Our Blog
A Double Bill!
It was a double bill Sunday for Twt Productions yesterday (14/12/25) as two Christmas films we were involved with received their premieres:
‘Nolig’, a gorgeous CGI tale about a giant reindeer’s quest to find his family premiered simultaneously on TG4 and S4C and ‘The Ghost of Midwinter’ had its English language premiere in The Chapter Arts centre in Cardiff.
Cloth Cat’s chilling, festive animated short film is set in medieval Wales and tells the chilling story of a brave little girl determined to save her father against all odds.
When Nia becomes lost in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm, she has no choice but to make a deadly bargain with a spirit. The Winter Spirit saves her, but at a cost beyond comprehension. Nia must travel deep into the heart of the dark forest of eternal winter to face the evil creature and save her father.
‘Ysbryd yr Oerfel’ will be broadcast live in Welsh on S4C at 17:35 on Christmas Day.
The ‘Ghost of Midwinter’ / ‘Ysbryd yr Oerfel’ trailer is available to watch in English & Welsh on YouTube! Follow the link and select the Welsh audio track in the video settings:
Nolig
It’s been a busy few months adapting scripts, casting and voice directing. The first of those projects being delivered to broadcasters is ‘Nolig’, produced by Taunt Studios.
This landmark co-commission from BBC Northern Ireland, TG4 and S4C set to arrive on screens in time for Christmas.
This enchanting seasonal film follows the adventures of a giant deer called Nolig and his human sister, Siân as they travel to ‘the north’ following Nolig’s accidental discovery that he may be the only Megaloceros giganteus (aka the extinct giant deer) in existence!
We were delighted to be involved in the Welsh aspect of this lovey little adventure: adapting the script; casting and voice directing.
Nolig will broadcast on S4C on 14/12/25.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/nollai-characters-cast-list
Creative Wales
New term, new songs!
Thanks to Cymru Greadigol / Creative Wales, Bochau the super-cute singing hamster from S4C’s kids series Annibendod has 5 brand new catchy songs on Youtube
Written with Welsh language learners in mind, these fun songs are perfect for learners of all ages.
It’s been a pleasure to work with Cloth Cat, Gareth Elis, Dyfan Jones, Paul Owen, Cranc Audio and Boom Kids once again.
Diolch yn fawr Cymru Greadigol
Enjoy!
Casting & voice directing for JM Creative
It was lovely to work again with John Morgan at JM Creative casting and voice directing 2 films; one English; one Welsh on Community Focused Schools / Ysgolion Bro for Welsh Government.
The brief for Twt was to cast a young bilingual boy to voice both films.
We cast the wonderful Rhys Evans who hit the perfect tone for the project – warm, clear and sincere.
Diolch Rhys
Cardiff Animation Festival
Twt Productions is a big fan of animation. Most of our commissions are either for animation or mixed media series and most of our casting an voice directing work is for animated content, so we’re always delighted to give back where possible. Twt is a regular sponsor of Cardiff Animation Festival and this week’s ‘weekender’ festival at The Chapter Arts centre in Cardiff was no exception.
https://www.cardiffanimation.com/
The small Cardiff Animation Festival do a great job of bringing great animation to Cardiff as well as providing volunteering opportunities for those wanting to get into the industry and networking opportunities for all.
Diolch CAF!
Woohooing their way to S4C
This lovely Woohoos from Snipple Animation Studios will begin airing on S4C from April 22.
Join four friends: Gelert the dog; Eli the hare; Wini the puffin, Tomi the bull on their adventures on Wise Island. Woohoo!
These lively, fun and curious four love to investigate the world around them, discover interesting facts and learning about the natural world. Such as how water freezes when it’s cold and that there are stars living on earth – starfish!
The young stars lending their voicing to Twt Productions’ Welsh version are Osian Rhys Jones, Marged Llwyd, Meri Huws Gwynedd and Cian Glyn.
Voiceover work on a series like this is challenging, and our fantastic four have met the challenge head on. A huge “Diolch” to them!
Singalong with Bochau
Every episode of our comedy series Annibendod closes with a song performed by Anni’s pet hamster, Bochau (‘Cheeks’). He’s not a shy and quiet creature, oh no! Bochau is full of fun, mischief and loves to eat sprouts, sing and dance, so having the stage (or in his case, the screen) to himself is a joy!
Inspired by events from the show, the songs introduce purposeful vocabulary relevant to the theme/themes of each episode, as well as useful language patterns for everyday use.
We worked with the Mudiad Meithrin get the vocabulary just right for young Welsh speakers and those learning Welsh in English medium schools.
And good news…the songs are now available on YouTube, Spotify & other music streaming platforms.
These toe-tapping simple songs will make you smile! 😊
At last, it’s Annibendod!
Sometimes it pays to be tenacious…after 5 years of development, slowed down due to Covid 19, our younger kids’ mixed-media drama comedy series finally hits the screen.
‘Annibendod’ is about the messy adventures of an anarchic, lively, fun-loving girl called Anni (the brilliant Agnes Evans) and her hamster side-kick, Bochau (‘Cheeks’), who loves a bit of mischief as well as a song and dance!
The commission is 20 episodes, 10 minutes of length with an animated song in each episode.
As this was such a big undertaking, we decided to subcontract Boom Kids to look after some aspects of the project and have been fortunate to work with their PM Marian Eluned, director Nathan Ifans and several members of their film crew.
Animated by the brilliant Cloth Cat with fab songs by MD Dyfan Jones, guided by the team at Mudiad Meithrin to ensure suitability for young children learning Welsh, we hope the viewers have as much fun watching it as we did making it.
Casting Opportunities
Working for Mosaic Films for BBC Bitesize, we’re on the lookout for young Welsh speaking talent!
We are seeking a presenter for a series of short Welsh-language grammar films for BBC Bitesize. The videos will briefly explain Welsh grammar points in English for an audience of 11 – 14 year olds. Filming will take place in a studio setting, with green screen, and the final content will be shown online in short-form digital format. Filming will be for one day in mid-January in a studio in Cardiff or nearby.
Requirements:
- Aged between 18 and 23
- Fluent in Welsh and English
- Informative, confident, clear and warm in delivery
- Previous on-camera experience or a background in education/presentation preferred
Submission Requirements:
- Short video (1 minutes 30 seconds) introducing yourself, including Welsh and English phrases
Key Dates:
- Submissions due: 6/12/24
- Filming Period: mid January 2025
CONTRIBUTORS
We’re also seeking contributors / actors for a series short films that will accompany the grammar films. The videos will showcase grammar points and conversational Welsh through documentary–style filmmaking, discussing the contributors’ everyday lives, activities and opinions. The final content will be shown online in short-form digital format. Filming will take place in Cardiff and surrounding area from mid-January until mid-February.
Requirements:
- Ages between 18 and 23
- Fluent in Welsh
- Warm, confident, conversational and approachable to connect with learners
- Prior acting experience preferred; must be comfortable following a script and speaking on camera
- Comfortable sharing basic personal information onscreen (discussing hobbies or favourite music, for example)
Submission Requirements:
- Short video (1 minute 30 seconds) introducing yourself
- Reading of a 1 minute script. Please contact Siwan for a copy of the script
- In an email, detail hobbies, experiences, or locations tied to your everyday life that could inform your story in the series
Key Dates:
- Submissions due: 6/12/24
- Filming Period: mid January 2025 to mid February
For submissions, further questions and to obtain a script, contact Siwan:
siwan@twtproductions.cymru
A Greener Production
We’re all looking for ways to be greener and more sustainable on production these days. Albert’s website is a good place to pick up ideas. www.wearealbert.org
An obvious and simple way to be greener is to consider how crews travel to work. Is it possible to share lifts, for example or walk? Another way is to look at the use we make of costumes and props.
We’re working with Book Kids on our latest production, Annibendod. As well have having an excellent production support team and crews, one of the many advantages of working with them is access to their props store. Located on an industrial estate in Cardiff, their storage facility is like Aladdin’s Cave (but without the genie)!
Want a lamp? There are 20 of them. Want wellingtons? How much is the only question! Want kitchenware? What colour do you have in mind?!
This store has enabled us to keep a careful eye on the expenditure of our budget and also behave more environmentally by not over-buying. Of course, sometimes you have to buy but those things go back into storage after we’ve finished filming, ready for a second series or something completely different. It’s a win win for everyone and a step towards making our productions as environmentally responsible as possible.