Encore Magazine articles from December 2006

Encore Magazine archives from December 2006

Tis the season to be jolly: it was a year of watershed moments, celebrations and a ratings year chock-full of clip shows. If 2006 is any measure, 2007 has a lot to live up to, says Fiona Williams.(Editorial)(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... 2006 WAS THE YEAR OF THE MILESTONE. An enormous amount of airtime and column space was devoted to the 50th anniversary of television in Australia (I've lost count of the number of times I saw that labrador cock his leg at Graham Kennedy)....

'Clubland' and 'Noise' picked for Sundance: two local features will have their world premieres next month at Sundance, the United States' most influential Film Festival. David Hull reports.(FESTIVAL)
December 1, 2006... LOCAL FEATURE FILMS CLUBLAND and Noise have been selected to at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival to be held January 18-28, 2007 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Clubland, which features English actress Brenda Blethyn in the lead role, will...

Best emerges with APRA-AGSC Screen Music honour.(AWARDS)(Peter Best honored)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BEST FX PETER BEST WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS International Achievement Award at the 2006 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards, which took place on November 6. Adelaide-based Best is regarded as one of Australia's most...

Cook exits filmgraphics.(PEOPLE)(Michael Cook starts his company The Feds)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Filmgraphics is on the lookout for a new chief executive following the departure of Michael Cook, who quit his post at the TVC, animation and film production company to establish rival production outfit, The Feds. Cook is founding The Feds...

Seven and KKR form Media Group.(BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... The Seven Network and private equity group Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) have formed a joint venture that will encompass Seven's television, magazines and online businesses in Australia and New Zealand, a move that frees up the network to...

Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) recoupments per financial year.(Close Up)(Statistical table)
December 1, 2006... FILM FINANCE CORPORATION AUSTRALIA (FFC) RECOUPMENTS PER FINANCIAL YEAR 2005/2006 $9.19 million 2004/2005 $9.3 million 2003/2004 $11.7 million 2002/2003 $15.4 million 2001/2002 $14.2 million 2000/2001 $12.4 million ...

Nine buys indie feature: Ron and Ruth Brown's debut feature Let Me Not was bought by the nine network after knockbacks from the distribution sector. David Hull reports.(TELEVISION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... THE NINE NETWORK WILL SCREEN independent local feature Let Me Not on January 12, having bought the broadcast rights directly from the film's Melbourne-based producer/director Ron Brown. The privately financed $500,000 feature, written by...

Green light for UK film tax scheme.(FINANCE)
December 1, 2006... THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS GRANTED STATE AID APPROVAL TO a revised UK film tax incentive scheme, which encourages filmmakers to produce cultural British films. The Commission approved the scheme based on the criteria to assess aid to...

Flickerfest 2007 program finalised.(FESTIVAL)
December 1, 2006... ORGANISERS OF THE SYDNEY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL FLICKERFEST HAVE finalised a line up of close to 80 films for the next year's event, which will take place at the Bondi Pavilion from January 5-14. Australia's only Academy-accredited short film...

Calling all film buffs!(GIVEAWAY)
December 1, 2006... FANCY YOURSELF A FILM BUFF? HOPSCOTCH FILMS AND Encore are giving you the chance to pit your wits against Australia's leading film critics, Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton in the 'At the Movies Interactive Quiz.' The quiz features over...

Porchlight looks after its rights.(Porchlight Entertainment introduces a new movie distributor)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Porchlight Films has launched a new distribution, sales and rights management arm, Jetty Distribution. The new company will serve as the online agent for retail and institutional sales for the Porchlight Films catalogue, which includes Little...

Singapore-backed slate for RGM.(RGM International and Singapore Media Development Authority join hands )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Talent managament and financing company RGM Holdings is partnering with Singapore's Media Development Authority in a venture that will see at least six international features produced in the next two year's for a cost of at least $66.3 million...

Paul Johnson joins Atlab to lead digital.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... Amalgamated Holdings Ltd (AHL), the (parent company of both Greater Union and Atlab) has appointed Paul Johnson to spearhead the group's efforts in the introduction of digital cinema. Formerly executive chair for Hoyts Cinemas, Johnson will...

Writers selected for Qld drama series: six emerging writers will cut their teeth on the eight-part drama CrossWires, thanks to an initiative between New Holland Pictures and the Pacific Film & Television Commission, David Hull reports.(DEVELOPMENT)
December 1, 2006... SIX EMERGING WRITERS FROM queensland have been chosen to work on the eight x 30-minute drama series CrossWires, which has been pencilled in for a mid-2007 shoot. The series focuses a fatal bomb blast at a fictitious Queensland university, and...

Digital TV uptake sits at 20 percent.(BROADCASTING)
December 1, 2006... DIGITAL TELEVISION UPTAKE REACHED 20 PERCENT OF Australian homes in 2005/06, according to figures compiled by the peak industry body, the Australian Communications and and Media Authority (ACMA), in its first major industry report since the...

Drama out of focus in 2007 network programming: as 2006 draws to a close, the free-to-air networks made announcements about the year ahead but the approach to local product differs greatly.(TELEVISION)
December 1, 2006... COMMITMENT TO LOCAL PROGRAMMING was a clear a point of difference as each of the four commercial networks, as well as the ABC, simultaneously made product announcements relating to their upcoming schedules. Reflecting Australian Film...

Foxtel shifts laughs to Melbourne base.(employee relocation)
December 1, 2006... Foxtel Channels Melbourne's new general manager, Sean Riley, will oversee the expansion of the company's Melbourne headquarters, to be known as Foxtel Studios Melbourne, and help re-launch The Comedy Channel which will now be produced from...

ABC gives green light to more 'BottleTop'.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... ABC TV is partnering with Southern Star Singapore on the production of a second series of 26 x 12 minute pre-school animated project The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill, which follows the exploits of Bottle Top Bill and his best friend Corky the...

Switched on to the future, fingers crossed: at this year's Screen Producers Association of Australia conference there was a healthy (and uncharacteristic) amount of optimism in the air, albeit of the 'only way is up' variety. Fiona Williams reports.(SPAA 2006)
December 1, 2006... KIM DALTON'S ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE SCREEN PRODUCERS Association of Australia (SPAA) conference that he plans to boost independent local production levels at the ABC has met with howls of protest from within the broadcaster's ranks, but the...

Life on the Fringe: filmmakers doing it for themselves: private financing, self distribution, harnessing the power of the viral market--this year's SPAA Fringe conference danced to the beat of a Solo drum. Steve Misiura reports.(SPAA)(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... AS AUSTRALIA'S BIG GUNS PACKED THEIR BAGS FOR 'BIG SPAA' this year, a merry band of emerging filmmakers gathered at Brisbane's Powerhouse Museum for SPAA Fringe. The event took place from November 12-14 and the line up of seminars explored...

FROM FLAGS TO FIRE: MASTERWORKS OF MAESTROS: THE LATEST OFFERINGS FROM SEMINAL DIRECTORS MARTIN SCORSESE, CLINT EASTWOOD AND PHILLIP NOYCE PROVE WHY THEY ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS, ACCORDING TO BOB ELLIS.
December 1, 2006... THREE OF THE MEN WHO RAISED THE FLAG ON THE dark ridge over Iwo Jima were dead within two weeks; the other three became celebrities and for half the length of a War Bond Drive they fronted, American superstars, till rumours, wrong but not...

Outsourcing's critics are 'outmoded and elitist': SPAA executive director Geoff Brown is not surprised by the ABC's reaction to Kim Dalton's planned changes to the broadcaster's commissioning methods.(Above The Line)
December 1, 2006... RIGHT ON CUE, THE ABC HAS REACTED TO KIM Dalton's speech at the SPAA Conference by digging in and attacking his stance on independent production. It's our turn to be loaded up with the traditional ABC defence. That is, we (the independent...

Marketers turn money into content: Tracey Montgomery gives an insight into new finance models emerging in US television that complement the rapidly changing distribution environment.(LA Insider)
December 1, 2006... THE HOT TOPIC IN HOLLYWOOD FOR THE PAST FEW years has been the future of film and television. Seminars and conferences have been held and the conclusion seems to be that no one knows what the next five years will look like. The one thing that...

War on obesity spells trouble for UK producers: the move to ban junk food advertising during children's programming is cause for concern with independent producers in the UK. Julian Newby reports.(Euro Insider)
December 1, 2006... IS THE FILMED ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ABOUT TO suffer as a result of its own lobbying powers? In the case of children's television in the UK, that might just be the case. Ofcom, the UK's broadcasting regulator, is to limit the number of...

Firms gear up as wait for HD demand continues: there continues to be upgrading aplenty but fierce competition to win business and the ever-increasing expectations of clients are placing a strain on the outside broadcast sector. Tracey Prisk reports.(Outside Broadcast)
December 1, 2006... THE OUTSIDE BROADCAST SECTOR IS FACING TOUGH TIMES ahead. Competition is tighter than ever before and there are rumours that some players are resorting to undercutting each other in order to secure key jobs. While competition is fierce,...

A top 20: 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of Australia's most recognisable film critics, David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz. They look back with Fiona Williams.(Interview)
December 1, 2006... DISCORD IS THE STRENGTH OF DAVID STRATTON AND margaret Pomeranz's relationship--they are best known for agreeing to disagree on pretty much everything ("entertainingly combative" is how producer Al Clark describes them). "If we go out to...

NSW post sector bands together to fight slump: the NSW post and VFX sector has joined forces in attempt to jolt the government to take measures to keep the state's industry alive. David Hull reports.(NSW)
December 1, 2006... THE NEW SOUTH WALES POST PRODUCTION SECTOR IS UNITED IN its bid to make the state more attractive for post and/or VFX work on overseas features. Following on from the formation of the NSW Filmmakers Group in June 2006, seven Sydney-based...

Caught in the Web of CGI: three local VFX companies collaborated on the design of the barnyard creatures at the heart of paramount's CGI/live-action adaptation of the children's classic, Charlotte's Web.(CHARLOTTE'S WEB)
December 1, 2006... A TRIO OF AUSTRALIAN VISUAL EFFECTS FACILITIES CONTRIBUTED TO Paramount Pictures' live-action adaptation of E.B White's Charlotte's Web, which shot in Melbourne during 2005 (and will open in theatres locally on December 26). Rising Sun Pictures...

Dancing on icebergs: the Antarctic environment served as a reference point but just how do you make dancing penguins believable? David Hull takes a look at the technical and creative demands of Happy Feet.(Happy Feet)
December 1, 2006... KENNEDY MILLER'S 3D-ANIMATED FEATURE HAPPY FEET represents Animal Logic's largest undertaking to date--and that's saying something, given the Sydney-based VFX/digital production company's credit Ilist includes the likes of Babe: Pig in the...

MIFF to set up feature film production fund: the Melbourne Film Festival is to follow the Adelaide Film Festival model and establish a $1.2 million feature film production fund. Steve Misiura reports.(FILM FUND)
December 1, 2006... THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (MIFF) will establish an investment fund to commission local features. The production fund is modelled on the Adelaide Film Festival's scheme, which previously commissioned Look Both Ways and Ten...

Industry audit underway in Victoria.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... Film Victoria is working with PricewaterhouseCoopers on a Sector Audit Project which will collect economic, employment and skills data about Victoria's screen industry. The data will be used to pinpoint challenges and opportunities facing the...

$20K on offer for cross media projects.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... A $20,000 investment program is underway in NSW for cross-media projects that explore the notion of one's capacity to change the world through everyday actions. Submissions to the 'Change the World In Five Minutes' initiative can include...

Bio-pic to tell king Gra Gra's tale.(Foxtel Digital and Austar Digital to launch a drama series 'The King')(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The King, a bio-pic of television legend Graham Kennedy will start filming in Melbourne this month. The $2.1 million television project will air exclusively on TV1 on Foxtel Digital and Austar Digital. The drama was penned by Jaime Browne and...

Grant lures 'Australia' to WA.(ScreenWest to finance Baz Luhrmann's movie, Western Australia)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... ScreenWest has committed $500,000 to Baz Luhrmann's much-hyped new project, Australia, securing at least a month on location shooting in Kimberley. The film is an historic epic set against the bombing of Darwin in the Second World War. The...

'Last Cowboy' to shoot in Mel.bourne.(ShorrisFilm is making a movie with producer Christopher Showerman )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Melbourne-based ShorrisFilm is in pre production on The Last Cowboy, a western written by and starring Los Angeles-based actor/producer Christopher Showerman (The OC), who is producing the film with Clint Morris. The project is based on the...

'Empty' a steep learning curve for first-time trio: actor Anthony Hayes has teamed with fellow thespian Brendan Cowell and producer Naomi Wenck to shoot a debut feature in South Australia. Steve Misiura reports.(Shoot)
December 1, 2006... SHOOTING HAS COMMENCED IN ADELAIDE ON actor Anthony Hayes' debut feature as a director, Ten Empty. Hayes co-wrote the film with fellow actor Brendan Cowell. The film deals with the mending broken relationships from the perspective of a...

cineSync software wins US award.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... Australian-made remote review and approval tool cineSync was last month awarded with top honours amongst a field of 14 technology developers that participated in this year's ANZA Technology Network Showcase conference, held in Santa Clara, US....

Techtel lines up screen arrangement.(contract with Screen Subtitling Systems Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Techtel has been appointed as the Australian distributor for Screen Subtitling Systems, which provides a range of equipment for hearing impaired and multilingual applications. Screen offers a range of products including the High Definition...

Fairlight makes first French CC-1 sale.(crystal-core Dream Factory system sold to EAV)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Paris-based post house EAV has become the first French facility to install Fairlight's Dream Factory system, replete with a Crystal-Core (CC)-1 multimedia engine. Based on the Constellation-XT large format mixing system, the Dream Factory is an...

Multi-lingual 'Home Song' gets the silent treatment: The Home Song Stories sound team kept the soundscape subtle so as to keep the focus on character in Tony Ayres' autobiographical film. David Hull reports.
December 1, 2006... SOUND SUPERVISOR CRAIG CARTER TOOK A 'HUSH hush' approach when creating the aural landscape for Tony Ayres' intensely personal film The Home Song Stories. The characters' dialogue was kept at the forefront and Carter was conscious not "to...

Cinema opens up to show bright lights of big city: the rooftop cinema, situated six floors up above busy Swanston Street, is the latest addition to the Melbourne exhibition sector. Steve Misiura reports.(Screen)
December 1, 2006... THIS MONTH THE MELBOURNE CBD WILL BECOME the backdrop for Australia's first rooftop cinema. The open-air venue--latest enterprise from the Hunter creative agency--will accommodate 200 film fans on an historic building's rooftop lavishly...

Palace buys out village stake.(IN BRIEF)(Palace Entertainment acquires Village Roadshow Corporation Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Palace has acquired Village Roadshow's 50 percent interest in its exhibition business to now stand as a fully independent company. The joint venture between the two companies was established in June 1994, when Palace embarked on a period of...

'Kenny' set to make a splash overseas.(IN BRIEF)(Lightning Entertainment gets the rights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... US sales agent Lightning Entertainment has picked up the international sales rights for the mockumentary feature Kenny, which became the highest grossing local film of 2006 following an August release through Madman Cinema. Penned by director...

Weinstein picks up 'Death Defying Acts'.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2006... US distributor The Weinstein Co has picked up the US rights for Gillian Armstrong's film about illusionist and escapologist Harry Houdini, Death Defying Acts. The Australian/UK co-production is based on true events during Houdini's 1926 tour of...

Every month.(Production Report)
December 1, 2006... ENCORE'S production report includes all known features and television drama and non-drama television programs which have a network presale. Projects in the planning stage appear once only and the listing ends when a project goes into post...

Crew cut Rajan Kamahl.(Production Report)(working as a composer at Cornerpost)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Name: Rajan Kamahl Nickname: Raj Job Title: Composer at Cornerpost First Break: Working at Song Zu where I ended up for seven years. My friend Leon Gaer was doing sessions there and said they were looking for...

Local producers thinking globally shooting locally: industry insider Harvey Shore keeps his eyes peeled and ears close to the ground to report the latest goings on in the world of television production.(Hearsay)
December 1, 2006... HAL MCELROY DOESN'T BELIEVE IN THE CLICHE, "You're only as good as your last show" He could, with films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, and TV shows like Blue Heelers and Water Rats on his CV. But instead he urges colleagues to believe,...