Televisual articles from February 2004

Televisual archives from February 2004

Leading south west indies launch placements for TV hopefuls.(Training)(South West Attachment Scheme)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A host of south west-based independents have joined a scheme launched by South West Screen that offers training placements with top media production companies for up-and-coming talent. Aardman Animations, Bolex Brothers and Available Light...

UK first for Chinese television challenge.(Broadcast)
February 1, 2004... Information's Challenge UK has become the first UK-produced programme specifically made for Chinese television. Broadcast over the Christmas period on Chinese channels CCTV 1 and 3 to an audience of fever 50 million, the show was...

RDFI co-pro service bags first deal.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... RDF International's co-pro service, launched last year in preparation for the passing of the communications act, has put together its first deal. Head of co-production Lilla Hurst brought together four broadcasters to finance Unique's...

UK outfits line up for toon awards.(British Animation Awards)
February 1, 2004... Nominations have been announced for the 2004 British Animation Awards to be presented in March. Pesky's Adrenalinis, Lupus's Wilde Stories and Telemagination's Metalheads all get nominations across best comedy, special and series categories....

Golden Square Post Production.
February 1, 2004... Golden Square Post Production has put out a call for entries for its sixth exhibition showcasing the work of advertising and production professionals; last year's show included this self portrait of leading creative director Graham Fink. This...

Channel 4 and Island Records.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Channel 4 and Island Records have teamed up on Escape from the Paparazzi, an interactive TV game based on girl-band Sugababes. The game marks the first collaboration between 4Interactive and a record company. It will be hosted on C4's iTV...

Exposure Animation has signed Bird Studios exclusively to its roster.(Exposure Animation, Bird Studios )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Exposure Animation has signed Bird Studios exclusively to its roster. Bird Studios is headed by Ian Bird, former head of Eye Animation. It recently produced a cg-animated promo for Iron Maiden shortlisted at the British Animation Awards, and a...

Instrumental Media Group.(Inside Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Inside Broadcast, the TV consultancy founded by ex-YTV head of programme sponsorship Andrew McCall, has been bought by the Instrumental Media Group. Instrument now covers six sectors through its companies, including iTV; captive audiences;...

Pinball wizardry from Honda Cog director.(Commercials)
February 1, 2004... Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, director of the award-winning Honda Cog, has made another car spot, this time for Ford. The ad puts a Fiesta inside a pinball table, and was filmed with a real car and real pinball machine for a natural look. The...

Extreme and Illumina turn the light on at Discovery.(Broadcast)
February 1, 2004... Extreme Entertainment, formerly known as sports specialist Extreme International, has announced its first factual co-production commission, in partnership with Illumina TV, under the banner of its recent re-brand. Discovery USA has ordered...

Sherbet director Sandra Ensby is currently busy on a series of 30-second animated spots for Scottish Power through ad agency The Bridge.(Commercials)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sherbet director Sandra Ensby is currently busy on a series of 30-second animated spots for Scottish Power through ad agency The Bridge. The first, Neighbours, has just been completed with the second, David and Goliath, midway through...

Talent makes friends with CBBC.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CBBC head of entertainment Anne Gilchrist has commissioned Talent TV to produce Best of Friends, a 15x30-minute factual and entertainment children's show to air on the CBBC digital channel this spring. The programme features teams of five...

Barney Cokeliss.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Godman director Barney Cokeliss is behind Smoke Snakes, a spot for Health Scotland created by agency The Bridge. The ad warns against the dangers of passive smoking and features snake-like trails of smoke which slither towards non-smokers. The...

Baraka Post Production.
February 1, 2004... Chris Gilbert, senior online editor at Baraka Post Production, is responsible for creating vfx for the second series of the BBC3 sitcom 15 Storeys High. These include crowd replications; removing harnesses; colour-grading; and covering a...

Carlton America.(remaking of The 39 Steps)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Carlton America is to shoot a modern remake of The 39 Steps. Oscar-winner Robert Towne (Chinatown) is to write and direct the film, based on the John Buchan novel. Carlton International already owns the rights to three versions of the film,...

Juniper defines beauty for BBC.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Factual specialist Juniper Communications has produced a new series for BBC2 which examines the media's changing views on the definition of beauty. Titled When Black became Beautiful, the 3x1-hour series uses celebrity-based interviews to...

RDF takes ITV1 to the altar for new daytime show.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... RDF is in production on Wedding Day, a new daytime show for ITV1 that is to begin its run later this month. The series is a spin-off from the daytime series Moving Day, a 40x30-minute format that follows couples and offers advice when...

Gub Neal's Box TV is currently developing a new drama Vivien (wt).(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Gub Neal's Box TV is currently developing a new drama Vivien (wt) and is on the verge of a greenlight from ITV's head of drama Nick Elliot. The two-hour drama, written by Sarah Williams, I portrays the romance between Vivien Leigh and Laurence...

Paula Milne (The Fragile Heart, The Politician's Wife).(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Paula Milne (The Fragile Heart, The Politician's Wife) is commissioned to write a drama on the life of Elizabeth I for BBC1. Ordered by Jane Tranter, BBC controller of drama commissioning, the four-part serial is part of a broad portfolio of...

Sitcoms Early Doors and Peep Show have both won recommissions.(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Sitcoms Early Doors and Peep Show have both won recommissions after successful first series. BBC2 controller Jane Root and entertainment head Jane Lush ordered another 6x30-minute series of Royle Family-writer Craig Cash's series set in a pub....

Lion TV has begged a series order from Channel 4.(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Lion TV has begged a series order from Channel 4 following its successful Cutting Edge one-off, Bad Behaviour, which aired last year. The 3x60-minute series again follows child psychologist Warwick Dyer as he encounters three more cases of...

Tiger Aspect's Teachers gets a fourth run on Channel 4.(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Tiger Aspect's Teachers gets a fourth run on Channel 4 after a recommission from head of drama John Yorke. The new 9x1-hour run brings the total episodes to 40, making it C4's largest drama commission outside soaps. Jane Fallon will be the...

Will MacDonald's indie Monkey is to make a documentary.(The Green Light)
February 1, 2004... Will MacDonald's indie Monkey is to make a documentary on the two stars of Starsky and Hutch for Channel 4. Editor of factual entertainment Andrew MacKenzie commissioned the one-hour show that looks at how the actors have fared since the...

Tiger Aspect.
February 1, 2004... Tiger Aspect's hit hidden-camera comedy format My New Best Friend has picked up a US commission for a new series on MTV Networks. The show will be co-produced by Tiger Aspect and actor Ashton Kucher's Katalyst. Tiger's head of comedy and...

Lip Sync Post.
February 1, 2004... Lip Sync Post has designed the titles for Strangest Ever, a new 6x30-minute series for Five from RDF. Using 3DS Max and After Effects, the titles were given a brightly-coloured retro look, The concept was by Howard Watkins and Gareth Tansey;...

Sam Brown.
February 1, 2004... Flynn director Sam Brown is behind the camera on Cry, the new single from Fame Academy-winner Alex Park. The promo follows the singer home on an empty tube late at night as she listens to the track on her walkman. The film was lit by Robbie...

Uden Associates goes under.(Broadcast)(Independent Uden Associates has gone into administration after 22 years in business due to unsustainable debts.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Independent Uden Associates has gone into administration after 22 years in business due to "unsustainable debts." Founder and Pact council member Patrick Uden, creative director Michael Proudfoot, production director Mary Phelps and...

Distributors' musical chairs.(Distribution)(Louise Pedersen joins All3Media as director of All3Media international)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ALL3MEDIA Louise Pedersen, Carlton International Sales md, is the latest top distribution executive on the move as a result of the Chrysalis buyout and the upcoming ITV merger. Pedersen joins All3Media as director of All3Media...

C4 brings in rolling orders.(Broadcast)(Channel 4's director of TV Kevin Lygo is in favour of a year-round rolling system)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Channel 4's director of TV Kevin Lygo has ditched the channel's twice-yearly March and September commissioning rounds in favour of a year-round rolling system. He has also flattened out the structure of his commissioning teams. ...

Gowans takes on factual for Five.(Broadcast)(Steve Gowans is to become Five's new controller of factual entertainment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Steve Gowans is to become Five's new controller of factual entertainment this month replacing Sue Murphy after her move to Channel 4. Gowans is currently head of entertainment at Chrysalis TV/All3Media. He joined Chrysalis news and sport...

Grown-up interactive thinking.(The Business)(Independent Television)
February 1, 2004... Robert Chapman, iTV consultant formerly at Nickelodeon, sees the interactive promise come true Consolidation. It happens in all media at all times, but there are big changes afoot in interactive TV: not so much who-does-what and...

News storyboard.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Thunderbirds are good-to-go thanks to a new logo from Brandt Animation; Vauxhall Corsa gets the Wacky Races treatment at Brave; Frank Budgen makes sure the toys get to work on time; Slinky runs away to the circus; and Michel Gondry and the Mill...

Codes break channels' grip.(Broadcast)(Public Service Broadcasting (radio and Television))
February 1, 2004... The terms of trade that will set in stone the dealings between indies and their public service broadcaster customers are now being hammered out between Pact and the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Five. The results can be expected at the end of...

Month in review.(News)(The BBC bids farewell)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The BBC bids farewell to the silver-haired and tongued charms of one of its daytime troopers. From now on, the Robert Kilroy-Silk slip-ons will be filled by a series of guest-presenters until July, when the contract runs out and the BBC decides...

BBC gets behind the quota.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Your article in December's issue of Televisual (BBC misses indie quota--again) is of course factually correct. Unhappily, the BBC did fail its statutory 25% quota for 2002/03--but that doesn't show the full picture. Like Pact and secretary...

ITV fallout for the regions.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Good luck to Brenda Smith as she attempts to balance the demands of business growth with a commitment to regional production (Televisual, January issue). She need only look to the recent cuts at Meridian to see a study in how not to do it:...

Ofcom radicals think the unthinkable.(Opinions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Curious that the man who provided the BBC (albeit unwillingly) with its best excuse for missing its 25% independent quota chose to set a hare running at the Oxford Media Convention by revealing plans to double that BBC quota to 50%. You...

The kids are alright: the public-service remit that the BBC is this year rallying to defend has kids' TV at its heart. CBBC's controller emerges from year-long purdah to tell Rachel Murrell how she does things no other channel can.(Interview: Dorothy Prio)
February 1, 2004... In 20-odd years at the BBC, many in Worldwide and CBBC, Dot Prior used to describe her career highs in terms of "best supporting actress." Then, last February, she became CBBC controller. Overnight she had 500 staff, a 100m [pounds sterling]...

Bring home the bacon: Impossible Pictures and Box TV find that creating believable talking pigs with cg animation is the easy bit. Directing the animals in the first place requires ingenuity.(In production: The Legend of the Tamworth Two)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... It may not be quite up there with Animal Farm as a recognisable title, but mention the Tamworth Two to your average punter and they're likely to parrot back "pigs... on the run!" Six years ago two little piggies caused a media frenzy after...

You had to be there ...: using archive material in a programme can cost as little as nothing, as much as the entire budget or anything in between. Jon Creamer finds out how to get the best footage for your money.(Archives)(United States. National Archives and Records Administration)
February 1, 2004... The popularity of archive-based programming, from blue-chip history to I love the... clip-shows, has exploded in recent years. And the archive industry has taken note, with libraries now marketing their wares heavily as well as making them...

Written in code: broadcasters had their new year resolutions about independent rights made for them just days after Ofcom was born on the cusp of 2004. Now its policy partner for content and standards awaits developments.(Ofcom: Tim Suter)
February 1, 2004... The only piece of paper on Tim Suter's table is a press release dated today and headed "Ofcom approves codes for independent producers." It's the rights charter promised by last year's ITC programme supply review, and not bad going just 12...

Organs for sale: director Kate Blewett has documented Chinese orphanages, children in prison and the slave trade in the course of her career. She describes the making of her new film on the human organ trade.(In Production: The Transplant Trade)
February 1, 2004... The scene I watched on the screen in the last room at the end of a long corridor was the worst. It was a foreign-language film shown at the Stockholm Conference on the Rights of the Child. Not many people had ventured the length of the corridor...

Sounds familiar: as more video houses muscle in on the audio post patch to offer the one-stop-shop solution, sound-only facilities are being forced to work in niche sectors like DVD and computer games. But if audio is any measure, the advertising recession could soon be over, and budgets might start to rise.(Production file:audio post)
February 1, 2004... If the last 12 months have thrown up any concrete trends in audio post-production, it's that the one-stop-shop, covering all your A/V needs, is the shape of sound both present and yet-to-come. This doesn't mean the ghost of audio past is...

Watts starts up Flame at Finish.(Facilities)(Jason Watts and Justine White have teamed up to open the Flame-based digital effects)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Jason Watts, former senior Flame artist at The Mill, and Justine White, formerly at Soho 601, have teamed up to open the Flame-based digital effects facility, Finish. At The Mill Watts worked with directors such as Daniel Barber, Frank...

Barracuda's first bite of Apple.(Facilities)(Barracuda Media)(The UK's first Apple-based training and post-production facility has launched in Soho)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The UK's first Apple-based training and post-production facility has launched in Soho. Barracuda Media is led by Robin Field, formerly of Southbank Studios; Apple trainer Mark Keller is facility director. It offers three uncompressed...

Big Buoy.(BBC drama-documentary directed by Philip Martin)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Big Buoy has posted the vfx for Hawking, a 90-minute BBC drama-documentary directed by Philip Martin about the scientist's life before he was diagnosed with motor-neurone disease, Jim Allen created background night skies, accurate to the exact...

Stargate Digital opens in Pinewood.(Facilities)(Global Development Inc)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... LA-based visual effects house Stargate Digital has opened a new facility at Pinewood Studios. Global Digital Studios (UK) will focus on digital intermediate and HD processing. It features an Arri Laser, Sony HDCam SR camera, Avid DS and 2D...

CBBC adapts Fightbox concept and technology.(Broadcast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CBBC is producing a real-time virtual reality gameshow using similar technology to that used for" BBC3's Fightbox. Bamzooki encourages kids to devise computer creatures called Zooks by downloading graphics kits from the internet. They then...

NDS markets interactive ad box.(Technology)(Rapiad)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The News Corporation-owned set-top-box software developer NDS has launched NDS Rapiad, an interactive TV ad production device. Hosted and supported by NDS, Rapiad is claimed to enable agencies to create, preview and submit a new interactive...

TMR master touch of gold.(Facilities)(The Machine Room has completed)(Suzie Gold)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Machine Room has completed the HD transfer, grading and titles re-mastering for British feature, Suzie Gold, released on 5 March. Distributed by Pathe, directed by Ric Cantor and starring Summer Phoenix, the romantic comedy focusses on...

Nucoda.(Digital media developer Nucoda is opening a US sales and support office)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Digital media developer Nucoda is opening a US sales and support office. The LA base will be led by Joe Wojdacz who joins from Technicolor Creative Services, where he was senior graphics engineer. LA facility Karma Bank recently used...

Avid.(Avid Xpress Pro)(Adrenaline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Avid says it will support Microsoft's Windows Media 9 digital media player in future versions of the Avid Xpress Pro and Adrenaline. In its HD form, the file-format can be used to project feature films digitally. A WM9 export option is already...

Vicon.(News)(Vicon Motion Systems released v1.5 of its Vicon iQ motion-capture data processing software)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Vicon has released v1.5 of its Vicon iQ motion-capture data processing software. New capabilities include support for real-time multiple-character capture; improved 3D reconstruction; advanced kinematic model-building; and batch-processable...

Corinthian folds St John's Wood.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Corinthian Television has closed the St John's Wood facility it first opened nearly 25 years ago. The company will concentrate on developing the Chiswick Park TV centre which it built and manages for the European production and playout of...

Maidstone plans 2,3m [pounds sterling] studio.(Facilities)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Maidstone Studios has begun building a 2.3m [pounds sterling] studio after securing a year's contract for SMTV replacement Ministry of Mayhem (MOM), for Foundation TV Productions. The new 12,000 sq ft studio, which will be hi-def capable,...

Mitcorp opens regional arm.(Business)(Mitcorp UK)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Equipment reseller Mitcorp UK has moved swiftly to fill the gap in the market left by McMillan, which went into receivership in November. Mitcorp Digital Media will open offices around the country. As well as supplying and servicing...

The art of digital presentation.(digital inter mediate technology)
February 1, 2004... The advent of digital inter mediate technology, in which film is post produced digitally, throws up as many problems as benefits to the filmmaker. On the one hand, directors and DoPs can create stunning visual effects and conjure a remarkable...

Character building: Passion Pictures' directing duo John Williams and David Lea create a striking promo for The Offspring out of a mixture of live action, masks and computer animation.(The Offspring's Hit That)
February 1, 2004... The promo for US band The Offspring's single Hit That taken from the album Splinter, features a manic dog, who has gone on a wild rampage from his suburban home to the depths of the city. His owner tracks him down after following his path of...

Diary in brief.(Diary)(Illustration)(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... DIARY IN BRIEF * Animated Exeter 9-21 February UK, 01392 265210, www.animatedexeter.co.uk * VideoForum 2004 10-12 February London, 020 7512 0571,...

Event.(Diary)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... RTS Dinner 10 February To mark 40 years of BBC2, controller Jane Root will discuss some of the issues arising from the channel's history and look ahead to its future. Full RTS members and patrons will have priority booking for the...

Conference.(Diary)(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... Meet the commissioners 18 February The first of three MGEITF London events offers the chance to meet two BBC commissioners, Richard Klein and Celia Taylor. Future events include C4 commissioners on 23 March, and Flextech channel...

Production directory: the A-Z of production services.
February 1, 2004... ACCOUNTANTS LINDFORD & COMPANY, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS We are a small friendly firm serving the film and TV industry, providing confidential financial, accountancy and taxation advice and audit. One Duchess Street, London W1W 6AN ...

The editor's cut.(gandolfi steve)(Interview)
February 1, 2004... In the seven years since he launched Cut and Run in 1997, commercials and video editor Steve Gandolfi has been voted best British editor five times. He started his career cutting in television, working on the acclaimed series The Day Today, and...

February tvguide: a producer's guide to the month on the box.(Channel 4)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Garth Marenghi's Darkplace Thursday 29 January 20:35:C4 Matthew Holness dons his Perrier-winning persona as horror author Garth Marenghi to introduce a six-week rerun of his 1980s medical TV psychodrama set in Romford. Expect "mild swearing...

Over it already over there.( Gervais Ricky)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... "Incompetence worthy of Wernham Hogg" was Ricky Gervais's verdict on the BBC clerical error that left him out of this year's Baftas. He's only joking, claims the BBC, he's "over it already." But remember the Christmas special scripts that...