The Tribe is an Apocalypse fiction on television, created by Raymond Thompson & Harry Duffin. Produced by Cloud 9, it ran from 1999 through 2003. It is set in a hypothetical near-future in which all adults have been wiped out by a deadly virus, leaving the children of the world to fend for themselves. The show's focus is on an unnamed city inhabited by tribes of children and teenagers.
Development
Discussion which led to the creation of the series began when Raymond Thompson, co-founder of the production company Cloud 9 and known for his work as a screenwriter on the soap Howard's Way, was approached by Nick Wilson of Channel 5 to “develop a soap for the millennium targeting a child/adolescent market”.[1]
Having already worked with writer Harry Duffin on several occasions, Raymond Thompson contacted him in November 1997 to work with him on the writing of the new TV series. Together, they worked on the first premise of the storyline and wrote basic characters outlines. They later recruited a team of ten writers and by July 1998 the first four scripts of The Tribe were finished.[1]
Cloud 9 completed production of Series 1 in early 1999[2] and the first episode premiered on Channel 5 on April 24th, 1999.[3]
Synopsis
-
The Tribe was targeted primarily at an audience age of 8 to 18, though it has fans of all ages.[1] Five series of The Tribe have been created, with 52 episodes per series, amounting to 260 episodes in the entire run.[4]
The Tv series starts about six to nine months after all the adults have been killed by an unknown Virus[1] The story is about the survival of the children and teenagers who are left on their own in and around an unnamed City. The world has become a primitive hell of anarchy, confusion, danger and fear. With no adults to guide, rule or protect them, the children of the world are on their own and need to build a New World they can live in.[5]
In order to survive, the children band together in Tribes. They give themselves new names, reinvent dress codes and beliefs and create their own rules. Some Tribes are power hungry and malevolent, while others just try not to make the same mistakes the adults did and strive for peace.
The show mainly focuses on the Tribe of the Mall Rats. Its members are confronted with problems of technology (how to get clean water and some form of power) and problems of morality. The children deal with teenage issues (loves, fears, betrayals, ambitions, friendships) as well as bigger issues that threaten peace in their New World (finding an antidote to the Virus, bringing peace to the City, defeating the Locos, Chosen and Technos).[1]
The Tribes
-
In The Tribe all the children belong to different Tribes.
After a Virus kills all of the adults, the world turns into chaos and the children left behind start to form tribes as a means to survival. Some Tribes only seek to have power, while other Tribes aim to create a new peaceful world. Each Tribe has its own specific clothes or make-up which help them to differentiate themselves from other Tribes. The Series mainly focuses on the life of the Mall Rats. [6]
Episodes
-
Cast and characters
- See also: List of The Tribe characters
Series 1:
Series 2:
Series 3:
Series 4:
Series 5:
The Making of The Tribe
The Tribe has been said to have had one of the highest budgets for a teenage show at the time. The set of The Phoenix Mall was the largest in the southern hemisphere as the time of its construction. It was built just as it appeared on screen—with all rooms, corridors and levels joined as a real mall would be. Set decoration was meticulous, not only within the different areas of the Mall, but also on location.
Much of New Zealand's expansive, untouched landscape was made use of in the filming of scenes out in the country, for example in the town of Liberty, on Alice's farm, during the Tribal Gathering on the beach and on the Mallrat's trek through the mountains to the Eagle Mountain Observatory. To achieve the abandoned, lonely feeling that has overtaken the city, many Wellington streets were closed off and filmed in the early hours of the morning, with the streets being covered in burnt out cars, graffiti, burning barrels and trash cans.
The Tribe's costume design and make-up are wholly unique to the show, and indeed, the show is often identified by its ambitious costumes and hairstyles. While the costumes of series 1 were generally muted and low-key, series 2 had frequent costume changes and bright colours. This trend would continue for the remainder of the show.
Post-cancellation
Series 6
Before The Tribe was canceled, Series 6 was scheduled to begin filming in 2003. However U.K. channel Five - who part funded the series - declined support for the sixth series because of what it perceived as 'raised adult content' and as such, unable to find another funder, the show was canceled.
The scripts for the first 2 episodes in Series 6 were included exclusively on the Series 5 DVD boxset. The episodes followed the story of the Mallrats as they arrived on an island the other side of the boat trip. The Spin off "The New Tomorrow" ultimately used and adapted many themes and story lines intended for Series 6.
The Official Tribeworld Website reports that many of the cast now have varied jobs and lives, so it seems unlikely that a sixth series will ever be filmed and aired. However, the creators did mention plans to continue the tribe through other media if possible: Both a cartoon and movie were mentioned by the creator in an interview online, but since then nothing has since been mentioned regarding this.
2007 was marked as the year of the "tribe revival" by the official website. Since then nothing more was mentioned, and the entire post announcing the "tribe revival" was taken offline.
Fans
Since its cancellation, the series has continued though fan-based efforts via the internet including fan fiction and films particularly on video sharing websites such as YouTube.
The official Tribe message board continued to be moderately active until August 2008, when the board went down for an as-of-yet undisclosed amount of time. OutkastTribe.com, a popular Tribe fansite, campaigned for a continuation the series for three years before its website also went offline around the same time; as of September 2008, its message board was still active however.
The cast
After the series ended, the casts careers launched greatly.
- Caleb Ross went on to become a foley artist for The Tribe's spin-off, The New Tomorrow.
- Tom Hern, who played Ram, went on to play Nurse Baxter Cormack in Shortland Street and Devin Del Valle in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.
- James Napier (Jay) went on to play Conner McKnight, the Red Ranger, in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder and Power Rangers: S.P.D.. Beth Allen (Amber), Tom Hern (Ram), Antonia Prebble (Trudy), Dwayne Cameron (Bray) and Vicky Rodewyk (Gel) have also guest starred in these, or other Power Rangers shows.
- Michael Wesley-Smith (Jack) was also cast as the lead, Giles, on yet another of Cloud 9's shows, a teen comedy, Atlantis High. Victoria Spence (Salene) also played Antonia/Anthony in the show. Also, Smith recently passed the bar as a lawyer.
- Joseph Crawford (Darryl) now works as an editor & director of a new video production company Crawford Pictures as well as continuing to act.
- Vanessa Stacey (Alice) has had many small parts in films and was the voice and acting coach on The New Tomorrow.
- Jennyfer Jewell (Ellie) went on to become a household name around Dunedin for her celebrity appearances in the University student-review Capping Show.
The New Tomorrow
The series also inspired a spin-off called The New Tomorrow. The spin-off was set at an undisclosed period of time after the events of The Tribe Series 5. Unlike The Tribe, The New Tomorrow was aimed at a younger audience and its cast was made up of pre-teens. The spin-off had none of the original Tribe characters, however there were mentions of The Mall, Bray and Zoot. The Series didn't return for a second series. No plans for a DVD release are currently known.
The Tribe game
The official Tribe website told fans about plans to release video game of "The Tribe". However, this idea has not yet been put in place and nothing further has been mentioned for several years. Recently, Tribemaster told fans that they will like what's coming soon if they enjoy games and technology. It was speculated that a Tribe game would be part of the 2007 "Tribal Revival". However, nothing as of yet has been announced.
Broadcast history
The first Series of The Tribe premiered in the UK on April 24th, 1999 on Five.[7] Five Series, totalling 260 episodes, were produced. The final two episodes of The Tribe were shown on September 6th, 2003 on Five.[8] Five aired two episodes every week on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Tribe also aired in New Zealand and in the United States, among others. The series began airing in New Zealand on August 31st, 1999 on TV4. It had a tremendous response from audiences due to the fact that it was filmed in the country and that the actors were mostly locals.[9] In the US, Series 1 premiered on December 1st, 1999 on Encore's WAM! Channel.[10] WAM! stopped airing The Tribe after Series 4, but fans petitioned the channel[11] and the final Series started airing on September 6th, 2004.[12]
Other international markets which have aired the series include the following:
DVD releases
Series 1 was first released in 2003 by Sanctuary Entertainment. Two years later, Revelation Films purchased rights to the show and released all five Series throughout 2006.
Each of the five DVD box sets contains seven discs, with a total of 52 episodes.[13]
Book releases
Several books based on the series were published in English and in German.
Books published in English:
Books published in German:
There are (as of November, 2005) seventeen books which have been released in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The first two books were originally written by Ralph Sander in early 2002. They were later continued by Linda Jensen until 2005. Natalie Gordon wrote three further books between 2004 and 2005.
- Ralph Sander, The Tribe: Schöne neue Welt (Beautiful New World), Panini Books, March 2002. ISBN 3897485974
- Ralph Sander, The Tribe: Zwischen Hoffen und Bangen (Between Hope and Anxiety), Panini Books, 2002. ISBN 3897485982
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Das Zeitalter der Auserwählten (The Era of the Chosen), Panini Books, September 2002. ISBN 3897486679
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Der Weg in die Freiheit (The Way to Freedom), Panini Books, 2002. ISBN 3897486687
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Die Forgeshichte - Bray und Martin (Pre-tribe - Bray and Martin), Panini Books, November 2002. ISBN 3897486881
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Die Forgeschichte - Lex und Ryan (Pre-Tribe - Lex and Ryan), Panini Books, February 2003. ISBN 3897487276
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Die Ankunft der Technos (The Technos Arrival), Panini Books, March 2003. ISBN 3897487284
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Verloren im Paradies (Lost in Paradise), Panini Books, March 2003. ISBN 3897487292
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Die Forgeschichte - Amber und Dal (Pre-tribe - Amber and Dal), Panini Books, September 2003. ISBN 3897488132
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Teuflische Rache (Revenge), Panini Books, December 2003. ISBN 3897487314
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Zoots Erbe (Zoot's Inheritance), Panini Books, December 2003. ISBN 3897487306
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Salene, Im Strudel der Leidenschaft (Salene, Whirlpool of Passion), Panini Books, March 2004. ISBN 3833210464
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe: Amber, Herz in Aufruhr (Amber, a Rebel Heart), Panini Books, June 2004. ISBN 3833210478
- Linda Jensen, The Tribe, Aktionspaket, Panini Books, 2005. ISBN 3833213183
- Natalie Gordon, The Tribe: Ebony, Zwischen Liebe und Macht (Ebony, Between Love and Power), Panini Books, November 2004. ISBN 3833210486
- Natalie Gordon, The Tribe: Ellie, Verwirrung der Gefühle (Ellie, Confusion of the Feelings), Panini Books, April 2005. ISBN 3833211954
- Natalie Gordon, The Tribe: Lex, Herz in Flammen (Lex, Heart of Fire), Panini Books, November 2005. ISBN 3833211962 [20]
CD releases
Abe Messiah
- The first Tribe CD album was released on 7 November 2000 in New Zealand and on 19 March 2001 worldwide. The album featured the opening and closing themes from the TV series as well as other songs featured in the show. All songs were recorded by the Series 2 cast.
- Abe Messiah
- Spinning
- You Belong To Me
- Abadeo
- Banging The Drum
- This Is The Place
- I Can't Stop
- Beep Beep
- Everywhere You Go
- The Dream Must Stay Alive [21]
Abe Messiah – Remix
- In 2003, a remixed version of the album was released in Germany. It also featured three music videos: "Abe Messiah", "You Belong To Me" and "This Is The Place" in mpg format.
- Banging The Drum (Remix)
- You Belong To Me
- This Is The Place
- Spinnin
- Urban Guerrilla (Instrumental)
- Beep Beep
- I Can't Stop
- Everywhere You Go
- Abe Messiah (Remix)
- Abadeo
- Tribe Spirit
- Reflections (Instrumental)
- Day In The Urban Jungle (Instrumental)
- The Dream Must Stay Alive [22]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Interview with the Creators of The Tribe—Raymond Thompson and Harry Duffin, The Tribe Official Website, retrieved on 2008-05-27.
- ^ Cloud 9 - History, Cloud 9 Official Site, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ Episode 101 Air Date, TV.com Website, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ Guide: Plot synopsis, The Tribe Official Website, retrieved on 2008-05-27
- ^ The Tribe Overview, The Tribe Official Website, retrieved on 2008-05-29
- ^ What is a tribe?, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-06-01
- ^ Episode 101 Air Date, TV.com Website, retrieved on 2008-06-01
- ^ Episodes 551-552 Air Date, TV.com Website, retrieved on 2008-06-01
- ^ 1999-08-31 News, The Tribe Official Site, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ 1999-12-06 News, The Tribe Official Site, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ 2003-12-15 News, The Tribe Official Site, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ 2004-08-16 News, The Tribe Official Site, retrieved on 2008-10-07
- ^ DVD Infos, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ DVD Series 1 Info, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ DVD Series 2 Info, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ DVD Series 3 Info, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ DVD Series 4 Info, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ DVD Series 5 Info, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ The Tribe Books, The Tribe Official Website, retrieved on 2008-10-06
- ^ The Tribe Books in German, Tribe-Cast.com website, retrieved on 2008-10-06, (in German)
- ^ The Tribe CDs, The Tribe Official Website, retrieved on 2008-05-28
- ^ The Tribe CD infos, Tribe heaven Website, retrieved on 2008-05-29
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
- Official sites
- Unofficial sites
|
