Encore Magazine articles from December 2007

Encore Magazine archives from December 2007

Just cause for Christmas cheer: it's been a big year of structural--and now, governmental--change. Frankly, the festive season couldn't have come at a better time for an industry that needs no excuse to celebrate.(Editorial)(Editorial)
December 1, 2007... AS IMPORTANT AS CONFERENCE SESSIONS ARE FOR career development and analysis, it's the conference venue bar that is where the action is; look around and you'll see much networking, lobbying, pitching, wheeling, dealing and yes, well, probably...

Cyan Films embarks on Iranian co-pro: Vertigo stalwarts Julie Ryan and Kate Croser branch out with a co-pro with Iran.(PRODUCTION)
December 1, 2007... ADELAIDE-BASED PRODUCTION COMPANY Cyan Films has announced its first feature project: a co-production with Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi (Turtles Can Fly). Currently at the first draft stage, Auction is the first feature for Iranian...

Drama overhaul.(TELEVISION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... THE SHAKE-UP AT THE NINE NETWORK continues apace with news of the axeing of long-running outback drama McLeod's Daughters. Production of the drama will cease at the end of the current series (its eighth). Creator and executive producer Posie...

Simpson wins out at Digi SPAA.(AWARDS)(Screen Producers Association of Australia conferenc)(John L Simpson)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... PRODUCER JOHN L SIMPSON TOOK HOME THE INAUGURAL SPAARTAN AWARD FOR THE FILM Men's Group, which won this year's Digi SPAA competition. He received a cash prize of $15,000 cash prize, $20,000 worth of post production and return airfares and free...

Blanks blasts into 'Long Weekend'.(PRODUCTION)
December 1, 2007... DIRECTOR JAMIE BLANKS IS IN THE MIDST of shooting a remake of the 1978 horror/thriller Long Weekend in Melbourne and at Wilson's Promontory on Victoria's rugged south-east coast. The film stars Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan as a pair of...

Ministerial appointments draw industry optimism: the choice of Peter Garrett and Stephen Conroy to fill the Rudd Government's arts and communications portfolios has received a thumbs up. Peter Galvin reports.(POLITICS)
December 1, 2007... INDUSTRY PLAYERS ARE LOOKING FORWARD to the new Labor ministry with a cautious optimism after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced last month that Peter Garrett would retain his shadow cabinet position as Arts Minister and that Senator Stephen...

FFC releases Offset guidelines, urges action.(FUNDING)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... THE FILM FINANCE CORPORATION AUSTRALIA (FFC) IS URGING producers to immediately start applying the qualifying guidelines for the Producer Offset to their current projects immediately; as opposed to addressing Offset applications just prior to...

Lander steps down as head of SBSi.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Ned Lander will step down from his position as general manager of SBS Independent (SBSi) on December 14 to return to the independent production sector. Lander will retain close links with SBS as a consultant and will continue to manage several...

Badcock takes over at Melbourne Film Office.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Film Victoria has promoted Kirsten Badcock to the position of general manager at its Melbourne Film Office. Badcock has served in a marketing position for over three years, during which time she developed and implemented Film Victoria's Film...

Vincent McCarthy joins Screen Tasmania.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Screen Tasmania has appointed Lynne Vincent McCarthy to the position of project manager in which her role will be to assess and consider projects for development funding. Vincent McCarthy, who has a background in script development, was script...

Miller recognised at Asia Pacific awards.(IN BRIEF)(George Miller )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Australian director and producer Dr George Miller (opposite) was announced as the winner of The FIAPF Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region at the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which were held on the Gold...

Film Vic grants $750k to three companies.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Film Victoria has allocated $750,000 in Slate Funding support to be shared by Arenafilm Melbourne, Burberry Productions and Southern Arc Films. Arenafilm Melbourne is the new arm Robert Connolly and John Maynard's Arenafilm, which has been...

Blashki joins AFTRS.(IN BRIEF)(Australian Film Television and Radio School)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has appointed Professor Katherine Blashki to head up its new Research and Education Division. Blashki, an academic with an extensive publishing history behind her, is currently a...

Canberra agency gets in on the funding ACT.(IN BRIEF)(www.screenact.act.gov.au)(Australian Capital Territory )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Australian Capital Territory screen agency ScreenACT has established a $45,000 fund to help promote local film, television and digital media programming. From next year, the ScreenACT 2008 Project Fund will offer local practitioners...

KMM and Omnilab form digital film venture: having made Happy Feet with animal logic, George Miller is joining forces with Omnilab in a bid to kickstart local digital film work.(BUSINESS)
December 1, 2007... CONTENT DEVELOPMENT, MEDIA SERVICE and post production giant Omnilab Media and veteran production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM) have formed a partnership to co-finance projects and to develop talent, technology and intellectual...

'Don't be a scab', AWG warns members.(INDUSTRIAL ACTION)(AUSTRALIAN WRITER'S GUILD )
December 1, 2007... THE AUSTRALIAN WRITER'S GUILD (AWG) HAS PRESENTED A UNITED FRONT in support of striking screenwriters in the United States, who have resorted to industrial action in their dispute with producers over residuals for online content. An...

Offset, kids and the balance of power: the hot topics at SPAA 2007.(SPAA: EVENT REPORT)(Conference notes)
December 1, 2007... THE SCREEN SECTOR IS IN THE MIDST OF A PERIOD OF ENORMOUS CHANGE. NO SURPRISES, THEN, THAT DISCUSSION OF THE PRODUCER OFFSET AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DIRECTION OF THE FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY DOMINATED DISCUSSION AT THE SCREEN PRODUCERS...

Farewell to an industry legend: the Australian screen sector lost a staunch supporter last month when post production pioneer and filmmaker Hans Pomeranz passed away. Director Ian Barry remembers his close friend and colleague.(Obituary: HANS POMERANZ)
December 1, 2007... THE LATE 50S FOUND HANS POMERANZ SITTING IN A waiting room of the now defunct, but once legendary film lab, Colourfilm. He was currently employed in a printing company, but trying to break into the film business and Colourfilm was looking for...

Screentime gets amongst Melbourne's 'Underbelly': Landmark Nine Network drama Underbelly is dabbling in the dark side with its expose of Melbourne's notorious underworld. Peter Galvin visited the set.(On Location: UNDERBELLY)
December 1, 2007... ON A SATURDAY MORNING IN JUNE 2003 A FAMILY CROWD ENJOYED AN AUSKICK football clinic in suburban Melbourne's Pascoe Vale. Amongst the footy dads that day was Jason Moran. Aged in his early 30s, Moran was the son of a notorious crime family and...

Elizabethan or otherwise: details matter; Fine performances, lavish costumes and interesting camera work don't compensate for the historical inaccuracies that plague Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth sequel. Bob Ellis vents his spleen.(Rough Cut: REVIEW)
December 1, 2007... THIS MONTH: ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE (DIRECTOR SHEKHAR KAPUR, PRODUCERS TIM BEVAN, JONATHAN CAVENDISH AND ERIC FELLNER) AND MICHAEL CLAYTON (DIRECTOR TONY GILROY, PRODUCERS JENNIFER FOX, KERRY ORENT, SYDNEY POLLACK AND STEVE SAMUELS). ...

Australians in film celebrate success stories: Ausfilm's Tracey Vieira reports from a recent Australians in film 'Success Stories' event in Hollywood that honoured the achievements of three Australian-born filmmakers.(LA Insider: EXPATS)
December 1, 2007... AUSTRALIANS IN FILM HELD ITS INAUGURAL 'Success Stories' breakfast in Los Angeles during November with a panel comprising of three prominent Australian filmmakers who have succeeded in the US marketplace. Screenwriter Stuart Beattie, director...

Crowngate and missing millions: Brit TV in crisis; The British television industry is in turmoil following a series of incidents that have called into question the integrity of the BBC and commercial broadcasters. Julian Newby reports.(Euro Insider: TELEVISION)
December 1, 2007... IS BRITISH TELEVISION GOING THROUGH A CRISIS OF credibility? For so long it has been the envy of the world, with the BBC setting international standards for documentary, costume drama and news, and maintaining a reputation for balance and...

Conference offers food for thought: Screen Producers Association of Australia executive director Geoff Brown reflects on the events and outcomes of this year's SPAA conference, and the challenges that lie ahead.(Above The Line: CONFERENCE)(Conference news)
December 1, 2007... THE SPAA CONFERENCE IS OVER, AND I'LL LEAVE IT to others to do the post-mortem, except to say that we'll be having a pre-Christmas whip round towards David Parker's legal bills, and we hope that all those not mentioned in his mass roast will...

Producer's view: Antonia Barnard.(Aussies in Asia: CO-PRODUCTIONS)
December 1, 2007... FOR MANY PRODUCERS THE EXISTENCE OF AN official co-production treaty ultimately won't affect their decision to shoot in Asia. In recent years, Antonia Barnard has worked extensively throughout Asia and has made two co-productions between...

Producers seek loopholes while waiting for treaties: official co-production treaties with China and Singapore may still be pending, but it has already become commonplace for Australian producers to collaborate with partners from those countries. Tracey Prisk reports.(Aussies in Asia: CO-PRODUCTIONS)
December 1, 2007... THANKS TO A NUMBER OF NEW INITIATIVES INCLUDING THE Producers' Offset Agreement, Australian producers are increasingly looking at their Asian counterparts as potential co-production partners, with co-production treaties currently pending in...

Producer's view: Flying Bark.(Aussies in Asia: CO-PRODUCTIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... SYDNEY-BASED FLYING BARK PRODUCTIONS HAS plans to commence production on six new projects next year; four of which will be co-productions. The company is currently producing Zigby, a 3D-animated pre-school series about a zebra and his jungle...

Tackling new media deals: a recent court battle over National Rugby League rights gives a fascinating insight into the changing nature of dealmaking. Entertainment lawyers Sheila Jayadev and Hamish Watson discuss the key issues.(Legal: NEW MEDIA)
December 1, 2007... DO DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS APPLY WHEN YOU SEEK TO RELY on fair dealing defences after using program highlights without permission on the internet and mobile phones as opposed to television and other traditional media? Here, we look at the...

Discovery calls for program proposals.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Discovery Networks is calling for 'distinctly Australian or New Zealand' programming proposals for the second round of its Discovery Ignite co-production initiative. The initiative was established in February 2007 to co-produce local Australian...

Miff names first premiere recipients.(IN BRIEF)(Melbourne International Film Festival)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Melbourne International Film Festival's Premiere Fund has announced the recipients of funding from its first round of applicants. The projects to be backed are: Rock & Roll Nerd (EP Lizzette Atkins, producer/director/writer Rhian Skirving);...

SA to stage mobile content think tank.(IN BRIEF)(South Australia)
December 1, 2007... South Australia's Mobile Enterprise Growth Alliance (MEGASA) will host an incubator program in Adelaide from February 28, 2008, culminating in a Pitch Day (June 27) where MEGASA teams pitch their concepts and start-ups to a panel of industry...

Freehand in the driver's seat for Aussie 'Top Gear': the irreverent car enthusuast's program Top Gear is being repurposed by Freehand Productions. David Hull reports on how it will be adapted to suit the local market.(Script: TOP GEAR)
December 1, 2007... SYDNEY-BASED FREEHAND PRODUCTIONS IS readying a local version of the top-rating motoring-themed show Top Gear for SBS TV, which has aired the BBC's UK version since 2005, and fought of stiff competition to secure the format rights. The new...

Bullen dabbles in directing for UKTV drama pilot: renowned screenwriter Mike Bullen has brought his romantic comedy talents to bear in a new production for local subscription channel UKTV. Fiona Williams reports.(Shoot: MAKE OR BREAK)
December 1, 2007... BRITISH WRITER MIKE BULLEN IS RENOWNED FOR HIS deft touch in depicting the complexities of modern relationships, which he displayed to good effect in his series creations Cold Feet and Life Begins. He's now expanding his brief by directing his...

Gyngell lures Burns back to Nine fold.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell has rehired former staffer Gary Burns to oversee 'Event Television' programming for the beleaguered network. Burns was unceremoniously dumped in a network cull of 2003 that was initiated by John...

First Aust/Croat copro shoots in Zagreb.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Production is underway on the Australian/Croatian feature film Penelope at the castle of Brezovica on the outskirts of Zagreb. The project is the feature debut for writer/director Ben Ferris, who is also the executive director of the Sydney...

Doors open at new Sydney TV studio.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... A new television studio and play-out facility has opened in French's Forest on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Innovations Park Studios (IPS) consists of three television studios, two edit suites, an audio production suite for mixing music and...

Westlake takes three APRA/AGSC gongs.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Composer Nigel Westlake picked up three gongs, including feature film score of the year, when the 2007 APRA/AGSC Screen Music Awards were presented on November 27 in Sydney. Presenters jokingly adopted host HG Nelson's suggestion that the...

Ardill joins Soundfirm Sydney.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Sound post-production company Soundfirm has employed Asha Ardill as manager of the company's Sydney office. Ardill has 15 years of film and television industry experience, including a recent stint at the Australian Film Commission's Policy,...

FSM upgrades to HDV, secures US series.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Sydney post house Frame, Set & Match (FSM) has invested in a new Final Cut Pro HDV suite to enable HDV-to-HD finishing of commercial and long-form work. The facility has subsequently secured work on Discovery Channel US HDV series Monumental...

Manufacturers take pain out of 'dailies' process: the race to speed up the laborious dailies process dominated the thoughts of some leading manufacturers at this year's IBC. Stuart Finlayson reports.(Sync: DAILIES)
December 1, 2007... ALONG WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF D-CINEMA AND 3D, improving the efficiency of the workflow in the dailies process was a key ingredient of this year's International Broadcasing Convention (IBC), Europe's biggest industry trade show that was held...

Fox beats ten to US version of 'Idol'.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Foxtel has beaten off competition from Network Ten to secure the rights to air the US series American Idol. From mid-January, 2008, the twice-weekly program will be screened exclusively on FOX8, within hours of the US audience seeing .it...

Sky News to launch Business Channel.(IN BRIEF)
December 1, 2007... Australian News Channel will launch the 24-hour-a-day Sky News Business Channel early in 2008 for broadcast on the Foxtel and Austar pay TV platforms. Produced from a new dedicated business news studio at the Sky News digital centre in Sydney,...

Aussie sales agent launches at AFM.(IN BRIEF)(American Film Market)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Former Arclight Films staffer Michael Favelle has formed a new international sales agency, Odin's Eye Entertainment (OEE), which launched at last month's American Film Market (AFM). Favelle intends for OEE to handle six to eight projects a year...

Polson plans further expansion of 'Tropfest Inc': Tropfest Film Festival founder John Polson is keen to see the event grow even further, in keeping with his philosophy of 'giving people a break.'.(Screen: FESTIVALS)
December 1, 2007... YOU KNOW THE TROPFEST STORY; FROM ITS 'humble beginnings' as a one-off film screening at a Sydney cafe, the event has emerged as an international festival brand that to date has: spawned a feature filmmaking development and production scheme;...

Listings.(Production Report)
December 1, 2007... EVERY MONTH ENCORE'S Production Report lists features and television drama/factual programs that are currently in development, pre-production or production in Australia. Television programs must have a network presale in order to be listed...

Flying Bark launches new facility.(People)
December 1, 2007... [WHAT] Flying Bark Productions party [WHEN] November 29 [WHERE] Flying Bark HQ, Camperdown, Sydney

Screen Music in the spotlight.(People)
December 1, 2007... [WHAT] 2007 Screen Music Awards [WHEN] November 27 [WHERE] City Recital Hall, Sydney [PHOTOS] Jamie Williams and Prudence Upton

Networks pack up their troubles: it's holiday time but for the producers of Australia's two leading travel shows, Getaway and The Great Outdoors, holidays are serious business. Harvey Shore reports.(Hearsay: TRAVEL TV)
December 1, 2007... THE TRAVEL SEASON IS UPON US. Network shells are in place for the start of next year's programming battle and, with summer schedules over the Christmas season, many hard-working TV folk swap work for a few weeks' holiday. Craig Walsh and...