Encore Magazine articles from March 2007

Encore Magazine archives from March 2007

Something's rotten with the state of documentary: new figures released by the AFC prove that the country's doco makers simply can't wait even a few short months until the announcement of the outcomes of the industry review.(Editorial)
March 1, 2007... AS WE GO TO PRESS THE AUSTRALAN FILM Commission (AFC) has just released its report on the parlous state of documentary production in Australia and, as foreshadowed last month, things aren't so rosy in Docoland. There are some 950...

New media old hat in ABC overhaul: aunty's restructure blurs the boundaries between old and New Media, Fiona Williams reports.(TELEVISION)
March 1, 2007... ABC MANAGING DIRECTOR MARK SCOTT has introduced radical changes to the ABC's structure, with the aim of integrating new media with the 'old.' Scott has completely restructured the organisation, breaking down the walls between traditional...

Old set for 'Ruin'.(DreamWorks L.L.C. new film The Ruins to be shot in queensland)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION GIANT DREAMWORKS is set to shoot the horror film The Ruins in Queensland from June with comedy actor Ben Stiller in the producer's chair. Encore understands that executive producer Trish Hoffman was in Australia in...

'Kenny' takes the plunge into the UK.(DISTRIBUTION)
March 1, 2007... CLAYTON JACOBSEN'S DEBUT FEATURE KENNY HAS SECURED UK DISTRIBUTION THROUGH ODEON SKY Filmworks, the newly-formed joint venture between exhibition group Odeon and pay TV company BSkyB. The deal marks Kenny's first overseas sale, and will see the...

Omnilab bankrolls heist flick.(Omnilab Groups investment in the new film)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... THE OMNILAB MEDIA GROUP HAS MOVED INTO the feature production arena, signing on to co-finance director Roger Donaldson's new thriller, The Bank Job. Omnilab is partnering with Relativity Media on the film and Group managing director Christopher...

Share of subscription TV viewing in stv homes (06.00-23.59).(Close Up)
March 1, 2007... SHARE OF SUBSCRIPTION TV VIEWING IN STV HOMES (06.00- 23.59) P 0+ CH0-4 CH5-12 T13-17 P18-39 P40-54 P55+ 2006 60% 73% 76% 72% 63% 60% 49% 2005 59% 65% 76% 73% 61% 59% 50% ...

FFC examines doco rules in shadow of Govt review: the peak funding body is embarking on its annual nationwide roadshow to garner feedback but thoughts of an impending shakeup loom large. Anthony James reports.(Film Finance Corp.)
March 1, 2007... FILM FINANCE FORPORATION FUSTRALIA (FFC) chief Brian Rosen has told Encore that the documentary sector needs "urgent attention" but otherwise it's 'business as usual' for the FFC's investment guidelines in 2007. Encore understands that...

Parker dabbles in mystery pilot.(Georgie Parker)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... ACTOR GEORGIE PARKER WILL LEAD THE CAST OF THE FALLS, A 90-minute series pilot for Network Ten that will shoot on location in Sydney's Blue Mountains from May. The Falls is the creation of married writer/producer duo Tim Pye and Cathy...

ABC's 'East' to shoot in Byron.(PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2007... DIRECTOR STUART MCDONALD WILL RE-UNITE WITH SEACHANGE creator Deb Cox for a new mini-series for the ABC. East of Everything is the brainchild of screenwriter Roger Monk (Secret Life of Us) and Cox and the duo co-wrote all six of the...

Levy joins Denton in drama role.(IN BRIEF)(Sandra Levy appointed at Zapruder's Other Films)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Former ABC and Nine executive Sandra Levy has joined Andrew Denton's production company Zapruder's Other Films to head up the company's new drama division. Levy worked as an independent producer before serving as head of drama and director of...

RSP appoints new members to VFX team.(IN BRIEF)(Rising Sun Pictures appoints Ken McGaugh and Gregory Yepes)(Visual Effects)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Rising Sun Pictures has appointed two new VFX supervisors: Ken McGaugh and Gregory Yepes. McGaugh joins RSP Sydney from Double Negative, where he most recently supervised The Reaping, and prior to that was at Weta leading the look development...

Fuel appoints Miles to production role.(IN BRIEF)(Fuel International appoints Anne Miles)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Sydney-based post and VFX firm Fuel has appointed Anne Miles (nee Robinson) to the role of senior Commercials producer. Miles is the former TV department head at McCann-Erickson, JWT and Grey in Melbourne. She established Exit Films with Henrik...

Moore to head up filmgraphics.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Filmgraphics has appointed Chris Moore as its new chief executive and sent out a call for new talent as part of a grand plan to move the company into branded creative content production. For the past year, Australian-born Moore has been a...

MD exit brings Flying Bark's Australian-ness into question: Flying Bark Productions' position as a provider of local kid's content has been questioned following the resignation of its Australian MD. David Hull reports.(Michael Hefferon replaces Geoff Watson as managing director at Flying Bark Productions)(EM-Entertainment GmbH acquires Yoram Gross-EM.TV)
March 1, 2007... GEOFF WATSON'S DECISION TO QUIT HIS post as managing director at Flying Bark Productions (formerly Yoram Gross-EM.TV) has raised questions over the company's suitability as a provider of C drama and P classification programming to local TV...

Film Victoria proposes funding restructure: following an internal review, of Film Victoria's development and investment funding programs, the organisation will be holding an industry forum to discuss feedback to proposed changes to the way production is funded in Victoria.(FUNDING)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... FILM VICTORIA WILL SOON BE SEEKING INDUSTRY feedback on a proposal to revise its industry development and investment program funding. The state screen agency has reviewed funding programs internally over the past few months. Aims of the...

OSCAR CONTENDER REWRITES THE HISTORY BOOKS: BOB ELLIS GRAPPLES WITH THE CONCEPT OF A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHOSE ACTIONS HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE HISTORY, AND LOOKS AT TWO VERY DIFFERENT TALES OF SEXUAL REPRESSION.(The Last King of Scotland)(Miss Potter)(Little Children)(Perfume)(Movie review)
March 1, 2007... THIS MONTH BOB ELLIS REVIEWS: THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (DIRECTOR: KEVIN MCDONALD), MISS POTTER (DIRECTOR: CHRIS NOONAN), LITTLE CHILDREN (DIRECTOR: TODD FIELD) AND PERFUME (DIRECTOR: TOM TYKWER). NO DOUBT REMAINS, AND ALL THE SMART...

TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES: EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT JULIAN NEWBY PREVIEWS THE UPCOMING MIPTV EVENT IN CANNES AND NOTES THE IMPACT OF NEW AND EMERGING DISTRIBUTION MEDIA ON THE BUSINESS OF CONTENT SALES.
March 1, 2007... ISSUES FACING THE INTERNATIONAL AUDIOVISUAL industry will be fiercely debated at the annual MIPTV event to be held in Cannes in next month. For many of its 43 years a massive trading floor for completed television series, movies, specials and...

A week to shout out 'G'Day world': the promotion of all things Australia has grown into a North American Phenomenon, says Ausfilm's LA-based commissioner, Tracey Montgomery, with more events set for this month.(LA Insider)(G'Day LA Australia Week)(Conference news)
March 1, 2007... IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN ENORMOUS growth in awareness and interest in Australia on the global stage and in the United States--and G'Day LA Australia Week is probably a large part of the reason for this. The event has become...

Late night movies? That's just not cricket: screen producers association of Australia executive director Geoff Brown says lobbying activity in Canberra is crucial as the government prepares this year's election budget.(Above The Line)
March 1, 2007... IT'S ONLY MARCH AND ALREADY IT FEELS LIKE OCTOBER. Three submissions to ACMA, one to the ACCC, a shaved head for your writer in anticipation of a rugged year ahead, five pregnancies out of the SPAA conference, no paternity suits (yet), no...

US strike threat offers opportunities to studios: there is an air of optimism among studio executives and state funding chiefs, even though a much-desired influx of large-budget projects from the US is anything but a sure thing. David Hull reports.(Studio)
March 1, 2007... THE AUSTRALIAN LOBBY FOR RUNAWAY FEATURE WORK IS confident of securing a solid slate of projects this year and next, partly because of Hollywood's response to Screen Actor's Guild (SAG)-sanctioned strike action, anticipated to happen around 18...

Digital relies on content: Foxtel and Austar agree that ongoing enhancements to the digital subscription television platform are fundamental to driving pay TV's growth in Australia. Tracey Prisk reports.(TECHNOLOGY)
March 1, 2007... FOXTEL'S SUBSCRIPTION NUMBERS ARE GROWING IN "RECORD numbers" and churn numbers are down on forecast, according to the executive director of content, product development and delivery, Patrick Delany, who believes the subscription television...

Chance on pay satisfies: Tracey Prisk spoke to producer Roger Simpson about his new show satisfaction and his experience of making the shift from the free-to-air to Pay TV platform.(SATISFACTION)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... WRITER/PRODUCER ROGER SIMPSON IS CURRENTLY IN MELBOURNE shooting his latest project, the 10 x 30-minute drama series, Satisfaction, which follows a group of women in an inner city brothel. Satisfaction is the first project of Simpson's...

AN EYE FOR A STORY: AS HEAD OF PRODUCTION OF FOXTEL OWNED AND OPERATED CHANNELS, KIM VECERA IS CHARGED WITH MAKING UNIQUE AUSTRALIAN DRAMA. IT'S A PITY THAT NO ONE WANTS TO TALK TO HER. FIONA WILLIAMS REPORTS.
March 1, 2007... WITH KIM VECERA'S BRIEF TO MAKE PROGRAMMING THAT STANDS out from the pack, you'd think writers would be beating a path to her door. Not so. "The funny thing is, we don't really get pitched a lot," she says. "We're very particular about the...

Barrett feature handed FFC Letter of Intent.(Film Finance Corporation Australia )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Romantic drama South Solitary was the lone project to receive a Letter of Intent by the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) at its February 7 board meeting. Directed by Shirley Barrett (Love Serenade) and set off the coast of Tasmania, the...

Carman joins Film Vic as script manager.(IN BRIEF)(Flim Victoria Australia appoints Charlie Carman)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Charlie Carman, who has a background as a script assessor and development executive in both the UK and Australia, joined Film Victoria as its new script manager on February 26. After completing her English degree at Cambridge University, Carman...

March 31 deadline for animation workshop.(IN BRIEF)(Public notice)
March 1, 2007... Applications for acceptance into the Australian Writers' Guild's Writing for Animation Masterclass close on March 31. The class will offer 12 skilled and experienced TV writers an in-depth analysis of writing for animation. The class has been...

Write stuff entry deadline looms.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Applications to the Pacific Film and Television Commission's Write Stuff Short Film Development Scheme close on April 2, 2007. The scheme aims to assist emerging writers develop short drama projects and is open to aaplicants who are resident...

Film Australia breaks from tradition to save the world: a cross-media initiative focuses on how small but meaningful gestures can make a difference to the world we live in. Anthony James reports.(Film Australia and New South Wales Film and TV Office)
March 1, 2007... FILM AUSTRALIA IS BREAKING FROM ITS 'tradition' of standard format documentaries designed to screen on conventional platforms with its 'Change the World in Five Minutes' cross-media initiative. Comprising nine different productions, the...

Hughes and Haywood set for 'Greenhaven'.(The View From Greenhaven Drive)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Wendy Hughes and Chris Haywood have been cast in Simon and Kenn MacRae's debut feature The View From Greenhaven Drive, which is being financed with the winnings of this year's Project Greenlight filmmaking competition. The film is being...

Gearhouse launches new OB facility.(HD-1 digital outside broadcast truck introduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Gearhouse Broadcast's newly commissioned HD-1 digital outside broadcast truck will be officially launched at Sydney's Fox Studios late this month after being used to cover Latin and ballroom dance act Burn the Floor's FloorPlay show in Canberra...

'Rain Shadow' starts SA shoot for ABC.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Filming commenced in February for the new ABC TV/Southern Star Entertainment six-part miniseries Rain Shadow, starring Rachel Ward and Victoria Thaine. The series follows a district vet (Ward) who battles to keep her community afloat in the...

Choir offers sanctuary from 'Hard Knocks': Crackerjack/ABC TV's forthcoming doco series, The Choir of Hard Knocks, highlights the plight of Melbourne's homeless. David Hull reports.(Shoot)
March 1, 2007... A MELBOURNE-BASED CHOIR IS THE SUBJECT OF a documentary series that gives a group of homeless and disadvantaged people a voice--literally. Screening on the ABC TV in mid 2007, The Choir of Hard Knocks will follow the group's weekly rehearsals...

Cinevex adds new Barco projector.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Melbourne's Cinevex Digital has just installed a Barco DP90P D-Cine Premiere projector in its digital grading facility. Based on the 2K DLP CinemaTM technology from Texas Instruments, the D-Cine Premiere DP90P projector offers an enhanced...

Atlab brings 'Bra Boys' to the big screen.(Bra Boys directed by Sunny Abberton)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Atlab completed post on Sunny Abberton's Bra Boys, taking the project from its original DV documentary format to completion for theatrical release this month. The job included remixing the soundtrack, reformatting the image and repositioning...

AFTRS installs Icon audio console.(Australian Film Television and Radio School)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Sydney's Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has installed a dual-operator 32-fader Digidesign Icon D-Control console in its mixing theatre. The system will be used for mixing shorts for film, DVD and video release. The theatre...

DVB embraces Dolby Digital Plus.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB), an industry consortium committed to designing global standards for digital TV, has included Dolby Digital Plus audio technology as an option in the latest version of its internet protocol television...

Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers tune into Sydney: fresh from the mammoth undertaking that was Happy Feet, Trackdown scoring stage embarked on a whirlwind turnaround on a Japanese animated series.(Sync)
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY'S TRACKDOWN SCORING STAGE GOT A taste of Shakespeare--Japanese style--with the score and mix for the animated series Romeo x Juliet for Japan's Studio Gonzo. The series, based on Shakepeare's play Romeo and Juliet, is set in the...

UIP split 'transforms' local distribution landscape: THE LAUNCH OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES AUSTRALIA IS THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF THE OLD UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES (UIP), AND LOCAL FILMS STAND TO BENEFIT.(Interview)
March 1, 2007... ON JANUARY 1 THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION LANDSCAPE changed: United International Pictures (UIP) ceased to exist, completing the split between the international joint venture partners, Hollywood studios Paramount and Universal. Paramount Pictures...

Aussies win big at big apple fest.(New York Festivals 2007)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Australians fared well at the New York Festivals' 2007 International Television Programming and Promotions Awards, which were held on February 2 at New York City's Downtown Auditorium. The Australian Children's Television Foundation/Enjoy...

Vodafone backs 'Hollyoaks' launch.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2007... Vodafone Australia is collaborating with mobile content specialist FoneStarz Media to distribute the UK drama series Hollyoaks in Australia on Vodafone live! with 3G. Produced by Lime Pictures, Hollyoaks is a fast paced drama series centred...

'Burke & Wills' to get cinema release.(Burke and Wills directed by Matt Zeremes and Olivier Torr)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Matt Zeremes and Olivier Torr's feature Burke & Wills will commence a limited national cinema release on April 12, following screenings in 2006 at the Sydney and Brisbane Film Festivals. Presented by Leni Media, the $20,000 film is set it inner...

Overseas talent: the risks: securing a well-known actor from overseas is a big coup for any project but there are a number of issues producers need to bear in mind. Lawyers Janine Pearce and Nina Stevenson offer some tips.(Legal)
March 1, 2007... YOU HAVE JUST ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS TO A SEARINGLY BRILLIANT screenplay and are set to offer a leading role to a foreign actor Before you commence your negotiations, you may want to consider some procedural matters. The engagement of a foreign...

Every month.(Encore production report)
March 1, 2007... 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...

Guide.(Web)(Directory)
March 1, 2007... ANIMATION AND VISUAL EFFECTS FIRE HORSE STUDIO www.firehorse.net.au BUY BACK FILM STOCK STEADI SYSTEMS BUY BACK FILM STOCK www.steadisystems.com CABLE & CONNECTORS BVT - BELDEN CDT CABLES ...

Cutting Edge gets real: Harvey Shore reports on the growth of post and OB company Cutting Edge, which continues to build upon its relationships with producers in Queensland, interstate and internationally.(Hearsay)
March 1, 2007... My story begins with the dead body of a millionaire steel magnate, floating bottom-up in his swimming pool. Sounds like a plot from Kris Wyld's new drama series Major Crime, currently filming for SBS, but Ray Smith, CEO of Cutting Edge Post,...

People.
March 1, 2007... 'Love My Way' Launch [WHAT] 'Love My Way' series 3 launch [WHEN] February 15 [WHERE] Pavillion on the Park, Sydney Paramount Launch Party [WHAT] Paramount Pictures Australia launch [WHEN] February 21 2007 [WHERE]...