Televisual articles from August 2004

Televisual archives from August 2004

Hawkshead wins pitch to bring London on-side for 2012 Olympics.(Corporate)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Endemol UK's corporate arm Hawkshead has lent its weight to the 2012 campaign to convince Londoners of the benefits of a successful UK bid for the Olympics-after-next. With a year to go before the Olympic committee is due to decide on the...

Zeal to staff up and focus on recommissions.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Zeal Television is to announce a number of new hires in programme production and development, according to chief executive Peter Christiansen. New executives are being sought with experience in factual programming and international...

Drama school hires Firehouse.(Corporate)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Corporate outfit Firehouse has hooked up with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to provide facilities and consultation for media-conscious business executives. While Rada tutors currently work with executives to improve live performance...

DSP looks to double in size.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Touching The Void producer Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) has hired former Cosgrove Hall and Iain Pelling as part of a restructure that sees founder John Smithson concentrating on expanding the business. Smithson becomes executive chairman...

Resfest.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The eighth annual Resfest digital film festival kicks off on 30 September at the NFT before travelling to over 30 cities across the world and six in the UK and Ireland. It will showcase the year's best shorts, music videos and animation. There...

Skillset.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Skillset has launched an online consultation for those working in the interactive media industry. Workers from the sector can view a draft version of the new interactive media skills strategy, put together by Skillset and the DTI, to find ways...

3DD has been hiring and promoting and has made a new ancillary rights division.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... 3DD has been hiring and promoting and has made a new ancillary rights division; Reema Patel also becomes head of sales and RDF's Annie Lee becomes sales manager. At Entertainment Rights, Chloe Van Den Berg is promoted to the new role of...

PI Films.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Room for Romeo Brass director Shane Meadows is one of the 10 directors on the launch roster of new outfit PI Films, a company designed to "manage and promote established and upcoming directors" in their commercials work. The new company will be...

Picasso's Mackie finds new Hobbies for BBC3.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Picasso Pictures' Nick Mackie is making six shorts for BBC3 that follow the same documentary format as his award winning Hobbles-Model Bus Collector. He's also making his commercials directorial debut with a spot for Alka Rapid Crystals...

Kemistry dips its toe into kid's animation.(Branding)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Design and branding firm Kemistry is branching into broadcast production with the completion of a two-minute animated pilot for a planned 13x26-minute kids TV series, Flux Deluxe. Aimed at eight- to 12-year-olds, the series follows the...

Lou Reed and UK DJ Dave Pearce got together to remix Reed's Satellite of Love for the noughties--and Flynn's Sam Brady was brought on board to create a new promo.(Animation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Lou Reed and UK DJ Dave Pearce got together to remix Reed's Satellite of Love for the noughties--and Flynn's Sam Brady was brought on board to create a new promo. The film is a new take on the space race, with a group of hippies also competing...

Nice introduction to the NHS.(Corporate)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Brighton-based Nice Media Limited has produced the 30-minute Introduction to the NHS, an interactive induction and learning programme for NHSU, the corporate university for the NHS. The video shows a man suffering a stroke in a shopping...

Turquoise.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... New branding outfit Turquoise, founded by ex Lambie-Naim md Sharon Wheeler, has just completed the identity for new Belgian sports channel Sporza and the on-air graphic look and set design for MBC news channel, Al Arabia. The fledgling company...

Colonel Blimp.(Newport Gangsta Act)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Colonel Blimp's Adam Smith has directed a promo for ironic Newport gangsta act, Goldie Lookin' Chain. Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do was shot around the shopping and suburban areas of Watford, culminating in a high-speed police chase on...

Outsider.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... David Lodge at Outsider is the director behind three 20-second spots for Toyota ordered through Saatchi & Saatchi. The ads Estate Agent, Hotel and Jenkins follow different people falling in love with the new Toyota Avensis with the endline...

Framestore CFC are go.(Film)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Framestore CFC's work on the new Thunderbirds movie is "the biggest job ever undertaken by a single European facility," says the company. In total, the facility has put together 680 vfx shots for the Working Title-produced film based on...

E&P recreates TV brands in Germany and Romania.(Graphics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Broadcast design outfit English and Pockett has completed a rebrand of Televiziunea Romana (TVR), Romania's public service broadcaster, and has also been selected to create new identity work for the German DW-TV (Deutsche Welle). The TVR...

Class Films' 90-minute commission for Channel 4.(The Green Light)(Channel 4)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Class Films' 90-minute commission for Channel 4 Do They Know it's Christmas? marks the 20th anniversary of Band Aid. The show includes interviews with key figures behind the mammoth Live Aid fundraising event, as well as previously-unseen...

The BBC's first Russian co-production is Space Race.(The Green Light)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The BBC's first Russian co-production is Space Race with Channel One TV, set for broadcast in 2005. The six-episode docu-drama is produced in-house for BBC2 and commisioned by John Willis. It tells the story of the race to be first nation on...

Vic Reeves will present a 10-part series on famous scoundrels.(The Green Light)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Vic Reeves will present a 10-part series on famous scoundrels--think Blackbeard and Dick Turpin--for Discovery. Vic Reeves' Rogues Gallery (working title) is a 10x30-minute series from Oxford Film and TV set to air in Q1 2005. It was...

Celador will produce two new comedy series.(The Green Light)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Celador will produce two new comedy series for Channel 4 and ITV1: Skin Deep (left) and Facing Up. Skin Deep, commissioned by Channel 4 head of comedy Caroline Leddy, stars the comedy double-act Tom Meeten and Steven Cram and is set in a Leeds...

Libra Television has been commissioned to produce two shows.(The Green Light)(BBC Learning)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Libra Television has been commissioned to produce two shows for the BBC's schools and colleges department, having secured both commissions which were put out to tender by BBC Learning earlier this year. The 60-minute Exploring Beliefs and...

Subvison.(Bristol band Mirima)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Subvison has produced a new promo for Bristol band Mirima. Step Back from the Fire mixes live-action and 3D animation. Directed by Stefan Wernik and shot by DoP Peter Sorg, it features the band drawing in the air with fire. Effects were created...

Twofour Productions.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Twofour Productions is to make two 30-minute live Question Time-style shows about the Lottery Fund for the Community Channel. The programme, to air four times a day from mid- to late-August, invites viewers to comment on how lottery funds...

Ascent Media.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... As part of the the 30th anniversary of the release of The Who's seminal album Tommy, Ascent Media has restored the film of the record for DVD release and a broadcast on BBC1 later this year. Ascent's work included restoring the film to a 5.1...

BBC looks to sell off Worldwide ...(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A sell-off for some of the BBC's commercial divisions, among them BBC Worldwide, became more likely with the arrival of Mark Thompson as BBC dg. One of his first acts was to task chief operating officer John Smith with a review of BBC...

... As Siemens wins bid for Technology.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Meanwhile the BBC is looking to save 20m [pounds sterling] to 30m [pounds sterling] with the sale of BBC Technology to Siemens, which beat Accenture in a deal worth 2bn [pounds sterling] to undertake the BBC's network and IT support over the...

Cash for ITV2/3.(Broadcasting Industry Trensd)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... As ITV reported a 5% hike in ad revenues, it has pledged to spend a further 36m [pounds sterling] a year (half as much again) on content for ITV2 and the 35+ ITV3 which launches this autumn. ITV's game-plan is to treble revenues from these...

Sponsored shows get Barb rating.(Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... After pressure from advertisers, Barb has begun testing a new service to provide ratings for the increasing number of sponsored shows. Broadcasters are asked to supply details sponsored programmes, to be matched up against official ratings....

HD's the limit.(Broadcasting industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BSkyB is planning a premium HDTV package of live events, films, drama and news for 2006, to appeal to a growing band of viewers who "seek to enhance their home AV experience with widescreen TVs, plasma screens and home cinema." HD is now...

Time to think outside the box.(Business News)
August 1, 2004... Our business likes to play with words. A "full-time intimate community" is one industry old uses multimedia to keep in touch with her peers. Put more simply: never use one device when you can use three. The message is clear, whether it comes...

All3Media looks east for deals.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... All3Media has announced a number of TV and film sales into eastern Europe. Russia's Central Partnership picked up the feature Summer Rain, drama series Go Big, RDF Television screen play Ella and the Mothers, and series 7 of Midsomer...

BBC sets out its stall in Germany.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BBC Worldwide has opened an office in Cologne after witnessing "rapid growth" in business with Germany. Now BBC Worldwide's second largest market after the US, Germany has provided co-production finance for shows including Walking With...

Four for Granada.(Granada International)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Granada International has sold Colt Productions' format Camera Cafe to Novy TV in the Ukraine, the Israeli Positive Productions and Nova TV in Bulgaria. Meanwhile, in Italy, Mediaset will produce Colt's Ultimate Raid for its Rete4 channel. Colt...

Shameless trio for Company.(Pictures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... UK indie Company Pictures was named European Producer of the Year at the Monte Carlo TV Festival. Company took two other awards, with Shameless also winning the Producer Award for best series and Shameless actor Anne-Marie Dull named best...

RDF swaps in US.(Formats)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ABC is to pilot more... Swap formats from RDF, this time greenlighting Boss Swap and Husband Swap. It has already re-commissioned Wife Swap, now totalling 20 episodes, prior to its autumn air date.

Traditional docs off ProSeiben menu.(International News)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... How much do you co-produce with the UK? The majority of our co productions are with UK broadcasters, mainly the BBC, But recent changes in regulations are likely to lead to an increase in direct co-productions with indies. Which...

C4 goes it alone with iTV ads.(Commercials)
August 1, 2004... Honda UK, leader in inter active advertising since testing a two-minute interactive version of Partizan's award-winning Cog last year on Sky, is now leading the way again. It is the first advertiser to avail itself of Zip TV, a dedicated...

The BBC's annual report revealed that Greg Dyke's painful parting was eased by a pay-off of close to half a million: just the year's salary plus bonus.(Month In Review)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The BBC's annual report revealed that Greg Dyke's painful parting was eased by a pay-off of close to half a million: just the year's salary plus bonus. It's an unfortunate expense that his successor Mark Thompson simply can't afford to see...

Andy Duncan will have plenty of branding work to keep him out of Kevin Lygo's programming hair when he takes over as Channel 4 ceo this month.(Appointments )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Andy Duncan will have plenty of branding work to keep him out of Kevin Lygo's programming hair when he takes over as Channel 4 ceo this month. There's thrashing out the future of the channel as we know it with Ofcom; there's seeing whether Five...

Conundrum: how has Countdown become one of the most successful programmes on daytime TV?(Month In Review)
August 1, 2004... Conundrum: how has Countdown become one of the most successful programmes on daytime TV? The answer lies in the curious chemistry of presenters Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman. C4 has given the pair a new five-year lease, taking the show...

Storyboard.
August 1, 2004... In the run-up to this year's Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, Storyboard features a selection of stills from the competition's title and ident, animation, film and pop promo categories. Over 1800 short films, music videos and title sequences were...

Duncan adds ad values.(Broadcast)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I was interested to read your interview with the BBC "audience tsar" Justin Bairamian (Televisual July), particularly just as the news of his boss Andy Duncan's appointment as chief executive of Channel 4 was being announced. I'm not one...

Pepper calls on post to unite.(Facilities)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... In reference to the letter regarding UK Post and its new chief executive (Televisual July), I believe the fact that Ms Davenport has no experience in the post-production sector to be a huge advantage. She comes to the table fresh, with...

Corporate social responsibility.(Opinions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... As TV productions get more and more evil--proud boast of this year's Big Brother and plainly the intention of Hell's Kitchen--corporate productions get more and more virtuous, witness last month's launch of the IVCA's Clarion awards. These are...

Steve's top five ... Grandaddy of the Top 10 ... series when at Chrysalis, Five's new controller of factual entertainment tells Ann-Marie Corvin what he wants for the channel--and it's not presenters behaving badly.(Interview: Steve Gowans)
August 1, 2004... Like the woodcare varnish Ronseal, Five's factual entertainment output claims to do exactly what it says on the tin. Scan through the listings on any given Monday or Wednesday night between 9pm and 10pm and the mock-tabloid titles lure viewers...

A new south Wales: A Way of Life mixes tenderness with brutality and lush countryside with urban poverty. Ann-Marie Corvin discovers how a TV movie on racial tension in Swansea's dockland made its way on to the big screen.(In production: A Way of Life)
August 1, 2004... Bookended with the violent murder of a Muslim immigrant, Tantrum Films' forthcoming Welsh-located feature A Way of Life takes the brave decision to tell the story primarily from the perspective of its racist perpetrators. "I didn't want to...

A movie lifer: Kudos Film, the new wing of the TV outfit behind Spooks and Hustle, is headed by a film-maker whose nous has been honed in roles as diverse as despatch clerk at The Gate cinema to ceo of Film Four.(People: Paul Webster)
August 1, 2004... Film-makers have long memories; the gestation period of your average feature film means they have to. Paul Webster recalls that, at this year's Cannes screening of Southfork Pictures' Che Guavara biopic The Motorcycle Diaries, which began life...

Save our animation! UK animation is withering on the vine for lack of UK backing, say its proponents. Jon Creamer reports on proposals for a new dedicated fund.(Animation)
August 1, 2004... Animation can be a highly lucrative business. Any parents who have had their credit cards butchered on Christmas shopping sprees will testify to that. But not every animation has its own aisle in Toys R Us. Step outside those few major...

Voodoodog brings life to Sellers.(Facilities)(The Life and Death of Peter Sellers produced)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The animated title sequence for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (released in September) was directed by Paul Donnellon and produced at VooDooDog. It was created using a mixture of Flash line drawings, paper cut-outs composited in After...

From gladiator to gallifrey.(Facilities)(Doctor Who new program handled by The Mill for BBC Wales)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Mill has begun preparing the vfx post-production for the new Doctor Who series, produced by BBC Wales for BBC1. The contract marks a departure for the facility whose broadcast work has hitherto been creating cgi only for one-off docs...

The Pavement.(creating a new comedy show)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Pavement is creating the DVD for hit feature comedy Shaun of The Dead after previously working with director Edgar Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg of Big Talk Productions on DVDs of Spaced. The producer is Kristy Garland with designs...

Forbidden plans web-based editor.(Technology)(Forbidden Technologies )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Video streaming specialist Forbidden Technologies has devised an internet-based editing system it claims could rapidly overtake Avid. Currently in alpha test, "Forscene" is designed for simple, cheap publishing of video content to the web...

Thomson ready for big boost in HD production.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Thomson has signed a 4m [pound sterling] contract to equip the host broadcaster of the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany with seven HD-ready OB trucks. The deal supports the standard-definition and HD broadcast of matches produced by...

Martyr finalises HD grading.(Facilities)(high definition)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Longform editing facility Martyr Television has become the first UK outfit to opt for the new nonlinear grading system from Edifis. The Finaliser is being developed with feedback from the facility, and has already been used to grade BBC...

Red provides mass audience.(Facilities)(Red Advertising San Francisco)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Red has replicated 1.2m people coming together to watch a concert for Tennants lager's latest cinema spot. Producer MTP shot the 90-second ad over 10 nights on HD to maximise low light levels. Red's Chris Mortimer choreographed the crowd on-set...

Lightwave.(NewTek's 3D software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... NewTek's 3D software Lightwave v8 is set for release at Siggraph. Key features for the 1k [pound sterling] package include enhanced character animation tools; a new Morph Mixer; new suite of bone editing tools; faster IK tools and a new hard,...

Ealing Studios.(expansion plans)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Ealing Studios is preparing to expand into eastern Europe. The film and TV studio is part of a consortium planning to bid for Bulgaria's Boyana Film Studios, the country's leading production complex. Ealing says the deal would allow film-makers...

Bottletop.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Graphics outfit Bottletop is to direct and produce vfx for 13 episodes of Granada children's show Bernard's Watch. The programme covers the adventures of a boy able to freeze time using an antique watch. The frozen time sequences are created...

Uncle lands Endemol E4 contract.(Facilities)(Farm)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Farm has won the contract to build and operate the on-location facility for a major new Endemol series. Built as part of Endemol's 15m [pound sterling] 45,000sq ft Bristol-based studio, the facility will be operated under The Farm's...

Kanjee takes charge at Evolutions.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Evolutions has appointed Simon Kanjee, the former md of TSI, as its new managing director. Founders Mike Jessey and Dave Tidy will take a back seat in the day-to-day running of the business. Kanjee says the broadcast and graphics facility...

M2 hosts Tkone.(M2 Television)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Alf Penn and David Yeo, formerly of the TV Set, have set up a telecine and tape transfer venture within M2 Television. TKone opens in August with a 500k [pound sterling] Ursa Diamond suite with Pogle-Platinum grader. It offers archive...

BBC Mailbox live.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BBC Birmingham has moved from Pebble Mill to new studio development, The Mailbox. The 100,000 sq ft complex houses regional TV and radio studios, including the documentary and factual department, edit suites and space for 750 staff. Productions...

Training needs to begin at home: make training a priority says Rowan Bray, general manager of DGP and member of PPTI.(Post Production Training Initiative )
August 1, 2004... Training in post-houses has been a hit and miss affair for many years. Runners learn on the job, senior staff can expect training only when needed, most company managers have no formal business training at all. We know that training...

Softer, smaller, cheaper: 2004's key cgi-fest sees the big guns and big launches give way to quietly bespoke solutions.(Siggraph)
August 1, 2004... When 3D cgi was in its infancy (less than a decade ago), software companies came to the fore offering regular, exciting and major developments. Softimage. NewTek, Discreet and Alias led the pack; ILM, Digital Domain, Pixar and LucasFilm...

King of the Britons: Jerry Bruckheimer's new production of King Arthur claims to deal with historical fact, not myth. Even more pressure, then, for Cinesite to help create a convincing ancient Britain.(King Arthur)
August 1, 2004... The latest take on the Arthurian legend, from the pen of David Franzoni (Gladiator), appears to strike a balance between John Boorman's gritty 1981 Excalibur and 1995's saccharine love story First Knight. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day)...

Listings for the production community.(The Index)(Directory)
August 1, 2004... THE KIT COMPUTER GRAPHICS SERVICES AND SYSTEMS NORTH * MGB FACILITIES LTD SGI based Softimage Extreme 3D Graphics, High Resolution Matador and Paintbox Express. Quantel Editbox--Non Linear On-Line Editing, Digital Betacam &...

Sofa survival guide: if you find yourself stranded in a desert with 's new ceo Gaynor Davenport, fear not: she'll know what to do thanks to Ray Mears. What scares her more is the siting of a tattooed Doctor Who.(In My View)(UK Post)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... How much TV do you watch? I was a TV junkie, but now only about 10 hours a week. What do you watch? I've started watching Question Time (is it my age?); Hell's Kitchen and Faking It are also favourites. And I loved that show...

Supernans and army drills for the football-weary.(Winners And Losers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Sport was BBC1 's big success last month--not only did 11m viewers favour its Euro 2004 final coverage over ITV's 3m, but Sports Relief also dominated the Saturday-night ratings on 10 July--peaking at 7.5m with They Think it's all a Question of...

August TX guide: a producer's guide to the month on the box.(The End)
August 1, 2004... The Block Tuesday 3 August at 21.00 (TBC): ITV1 This RDF Media production sees four couples move into a block of flats, all of which are identical and unfurnished. They are each given three months and equal budgets to increase the value of...