Encore Magazine articles from May 2005

Encore Magazine archives from May 2005

Editor's note.
May 1, 2005... Encore's news editor Fiona Williams and sales manager Hayden Reed went to this year's NAB event is Las Vegas, and both found the broadcast market buoyant with much of the talk centred around workflows for easing the transition to HD. The...

Woods scores top Ausfilm job.(NEWS)(Ausfilm appointed Mark Woods as chief executive)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... INTERNATIONAL marketing body Ausfilm has recruited current Irish Film Board head and former Showtime acquisitions manager Mark Woods as its new chief executive, to replace the outgoing Trisha Rothkrans from August. Ausfilm chair Ian...

Foxtel to outsource local production.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... FOLLOWING the decision of pay TV provider Foxtel to axe its light entertainment production department and out-source the majority of its original production, Foxtel's head of light entertainment, Graeme Burrells, is currently seeking pitches...

Hilton, Blight form Essential partnership.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... PRODUCERS Chris Hilton and Rosemary Blight have formed a joint production company, Essential Viewing, which will develop film and television product, christening the new relationship with first-look development finance deals with UK-based...

'Jewboy', 'Wolf Creek' lead Cannes Festival assault.(NEWS)
May 1, 2005... WRITER/director Greg McLean's Wolf Creek leads the charge of Australian films selected for this month's Cannes Film Festival, with the low-budget horror set to screen as part of the event's prestigious Directors' Fortnight. Wolf Creek is...

BBC exec confirmed for SPAA.(NEWS)(Screen Producer's Association of Australia)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... THE Screen Producer's Association of Australia (SPAA) has announced BBC director of television Jana Bennett as one of the keynote speakers for the annual SPAA Conference, which will commence on the Gold Coast on August 13. Bennett first...

US heavyweights weigh in for Aurora: the 2005 Aurora script workshop took place in April. Fiona Williams spoke to two of the big-name advisors, Gus Van Sant and John Sayles.
May 1, 2005... GUS Van Sant is the first to admit he doesn't abide by rules. His films generally (there have been a couple of mainstream exceptions) are a study in experimentation. To wit: the meandering, Waiting for Godot-like Jerry; his modern reworking of...

UKTV looks for laughs that will travel: the 'fish-out-of-water' comedy drama Supernova marks UKTV's first foray into exclusive local programming. Fiona Williams visited the set to find out more.(ON LOCATION)
May 1, 2005... Consider Tony Iffland's predicament. Obliged by the Australian Broadcasting Authority to spend a minimum 10 percent of his channel's production expenditure on local Australian content but mindful that whatever he spends it on it must fit...

Aussies congregate in Vegas.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2005... AT LAST MONTH'S NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (NAB) EVENT IN LAS VEGAS AVID AUSTRALIA HOSTED ITS ANNUAL DINNER FOR AUSSIES AND KIWIS. THE DINNER WAS HELD AT THE VENETIAN'S TSUNAMI RESTAURANT ON APRIL 20. 1: (Left to right): Ken...

Hitler's 'downfall': told with compelling, mesmerising reality.(ROUGH CUT)(Movie Review)
May 1, 2005... In Untergang, which is being released here as Downfall, we are 'embedded' in the Nazi adventure. We see the glamour of its principal actors. We see why beautiful women would want to die in its final flames. We understand how Frau Goebbels would...

Screen Producers Association of Australia--monthly update.(Industry Overview)
May 1, 2005... Our industry has a lot to be proud of; entrepreneurial film and television producers who are partnering with some of the world's leading broadcasters, finance and distribution companies; filmmakers who achieve acclaim and success in festivals...

Local games developers set to seize global opportunities.(LA INSIDER)
May 1, 2005... Whilst many understand how large the games industry is becoming, it seems that few really understand this market. In 2004 computer and video game software sales set a new record, reaching $9.4 billion (US$7.3 billion), according to final...

Industry ups volume: it would be foolish to claim the lull is over but current levels of activity are in stark contrast to the depressed audio industry of the past couple of years.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)(Soundfirm)
May 1, 2005... THINGS are looking brighter for the audio post-production sector in 2005 following a lengthy period where long-form work was very thin on the ground. While not accompanied by any recognisable rise in budgets, an upturn in local feature...

Natural reverb behind 'Human Touch': location recording on the Australian feature Human Touch formed a crucial part of the intricate sound design.
May 1, 2005... DIRECTOR Paul Cox (Innocence, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien) worked with a tried and tested sound team to complete his latest feature Human Touch, with long-time collaborators Paul Grabowsky and James Currie composing the film's score and...

Music and technology: advancements in technology have undervalued the craft of screen composition. Art Phillips outlines some of the challenges facing today's music composers.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)
May 1, 2005... WHILST technology has aided the work of music composers in many positive ways over the past 20-something years, it has also created a contorted impression about the process of our craft and a misconception of the costs associated with producing...

'Jasper' demands innovative Foley: an organic soundscape was created for 3D films' animated project Jasper Morello.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)(services of Rowland Audio Productions )
May 1, 2005... MELBOURNE'S Rowland Audio Productions completed the sound design for the 26-minute animated film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, which will receive a worldwide premiere at the Annecy 2005 International Animated Film...

Cutting edge sound for awareness TVC: Taxi Film's TVC promoting responsible gambling featured music and sound design from Cutting Edge.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)(gambling commercial )(services of Cutting Edge)(services of BCM Partnership)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... THE sound department at Cutting Edge Brisbane recently completed a responsible gambling commercial for the Treasury Department through advertising agency BCM Partnership and Taxi Film Production. Senior sound designer at Cutting Edge Ross...

Tide's in for new sound studio: Melbourne post/VFX house expands with on-site audio post. David Hull reports.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)
May 1, 2005... TWO ex-Metropolis Audio staffers are running a new sound studio within the premises of Melbourne post and visual effects facility Tide Digital Editing. Operated by producer Polly McGregor and production engineer/manager Stephen Renfree as Fuel...

Where there's a will there's a way: audio post in Australia is all about finding ways of providing filmmakers with more for less.(AUDIO: SUPPLEMENT)
May 1, 2005... FROM the ground up to the biggest production if there is a deal to be had to best utilise the money available to complete a film's 'track' the question, "What can I get for this much?" will be asked, and from the first time festival entrant to...

JBL LSR6325P (1).(AUDIO PRODUCT NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Designed for use in applications where accuracy is required but space is limited, JBL Professional's LSR6325P studio monitor offers a 5.25-inch high-excursion woofer, damped titanium composite tweeter and 150W amplification. Key features...

TL audio M4 console (2).(audio product news)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... Bridging the gap between its M3 and VTC models, the M4 console is available with 16, 24 or 32 input channels, each providing a valve pre-amp stage, classic equaliser, four auxiliary sends and a track direct output. The A-D conversion is...

PMC monitors (3).(audio product news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Based on the DB1 and TB2 passive near/midfield monitor designs, PMC's DB1S-A and TB2S- digitally powered professional monitor speakers feature the power-to-weight and size advantages of the Flying Mode digital Bi-Phase Fusion amplification...

PMS music director.(AUDIO PRODUCT NEWS)(Production Music Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Production Music Services' new 'virtual' CD library is an online resource enabling users to search a database of 2000-plus CDs and around 106,000 music tracks with download access to mp3s as well as a hard drive option for .wav and mp3 formats....

Lexicon 960L (4).(audio product news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Lexicon 960L multi-channel digital effects system is available in three versions and comes with the Logic 7 Up Mix option, which allows the user to take a stereo source and split it into five channels for 5.1 remixing. The 960L product...

Sontronics (5).(audio product news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Sontronics precision tube and condenser microphone range consists of the STC-1, STC-2, Orpheus, Omega, Helios and ST-5 models. The STC-1 comes in a gold-sputtered cardioid capsule and features include three-stage filter and pad switches....

'Fever' pitch: despite the intense heat, the lion's share of documentary series Opal Fever was posted on location in Coober Pedy. David Hull reports.(POST PRODUCTION)
May 1, 2005... If filming in temperatures consistently breaching 40 degrees Celsius wasn't enough of a challenge, father and son team Mike and Corey Piper chose to edit in the field during production of Opal Fever, a four-part series for ABC TV filmed on...

Production report.
May 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...

Film Australia showcases 'The Art of War': Film Australia launched The Art of War series at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on April 10.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2005... 1. Writer and presenter of The Art of War series Betty Churcher with Film Australia head of production Mark Hamlyn. 2. Head of communications and marketing at the Australian War Memorial Dennis Grant (I), The Art of War producer John Hughes...

Disney channel screens 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody': the Disney channel launched its new series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on April 12 at Sydney's Shangri-La Hotel.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2005... 1. Foxtel presenter Mike Hammond and his son Joshua. 2. Executive director of ASTRA Debra Richards with Alexander and Maddison. 3 Optus's marketing executive for publications consumer and multimedia Sally Farrow with husband Dean and nephews...

Networks resist local fare: 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)
May 1, 2005... Robert Palmer's song Looking For Clues is a suitable anthem for May, with all TV networks tuning their shows and schedules for the second half of the ratings year. Commercial networks are always looking for clues to the Next Big Thing. If...