Noah and Saskia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noah and Saskia
From left to right: Noah, CGI and real Max Hammer, real and CGI Indy, Saskia
Genre	Teen's
Created by	Patricia Edgar Chris Anastassiades Paul Nichola
Directed by	Pino Amenta
Starring	Jack Blumenau Hannah Greenwood Cameron Nugent Hayden Rathbone Adrian Fergus Fuller Emily Wheaton Alex Yates Maria Papas
Country of origin	United Kingdom Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Patricia Edgar (ABC) Elaine Sperber (BBC)
Producer(s)	Patricia Edgar
Running time	24 minutes
Release
Original network	CBBC ABC
Original release	4 May 2004 (2004-05-04)

Noah and Saskia is a 13-episode TV show about two teenagers who connect online. Saskia lives in Australia, and Noah lives in the United Kingdom. They start an internet friendship where they pretend to be different people. This online relationship helps them become more like their ideal selves in real life.

The show explores how someone far away can impact your life. It also looks at how technology changes the way we communicate. Patricia Edgar, who created the show, wanted to make a series that spoke to teenagers about their lives. She felt the internet was the perfect setting for a modern story. It allowed characters to express themselves in many ways.

Production for Noah and Saskia began in May 2003. It first aired in 2004 on the ABC in Australia and the BBC in the United Kingdom.

Meet the Characters

This section introduces the main actors and the characters they play.

Main Characters

• Noah King – Jack Blumenau: Noah is a shy boy from London, England. He lives with his family. He creates a webcomic called "Max Hammer" based on his life. As the show goes on, Noah becomes more confident, like his online character Max. He spends less time online and even tries playing football.
• Saskia Litras – Hannah Greenwood: Saskia is a quiet, musical girl from Melbourne, Australia. She works at a fast-food place after school. Saskia creates an online character named Indy. She first created Indy to get back at Max for stealing her music. But this leads her to become Noah's partner on his "Max Hammer" webcomic. Over time, Saskia becomes more like Indy. She starts playing music in public and feels more confident at school.

Other Important Characters

• Max Hammer – Cameron Nugent
• Indy – Teiya Moquiuti
• Renee – Emily Wheaton
• Clive – Adrian Fergus Fuller
• Specs – Alex Yates
• Eddie – Eugene Simon
• Deb Litras – Tracy Mann
• Ernesto – Bernard Angel
• Benny – Julian O'Donnell
• Gerald – Damian Neate
• Theresa – Alicia Gardiner

Story Overview

Noah and Saskia focuses on an internet friendship between two teenagers. It shows how this online connection affects their real lives. Even though they use fake online identities, their relationship is shown to be positive. By pretending to be their ideal selves online, they change each other's lives from opposite sides of the world.

Saskia's Online Journey

Saskia enters an internet chatroom called Webweave. She wants to get revenge on someone who stole her music. Instead, she starts a very important relationship. When she meets Max Hammer online, she feels like she has known him forever. He seems to understand her thoughts, her music, and her soul. Max Hammer appears strong, smart, and sensitive. He also sees these qualities in Saskia.

Saskia thinks her new relationship with Max Hammer is perfect. The only problems are that he is in the UK and she is in Australia. Also, he thinks she is someone else entirely. Saskia uses the online name Indy. Her online identity allows her to show parts of her personality that she is usually too shy to express. Indy is confident, while Saskia is often nervous. By asking herself, "What would Indy do?", Saskia learns to be more assertive. In some ways, she becomes more like Indy herself.

Noah's Secret Identity

Saskia knows her relationship with Max would end if he found out she was a 14-year-old "dork." But Max Hammer is not who he claims to be either. He is actually a 14-year-old science "dweeb" named Noah. Noah knows that Indy would be upset if she learned the truth about Max Hammer.

The show teaches that "who you say you are is usually who you want to be." This means that even a small lie can lead to a bigger truth about yourself.

Online Friendships in the Show

Many stories about internet relationships show them as dangerous, especially for teenagers. Noah and Saskia offers a more balanced view. It shows that online friendships can be positive and important. Many people who have had internet friends appreciate this message.

Show's Achievements

Noah and Saskia was a very successful show. Patricia Edgar, the creator, focused on its production after 20 years as director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). She wanted it to be a special gift to the ACTF.

Audience and Sales

In May 2004, the show was very popular. About 60% of kids aged 5-12 watched it. About 40% of teenagers aged 13-17 also tuned in. This helped increase the overall TV ratings for the ABC during that time. The show did especially well in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. In Perth, over 75% of viewers aged 5-12 watched it.

The series was also sold internationally in 2004. It was sold to BBC Canada and Cartoon Network for countries like India and Pakistan. Video, DVD, book, and music rights for Noah & Saskia were sold to ABC Enterprises in Australia.

Awards and Recognition

Noah & Saskia was shown at the 2004 Chicago Film Festival. It was chosen from 700 entries from around the world. This festival is the largest and oldest film festival for children. It shows over 200 films from 40 countries. The goal is to help children learn from good, diverse films. Kids and official judges watched and judged the nominated shows.

The show was nominated for two Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards. It also won an Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Award. The AFI nominations were for 'Best Children’s Television Drama' and 'Outstanding Achievement in Craft in Television' for its animation and digital effects.

On October 22, 2004, Sam Carroll, who co-wrote Noah & Saskia, won the AWGIE Award. She won for 'Best Children’s Television Drama' for the episode "Extra Spicy." This award celebrates great writing for screen, TV, stage, and radio. It is judged only by writers.

The show also received an 'Honourable Mention' at the 2004 Chris Awards in the United States. This means the judges found the show to be very valuable and good.

Special Effects and Technology

Paul Nichola, the Visual Effects Director, worked with the ACTF's New Media team and Unreal Pictures. They used traditional animation and visual effects like CGI (computer-generated imagery) and motion capture. They also used the ACTF's special animation software called Kahootz. This software helped create the unique look for the scenes set in the Webweave chat space.

Website and Merchandise

ABC New Media created a website, noahandsaskia.com, to go with the TV show. It launched on May 3, 2004. On the website, visitors could create their own "Max Hammer" comics. They could also experience the "webweave" online world and make music online.

A Noah & Saskia book and a DVD set were available in ABC shops from mid-May 2004. The DVD included fun extras.

The show also became a unique educational package for schools. It helped students with English studies, internet topics, and media production. The educational materials included:

• English and reading lessons.
• Information about the entire production process, from script to screen. This was available on a CD-ROM and online.
• A trailer and extra scenes on the DVD.

The ACTF released its educational package for Australian schools. All 13 episodes were available on video and DVD. The DVD for schools included "The Making of Noah & Saskia." A CD-ROM also came with the package. It detailed the production process and included lesson plans, worksheets, video clips, and TV scripts.

Awards and Nominations List

Other Names for the Show

• Um Par Quase Perfeito (Brazilian Portuguese)
• Ной и Саския (Russian)