Encore Magazine articles from July 2005

Encore Magazine archives from July 2005

Editor's note.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... NEWS that one of the industry's biggest and most respected players AAV is backing out of the post-production sector is bad news and confirms what we've all known for a while--everyone, big players and small, are suffering. The downturn in the...

AAV pullout signals crisis in post.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... NEWS that major industry player AAV Limited has put its post production and outside broadcast businesses up for sale, citing cutthroat practices by competitors and the current industry downturn as factors, has rocked the industry. However,...

Screen Council formed.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... EXAMINING the role and structure of major institutions such as the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) and the Australian Film Commission (AFC) will be one of the primary objectives of the Screen Council; an inaugural organisation formed...

Serenity no more for Anderson.(resignation of Kingston Anderson as CEO from Serenity Cove Studios)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SERENITY Cove Studios' CEO Kingston Anderson resigned from his post on June 10 amid speculation the move is linked to construction delays and a lack of bookings taken at the complex, which is based in Sydney's south. Anderson told Encore he...

Imbruglia for 'Elise'.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Rosemary Blight of RB Films is set to produce Elise; a feature that will mark musician/actor Natalie Imbruglia's return to acting as a woman whose life has been overshadowed by the disappearance of her sister 20 years ago. Elise is an...

'Logan' limbers up at Fox.(Logan's Run in Fox Studios Australia )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A remake of the 1976 film Logan's Run is in the works at Fox Studios Australia with an art department working with Superman Returns director Bryan Singer as he juggles shooting the caped crusader with pre-production of the sci-fi drama. Key...

'Fist' team preps 'Marcus'.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The team from the AFI Award-winning comedy series Double the Fist has commenced pre-production of its first feature, Marcus + Love, a black comedy about a lonely heart mathematician afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome. Craig Anderson, Trent...

'Mars' pic eyes Oz.(PRODUCTION)
July 1, 2005... Australia's outback locations have shown up on the radar of the producers of the VFX-laden sci-fi adventure John Carter of Mars, who are believed to have earmarked an Australian shoot for the project, which is currently in development. John...

SBS throws 'Wilfred' a bone.(SBS Broadcasting S.A.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SBS has commissioned an eight-part comedy series, Wilfred, based on a 2002 Tropfest short film of the same name from the creative team of director Tony Rogers, writers/actors Adam Zwar and Jason Gann, producer Jenny Livingston and...

'Monkey Puzzle' pieced together for Oct shoot.(Mark Forstmann)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The scriptwriter/director/executive producer Mark Forstmann and the cast of the $1.3 million feature Monkey Puzzle is finetuning the script of the privately funded film ahead of an October 31 shoot. The feature is scheduled to shoot in the NSW...

Australia, Canada converge on new media project.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... IN the first co-production of its kind, Adelaide's People's Republic of Animation (PRA) is collaborating with Canada's Xenophile Media on a hybrid TV animation/interactive project, Dream Quest. The project blends animated TV interstitials with...

WA 'Visions' initiative to see another four years.(Western Australia)
July 1, 2005... WESTERN Australia's industry agency, ScreenWest, will reprise its low budget feature initiative, West Coast Visions, for an additional four years following a budget boost from the WA government. ScreenWest chief executive Tania Chambers...

Screen Producers Association of Australia--monthly update.(Cannes Film Festival)
July 1, 2005... I briefly mentioned this year's Cannes programme in the last collumn but think it worthwhile going into a bit more depth. Cannes this year was characterised by the large Australian contingent present on the Croisette. More than 240...

SMPTE gets down to better business.
July 1, 2005... This year's Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) conference and exhibition will be held from July 19-22, 2005, at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. The biennial event, which is expected to draw...

Race, fruit, Adam and a blurred crusade.(ROUGH CUT)
July 1, 2005... At long last, a Woody Allen film I didn't much like. Though the premise of Melinda and Melinda, the same situation--a distraught young woman's unwelcome tearful arrival at a New York dinner party--being taken up by two decayed Manhattan...

Ausfilm expands inbound and policy initiatives.(LA INSIDER*)
July 1, 2005... The LA Ausfilm Office is currently fielding many project inquiries, with Australia enjoying positive press from the premiere of Star War: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith and George Lucas and Rick McCallum's public praise of the shoot. In...

Digital formats spark features awakening: the entry of higher quality digital video technology into the field of cinematography has taken low-budget digital feature production to a new level that provides more opportunity for fresh talent. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... The ever improving quality of digital acquisition, most notably high definition video, is ramping up the amount of feature film production that's taking place not only in Australia but all over the world. While DOPs widely acknowledge the...

HD technology the right fit for Lotteries spots: a South Australian TVC campaign epitomises the trend towards high definition (HD) cinematography.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... Adelaide's Kojo Productions recently completed two TVC's for South Australian Lotteries that were shot on high-definition video. Kojo director Kent Smith said the greater acceptance of HD is clear to see, particularly in the TVC market. HD...

Stenders does it dogme style: completed in time to be screened at film festivals in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, Blacktown is a low-budget full-length feature shot entirely on digital video. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... Shot on the Sony PD150 digital video camera and edited in Final Cut Pro on a G4. Blacktown is director Kriv Stenders' low-budget feature, which he shot before The Illustrated Family Doctor. Filmed in 2002 but not completed until early in 2005,...

Sydney 'Returns' as HD test ground: superman reprises Sydney's status as an HD hotbed. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... Just as George Lucas' Star Wars prequels broke new ground in the use of HD technology on features (when Sony HDW-F900 cameras modified with Panavision viewing systems were used to capture episodes II and III). Sydney is again the centre of...

Parer makes it back-to-back Millis at ACS awards: first the platypus, now the Tassie Devil. Wildlife enthusiast David Parer ACS again came up trumps at this year's Australian Cinematographers Society awards. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)(2005 Australian Cinematographers Society National Awards for Cinematography)
July 1, 2005... Victorian filmmaker David Parer ACS was recognised with the top honour at the 2005 Australian Cinematographers Society National Awards for Cinematography for his documentary about the Tasmanian Devil, Terrors of Tasmania. This prize of the...

'Embrace DI' message from visiting DOP / ex ASC president: forward-thinking US cinematographer Steven Poster ASC spoke to Encore about the positive impact of digital intermediates. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... The enhanced post production capabilities provided by digital intermediate (DI) technology inevitably impacts on the end product of a 35mm-shot film. As such, its emergence brings into question whether the process in any way detracts from the...

Manufacturers shoot for workflow: a session at April's national association of broadcasters (NAB) event put some of the new cameras under the microscope to discuss the role of manufacturers in the creation of digital content. Fiona Williams reports.(FEATURE: CAMERAS & LENSES)
July 1, 2005... The film and television industry's wholehearted embracement of digital processes such as digital intermediates (DI) and digital acquisition has made 'workflow' the buzzword of the moment, as filmmakers grapple with the question of exactly what...

Production report.
July 1, 2005... 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...

ACS hands out annual gongs: the Australian cinematographers' society presented its annual awards in Melbourne on May 28.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... 1. ACS federal president Ted Rayment (l) with cinematographer Russell Boyd (ACS). 2. Rayment with John Bowring (ACS) (l), who was inducted into the Society's hall of fame. 3. Founder and CEO of Aaton Jean-Pierre Beauviala (l) had a chat with...

Industry gathers for DI product showcase: film Australia played host to Discreet's touring digital intermediate event on May 2.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... 1. NSW general manager for the Atlab Group Anthos Simon (l) had a chat with DI event guest speaker, technical manager for Eclair Laboratoires Philippe Reinaudo. 2. Regional manager, Autodesk Media and Entertainment, Dave Demmocks (l) with...

New media Pros talk convergence: a lab creating awareness of cross media opportunities, the convergence jam, took place in Melbourne in May.
July 1, 2005... 1. (l-to-r) David Giles of AIE, with Third Sense's Colin Cardwell and Thomas Wallner and Keith Clarkson of Canada's Xenophile Media. 2. (l-to-r) Foxtel sales arm MCn Connect's Suzie Cardwell with Act3 Animation's Mark Angelli and Australian...

Cinema.(ticket sales)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... International box office australian box office [week ending: june 15, 2005] This Last % week week Film (Distributor) Weeks Total $ Change 1 (-) Mr and...

DVD rentals.(AUDIENCE)
July 1, 2005... [week ending: june 19, 2005] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (-) Spanglish (Sony) 2 (1) Aviator, The (1 Disc) 3 (2) Finding Neverland (Buena Vista) 4 (-) Racing Stripes (Roadshow...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... REVELATION PERTH FILM FESTIVAL June 30-July 10, Perth www.revelationfilmfest.org FLOWER CUT FILM FESTIVAL July 2, Melbourne www.flowercutfilms.com MELBOURNE UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL July 7-17, Melbourne ...

Video rentals.(AUDIENCE)
July 1, 2005... Video rentals [week ending: june 19, 2005] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (1) Aviator, The (Wamers Home Video) 2 (-) Racing Stripes (Roadshow) 3 (-) Spanglish (Sony Pictures) 4 (3) Finding...

Military docos big in 05: 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, 2005... When Lieutenant Greg Lock-hart was blown up by a mine in Vietnam over 30 years ago, he had no idea the explosion would fling him into publishing and later to a TV documentary exposing Australia's greatest military disaster since World War Two....