Encore Magazine articles from June 2006

Encore Magazine archives from June 2006

Editor's note.
June 1, 2006... IS SEEMS naff to spell it out but the production industry is undergoing enormous change as digital technology impacts on all sectors. Affordable digital acquisition is empowering a new breed of filmmaker and the digital intermediate process has...

Fairfax's Scott appointed ABC MD.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... INDUSTRY has reacted with cautious praise to the news of new ABC managing director Mark Scott, who was appointed to the role on May 22. Scott joins the broadcaster from his post as editorial director for John Fairfax Publications. ABC...

AFI eligibility change signals stage one of 'overhaul'.(NEWS)(Australian Film Institute)
June 1, 2006... THE Australian Film Institute plans to swell the ranks of its industry accredited members after adding 70 new crew roles to the list of positions eligible to vote in its annual AFI Awards. Acting chief executive Jennie Hughes told Encore...

Brisbane has 'Epiphany'.(PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Writer/director/producer Andrew Jackson is in production in Brisbane on the high definition feature film Epiphany. The film is being shot on the HVX202 camera using P2 card technology. The supernatural drama focuses on two close friends who,...

'Kick' start for SBS.(PRODUCTION)(Special Broadcasting Service Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Esben Storm and Adam Bowen are set to produce a 13 x 30 minute romantic comedy series for SBS. Kick, set in Melbourne's outer suburbs, will feature characters from Croatian, Greek, Afghanistan, Maori, Vietnamese and Lebanese backgrounds and...

'Project' gets series 2.(PRODUCTION)(Project Greenlight)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Screentime will produce a second series of Project Greenlight and the $1 million film of the winning script. The new series will see contestan ts making short films alongside their feature film scripts. Series one of Project Greenlight saw...

Film Vic funds TV.(PRODUCTION)(Film Victoria)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Five new television projects, plus $247,500 in producer packages for six Melbourne companies will be funded from Film Victoria's $1.2 million May allocation. Projects include: the 26 part animation series G2G, produced by Moody Street Kids and...

Scribes hit Dutch lab.(PRODUCTION)
June 1, 2006... Two feature film scripts from New South Wales writers are amongst the ten projects in this year's Binger Film LAB international development program. Held annually in Amsterdam, the projects are: Roger Monk's script White Knuckles and Miro...

Melbourne 'Storm'.(PRODUCTION)('Storm Warning', Darclight Films, Resolution Independent film)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Production commenced in May on Storm Warning, a horror film from Urban Legend director Jamie Blanks. The Darclight Films/Resolution Independent film sees Martin Fabinyi, Michael Gudinski, Rob Sitch and Mark Pennell take executive producer...

Seven takes BBC format.(PRODUCTION)(Seven Network, BBC Worldwide Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Seven Network and BBC Worldwide are co-producing a weekly celebrity singing show. Based on the UK series. It Takes Two will pit celebrities and Australian singers in a live duet-singing showdown. Judged by industry experts and viewers' votes,...

'Hey Hey' it's Collette.(PRODUCTION)(Toni Collette to star in 'Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger')(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Actors Toni Collette and Keisha Castle-Hughes have joined the cast of Australian feature film Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger. The coming of age teen comedy from director/writer Cathy Randall, producer Miriam Stein and executive producers...

ESS starts talk show.(PRODUCTION)
June 1, 2006... Endemol Southern Star commenced production on the 8 x 60-minute variety talk show Studio A with Simon Burke in May. Exploring the soundtracks of celebrity guests' lives through their favourite music, Paul Melville will executive produce and...

'Left Ear' gets AFC funding.(PRODUCTION)
June 1, 2006... Sydney-based production company Red Rug has secured funding from the Australian Film Commission (AFC) to complete post production on its debut feature, Left Ear. The film was shot with privately-raised finance in and around Sydney in March...

First film for Strongman.(PRODUCTION)(Strongman Pictures, 'The Disturbed')(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Melbourne-based Strongman Pictures (founded in 1990 by David Redman and Daniel Armstrong) is developing its first feature film, genre movie The Disturbed. Set behind the grim walls of a lunatic asylum, The Disturbed is a zombie film being...

'Love My Way' times three.(PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Southem Star John Edwards/Foxtel drama Love My Way will return for a third series, with filming to start before the end of the year. Pay television operators Foxtel and Austar have commissioned a new series, with the show's core ensemble cast...

Purcell gets Maza Fellowship.(PRODUCTION)(Leah Purcell, Bob Maza Fellowship, Australian Film Commission)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Actor, director and writer Leah Purcell is the 2006 recipient of the $10,000 Bob Maza Fellowship. The AFC-sponsored award is to further an Indigenous actor's professional development and career. The award celebrates the life and work of Bob...

Aunty's inheritance halved but funding review welcomed.(NEWS)(Government aid to American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)
June 1, 2006... THE FEDERAL Government's $30 million boost to the coffers of the ABC for local content production doesn't go far enough, say industry groups, although the decision to review funding mechanisms to encourage private sector investment is a...

Pollies watch 'Candy'.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The NSW Film & Television Office (FTO) hosted a screening of Candy and the short film Monster at NSW Parliament House in May. The event was hosted by Attorney General, Minister for the Environment and Minister for the Arts Bob Debus (left, with...

Herbert tapped for AFTRS.(PEOPLE)(Peter Herbert, Australian Film, Television and Radio School)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Peter Herbert has been named the new head of Producing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). His association with the school includes previous stints in teaching roles and Graham Thorburn, the head of film, television...

Beirne gets animated.(PEOPLE)(Media World Pictures appoints Jessica Beirne)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Media World Pictures has employed Jessica Beirne as its new animation and new media development producer to work across the company's development slate. Media World Pictures is currently in production on the series Dogstar for the Nine Network,...

Nye and Fox join FTO.(PEOPLE)(Wendy Nye, Lindsey Fox, New South Wales Film & Television Office)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Wendy Nye has joined the New South Wales Film & Television Office (FTO) as manager of audience development and marketing, Lindsey Fox joins as the head of finance and administration. Nye will manage the Industry & Audience Development program...

Edge shuffles execs.(PEOPLE)
June 1, 2006... Dennis Dovale has joined Cutting Edge as part of management restructure at the post production and outside broadcast company, which operates facilities in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney. Dovale, who was formerly operations manager at...

Piracy reaches alarming rates: local titles are as susceptible to piracy as the Hollywood blockbusters, warns the piracy watchdog as new figures reveal the true extent of piracy. Fiona Williams reports.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... THE local industry lost $233 million in revenue in 2005 because of illegal downloading and duplication, according to sobering figures released by Australia's piracy watchdog that show the number of counterfeit DVDs in circulation almost equals...

'Crash' producer to speak at SPAA.(NEWS)(Cathy Schulman at Screen Producers Association of Australia conference)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... THE PRODUCER of the Academy Award-winning Crash, Cathy Schulman, is the first keynote speaker to be confirmed for the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA)'s 2006 Conference, which gets underway on the Gold Coast on November 14. ...

Ten, Foxtel sign long-term deal with Fox.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... IN THE first deal of its kind, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has signed a long-term contract with both Network Ten and Foxtel that hands over Australian television rights to all of its future programming. The deal marks the...

Powerful PCs blamed as SGI files for bankruptcy protection.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... SILICON Graphics Inc. (SGI), the manufacturer of high-end graphics workstations such as those used to create the visual effects for The Lord of the Rings series, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 10. SGI said it had reached...

Locals big at MIFF, SFF.(FESTIVALS)(Sydney Film Festival)(Melbourne International Film Festival)
June 1, 2006... ORIGINALITY and the unexpected seem to be the bywords for this year's Festival season. Despite the general downturn in local production over the past 12 months it seems festival goers are set for yet another big year as both the 53rd Sydney...

'Proposition' trailer selected for NY fest.(FESTIVALS)
June 1, 2006... SYDNEY and London-based marketing specialist Zealot Productions has had two trailer projects, including one for an Australian film, nominated into this year's Golden Trailer Awards, which will be held in New York on June 1. The production...

Digital technology moves towards the red: developments in digital camera technology could have positive repercussions for producers of independent features.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... Post production and even production is moving so fast it is almost impossible to keep up. New technologies and cheaper equipment are truly opening up roles and opportunities. But who has time to keep up? A new Sydney-based online training...

Oz post sector has right 'stuff' for South African drama: the post production path for Phillip Noyce's apartheid-era thriller Hotstuff was influenced by the need to carry out audience test screenings ahead of the final DI grade.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... Phillip Noyce's latest film, Hotstuff, was shot on location in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Mozambique, but the director showed loyalty to and faith in the Australian post production fraternity by bringing the bulk of the post back to his...

Dance, dance, dance ... to the video: budget restraints, shifting schedules and structural changes on the mockumentary Razzle Dazzle--A Journey Into Dance made for a challenging editing job.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... The key influence on production and post on Darren Ashton's mockumentary feature Razzle Dazzle--A Journey Into Dance was the decision to shoot in the Panasonic Varicam high definition (HD) video format, which suited the director's flexible...

'Canoes' sail on 4K stream: the post for Ten Canoes included a 12-week digital intermediate project featuring the 4K grading process.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... Rolf de Heer's feature Ten Canoes, which was shot in the Ganalbingu Aboriginal language and largely subtitled, proved the perfect opportunity to debut the 4K digital intermediate process in Australia according to Atlab's general manager Anthos...

2:37 finds digital Oasis: Cannes bolter 2:37 became the latest HD-shot film to be put through Oasis post's digital film pipeline.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... In recent years the Adelaide facility Oasis Post has forged a niche in taking projects originated on high definition (HD) through to a digital intermediate (DI) finish. Oasis, which recently installed three new suites: a new version of...

'Superman' informs 'Ravenswood' grade: David Denneen's Ravenswood provided Cutting Edge with the chance to apply a Sony data tape format to a 35mm feature.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... While 4K and even 2K digital intermediate (DI) technology has proved cost-prohibitive for most local features, Ravenswood, the feature film debut from acclaimed TVC director David Denneen, is one of several long-form projects post facility...

Digi pics adds Lustre to 'Macbeth': with HD origination becoming more prevalent, digital pictures has developed a workflow to take video through to film.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... Melbourne's Digital Pictures completed digital post on the Geoffrey Wright-directed feature Macbeth, furthering a relationship with co-producer Jenni Tosi, with whom the post house had collaborated on children's television projects such as...

Lincoln campaign gets Touch of Resolution: Sydney's Resolution Design collaborated with Aussie director Iain Mackenzie on high-end TVCs for a US car firm.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... A series of three spots for US car company Lincoln and Los Angeles-based production company Tight Films made for a large post job for boutique house Resolution Design, which earlier this year moved into new premises in East Sydney. The...

'Jay' enjoys best of both worlds: the latest film from Alkinos Tsilimidos, Em 4 Jay, was the first project to go through the new digital facility at Melbourne's Cinevex.(POST: SUPPLEMENT)
June 1, 2006... Although the feature Em 4 Jay was shot in high definition (HD) and posted digitally, director Alkinos Tsilimidos was keen to retain as much of the traditional film lab process as possible in preparation for going out to 35mm and therefore chose...

Industry mourns the loss of an advocate: First Australian Completion Bond company (FACB) chief executive Rob Fisher died in May after a short illness. His commitment to the industry will be greatly missed.(NEWS)
June 1, 2006... News that First Australian Completion Bond (FACB) principal Rob Fisher had died on May 11 as a result of cancer that first appeared as a melanoma, came as a shock to all of his friends and colleagues in the Australian film and television...

SPAA welcomes budget initiatives for the industry.(Independent Drama)
June 1, 2006... SPAA welcomes the Government's commitment of $10m per year over 3 years to the ABC for new television drama and documentary under a scheme to be called ABC Independent. SPAA recognises that the package, though modest, should have a positive...

Codes, sharks and copyright claims: the recent Da Vinci code ruling in the UK provides a timely reminder of the value of copyright protection, warns blueprint law solicitor Ryan Stephenson*.(COPYRIGHT)
June 1, 2006... The phenomenon that is The Da Vinci Code has proved a Favourite saying of ours: "Where there's a hiT, there's a writ"--the notion that whenever a book, film, a TV series or any other piece of creative endeavour achieves commercial success,...

4K rules, OK: the rapid advancement of technology is never more apparent than it is at the industry's biggest trade show, NAB, which takes over Las Vegas every April. Fiona Williams reports on the spectacle that was NAB 2006.(NAB 2006)
June 1, 2006... There is simply no other event like the annual gathering of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for getting a handle on the ever-evolving ways in which content is being created, stored and delivered. A trek through any of the...

An a for 'Vendetta': but 'Countess' is on the nose.(ROUGH CUT)(Movie review)
June 1, 2006... Curious that no projectionist of V for Vendetta has yet been arrested for encouraging terrorism. In it, a modern Guy Fawkes blows up the House of Commons and tens of thousands of his followers, whom we are invited to sympathise with, march...

Emerging Aussies: breaking through in Hollywood.(LA INSIDER)
June 1, 2006... The Annual Breakthrough Awards honour the accomplishments of Australia's brightest young talents emerging in Hollywood and the May 11 event attracted an impressive group of established Australians, including directors Fred Schepisi and Roger...

Sale and leaseback is dead ... long live the UK tax credit: lawyer Robb Klein explains the tax changes proposed in the United Kingdom's draft finance Bill.(TAX)
June 1, 2006... The long wait was finally over for UK film producers when the draft legislation for the new film tax relief was published in April. This new relief replaces the investor-led tax relief (principally utilised by sale and leaseback funds and...

Working class tale goes beyond kitchen sink: David Hull visits the Sydney set of director Cherie Nowlan's feature Clubland, which delves into a seldom-seen aspect of blue collar life.(ON LOCATION)
June 1, 2006... The feature film Clubland is very much a reunion for the key creatives involved. Not only did the core team of writer, director, producer and DOP work on the Small Claims telemovie series, but, in her return to Australian film, UK actress...

The cost of creativity: marketers are increasingly shying away from TV spends. But is this justified? Danielle Veldre reports.(FEATURE: TVC)
June 1, 2006... The advertising industry in Australia has long pushed the line that in order to get the best creative, marketers need to first have courage to take creative risk and second, release their vice-like grip on budgets. Ad agencies have spent...

Production report.
June 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...

Oscar buzz: A chronicle of 10 years of award telecasts.(SHELVED)(The Big Show)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... There's no grander parade of back-slapping in the industry--no, the world--than the circus we call the Academy Awards. The finely-tuned insanity that goes into creating a show featuring a room full of the most mentally unstable people on Earth...

A weighty guide to Aussie production.(SHELVED)(Australian Film and TV Companion)(Book review)(Brief review)
June 1, 2006... A cruel person might suggest Tony Harrison has a lot of time on his hands, that is until they picked up the book that has consumed his life for over a decade, the weighty Australian Film & TV Companion. A casual flip through the heavy tome...

A sobering insight into the Flop: "I'm afraid of what I will see, yet I cannot look away ...".(SHELVED)(Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Such is the allure of The Hollywood Flop. Whether running abscenely over budget, imploding under the strain of misguided vanity or suffering under the glare of the world's media, The Flop usually offers up a far more entertaining history behind...

2006 Cannes crop rallies for photo call.(PEOPLE)
June 1, 2006... CAST AND CREW FROM FILMS SELECTED FOR CANNES GATHERED AT SYDNEY'S MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART ON MAY 8. 1. A group shot of some of the filmmakers and actors from the five Australian feature films and three short films that screened at last...

Reelife is short but sweet.(PEOPLE)
June 1, 2006... THE 2006 REELIFE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE AT SYDNEY'S DENDY NEWTOWN ON MAY 14. 1. (l-to-r): Reelife Film Festival coordinator Bim Ricketson with judges Bronwyn Purvis, The Movie Show's Marc Fennell, filmmaker Wayne Blair, youth media...

Sydney goes deep at film festival launch.(PEOPLE)
June 1, 2006... SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR LYNDEN BARBER LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM OF THE 2006 EVENT ON MAY 11. 1. Vanessa Crohn (left), Tony Grierson and Melanie Powell. 2. Mark Lee (left), Caroline Gerard and Roy Billing. Lee's The Bet is screening at the...

Autodesk showcases DI technology.(PEOPLE)
June 1, 2006... AUTODESK HELD AN INDUSTRY PRESENTATION TO SHOWCASE DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGY AT SYDNEY'S FILM AUSTRALIA ON MAY 8. 1. (l-to-r) Arri's Stefan Kramper with Atlab's Anthos Simon, Intercolour's Warren Lynch and Bruce Williamson, also from...

Doco's Logie award: bolsters Foxtel's interest in local product; 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)
June 1, 2006... Graham Burrells, group channels manager and head of entertainment at Foxtel, was grinning like a Cheshire after winning his first Logie last month for the feature documentary He's Coming South. It was also Foxtel's first Logie for a...