded parents, Anita and Jim, and one very centre-stage younger sister, Zoe. Life is very normal. But ...

Since birth, Alex has caused a succession of strange, somewhat magical events. Fortunately, she's been able to conceal, ignore, or deny them all. But then Kuru, a young man dressed in exotic robes, and Anala, a decorated adult elephant who has a tendency to vanish now and again, arrive on Alex's doorstep. Kuru explains that Alex is actually Princess Liliuokalani Parasha Khaled Persphone Amanirenas of Manjipoor.

Alex is not so sure about that! But the magical effects she seems to cause have recently blossomed. It's scary. Alex asks Kuru and Anala to leave, but they won't go anywhere. They are under the royal command of Omar, Chief Advisor to the former Queen Nefari, to bring the princess home to rule.

Manjipoor is an exotic, mystical kingdom that exists very close to our world--but not in it. The nation was born six hundred years ago when 'gifted' people (sorcerers, oracles, and witches) fled persecution and created their own territory, and later, for their protection, moved it to a parallel location by magical means!

Kuru's mission is made easier when Alex's parents accept him as an 'exchange student' and he is invited to stay at their home. He does his best to fit in at Alex's school. Alex keeps her identity as a princess a secret from everybody but Amanda and JB, but it's an ongoing problem concealing a wilful, sometimes-invisible elephant in her backyard.

Omar's recent revelation of the existence of Manjipoor's secret princess shocks and threatens Vashan, the last royal relative in a conflicted and dying dynasty, who fully expected to rule. Aided by his skilful servant Diva, Vashan acts--first subtly, then overtly--to prevent his cousin Alex from claiming her inheritance.

Back in 'The Old World'--our world--Kuru's persistence with Alex starts to have an effect. Alex begins to practise and accept her magic--and it often goes awry. It's not easy being a teenager with magical powers! Alex uses her magic to rectify some very teenage-related issues, as well as to bend the occasional rule, but she draws the line at using magic in her music or for the band. They've got to prove they're good enough without it!

Following an encounter in Manjipoor where Alex learns some of the history of her real mother, Queen Nefari, and is introduced first hand to Vashan's enmity, she awakens to the strong qualities developing inside her and the need for her in Manjipoor as a princess.

Simultaneously, Alex, Amanda, Marcus, and JB improve as a band. They get gigs, and Alex's confidence as a singer increases. Alex finds the pull between both worlds conflicting. When Vashan becomes increasingly bold in his endeavours to undermine and overtake Alex, his actions precipitate a series of stunning revelations affecting the lives of Alex, Kuru, Anala, and Omar and the future of Manjipoor. Alex finds she must make a choice about where her real destiny lies ...

Source: Jonathan M Shiff Productions website, http://www.jonathan-m-shiff.com.au/
Sighted: 15/12/2009

A sequel to Pirate Islands, The Lost Treasure of Fiji send three children--Tyler, Kirra, and Alison--from Fiji, where they are attending the launch of a new computer game, to the tropical Pirate Islands, where they face the swaggering Blackheart, his untrustworthy second-in-command Lily, and various other dangers. As in the first series, the protagonists must solve the game from within in order to exit back to the real world.

Like Pirate Islands, The Lost Treasure of Fiji was never released in its entirely on DVD in Australia, the US, or the UK. Unlike Pirate Islands, it was also never released as a cutdown film version.

A cut-down version of the first season of the television program Wicked Science, released as the 'feature length version of the hugely successful, award-winning teen action series'.

Three young girls accidentally stumble on a tidepool on a secret island; when bathed in moonlight, the tidepool transforms them into mermaids, with great powers over water--but also a tendency to sprout a tail whenever they come into contact with water.

The original three mermaids--Emma, Cleo, and Rikki--separate at the end of season two, when the actress playing Emma left the show. In season three, another character, Bella, is added: Bella had become a mermaid in an unrelated incident some years earlier.

The mermaids also face various antagonists, ranging from rivals (e.g., the antagonist for season two, Charlotte, who manages to obtain similar powers from the moon pool) to those who wish to exploit the mermaids for their own profit.

As with Jonathan M. Shiff's other productions, the program is aimed largely at young teen audiences.

After stumbling on a secret super-computer, clumsy pizza delivery boy Scooter transforms himself into Secret Agent X-19, undertaking a double life of international intrigue.

The program draws its inspiration from straightforward spy films, such as the James Bond franchise, as well as their parodic counterparts, such as Get Smart, from which Scooter: Secret Agent draws its comedic tone. Simultaneously, the program makes extensive use of both stuntwork (including wire work) and special effects in order to provide Scooter with a a range of science-fiction gadgets.

Two students--easy-going and not terribly academically inclined Toby and unpopular teacher's pet Elizabeth--are hit by an unusual magnetic pulse that transforms them both into scientific geniuses. While Toby is uncomfortable with his new power and not certain how to put it to use, Elizabeth revels in hers, hoping to dominate the school.

Creator Jonathan M. Shiff notes (in the media kit for season one) that

'I wanted the series to be grounded in real teenagers and an authentic school environment - bringing the chaos of teenage emotions and friendship to the backdrop of science and adventure. Wicked Science is very much driven by Elizabeth's desire to catch Toby's attention and instead of witchcraft or magic it is science she uses as the tool'.

The production company also liased with Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) to create a study guide that would enable teachers to use Wicked Science as a starting point for classroom discussions of science, its place in society, and the specific scientific concepts explored in the series.

The second of two telemovies constructed by cutting down episodes of the television program Pirate Islands.

The first of two telemovies constructed by cutting down episodes of the television program Pirate Islands.

Fifteen-year-old Kate and her two younger siblings, Nicholas and Sarah, are accidentally zapped inside Kate's current video-gaming obsession: Pirate Islands, a swashbuckling action-adventure game. Now the children--and the island's existing population of castaway children, led by the fearless Mars--must battle the fearsome Captain Blackheart if they wish to get back to their own world.

The program is structured around the generic conventions of video gaming: the protagonists must find a powerful object (the Golden Idol) in order to exit the game; the islands contain 'power ups', namely a jet-pack and magic boots, that give the protagonists super-human powers; and the location is divided into several distinct environments that the protagonists can explore (Castaway Island, Haunted Island, Plant Island, Main Island, and Secret Island).

The program has never been released on DVD in its entirety, but was cut down and released as two films.

Thirteen-year-old Lauren's life is confusing enough, with her mother remarrying, moving to another country, and introducing Lauren to a new stepfather and little stepbrother. But that's not nearly as confusing as the day two Nelfs (Santa's helpers) jump from his sleigh and into Lauren's life. With Santa's rounds finished for another year, Lauren is stuck with the bickering, meddling siblings until next Christmas. But when only Lauren can see them, her family start to think she's going mad.

A prototype cybernetic human from a distant planet crash-lands on Earth in order to explore the species from which she was developed. To move safely around the city, she disguises herself as the human cousin of a local boy. But two evil replicants are sent after her.

In positioning this program for the media, Jonathan M. Shiff emphasised both similarities to and differences from his previous programs:

'With CYBERGIRL, I set out asking myself how to create a series which has a teenage girl as a principal lead star, in a hip and modern way for the 21st century. Whereas OCEAN GIRL dealt with environmental themes, CYBERGIRL deals with the balance between humans and technology. In a world where millions of our audience are comfortable with the Internet, I thought it would be fun to have our hero as a walking computer!'

Indeed, Shiff placed great emphasis on his choice of a young female protagonist:

'I believe it has been many years since young children had a female superhero - the last was probably WONDER WOMAN. The recent trend for children, especially girls, to identify with characters like CHARLIE'S ANGELS indicates a strong desire for them to see themselves in the media as quite proactive, intelligent and strong, whilst still being emotionally sensitive'.

Source: Cybergirl media kit: http://www.jonathan-m-shiff.com.au/downloads/cg_media_kit.pdf. (Sighted: 17/2/2012)

Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, Thunderstone follows Noah Daniels who, with his family, lives in the underground colony of North Col, after all life on the surface of the Earth is destroyed by the impact of the Nemesis Comet. Fascinated with the holographic animals that the North Col colonists use to teach their children about the Earth's extinct species, Noah is accidentally transported forward in time, to the colony of Haven. 'Thunderstone' is the name given to the remnants of the Nemesis Comet, which allow Noah to travel through time.

Season one involves Noah's travels through time, in company with Arushka (a nomadic girl from Haven), in an attempt to repopulate the Earth with animals. Season two revolves around Noah's attempts to completely destroy the Nemesis Comet before it strikes the Earth, thereby preventing the apocalypse. Season three involves Noah's experiments in wormhole technology, his plans to set up a space colony, and the attempts of guerillas from the future to assassinate Noah before he can (allegedly) murder his own parents.

Season one has been released in its entirety on DVD, but neither season two nor season three have been made commerically available.

'Paul and Brett Bates are given an audience with the President of the Global Union to voice their opposition to Praxis' adversarial stand against the aliens and are granted an immediate suspension of all attack preparations. Malakat tells Shersheba and Mera that he was responsible for the creation and release of the Red Virus on the Ocean Planet. Hauser discovers that Ilona is a spy from the Ocean Planet when she walks in on her making a report back to Malakat. Realising its potential for good, Neri retrieves the ankh back to her island. Hauser tells Cass and Winston about Ilona and asks for their help in 'understanding' the aliens. Mera locates a hidden passage in her cell inside the pyramid which gives her access to a source of water. Shersheba rebukes Malakat for his arrogance and controlling behavior reminding him that she will be the one in power when Earth is conquered, Malakat in response stops advising her on what actions to take. Feeling the need to do something, Shersheba takes a vial of the red virus and released it into the ocean.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 12/6/2013)

Ocean Girl follows the adventures of Jason and Brett Bates, who move with their mother (a reasearch scientist studying whale song) to an underwater research station near Port Douglas. There, they accidentally meet Neri, a young girl with super-human strength, the ability to breathe underwater, and an affinity for communicating with whales. As the series progresses through four seasons, the Bateses (and the audience) learn more about Neri's arrival on Earth, her home planet, and the ecosystem of their own home planet.

Ocean Girl, one of the earliest productions to come out of Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, is creator Jonathan Shiff's first science-fiction program; his name has subsequently become synonymous with children's science-fiction and fantasy television programs, through such shows as Cybergirl and H2O.

Ocean Girl is ecological science fiction, in that it uses the genre of science fiction to explore the consequences of exploiting Earth's resources. For example, as the program progresses, Dr Dianne Bates (mother of protagonists Jason and Brett) shifts from her early role as cetologist to a more active role as environmental protectionist, in response to the increasing threat of building large underwater constructions in the delicate ecosystem around ORCA. Similarly, season four shows the devastating effects of a 'Red Virus' on the oceans of Neri's home world.

The first television program from prolific children's television producer Jonathan M. Shiff, Kelly follows the adventures of a police dog who, after being injured at work, is sent to recuperate in the country; here, Kelly becomes the constant companion of Jo Patterson and her friend Danny Foster, and manages to ferret out some criminals even in the country.