Televisual articles from July 2005

Televisual archives from July 2005

Darlow Smithson sets up new film division and hires Principal's md.(Darlow Smithson Productions appoints Elinor Day, Richard Sattin)(Principal Television)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) is to form a new feature film division and has also swallowed up Principal Television and appointed its md as head of documentary. The company will try to follow up its cinematic success with Touching the...

Lovering looks for new twist for Discovery US.(Peter Lovering)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Peter Lovering, Jane Root's UK "point man" wants "emotionally-charged" shows like the US doc series The Deadliest Catch from UK producers for Discovery's US channels. Ex-BBC factual development head Lovering is appointing a separate...

IN BRIEF: People on the move.(Jorn Haagen hired by Believe Media)(Louis Dunlevy hired by Realise Studios)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... People on the move this month include director Jorn Haagen, who has been poached from Academy Films by Believe Media for repping in London and the US. And 3D house Realise Studios has hired lead technical director Louis Dunlevy from Framestore...

IN BRIEF: Film Projects.(south-westerners Projects to be financed)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... South West Screen, the UK Film Council, Aardman, ITV West and Cornwall Film are offering #8k budgets for 11 short films for south-westerners. Projects can be dramas, docs or animations. Film-makers will work with an experienced line producer...

IN BRIEF: Freedom programming unit.(Freedom Media making shows for Sony Playstation)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Freedom Media is opening an ad-funded programming unit and making shows for Sony Playstation, with a Freedom Weekend in September to be broadcast on C4 and T4, including a 90-minute live show from Thorpe Park. The producer is Craig Gledhill...

Murdoch takes Shine to Sony.(Sony Pictures Television International buys stake in Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Entertainment)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Elisabeth Murdoch's independent Shine Entertainment has raised around #5m by selling off a minority stake to Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI). The two companies have teamed up before, when SPTI came in with the finance on...

IN BRIEF: Shortlist fixed for Soho Shorts.(seventh Rushes Soho Shorts competition)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... The shortlist for the seventh Rushes Soho Shorts competition has been announced, selected from the 1900 films that were submitted. The festival is this year teaming with Vue Cinemas, with screenings in Edinburgh, Cambridge and Birmingham as...

Edinburgh TV shortlist.(Edinburgh TV Festival's non-terrestrial channel)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... The shortlist for the Edinburgh TV Festival's non-terrestrial channel of the year has been made public. Living TV, BBC3, BBC4, UKTV History and Sky1 make the shortlist this time, with judges including Sky Networks managing director Dawn...

IWC tells BBC: No Sex Please, we're Teenagers.(IWC Studio, Glasgow, UK)(British Broadcasting Corporation)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... "Take a bunch of of horny teenagers and see if they can stay celibate for six months." That's executive producer Zad Rogers's description of a new, somewhat improbable reality show from IWC for BBC2. The proposal was picked up by BBC...

La Scala director starts filming on Four Last Songs.(Francesca Joseph)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors The director of Tomorrow La Scala! Francesca Joseph has begun principal photography on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca for her latest project, Four Last Songs for BBC Films. The...

IN BRIEF: Community Channel logo.(BBC Broadcast Ltd)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... BBC Broadcast is behind the redesign of the Community Channel. The orange circle theme was created to "represent the inclusiveness of community." As well as the channel's logo, the look was incorporated into idents and Now, Next and Menu...

IN BRIEF: ITV Anglia show.(Wavelength Films)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Wavelength Films has delivered Family and Co, a 7x30-minute series for ITV Anglia. The show traces the fortunes of three family-owned companies as they face periods of change. The crew spent a year with the three companies. Series producer was...

Nestea gets fresh treatment.(Coca-Cola Beverages S.A)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Coca-Cola's Nestea iced tea brand gets a fresh treatment in a new spot from animation outfit ArthurCox. Directing duo Sally Arthur and Sarah Cox shot the ad and treated the live-action in their trademark style. The commercial was produced...

RDF shoots his and hers for UKTV.(RDF Media)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... His and Her Friends is the latest factual entertainment format from Wife Swap and Faking It creator RDF Media. The primetime commission for the UKTV Style channel gets young couples who have reached a "landmark" stage in their...

IN BRIEF: Tom Vek's promo.(Exposure Films directs for Island Records)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Tom Vek's You Set the Fire in Me promo was produced by Jon Adams and directed by Adam Bartley through Exposure Films for Island Records. The promo has Vek walking through a surreal countryside accompanied by drumming puppets. It was shot in...

Power and Kudos at the pictures.(upcoming joint project 'The Flood')(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Independents Power and Kudos are heading for a cinematic release after expanding their ambitions for upcoming joint project The Flood. The project will be Power's first feature and Kudos's first since it set up its feature film division...

New Moon versus Spielberg for new Olympic film.(Steven Spielberg)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Production house New Moon will be up against Spielberg and Besson when its final Olympic bid film is shown this month. New Moon, the production house behind the original London Olympic bid film Make Britain Proud, is in production on...

IN BRIEF: Biomechanical promo.(Brand Mason, Basilisk teamed to direct for metal band)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Production house Brand Mason and Basilisk teamed to create the promo for metal band Biomechanical's latest promo for the title track of their album, Empires of the Worlds. The promo was directed by Adam Mason at Brand Mason. All cgi and post...

IN BRIEF: Promo for EA Games.(The Mill )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... The Mill put together a 50-second fully-cgi promo for EA Games' Need for Speed - Most Wanted launch at the E3 computer gaming show. The spot involved car-chases, industrial city-scapes and countless crashes. It was projected on to a...

BBC3 series commission.(Honey We're Killing The Kids! gets series commission)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... BBC3 pilot Honey We're Killing The Kids! has got a series commission. The 6x1-hour show, produced by BBC Manchester, takes six families and fast-forwards their kids' lives to age 40. Using scientific and medical tests, a profile of how each...

Betty commissions.(Betty Television wins three documentary commissions for Channel Four Television Company Ltd. program)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Betty has won three documentary commissions for a new Channel 4 strand about the dark side of modern relationships. Sex Addicts looks at the treatment of a couple after one has become seriously addicted to sex at the expense of family life;...

C4 drama series.(Initial teams up with Polydor Records to create a drama for Channel Four Television Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Endemol-owned Initial has teamed with Polydor Records to create a 13- part C4 drama series about a fictional girl band trying to make it in the music business. But the actresses will also release records and play gigs in the real world....

Kudos commission.(about the program, Child of Mine)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Child of Mine is Spooks producer Kudos's first commission for ITV1. Joanne Whalley and Adrian Dunbar star as a childless couple who illegally adopt two children of a murdered mother. As Tess (played by Whalley) watches her new daughter rip the...

One-off comedy film.(Tiger Aspect Productions' deal with ITV1)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Tiger Aspect is to make a one-off comedy film for ITV1 starring Gimme, Gimme, Gimme's James Dreyfus. The Man and the Mouse is a 90-minute special for ITV1 about a a camp actor who ends up in prison after the gangster he plays on a Crimewatch...

IN BRIEF: Low-budget promo.(promo production of Neil's Children's second single Always the Same)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... The promo for Neil's Children's second single Always the Same was shot and produced by directing team Shifft (Beccy McCray and Hannah Elbourne) along with Rob Ackroyd through Godman and commissioned by Alan McGee's Poptones Label. The trio...

C4 launches doc fund.(Channel Four Television Company Ltd. starts British Documentary Film Foundation)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Channel 4 has set up the British Documentary Film Foundation to pump #2.5m into UK docs over the next three years. C4's former head of independent film and video Jess Search is chief executive of the body which will fund and distribute...

Pact looks at new deal on reality pay.(Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Producers' trade body Pact has agreed to negotiate with TV workers' union Bectu on a new deal on pay and hours for freelancers working on factual and reality shows. The move follows increasing complaints that many have been working...

Profits soar at Ten Alps.(Ten Alps Communications)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Bob Geldof's independent Ten Alps almost quadrupled pre-tax profits and more than doubled turnover in the year ending 31 March 05. The owner of Brook Lapping, 3BM, Blakeway and Teachers' TV saw pre-tax profits rise to #628k from #126k in...

#100K Touch deal.(indie Touch Productions development and distribution deal with C4 International)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Dorset-based indie Touch Productions has signed a #100k development and distribution deal with C4 International to develop programming for the UK and international markets. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Betty exec opens Bravura.(Betty TV executive Andrea Michell leaves to set up Bravura Films)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Betty TV's head of development Andrea Michell has left to set up her own independent, Bravura Films. Bravura is developing shows with Babyfather writer Roy Williams for C4 and is working on a drama with Catherine R Johnson, co-writer of...

Don't blame it all on the independents.(pay rise demand by industry executives)
July 12, 2005... Wavelength Films' Patrick McGrady says changing TV's low pay culture needs a shift among broadcasters as well as indies The controversy now raging in our industry about the treatment of freelancers (lower wages, longer hours, no holiday...

BBC Worldwide cleans up.(profits are up)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... In its 2004/5 annual report, BBC Worldwide posts record profits of #55m (a 50% rise) resulting from a "#5m reduction in costs, trading improvements and the closure, sale or turnaround of loss-making businesses." Sales for its recently...

Fremantle dishes out Planet Cook.(FremantleMedia gets licensing deals for Platinum Films)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... FremantleMedia has orchestrated a raft of UK brand licensing deals on behalf of Platinum Films for hit kids culinary format, Planet Cook. Heinz has the rights to create a range of healthy children's meals; Universal has home entertainment...

Millichip ships to South Pacific.(Jane Millichip joins South Pacific Pictures)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Jane Millichip, director of acquisitions and development at RDF Rights, is to up sticks for New Zealand after being appointed md at South Pacific Pictures. The company, part-owned by All3Media, is behind Shortland Street and Oscar-nominated...

Sold: Planet Earth.(BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media sells history show Planet Earth to Gaga Communications)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media have sold the BBC's #8.23m new natural history show Planet Earth to Japanese distributor Gaga Communications. The film, by the producers of award-winning Deep Blue, has also been bought by Gaumont in France,...

Celador buys The Big Call.(Celador International secures distribution and licensing rights of gameshow, The Big Call)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Celador International has secured all international distribution and licensing rights to new quiz format, The Big Call. The gameshow, airing on ITV1, gives contestants the chance to become an instant multi- millionaire. Copyright:...

What's the SP for FID?(Fremantle International Distribution, Sales Procedure )(Interview)
July 12, 2005... David Ellender, md of Fremantle International Distribution, explains what he wants from UK indies What can you bring to a show that other distributors can't? Independence from a parent broadcaster; a truly international perspective...

Window on indie stalking-horse.(British Broadcasting Corp.'s Window of Creative Opportunity)
July 12, 2005... The speed at which the BBC's Window of Creative Opportunity (WOCC) is being flung open is breathtaking: by the end of the summer the amount of BBC broadcast output that it opens up to external programme suppliers will have more than doubled....

MONTH IN REVIEW.(Tom Cruise's response to C4 Network Inc)
July 12, 2005... Scientologist Tom Cruise's response to C4's spot of "happy-slapping for grown-ups" contrasted unfavourably last month with the response to a similar assault from the more earth-bound Sharon Osbourne. Whereas Osbourne retaliated to the...

Letter: The motion before the G8.(Letter to the Editor)
July 12, 2005... We just read the article on Girl in the Cafe (June issue) and it says "the digital effects for the drama were completed at Pepper," with no mention of us. We were the on-location vfx supervisors and compositors of the large, complex G8...

Letter: Council backing for Piano Tuner.(Letter to the Editor)
July 12, 2005... Your Terry Gilliam interview with (Televisual June 2005) inaccurately reflects the funding of Timothy and Stephen Quay's The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes. Far from "meeting with closed doors" as reported, the UK Film Council's New Cinema...

OPINION: The lessons of experience.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... This spring, as we sifted data for Televisual's 2005 pay survey which once again showed that only a third of our industry has had formal training, government came out with its skills white paper. By summer, Skillset - among the first...

INTERVIEW - JUSTIN BODLE: Power television.(Interview)
July 12, 2005... The md of drama distributor and producer Power talks to Jon Creamer about why UK producers need to have bigger ambitions for home-grown dramas - and better ideas about how to fund them Think of a big-budget historical miniseries produced...

LIFE ON MARS: Life on Planet 70s.
July 12, 2005... Kudos's new cop drama for the BBC sends British stars back to the days of long hair and Cortinas to fight crime, as Rachel Murrell reports Like all good cop stories, Life On Mars began life with wads of cash being delivered to three men...

TRAINING: Feel free to train?
July 12, 2005... The pressure on freelancers to perform like staffers - but without the benefits - can leave training overlooked. But, as Kate Large reports, courses are developing to fit even the most hectic diary You'd need to have been living under a...

TRAINING: AVID 119 XPRESS DV/XPRESS PRO EDITING.
July 12, 2005... This course covers nonlinear editing on Avid's Xpress DV system for beginners. The class progresses through the basics of creating a sequence on Avid Xpress DV, including inputting source footage, assembling and trimming sequences, editing...

TRAINING: DIGITAL COMPOSITING COMPREHENSIVE.
July 12, 2005... A six-week course for those to pursuing a career in 2D vfx. Covers the processes of combining cg imagery with live-action footage, establishes 2D principles and introduces some of the more advanced 2D tools used in visual effects. "For six...

TRAINING: CO-PRODUCTION COURSES: MIPTV/MIPCOM.
July 12, 2005... Arranged by Cyfle in conjunction with Docos, the course aims to "prepare professionals for the international market" and "gain new confidence to network, sell your ideas and create new contacts." Docos provides trainees with project mentoring...

TRAINING: PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT.
July 12, 2005... This three-day course covers the production management issues that execs would encounter while making a documentary or other factual show. Production assistants and production co-ordinators will learn script breakdown, budgeting,...

TRAINING: HD CONVERSION COURSE.(high definition)
July 12, 2005... This is a one-day course provided by DV Talent, and is aimed at those who are already familiar with the smaller DV cameras such as the PD170. The course looks at the advantages and pitfalls of the new breed of high-definition switchable Z1...

DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE: Chemical or digital?
July 12, 2005... Technology has reached the point where an entire feature film can - economically- be digitised and manipulated in post. Simon Meek looks at the digital intermediate process and asks who's using it It was only a matter of time before the...

CAMERAS AND CREWS: Cameras for hire.
July 12, 2005... As entertainment and reality TV production teams continue to fancy themselves as cameramen, shooting supply outfits concentrate on offering the right new kit for the job. And - even leaving aside HD - there's a lot of new kit for them to...

VTR takes the plunge up north.(VTR Media Services)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... VTR Media Services has invested in a Leeds start-up, which will take on the brand and operate as a satellite operation for the group. The new facility, VTR North, is fronted by ex-Mezzo Studios team-leader Paul Peppiate. He is joined by...

Pinewood targets TV audio work.(Pinewood Shepperton)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Pinewood Shepperton is expanding its audio department with a multi- purpose theatre aimed at both cinema and TV clients. Ian Tapp has left Technicolor's Anvil Post Production to head up the expansion, which the group hopes will bring in...

IN BRIEF: Pioneer buys second Varicam.(Pioneer Productions acquires Panasonic Varicam )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Pioneer Productions has bought a second Panasonic Varicam after scoring more than 30 hours of HD commissions. The indie has used the camera on shows including Million Dollar Motors, Truckers and Extreme Homes. Brook Lapping used Varicam to...

Nats pilots web-based editing kit.(partners with Forbidden Technologies)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Soho facility Nats is piloting a web-based technology for offline editing. The post-house has formed a development partnership with Forbidden Technologies and has agreed to act as reseller for its Forscene product over the next 12 months....

Apple house plans two-fold expansion for HD work.(Pogo Films plans to expand facility, high definition)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Final Cut Pro outfit Pogo Films is planning to triple the size of its facility over the next six-to-eight months. The London-based post-house is expanding into the first floor of its Moor Street premises, where it hopes to build up to...

IN BRIEF: Post buys.(10th Planet Post Production buys Avid Symphony and a Snell & Wilcox Alchemist)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... London's 10th Planet Post Production (responsible for Ninja Tune's Zen TV DVD, left) has bought an Avid Symphony and a Snell & Wilcox Alchemist. Meanwhile, Soho facility Bravo Post Production buys a Quantel eQ finishing system to replace its...

IN BRIEF: Cinesite invests.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Vfx specialist Cinesite has invested in DI technology from Assimilate, the company born out of the now-defunct 5D. It has bought four Scratch finishing systems for its London facility, which are being put to use on the next Harry Potter...

World first for NFT and Addictive.(National Film Theatre and Addictive TV join to form Optronica)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... DVD label, broadcast indie and renowned VJs Addictive TV has joined forces with the National Film Theatre to create Optronica, the world's first festival dedicated to the convergence of visuals and music. As part of the event - being held...

DVD outfit for fledgling labels.(digital video disc, Covent-Garden facility IBF )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Covent-Garden facility IBF has set up a DVD division geared at helping labels get off the ground. The Garden will open later this month, with its launch coinciding with that of Secondrun DVD - a new label specialising unseen European...

IN BRIEF: New Soho facility.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Scramble Sound has installed three Digidesign Icon D-Control consoles into its new Soho facility. The desks were supplied by Scrub. The facility, which previously operated around AMS consoles, has also invested in four Pro Tools\HD Accel...

HD spend for Mersey TV.(high definition)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Production company Mersey TV is putting together two portable HD shooting kits on the back of a 12x1-hour commission from E4. The Hollyoaks spin-off will be shot entirely in HD, although the series will be transmitted in SD. "There is...

Space City to shoot everything HD.(Space City Productions uses high definition television)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Commercials outfit Space City Productions has invested in HD kit and vowed to make all ads in this format. The company responsible for Vision Express and uswitch.com spots took delivery of an Avid Adrenaline HD and Sony Z1 HDV camera last...

Root6 takes on Filmlight's kit.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... London reseller Root6 has added DI specialists Filmlight to its product portfolio. Previously Filmlight - known for its Baselight grading system and Northlight scanners - handled its own UK sales. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Autocue gets VC.(acquisition by venture capital firm Root Capital )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Autocue and its US subsidiary QTV has been bought by London venture capital firm, Root Capital. Root Capital "invests in situations where there is a clear game-plan to change the business significantly," says partner Simon Philips. ...

Curious sale gets go ahead.(Vizrt to purchase Curious Software Co.)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Vizrt has agreed on the purchase of Curious Software for #2.8m. The Curious brand will be dropped in favour of Vizrt across all markets. Curious Software is best known for its Curious World Maps software, used by companies such as Griffilms...

Do you want HD? Compress it.(high definition)
July 12, 2005... Avid European product marketing manager Miguel Ferros says there is a better way to edit in HD "More codecs? More HD variants? Oh please, surely not." Well, no actually. It's true, on the acquisition side there are a plethora of codecs....

ROUGH CUT AND READY DUBBED: Bringing punk back.(Hasan Shah, Dom Shaw to bring the super8 movie on digital videodisks)
July 12, 2005... Taking a 16mm stretch-print and preparing it for a DVD release needs some clever thinking in post-production. Simon Meek finds out how a cult classic was brought back to life - and more 23 years ago, two teenagers were handed the John...

IN MY VIEW: Day-time for TV.(Elinor Day)(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 12, 2005... Film Four's Elinor Day is now heading Darlow Smithson's movie arm, looking to make the next Touching the Void. But on the small screen, she prefers US drama, Derren Brown and Queer Eye... What are your favourite movies of all time? ...

Strange village makes a landmark for Channel 4.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2005... Landmark Films' documentary The Strangest Village in Britain for Channel 4's Only Human strand drew a sizeable 2.8m (13%) at 21.00. The one-hour special was a warts-and-all look about a special needs community in Botton Village, Yorkshire -...