Encore Magazine articles from March 2008

Encore Magazine archives from March 2008

Attack of the Killer Cliche: the insatiable quest for the new is what makes the industry dynamic and cutting edge. So why then does everyone fall back on the same old tired ways of describing change?(Editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... REPORTS OF CINEMA'S DEATH ARE GREATLY exaggerated. What is this seemingly relentless obsession we have with killing off existing platforms and genres the moment a new one emerges? In the rush to embrace the new we are so quick to resolutely...

Power takes over, Welford gets aggressive: the appointment of Des Power as chair of the (PFTC) board comes as part of a wider state government restructure. Tracey Prisk reports.(PEOPLE)(Pacific Film and Television Commission has appoints Des Power, and Cherrie Bottger, Rachel Hunter are re-appointments)
March 1, 2008... WITH A MANDATE TO "REINVIGORATE" the Pacific Film & Television Commission (PFTC), the Queensland Arts Minister Rod Welford's newly announced board appointments are all part of his plan to "scrutinise the performance and strategies of the...

Thriller films in WA.(PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... THE 'MINI-BOOM' FOR PRODUCTION IN WESTERN Australia continues with another feature, The Sculptor, going into production this month. The supernatural thriller, directed and co-written by Christopher Kenworthy, deals with a struggling artist who...

Film Australia launches SBS series.(TELEVISION)(Special Broadcasting Service )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... FILM AUSTRALIA LAUNCHED THE SBS GENEALOGY SERIES WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? AT THE Astor Cinema in Perth on January 31 with a screening of Episode 5 featuring the sports commentator Dennis Cometti, who found mystery, murder and a gift for the...

Noakes to oversee new producer program.(PEOPLE)(David Noakes is a new business innovation manager of Australian Film Commission )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... PRODUCERS HAVE ACCESS TO A NEW Australian Film Commission support program, the Screen Business Venture Program (SBVP), which will be managed by the AFC's newly appointed business innovation manager, David Noakes. The SBVP supercedes the...

NZ industry mourns loss of Barry Barclay.(OBITUARY)(New Zealand)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... RESPECTED NEW ZEALAND FILMMAKER Barry Barclay died on February 18 at the age of 63. Barclay's Ngati (1987) was the first New Zealand feature film to be written and directed by a Maori. He was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand...

Gibson's Icon grabs Dendy for a cool $21 million: following a protracted tender process, Icon Film Distribution has secured the purchase of Dendy Cinemas and Dendy Films from Prime Media.(BUSINESS)
March 1, 2008... MEL GIBSON AND BRUCE DAVEY'S ICON Film Distribution has won its bitter battle for Dendy Cinemas, paying $21 million in late February for control of the indie exhibition chain and its Australia and New Zealand film distribution business. ...

US writers' strike reaches an end.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced an official end to the writers' strike that crippled Hollywood for three months on February 12. The announcement ended 100 days of animosity over producers' refusal to acknowledge writer royalties in...

Maier takes the drama reins at Ten.(IN BRIEF)(Network Ten Proprietary Ltd. has appointed Rick Maier )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Network Ten has appointed Rick Maier to replace Sue Masters in the role of executive producer, drama and production. Maier, who will continue in his current role supporting the network's executive producers across light entertainment and...

IFG signs deal with DIC Entertainment.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Australia's International Film Group (IFG) has been selected as the licensing and merchandising agent for global brand management company DIC Entertainment and for intellectual property agency The Sharpe Company. IFG will now represent new and...

Girl-boy comedy takes Tropfest gong.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Michelle Lehman's film Marry Me took out the top prize at this year's Tropfest, held on February 17. The film tells the tale of a small girl who tries to impress a boy who is more interested in his BMX bike. Lehman, from Leichhardt in Sydney's...

Bradbury wins Stanley Hawes Award.(IN BRIEF)(documentary filmmaker David Bradbury wins Stanley Hawes Award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Independent documentary filmmaker David Bradbury received the 2008 Film Australia Stanley Hawes Award is for outstanding contribution to the Australian documentary sector. The honour, which comes with a $5,000 prize, was presented at the...

Outback 'Dingo' drama preps to shoot in June: after a few false starts, production on Dingo Dreaming will get underway this June. David Hull gets the low-down from producer Russell Cunningham.(PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... THE $3.5 MILLION PRIVATELY-FINANCED feature Dingo Dreaming is in pre production ahead of the commencement of a June shoot in the town of Wiluna, Western Australia. The film will star Charles Matthau (son of Walter) in the lead, with former...

Berlin success for two Aussie films.(AWARDS)
March 1, 2008... TWO AUSTRALIAN FILMS WERE RECOGNISED AT THIS YEAR'S BERLIN International Film Festival, with The Black Balloon (writer/director Elissa Down, producer Tristram Miall) taking out best feature-length film in the Generation 14plus section of the...

The 'American Problem' writ large: Bob Ellis discusses an excellent study of America's impulsive approach to foreign policy, a revisionist biography of a folk hero and a revelatory and moving tale of teen pregnancy.(Rough Cut: REVIEW)
March 1, 2008... THIS MONTH: CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (DIRECTOR: MIKE NICHOLS, UNIVERSAL); AMERICAN GANGSTER (DIRECTOR: RIDLEY SCOTT, UNIVERSAL); 3:10 TO YUMA (DIRECTOR: JAMES MANGOLD, HOYTS); I'M NOT THERE (DIRECTOR: TODD HAYNES, ICON); AND JUNO (DIRECTOR:...

Hollywood flocks to the sunshine state: ausfilm's la-based Tracey Vieira unashamedly sings Queensland's praises in a month that the state's locations feature prominently in two big budget Hollywood releases.(LA Insider: LOCATIONS)
March 1, 2008... WHEN US PRODUCERS CONSIDER AUSTRALIA TO film their productions, they are very unlikely to be looking for locations that are recognisably 'Australian.' Rather they choose Queensland to find locations resembling Hawaii, the Bahamas or Miami;...

MIPTV market moves with the times: as the nature of television viewing shifts rapidly, pressures are brought to bear on advertising executives. That's why this year's MIP will attract so many of them. Julian Newby reports.(Euro Insider: MIPTV)
March 1, 2008... THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONTENT MARKET MIPTV takes place in Cannes, April 7 to 11, at a time when the television industry, if that is not too narrow a term these days, is starting to suffer something of an identity crisis. Where do people...

ABC reform: show us the money; SPAA executive director Geoff Brown VOICES his fears that the government will fail to back up its pledge to alter the ABC's local content requirements with dollars and cents.(Above The Line: LOCAL CONTENT)
March 1, 2008... ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE LABOR PARTY'S arts policy going into last November's federal election was its commitment to ensure that the national public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) be required to match the...

Strike impact dulls gloss of better incentives: US screenwriters may be back at work but the impact of their battle for a better deal has far-reaching consequences. Tracey Prisk reports on the strike's impact on local large-scale studio facilities.(Studios: RUNAWAY PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... THE LOCATION OFFSET IS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT RUNAWAY production to Australian shores but uncertainty in the US production sector has had a destabilising effect on Australia's major film studios. Although the lengthy US writers' strike has now...

Supply versus demand: the studio dry hire business remains in a precarious state but two NSW facilities--one based in rural Cowra and the other in Sydney--are seeking to carve out a niche in this sector. Tracey Prisk reports.(Studios: COWRA)
March 1, 2008... WITH SOME STUDIOS CLOSING THEIR DOORS, OTHERS IN A state of flux, and many productions choosing to shoot on location, now more than ever, film and television studios are being forced to aggressively target new clients in order to get...

Footage libraries dig deep into 'global' domain: there are many uses for archival footage but the emphasis placed on this material varies considerably. Projects like the live action/cartoon amalgam Global Haywire don't come along every day.(Stock Footage: CREATIVE CONTENT)
March 1, 2008... WHEN BRUCE PETTY'S DOCUMENTARY FEATURE GLOBAL Haywire hits cinema screens later this year, those who go to see it will come across a diverse selection of stock material. Producer Claude Gonzalez believes archival footage is often used in a...

SAFC backs western, co-pro and road movie.(IN BRIEF)(South Australian Film Corporation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) backed three features at its February 2008 Board meeting. The projects to receive conditional approval were: Home, the second collaboration between South Australian producer Kristian Moliere and NSW...

Paramount forms mobile division.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Paramount Pictures has created a business unit specifically to develop mobile entertainment and alternative distribution models for the Viacom-owned studio. Paramount Mobile Entertainment (PME), will operate under the umbrella of the company's...

Fto funds four young filmmaker teams.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... The New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO) has funded three short dramas and an animation project in the latest round of its Young Filmmakers Fund. The dramas are Midsummer Magic (producer lain Crossing, writer/producer Andy Rodoreda,...

David explores crime writer in new telemovie: Peter Galvin speaks to screenwriter Ian David about his latest collaboration with Western Australia's Taylor Media, a telemovie based on a true crime story.(Script: CONVERSATION KILLER)
March 1, 2008... SCREENWRITER IAN DAVID CONTINUES HIS collaboration with West Australia-based production company Taylor Media, which began on 2003's Shark Net, with his latest script, Conversation Killer (working title). Like David's most famous work, the...

Indian cricket flick spells 'Victory' for Aust locations: largely shot in Australia, Victory is a big-budget slice of Bollywood that drew the contribution of a number of Australia's elite cricketers. David Hull reports.(Shoot: VICTORY)
March 1, 2008... THE BIG-BUDGET, 'RAGS-TO-WICKETS' BOLLYWOOD film Victory employed more than 250 local crew and injected some $1.5 million into the Australian economy when production took place in Melbourne and Sydney this January. The arrival of the project...

'Accidents' goes into production.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... The black comedy feature Accidents Happen (directed by Andrew Lancaster and produced by Anthony Anderson) goes into production next month. Starring US actress Genna Davis, the film centres on a 15-year-old 'accident magnet' in 1980s Conneticut...

Teen drama prepares Sydney shoot.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Privately-financed teen drama Slag Best Enemies will commence a 16 to 21-day shoot in Sydney on April 21. The $250,000 feature, currently in pre production, comes from director/producer Scott Free, who is working alongside producers Richard...

Kodak calls for student entries.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Kodak has issued a worldwide call for submissions for its ninth annual Kodak Filmschool Competition. The competition is open to current students and recent graduates who earned their degree within the last 12 months. Submissions must be shot on...

Avid's DNxHD gets SMPTE nod.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has approved Avid's DNxHD codec as compliant to its VC-3 family of HD standards. The Avid DNxHD codec was approved after a two year testing and validation process. VC-3 standards...

Digital Vision to offer 4k real-time grading.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... At next month's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) event in Las Vegas, Digital Vision will introduce new 4k realtime capabilities for its Rim Master tapeless grading and finishing system, unveil a new software-based standards converter,...

Autodesk intros latest max releases.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Autodesk has introduced new versions of its 3DS Max modeling, animation and rendering software. Autodesk 3DS Max 2009, and the new architectural design application 3DS Max Design 2009, both offer new rendering capabilities, improved...

Nature reprises its revenge in 'Long Weekend' remake: director Jamie Blanks has set himself a new challenge with his decision to remake an Australian cult classic. He speaks to Peter Galvin from the edit suite.(Sync: LONG WEEKEND)
March 1, 2008... THERE IS AN OLD ADAGE IN THE FILM BUSINESS: 'If you want to do a remake, improve a bad movie; don't try and top a classic.' Director Jamie Blanks told Encore that in most instances he could wholeheartedly agree. Nonetheless, last December,...

Technology timeline to be tackled at NAB talkfest: content creators will converge on Las Vegas next month for the trade show NAB. Fiona Williams reports on the hot TOPICS to be discussed in the conference program.(Screen: NAB)(Conference news)(Chronology)
March 1, 2008... AUSTRALIA'S ANALOGUE TELEVISION SWITCH-OFF IS still almost four years away but American audiences face the daunting prospect of the digital switchover in less than a year's time. The pitfalls and challenges Americans face as a result of...

Greater Union collects Showest award.(IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Australian exhibition group Greater Union will take top honours at the motion picture industry event Showest, which will take place in Las Vegas from March 10 to 13. The Greater Union Organisation has been crowned Showest International...

'Erky', 'Mortified' and 'olly' up for Kids' prize.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Ambience Entertainment's 3D-animated series Erky Perky, the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF)'s Mortified and Flying Bark Productions' Dive! Oily Dive have been selected as finalists for the prestigious Prix Jeunesse...

'Sarah Jane' wins love at Clermont-Ferrand.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The short film I Love Sarah Jane won the Prix Canal at this year's Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The film was written by director Spencer Susser and David Michod and produced by Angie Fielder I Love Sarah Jane screened in...

Listings.(Production Report)(List)
March 1, 2008... EVERY MONTH 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...

Local success stories inspire confidence: the success of hard-working local producers inspires those just starting out in the industry. Pity they don't get enough opportunities to share their knowledge, says Harvey Shore.(Hearsay: MENTORS)(Conference notes)
March 1, 2008... HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW THE WOMEN IN TELEVISION breakfast, served up like an entree to the annual ASTRA pay-TV conference, regularly imports overseas females as keynote speakers? This year the organisers did it again--importing Beth Roberts, a...