Encore Magazine articles from July 2004

Encore Magazine archives from July 2004

Editor's note.(News)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... This month's cameras and lenses feature is a little different from our usual fare. Features editor David Hull includes a number of in-depth profiles on some of the most prolific DOPs currently working both here and in Australia including those...

Noonan adapts 'Rule of the Bone' & develops 'Dummies'.(News)(Chris Noonan)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... WRITER/PRODUCER Chris Noonan is collaborating with US producer Barry Mendel and author Russell Banks on Rule of the Bone, a SUS 12-15 million adaptation of Banks' novel of the same name. Noonan adapted Banks' novel for the screen and told...

SPAA names overseas guests.(News)(Screen Producers Association of Australia)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... US independent producer Ted Hope and BBC head of comedy entertainment Jon Plowman lead the list of the international speakers confirmed to attend the upcoming Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) annual conference, which will be...

'Somersault' to open MIFF.(News)(Melbourne International Film Festival)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Actor Geoffrey Rush with Somersault director Cate Shortland with the film's actor Sam Worthington at the launch of the 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) on June 16. Somersault will open MIFF on July 21, commencing the program of...

Moon/Beebe plan film.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... LA-based Australian director Unjoo Moon and her husband DOP Dion Beebe ACS are developing a project based on Mary Chase's children's book The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House. The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House is about a...

'Jew Boy' for Aug shoot.(Production Briefs)(Tony Krawitz)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Jew Boy, writer/director Tony Krawitz's story of a young man's attempt to find his place in the world, will shoot in Sydney in August. The 50-minute film has received finance from the Australian Film Commission and SBS Independent. Porchlight...

Leonard 'Marches' on.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The large-scale feature Night Marchers has swung back into pre-production following a hiatus that saw US director Brett Leonard make the Marvel horror film Man Thing instead. To be produced under the mantle of Samurai Films, Leonard will direct...

Brown's lavish 'Dreams'.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Producer Martin Brown is collaborating with director Yves Stening, 2004 Oscar-winning cinematographer Russell Boyd and composer/Australian Chamber Orchestra director Richard Tognetti on the big-budget hybrid drama/documentary feature House of...

Storyteller tackles myths.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Perth's Storyteller Productions is set to commence production on a 10 X one-hour series for Discovery Channel's Animal Planet called, Animal X-Natural Mystery Unit. Animal X-Natural Mystery Unit will investigate animal myths and legends,...

Currie develops 'Cliffs'.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Lightstream Films is developing a $15 million romantic drama set in Ireland, to be directed by company co-founder and One Perfect Day director Paul Currie. Lightstream producer Phil Gregory told Encore the film, which is being developed under...

Riley/Turner form prod co.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Production has commenced on the third series of Kath and Kim, produced by Jane Turner and Gina Riley under their newly formed production company Riley Turner Productions. The company plans to develop new entertainment projects in addition to...

Parker joins CTC.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Production company CTC Productions, home of Nine Network lifestyle programming flagships Burke's Backyard and Backyard Blitz, is on the lookout for television projects from independent producers through its development division. Former...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2004... In the May issue of Encore (vol 22, issue 4, May 2004) it was incorrectly stated that Supersonic completed the musical score and composition for the Chanel No. 5 TVC produced by Bazmark. In fact, Supersonic's Antony Partos composed the original...

Audiences demand doco upsize: the documentary form is enjoying a renaissance, Fiona Williams reports.(News)
July 1, 2004... A funny thing's happening to documentaries. They're rating on television; they're breaking box office records at the cinema; and they're winning major awards (including no less than the coveted Cannes Palme D'Or) at international festivals. ...

Parer takes ACS honour: a documentary about the platypus secured top prize at this year's Australian cinematographers society awards. David Hull reports.(News)
July 1, 2004... VICTORIAN cinematographer David Parer ACS was awarded the Milli Award for Australian Cinematographer of the year, at the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS)'s 2004 National Awards held on the Gold Coast on May 15. Parer was...

Screen producers association of Australia--monthly update.(News)
July 1, 2004... More than 100 Australians attended the recent Cannes Film Festival, held this year from 12-25 May. Australian film and filmmakers are held in high regard by the Festival, and once again this year there was an Australian entry in the prestigious...

International market: pushes diversity.(LA Insider)
July 1, 2004... Running around the studio traps in Hollywood recently I heard about a new initiative that's gaining momentum. It's called the International Diversity Market. Established in 2001 by filmmakers Georgette Hayden and Chris Beal, the market bridges...

Montgomery to replace Pratt at AusFILM.(LA Insider)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... AUSFILM has appointed Tracey Montgomery as its LA-based commissioner replacing David Pratt, who will finish at the end of July. "In the 2003/2004 financial year, AusFILM helped attract over $250 million in film production expenditure from...

'Spotless' plot sabotaged.(Rough Cut)(Movie Review)
July 1, 2004... In the Woody Allen short story The Kugelmass Experiment a maritally dispirited old Jew pays an inventor, Kugelmass, to teleport him into the pages of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, where he is able to make love in golden Renoir afternoons to Emma,...

Tight budgets keep DOPs on their toes: Australian DOPs shooting locally are still managing to churn out films that look spectacular--all with the limited resources that often typify the domestic production industry. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... Amid the downturn in local production, Australian cinematographers are grateful to have projects to shoot, however tight budgets leave them envious of their counterparts who, once they've scored big budget features, have big budget gadgets at...

'Big brother' sees more with new lighting: the set for series four of Big Brother has been designed to shed more light on the shenanigans of housemates. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)
July 1, 2004... Reality TV show Big Brother has become more revealing through technical and cosmetic enhancements made to the house set and its supplementary studio spaces. Foremost in the improvements made for this year's series is the use of custom-made...

Beebe expands his 'Collateral': LA-based Dion Beebe ACS, who recently shot Michael Mann's big-budget thriller for dreamworks Collateral (which stars Tom Cruise as a contract killer who takes a taxi driver hostage), spoke to encore about his experiences as a DOP and shooting in HD.(Cameras & Lenses)(Interview)
July 1, 2004... Where would you like to be based and what impact does this have on your work? I actually don't feel like I permanently live anywhere right now. We always seem to be moving from country to country, depending on where I'm shooting. I'm still...

Milani grasps his opportunities: Tristan Milani ACS spoke to encore about how he approaches his craft. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)(Biography)
July 1, 2004... Having the chance to shoot an Australian film is like being selected to play cricket for Australia, according to cinematographer Tristan Milani, who most recently filmed Robert Connolly's latest feature Three Dollars. "It's that rare an...

Everybody loves Rayment.(Cameras & Lenses)
July 1, 2004... Decreasing production work and a lack of on-the-job training for aspiring DOPs is hurting the cinematography trade at the grass roots level, according to Ted Rayment ACS, the recently elected federal president of the Australian Cinematographers...

Kenny honour marks first for ACS: Jan Kenny's hall of fame induction makes her first amongst women. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)(Australian Cinematographers Society)
July 1, 2004... At this year's Australian Cinematographers Society awards Jan Kenny ACS became the first woman to be inducted into the society's hall of fame. "I'm absolutely thrilled--it's an enormous honour," she said. "For anybody, to get recognised by...

Boyd shoots DOP 'Master' class: DOP Russell Boyd's prolific local and overseas career reached a high point this year when his most recent work was rewarded with an oscar. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)
July 1, 2004... One of Australia's premier cinematographers, Russell Boyd ACS has enjoyed the best of both worlds, having shot a large number of local features before going on to forge a successful Hollywood career. Having photographed seminal Australian...

Rental houses feel lack of drama: Australia's rental houses are finding business hard to come by. David Hull reports.(Cameras & Lenses)
July 1, 2004... Times are tough for equipment hire companies with the TV production sector dwindling. Major players such as Panavision and Cameraquip have supplied equipment to several feature projects this year and TVCs offer steady business, but the absence...

Thomson LDK 6200 HD.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Thomson Grass Valley's new Super SloMo camera system provides replays and slow-motion effects in native HD formats. The camera offers 12-bit analogue-to-digital conversion, uses dynamic pixel management sensors and will soon be able to support...

Sony XDCAMs.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Sony's PDW-510 and PDW-530 XDCAM professional disc camcorders feature 16:9/4:3 switchable Power HAD EX CCDs and enable the user to create and record proxy video and audio, plus various metadata, in addition to hi-res video and audio. The...

JVC GR-PD1, HD10EX.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... JVC's high-end products include a progressive scan DV camera and a HD compact camcorder. The GR-PDI DV camera features an F1.8-F1.9 optically stabilised zoom lens and a 1/3-inch 1.18-megapixel progressive scan 16:9 CCD with hybrid...

Panasonic DVCPRO50.(Production Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Panasonic's first dual-mode camcorder, the AJ-SDC905 DVCPRO50 provides IEEE 1394 In/Out for transfer of 50Mbps digital video, offering EFP-quality 4:2:2-sampled DVCPRO50 or 4:1:1-sampled DVCPRO recording at 16:9 wide-screen or 4:3 aspect...

Production report.
July 1, 2004... 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...

Cinema: international box office.(Audience)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... australian box office [week ending: june 9, 2004] This Last % week week Film (Distributor) Weeks Total $ Change 1 (1) Day After Tomorrow (Fox) 2...

DVD rentals.(Audience)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... DVD rentals [week ending: june 13, 2004] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (-) Along Came Polly (Universal) 2 (2) Last Samurai, The (Wamer Home Video) 3 (1) Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King...

Calendar.(Audience)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... REVELATION FILM FEST 1-11 July, Perth. Info: www.revelationfilmfest.org ATOM AWARDS 2 July, Melbourne. Info: www.atomawards.org MUFF 8-18 July (tbc), Melbourne. Info: www.muff.com.au MIFF 21 July-8 August,...

Video rentals.(Audience)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... Video rentals [week ending: june 13, 2004] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (-) Along Came Polly (Universal) 2 (3) Last Samurai, The (Warner) 3 (1) LOTR: The Return Of The King (Roadshow) 4 (2)...

EP recruits revellers: industry recruitment agency entertainment personnel held a get together and screening of the film man on fire at Sydney's fox studios Australia on May 18.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... 1. BBC Worldwide senior sales executive Marta Smerechuck (l) chatted to Moneypenny Services marketing and training manager April Power. 2. Guests included Australian Film Comission's administrative officer film development Sarah Runcie...

Industry focus on runaway book: former SPAA head Nick Herd's chasing the runaways was launched at the Sydney premises of publisher currency house on May 12.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... 1. Chair of the Australian Writer's Foundation Geoffrey Atherden (l) spoke with the Hon Gordon J Samuels AC, CVO, QC. 2. The Film Finance Corporation Australia's Mary Anne Reid (l-r), with Blayke Hoffman, from Network Ten drama; Jo Smith,...

Lawrence gets ASDA vote: the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA) held its annual awards at St Patrick's college in Sydney's manly on May 31.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... 1. Curtis Levy (The President vs David Hicks) congratulates fellow award winner Sue Brooks (Japanese Story) 2. Animator Bruce Petty (l) with Ray Lawrence, who received the ASDA outstanding achievement award for his features Bliss and...

Networks say: 'franchise me'; 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)
July 1, 2004... Sam Neill likes working in Australia more than in the U.S. He likes it so much he recently gave up a Hollywood film offer so he could stay home (in New Zealand's South Island where he owns a vineyard called Two Paddocks) and do more...