Televisual articles from January 2003

Televisual archives from January 2003

Purdum Productions puts up the shutters for lack of 2D projects. (Animation).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Purdum Productions, the animation studio behind Tiger Aspect's Mr Bean, is to close. After 22 years working in traditional 2D animation, Richard Purdum and producer Jill Thomas are to quit their Goodge Street studio which has specialised...

Channel 5 and Vic Reeves to make stupid pilot. (Broadcast).(pilot for show called Stupid)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Channel 5 continues its drive to create its own breakout entertainment success with a pilot for Stupid, starring comedian VIC REEVES from indie CHX Productions. Five's head of entertainment Andrew Newman ordered the 30-minute nonbroadcast...

Ortman's French connection. (Graphics).(Ortmans Young International and TEVA have new partnership)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Design house Ortmans Young International (OYI) has joined forces with Paris post-house TEVA. The venture will offer services from consultancy to design and production; Rick Grossman, who heads the Paris initiative, says there's a "need for...

MTV and Weapon7's enhanced first. (Promos).(interactive promotion for Hell is for Heroes band)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... iTV agency WEAPON7 has created the first enhanced promo, premiering on MTV2, for nu-metal band Hell is for Heroes' You Drove Me to IL Weapon7 worked with director Henry Moore Selderto weave the interactive elements into the original video...

Digital Interactive Television Group. (In Brief).(sees John Swingewood join board)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... John Swingewood, former head of new media at Sky, has joined the board of the Digital Interactive Television Group (DITG) and taken a stake in the company. Prior to his time at Sky, he was also director of BT's internet and multimedia division....

Kingston Inmedia. (In Brief).(supplying business TV network to BMW dealerships in UK)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Kingston Inmedia is providing an interactive business television network to 153 BMW dealerships across the UK. The company was hired by BMW's corporate communications agency Instrument. Kingston will provide a virtual reality studio, managed...

Edinburgh International TV Festival. (In Brief).
January 1, 2003... There's a chance to meet and greet the commissioners at a set of Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival events over the coming months. First up are Five's heads of factual and entertainment Dan Chambers (right) and Andrew Newman in...

Fox Kids Europe. (In Brief).(new CEO is Bruce Steinberg)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Fox Kids Europe has hired a new ceo. Bruce Steinberg begins work immediately and succeeds Ynon Kreiz in the role. Steinberg will head up all of FKEs businesses including the channels, programme distribution and consumer products divisions....

Seaman doc reflects on a life in the line of fire. (Broadcast).(documentary on BBC1 on David Seaman is joint effort)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... David Seaman gets to relive the moment he missed "that save" in the Brazil World Cup match in a new doc David Seaman - The Real Story for BBC1. The 52-minute show is being co-produced by 3DD Entertainment, Grosvenor Park Productions and...

How John Logie Baird saw the future of television. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The man credited (in the UK, at least) with inventing TV is honoured this month in a 75-minute documentary for BBC4. It's the result of a ten-year quest by director Jan Leman to reveal the debt owed to the inventor by the world's most...

Lost Horizons album. (Promo).(Lemon Jelly's second single from Lost Horizons album is promoted)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Lemon Jelly's second single from the Lost Horizons album again gets a promo from designers Airside and Oscar-winning animators Tandem Films. Nice Weather for Ducks shows a dull, overcast park scene transformed when a magic raindrop sends a...

Nexus creates a disco inferno. (Promo).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Nexus's Sam Morrison stages a tribute to The Village People with a new promo for Fab For featuring Robert Owens. Last Night a DJ Blew My Mind features five characters -- a brickie, a cop, a red Indian, a sailor and an American foot-baller...

Turner Classic Movies. (In Brief).(uses actors to promote its films)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Actors talk about a favourite film while drawing scenes from it using a light pen for a series of pieces for the Turner Classic Movies channel. Turner's vp of creative services Shannon Davis directed the spots, which feature (among others)...

Firehouse. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Firehouse has made three films for The Charity Management Consortium, a body that helps charities run themselves more effectively. The three 13-minute training films use both interviews with leaders within the sector and humorous sketches. The...

Twofour Productions. (In Brief).(launching Dare U? series of programs for children)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Twofour Productions 8x30-minute Dare U? challenges kids to complete a series of weird and wonderful dares in order to win a dream day out. Commissioned by Nick's head of original production Joe Godwin, the series was devised by Twofour's...

Be hits home for BBC season. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The centrepiece of the BBC's Hitting Home season on domestic violence will be Dangerous Love: Tales of Domestic Violence. Interviews with celebrities and members of the public and documentary footage of families blighted by violence will be...

Unity for Wall to Wall, Endemol and Pacific. (Broadcast).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Three new sets of titles and stings from Unity Pictures this month, all for BBC shows. The titles for WALL TO WALL'S series Art Crime for BBC4 show a thief removing a valuable artwork before sketching the show's name in the empty frame....

CiTV's Janie Grace. (The Green Light).(commissioned Wark Clements to adapt Rose Impey's Sleepover Club books)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... CiTV's Janie Grace has commissioned Wark Clements to adapt Rose Impey's Sleepover Club books. The 26x30-minute series is a co-pro with Australia's Burberry Productions; Nine Network has already bought the series. Wark Clements head of kids...

Ginger TV. (The Green Light).(acquired orders from BBC, ITV, C5)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Ginger TV has picked up orders from ITV, BBC and C5. Don't Drop the Coffin, for ITV's Dianne Nelmes, is 6x30-minute documentary series about a firm of funeral directors; producer is Stephen Joel. The Leo Houlding Story is 60 minutes on...

BBC1 drama. (The Green Light).('New Tricks' from Wall to Wall)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Wall to Wall hopes to bag a series from its latest BBC1 drama for Jane Tranter. New Tricks stars Amanda Redman as a superintendent heading up a unit of retired detectives. The 90-minute film also stars Dennis Waterman and James Bolam; it was...

Zig Zag. (The Green Light).(new commissions from broadcasters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Zig Zag has bagged a host of new commissions from a variety of broadcasters. For ITV, Merton to Enfield is a 6x30-minute look at London comedians. Armoured cars, Harley Davidsons and DIY surgery are the subjects of three shows for Discovery TLC...

Channel 4. (The Green Light).(to air new drama on sex trafficking)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Channel 4 is to air a drama from writer Abi Morgan (Murder) about sex trafficking. LWT is producing the programme, which focusses on two sisters from eastern Europe making their way to London. The producer is Derek Wax and LWT's drama...

Oxford Film and TV. (The Green Light).(plans new drama for C4)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Drama is the latest commission for Oxford Film and TV, best-known for its factual output. Second Generation, a 2x90-minute film for C4, follows two Indian families in the UK and stars Christopher Simpson (White Teeth) and Parminder Nagra (Bend...

Cicada Films. (In Brief).(documentary in cooperation with The History Channel)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Cicada Films is currently filming in Israel and Jordan for a doc on King Herod for C4's The Real... strand. The 50-minute film is a co-production with The History Channel and was ordered by Ralph Lee. Executive producer is Frances Berrigan, Ian...

Icon Films. (In Brief).(receives order from Nat Geo for series dealing with sports of indigenous people of Mexico, Brazil and Peru)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Bristol-based indie Icon Films has picked up an order from Nat Geo for A Different Ball Game. The 5x30-minute series looks at little-known sports from the indigenous peoples of Peru, Brazil and Mexico including a raging river relay using 90kg...

Hypnosis FX. (In Brief).(produces screen shots for SMG's film remake of 'Goodbye Mr. Chips')(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Hypnosis FX is behind 50 fx shots for SMG's remake of the 1939 film Goodbye Mr Chips. The two-hour production for ITV-1 required replication of hundreds of school-boys, and a sequence where a plane crashes into the school. Martin Clunes stars...

Aardman's Rose goes it alone. (Broadcast).(Michael Rose leaves Aardman to start his own business)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The executive producer of Aardman's first feature film Chicken Run has quit the company to set up his own outfit. Michael ROSE, who was heavily involved in Aardman's Dreamworks collaboration, is starting Sirolo Productions, a co-production...

MTV gears up to face rivals. (Broadcast).(reorganizes structure in UK to compete with rivals)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... MTV is reorganising its structure in the UK in the face of the threat posed by rival music channel operator Emap and expected new channels from BSkyB. Head of digital and interactive Chris Sice has been promoted to vp of programming and...

Tender out for NHS channel. (Digital TV).(UK Department of Health looking for broadcast partner for NHS digital TV service)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Department of Health is looking for a broadcaster partner for a nationwide NHS digital TV service. A tender for the NHS Direct DTV channel will be opened early this year. The channel, planned to launch in 2004, would initially broadcast...

HIT puts Sooty on the market. (Deals).(HIT Entertainment to sell its interest in SOOTY puppet)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Hit Entertainment is to sell its interest in children's character, SOOTY. Hit acquired its 50% stake in the puppet after its recent buyout of Gullane. It's thought that Hit feels Sooty is too UK-centric and does not fit in with its global...

Action Time grows UK staff. (Broadcast).(Matthew Littleford becoming ACTION TIME's executive producer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Play UK's channel editor Matthew Littleford is to join ACTION TIME as executive producer and will head up the company's UK activities. A development producer and development assistant have also been hired to help in a push which will aim...

Dancing with elephants. (The Business News).(corporate communications niche in state of flux)
January 1, 2003... As ever, the corporate communications sector is in flux. The consolidation of many big names has failed to add value or create market-leading brands with true agency-style client relationships. The contradictory philosophies of event organisers...

Storyboard news.(Storyboard showcasing new offerings for 2003)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... For the new year, Storyboard shows off future winners and new kids on the block: new design outfit Precursor with R&D work for C5; Slinky with a film worth a tenner at the Baftas; Sherbet and a reading of Philip Larkin; Nexus with titles for Mr...

One ITV: victim or predator? (Broadcast).
January 1, 2003... Last month, ITV had begun to get its act back together. The Network had startled critics into silence with its choice of Nigel Pickard to fill the David Liddiment vacancy. ITV was enjoying a certain schadenfreude as the BBC's terms of trade...

BBC indie champion. (Month in Review).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Aspirants to the new job of BBC indie champion might be thinking twice after Bob Geldof's "stitch-up" assault after Ten Alps' new political pilot lost to an insider in a shortlist shoot-out It was a typically high-profile reminder from Sir Bob...

Soft-hearted. (Month in Review).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Soft-hearted liquidators Grant Thomton have relented on earlier demands for [pounds sterling]39.99 for every ITV Digital box not returned--at least, as far as former ITV Digital pre-payers are concerned. Quite right too, since those customers...

The phony. (Month in Review).(battler over Premiership rights for 2004 season)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The phony war over Premiership rights for the 2004 season has already kicked off ahead the official negotiations in April. Premier League chief exec Peter Scudamore is already threatening to set up its own channel if broadcasters don't cough up...

In what dimension do you create?(Boris software)
January 1, 2003... the most comprehensive package on the planet Boris RED works with all major NLE packages and combines all of Boris FX and Boris GRAFFITI in a single application. Boris RED then adds the most sophisticated vector animation, 3D compositing...

Opinions.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Promos. MTV: all our yesterdays Rumours that the next MTV awards will be at that jinxed venue, the London Dome, seem to me quite revealing. It's a suitably naff choice for the organisation whose so-called mission-statement for its...

Pay for age, sex and geography. (Opinions).(television workers' pay is high, but other factors are unencouraging)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2003... The fact that average pay in the TV industries now comfortably tops [pounds sterling]40k (see pay survey, p26) is some good news to kick-start 2003. It's especially good after over a year of bad economic tidings across most sectors, and across...

Interacting up: Game-show channel Challenge is looking to throw off its cheesy image and ageing demographic and create a community. Jon Creamer finds out why its channel editor thinks enhanced TV is the key. (Interview).
January 1, 2003... Emma Gunnell The interactive TV revolution - remember that? It was going to change the way TV was watched and made. "There will be no more programmes," said the BBC's new media guru Ashley Highfield, only "interactive projects." Well,...

For your eyes only: Objective's new sitcom for spring on Channel 4 uses first-person camera-angles to get its point of view across. Adrian Pennington reports on the thinking man's comedy. (POV in Production).(Television Program Review)
January 1, 2003... Telling a story largely from the perspective of its lead characters not only requires the production team to reappraise its craft, but also requires the audience to adjust its preconceptions. "It was never our intention to break the rules,"...

DV gets serious. (VideoForum).(tradeshow showcases digital video technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... With DV now at the heart of programme making, and HD making inroads into long-format productions, film and MPEG are having to fight to find their niche. A combination of fast processors and powerful software, prosumer DV camcorders and...

Free Sony seminars. (What's Hot).
January 1, 2003... Video creation and worldwide delivery to people on the move. Global programme collaboration via an IT platform. Low cost network production solutions from Sony High Definition, the 'progressive' future of television production. To attend,...

The transition to HD the televisual debate. (What's Hot).
January 1, 2003... Rolling out HD? Is it time for a revolution? Make a date, Wednesday 12th February starting at 1.15pm

Variable framerate HD camcorder from Panasonic. (What's Hot).
January 1, 2003... The first high definition production camera that is capable of variable frame rate at the touch of a button. Witness the awesome picture quality on the latest professional display systems.

Free training on desktop creativity from corps business. (What's Hot).
January 1, 2003... Ideal for desktop creatives' whose projects entail working with a mix of design, authoring and optimisation applications, including Maya, DVD Studio Pro, Photoshop, Director and cleaner all day Thursday.

Can you hear the pips squeak? Not quite. The pay trajectory in the TV industries has slowed, but not come to a halt--at least, not across every profession. (Pay Survey).
January 1, 2003... This year, the average wage in the TV business managed to keep its head above the [pounds sterling]40k benchmark we reached last year to celebrate the survey's 10th anniversary. Back in 1993, the average was just under [pounds sterling]30k; in...

We were two little boys. (Good Kid Bad Kid in Production).(profile of animators Chris Garbutt and Dave Needham)(Biography)
January 1, 2003... With bated breath about their forthcoming directing debut, the latest pilot for The Cartoon Network, two young animators tell Sam Espensen how they won their spurs on Mr Bean, Gorillaz, Oddbins and Stressed Eric. Chris Garbutt and Dave...

The greenlighters. (Commissioners).(review of 2002 executive changes in TV broadcasting sector)(Illustration)
January 1, 2003... 2002 was a restless time for those broadcast executives sitting right at the very top of the tree, with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 all forced to change the name-plates on the very plushest of their corner-office doors. Staying...

Hawk-Eye gets set for 3D game. (Technology).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Hawk-Eye Innovations, the developers of the LBW analyser used in Channel 4's cricket coverage, has created a virtual-reality game using the same technology. Data collected by Hawk-Eye from actual tennis, baseball and cricket matches is...

Marquis aids broadcast process. (Technology).(introduces Process online workflow design tool)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... UK firm Marquis has developed an online workflow design tool called Process. It's designed to enable technical operators in any digital broadcast environment to access information about the entire operational process instantly. "We...

TSI TX. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... TSI TX, the facility's transmission wing (behind the TX for Sirius TV's TV Warehouse, left) has appointed Kate Ivens from news agency APTN to operations manager. TSI is looking to double the size of its channel play-out capacity early this...

Film facilities see life after Mill Film. (Facilities).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Soho's film fx facilities have moved to quosh the idea that the industry is in trouble after the closure of Mill Film. They point to the fact that the business has enjoyed one of its best-ever years. "It's true that there have been fewer...

Discreet buys 5D assets and overhauls software. (Technology).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The sale of most of 5D's assets to Discreet parent Autodesk is likely to see code from products like 5D's HD compositor Cyborg and playback system Commander resurface in Discreet digital film systems. Discreet also acquired 5D's sales...

BBC innovates for Fightbox. (Production).(developing studio technology for cross-platform interactive gameshow)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The BBC is developing new studio technology to produce its ambitious cross-platform interactive gameshow, Fightbox. The co-production between Ricochet and Bomb Productions mixes online, computer games and TV audiences. "It invents a new...

TSI gets real sex in the city. (Facilities).(TSI onlines "The Real Sex in the City")(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... TSI has onlined September Films' The Real Sex in the City, an 8x47-minute candid peek at the sex-lives of nine single women in what is claimed to be the toughest dating city in the world, New York. "We transferred the offline on Unity to...

RealViz. (In Brief).(launches standard-definition version of frame-rate manipulator software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... RealViz has launched a standard-definition version of its ReTimer frame-rate manipulator. The [pounds sterling]500 software (also now available for the Mac) calculates individual pixel movement to generate new frames in-between frames and to...

Ascent Media. (In Brief).(Liberty Livewire rebrands itself as Ascent Media)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Liberty Media's post subsidiary Liberty Livewire has rebranded itself as Ascent Media in an effort more closely to market and assimilate its various postproduction assets. The change affects the US operations only, with possible revamping of...

Rushes. (In Brief).(Marcus Timpson appointed to telecine team)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Rushes has appointed Marcus Timpson to its telecine team. Timpson began as a runner at Soho 601 in 1990, graduated to colourist, then joined The Mill in 1997, working on spots for Levis and Smimoff. Rushes' director of telecine Adrian Seery...

Sony expands into DRM. (Technology).(Sony Entertainment and Philips Electronics buy InterTrust )
January 1, 2003... Sony Entertainment and Philips Electronics have jointly acquired digital rights management (DRM) specialist InterTrust for [pounds sterling]285m. The deal is expected to speed up copyright security for digital music, films and pay-per-view...

Televideo's [pounds sterling]1m CBF deal. (Facilities).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Sheffield-based outside broadcast firm Televideo has expanded with the [pounds sterling]1m acquisition of Leeds-based OB specialist, CBF Media. Televideo, whose md is Paul Scivill, handles football broadcasts for the BBC, BSkyB and...

Wales to get studio complex. (Facilities).(Dragon International Studios to open near Cardiff)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Lord Attenborough has become chairman of a bid to create an international film and TV studio near Cardiff. Dragon International Studios will cover 160 acres (bigger than the Shepperton-Pinewood complex), and will house seven sound-stages....

Formula One TV staff axed. (Business).(pay-per-view service discontinued)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Up to 300 staff at FORMULA ONE TV in Biggin Hill may lose their jobs after the motorsport's pay-per-view service was axed. Poor subscription figures for the service, which allows viewers the option of multiple camera angles, made it...

Go west if you want the best. (The Business the Works).(Bristol's reputation as center for TV and movie production grows)
January 1, 2003... At the recent RTS Craft and Design Awards, almost 25% of the top awards were given to companies or individuals based not in Soho, nor even in London, but in Bristol. They included gongs for camera-work, editing, picture manipulation, graphics...

Bring on the clones. (Seeing Double).(new S-Club movie scheduled for release Easter 2003)(Movie Review)
January 1, 2003... Take That got it right, The Monkees didn't. Manufactured pop groups and their fabricators need to recognise the crest of the wave when it comes and pull the plug. That's the way to maximise "swansong" sales and quit while the going's good. ...

Production directory.(Directory)
January 1, 2003... THE A - Z OF PRODUCTION SERVICES 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 IVAN SOPHER & CO Specialists in...

A very vested interest. (In My View).(interview with Richard Huntingford on his TV preferences)(Interview)
January 1, 2003... As if 15 years on the board of Chrysalis and two as its ceo haven't given former accountant Richard Huntingford enough exposure to TV, he still devours news, loves sport, and even veges out in front of Countdown on a free afternoon. He can't...

January TX guide: the producer's guide to the month on the box.(Calendar)
January 1, 2003... Royal Deaths and Diseases Friday 3 January 20.00: Channel 4 A new series from Lion Television on how royal doctors have changed the course of British history--from royal madness to royal war wounds to how to conceive an heir. The series...

MCPS producer visits: it could be you. (Hair-in-the-Gate).(Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society checking library music licensing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... With the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society now paying random visits to producers to make sure library music is properly licensed, it's time to make sure your conscience is clear of copyright theft Not just production companies, but ad...