Encore Magazine articles from June 2008

Encore Magazine archives from June 2008

Offset: off and running: in this the last month of the FFC, AFC and film Australia, we look how the change is taking effect, and how the offset is taking shape for the industry.(Editorial)(Editorial)
June 1, 2008... HOW ARE YOU TAKING TO THE OFFSET? It's a question that generally elicits the same response from Australian producers: a pregnant pause, a long sigh, a comical roll of the eyes and a smile. This offset business is tricky stuff. ...

SAFC gets green light to relocate: the SAFC finds a new high tech home and commits to seven features in the next four years.(PRODUCTION)
June 1, 2008... THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FILM Corporation has been granted the funds to relocate to a new Adelaide Film and Screen Hub in 2010, and establish a Film Lab that will aim to produce a slate of seven films in four years to drive South Australian...

'Fury' in Adelaide: designer and conceptual artist James.(PRODUCTION)(Movie review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Colmer is preparing to direct his first feature, The Fury, a $4 million production scheduled to start shooting in July. The plot concerns a cast of teenagers who are trapped by a poltergeist in a disused slaughterhouse. Colmer, who wrote the...

The Lab launches DI suite.(POST PRODUTION)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... THE LAB CELEBRATED THE COMPLETION OF ITS NEW DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE THEATRETTE WITH A wine tasting event at its Sydney headquarters on May 22. Pictured at the event are: producer Penny Chapman (left), with The Lab's senior colourist Al Hansen and...

SBS appoints new factual EP.(TELEVISION)(SBS Broadcasting S.A.)
June 1, 2008... * DOCUMENTARY MAKER JOHN GODFREY will head up the SBS network's Factual department as executive producer from the 30 June. His most recent EP role was at Becker Entertainment where he was head of development. Godfrey who has a background...

Oz wins Cannes prize.(FESTIVALS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... * MELBOURNE FILMMAKER JULIUS AVERY WAS in Cannes in May to accept the "special mention prize" from the jury for his highly acclaimed short, Jerrycan. Shot in Clunes, Victoria the film uses non-actors including fifteen year old schoolboy...

RB films teams with Goalpost UK: RB films and Essential viewing disband and rebrand but it's "business as usual", says essential's Chris Hilton, who is comtinuing to partner with the NRE RB outfit, goalpost pictures Australia.(BUSINESS)
June 1, 2008... * SYDNEY BASED PRODUCTION OUTFIT RB FILMS has teamed with UK based international sales company Goalpost Film, to form Goalpost Pictures Australia. For the last four years RB Films has been trading under the Essential Viewing brand, in a...

WA launches digital initiative.(IN BRIEF)(West Australian government )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The West Australian government has launched a new digital initiative, iArts, to assist the production of cross-platform and interactive projects. The scheme is a collaboration between the State Government's Department of Culture, ABC television...

Sangston heads up Offset scheme.(IN BRIEF)(Alex Sangston )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Alex Sangston will take over from Antonia Barnard as Manager of Film Finance Corporation Australia's Producer Offset scheme, from June 1. Sangston joins the FFC from the Department of Environment Water, Heritage, and the Arts (DEWHA), where he...

VCA Director steps down after 14 years.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Director and Dean of the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) at the University of Melbourne, Professor Andrea Hull AO has retired from the position after 14 years at the helm. VCA Head of Art, Associate Professor Su Baker will...

Simon Wincer races into Melbourne Cup true story; 'Phar lap' director gets ready to return to the track with high tech credentials taking the audience right inside the racing action.(PRODUCTION)
June 1, 2008... DIRECTOR SIMON WINCER (INTO THE West) is right now preparing his first Australian feature film since 1994's Lightning Jack. Called The Cup it is based on the true story of jockey Damien Oliver who triumphed at the 2002 Melbourne Cup after...

Tributes flow for Lidgerwood.(OBITUARY)
June 1, 2008... THE FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY IS MOURNING THE PASSING OF Shane Lidgerwood, General Manager of Video Australasia, who passed away suddenly of a heart attack in April. From a background in the IT industry, Shane came to Video...

'Scorched': Catestrophe crosses platforms: a new telemovie drematises the impact of the water crisis as bushfires rage in a Sydney summer. the scenario offers more than enough drama for several screens, Peter Galvin reports.(On Location)
June 1, 2008... SCORCHED DERIVES ITS 'DISASTER FILM' SCENARIO FROM WHAT IS A GROWING growing global anxiety the scarcity of water But producers Kylie du Fresne, Ellenor Cox and Marcus Gillezeau are all quick to point out that while the project has social,...

A new sense of restraint: Bob Ellis muses that catastrophes of the political and of the natural kind have changed the nature of American cinema in recent years, and led to more complicated heroes.
June 1, 2008... COURAGE; PATIENCE; COMRADESHIP; STOICISM IN THE jaws of death; unflinching obedience to even lunatic orders: such qualities fit a soldier for battle but not for anything much that comes after. In trailer parks with shrewish wives, in shopping...

'Pacific' miniseries sells brand oz: Tracey Vieira writes that like previous epics, HBO'S the Pacific will play a part in highlighting the natural diversity of Australia's film production and tourism offerings.(LA Insider)
June 1, 2008... WHILE BAZ LUHRMANN'S AUSTRALIA WILL NO doubt prove a champion for Aussie tourism and creative filmmaking, another epic production shooting Down Under during the same period will also add to the nation's reputation as beautiful place to do...

Television festival cultivates formats; The first of this year's EMC modules asked why TV formats such as game shows and sitcoms are not taught in the same way as writing and management.(Euro Insider)
June 1, 2008... THE 48TH ROSE D'OR TELEVISION FESTIVAL, HELD last month in the Swiss town of Lucerne on the shore of the beautiful lake of the same name, played host to the first module of the Entertainment Master Class (EMC). The EMC is effectively a format...

Different singer, same song; Free TV'S new chair demands that independent producers dance to the same old tune, while SPAA seeks support from ACMA to secure better terms of trade, says Geoff Brown.(Above The Line)
June 1, 2008... FREE TV'S NEW CHAIR, WAYNE GOSS, HAS BEGUN HIS tenure by defending the commercial FTA's right to exercise total control over the supply of Australian programming. In response to a series of questions put to him by Screen Hub's Alex Prior, Mr...

The producer offset: What's in it for you; A year has past since the producer offset was first announced to the industry Fiona Williams reports on what issues need to be ironed out and most importantly, who's lending against it?(Business)
June 1, 2008... IT IS NOW OVER 12 MONTHS SINCE THE RADICAL OVERHAUL OF Australia's film and television financing structure was first announced and the industry continues to grapple with the changes. The legislation may be fixed but the guidelines...

Offset: implications for the post sector; The impact of the producer offset affects everyone, not just producers. one of the lingering issues-the lodgement date-has the potential to disrupt the post production sector.(Post Production)
June 1, 2008... GIVEN THAT FILM FINANCING IN AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN CHANGED SO drastically by the Australian Screen Production Incentive, the federal government has promised to examine what elements of the legislation are working and what aren't, by the time the...

Bob Maza Fellowship deadline draws near.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Applications are now open for the Bob Maza Fellowship, which is awarded to an established Aboriginal actor to further their professional development, provide longevity longevity in their career and raise their profile internationally The...

Writing teams spark up in Byron Bay.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Eight filmmaking teams will participate in the Spark scriptwriting hothouse and development program in Byron Bay this month. The projects selected for Spark 2008 are: Snake in the Grass (writer Mira Robertson, executive producer Sue Murray and...

Knapman, Wyld gear up for beachside crime series; The dark side of Australia's underworld meets the glitz of the gold coast in the strip, a new drama described by its producers as 'neon noir'.(Script)
June 1, 2008... STEVE KNAPMAN AND KRIS WYLD'S COMPANY NEW Wave Entertainment has teamed with the Nine Network to produce The Strip, a 30 x 60 minute 13-part TV crime series with the premise that "all that glitters isn't gold." Knapman and Wyld have built...

Music video team puts new camera through its paces; Low-light night shooting conditions and a large amount of VFX provided a music video crew with the opportunity to test drive a new high definition camera.(Shoot)
June 1, 2008... CANDELA FILMS HAS PRODUCED A MUSIC VIDEO FOR local artist Bobby Flynn's cover of The Church's classic 'Under the Milky Way', using the new Panasonic HPX3000. Johnny Lopez and Richard Ellis directed the clip. Producer was Candela's John...

Mandy Walker honoured in la.(IN BRIEF)
June 1, 2008... Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker, ACS will receive the Kodak Vision Award for cinematography at the Women In Film Crystal+Lucy Awards in Los Angeles on June 17. The award recognises the important role of female cinematographers in the...

ABC 'Adventure' shoots in VIC.(IN BRIEF)
June 1, 2008... Production has commenced of ABC's six-part comedy series, Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. Melbourne comedian Lawrence Leung wrote and will star in the series, which is about the journey of a lifetime, as Leung attempts to achieve...

New VIC OH&S requirements.(IN BRIEF)(OH&S Management System )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Film Victoria's online OH&S Management System has been updated to reflect new provisions in WorkSafe Victoria's OH&S Regulation 2007. The performance of 'High Risk Work' under Regulation 2007 will require an appropriate 'High Risk' license as...

Wychgel jumps leaps from 'Kong' to FSM.(IN BRIEF)(appointment of Billy Wychgel in Frame Set & Match )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Senior Colourist Billy Wychgel has joined Frame Set & Match from Hectic Electric, Amsterdam joining Crash Carlucci, Tristan La Fontaine and Heather Hay in the grading team. Lead colourist on Peter Jackson's King Kong and digital colourist on...

Spottiswoode dances with Digital Pictures.(IN BRIEF)(Movie review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Director Roger Spottiswoode has created a 5-minute short, El Toque de un Beso (The Touch of a Kiss). It's Spottiswoode's first foray in short-filmmaking, and production came about as a result of the director's time in Melbourne, post-producing...

Collins to staff APRA'S Darwin office.(IN BRIEF)(Australasian Performing Right Association )
June 1, 2008... The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) has opened an office in the Northern Territory, to provide local members and Indigenous artists with a space to meet, find out more about music, copyright and royalties, and explore grants...

Documentary charts the state of local distribution; Two ambitious filmmakers have taken it upon themselves to document the ills of the exhibition sector in their film, into the shadows.(Sync)
June 1, 2008... TRIGGERED BY NEWS THAT HIS CHILDHOOD CINEMA in Canberra, Electric Shadows, was about to close down, Andrew Scarano (with the help of his friend Phil Hignett) decided to make a film about the current state of the Australian distribution and...

Beresford to lead APSA jury.(IN BRIEF)
June 1, 2008... Director Bruce Beresford will serve as president of the International Jury for the second annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), which will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, on November 11. The event is a collaboration with...

Reed Midem MD Rhodes bound for OZ.(IN BRIEF)(Reed Midem Organization)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Reed Midem UK managing director Peter Rhodes OBE will be in Australia in July and August and is seeking meetings with local producers keen to find out more about Cannes-based content markets, MIP TV and MIPCOM. Rhodes will spend time in Perth...

Arclight acquires conquistador.(IN BRIEF)(Arclight Films acquires Conquistador Worldwide)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Arclight Films International has acquired Conquistador Worldwide Media and has named Pascal Borno as its new president, sales and acquisitions. Arclight managing director Gary Hamilton made the announcement, Conquistador Entertainment was...

MIFF doco sets out to solve 30-year-old mystery; A search for the truth about an environmental campaigner's disappearance reveals that little has changed in the 30 years since she went missing.(Screen)
June 1, 2008... MURDER, INTRIGUE, LOVE AFFAIRS, POLITICAL conspiracies and money disputes all sound like something off the set off an American crime TV series however they are all very real pieces of the puzzle behind director Scott Millwood's documentary,...

Every month.(Production Report)(Movie review)
June 1, 2008... ENCORE's Production Report lists features and television drama/factual programs that are currently in development, pre-production or production in Australia. Television programs must have a network presale in order to be listed and projects in...

Festival selection offers helping hand: starting and maintaining film festivals continues to be a struggle but having your film accepted for screening can be a major shot in the arm, writes Harvey Shore.(Hearsay)
June 1, 2008... THE AUSTRALIAN FILM COMMISSION (AFC) MARKETING branch recently took some of the struggle out of film festivals by unveiled new guidelines for what it calls Festival and Distribution Support. The new festival support was widely welcomed because...