Rollercoaster (TV series): Difference between revisions

''Rollercoaster'' followed a well-established format for Australian children's television. In order to comply with government-mandated Australian content regulations, local broadcasters have traditionally engaged a local presenter or team of presenters to "wrap" (or "top and tail") pre-produced segments such as cartoons. These shows offer a relatively inexpensive means of filling children's viewing times on Australian TV—the wrapper segments are generally made with a small crew and feature minimal production values; in the early days of Australian television the wrapper segments were performed live, although today they are now usually pre-recorded. The outsourced content is often purchased at relatively low cost, and for many decades Australian networks have been offered package-deal rates by American production houses and networks, as an incentive to purchase bundled content.

 

 

The locally produced portions of ''RollerCoaster'' featuring Spencer featured a number of recurring segments including: "Fetch", "Feed Me", "Now Poll", "MEE News", and "The Surfing Scientist" and "Professor Slo and Doctor Mo". Many of these segments included elements of audience participation or contributions via email or the ''RollerCoaster'' website's moderated chat rooms and message boards.

On 30 January 2010, Elliot Spencer announced he was leaving the show after five years of hosting, the ABC decided not to replace him and end the show completely. The show has been succeeded by [[Studio 3 (TV series)|Studio 3]].<ref name="ByeElliotByeRollercoaster">{{cite web |url=http://new.throng.com.au/rollercoaster/elliot-spencer-resigns-abcs-rollercoaster-after-five-years |title=Elliot Spencer Resigns From ABC's RollerCoaster After Five Years |publisher=Throng Australia |date=7 December 2009 |accessdate=1 October 2010 }}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

 

The series began in January 2005, filling a slot once occupied by ''The Afternoon Show''. It broke over the Australian summer school holidays and was replaced by a special Christmas line-up. During the holidays there were generally three or four popular shows repeated every day, rather than interchanging every day.

 

 

Graphics for the studio segments are produced using [[Chroma key]] or [[green screen]] technology. This means many gags, information segments, and backgrounds, can be used and changed quickly. Props are kept to a minimum, like in the Feed Me segment where a preparation table and mixing bowl are used, or in Chatter and other segments where a retro style yellow table appears, now a ''Rollercoaster'' signed table with green and black stripes on the front and a storage on the back.

 

From Monday 19 June 2006, ''Rollercoaster Rewind'' began on [[ABC (Australian TV channel)|ABC1]] in early weekday mornings, the show repeated the programming from four months earlier in reverse order originally until from 9 July 2007, where this was changed so that the programmes were aired in the correct order, though later again reverted to reverse order. Because ''Rollercoaster Rewind'' runs in the non-ratings season and the regular show does not, in early 2008 ''Rollercoaster Rewind'' caught up to the current broadcast of ''Rollercoaster'', resulting in the ABC replacing their early morning programming by other series until 'Rewind' resumed from where it left off.

 

On Friday 21 December 2007, the last show of ''RollerCoaster'' aired for that year, returning on Monday 25 February 2008 for its first show of the new year.

 

From 2 March 2009, the show moved from its previous time slot of 5:00–6:00&nbsp;p.m. [[AEST]], and moved down an hour earlier, from 4:00–5:00&nbsp;p.m.. The presentation also changed to filming in a real set in contrast to previously, where they would film in front of a green screen with closed captions. It remained a wrapper program, and the segments remained the same, however the programs were no longer interchanged, and each day featured the same line-up of shows. Another change was that it only included animation now, with live action shows not "boxed" by the ''Rollercoaster'' format and were seen following in the 5pm-6pm slot.<ref name="2009Format" />

 

From 7 December 2009, ''Rollercoaster'' began airing on the then recently launched children-orientated multi-channel [[ABC Me|ABC3]] following the original screening on its sister channel [[ABC (Australian TV channel)|ABC1]] from 4-5pm. A ''Rollercoaster Rewind'' carbon copy version of the show entitled ''Rollercoaster on Vacation'' aired on ABC3 during the 09–10 Australian school holidays.<ref name="RollercoasterJoinsABC3Family">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2009/10/meet-the-faces-of-abc3.html |title=Meet the faces of ABC3 |work=David Knox |publisher=TV-Tonight.com.au |date=23 October 2009 |accessdate=1 October 2010}}</ref>

 

At the end of the Friday 29 January 2010 edition, Spencer announced that he was leaving the show and thanked viewers for his five years as presenter and writer of the series. By the same date, the main ''Rollercoaster'' URL was redirecting visitors to the new [[ABC Me|ABC3]] website; some pages including "Elliot's Blah" still function, though now carry the disclaimer that they are no long being updated as well as a link redirecting visitors to a new ''Rollercoaster'' section in the ABC3 site. Elliot sang a song entitled "Bye for now, not forever!" and explained "it was a good five years".<ref name="ByeElliotByeRollercoaster" /><ref name="RollercoasterEnds">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2009/11/can-we-help-dumps-studio-format-for-2010.html |title=Can We Help? dumps studio format for 2010 |work=David Knox |publisher=TV-Tonight.com.au |date=25 November 2009 |accessdate=1 October 2010}}</ref><ref name="ElliotendsRollercoaster">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2009/12/elliot-ends-the-rollercoaster-ride.html |title=Elliot ends the Rollercoaster ride |work=David Knox |publisher=TV-Tonight.com.au |date=8 December 2009 |accessdate=1 October 2010}}</ref>

 

''Rollercoaster'' sometimes show special weeks either to celebrate an event or an incoming show, like Roma Week, which centres on the incoming show of ''[[Roman Mysteries]]'' in 2007; Christmas week, celebrating Christmas by showing programs relating to Christmas; magic week, celebrating magic by showing a magic trick done by a professional every episode. Theme weeks have also included Feed Me Week with Feed me being presented every day, also done in a similar way with Elliot and the Surfing Scientist on National Science Week. There have also been Sports Week, with Elliot finding out about different sports; and a character week when Elliot dressed up as characters that he has dressed up as before. In 2009 there are themed days as well as weeks.

 

*''''Roller Tale'''', where viewers send in stories which must be about Elliot's fictional alter egos Tapioca Toe Maker and Pocket Waffle. These are acted out by Elliot (on Friday, now the story finished).

*''''Sponge Brain Quiz'''', a true or false quiz, shown before ''Naturally Sadie'' with nature-themed questions. In the past it has been about ''Roman Mysteries'' and ''Dinosapien'' and themed to these shows. Since Naturally Sadie ended, the Quiz is still present in the same time slot. In 2009 it was renamed Whizz Quiz and was not nature-based. (on Wednesday).

*''''NOW'''', Elliot presents the audience a poll, hypothetical situation or question on one day. Viewers vote on the show's website and the results are featured on the next day's episode. (Monday/Tuesday for polls, Tuesday/Wednesday for HPS, Wednesday/Thursday for questions)

*''''Professor Slo and Doctor Mo'''', where Elliot and Ruben Meerman dress up as the segment's namesakes and show a science experiment in slo mo (on Thursday).

*''''Triple Triple Triplets'''', 'The Kransky Sisters', where music critics review an album or explain it (on Monday, sometimes)

*''''Jade's Movies'''', a play when a movie correspondent explain a movie, past or present, and gives how many reviews out of 5 is the movie (on Monday, sometimes).

*''''T5'''', Elliot reads tongue-twisters (On Friday, sometimes).

*''''Best of ABC3'''', Elliot to be Rollercoaster from the viewers and answer it from Rollercoaster in ABC3. See [[ABC Me|ABC3]].

*''''Zimmer Twins'''', A series of mini-movies made by kids around the world on the Rollercoaster website. The series also aired on Teletoon.

Other segments are used only once or rarely, as in Your Jokes, a division of Chatter, where viewers send in jokes. It is sometimes used as fill-ins for updated segments, such as when the Now technology was being "re-now-ified".

 

 

 

Graphics for the studio segments are produced using Chroma Key or green screen technology. This means many gags, information segments, and backgrounds, can be used and changed quickly. Props are kept to a minimum, like in the Feed Me segment where a preparation table and mixing bowl are used, or in Chatter and other segments where a retro style yellow table appears, now a Rollercoaster signed table with green and black stripes on the front and a storage on the back.

 

 

"Rollercoaster" is also the name of the show's website, which was created a few years previous to the show itself and features the phrase 'Rhymes with toaster'. The website itself was advertised as 'Rollercoaster' on the current timeslot taken by the show for a couple of years before the show began. The website features articles on shows and games and other entertainment related to shows or the general youth genre. This site is also where polls, voting, feedback and other interactive content could be submitted.

 

*[[Children's programming on ABC Television]]

 

{{Reflist}}