Televisual articles from March 2005

Televisual archives from March 2005

BBC puts up #9m comedy fund and gives indies equal access.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The BBC is putting #9m into comedy shows made outside London and revamping its entertainment department. The aim is to create "equal access and a one-stop shop for independents and in-house suppliers" to "ensure a level playing-field and...

Mega-merger heralded by RDF and IWC talks.(IWC Media)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Another super-indie could be on the horizon after RDF held takeover talks with the UK's second biggest regional indie, IWC Media (the merged Ideal World and Wark Clements). RDF is looking to raise cash for acquisitions after the end of its...

American version of The Sketch Show.(Fox Television Studios' contract with Avalon)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Fox has given Avalon's first US production, the American version of The Sketch Show, a slot straight after The Simpsons with the first episode going out on 13 March. It stars original UK cast member Lee Mack and guest stars Kelsey Grammer....

DFG membership scheme offer.(Documentary Filmmakers Group )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The Documentary Filmmakers Group (DFG) is launching a new membership scheme offering free seminars, advice and information as well as discounts to screenings and festivals. The organisation has also been commissioned by the British Council to...

The Hive hire.(Glenn Griffiths )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The Hive (part of VTR Media Services) has hired Glenn Griffiths as its head of cg. Griffiths joins from Baraka Post. The Hive lost its lead animator, Nathan Laud, along with two other 3D artists and its head of sales in a walkout last year....

Last chance to vote for Bulldogs.
March 9, 2005... Televisual's new Bulldog Awards for the best of British TV, to be announced in our April issue, are the first-ever to canvass views from TV industry workers themselves. If you haven't yet cast your votes for your top UK drama, your top UK...

RHB directors find new homes.(appointment)(Rose Hackney Barber)(Knucklehead)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Rose Hackney Barber directors Daniel Barber and Joe Roman have resurfaced at new commercials production outfit, Knucklehead. Knucklehead is the creation of former RHB mds Tim Katz and Matthew Brown. The new company will also represent five...

BBC Broadcast up for auction.(design and transmission business)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Martin Sorrell's WPP Group is expected to be one of the bidders for design and transmission business BBC Broadcast when the corporation puts it up for auction from early this month. WPP already owns branding business Lambie Nairn. Other...

Genghis Khan's armies brought to life by The Mill.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The Mill has recreated marauding hordes and scenes from 13th-century Mongolia for the BBC's upcoming docu-drama Genghis Khan. Vfx supervisor Barney Curnow spent six weeks on location in a Mongolian desert with 300 local horsemen acting...

Kleinman and Framestore create Esuvee for Ford.(Danny Kleinman, Framestore CFC)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Director Danny Kleinman roped in Framestore CFC to bring to life the half car/half bucking-buffalo creatures that star in a new US public information spot on the dangers of SUVs (4x4s). SUVs are prone to rolling if cornered too fast and,...

Second series.(Welsh satirical animation series Cnex gets a second series with Griffilms)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Welsh satirical animation series Cnex gets a second series with Griffilms again putting together the animation. The 10-strong Griffilms Animation team, headed by director Hywel Griffith, provided graphics, titles and content composited in After...

Dark fairy tale.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Film London's Digital Shorts scheme is behind Stalk, written and directed by Slinky's Leigh Hodgkinson. It's a "dark fairy tale" about a lonely bunny with a mysterious admirer. The film was made using a "hybrid of cut-out pixellation,...

MSN search spots.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Picasso Pictures' new directing team Tokyoplastic won the global advertising campaign for Microsoft's MSN search service. In the spots, ordered by McCann Erickson San Francisco, characters grow and animate out of the MSN toolbar before the...

Tinopolis signs up for army stint.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Llanelli-based independent Tinopolis is to produce the interactive training materials to teach soldiers how to deal with nuclear, biological and chemical threats. The company has been awarded the contract by the Ministry of Defence....

Hibbert Ralph and Tangent team up.(Hibbert Ralph Animation )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Hibbert Ralph Animation and Tangent have teamed to create Vauxhall's Network Q Millionaire sponsorship bumpers. They feature toy characters in a Vauxhall playing their own version of the game made from a combination of live action, puppetry...

3BM and Cineflix team on docs.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Ten Alps owned 3BM has linked with Cineflix on two new international co- pros. First up is the #630k two-hour special Ten Days to Victory, which combines "large-scale reconstructions with traditional documentary storytelling" to show the...

Shadforth and S&M link up for Sci Fi Channel spots.(Dawn Shadforth and Smoke & Mirrors )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Director Dawn Shadforth and Smoke & Mirrors have completed a set of seven 10-second idents for the US Sci Fi Channel featuring balloon dogs that fight back, puddle monsters and commuters with wings. Vfx supervisor Tony Lawrence attended...

Th1ng's first short.(Film London orders for Th1ng's 'The Chihuahua Messiah' )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Th1ng's The Chihuahua Messiah is its first short. Ordered by Film London/Pulse as part of the Digital Shorts programme, it's about Kitty, a girl plagued by the memory of her absent father and his gift to her of a Chihuahua. The film was shot...

Branding package for BBC America.
March 9, 2005... BBC Broadcast designed the branding package for BBC America's Laugh Out Loud classic British comedy strand. BBC Broadcast coloured silhouettes from famous scenes in the sitcoms, then faded them back into the actual image as the sequence...

Twofour commission.(Twofour Productions ordered latest series by Discovery Health )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Room 2B You is Twofour Productions' latest series commission. Discovery Health vp and channel director Clare Laycock ordered the 15x30-minute series that has presenter Jacqui Joseph rejigging people's homes and wardrobes. The producer is...

Documentary on Ronnie Biggs.(Five's Peter Grimsdale orders documentary movie from North1 Television)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Five's Peter Grimsdale has also ordered a documentary on train-robber Ronnie Biggs from North1 Television. The producer is Don Perretta and the executive producer is Neil Duncanson; it is set to go out next month. Copyright: Centaur...

Second series of Real Wife Swap.(Landmark Films )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Landmark Films is to make a second series of Five show Real Wife Swap. Acting controller of science Peter Grimsdale ordered the 3x50-minute series that looks at swinging in middle England. It will be produced by Jennifer Beamish, directed by...

Target Entertainment orders.(ITV Network Ltd. ITV1 orders for a 25x30-minute quiz-show )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Target Entertainment has won orders from ITV1 and ITV2: daytime editor Nick Thorogood picked up a 25x30-minute quiz-show Perseverance, a format created by Target and Invisible Inc and in production for an air- date later this year; and for...

ITV2 orders spin-off Footballer's Wives.(ITV Network Ltd. ITV2, Shed Productions)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... ITV2 has ordered a spin-off of Shed's drama Footballer's Wives called Footballer's Wives: Extra Time, focusing on the players' late-night antics. It launches on the back of the main show's fourth series which goes out this spring. Maureen...

Talent Television recommissioned.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Talent Television has been recommissioned by BBC1 for a further six specials of its interactive Test the Nation format. The national test show specials will again feature celebrities and professionals in the studio audience with the audience...

Tigress Productions picks up order.(Jane Goodall's When Animals Talk )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Tigress Productions has picked up an order from Animal Planet for a two- hour special Jane Goodall's When Animals Talk (wt). The show looks at what happens when humans and animals try to communicate. Jeanie Vink is executive producer at...

Six more Bear's Tales.(Bellyache Productions to prepare programs for C4)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Bellyache Productions, the company behind the C4 special A Bear's Christmas Tale starring Leigh Francis as the outrageous bear from Bo' Selecta, is now working on six more Bear's Tales for the channel. Written by Francis, they will feature...

BBC's regional lure.(British Broadcasting Corp. to offer incentives to independents)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The BBC is to offer incentives to London-based independents to set up offshoots in Manchester, and has put up a #500k development fund for indies to make shows outside the capital. BBC director of television Jana Bennett has said that the...

Contenders fight for top spot at BBC1.(Lorraine Heggessey)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Fevered speculation about who will head up Talkback Thames has switched to who will head up BBC1 after Lorraine Heggessey confirmed her move to the independent. Drama boss Jane Tranter and daytime's Alison Sharman are just two internal...

S4C's #1m pot.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... S4C is putting up #1m of development money over the next two years and will open a new tendering process for independents to bid for the cash. The money will go to a select number of indies to develop a range of shows rather than being...

RDF to float too?(RDF Media)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Following the announcement that Shed is to float on the stock market, RDF boss David Frank has said that his indie is considering a similar move to raise funds for acquisitions. Ingenious, the finance company behind Shed's move, is also...

TVC spawns Redback Films.(Television Corporation PLC)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The Television Corporation, parent company of Mentorn and Sunset and Vine, has launched a new factual arm. Redback Films will be headed by Mentorn's Viv McGrath, the executive producer behind The Man Who Slept for 19 Years. She will be...

It's what you do with them that counts.(Bullseye TV)
March 9, 2005... Bullseye TV md Jorg Roth says now independents have their rights, they need education on what to do with them Finally, after the good fight that Pact put up to get more positive terms of trade for independents, the dust is starting to...

UK top dog in formats.(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The UK is now the biggest programme supplier to the international format market, according to Pact's latest report, Rights of Passage. The report shows that UK TV companies have secured a 45% share of the format market by hours, and a 49%...

Chapman sets up children's indie.(Vanessa Chapman)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Vanessa Chapman, former controller of children's at ITV, has used third- party and personal investment to set up her own, as-yet-unnamed, media and rights company. She has also acquired all rights to Cosgrove Hall's pre-school animation...

ER down under.(Entertainment Rights)(Roadshow Entertainment)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The first two series of Entertainment Rights' pre-school show Little Red Tractor have been picked up to air on Australia's Nine Network. At the same time, ER has also inked a deal with Roadshow Entertainment for the DVD and VHS rights to...

Designs on show.(FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide partners with Media 100 Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide has teamed up with Media 10 to turn Talkback's Grand Designs show into a new event, Grand Designs Live! to be held in June at London's ExCel exhibition centre. The deal aims to build on the success of...

Wedding fever.(Diverse Productions Charles and Camilla program)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The latest royal engagement has helped to spark sales for Diverse's Charles and Camilla, which is distributed by Electric Sky. The 50- minute documentary has sold to BBC America, Match TV (France), MNet Carte Blanche (South Africa), Vara in...

The Russian truth is out there.(Oleg Volnov of Channel One)(Interview)
March 9, 2005... Deputy director general of social and political programming at Channel One, Oleg Volnov, says Russian audiences love to hear the truth Describe the type of shows that appear on your network? All documentaries - from investigative...

All change at Channel 4.(Channel 4 Television Co.)
March 9, 2005... The recent restructure by Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan has set off a chain reaction that has ended up with a major reshuffle of commissioning heads and more cash for E4 programmes and "big ideas." It was the departure of 4...

MONTH IN REVIEW.(Channel 4 Television Co.)
March 9, 2005... Eating grubs! Swimming with crocs! Being buried in a coffin full of rats! Big deal. I'm a Celeb's bushtucker trials now seem mere walks in the park after news that Twenty Twenty is producing a reality show for Channel 4 that subjects people...

Letter: Hi-res v lo-hassle: no contest.(Letter to the Editor)
March 9, 2005... I read with interest the excellent, if brief, explanation about hi-def versus "2000 lines" in your January 2005 issue, entitled "Don't be taken for a fool over 2k." Your contributor, Dave Cox, is indeed a top man for dispelling some of the...

ITV regional hours: the unkindest cut.(ITV PLC)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... What with Doctor Who in Cardiff (p28) and CBBC in Manchester, the BBC is bent on beefing up its regional presence pre-Charter, even if the result may be, as one Regional Top 30 facility manager fears, rather "less than the PR spin" (p32)....

INTERVIEW - BILL HILARY: Bill's dollars.(BBC Worldwide Americas Inc.)(Interview)
March 9, 2005... The new man at BBC America has now assembled his team and bagged a big budget boost for his channel. He tells Jon Creamer what he needs from UK indies to help his station live the American dream "Who the fuck are these guys?" was Clint...

DOCTOR WHO: The good doctor.(Television Program Review)
March 9, 2005... Bigger Daleks, action-packed effects and a Tardis with added bling are new ingredients that Russell T Davies hopes will bring the Gallifreian time-lord hurtling towards the 21st century, reports Ann-Marie Corvin Russell T Davies,...

REGIONAL TOP 30: One giant leap.(regional television post-production houses)
March 9, 2005... With their clients taking more of the offline editing tasks in-house, the only way is up for the TV industry's regional post-production suppliers. But will an investment in HD deliver the business? Regional facilities are having to look...

REGIONAL TOP 30.(ranking regional video production houses)
March 9, 2005... THE METHOD Facilities are judged by four criteria: the quality and amount of their kit, the size of their staff, their turnover and what they think of each other, the Peer Poll (see p33). Points scored in each category are aggregated to...

THE FUGITIVIES: Son of Shed.(Shed Productions)
March 9, 2005... From the team that brought you Footballers' Wives comes further scary drama, this time for younger family members. Rachel Murrell looks in on a story that Shed Productions hopes will clone itself From its opening credits, The Fugitives...

BBC canned HD deal for Doctor Who.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The BBC turned down a Sony sponsorship deal to use HDCam kit for its high-profile return of Doctor Who, it has emerged. Instead, the decision was made to shoot the series on DigiBeta. Hire firm VMI had negotiated a deal with Sony to create...

Flix moves HD with #100k spend.(Flix Facilities, high definition)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Flix Facilities is investing #100k in kit for its Manchester city- centre operation - upgrading the SD kit and building an HD editing and compositing suite. The facility is installing a DS Nitris and upgrading its three Media Composers to...

Film transfer.(RPS Film Imaging)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... RPS Film Imaging is transferring a DigiBeta film on to 35mm using its proprietary software. New Town Original - a movie by New Town Films - is using the process to have the film ready for cinematic release in April. RPS has just completed a...

Film first for digital cinematography.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... A collaboration between Motion FX and Digital Praxis has seen the production of what is claimed to be the world's first fully digital cinematography feature film. Dragonfly Film's Silence Becomes You was captured using the Thomson Viper...

Crew threatens legal action over non-payment.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... A group of freelance cameramen and crew are threatening a #200k class action against a European production company for failing to pay them for work done on its latest film. More than 70 crew took Luxembourg's Carousel Productions at its...

Editz management shakeup.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Manchester facility Editz has had a management shake-up after two of its three directors were bought out by staff. Rob Edney and Rob Pickard - operators at the facility - are now mds, replacing Martin Hume and David Jackson. Paul Whiting...

Post moves.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The facilities industry body UK Post is to appoint Anita Nandwani, md of Bristol facility The Pink House, as its regional and national director on its board of representatives. Meanwhile, Simon Kay, ex- Ascent Media UK md, has joined the board...

Hire firms attack BBC DV outfit.(digital video)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The BBC is drastically undercutting hire companies for DVCam work via an internal hire department branded DV Solutions, industry sources claim. A major supplier to the BBC says DV Solutions (a hire department set up under the BBC's...

Framestore mix in Renault spot.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Framestore CFC is responsible for bringing a 2D cartoon-strip character to life in the latest Renault Espace spot, Hector's Life. Making the paper-flat character interact in a "real" world required the construction of two separate rigs in...

Pinewood installation.(Pinewood Shepperton Studios Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Pinewood Shepperton Studios has invested in 15 ProTools HD Accel systems. All systems are running sound-to-picture using the Avid Mojo accelerator. The installation - which is said to be the biggest of its kind in Europe - was by Gearbox, which...

Spectrum sale fears.(British Entertainment Industry Radio Group)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Ofcom has been warned that a haphazard sell-off of the analogue spectrum would seriously hinder the UK's programme-makers. The British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (Beirg) fears the sell- off of the radio spectrum to the highest...

UK manufacturers ripe for acquisition.(Broadcast manufacturers)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Broadcast manufacturers in the UK are prime targets for acquisition as a majority fail to increase sales and operate at a loss, according to Plimsoll Publishing's report. The prospect of these "under-pressure" companies trading their way...

Panasonic win for winter games.(Matsushita Electric Corporation of America)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... This is a major win for Panasonic in the fight with Sony and its XDCam system for market share in tapeless acquisition. Panasonic's DVCPro P2 solid-state memory, DVCPro HD and DVCPro50 will be used to record the Olympic Winter Games in...

Nucoda sold to Digital Vision.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Software development house Nucoda has been bought by Digital Vision in a bid to boost its digital intermediate offering to the post market. The London-based Nucoda is known for its Data Conform multi-resolution conform and editing...

Audio post is not a throw-away.(sound quality of television broadcasting)
March 9, 2005... Beware: viewers are not afraid to complain about poor sound. Neil Hillman, md of The Audio Suite, bangs the drum of the audio-house for today's TV There are, apparently, a hundred-fold more complaints to a broadcaster's duty-officer about...

LIFE BEFORE BIRTH: View with a womb.(Pioneer Production Corp.)
March 9, 2005... Showing the growth of the foetus from its early stages is not easily or ethically achievable until you throw in silicon rubber, a medical photographer and some cg. Ann-Marie Corvin reports Progress in 4D ultrasound reveals that the...

IN MY VIEW: Look around you.(interview: Tim Kirby)(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 9, 2005... Splitting his time between directing ads at Godman and Look Around You at the BBC, Tim Kirby only gets the chance to see about #50-worth of TV a week, and absolutely none of it is soap What do you think of current ads? Any that stand out?...

Viewers choose trannies over media trendies.(audience ratings)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Chris Morris media satire Nathan Barley (Talkback Thames) proved too media-centric for the majority of households, attracting just 1.2m Channel 4 viewers on 10 February at 22.00. The channel fared better on 16 February with a film that...