Encore Magazine articles from February 2006

Encore Magazine archives from February 2006

Editor's note.(broadcasting services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Did anyone catch the unofficial Australian Film & Television Festival on the commercial networks recently? Anyone who glanced at the TV guide over this period could be forgiven for thinking that reports of the imminent death of local drama were...

Industry gives thumbs up to ABC changes.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... THE winds of change have swept through the ABC during the past month, with new faces imminent in two of the national broadcaster's most influential positions. Kim Dalton, formerly chief executive of the Australian Film Commission (AFC),...

Noyce to get ASDA nod.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... AUSTRALIAN director Phil Noyce will receive the Australian Screen Directors' Association (ASDA)'s top honour at its annual awards dinner to be held in Sydney on April 6. Noyce, one of ASDA's founding members, is this year's recipient of...

Seven sinks 'Headland', 'Heelers'.(PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2006... The Seven Network has axed two local dramas in as many weeks. The production of Headland, which was produced in-house by Seven, has been shelved indefinitely, and the long-running police drama Blue Heelers, which was produced by Southern Star,...

The Chaser declares war.(television shows)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The ABC is set to air a new 27-episode show from the satirical team behind The Chaser Decides and CNNNN. The new show, which is called The Chaser's War on Everything, will be filmed in front of a live audience and promises to "lampoon key...

Oz doco on Chile in the works.(media coverage of elections)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet's victory in the January 15 Chilean Presidential election is good news for the local filmmakers behind The Rise and Rise of Michelle Bachelet, a documentary examining the single mother and former political...

Emdur wheels his way to Seven.(start of new program)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The wave of new-year network defections has continued, with former Network Nine game-show presenter Larry Emdur agreeing to front Seven's new series of Wheel of Fortune. Emdur, who began his career with Seven where he got his start on...

Indie producers bound for lab.(PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2006... Overseas producers Andrew Fierberg (Secretary) and Marc Missonnier (Swimming Pool) will participate in the Australian Film Commission's (AFC) second annual IndiVision Project Lab. Based in the US, Fierberg's credits include the acclaimed...

David and Kim replace Bert.(about the new program in Network Ten at 9am)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Network Ten will replace Bert Newton's long running Good Morning Australia (GMA) in the network's 9am weekday timeslot with a new show, called 9am With David and Kim, to be hosted by David Reyne and Kim Watkins, who have jumped ship from...

Nine looks for 'Clever' celebs.(PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2006... The Nine Network will launch a new panel quiz show in February, to be hosted by Georgie Parker. The new show, called Clever, will feature a panel of six "celebrities" exploring a variety of everyday myths, while competing to find out who is the...

'Florence' Unfolds to packed house at Sundance.(PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2006... Unfolding Florence--The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst debuted to sold out sessions at the Sundance Film Festival, following the world premiere on January 23 in Park City, Utah. In this spirited and original documentary, director Gillian...

AFI unrest as GM resigns.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... AUSTRALIAN Film Institute (AFI) chair Morry Schwartz has rejected criticism of his appointment and said the organisation would seek a new general manager following the shock resignation of Geoffrey Williams, who quit the organisation just nine...

AIDC names MeetMarket projects.(NEWS)(Australian International Documentary Conference)(List)
February 1, 2006... THE Australian Film Commission (AFC) and the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) have announced the 25 documentary projects selected for MeetMarket, the finance market that will run as part of this month's Australian...

Gross family sells to EM.TV, returns to roots.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... ANIMATION pioneer Yoram Gross and his family are returning to experimental filmmaking after selling their 50 percent stake in Sydney-based children's television studio Yoram Gross-EM.TV to its co-owner, the German distribution firm EM....

Extended offset dangles new carrot for overseas TV producers.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... THE Federal Government has officially extended the 12.5 percent refundable tax offset to include TV series in a move that should help attract more international productions to Australia, according to AusFilm chief executive officer, Mark Woods....

From Narnia to New York: to the best of British.(ROUGH CUT)
February 1, 2006... Walt Disney of course for a couple of decades besieged the scholarly drunken Christian C.S.Lewis for the Narnia books' film rights and Lewis was flattered and tempted, of course, by the money. But in the end he said no because any live-action...

Expat network cures homesick: Aussies in the US.(LA INSIDER)
February 1, 2006... The expat network of Australians in the USA--both as corporations and individuals--is rather extraordinary in its generosity towards helping other Australians. Large-scale companies such as Fosters, through the Rosemount Estate Diamond Awards,...

'Footy' filmmakers hope the audiences will play ball: Khoa Do's second feature Footy Legends is set for a 2006 release. The film is described as a feelgood movie in the Billy Elliott vein. Fiona Williams spoke to the filmmakers about connecting with audiences.(ON LOCATION)
February 1, 2006... 2.56 million people tuned in to the Nine Network telecast of the 2005 NRL Grand Final. Rugby League consistently ranks among the top five participation sports in the country, and according to sports research company Sweeney Sports, 41 percent...

Import trend as VFX takes off: increasing digital effects work is keeping local houses busy but Heather Jacobs asks, how do they meet the demand for staff?(FEATURE: DIGITAL EFFECTS)(visual effects)
February 1, 2006... With visual effects now taking up an increasing proportion of the filmmaking process, demand for skilled talent has never been greater. However, the talent pool in Australia has already been stretched to capacity making it necessary for...

CG just the ticket for dangerous 'Minds': DFX were used to execute a dangerous scene in the UK/Australian thriller Like Minds. David Hull discovers how the filmmakers created a scene that was unfilmable.(FEATURE: DIGITAL EFFECTS)
February 1, 2006... Digital effects were integral to writer/director Gregory Read's Like Minds, the UK/Australian psychological thriller starring Toni Collette, Richard Roxburgh, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Sturridge. With production split evenly between Australia...

RSP on safari for animal 'Tales': Rising Sun Pictures set up a DFX studio in the African jungle for the shoot of Elephant Tales.(FEATURE: DIGITAL EFFECTS)
February 1, 2006... South Australian filmmaker Mario Andreacchio has enjoyed a decade-long relationship with Adelaide visual effects company Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) that began on 1998 film The Real Macaw and was resurrected for his latest project, the all-animal...

Controlling the world in motion: motion control supervisor Tim Donlevy* discusses the use of motion control (moco) technology.(FEATURE: DIGITAL EFFECTS)
February 1, 2006... Motion control is becoming a 'must have' within the production budget and has come a long way from its commonly perceived days as an arcane backwater of special effects. Formerly at home in the basement of Zap Productions and the world of...

Production report.(television production reports)
February 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...

A tribute to the trailblazers of Australian TV: 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, 2006... Kerry Packer's death, on the eve of Australian television's 50th year, underlines a half-century in which a handful of strong individuals took risks and gained renown for their huge contributions to the form and direction our young industry has...