Televisual articles from September 2001

Televisual archives from September 2001

Channel 4 set to buy in bulk to streamline its animation slate.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A dramatic increase in the workload of C4's animation unit means it will commission "more clusters of programmes in bulk," according to head of animation, Camilla Deakin. The first such deal is with Chrysalis, which is making seven...

Cartoon Network runs Europe-wide web stunt.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The first Europe-wide TV and internet stunt for Cartoon Network runs this month, using the European currency to grab kids' attention. Viewers in Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK will see bulletins on TV...

Einstein signs [pound]5m copro deal.(contract with Take 3 TV Partnership)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Take 3 TV Partnership has signed a [pound]5 million, five-year coproduction deal for UK commissions with the Einstein Group. Stockbroker Teather and Greenwood manages the Take3 fund with Baker Street Media, which brokered the Einstein deal....

Studio AKA shows off UKinNY.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Studio AKA's Birdgame has been chosen to represent the best of British design at a major US festival, UKinNY. The exhibition Great Expectations will feature products and services hand-picked by the Design Council for their outstanding...

Thames Television.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Pearson TV's UK production arm is to rebrand as Thames Television, as its parent is renamed Fremantle Media. Pearson TV's rebrand was necessitated by last year's merger with CLT-UFA to form the RTL group, which meant Pearson TV was no longer a...

UK Food.(Food channel plans)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... In the run up to launch, UK Food is calling for content that focusses on "food with a glamorous slant -- not pouring it into bowls behind kitchen counters," says channel editor Nick Thorogood. Budgets are [pound]10k per hour, and to start with...

BFM (black filmmaker).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... This month's BFM (black filmmaker) International Film Festival includes premieres of work by Spike Lee and Laurence Fishburne. The Soho Curzon will host screenings from 7-13 September, which will continue at other cinemas around London from...

BBC.(interactive projects planned)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Several interactive development agencies are currently being vetted by the BBC as the corporation's interactive projects mount up. The BBC's in-house developers are now at full stretch as it moves to increase its slate of interactive...

Blakeway reveals Larry in love for Channel 4.
September 1, 2001... Documentary producer Blakeway Associates has secured exclusive access to the Olivier Archive to make its latest Channel 4 commission, Larry and Vivien: The Olivers in Love. The archive was recently acquired by The British Library from the...

Box reunites Marchant and Shergold for Swallow.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A ficticious antidepressant is the subject of Tony Marchant's powerful new three-part drama, Swallow, for Channel 4. Directed by Adrian Shergold, the story deals with a mother who is confronted with the potentially life-threatening effects...

Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!(Collingwood O'Hare)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! is Collingwood O'Hare's new toon for preschoolers. The 65x5-minute series features three animal characters (Yoko the bird, Jakamoko the armadillo and Toto the monkey) and tells tales of friendship through music and action....

Nexus and Attik take to the air.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Animation specialist Nexus and brand communicator Attik have both produced in-flight safety videos that aim to grab the attention of jaded airline passengers. Nexus's video, for Virgin Atlantic, was directed by Vehicle and uses a mixture...

Bermuda ID.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Bermuda ID has produced three sponsorship dents for Funpots noodles to run with Angela Anaconda on the Cartoon Network. Tracey Cleland came up with the Doc and Croc characters, which were hand-animated and then coloured in Softimage toons at...

TSI and Alan Kemp Design have created titles for upcoming BBC series What the Victorians did for Us.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... TSI and Alan Kemp Design have created titles for upcoming BBC series What the Victorians did for Us. They show presenter Adam Hart-Davis moving around a huge Victorian-style machine. Shot on 35mm by Alan Kemp, they were art directed by TSI's...

Baci/First Circle.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... ITV2's biggest commission to date, The Race from Baci/First Circle, is currently in production for an October TX. The 15x60 reality gameshow follows five teams of inexperienced travellers as they race to traverse the globe on a budget to win a...

New show line-up for CBBC.(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The BBC is developing a batch of children's projects alongside the new-look Saturday Show engineered by CBBC head Nigel Pickard to replace Live and Kicking. Pickard is planning more cross-genre shows to combat the "similar content" of many...

Rogue shark attack for National Geographic ad.(Rogue Films)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Rogue Film's Johan Tappert has directed an ad for the National Geographic Channel. Tappert's work includes the campaign to re-enamour consumers with Salad Cream. Shot on 16mm, the new ad shows a man repairing a camera. As water falls out...

Perfect Love Song is the next release from The Divine Comedy.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Perfect Love Song is the next release from The Divine Comedy. Academy's Ed Gill directed the promo that follows a geeky teenager as he assembles a flying machine, much to the amusement of a gaggle of girls. Red Post's Tim Rudgard completed...

Fox Kids UK launches the first of four series aimed at young girls this month.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Fox Kids UK launches the first of four series aimed at young girls this month. Braceface, which stars Alicia Silverstone, aims to help girls cope with the transition to adolescence. It features 13 year-old fashion victim Sharon Spitz who's...

Cardiff indie Wild Dreams Films is to make Ancient Discoveries.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Cardiff indie Wild Dreams Films is to make Ancient Discoveries, a 3x60 documentary co-financed by S4C International and A&E Networks. The series looks at ancient inventions that are still in use today. The shows should be completed by September...

Alan Partridge.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A new series of I'm Alan Partridge is n the early stages of development. Writer/director Peter Baynham says this series will show Partridge's life after he has chosen to walk away from the limelight; he may also get involved in a relationship....

Red Productions.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Red Productions is down the line with its 6x60-minute comedy drama for ITV for an expected November TX. Bob and Rose, the story of a middle-aged gay man falling for a woman, was scripted by Queer as Folks Russell T Davies and is again set...

Eastenders spin-offs.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A series of Eastenders spin-offs are planned to air in early 2002. The one-off shows will centre on popular Albert Square characters. Stories featuring Bianca (Patsy Palmer) and Frank (Mike Reid) are to be exec-produced by head of continuing...

Channel 4's head of music and youth Jo Wallace.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Channel 4's head of music and youth Jo Wallace has ordered a further series of Pioneers from indie Somethin' Else for a January TX. The 6x15-minute series focusses on individuals who changed the face of popular music. Phoebe Collins will...

Stop! Kung Fu.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Stop! Kung Fu from Jonathan Ross's indie Hot Sauce airs on BBC Choice this month. The series was originally to be shown on Sky One, but switched to the BBC after Ross decided he would present; his BBC contract precludes him from appearing on...

Channel X.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Channel X is to produce Date That, a 13x30-minute teen-dating show for Channel 5. The series goes out early next year and is based on a format by The Chatterbox Partnership.

World of Wonder.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... World of Wonder is in development with a revamped series of Take Over TV for E4. The original five-minute series aired five years ago. The new 8x30 series of clips submitted by members of the public will go out at the end of the year. The show...

Flextech.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Flextech has signed a major deal with the US animator, lcebox. Along with original commissions, the deal includes the acquisition of 170 interactive animations.

Legal threat for BBC channels.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Commercial broadcasters have threat ened legal action over the BBC's proposed digital channels if culture secretary Tessa Jowell approves the corporation's plans. The legal challenge would take the form of a judicial review and would be...

Cable firms test merger.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... NTL and Telewest, the two main UK cable operators, are moving towards an operational merger to make cost efficiencies and present a united front in the face of rival TV and phone companies. The two operators currently spend [pound]300m a...

Carlton drops food venture.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Carlton and Sainsbury's brought an end to Taste, their [pound]10m joint-venture TV channel and website, only 11 months into its existence. The service failed to attract expected e-commerce and advertising revenues. A similar joint venture...

World Cup rights battle.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The row over UK television rights to next year's world cup took a further turn for the worse last month. Kirch, owner of the TV rights to both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, complained to the Office of Fair Trading that ITV and the BBC were...

Cable industry on the cusp.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Rod Henwood, former md of Fox Kids and Central who founded digital content company Prism, joins NTL this month as its director of TV. What does he know that his friends don't? You'd have thought I'd joined a dot bomb. If I had a pound for...

MTV Live.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... MTV is to launch a broadbank-only music channel for subscribers to watch on PCs. MTV Live will broadcast performances taken from the MTV archives, and several interactive features will also be available. MTV has teamed up with the broadband...

Channel 5.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... New Channel 5 director of programmes Kevin Lygo has lured three ex-C4 colleagues over to 5. E4 boss Andrew Newman gets the entertainment brief, C4 science editor Dan Chambers becomes head of factual and Sue Murphy will be 5's factual...

Border TV.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Granada has bought ITV franchise Border TV from Capital Radio for [pound]50.5m. Border was one of few remaining franchises not owned by one of the big two. Capital acquired Border along with the Century Radio licences and has long been expected...

The Premiership kicks off.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Normally the weeks leading to the start of the football season see pundits and fans endlessly debating signings, transfers and fantasy football. But the return of a teatime show has resulted in feverish debate about how football is covered; by...

Michael Jackson finally gave in to the blandishments.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Michael Jackson finally gave in to the blandishments of cable TV production house USA Entertainment and quit C4 and what he once described as "the best job in British television." The news came as a shock to the TV community but a boon to the...

It shaped up to be a big weekend for Jacko.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 1, 2001... It shaped up to be a big weekend for Jacko, as he turned up statesmanlike in the Sundays defending Chris Morris and Brass Eye from less than statesmanlike attacks from whichever politicians hadn't yet set off on their hols. Could that explain...

Current management at the BBC.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Current management at the BBC, mesmerised by ITV's football frenzy, scored an own-goal at its autumn launch when it deemed Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers not mainstream enough for BBC1. Oh well, that's [pound]7m well-spent on the Herts...

Cheff's menu easy-to-digest.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... I was even more disappointed than he was when I read Peter Langmaid's letter last month: Cheffserves up lower standards. Quite to the contrary, Cheff is trying to simplify (and most definitely not lower) delivery standards for major...

All together for Orbital.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... We're pleased to have had considerable involvement in Orbital's groundbreaking Altogether DVD from its inception. But it's the collaboration of companies and individuals that really makes it unique, including: the 5.1 mixing at Strongroom; the...

Hello mum, it's me!(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... I am just writing to you regarding an article published in your June issue concerning a Mystikal promo called Jump, produced by Sledge for Jive Records. Everything in the article was cool except that the final offline edit was done by...

We're all talking television.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The TV industry shakes itself out of its summer snooze this month as the production community forgoes the last lazy bank-holiday weekend of the summer to fuss and fight at Edinburgh's talk festival -- then does it again two weeks later at the...

Kid-glove treatment.(BBC children's television)
September 1, 2001... Live and Kicking's replacement goes on air this month as the baffle for children's hearts and minds comes to a head. Anastasia Kershaw asks the boss of CBBC about his plans for Saturday morning and beyond Nigel Pickard really doesn't enjoy...

I am not an animal.(BBC animated program)
September 1, 2001... Triffic Films and the Steve Coogan/Henry Normal outfit, Baby Cow, ask Sam Espensen to keep quiet about a new BBC1 show - a primetime animated comedy series featuring animals trapped in a laboratory While Chris Morris and his team still hide...

Chain of events.
September 1, 2001... UK broadcasters are relying ever more heavily on expensive must-see television events to make them stand out from the crowd in a multichannel marketplace. But is it a tactic that spells the death of mid-budget programming and the end for...

Interacting with beasts.
September 1, 2001... This winter, the BBC picks up its palaeontology saga after the dinosaurs' demise and brings it up to early man -- via the woolly mammoth. And this series, reports Mundy Ellis, has evolved an interactive gene The decision came just before...

FACILITIES TOP 50.(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2001... The facilities rollercoaster As we roll out the UK's top 50 online facilities, we also listen to what over 100 of them tell us about a changing world of post-production. Is the post market's rollercoaster ride really turning white-knuckle,...

Who's who at Edinburgh?(television broadcasting industry personnel)(Scotland)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... You never know who you'll bump into at The George, so here's a hit-list for producers going to Edinburgh with new projects under their arm DRAMA BBC 1 Jane Tranter controller of drama commissioning; David Thompson head of films and...

Boys' night in.(Bravo (U.K.) programming)
September 1, 2001... Flextech men's channel Bravo recently got a big boost to its commissioning budget. Jon Creamer asks its channel editor how he plans to use the extra cash to secure the channel-surfing bloke vote Acquisition, repeat, acquisition. That's the...

Kids DIY for Disney.(Walt Disney Co.)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2001... Confronted with the quicksands of the children's TV market, Disney Europe decided to touch base with its unreliable viewers by inviting them to invent their own for the Incredible Story Studio Award. Anastasia Kershaw finds out how Disney is...

Planes, trains and IBC.(International Broadcasting Conference)
September 1, 2001... There are many reasons to justify a visit Amsterdam, one of which is IBC. Anticipating your imminent arrival and thirst for adventure, here is Televisual's guide to the continent and a quick look behind the scenes of the exhibition It's...

Smoke & Mirrors in major revamp.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Smoke & Mirrors is upgrading every suite in its Soho facility in a bid to boost its capacity and productivity. The company bought five Flames and three Effects systems, remaining loyal to its Discreet-based inventory. The Flames will run on...

Molinare enrols Soho Editors.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Molinare has signed a one-year contract with Soho Editors to provide a freelance solution to an Editbox staffing problem. The agreement makes the freelance editors available to Molinare clients on request. It is understood that this will...

Sufficiently Advanced Magic.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Soho technology support partnership Multimode has rebranded to become Sufficiently Advanced Magic, and is taking steps to become a reseller. Ex-Altered Images sales manager David Dowling joins the company to head up its new ann. It now provides...

Metropolis integrates services.(Metropolis Group)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The Metropolis Group is in the throes of transforming its studio complex into a one-stop multimedia production centre. Ex-creative director Mike Gillespie will be spearheading the development of the multimedia services in the new role of...

[pound]1.5 million telecine spend for Rushes.(Liberty Livewire Corp.'s commercials facility)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Liberty Livewire's flagship commercials facility, Rushes, is splashing out [pound]l.5m on its telecine department, despite swingeing staff cuts across the group caused by a slump in ad spend. The bulk of the money is being spent on a Spirit...

Needham and Daubney consult.(Daubney Needham Associates)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Ex-Teddington stalwart Ewart Needham has joined forces with ex-C4 chief engineer Chris Daubney to form a media industry consultancy. Daubney Needham Associates will cover film, TV and new media aspects of the sector, in particular 24P and...

MPG creates animation for Tate.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The first work to be shown at Tate Britain's sculpture court has been animated by MPC's Lars Magnus Holmgren, aka Dr Frankenskippy, The video aspect of the two-part installation, Annlee you Proposes (storyboarded by contemporary artist Liam...

Clear Cut Pictures.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Clear Cut Pictures has installed a further eight Avid suites at its Hammersmith facility following a recent contract win from C4. This brings the number of edit suites at the site to 22. C4s Shipwrecked production team will spend the rest of...

Ex-S&M operative John Hollis.(Play: post -production company)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Ex-S&M operative John Hollis has teamed up with Tom Sparks, Chris Palmer and Stuart Douglas to form Play. The facility, which Hollis describes as "a production company that deals with post," has two Flames running on SGI Octane 2, two...

National reseller McMillan has added Cambridge Animation's Animo, Swiffworks and Inkworks software to its supply portfolio.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... National reseller McMillan has added Cambridge Animation's Animo, Swiffworks and Inkworks software to its supply portfolio. The Animo package is used in projects including Warner Bros's Osmosis Jones (right). The reseller has also appointed...

Altered Images in [pound]300k deal.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... London reseller Altered Images has supplied and installed a production suite for Pearson TV in a deal worth [pounds]300k. The order was for five Avid Media Composer systems -- four online, one offline -- and an Avid Unity with two TB of...

NTL builds new playout centre.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... NTL Broadcast is on the verge of completing its new digital-playout centre in Feltham, London. The 50,000sq ft facility is designed to house nine edit suites, three audio rooms, a cg department, four studios (equipped with virtual sets),...

The BBC moves for fast output.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... BBC North has bought six Fast editing systems in a bid to dispose of antiquated tape couriering between local stations and to provide an edit, store and forward system to serve its news output. The purchase also enforces the BBC's commitment to...

Omneon forms partnership.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Omneon Video Networks is forming an alliance with Building4media to develop solutions for the content delivery marketplace. The companies will seek to build on 4media's Fork content delivery software -- which is to be used as the basis for...

Why is everyone so surprised?(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... The facilities market is panicking over speculation of a downturn. But is this any different to last year? Soho Editors' md Brian Cantwell gives us his take We go through the same process every year. You only have to sit in any of Soho's...

All too human...(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... What makes someone real? If it's reasoning and intelligence, television might just have made a breakthrough, discovers Simon Meek. Peter Corncob makes his first appearance, Al style Hot on the heels of Spielberg's summer blockbuster, the...

ITC relaxed.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... John O'Sullivan, co-founder of ad agency Mortimer Whittaker O'Sullivan, has just set up a specialist division to handle television sponsorship after the ITC relaxed its sponsorship rules. We asked the man responsible for brand icons like AOL's...

Brought to you by...(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... What's the best show you've seen on TV this summer? The Simpsons, any episode, by a short head from Frasier, any episode. What's the best programme sponsorship you've seen? Nike, for Sky Sports News. Here's a whole channel for...

September TX guide.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... PRODUCER'S GUIDE TO THE MONTH ON THE BOX Cramp Twins weekdays from Monday 3: Cartoon Network Spicy new cartoon meant for kids and parents, coproduced with TV-Loonland and Sunbow. Tune in for Lucien Cramp's tussles with his tormentor,...

SPIELBERG AND LEGO HIT THE SMALL-TIME.(Steven Spielberg)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Kids can start out on their film careers early with the Steven Spielberg Movie-Maker set. They can either shoot and edit a Lego Jurassic Park (with camera, dolly, sound effects, subtitles, editing software and even an earthquake simulator...