Encore Magazine articles from March 2005

Encore Magazine archives from March 2005

Editor's note.
March 1, 2005... IT'S A busy time for Australia's major studio facilities with runaway Hollywood flicks having moved into Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. However, this increase in studio activity begs the question whether there's a need for greater space. In...

Arnie vows to terminate runways.(NEWS)
March 1, 2005... RUNAWAY production has begun to trickle back to Australia but that won't be the case for long, if California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles mayor James Hahn get their way. A vocal campaigner for stemming the flow of...

'Swiss Family' to move to Oz.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A DISNEY remake of castaway tale Swiss Family Robinson has booked into Queensland's Warner Roadshow Studios with a tentative start date of September. It is understood that Australia is the preferred location. A director is yet to commit to...

'Eucalyptus' lopped.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Production on the big-budget Australian film Eucalyptus was shelved in February following last-minute concerns over the script penned by director Jocelyn Moorhouse, who has since quit the project. According to Fox Searchlight Pictures...

'Step Dude' eyes oz shoot.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Locations in Australia are currently being scouted for Paramount Pictures comedy Step Dude, which will be helmed by US writer/director Steven Brill. An LA-based spokesperson for Brill confirmed that Australia was being considered as a location...

High seas tale looks to Oz.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sony Pictures Entertainment's high-seas thriller Nautica may shoot in Australia, with a group of executives believed to be scouting locations in Queensland. An LA-based spokesperson said while Sony was "nowhere close to deciding" the film's...

Lightfoot hails 'Road Man'.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Following Wolf Creek's well-documented success, producer David Lightfoot is developing another low-budget murder film, Road Man, this time with upcoming director Rupert Glasson. Lightfoot told Encore that Road Man is an "urban serial killer...

ABC races towards 'Paris'.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The ABC is currently in development on a 3 X 1 hour series that will recreate the famous Peking to Paris car trek that was first undertaken in 1907. The race was originally founded to prove the motor vehicle was a valid means of transport and...

'Space Travel' launched.(PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Melbourne's Circe Films has commenced production on Space Travel, a 52-minute feature funded by the Australian Film Commission, Film Victoria and SBS Independent. The film, produced by Beth Frey and Lizzete Atkins, is a "comedy with a troubled...

Tampere picks shorts.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(Tampere Film Festival)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Two Australian short films have been selected for International Competition at the 2005 Tampere Film Festival, Finland: the award-winning short experimental documentary Palermo: 'History' Standing Still (written, directed and produced by Janet...

Blanchett bags Oscar.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Actor Cate Blanchett was Australia's sole winner at the 77th Academy Awards on February 27, taking home a Supporting Actor award for her turn as Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorcese's The Aviator. Short Film (Animated) nominees Sejong Park and...

Shorts win at Berlin.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Two indigenous Australian films earned honours at February's Berlin International Film Festival. Australian Warwick Thornton's Green Bush took out the award for best short film in the Panorama section and writer/director Wayne Blair's The Djarn...

'Dolly' wins Shorts fest.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sydney animator Mick Elliott won a trip to the 2005 Cannes Film Festival when his film short film After Dolly took out the top prize at the 2005 Adelaide Shorts Film Festival. After Dolly is a comic animated documentary that uses real-life...

'Somersault' wins in Miami.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(Miami International Film Festival)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Writer/director Cate Shortland and lead actor Abbie Cornish both won Miami International Film Festival awards for their work on Somersault. Shortland received the Special Jury Breakthrough Award for her direction and Cornish was awarded the...

'Tanim' wins Tahiti gong.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(2nd International Oceania Documentary Film Festival)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The 50-minute Australian/New Zealand collaborative film Tanim received the award for best contemporary documentary at the 2nd International Oceania Documentary Film Festival (FIFO) held in Tahiti. The film, which depicts the traditional life of...

'Summer' wins Tropfest.(FESTIVALS & AWARDS)(2005 Tropfest short film festival)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Luke Eve's comedy-drama Australian Summer took out top honours at the 2005 Tropfest short film festival on February 27. The event took place at Sydney's Domain, with films beamed via satellite to venues Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth,...

VOD may lure auds to local pics.(Video-on-demand)
March 1, 2005... FILMMAKERS stung by the cinema-going public's aversion to Australian films may find solace--and a receptive audience--in Video On Demand (VOD), according to the content manager of Australian-broadband network Transact, home to Australia's first...

Screensound plan vows no jobs lost.(NEWS)(National Film and Sound Archive)
March 1, 2005... HEAD of the National Film and Sound Archive (formerly ScreenSound) Paolo Cherchi Usai has promised his staff there won't be any involuntary redundancies as part of the Archive's restructuring process, which has now commenced. The Canberra-based...

FFC funds criminal slate.(NEWS)(Film Finance Corporation)
March 1, 2005... AFTER a spate of road trip films and quirky comedies that featured underworld elements as incidental plot devices (for good or bad), filmmakers now seem to be fixating on true crime stories, if the latest round of funding approvals from the...

Screen producers association of Australia--monthly update.
March 1, 2005... The Australian independent television production industry is at a crossroads. Continuing decline in levels of network commissioning of series drama, including a dramatic downturn in the ABC, has to be addressed. SPAA has expressed its concerns...

Reality bites delegates as debate rages at 2005 AIDC in Adelaide: over 600 people attended this year's Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) with much debate again focussed on the uneasy relationship between the traditional documentary and reality TV.(NEWS)
March 1, 2005... DELEGATES at the AIDC conference confirmed the audience's renewed appetite for the documentary genre, with many heralding the return of the feature-length documentary following the success of high-profile features such as Super Size Me and...

Bio-pic: runs out of breath.(ROUGH CUT)(Alexander, Kinsey, Closer)(Movie Review)
March 1, 2005... Oliver Stone's Alexander has a lot going for it in script, sets, costumes, thrilling battle choreography and performance--and a fatal flaw alas in its Alexander. The face of a Galway jockey, the voice of a Liverpool cabbie and the close-set...

Where to shoot: it's all about economics vs creativity.(LA INSIDER)
March 1, 2005... Los Angeles is without doubt the centre of the world's film and television industries and whilst it is the place to be to do this business, it is also a very tough and demanding town. More than 300 film commissions make their way to this city...

After a dry spell, studios full to capacity: a period in which major studio facilities are filled to capacity again raises the question whether there's enough sound stage space available in Australia. David Hull reports.(sound studios)
March 1, 2005... It has been a bright start to 2005 for Australia's major sound stage facilities with offshore films in residence in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, but the flipside of attracting these projects--Aquamarine, to Warner Roadshow Studios...

Playroom seeks expansion.(Studios)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PURPOSE-BUILT for Optus Television when it was going head-to-head with Foxtel, The Playroom Sydney is getting serious about broadening its activities beyond the pay TV sector and into the free-to-air and independent production markets. ...

'Safety' first of many for down under: down under studios forges ahead with its production plans.
March 1, 2005... Sydney's Down Under Studios will step up its production this year with managing director Don Spencer slated to start on a feature project as well as a children's television series. In addition, British writer/director/producer David Douglas...

Guide to Australian studios.(STUDIOS)(Directory)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... A comprehensive listing of sound stages and studio facilities in Australia. All information current and correct at time of printing. ancillary studio location/contact...

Taking stock to the next level: stock footage libraries continue to focus on making their services as accessible as possible to clients. David Hull reports.(STOCK FOOTAGE)
March 1, 2005... Preparing to go live with enhanced websites, Absolutely Wild Visuals (AWV) and ABC Content Sales are the latest stock libraries to ramp up their online facilities. Such developments have been occurring throughout the industry as a means to...

Filmmakers win as ABC U-turns on licensing: the issue of whether documentary filmmakers need approval to use ABC footage of politicians has been put to rest following the ABC's decision to remove a restrictive licensing clause.(STOCK FOOTAGE)
March 1, 2005... Documentary filmmakers have been boosted by the ABC's decision to drop its controversial archive licensing clause 2.2 in the wake of pressure from industry organisations. Last year, the ABC reworded the clause, effectively giving...

Glue society gets busy with Big Idea: a promotional exercise by Getty Images has resulted in seven short films comprised of 50 percent stock footage.
March 1, 2005... The Glue Society's creative director Jonathan Kneebone admitted to feeling sceptical at the thought of creating a film from predominantly stock footage. Commissioned by Getty Images to create such a film by plumbing the depths of Getty's 70,000...

Production report.
March 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...

Sydney Film School launches: Sydney Film School held a launch bash in Waterloo on February 3.(PEOPLE)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Sydney Film School was officially launched by NSW Premier Bob Carr before a gathering of the local filmmaking community and students of the school. Pictured: 1 Joseph Skryznski (I) and Brian Sherman, backers of the Sydney Film School...

Cinema.(AUDIENCE)(movie earnings)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... International box office australian box office [week ending: xxx xx, 2005] This Last % week week Film (Distributor) Weeks Total $ Change 1 (1)...

DVD rentals.(AUDIENCE)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... [week ending: february 20, 2005] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (-) Alien vs Predator (20th Century Fox) 2 (1) Collateral (Paramount) 3 (-) Princess Diaries 2, The...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL March 3-6, Sanctuary Cove, Qld. Info: www.pftc.com.au. Tel (bookings): (07) 5577 8999 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL March 10-20, Melbourne, Vic. www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au SOUTH BY...

Video rentals.(AUDIENCE)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Video rentals [week ending: feruary 20, 2005] This Last Week Week Film (Distributor) 1 (-) Alien vs Predator (20th Century Fox) 2 (1) Collateral...

Gottalove Seven's big start to '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)
March 1, 2005... Television is a wonderful roller coaster. One minute you're down, the next you're on a roll and smokin'. Seven is smokin' like crazy right now after a three-year low, breaking all sorts of records in the process, and racing ahead with some...