Encore Magazine articles from February 2004

Encore Magazine archives from February 2004

Editor's note.(This Month in the News)
February 1, 2004... Welcome back to your first issue of Encore Magazine for the year. After a long break over the Christmas period we're back and throughout the year we'll reveal a whole raft of changes designed to make Encore even more relevant and accessible to...

Cloud 9 settles on Qld.(This Month in the News)(Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... International children's television programmer and self-described "new Disney" Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group has established a base in Queensland to produce and distribute local product. Cloud 9 is the producer of series such as The...

Foxtel launches digital plans.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Foxtel chief executive officer Kim Williams has unveiled the pay television provider's ambitious digital television plans of more than 130 channels, including 27 devoted to near video-on-demand. In unveiling Foxtel Digital in Sydney on...

Despite the dipping dollar Australia stays competitive; Blake Murdoch assesses the impact the strong aussie dollar will have on international runaway production.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2004... Just a few years ago Australia had the best calling card any offshore producer wanted: a weak dollar, combined with world class production facilities and a vast array of locations. But now with the worldwide drop in the value of the...

Doubts over NT funding.(This Month in the News)(Northern Territory Film Television and New Media Office to appoint director)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Northern Territory Film Television and New Media Office, which is due to open its doors early this month, is yet to appoint a director to head up the fledgling organisation. While some seven applicants are believed to have been short...

Animal Logic flexes for martial arts doco.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Animal Logic vfx and animation studio has created 140 anatomical effects to reveal the internal workings of martial arts masters in combat for the 2-part US Discover Channel documentary series Xtreme Martial Arts. Animal Logic's effects crews...

Ireland signs doco deal with Nine.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Nine Network has signed a deal with David Ireland to screen a series of one-hour wildlife specials. The deal, which includes the first series of 12 programs financed by Australian software company Nodtronics, also includes an option for...

Pro Tools wins Oscar.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BEVERLY HILLS -- Audio post production systems manufacturer Digidesign was awarded an Oscar statuette for its Pro Tools workstation in the 2004 Science and Technical Oscars. A statuette was also presented at the February 14 ceremony to Bill...

AFC overhauls archive.(This Month in the News)(Australian Film Commission)
February 1, 2004... Industry comment is being sought on the future of ScreenSound, the national film and sound archive, following the Australian Film Commission's (AFC) aborted plan to axe staff at the institution and subsequent extension of the deadline for...

Skylight plans 'Daughter'.(Breaking News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sydney-based Skylight Films is developing The Other Daughter, an independent feature to be shot in November. It was co-written by Skylight directors Anne Mason and Alexander Herget. It follows the life of a girl through to her mid 30s. Skylight...

Intercolour goes DI.(Breaking News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Former Digital Pictures colourist Warren Lynch has formed his own dedicated digital intermediate company, Intercolour. The facility, which includes technical director Leonard Coster and compositor Heidi Luschwitz, has begun a restoration...

XENON3D for Softimage.(Breaking News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... XENON3D is the new reseller in Australia for Softimage, a subsidiary of Avid Technology. XENON3D will distribute, support and provide training for Softimage products.

Prods seek 'Cloudland'.(Breaking News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The producers of the documentary Cloudland, currently in production at Film Australia, are looking for photographs, memorabilia and stories from people with recollections of the famous Brisbane ballroom. Director Andy Nehl and producer Jason...

Southern Star to join Southern Cross.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The acquisition of the Southern Star Group by Southern Cross Broadcasting is expected to be finalised by March, following a pre-Christmas $89 million offer. The Southern Star board, under executive chair Neil Balnaves has recommended...

Brennan joins AFC.(People Moves)(Richard Brennan, Australian Film Commission)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Australian film and television producer Richard Brennan has joined the Australian Film Commission (AFC) as project manager. He replaces Cristina Pozzan, who is returning to producing after three years with the AFC. Brennan will be based at the...

Mooney back to Seven.(People Moves)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Television executive Neil Mooney has joined the Seven Network as director of public affairs (Melbourne) on January 19. Mooney's television background includes working as executive producer of Today Tonight and the Nine Network's A Current...

Couros gets festive.(People Moves)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sydney-based sound artist Panos Couros has joined Queer Screen as festival producer, where he will oversee business and operations, including production of the Mardi Gras Film Festival and one-off film events. Couros was previously general...

Locals join 'All Roads'.(People Moves)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... US National Geographic has invited a number of local indigenous film-makers, including actor/director Leah Purcell and Australian Aboriginal Film Board director Sally Reilly to join its international All Roads Film Project advisory board. The...

Wong markets Showtime.(People Moves)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Stella Wong has been appointed to the newly-created post of director of marketing at Showtime Australia. Wong was the marketing communications manager at Nokia and formerly worked in marketing at Foxtel.

Mark Worth.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 1, 2004... Filmmaker and journalist Mark Worth died in January after a battle with illness. Worth wrote and directed the Film Australia-produced documentary Land of the Morning Star, which dealt with the causes and realities of the continuing troubles in...

R.I.P. star stylist.(Obituary)(Biography)
February 1, 2004... Willi Kenrick was born to Bill and Aline in Widness, Cheshire, and when he was five his parents and his adored little sister Marilyn left the UK for Australia. His dad had been in the air force and was stationed in North Africa when he met...

Oz film festival kicks off Australia week in LA.(LA Insider)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The first annual Jurlique Australian Film festival of Los Angeles was held on January 15 - 19 at the ArcLight theatres in Hollywood and conceived as a "jewel-box" exhibition that featured 16 new and classic Australian features and shorts. ...

ABC hopes to strike it rich with telemovie franchise 'Loot'; it's hoped that a new ABC/UK TV telemovie centred on the activities of forensic accountant Jon Peregrine, Loot: The Dead Float, will launch into a series of telemovies similar to the Halifax F.P. series. Nick Murphie reports.(On Location)(Australia Broadcasting Corp)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... The heart of ABC's Melbourne studios doubles as the office of forensic accountant Jon Peregrine (Jason Donovan). The older warehouse-style office has eclectic office furnishings, designed to represent the anti-establishment attitudes of the...

A golden age in an international city.(Rough Cut)(Movie Review)
February 1, 2004... At the McKellen Dance of Death at the Royal and Harbour at the new Sydney Theatre in the afternoon and The Republic of Myopia at night and the parties after with Carr and Stoppard and Nevin and Katherine Thompson and Jacki Weaver and Phil Scott...

AIDC takes delegates on the documentary journey.(Feature -- Doco Review)(Australian International Documentary Conference )
February 1, 2004... This year's 9th Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) will open with a focus on the plight of refugees with Julian Burnside and Trinh Minh-ha speaking at the plenary session, once Richard Walley has officially launched the...

VFX houses: delivering the goods; in the VFX business, work hinges on being well-connected, literally, so when movie-makers demand online delivery, production houses have little choice but to beef up the bandwidth. Nicole Manktelow reports.(Feature - Digital Effects)(visual effects)
February 1, 2004... Imagine being offered contract as valuable and prestigious as The Lord of The Rings. Now imagine nearly missing out because a little piece of cable doesn't run past the premises. That was the situation facing Rising Sun, before the company...

Snoswell ACTs up on 'Thunder': South Australia's Snoswell Design is aiming for a new benchmark in character animation with its work on US film A Sound of Thunder. Fiona Williams reports.(Feature - Digital Effects)(Absolute Character Tools)
February 1, 2004... A delaide-based 3D animation house and software developer Snoswell Design is currently boosting its ranks of animators and technical directors as a result of scoring character animation work on US sci-fi film A Sound of Thunder. The film,...

Complete Post maps out Chinese epic; Melbourne's Complete Post continues to make in-roads into the Chinese film industry--albeit via the lengthy Silk Road trade route for the epic Warriors of Heaven and Earth. Fiona Williams reports.(Feature - Digital Effects)
February 1, 2004... He Ping's Warriors of Heaven and Earth charts the journey of a Buddhist monk carrying a sacred artefact across the dangerous Silk Road trade route, which extended from South Asia to the Middle East. Given the Silk Road's history as a notorious...

Production report.
February 1, 2004... ENCORE's production report includes all known features and television drama and non-drama television programs which have a network presale (excluding news). Projects in the planning stage appear once only and the listing ends when a project...

Audience.(Illustration)
February 1, 2004... CINEMA australian box office [week ending: december 31, 2003] This Last week week Film (Distributor) Weeks 1 (-) Return Of The King (Roadshow) 1 2 (5) Love Actually...

Calendar February 04 - March 04.(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 5 - 15 Feb, Berlin, Germany. Info: www.berlinale.de X|MEDIA|LAB 9 - 12 Feb. MCA, Sydney. X|Media|Lab is a think tank, concept laboratory, and production workshop for new media people creating...

Industry gets into shorts at the beach; the Flickerfest international short film festival, held on January 11 at Sydney's bondi, was hailed as the most successful to date.(People)
February 1, 2004... 1. Soaking up the atmosphere were actor Chris Haywood (left) and Tim Waygood from Kodak. 2. Flickerfest director Bronwyn Kidd (left) with award trophy designer Sally Hinchcliffe. 3. Actor Susan Prior rubs shoulders with producer...

Docos still a labour of love: well connected industry columnist Harvey Shore keeps his ear close to the ground for the latest gossip doing the rounds at the major broadcasters.(Harvey's Hearsay)
February 1, 2004... We need a sharper name for documentary makers. Something that better reflects their noble quest for worthy subjects; their labour of love and their willingness to spend so much time and effort for so little return. Documenter sounds good....