Televisual articles from February 2002

Televisual archives from February 2002

Aardman gears up for PG Tips, Comforts and a Vegetable Plot. (Animation).(Aardman Animations)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Aardman Animations is restaffing after having to lay off animators when production of The Tortoise and The Hare, the next in its fivemovie deal with Dreamworks, was put back. Production of Tortoise stalled after Aardman decided that the...

Editz signs up to Commonwealth media team. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Manchester post-house Editz is to take a leading role in planning and running television services for the city's 2002 Commonwealth Games this summer, including the opening and closing extravaganzas. Producer Jack Morton Worldwide is organising...

Deepend team regroups as Poke. (New Media).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Four of Deepend's former directors -- Peter Beech, Nick Farnhill, Tom Hostler and Simon Waterfall -- are to combine their creative experience with the interactive skills of Nicolas Roope and Iain Tait, previously of Nodding Dog. Under the...

Tell Tale beefs up for Boo. (Animation).(Tell Tale Productions department expansion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Tweenies-creator Tell Tale Productions is expanding its animation department by 16 as it heads into production with its pre-preschool project, Boo. Eight new animators will be drafted into Tell Tale's Elstree base, and eight more will be...

CBBC. (In Brief).(BBCi series introduction)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CBBC's rival to SM:TV, The Saturday is to go interactive after the launch of new channel CBBC this month. BBCi will also launch 13 educational TV games and stories based on popular shows on its new pre-school channel CBeebies, and is developing...

Skillset. (In Brief).(film and television conference data)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Skiliset's second two-day runners event kicks off on 11 March at lslington's Business Design Centre. Workshops will be run by leading industry figures, with a one-hour networking session each night. The first day will focus on broadcast and...

Jane Fuller Associates. (In Brief).(and The Producers personnel changes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Jane Fuller Associates and The Producers are both expanding their rosters. JFA now has Clio-winner Prasoon Pandy (CPA cancer campaign, right) and Matthias Zentner, who directs promos and ads and also operates Henry. Joining The Producers are...

Granada International. (In Brief).(contracts with Noggin)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Granada International has signed its first deal with Noggin, the US 24-hour ad-free educational network from Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop. The deal is for 26 episodes of 24Seven, its tween show about the ups and downs of life in an...

TSI has put together graphics for Flying Elephant's first taste. (In Brief).(contract data)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... TSI has put together graphics for Flying Elephant's First Taste. The 13x30-minute Channel 5 series shows young people from around the globe as they discover new experiences. TSI's titles combine footage of people in the show with...

Initial. (In Brief).(Russell Watson television special)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... British tenor Russell Watson is to star in a 90-minute special from Initial, Night of the Voice. An open-air concert, to be filmed in Auckland this month, will go out on TVNZ and PBS in the US, with Initial parent Endemol also doing deals for...

Flynn and Red Post Production. (In Brief).(contract data)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Flynn and Red Post Production put on a puppet show for Elbow's Asleep in the Back this month. Flynn's Sam Brown directed the promo which shows the band's heads on dancing puppet bodies. Red's Dan Williams, Tim Rudgard and Dave Kiddie used...

Telemagination puts its mind to something else. (Animation).(company production information)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Telemagination, the studio behind Little Ghosts and Pong-whiffy, goes into production this month on an animated series for five- to eight-year-olds, Something Else. The 26x11-minute show is a co-production between Telemagination's parent...

Barford hits the silver screen with Abbey promo. (Corporate).(Barford Film Company )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Barford Film Company achieves what could be a first for a corporate video this month when its work for Abbey National gets a theatrical release alongside Russell Crowe's Golden Globe-winning feature film, A Beautiful Mind. Commissioned...

S4C orders twins from Morgan. (Animation).(Halo Productions' Rob Morgan )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Halo Productions' Rob Morgan has been commissioned by S4C's Chris Grace to direct The Separation, a six-minute film for delivery in March 2003. Morgan's first film, The Cat With Hands, won best-newcomer at Soho Shorts 2001. Morgan...

Graphics. (News in Production).
February 1, 2002... Spanish movie channel Canal Star gets a new look this month from Future Brand English & Pockett and SVC. Each animated ident shows an object shaped a bit like a star. The live-action was shot on blue-screen in motion-control by Mark Emberton...

Wind-up show for kids launch. (Broadcast).(CBBC)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CBBC, the BBC's children's channel for older kids, is to spice up its launch fortnight this month with a hidden camera wind-up show, Stitch Up. "We're anticipating quite a lot of complaints," says producer Nick Hopkin; the 13x25-minute...

Zig Zag on the hunt for the celebrity hunters. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Independent Zig Zag has put together a 60-minute documentary, Star Stalkers. The programme looks at the issue of celebrity stalking from the point of view of experts and bodyguards who deal with it on a daily basis. The programme...

Bruce Dunlop. (In Brief).(BFBS Television,)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Bruce Dunlop has overhauled the overall branding of BFBS Television, the broadcasting service for British forces personnel stationed overseas, and its channel BFBS 2. The titles feature servicemen and women shot on DV by Max Wright, then...

HR3D. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... HR3D is doing it for the kids with a Huggies Supreme nappies spot for O&M in the US. The ad shows a pop-up storybook scene with a 2D baby and nappy-pack which evolves into 3D to mimic the new-found freedom the baby gets with its comfy nappy....

MTV. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MTV is to host exclusive content online to support the release of Pink's Missundaztood album this month. Various MTV webs tes from around the world will show video streams of new Pink promos, interviews with the singer and clips from the MW...

Collingwood O'Hare's pre-school project. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Collingwood O'Hare's pre-school project Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! (Televisual September) has been commissioned by Janie Grace for CITV. The 52x5-minute Celaction toon follows the adventures of a bird, an armadillo and a monkey. The series will be...

MTV is to host a 60-minute global forum. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MTV is to host a 60-minute global forum this month for young people around the world to question US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Viewers from India, Italy, Elrazil, Russia, the US, UK and Middle East will be able to send in questions...

Shine is to make Topsy Turvy for Discovery UK for TX this summer. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Shine is to make Topsy Turvy for Discovery UK for TX this summer. The 3x60-minute factual show follows an average London family as they exchange roles: father and son swap their cab-driving and car-salesman jobs; mother and daughter swap...

Jane Tranter has commissioned Paradise Heights for BBC1. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Jane Tranter has commissioned Paradise Heights for BBC1, a new drama series starring Neil Morrissey and Ralf Little. The in-house production was written by Ashley Pharoah (Where the Heart Is, Down to Earth) and centres around a family-run...

TV4C has sold its cgi kids' series Busy Buses. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... TV4C has sold its cgi kids' series Busy Buses to Flextech's Living channel. The women's channel plans to air the 26x5-minute adventures set in a bus garage in its children's strand, Tiny Living. TV4C is a joint venture between Terry Ward's...

Nickelodeon has ordered Reach for the Stars. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Nickelodeon has ordered Reach for the Stars from Plymouth-based Twofourty. The 8x30-minute kids' show follows eight children as they step into the shoes of their famous idols and find out what life's really like as a celebrity. The show's...

Honeycomb Animation's Binka is to get an airing. (The Green Light).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Honeycomb Animation's Binka is to get an airing on new BBC preschool channel CBeebies this month The adventures of the chubby cat will be the second programme to be shown on the fledgling channel, and will air three times weekly from then on....

Channel 5 gets a budget boost. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Channel 5 has succeeded in securing a small increase in its programming budget for 2002. Shareholders RTL and UBM agreed to the hike despite a fall of 10% in the channel's advertising revenue during the previous year. The rise was only...

Duffy quits ITV daytime. (Moves).(Maureen Duffy)(Independent Television)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ITV's head of daytime output Maureen Duffy is to quit after 18 months in the job. ITV's daytime ratings dropped dramatically after the shock departure of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan from ITV's flagship morning show last year. ...

Archer swaps United for BBC. (Moves).(Tom Archer)(United Productions)(BBC Bristo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Former United head of factual Tom Archer has left the Granada fold to take up a new post as head of general at BBC Bristol. His departure follows that of both United's chief executive John Willis and head of children's Dan Maddicott in...

BBC grabs new kids' shows. (Broadcast).(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CBBC controller Nigel Pickard announced a further slate of new programmes as the BBC gears up to launch its two new childrens channels on 11 February. Smile is a new 60-week Sunday morning show presented by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates...

Will the kids come to Auntie? (The Business News).(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Nickelodeon UK)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Two kids' channels come on stream this month from the BBC. Nickelodeno's Nicky Parkinson plans to give them a run for their money In the debate about the role and remit of the BBC's digital channels, little has been said about its aptitude...

News Storyboard.(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... In Storyboard this month, we have the curious and the curiouser: we see Victoria Beckham's life over the last six months through the eyes of her friends and 422; a BBC language programme shows Bauhaus leanings; the Disney Sports Channel sends...

Game's up for mass-market TV? (Broadcast).(Independent Television)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Since its inception, ITV has defined itself as a mass-market commercial channel. Like its publicly-funded rival BBC1, ITV has never sought out a certain niche or a particular demographic. Its programming has always been carefully and...

While Roly Keating was flagging next month's launch of BBC4 as "the biggest innovation in cultural broadcasting,". (Month in Review).(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... While Roly Keating was flagging next month's launch of BBC4 as "the biggest innovation in cultural broadcasting," with everything from Peter Brook's Hamlet to a Readers and Writers Road-show (modelled on Antiques), BBC3 controller-in-waiting...

Well, that's if the new Barb panel is to be believed. (Month in Review).(Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Well, that's if the new Barb panel is to be believed. The Barb blackout lifted as E4 celebrated its first birthday, with shedloads of costly Big Thursday publicity for the new (far from home-grown) series of Friends. The verdict of media-buying...

Sad to see the Bazal brand disappear as part of Endemol UK's bid to extend the Spanish-owned Dutch company's supremacy over UK television. (Month in Review).(Endemol Entertainment UK)(Bazal Productions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sad to see the Bazal brand disappear as part of Endemol UK's bid to extend the Spanish-owned Dutch company's supremacy over UK television. But it has to be the price of success: quite content to leave the Initial branding alone, Endemol just...

Talent lost to one-ITV? (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... I am glad we can look forward to a new documentary film from Paul Watson (Televisual December), who has been one of the most innovative UK documentary-makers. But it is a pity that United Productions, the company in at the start of his new...

Blazkho cast into oblivion...along with Motion FX. (Graphics).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Happy new year from Blazkho, but we're wondering how the listing of graphics companies published in Televisual last month was compiled. Though we're a small company, we've been known to get the occasional editorial mention in the magazine...

Blazkho cast into oblivion...along with Motion FX. (Graphics).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sadly we discovered we were not included in the list of facility houses accompanying the Graphics in Revolt feature (Televisual, January). Even for a facility not in revolt, we need to put the record straight and include ourselves for the...

TV oracle must look to its laurels. (Opinions).(Brief Article)(Column)
February 1, 2002... As commercial TV bosses enjoyed executive-strength festive breaks, were they secretly thanking Barb for the ratings blackout that delayed its bad news until half-way through January? With luck they avoided airtime buyers, in...

A sporting chance Granada's cach-way bet. (Max Graesser Interview).
February 1, 2002... Last month, Granada content launched a new department to combine its network sports productions with its internet and iTV divisions. Its chief talks tactics to Sam Espensen: how he plans to join the iTV race. Graesser muses that his 22...

Manic mechanic from Cosgrove Hall. (In Production Engie Benjy).
February 1, 2002... Alongside Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy, Cosgrove Hall is hard at work on Engie Benjy, a brand new CITV show for pre-schoolers. Jon Creamer asks the team about the adventures of the blue-haired boy mechanic and his friends - and finds out why it...

What are you worth? Compared to 10 years ago? (Pay Survey).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... This year, average pay in the TV industries has finally fulfilled the promise of our 1999 survey (see graph right): with an 11% leap, it has made it over the [pounds sterling]40k mark from last year's [pounds sterling]36.7k to [pounds...

TV trns on 2 fns so who's doing it on the mobile? (TV on the Mobile).
February 1, 2002... The mobile, phone is changing. High-quality colour video will soon be delivered straight to your handset, or so we're told. Simon Meek cuts through the hype and sees what's in it for TV Square-Eyes sits on the tube home from work with...

Class A editors of 2002 and who they'd pick for 2003. (Editors).
February 1, 2002... With votes in from Televisual's 2001 producer polls, Sam Espensen talks to the big three, scrounging handy hints to get to the top and asking if there's anyone who makes them look over their shoulder -- admiringly, or apprehensively. Votes...

New media minefield. (New Media Services Production).
February 1, 2002... Last year saw an astronomic growth in the number of new media companies in the UK. And there are more to come, it appears. Is the market about to reach saturation point? Or is there still enough work to go round? Spirits are high among the...

Phaebus gears up for expansion. (Facilities).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Manchester post-house Phaebus Communications is set to spend [pounds sterling]800k beefing up its facilities. The investment is earmarked for a larger site and additional kit. Its relocation will occur in the first-half of the year and it...

TVE-founder formers rival firm. (Equipment).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Ex-TVE Group founder Colin Parnell is returning to the volatile Avid hire market with the launch of The Kit Group. The rental firm will initially be financed by Foretell Media, Parnell's newmedia production company, and is set to open this...

Ex-Rushes 3D producer Stephen Venning and former Smoke & Mirrors Flame operator Judy Roberts have joined The Mill. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Ex-Rushes 3D producer Stephen Venning and former Smoke & Mirrors Flame operator Judy Roberts have joined The Mill. Venning is enrolled as operations manager of the post-house's 3D department, where he will be in control of its day-to-day...

Digidesign. (In Brief).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... Digidesign is stepping up its market presence with the release of Pro Tools HD, a digital audio workstation capable of sample rates of 192KHz - twice the current 96KHz pro-audio standard. The system will be available in three sizes,...

Tangerine Dream. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Clyde-based DVD authoring facility Tangerine Dream is expanding its operations to London and Manchester in a bid to break into the feature film DVD marketplace. The move outside Scotland reflects a sea-change for the company, which until last...

Pepper. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Pepper has appointed Patrick Holzen as md, replacing Adrian Martin who left in December. Holzen has worked at TVI as finance director and as financial controller of Carfton International Media. The appointment coincides with the folding of...

Pukka debt crisis forces closure. (Facilities).
February 1, 2002... Pukka Post is on the market after spiralling debt forced its management to call in the administrators. After three years in operation, the group - which comprised post, media and films divisions - capitulated to a financial crisis. Pukka...

Tele-cine editors set up Post Republic with VSI. (Facilities).
February 1, 2002... Two ex-Tele-Cine editors, ousted when its online department was axed late last year, have joined forces to set up new shop, Post Republic. The facility is backed by Voice & Script International (VSI), and will see Pete Neil and Steve...

Avid moves to sharpen its image. (Technology).(Avid Technology's DS v5.0 marketing campaign)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... Avid Technology is launching a marketing campaign to shake off the sluggish reputation dogging its DS product line. The software giant is embarking on a six-month campaign to demonstrate the capabilities of DS v5.0 and lay to rest industry...

Metropolis sets up production. (Facilities).(Metropolis Group's new Metropolis Production)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Metropolis Group is setting up a content production arm to complement its DVD division. The focus of the division will be "gigs and live stuff for our record company clients," says group business development director Mike Gillespie....

Discreet axes R&D teams. (Technology).(Discreet Logic Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Discreet is to axe two of its R&D sites and consolidate its operations in Montreal, shedding 26 employees in the process. Its Venice Beach office, where the Combustion product range is developed, will be "phased out over the next 120 days,"...

BBC Technology wins 3G deal. (Technology).(Hutchison 3G)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BBC Technology has signed a five-year contract with Hutchison 3G to manage the content for its third generation mobile phone service. A 25-strong department will be set up in Stadium House, White City, dedicated to processing content for...

Gearbox spends [pounds sterling]750k on hire kit (Equipment).(digital audio enhances rental equipment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sales and rental firm Gearbox is to spend [pound sterling]750k expanding its hire arm. The investment includes four Digidesign Pro Tools HD systems, and coincides with the product's global launch (see p47), making Gearbox the first rental...

Alive with the sound of 5.1. (The Business The Works).(sound systems)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Tim Lofts, facilities director at audio-post house Saunders and Gordon, can see sound coming of age -- and says it's about time too Some of the most pleasing developments in audio last year came as a result of Dolby's marketing department....

Finger on the baton: It was John Tusa's idea as ceo of the Barbican Centre to make its events more broadcast-friendly. Then the BBC came on board in a [pound]1m kit-out deal and an idea of its own, discovers Simon Meek. (Barbican Centre).
February 1, 2002... The continued success of a digital channel depends on one thing: original content. And BBC Knowledge (soon to be BBC4) is no exception. So what's the best way to fill its schedule? How about taking up residence in a prominent arts...

Monkey business. (In My View).
February 1, 2002... What does TV look like from inside the ad break? Sam Espensen elicited the views of the creature who won ad campaign of the year for Mother - and, of course, for ITV Digital. Monkey, brother to Flat Eric (also spawned by Henson's), is taking...

February TX guide. (The End).(television production activity)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Costa del Dosh from 4 February, 10pm: Bravo, 4xweekly. September Films went to Spain for this glimpse into ex-pat fun in the sun. Producer Michele Pearce and associate producer Sally-Ann Ritchie round up the villains, the timeshare...

The truth is out there (on the web). (Hair-In-The-Gate).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... When Chris Carter let on that Fox was axing his nine-year-old creation The X-Files, he said the decision had been made after consulting jumptheshark.com. A web version of a gladiatorial pit, it invites a ruthless thumbs-down as shows begin to...