Televisual articles from August 2003

Televisual archives from August 2003

Fremantle International signs new raft of deals with UK indies.(Distribution)(Fremantle International Distribution)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Fremantle International Distribution (FID) has signed new deals with UK independents Nugus Martin and Brian Waddell and extended its agreements with Sally Head and Fresh One Productions. The new deals come on the eve of the passage of the...

IVCA reaches perfect pitch for interactive TV.(Broadcast)(the IVCA will launch the Perfect Pitch Awards)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The IVCA is to launch the Perfect Pitch Awards, an opportunity for devisors of interactive content and enhanced programming to pitch their ideas to senior commissioners. Supported by broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, Nickelodeon...

Buttimore launches new Th1ng.(Animation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The head of MPC's cg department (and founder of Picasso Pictures) Dominic Buttimore has left the company to set up new mixed-media outfit Th1ng (Thing one), along with M&C Saatchi art-buyer Sedonie Adams-Grant. Th1ng will deal "primarily"...

Lucky UKFS rolls out its slate.(Film)
August 1, 2003... Andy Garcia, Dennis Hopper and Armand Assante headline the first three films from Philippe Martinez and Alan Latham's new outfit, Lucky UKFS. Garcia stars in Modigliani (below), a biopic of the artist now shooting in Romania; Hopper plays a...

Passion Pictures.(appointment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Passion Pictures has signed directors John Williams and David Lea for promos and ads. The duo have worked as animators with director Tim Hope on videos and ads and with Chris Hopewell on Radiohead's video There There. Passion animator Kevan...

Carlton.
August 1, 2003... Carlton's The Prince of Dalston, part of the Single Voices series first aired in 2000, has won Film Council development funding. Writers Felix Dexter and Tunde Babalola are to work their half-hour monologue about a failed accountant working as...

S4C.(appointment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... S4C has appointed Iona Jones as director of programmes following the departure of Huw Eirug. Eirug leaves officially at the end of this month and Jones steps in on 1 September. Jones was previously HTV's group controller of corporate affairs...

Fox Kids Europe.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Fox Kids Play, a new gaming channel from Fox Kids Europe (FKE), is to launch in the UK on the Telewest digital platform. There are also plans to roll the service out across Europe. The pay-per-play channel, designed and built in-house by FKE,...

Nexus creates kaleidoscope promo for Goldfrapp.(Promo)
August 1, 2003... Goldfrapp's kaleidoscopic promo for new single Strict Machine comes courtesy of Nexus/Filmtecknarna's Jonas Odell. Ordered by Mute's John Moule, the promo places singer Alison Goldfrapp center-frame, integrating her performance with...

Flashback and Channel 4 feel the need for speed.(Broadcast)(Flashback Television to produce series for Channel 4)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Flashback Television has picked up an 8x1-hour series commission from Channel 4's head of history, Hamish Mykura. The programmes look at the history of speed, with each episode telling the story of a race to be the fastest and break speed...

Smart Sharks is the latest wildlife special produced under the co-production deal between Discovery and the BBC's Natural History Unit.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Smart Sharks is the latest wildlife special produced under the co-production deal between Discovery and the BBC's Natural History Unit. The one-hour film was produced by Mark Brownlow and features a robotic shark which was used to observe the...

Partizan breaks seal for Tango.(Commercials)(produces internet ad for soft drink)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Soft drink Tango comes back with the hit of the whole fruit in a 33k [pounds sterling] internet ad produced by Partizan and directed by James Pilkington. The spot, devised by CHI creatives Matt Pam and Laurie Smith, was made using film of...

Sledge.(makes music video for band 'Girls Aloud')(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Production company Sledge is behind the promo for Life Got Cold, the latest single from Pop Stars: The Rivals-winners Girls Aloud. Directed by Phil Griffin and produced by Fiona Wright, the video is styled on art deco-era New York. Shot at...

The View from the North.(to launch television series, special on BBC)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The View from the North is set to deliver a 6x30-minute series and a one-hour special presented by Fred Dibnah. Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam, for BBC2, traces the history of steam power while Dig with Dibnah, also for BBC2, is the hour-long story...

Maverick Media.(makes video for Irish band 'Ten Speed Racer')(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Maverick Media is behind the promo for Fifteen, the new single from Irish band Ten Speed Racer. Directed by Phil Traill, the film sees the band hanging from the ceiling and performing upside-down in one shot with no cuts. The image was...

Bend it duo regroup in Bollywood.(Film)(Curinder Chadha, Deepak Nayer shooting 'Bride and Prejudice -- The Bollywood Musical)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The team behind British hit Bend it Like Beckham has begun shooting a new project at Ealing Studios. Director-producer Gurinder Chadha and producer Deepak Nayer have begun filming Bride and Prejudice--The Bollywood Musical at the recently...

Tiger aspect loads up ammo for new show on Five.(Broadcast)(Christian O'Connell will host series 'Pub Ammo for Five')(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... XFM DJ Christian O'Connell is to host Tiger's new series Pub Ammo for Five. The 6x30-minute series is described as a "pacy half-hour show that arms viewers with enough incredible facts" (such as which animal has the longest orgasm) "to...

Moving Brands.(teams with The Partners to produce short film for Qinetiq)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... On-screen branding specialist Moving Brands has worked with The Partners to create a film for MOD research spin-off Qinetiq, the company behind the recent balloon altitude record attempt. The three-minute film starts 400 metres below the sea...

Uli Meyer.(finishes second animated commercial for Cookie Crisp)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Animation house Uli Meyer has completed its second Cookie Crisp spot, Spring in the City, for Saatchi & Saatchi London. The commercial was animated traditionally in 2D with backgrounds created in Photoshop and textured in Maya. Moving cars were...

Hudoq.(executive Simon Cornish directs 'Loose Vectors')(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Simon Cornish, head of animation at Hudoq, has directed Loose Vectors, the new release from Origin recording artist Joe Watson. Cgi elements were created in Swift 3D and animated and edited in Flash. Loose Vectors is slated for an internet...

Simon Fuller's 19TV, the indie behind Pop Idol.(The Green Light)(will produce animated children's show for BBC1)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Simon Fuller's 19TV, the indie behind Pop Idol, has picked up a commission for an animated kids series for BBC1. The 13x10-minute Hipster and Jack tells the story of a boy and a dancing hippo; TX is summer 2004. 19TV is also making I Dream...

Patrick Barlow's adaptation of Daisy Ashford's Victorian novel.(The Green Light)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Patrick Barlow's adaptation of Daisy Ashford's Victorian novel The Young Visiters is about to go into production for BBC1. The director is David Yates (State of Play) and the producer is Christopher Hall. The executive producers are Laura...

Granada International has picked up a US co-pro deal.(The Green Light)(will co-produce 'Jungle' with PBS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Granada International has picked up a US co-pro deal with Thirteen/WNet New York to make Jungle for ITV1 and the Nature strand on PBS. Billed as an "event TV spectacular," it will be produced by Granada Wild in association with Thirteen/WNet....

Stuart Murphy and Jane Root have jointly commissioned Baby Cow.(The Green Light)(black comedy to air on BBC3, BBC2)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Stuart Murphy and Jane Root have jointly commissioned Baby Cow to make Nighty Night for BBC3 and BBC2. Written by and starring Julia Davis (Human Remains), the dark comedy drama series is described as a "west-country version of Fatal...

UK indies see much of the action in a new raft of ITV dramas.(The Green Light)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UK indies see much of the action in a new raft of ITV dramas ordered by head of drama Nick Elliott. Doc Martin, from Martin Clunes's company Buffalo Pictures, stars the actor as a grumpy London doctor who moves to the country. Red Productions...

E! Networks opens UK base.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... US entertainment channel E! Networks is setting up a London office in a plan to localise its UK output and expand into Europe. The channel launched on BSkyB in December last year. The London office will be headed by Brad Wald, who becomes...

September date for Plantin.(People)(Marcus Plantin hired by September Films)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... ITV's first network director Marcus Plantin is joining September Films to fast-track the indie into the development of big reality gameshows in the vein of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here and Big Brother. Plantin was most recently...

Mentorn bags LWT producer.(People)(hires David Staite)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Television Corporation subsidiary Mentorn is staffing up for a drive back into big UK entertainment shows with the appointment of David Staite, series producer on LWT's I'm a Celebrity. He was previously series producer on the...

CNX replaced by Toonami.(Digital TV)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... From September CNX, Turner's channel aimed at 15-24-year-old men, is to close and be replaced by Toonami, a younger-skewed animation-only channel. Toonami, a programming block on CNX aimed at the tween and young teen demographic, proved...

Red teams with Wall to Wall.(Deals)(forms entertainment company, Red Wall)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Factual producer Wall to Wall and drama producer Red have teamed up to form Red Wall, a comedy entertainment/comedy factual entertainment company in Manchester. Red is to close its newly-formed Red Entertainment division after failing to...

How to sell your shows: for producers keen to distribute their own content internationally, Cineflix International md Paul Heaney has some words of advice.(The Business News)
August 1, 2003... With impending legislation on producers' rights, distribution is set to change, with more producer/distributors keen to take control of a key revenue stream. My company, which celebrates its first year's trading at Mipcom, is the London...

Storyboard.(News)
August 1, 2003... In the August Storyboard, JFA's Gavin Boyter follows the sun for Primal Scream; Addiction monkeys around with Moby; Sherbet is in the loop at S4C; Exposure Animation gets the lock-down treatment for FC Kahuna; and The Farm plays Emotional...

Lygo's return to Channel 4.(Broadcast)(Kevin Lygo)
August 1, 2003... Kevin Lygo has returned to his roots at Channel 4, after completing a stint as programme boss at Five. And he didn't exactly prevaricate over his decision. Barely had Tim Gardam said he was quitting the head of programmes slot than Lygo...

Month in review.
August 1, 2003... Just how much can one man take? Surveying the wreckage of his Boys and Girls fiasco must be like watching a cat toy with a dead mouse for a beleaugered Chris Evans. This month, it's ABC's turn to twist the knife. The format, optioned well...

It is Mine, all Mine.(Facilities)(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2003... For the record, our company name and telephone number were printed incorrectly on page 104 of the latest Televisual handbook The Edit (In Post Directory). Mine (and it's not The Mine) offers a wide range of production services including...

Public service paradise lost.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Have any of you people actually seen Fox's Paradise Hotel (Televisual, July)? As an American who has had that awesome pleasure, Mentorn's new reality series is not something I'd want to shout about if I were a UK independent. What happened...

Corporate top 50 pick 'n' mix.(Corporate)
August 1, 2003... Once again the Corporate Top 50 (July issue) is a stange mixture of events specialists, new media specialists and plain film-makers of the old school. It's hard to see how you can make all these animals run in the same race, but it's...

Drama out of politics (and vice versa).(Opinions)(Granada)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Politics and broadcasting: they're getting trickier and tricker to disentangle as the communications bill completes its last serpentine lap of the Lords and as Labour begins to see its next election challenge coming over the hill. No,...

The extra terrestrial: Sky1's new controller won her BBC and C4 spurs by turning factual topics upside down for an alternative view. Now she plans to do it to her new channel--but first, Edinburgh's TV festival gets the treatment.(Interview: Sara Ramsden)
August 1, 2003... In Edinburgh's advisory chair this year sits Sara Ramsden, handed the task last year by outgoing chair Dawn Airey. Then, she was head of Channel 4's contemporary factual group; now, five months after Airey also snapped her up for Sky1, she'll...

The DNA of love: Michael Winterbottom's new feature Code 46, part-funded with lottery money and by BBC Film, is a science-fiction romance with a twist. Adrian Pennington delves into the future.(In production: Code 46)(Movie Review)
August 1, 2003... Sometime in the near future, when human cloning is commonplace, the incest laws will be extended to make it a criminal offence to copulate with someone grown from your DNA. But what happens if you fall in love with that person? That conundrum...

Toons dash for cash: with the funding of quality children's animation series now tougher than it's ever been, Jon Creamer discovers how independents are finding new ways to plug the ever widening financing gap.(Animation)
August 1, 2003... The kids animation business has traditionally been a tough nut to crack. Budgets have long been low for a genre that is notoriously expensive and time-consuming to produce. But, up until recently, independent producers could make the...

A clean slate: Blast Films has lured ex-Film Four Lab head Robin Gutch to run its newly-launched film and drama department. James Hamilton talks to him about life on the other side of the commissioning fence.(People: Robin Gutch)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Two weeks into his new job as head of Blast's new film and drama department, Robin Gutch is eager to get working on a slate. Two months kicking his heels in-between jobs has only whetted his enthusiasm to re-immerse himself in the brand of...

A done deal: ITV's loss was Channel 4's gain when it picked up Stephen Frears's The Deal two days after it was shelved. Suzel Pitty reports on a film set to cause controversy among politicians and broadcasters alike.(In production: The Deal)(Granada)
August 1, 2003... So here's the deal. Make a pithy political drama for TV about the birth of New Labour and the compelling pact of ambition and loyalty which underpinned it. Introduce a fresh level of intrigue as the commissioning company drops the "hot potato."...

Over the cutting edge: Siggraph is the graphics industry's chance to show and tell; a place where new technology sits side-by-side with cutting-edge research. James Hamilton discovers just how research turns into practical production tools, and looks at some of the R&D to be presented at the conference this year.(Siggraph)
August 1, 2003... If you're interested in what film and television is going to look like five or ten years down the line, it's worth casting an eye west to San Diego. Siggraph, held in the southern Californian city this year, is the computer graphics industry's...

Lipsync posts Silent Witness.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Lipsync Post has managed the post-production for series seven of BBC1's Amanda Burton drama Silent Witness. The 8x60 serial was produced by Nick Pitt, onlined by Simon Graham and mixed by head of sound Steve Haynes. It was graded at Pepper....

Piranha enters UK waters.(Facilities)(Realitydreamship)(the Piranha finishing system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Commercials and live event fx house Realitydreamship has purchased the UK's first Piranha finishing system. According to facility md Barrie Williams, "it's half the price of a Flame but works on the same hardware (Octane 2) with more...

Animo.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Cambridge Animation Systems has unveiled v5 of its 2D software Animo. New features allow studios to configure the software for different languages and there's greater access to information. A new turbulence effect helps create realistic clouds...

Soho Editors make web impact.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A new web-based approvals system is being made available to broadcast and corporate facilities. Impact has been developed by UK firm Blueprint Software in consultation with post-production training outfit Soho Editors. The software, which...

Virtual stuntmen make their debut in Troy.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Following the spectacular use of crowd replication software on Lord of the Rings, forthcoming epic Troy is to debut virtual stuntmen. Software designed by Oxford University spin-off NaturalMotion and deployed on Troy by MPC creates virtual...

Clipstream automates subtitles.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Clipstream, part of the VTR group, is developing an automated subtitling service which it claims could cut the cost and time of existing processes. Currently the text of a film is captured manually, edited and matched to the images to...

Magic Bullet shot at The Hive.(Facilities)(Hive Animation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BBC1 medical documentary Magic Bullet (airing this month) required a graphic of cells to be repeated throughout the programme. Hive Animation's 3D chief Dave Child and 2D head Ben Heap created the graphic, which replicates the fluorescent look...

2D3.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Software developer 2D3 has unveiled shot-stabilisation plug-in SteadyMove Pro. The 50 [pounds sterling] plug-in works with After Effects, Adobe Premiere and Combustion. Users can load in a shaky video sequence for the application to...

The Ridley Scott Awards.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Escape Studios has teamed with Ridley Scott to set up an awards event to find new visual effects talent. The Ridley Scott Awards aim to recognise creative potential rather than technical ability. Entry is open to anyone not currently employed...

AHC Post.(McMillan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New HD facility AHC Post has opened with a Quantel eQ and QColour grading system supplied by McMillan. It also has a Sony 900 HD camera and HDCam deck. Md Andrew Cummings says "it amazes me that virtually no one in Soho is offering a genuine HD...

TSL bags White City contract.(Technology)(Television Systems Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BBC Broadcast has appointed Television Systems Limited (TSL)to design, install and commission its playout and broadcast automation systems when its operations migrate to the White City-based Broadcast Centre next February. "We are creating...

Uncle joins Auntie in W12.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Farm group is to launch a facility in Shepherd's Bush to capture work from the BBC and local indies. Uncle will feature standard-definition and HD services when it opens in September. It will offer 17 suites offering offline, online,...

TV presenters course launch.(Production)(production company 1080 launched to train TV presenters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Manchester facility Sumners has opened a production company, 1080, which aims to train potential TV presenters. The two-day course offers aspiring presenters practical advice and the chance to put together a showreel. Md Paul Morgan says...

One revamps its motion capture.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... One Post has revamped and relaunched the motion-control rig which was previously housed at SVC. The rig now resides in a 1000sq ft studio at 142 Wardour Street and includes a 35mm Mitchell camera with computerised model-movers and Mark...

Beam TV adds MacCaffery.(Technology)(hires Anthony MacCaffery)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Web-based approval service Beam TV has poached Anthony MacCaffery, previously head of Rushes' Rocket, and appointed three other developers. The Mill subsidiary has also moved to offices above Molinare in Craven House. The Beam Box solution...

Facility training isn't working; training and development needs a rethink, says Blue2 consultant Tim MacPherson.(The works: the business)
August 1, 2003... Having recently carried out a survey on behalf of Skillset and post-production employers, I can now see what some of the real issues in training are. Only half of the companies I spoke to used any kind of training resource, and shockingly...

Wild Wild West: two UK commercials houses were chosen to create a futuristic frontier for a major new North American Levi's campaign devised at BBH NY and directed by Johan Renck and Traktor.(Levi's Horse/Car)(BBH NY)
August 1, 2003... It's the Wild Wild West revisited in the new US broadcast and cinema campaign for Levi's Type 1 jeans. The 1999 feature, which starred Will Smith, proved a commercial flop but its distinctive mix of industrial-age technology and a Western...

Production directory: the A-Z of production services.(Directory)
August 1, 2003... ACCOUNTANTS BRECKMAN & COMPANY For friendly advice on all of your accounts and tax matters call 0207 499 2292. or visit our website www.breckmanandcompany.co.uk LINDFORD & COMPANY, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS We are a small friendly firm...

Over the Hill.(In My View)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Colourist Tareq Kubaisi spurned a lucrative career in marketing to become head of telecine at VTR. Armed with just a replica Arsenal strip and a soapbox, he take up position on speakers' corner and tells Televisual just what's wrong with the...

August TX guide: a producer's guide to a month on the box.(The End)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Big Brother USA from Sunday 27 July: E4 Big Brother fans don't despair, E4 is filling the void with 13 people in a house in LA as it time-shifts CBS's Big Brother USA (from Endemol USA). There's no public vote in this one, but an extra...

Thunderbirds are go (again) at Pinewood.(Hair-In-The-Gate)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson was recently moved to state his position "once and for all" on Working Title's 50m+ [pounds sterling] live-action Thunderbirds movie filming at Pinewood: "I was not approached by anyone to be creatively...