Televisual articles from January 2005

Televisual archives from January 2005

Hillside shuts down after 40 years as CTVC moves to capital.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Independent CTVC is to shut its Hertfordshire facility Hillside Studios and relocate to central London. The decision was made, says ceo Nick Stuart, as the studio had become a drain on resources and to free up cash to plough into co-pros...

Glassworks behind new animation outfit.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Vfx outfit Glassworks is in the final stages of setting up an animation house to rival the likes of Passion Pictures and Nexus Productions. The as-yet-unnamed company will be part-owned by the Soho facility, but will operate as a...

Ad-makers on the move.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Ad-makers on the move this month include Large-founder Jeff Stark, who has joined The Pink Film, Company along with TV comedy and ad director Steve Bendelack. Passion Pictures has hired cg directing duo Tokyoplastic (work from...

ITN Archive deal.(Independent Television Network Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Pact's 2005 governing council will again have Andrew Zein as chair. All the other main positions remain unchanged too, with all candidates standing unopposed. Vice-chair, TV, is RDF's David Frank and for film is Bard's Margaret Matheson....

Pact's governing council.(ITN Archive inks a deal with Fox News)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... ITN Archive has inked a deal with the US's Fox News that sees it take over commercial management of the channel's archive footage worldwide. ITN will also market the Fox Movietone Archive's 31,500 hours of content. In addition to its own...

BBC factual restructures.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... The BBC's factual commissioning structure is to be simplified and rejigged, with the current controllers required to reapply for the new jobs. Currently commissioning is split between documentaries and contemporary factual, specialist...

Penguin TV closes its doors.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Pearson-owned independent Penguin TV is to be wound down after just over a year in existence. The indie was set up to draw on Pearson's Penguin, Ladybird and Dorling Kindersley publishing properties as well as TV properties from the old Pearson...

Competition films.
January 12, 2005... Straight 8 is calling for entries for the 2005 competition. The rules mean the three-minute 20-second films must be shot using Kodachrome 40 film with no editing; and films have to be handed in exposed but undeveloped with a soundtrack burnt...

Tigress heads into the jungle for orangutan doc.(Tigress Productions)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... The latest from Tigress is a one-hour doc for BBC2's Natural World strand called From Orphan to King. The show follows the life of Kusasi, a 38-year old male orangutan that was adopted after being orphaned at three years old and later...

Ad industry teams up for Great Ormond Street spot.(2AM Films)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... 2AM Films assembled a team of ad industry names to put together a spot aimed at raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital children's charity. 2AM teamed the skills of DDB London, which did the copywriting and art direction; Final...

3D shark.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Production company Cops and Robbers brought in VTR Media Services and subsidiary The Hive to create a shark-attack in a New York street for new Kasabian promo, Cutt Off. The 3D shark was created and animated by The Hive's Christian Anderson...

EyeToy idents.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Nexus directors Fizzy Eye brought Yo Man, the Playstation EyeToy character, to life for a series of idents that will appear on new EyeToy games for 2005. Executive producers were Chris O'Reilly and Charlotte Bavasso and the producer was Julia...

X-Box campaign.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... X-Box is to turn its latest viral campaign into a cinematic ad, re- cutting the original 2.5-minutes into a 45-second spot. The concept behind the original piece, directed by Treatment's Andy Welch, was to promote X-Box's online gaming...

Talent goes to La La land for Sky.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Sky1 has ordered a new three-part documentary about tinsel town from Talent Television. Commissioned by Jamie Roberts for a winter season airing, the 3x1-hour Made in LA will take a look at those who make a living "catering to the...

Titles for Discovery Channel series.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Big Squid drew up the titles and maps for OSF's Discovery Channel series Industrial Revelations Europe. The titles introduce presenter Ronald Top, best-known for the Grolsh ads, who explores the machines that shaped European history in the...

TWI hunts for colour for VE Day.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... TWI's latest programme in its War in Colour strand will centre on colour footage captured during Victory in Europe Day in 1945. The show, commissioned for ITV1, will go out in May 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the second...

Lupus opens beastly book for Channel 4 special.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Lupus Films is to make an animated special for Channel 4 based on a book by Railway Children author Edith Nesbit. The Book of Beasts is a 50-minuter set to air at Christmas 2006. It tells the story of a boy who finds himself appointed king...

Easy promo.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Producer/post-producer Sammy Man, freelance editor Johnny Wagener and Mill Flame operator Mark Payne joined forces to create the Beta Band's Easy promo that will form part of the group's upcoming compilation DVD. The video shows a man and a...

Family ancrestry show titles.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... S4C's family ancestry show Hel Achau gets its titles, stings, graphics and a CD-Rom courtesy of Griffilms. They were directed by Griffilms' Hywel Griffith with 3D animation by Iwan Jones and composited in After Effects by Paul Hanks. The...

Makeover show.(Bullseye Television )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Producer and distributor, Bullseye Television is making Style Academy, a 15x30-minute series for Discovery Health. Clare Laycock ordered the makeover show which is fronted by Clothes Show stylist Caryn Franklin. Executive producer for...

Documentary series for BBC1.(Leopard Films)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Leopard Films is making a documentary series for BBC1 that looks into the work of Lambeth Police's missing persons unit. The 10x45-minute Missing is series produced by Elizabeth MacIntyre and executive produced by James Burstall. ...

Unlicensed boxing series.(Scream Films)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Scream Films is to investigate the world of unlicensed boxing in Fight Night: White Collar Boxing for Bravo. Ordered by Richard Woolfe, the 15x30-minute series follows various fighters including Britain's first openly-gay boxer known as The...

Yipp Films commission.(Yipp Films)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Yipp Films, the indie behind Channel 4 doc The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, is making a 1-hour film for the channel about two men who form a friendship while being treated for cancer. Producer/director is Patrick Collerton and executive producer...

Tern TV commissions.(Tern TV )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Scottish indie Tern TV has scored three new commissions and a recommission for its BBC2 series Map Man. Map Man, in which Nicholas Crane explores famous maps across Britain, comes back for another 8x30- minute run. Director and series producer...

Landmark commission.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Landmark Films has picked up a commission from Five's controller of science Justine Kershaw to make the 1x60-minute Strange Pets USA about weird pets and their owners for a March airing. Executive producer is Nick O'Dwyer, director is Jeremy...

New identity for Flextech channel.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Broadcast branding agency Devilfish created this new on-air identity for Flextech game-show channel Challenge with a refreshed logo and 11 seperate idents. Creative director on the project was Richard Holman, the producer was Hatty Warburg...

Five bags budget boost.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Five has bagged an extra #17m budget for 2005 from shareholders RTL and UBM. And head of acquisitions Jeff Ford has landed the drama brief. The cash boost means Five's budget rises from #173m to #190m - although #10m of that money is...

Film tax-breaks trimmed by chancellor.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Raising finance for UK films got a lot tougher last month as Chancellor Gordon Brown ended the practice of "double dipping" for film tax- breaks. "Double dipping" is the practice of claiming tax-relief on both a film's production costs...

Sky's female lifestyle choice.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... BSkyB is understood to be looking into launching a new lifestyle channel aimed at a female audience. A head of lifestyle commissioning is also being sought and could end up running the new channel. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

BBC hold-back cut to six months.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... A new deal struck between independents and the BBC means indie producers will be able sell their BBC commissioned shows on to satellite channels within six months of their BBC TX. The rule will apply to BBC1 and BBC2 commissioned shows...

DIY distribution can work.(Do It Yourself)(Leopard Films)
January 12, 2005... Leopard Films' chief executive James Burstall says independents should not be afraid to go it alone in distribution Distribution is a key part of what we have been doing at Leopard since we launched in July 2001. From day one, we knew we...

Brand new Flextech deal.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Flextech Television and new brand licensing company Metrostar have struck a five-year deal that will see Metrostar develop revenue streams based on all the broadcaster's programme and channel brands. The deal - which includes Flextech...

All3Media revs up around the world.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... All3Media International has scored sales for its motoring show Fifth Gear and children's factual strand Serious. Discovery has picked up the North1-produced motoring magazine show and Viasat, for Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, has also...

Flipside TV goes global.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Zeal Television has sold its live human programme-guide format, Flipside TV, to comedy specialist Brainpool, Spanish production house Atmis Media, Monster TV in Scandinavia and Swedish comedy producer Baluba. Copyright: Centaur...

US gets Peep Show pilot.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Peep Show, Objective's twisted C4 sitcom format will be piloted this year by LA producer Carsey-Werner for Fox. Objective was repped on the deal by The William Morris agency. The second series of the Golden Rose-winning show has just...

Celador sales.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Celador International has sealed multiple deals for factual entertainment series, You Are What You Eat. New Zealand's Prime bought both the first and yet-unbroadcast second series, Australia's Nine Network bought the second and Finnish MTV3...

To be Frank about distribution.(Matthew Frank)(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 12, 2005... Matthew Frank, md of RDF International, explains what he can do for indie producers What type of monies can you put into a production? RDF Rights runs its own "Indie Producers Fund" which helps fund production, plus we can also bring...

Competition hots up at BBC.(British Broadcasting Corp.)
January 12, 2005... It wasn't exactly the sort of Christmas present that BBC staff would have wished for from Mark Thompson - and it's been a bit of a mixed bag of goodies for independents too. In among the news of moves to Manchester, staff cutbacks and the...

MONTH IN REVIEW.
January 12, 2005... Framestore CFC brought a new meaning to the phrase "we'll fix it in post" after an unlikely sheep-duo decided to make their acting debut in the new Film Four/Pathe/Film Council UK drama Enduring Love. But it seems the sheep took the film's...

Letter: Pavement artists on DVD.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2005... In your article on menu designs for DVD (Menus a la Carte, Televisual December), it was mentioned under the heading of Universal's film Shaun of The Dead that I illustrated all the menus for the DVD. I have to say that this is not the...

Letter: You can't eat the menus.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2005... I know that DVD is big business at the moment and is single-handedly keeping the facilities sector afloat, and I did enjoy your article showing some of the best DVD menus of the year (Televisual December). But isn't that judging a book...

Letter: Cameramen of the old school.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2005... Brian Rose's article on things not being like they used to be for cameramen (Televisual December) made me a smile - but only just. For all his humour ("policemen would stand to attention, bank managers would pour out the sherry"), he's...

OPINION: Hard heads on sensitive shoulders.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... 2004 was payback time for independent TV producers. With the promises of the communications bill enshrined in an act, and with Ofcom making its young presence felt as the enforcer, the sector shifted gear. Suddenly of acute interest to...

INTERVIEW - JOHN KEELING: Makeover television.(Interview)
January 12, 2005... UKTV's head of channels is a serial launcher: MTV Europe; Sky Movies; Disney UK... Now, after three years at the BBC/Flextech co-venture, he's at it again in a bid to grow the network beyond its parental coat- tails Just after John...

IN PRODUCTION - FIFI AND THE FLOWERTOTS: Flower power.
January 12, 2005... Keith Chapman's latest, Fifi is currently being greenhoused at Cosgrove Hall ready for its springtime flowering. Jon Creamer reports The global success of Bob the Builder and his multicultural pals and anthropomorphic vehicles is...

DESKTOP EDITING: Affordable editing.
January 12, 2005... Which post facility offers the cheapest rates in town? For a one-off payment of #299, a production company can have its own editing kit, capable of broadcast quality results, as Simon Meek finds out The post-production industry is in a...

DESKTOP EDITING: AVID'S XPRESS DV/PRO.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Platform Mac/PC Cost #430 (#1200 for Xpress Pro) You'll need PC: Pentium 3, 750MHz; Windows XP Professional with SP1; 256Mb Ram; Mac: G4 667Mhz, OS X 10.1.4 or later; 256Mb Ram Features More than 100 real-time effects, automated...

DESKTOP EDITING: APPLE'S FINAL CUT PRO HD (VERSION 4.5).(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Platform Mac Cost #699 You'll need 350MHz G4 processor; Mac OS X v10.2.5 or later; 384MB Ram; AGP graphics card Features list Capture, edit and output in SD/HD, DVCPro HD and DVCPro 50. Colour-correction, audio editing, over 150...

DESKTOP EDITING: PINNACLE'S LIQUID EDITION (VERSION 6).(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Format PC Cost #299 (#599 with Liquid Edition Pro hardware) You'll need Pentium 4, 1.8GHz; Windows XP Professional SP1; 512Mb Ram; AGP 4x graphics card with 64Mb graphics Ram Features Multiple formats up to 1080 HD in the same...

DESKTOP EDITING: ADOBE'S PREMIERE PRO (VERSION 1.5).(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Platform PC Cost #525 (ex VAT) You'll need Pentium 3, 800MHz; Windows XP SP2; 256MB Ram Features Import, edit and output in resolutions up to 1080i, Panasonic 24p Advanced support, Bezier keyframe controls, project management...

DESKTOP EDITING: CANOPUS'S EDIUS PRO 3.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Format PC Cost #369 (with Edius NX hardware for #1099) You'll need Pentium 4, 3GHz; Windows XP SP2; 512MB Ram; graphics card with hardware-based direct draw overlay and 32-bit colour display Features Mixed format editing of HD...

WILLIAM SARGENT: Mr Big in small business.
January 12, 2005... As a leading member of Soho's post community and chairman of the Small Business Council, Framestore CFC's founder and joint-ceo runs a measure over UK post-production for 2005 William Sargent is confused. London's post scene has proved...

IN PRODUCTION - KRAKATOA: The day the earth blew up.
January 12, 2005... Rachel Murrell tells how Pioneer Productions captured the drama and the geology of Krakatoa Stuart Carter, md of Pioneer Productions, is a former vulcanologist. With programmes such as Volcano! (Channel 4), The Day the Earth was Born...

Mistika hits the Soho post scene.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Soho's Baraka Post is ditching its Jaleo systems in favour of SGO's latest product, Mistika, which the facility has beta-tested over the past six months. Mistika is a resolution-independent online editing, grading and compositing system....

Media 100 gears up for relaunch.
January 12, 2005... Media 100 is making a return to the market with new management, products and development - as well as some heavy financial backing from parent company Optibase. Media 100's European director, Matthew Causon (ex-Lightworks' general...

Soho facility upgrades.(Soho upgraded its sound department )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Soho facility Resolution has upgraded its sound department with the UK's first Digidesign Icon console. The desk will be integrated with the facility's Pro Tools HD system. Meanwhile, Islington's Online Post Production is making its first...

LDA funds R&D in intelligent media.(London Development Agency)(Intelligent Media Institute )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... A research body for the visual-creative sector is being set up with funding from the London Development Agency. The pan-London initiative - to be called the Intelligent Media Institute (IMI) - will be headed up by Philip Treleaven from...

MPC's future in the hands of Thomson executives.(MPC Inc.)(Thomson Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... The long-anticipated sale of MPC to French electronics giant Thomson has received a cautious welcome from the facilities market. The ITV-owned vfx house was sold for #52.7m last month. The acquisition forms part of an ambitious two-year...

Lipsync expansion.(Lipsync Post bought Quantel iQ digital intermediate system. )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Soho's Lipsync Post has bought its second Quantel iQ as part of a further expansion in its DI department. It hopes to have the new grading suite up and running this month. Head of post Kevin Phelan says he looked at alternative systems but...

Post moves.(appointments)
January 12, 2005... London's Metropolis Post has poached Soho Images' Paul Flynn as its new business development manager. One Post has snagged Blue's senior designer Roisin Dunstall, while ex-St Anne's Post sales manager Dean Watkins moves to Editworks as head...

Wildcat creates flying HD system.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Wildcat Flying has teamed with helicopter operator Castle Air to create a stabilised camera system capable of delivering uncompressed 4:4:4 HD images. The system - based around a Gyron 935 mount and Sony F950 HD camera - has been used on a...

TV Set expands restoration arm.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... The TV Set has spent #240k upgrading its film-restoration department to capitalise on this growing market. The London-based facility, part of the Television Set Group, has purchased a Snell & Wilcox Archangel and an Edifis Scratchbox to...

Restoration project.(The Machine Room Ltd.'s motion rig footage)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... The Machine Room has designed a motion rig to allow the restoration of some never-before-seen footage held on 100-year-old Kinora film. It has been used as part of a restoration project for The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews,...

HDTV 'a decade away'.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... High-definition TV via the UK's broadcasters is at least a decade away, according to the industry's regulator. Speaking at Sony's HD The Vision for Europe event, Ofcom's manager of strategy development Andrew Stirling said the move to HD...

NTL Broadcast sold for #1.27bn.(playout and transmission operation)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... NTL has sold its playout and transmission operation in a bid to write off debts and grow its core cable and broadband businesses. Subject to regulatory approval, NTL Broadcast will transfer to an Australian consortium led by Macquarie...

DTI funding for technology R&D.(Data Techniques Inc., research and development)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt has offered #80m investment to British business for R&D into "world-beating" technologies. The grants form part of the DTI's five-year programme Creating Wealth from Knowledge and its new...

Telegenic buys Leitch HD editor.(VelocityHD NLE system, high definition television)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... OB company Telegenic has installed Leitch's VelocityHD NLE system in its high-definition capable truck. The system gives HD playback of two video-streams, two graphics streams, with dual-stream real-time transitions and fx. Copyright:...

On-Air sales win.(On-Air Systems contract)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... On-Air Systems has secured an order from TV station Channel S for its end-to-end digital playout system, StudioTX. The London-based Bengali channel will install the system ready for next month's launch. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Don't be taken for a fool over 2k.(high definition television information)
January 12, 2005... There's a lack of understanding and confusion about what editing in 2k and HD really means; Baraka Post's md David Cox puts the record straight Ever since I started working with the HDTV format in the late 1990s, I've found myself...

X-FACTOR: X-rated animation.
January 12, 2005... Animation house The Hive was approached for a secret ITV project: the channel wanted to take the duelling X-Factor presenters and make them into, ahem, loveable cg caricatures Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne are very self-aware. Which is...

IN MY VIEW: Hexstatic about TV.(Stuart Warren Hill interview)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... As long as there are boy-bands, music TV will be awful. So says Stuart Warren Hill, part of renowned AV dance outfit Hexstatic, which created 13 promos for its latest album Master View How much TV do you get to watch a week? Too...

Teatime Fungus the Bogeyman beats bedtime bears.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... Twenty Twenty's genealogy feast Who Do You Think You Are? tailed off to 4.1m BBC2 viewers on 1 December. This was still 100,000 more than John Downer Productions' wildlife doc, Bears - Spy in the Woods on BBC1 in the same 21.00-22.00 slot....