Wastelander Panda

July 27, 2024 Wastelander Panda is a video project featuring an anthropomorphic panda.

Plot
Wastelander Panda tells the story of Arcayus, an anthropomorphic panda who wanders a post-apocalyptic wasteland. He looks after a young human girl named Rose, who trusts him completely and looks up to him as her sole provider.

Conception
Wastelander Panda is the creation of South Australian film students Marcus McKenzie and Victoria Cocks. One day in 2010, whilst becoming bored during their film lectures, the pair began jotting down ideas for a film set in a wasteland. McKenzie came up with the rhyme "Wastelander Panda", and Cocks wrote a storyline around the phrase.

Filming
Filming of the project began in mid-2011, as a production of the Adelaide-based production company Epic Films, with the assistance of a $7,000 grant from the Helpmann Academy. Cocks expanded her role from writer to encompass director and editor, and McKenzie starred as the panda Arcayus, wearing a $2,000 fursuit head built by Solion of Lion of the Sun productions.

Filming took place around the towns of Blinman, Hawker, and Parachilna, in the Flinders Ranges. Many of the local residents acted as extras.

Trailer
On January 23, 2012, Epic Films released a three-minute trailer of the project. It generated much interest online, being featured on the front pages of several websites and blogs, including io9, Neatorama, Buzzfeed, and Geek Invaders.

Further development
After the positive reception of the trailer, Epic Films planned to expand turn the prologue into a three-episode web series, then leverage that into a TV series.

In order to finance the series, Epic Films sought public funding on the Pozible crowd funding community. Initially seeking $20,000, Epic Films increased this to $25,000 as the goal was reached. When the funding campaign finally closed, 353 Supporters had pledged $25,225.

On August 26, it was announced that Wastelander Panda was in pre-production, with three episodes to be made and released online in 2013. On August 27, a casting call was made on the website. The roles advertised included Rose, various gang members, members of a family, and two hybrid animal characters.

Filming was scheduled to take place November 5-23 2012, in Adelaide and the Flinders Ranges.