Brisbane creative agency Khemistry develops special TV project for hearing-impared children

Brisbane creative agency, Khemistry is pushing traditional industry boundaries by developing a television series for Australian hearing-impaired children, entirely in-house.

The Sally & Possum series is the first series broadcast on Australian television created especially for children whose primary language is Australian Sign Language (Auslan), and has been designed to enhance the literacy and numeracy skills of thousands of hearing-impaired children across Australia.

Khemistry managing director Ashton Ward said Sally & Possum was created entirely in-house, from initial concept development to filming and post-production.

Says Ward: “Khemistry’s reputation is built around out-of-the box thinking and creative realisation, and Sally & Possum is proof that these capabilities have application well beyond conventional advertising.

“When the Department of Education and Training presented us with the brief, we were able to mobilise a fully-integrated creative team to develop an engaging and educational show without needing to outsource work to a production house.

“Our writers worked with early learning experts and members of the deaf community to conceive and script the show, and our art directors and designers helped design and produce the costumes and sets.”

The episodes combine live action and animation to create a visually rich and rewarding experience, and feature custom music, visual effects, and other elements produced by Khemistry film and sound creatives.

Ward said the television component was only part of the project, which drew on the skills of Khemistry team members across creative, content, and digital disciplines.

Says Ward: “As a full service agency we are able to deliver a suite of interactive resources to complement the show.

“Our UX designers and software developers came together to create a companion mobile app that is being used by parents and teachers as a powerful learning tool.”

Ward said producing a show performed entirely in sign language posed some unique technical and logistical challenges for the Khemistry production team.

Says Ward: “For instance, how do you teleprompt actors in Auslan? It can’t be done using conventional methods. We really had to think outside the square to solve issues like this. But when you’re pioneering, that comes with the territory. Kudos to the Queensland Government for taking the lead on this. They saw the need and did something about it. Now kids all around Australia are going to benefit.”

Apart from being distributed to Queensland schools, Sally & Possum has also aired across Australia on ABC Kids and iView from June 6.

Ward said the audience feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive: “It’s been very moving to read the comments from parents of deaf children. For many it’s the first time they’ve seen other hearing impaired children on television.

“And it’s been great to learn that hearing kids are enjoying Sally & Possum as well. We always felt it was important to produce not just a critical learning tool, but also a fun and engaging series that could be enjoyed by the whole family.”