Televisual articles from November 2001

Televisual archives from November 2001

Archer doc heads up new slate for Einstein. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Einstein Entertainment has a slate of new commissions headed up by a Channel 5 documentary about Jeffrey Archer called What Makes Jeffrey Tick? The show, which has just finished editing, reveals his "very high score" on a psychopathic...

Bee electric with Hawkshead and Ealing. (CORPORATE).(video aimed at children)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... A super-hero bee will teach young children about the dangers of electricity in a corporate video by Hawkshead and Ealing Animation. Aimed at 3-to-7-year olds, the idea to use a confident, streetwise character came from Hawkshead freelancer...

BBC1 daytime TV.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Endemol's new series for BBC1 daytime TV M@il has presenters Nadia Sawalha (left) and Ingrid Tarrant meeting people who want to send a message - anything from begging forgiveness to sending congratulations - then recording a video for delivery...

Design agency Kemistry.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Design agency Kemistry has created titles for Night and Day, ITV's new Granada/LWTP/United-produced soap. The show airs three times a week starting this month; 240 episodes are already commissioned. The show is set in Greenwich and Kemistry...

Stink.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... A raft of new ads are on the go for Stink. Directing duo Snack Inc have made a series of spots for Swedish crisp brand OLW (Dressage left); Ivan Zacharias is in post with a new Stella ad for Lowe Lintas; Laurence Hamburger is shooting an HIV...

Bloody Vikings invade BBC2. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... A new five-part series about the Vikings and their influence on the British Isles starts this month. Blood of the Vikings, presented by Julian Richards and produced by the BBC's Paul Bradshaw, uses a mix of discoveries in archaeology and...

Promo and ad producer curio. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Promo and ad producer Curio has created a set of 100 interstitials for Play UK. Curio was commissioned to produce spots that would marry the channels two main strands, comedy and musk. The 30-second spots were shot on mini-DV and show various...

Loach tracks rail crisis for C4. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Ken Loach has completed The Navigators, a feature-length drama from Parallax Pictures about the privatisation of a rail network for Channel 4. An ensemble cast plays a gang of railtrack workers in Sheffield, with Loach recording the impact...

Done and Dusted transports Bobbie to Vegas. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The TV special of Robbie Williams's recent Sinatrainspired Albert Hall concert was shot by Done and Dusted and is currently in post at The Farm. A Christmas DVD is also in the offing. The Albert Hall was transformed by set designer Bill...

Sky will air the first commission. (THE GREEN LIGHT).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Sky will air the first commission for fledgling indie Luxury Productions with the series, The Luxury Travel Show. As the name suggests, it deals with the fast-growing luxury travel sector and will be a highlight of Sky's Christmas day.

Hotbed Media has self-financed an arts documentary.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Hotbed Media has self-financed an arts documentary, The Man Who Wouldn't Paint Hitler, about a German painter who was arrested for his refusal. Luckily, he'd saved the arresting officer's life during WW1 and escaped the country. Two...

3sixtymedia has revamped Sooty.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... 3sixtymedia has revamped Sooty for the new CITV run starting at 3.50pm on 5 November. It used the traditional methods of collage and picture montage, combined with work on Hal, Flame and 3D for stings, titles and fx.

Pepper's Ghost and Sesame Workshop.(CITV buys Tiny Planets)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Pepper's Ghost and Sesame Workshop have sold their co-pro Tiny Planets to CITV for its spring lineup. The 65x5-minute cgi toon shows 3-to-6-year-olds the wonders of science as characters Bing and Bong travel through space on a fluffy white sofa...

Gub Neal's indie Box TV.(new drama commissions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Gub Neal's indie Box TV has picked up two major drama commissions for US television. Riverworld is a two-hour pilot for a 22-episode series on the Sci-Fi Channel; and a two-hour Sherlock Holmes film has also been ordered by USA Networks.

King Rollo Films.(develops animated series)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... King Rollo Films has signed up with Silver Lining Productions to develop Dennis and the Monsters, an animated series for 3-to-7-year-olds based on the books of Jeanne Willis. King Rollo will develop the animation and Silver Lining the scripts.

Scottish independent Wark Clements.(documentary commissions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Scottish independent Wark Clements has two documentary commissions from BBC Scotland. Co-founder Kirsty Wark will present an 8x30-minute (as yet untitled) series of interviews with people whose lives have been changed by dramatic events; and...

Principal Films has bagged orders.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Principal Films has bagged orders from TLC, C4 and C5. Comet Cover Up is Secret History for C4 with new information on why the worlds first passenger jet crashed 50 years ago. Escape From Saigon for TLC/C4 International is a 90-minute doc...

Airside.(Banzail revised interface)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Creative agency Airside has revised the interactive interface design for Banzail, Channel 4's spoof betting show. Airside describes the design process as akin to vanquishing a mighty and mysterious opponent." As viewers scores are stored in...

Hart Ryan.(produces observational documentary)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Trust, an observational documentary about the NHS for C4, has been three years in the making at Hart Ryan. It unravels how NHS trusts work, and records doctors making some controversial decisions. Filming took so long because of "issues of...

Svc.(Firebox.com advertisement)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Matthew Hall and Rod Webster directed the new ad for boys' toys website, Firebox.com, with post at SVC. The ad shows the attractive powers of a special magnet. The tagline is "When it's invented, you'll be the first to know." DoP was SVC's...

World Cup rights in the bag. (DEALS).(Kirch Group signs deal with Independent Television and British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Kirch - Group, owner of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup TV rights, has finally agreed a deal with ITV and the BBC after months of wrangling. The [pound]160m price-tag is a victory for the two UK broadcasters as Kirch initially demanded...

Lygo unveils plans for C5. (BROADCAST).(Kevin Lygo's plans for Channel 5 Broadcasting)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... New Channel 5 head of programmes Kevin Lygo has revealed some of his plans for revamping the channel. Arts programmes will get a regular 7pm week-night slot; Seventh Art Productions is producing a series of shows focussing on great artists....

CITV budget cutbacks. (BROADCAST).(Childrem's Independent Television)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Rumours are stirring that Janie Grace's programming budget for CITV could be facing further cuts. The kids service's budget was already cut earlier this year from [pounds]42m to [pounds]29m. ITV shareholders are currently negotiating next...

Alli tipped for Channel 4 job. (PEOPLE).(Waheed Alli)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Last month Waheed Alli came into the frame for the Channel 4 chief exec job. Alli is seen as a serious challenger to current favourite, Endemol UK creative director and Channel 4 board-member Peter Bazalgette. Alli currently heads up indie...

ITC boss calls for single ITV. (LEGISLATION).(Independent Television Commission's Sir Robin Biggam)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... ITC chairman Sir Robin Biggam has called for changes to media ownership rules that would allow Carlton and Granada to merge. A merger for the struggling ITV companies would lead to cost-savings. The upcoming communications bill is expected...

A hard-sell, but not impossible.(Zenith Media's Chris Hayward discusses television advertising)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Chris Hayward, Zenith Media's head of TV, does a reality-check on future ITV ad revenues This year has, to put it mildly, been disappointing for TV revenue. Zenith predicts a year-on-year decline for all TV revenue of 12%, with ITV's 16% -...

World of interiors.(Polkadot Productions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... World of Interiors was directed by Polkadot Productions' Bunny Schendler. Going against the current trend for digital animation, it is hand-drawn and shot directly on to 35mm. With music composed by Barry Adamson (The Lost Highway), it stars...

Sir cliff richard.(Bermuda Shorts produces music video)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Sir Cliff Richard gets an overdue make-over with his promo Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, thanks to Bermuda Shorts. Director Adam Stone was impressed with Cliff's "expertise in the harness" for blue-screen work of Cliff...

Bristol-based Bigfatstudio.(uses Scanimation technique)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Bristol-based Bigfatstudio lives up to its porky name with Vinny, from director Danny Capozzi. It employs a new technique called Scanimation to create the 50s-style fat-boy, described as a mix of models, 2D illustration and cg.

Lemmy sat.("Boneshaker", 25 years of Motorhead)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Lemmy sat in on the 5.1 mixing and helped brainstorm the creation of Boneshaker, celebrating 25 years of Motorhead, aided (of course) by a few JD and Cokes. The Pavement also enlisted the help of a young Russian dancer from Stringfellows.

422 came.(422 develops news title sequence for British Broadcasting Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... 422 came up with a new concept in title sequences for Everyman, with a brief to be more in line with the BBC's new identity. Involving a four-second logo replacing the conventional 20-second sequence, it features neon strips shot on DigiBeta...

The changing face of channel 5. (BROADCAST).(staffing changes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... It's been three months since Dawn Airey lured Channel 4's Mr Entertainment Kevin Lygo to the head of programmes post at Channel 5. Up until now, it's been personnel matters rather than programmes keeping him busy, with a substantial...

Geoffrey Perkins.(leaves the British Broadcasting Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Geoffrey Perkins quit the deserted corridors of BBC entertainment last month, bringing the revolving-door count to four big names in the 12 months since controller Paul Jackson went down under. Rather than following in the footsteps of Danielle...

David Bergg.(management decisions at Independent Television)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... David Bergg is also suddenly back doing what he knows best To meet ITV's present emergency, its former director of planning and strategy swapped the oracular part of his role with former ITV1 scheduler Julia Lamaison and took to short-term...

Barb.(Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... If the root of all these evils is the fall-off in ad-spend, good old Barb is doing its bit to make audience figures that much more appetising. It's working on a new measurement system, due to launch in January, with a sneak preview coming soon....

Oxford Off the Top 50 map. (BROADCAST).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Each October, production companies up and down the land anxiously await the arrival of Televisual's Top 50 to see, in Cordelia's words, "who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out." So imagine our consternation when - after a year in...

Golden promotion. (FACILITIES).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... I was amused to see in your recent article about Golden Square Post Production (Televisual, October) that I've had a promotion. I would like to point out that Phil Gullies is still our md and that I am still the executive producer. You...

That's not our dog. (ANIMATION).
November 1, 2001... We enjoyed our recent outing in Televisual's October Storyboard; does it mean we're famous now? However, I must correct one small mistake: Mad Dogs didn't create Courage-the-cowardly-dog. We produce him under licence for The Cartoon...

Own-brand television.(Action Time, digital television)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Broadcast indies gave their well-known impression of a hornets' nest at news that 04 is looking to buy into the top end of last issue's Production 100. In this issue they might like to catch up with those early hostages to broadcast ownership,...

Exiles in action.(Stephen Leahy, Trish Kinane, and the formation of Lodestar)
November 1, 2001... Newly-departed from Canton-owned Action Time, Stephen Leahy and Trish Kinane are setting up once more as indies. Jon Creamer asks the pioneers of broadcast ownership why they're breaking free Advertising recession, channel shutdowns, budget...

Channel 5 gets even.(new television program, 'Menace')
November 1, 2001... Channel 5 hopes to build a reputation as a home of high-quality programmes; drama indie Greenlit hopes to help them out with Menace, a two-part story of a little-guy up against the odds. Jon Creamer asks the team how they're bringing this...

Spots before their eyes.(ad agencies move into corporate communications)
November 1, 2001... Grand ad campaigns are now few and far between; clients haven't the budgets or prefer to target cash more closely via new media. So will corporate communicators clean up, or are ad producers already on their way? Last April, Ridley and...

Welcome to the real world.(tight markets for TV ad production companies)(Statistical Data Included)(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2001... The last 12 months have left ad producers in fairly rude health. Nut me they well enough to weather the storm to come? Sam Espensen takes their temperature and asks if anyone is considering a job change In case you didn't know, there's a...

Producers' choice.(ad company voting strategies)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)
November 1, 2001... The ad Community gets the chance vote for its favourite Suppliers, clients - and rivals While unwilling to admit to suffering a cruel summer or falling budgets and thin workloads, ad companies reveal a great deal in the fickle nature of...

And the winners were.(TV ad production awards)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Harry Nash piles in ahead of last year's most-awarded out fits, Academy and Gorgeour, with its work for Monster.com and Skoda catching the judges' eye at this year's top five awards. BTAA, the cannes Lions, DEAD, the creative Circle and...

War and rumours of war.(difficulty of media coverage of Afghan war)
November 1, 2001... The Middle East is in disarray as western forces move in on Afghanistan demanding justice is served and the terrorist threat wiped out. The world is watching, but what is there to see? asks Simon Meek An orange sun beats down on the arid,...

VFX artists: the line-up.(awards for video effects)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... As voted for by indies in the corporate, broadcast and commercials sectors, we present the top 10 video effects artists. The cream of the crop also got the chance use their skills on themselves Name: Barnsley Rank: first Works at:...

Atomic makes games alliance.(Atomic Arts and Runecraft Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Atomic Arts has formed an alliance with games developer Rune Craft to create interactive content for digital TV. The partnership unites Rune's Blue Monkey Studios, based in Birmingham, with the London post-house, which will executive...

Glassworks to spend [pounds sterling]1.5m on TK.(new facilities for special effects studio)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Glassworks is about to splash out [pound]l.5m on a telecine department in a bid to bring the company in line with its fx contemporaries. In total, [pound]1.3m will be spent on TK kit and a further [pound]250k on building the new suites....

Eyeon Software.(new version of Fusion 3.1)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
November 1, 2001... Eyeon Software is shipping its latest version of Fusion 3.1. New features to the compositor include Particle Suite -- a 3D resolution independent rendering system -- and a colour correction program that gives control of hue and blend. Fusion is...

Liberty's UK rollercoaster ride.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Liberty Livewire's UK facilities' staff are braced for a shake-up as the conglomerate starts to put its streamlining theory into practice across the group over the coming months. Camden-based facility Todd-AO is undergoing a [pound]600k...

Cinesite enhances 2k scans for Altman movie.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Cinesite has developed an algorithm to down-convert a 4k film scan to 2k without compromising on high-frequency data. The "enhanced 2k" project was prompted by and betatested on the new Robert Altman film, Gosford Park. Altman was adamant...

Evolutions Television.(appoints creative director)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Evolutions Television has appointed Stephen Archbold as creative director to head-up its vfx team. Archbold comes from BSkyB, where he was vfx supervisor for both Flame and Henry. His new role will also entail operating Evolutions' new Flame...

Mpc.(adds animation staff)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... MPC is in the process of expanding its 3D animation department, bringing on board two additional animators to its 18-strong (full-time) team. Simon Clutterbuck joins from Smoke & Mirrors and Martin Carroll is crossing over from Framestore. The...

Pepper.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Pepper has lured Bea Arnold away from 4MC UK, where she had the role of project manager for three years. In her new position she will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of projects through Pepper. "Bea is not only delightful, but...

The hive fills holes in dvd team.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... VTR's The Hive is enrolling three people to head up its DVD department after losing its existing team to Golden Square Post last month. David Earls is being brought in as senior designer, lured from interactive portal Entranet. Joining him...

Muse gets a hellish makeover.(Smoke and Mirrors works on Muse single)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Smoke & Mirrors has just completed an fx job for the latest Muse double A-side single, Hyper Music and Feeling Good. Both promos, directed by David Slade, are in line with the sinister image the rack-outfit is trying to establish. Flame artist...

DAG pays [pounds sterling]1.4m for Black ID.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Digital Animations Group (DAG) has acquired interactive design consultancy Black ID for [pound]1.4m in a bid to bring its virtual characters to the e-business arena. This purchase, which unites the Glasgow-based new-media companies, is...

IBC sacks its committee.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... IBC has ditched its long-running management committee in favour of a "liaison group" that will now set the direction of the event. The group will meet three times a year to scrutinise the event's activities and advise change where...

Avid takes [pound]10m hit on profit.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Avid Technology reported a net loss of almost [pound]10m ($14.2m) for Q3 2001. This figure includes the costs of acquisition-related assets. But Avid ceo David Krall insists they are "better than expected bottom-line results." The company...

Make or break for Media 100.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Media 100 is pinning its hopes on a line to revive new product the company's sinking sales which showed continued distress in the third quarter with net losses of [pound]3.5m. This crucial product line, code-named Pegasus, is a PC-based...

One-box-suits-all -- in your dreams.(TV-PC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... It just won't go away. As soon as you pass convergence off for dead the concept is repackaged. But Bluewave consultant Nick Dunster ponders: will the TV-PC ever come of age? It's a time when you and I, the consumers, are spoilt for choice....

Slippery when wet.(Emily Skinner's Lucky Dip)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Sam Espensen talks to ex-RCA student Emily Skinner as she teams up with Slinky Pictures' Maria Manton and Soho 601 to create a blustery sea-side adventure Lucky Dip tells the story of a little girl who ventures into a scary arcade at the...

In my view.(Graham Mole)
November 1, 2001... Graham Mole had a large scotch in the bath, he confides, and an idea: to start a local TV station. Then head of daytime TV at Central, he was responsible for output like the Bonny Langford kids' show Saturday Starship and for piloting the Cook...

Gone down the local.(local TV)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... What's so good about local TV? It's new and has a freshness about it you just can't get anywhere else. And it's relevant to the viewer - and where else do you get that? I've made both national and regional programmes, but I've never...

Bin Laden: The Early Years Sunday 4: Channel 4.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Look at the terrorist's childhood family life for an insight into why a guy with such nice eyes chose such a naff career-path. Turns out mum was rejected by the family, and was less aristocratic than the other wives... Made by 3BM and directed...

Unholy war thursday 8: Channel 4.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... For more hard-core war-watchers, the follow-up to the acclaimed Beneath the Veil, in which presenter Saira Shah sneaked into Afghanistan and secretly shot the lives of normal people. This time, she goes in to record a psychological profile of...

The kumars at No 42 weekly from monday 12: BBC2 (x6).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Try chaos at home too, with the Kumar family, plus their antics next door in the chatshow studio where host Sanjeev Kumar (Sanjeev Bhaskar) meets lots of celebs (along with that other Goodness Gracious Me star, Meera Syal). Watch out for a...

Britain's War Heroes weekly from Friday 23: Channel 5 (x5).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Heroes of the Biggles calibre for lighter take on war. Tune in for legless fighter-pilot, Douglas Bader, lan Frazer who worked on midget submarines, and more. Plus exclusive TV footage of material held back by the official secrets act on a...

Built for the Kill from Saturday 24: National Geographic. (x5).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... More violence but from nature this time, as owls, mice and coyotes battle it out for supremacy in the desert. The series cost Granada Wild [pounds sterling]1.3m and was announced as (working title) Killers of... back in June. Watch out for...

Shafted expected airing from later this month: ITV (x12).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Finally, sit back and relax as crafty contestants use cunning to win lots of dosh in a new psychological gameshow from Endemol. Perfect for tips on what tactics will get you to the top. The format has already been sold to Australia and Poland,

CNN Strikes against the heart of accuracy.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Notice anything odd about the map on the left? Somebody over at CNN is not too good at geography, it seems. The broadcaster covered last month's anti-terrorist talks in Germany, but when it came to drawing the map of Germany and its environs,...