Encore Magazine articles from November 2003

Encore Magazine archives from November 2003

Editor's note.(This Month in the News)(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... This month's magazine is our bumper SPAA issue. As usual Encore is this year's official publication for the event and the magazine will be distributed to all delegates who head to Melbourne for the annual conference. The whole Encore team will...

Features take up new FFC model.(This Month in the News)(Film Finance Corporation)
November 1, 2003... The Cate Blanchett-starrer Little Fish and Ray Lawrence's Jindabyne are the first two features to take advantage of the Film Finance Corporation Australia's (FFC) new distribution guarantee financing model. FFC chief executive Brian Rosen...

Three episodes from the film Australia documentary series Fearless stories from Asian women were finalists at the Hollywood film festival in October.(This Month in the News)
November 1, 2003... Caption: Three episodes from the Film Australia documentary series Fearless Stories from Asian Women were finalists at the Hollywood Film Festival in October Attending the event in Los Angeles were (l-r) the documentaries' producer...

Film Critics hand out gongs.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Japanese Story was the major winner at the 2003 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, winning five of the 16 awards up for grabs. Winners were announced at a gala dinner hosted by actress Rachael Blake in Sydney on October 31. ...

Report tells: viewers want complex drama.(This Month in the News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Viewers want to see Australian dramas develop more complex and involving storylines with more realistic character development, according to an audience survey conducted in October by Audience Development Australia. With all of last year's...

Singapore branch for SS.(Breaking News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Southern Star will open a new branch in Singapore primarily to produce children's television. The first project will be The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill, a 26-episode animation series produced by Noel Price. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE...

FIBRE JK alliance formed.(Breaking News)(Sohonet and FIBRE form partnership.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Film Industry Resources Broadband Enterprise (FIBRE) has formed a partnership with its UK counterpart Sohonet, boosting efforts to network the local post-production industry to streamline work on international productions. FOR THE FULL...

Prodigy opens BD arm.(Breaking News)(Tina Bull to head new division.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Prodigy Films in Sydney has launched a broadcast design department. Tina Bull will head the new division. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT www.encoremagazine.com.au

Soundfirm opens in Asia.(Breaking News)(JB Lai to head Beijing office.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Melbourne-based post-production company Soundfirm has opened a new facility in Beijing, China, to cater to the growing Asian filmmaking market. The Beijing office will be headed up by JB Lai. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT ...

FTO funds new filmmakers.(Breaking News)(Film and Television Office funds filmmakers and writers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... New filmmaking talent in NSW received a $250,000 boost through the NSW Film and Television Office's Young Filmmakers Fund, Digital FX Placement Scheme and the New Feature Film Writers Scheme. The new Young Filmmakers Fund recipients are: Husein...

Williams heads DCITA.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A ministerial reshuffle of the Federal Government frontbench has seen Daryl Williams become Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, replacing the retiring Senator Richard Alston. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE...

Gibson's role expands.(People)(Courtney Gibson)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... ABC TV has axed its Head of Arts position following the departure of Wendy Martin, with Head of Entertainment Courtney Gibson's role now expanded to include arts programming. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT ...

Rowe controls production.(People)(Glenys Rowe of SBS Independent will take over broadcaster's Internal Production unit.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... General manager SBS Independent (SBSI) Glenys Rowe will also assume control of the broadcaster's Internal Production unit following the departure of the department's manager Craig Collie. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT ...

Rayment leads ACS.(People)(Ted Rayment to head Australian Cinematographers Society.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Ted Rayment has been elected federal president of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS), replacing outgoing president Milton Ingerson. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT www.encoremagazine.com.au

Harris heads ASDA.(People)(Richard Harris to establish a secretariat for the International Association of English Speaking Directors' Organisations.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Following last month's announcement that he would leave as executive director of Australian Screen Directors Association, Richard Harris will stay on for at least the next 12 months in order to establish a secretariat for the International...

Talent agent Cann dies.(People)(Obituary)
November 1, 2003... Industry pioneer and one of the country's best-known talent agents, June Cann, died at age 86 in October. FOR THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES VISIT www.encoremagazine.com.au

'Quiet' ASSG Award win.(Awards)(The Quiet American awarded the annual Australian Screen Guild Award )
November 1, 2003... Phillip Noyce's The Quiet American took out the best soundtrack of the year award at the annual Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards in Sydney in October. About 100 industry professionals gathered for the awards. Pictured at the event were The...

Heist comedy leads field in AFI nominations.(This Month in the News)
November 1, 2003... The Jonathan Teplizky-directed comedy heist feature Gettin' Square leads the field of contenders with 14 nominations for the 2003 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, which were announced in Sydney on October 31. Gettin' Square joins...

Australia poised for digital boom if tax incentives extended; Australia's digital production industry may need a helping hand if it is to take a healthy slice of digital effects projects in the international market in the future. Nick Murphie reports.(News Analysis)
November 1, 2003... Digital production industry professionals have said Australia must implement targeted tax incentives if it wishes to maintain an international presence in the evolving world of digital effects. The need to provide support for the Australian...

Navigating a copyright mine field: examining artistic and literary copyrights was the focus of the latest Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) masterclass. Nick Murphie reports.(News Analysis)
November 1, 2003... Establishing a clear chain of title for a feature from conception to production is the foundation block to building a successful film, as the most recent SPAA-Holding Redlich masterclass in Sydney demonstrated. Robert Connolly's critically...

Copyright--what is it?(News Analysis)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... [c] Copyright exists in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works (including film and broadcasts). It is a bundle of rights that are exclusive to the copyright owner. [c] Those rights include right to a) reproduce and copy the...

Cinema loses two of its banished greats.(Rough Cut)
November 1, 2003... Leni Riefenstahl is dead, the last of an octet of film pioneers--Griffiths, Eisenstein, Renoir, Von Sternberg, Disney, Chaplin and Ford--who did their best work in the 30s mostly and co-invented what we now know to be cinema. Riefenstahl,...

Rethink needed to reverse Australian film fortunes: with low box office returns for local films, Australian marketing methods are being questioned. Nick Murphie reports.(Distribution and Exhibition)
November 1, 2003... When it comes to measuring the success of the Australian film industry, Arclight Film CEO Gary Hamilton controversially claimed at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) conference on niche marketing that any film that did not...

New Zealand's Rialto on lookout for oz films.(Distribution and Exhibition)(Rialto Entertainment)
November 1, 2003... New Zealand-based distributor Rialto Entertainment is looking to take on distribution of Australian features, with company director Kelly Rogers sending out a call for script outlines from local filmmakers. Rogers said the company, which...

'Perfect Day' for grass roots campaign: One Perfect Day has taken an innovative approach to penetrating its target audience. Nick Murphie found out how.(Distribution and Exhibition)
November 1, 2003... With a series of concert events, an interactive website, school study guides, a high-profile soundtrack and national school/concert tour tied to the release of One Perfect Day, Lightstream Films is making sure that its first feature will make...

Australian fare well received at MIPCOM: despite what some perceived as a lack of "walk by traffic", Australia had a very healthy MIPCOM 2003, with major sales reported in key territories, co-production arrangements firmed and networking in top gear.(MIPCOM)(trade shows)
November 1, 2003... According to official attendance figures, a total of 1,243 companies exhibited at MIPCOM this year, representing an increase of 4.72 per cent on 2002. According to Reed MIDEM's head of television Paul Johnson, some 10,040 delegates had attended...

MIPCOM news.(MIPCOM)(FremantleMedia has acquired Crackerjack)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... UK distribution company FremantleMedia has acquired Sydney-based production company Crackerjack in a deal set to boost international distribution opportunities for Crackerjack programming. Crackerjack, founded 10 years ago by brothers Mark...

MIPCOM news.(MIPCOM)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The ABC medical drama series MDA; Medical Defence Australia has been nominated for an International Emmy award. MDA, produced by Screentime in association with ABC TV, is the only Australian drama series nominated. It was nominated in the...

MIPCOM news.(MIPCOM)(International film and programme market for television, video, cable and satellite)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) is set to open a production unit in Singapore to be headed up by Bryan Smith. The move to Asia follows of a four-year multi-million dollar production deal struck with the Singapore Economic...

'Illustrated' film makes for easy production process: Sydney-based production company pod film's highly stylised first feature ran according to plan thanks to a ridged production schedule that included the storyboarding of every scene. Tracey Prisk reports.(On Location)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... Pod Film's debut feature The Illustrated Family Doctor is being pitched to an audience that "crave something different and who want to see films that aren't necessarily the standard fare," according to the film's director/writer Kriv Stenders....

Positive messages from seminar panel.(LA Insider)
November 1, 2003... The Aussies fired up the promotional bandwagon in Hollywood during October, with AusFILM holding a breakfast seminar on film and television production in Australia at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. The high level panel consisting of...

2003 SPAA conference: this year's Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) conference theme is "live or let die"--a timely theme given the state of the local industry.(SPAA 03)
November 1, 2003... The year's lack of local and offshore production; the abysmal box office results for almost all local releases this year and the cultural threats posed by Free Trade Agreements (FTA) have prompted talk of a "crisis" in the local industry. While...

SPAAmart to shop local films: this month's Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) conference will feature the inaugural SPAAmart film market in a bid to find finance for a selection of local films. Fiona Williams reports.(Feature - SPAA 03)(Screen Producers Association of Australia )
November 1, 2003... The annual SPAA conference is as much a networking event as it is a discussion forum for the local industry. Project pitches are a permanent fixture of the conversation at session breaks, lunch and evening drinks. This year organisers have...

Fringe sails into Byron Bay.(Feature - SPAA 03)
November 1, 2003... The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA)'s emerging producers' conference, SPAA Fringe, will split from the major conference for the first time this year when it is staged in Byron Bay, NSW from November 14-16. Fringe has...

Feature - SPAA 03.(Screen Producers Association of Australia)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18 4:00pm REGISTRATION OPENS Ground floor, ACMI 4:00pm - 6.00pm SHOWTIME TALENT ASSIST SCREENINGS Short film screenings Cinema 1, ACMI 6.00pm - 8.00pm OPENING NIGHT DRINKS Foyer,...

Yorke talks up joyful drama; Channel Four's drama head John Yorke is coming to Australia for this month's screen producers association of Australia conference. Fiona Williams spoke to him about his plans to revitalise the channel's drama offerings.(Feature - SPAA 03)(Interview)
November 1, 2003... Since jumping ship from the BBC to rival broadcaster Channel Four in February, John Yorke has hit the ground running, intending to make good on his promise to produce "modern urban drama with a sense of hope and joy". The mantra, which by...

Legal eagles champion co-production financing: structuring a finance deal is becoming increasingly complicated, according to the lawyers at the forefront of the deals. Fiona Williams reports.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... Producers are actively seeking co-productions with both international finance and creative partners, according to the entertainment lawyers involved in structuring finance deals. The reasons behind the trend towards co-productions are...

Plan to attract UK investment; think big and have high aspirations is the message from sydney law firm abbott tout as it announced its plans to attract film finance from the UK. Nick Murphie reports.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... Sydney-based law firm Abbott Tout plans to tap into a "rich vein" of UK investment funding to help finance a slate of up to 18 feature projects, many of which will be official Australian-UK co-productions. Abbott Tout senior consultant...

Seminar offers advice for protecting formats; Sydney legal firm Michell Sillar tackled the subject of format licensing in its most recent Last Thursday industry seminar held on September 25. Michell Sillar special counsel Susan Cooke summarises the key elements of the discussion.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... The panel of speakers at Michell Sillar's most recent Last Thursday event included: independent producer and former Endemol international producer Brian Bigg (Big Brother, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Man O Man); Imagination Entertainment...

FFC initiatives help industry bond; the work flow for Australia's major bonding companies. Has been boosted by recent funding approvals, Tracey Prisk reports.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... The production industry's lull this year has had repercussions for the completion guarantor business as it has the whole industry. According to Film Finances (FF) principal Sue Milliken, there was an overwhelming feeling for much of this...

Insurers feel digital production impact; digital filmmaking has had a major impact on production processes, with the effects also being felt by insurance agencies, Fiona Williams reports.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... The rise of digital filmmaking is having a two-fold effect on the insurance industry, according to the major players: traditional claims are on the wane and ignorance of new technology is creating areas of contention. Holland Insurance...

10BA overhaul needed to bring back investors: the "10BA days" of the 1980s might be remembered for tax rorts and dodgy film financing deals, but film finance corporation Australia (FFC) lawyer Nicholas Cole * suggests a similar (more responsible) scheme should be reimplemented.(Feature - Business)
November 1, 2003... When the 10BA tax concessions were first introduced in 1980 the result was an immediate boost in the level of Australian film and television production. The Australian Film Commission's (AFC) publication Get the Picture summarises the...

HD TV receives mixed reception from networks; despite the introduction of the Federal Government's high definition television quota, which has seen a flurry of HD production, debate continues to rage over the technology's ability to drive the uptake of digital television services. Aaron Greenwood reports.(Digital TV)
November 1, 2003... High Definition television (HDTV) is not only widely recognised as the cornerstone of the Federal Government's digital broadcasting legislation, but also its most contentious component. While the technology's technical brilliance is...

The world's switched on to HDTV--why hasn't Australia? Far from the failure that sections of the Australian press and other vested interests have vocally proclaimed, HDTV is potentially the greatest advance in television since the inception of colour. Jeff Bird * reports.(Feature - Digital TV)(high definition television)
November 1, 2003... Compared with Standard Definition TV's (SDTV) meagre 400,000 pixel resolution, HDTV's 2 million pixels offers an astonishing increase in picture quality--something that needs to be personally seen to be adequately appreciated. In fact,...

Digital TV uptake--the UK's winning combination: Australia would do well to follow UK efforts to drive the uptake of digital television, Ben Cunningham * explains.(Feature - Digital Television)
November 1, 2003... In Australia the Government, pay TV and free to air broadcasters are all looking sceptically at the current target date of 2008, when it is hoped the number of digital TV viewers will reach such critical mass that the analogue signal can be...

South Australian production creates regional hub; South Australia has developed several new initiatives to attract local production, especially in the emerging digital content industry. Nick Murphie reports.(SA)
November 1, 2003... Despite the fact that South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) CEO Judith Crombie says the state is "punching above its weight" in terms of the number of productions it has hosted recently, she is under no illusions that South Australia is able...

Production report.
November 1, 2003... ENCORE's production report includes all known features and television drama and non-drama television programs which have a network presale (excluding news). Projects in the planning stage appear once only and the listing ends when a project...

ASE credits its top editors; the Australian Screen Editors (ASE) held its annual accreditation ceremony on October 11 at the basement in Sydney.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... 1. Recipients of certificates of accreditation included: (l-r) John Pleffer ASE, Paul Cantwell ASE 2004 ASE president Sara Bennett, Stewart Young ASE, Neil Thumpston ASE. 2. Also picking up accreditation awards were (l-r): Kristine Rowe...

Doco lifts lid on family life; Film Australia and SBS independent launched its three-part documentary series about Australian family life, under one roof, with a screening for the families and filmmakers at Sydney's chauvel cinema in October.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... 1. At the launch were (l-r) Film Australia executive producer, Anna Grieve, SBS Independent general manager, Glenys Rowe, Anne Deveson--who launched the series--and Film Australia chair Rob Fisher. 2. Celebrating the launch of the Film...

Audience.(Illustration)
November 1, 2003... CINEMA australian box office [week ending: October 22, 2003] This Last week week Film (Distributor) Weeks 1 (-) Kill Bill (Buena Vista/Miramax) 1 2 (3) ...

Calendar - November.(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... MIFED 9-13 Nov, Milan, Italy. The International film and multimedia market. Info: www.mifed.com KALEIDOSCOPE 10-14 Nov, Sydney. The Metro Screen Kaleidoscope short video+film+multimedia Festival celebrating the progressive and...

Aussies catch up at MIPCOM; the Australian Film Commission (AFC) stand was the meeting place for many Australians attending this year's MIPCOM in Cannes, France.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... 1. The stars of Surfing the Menu Curtis Stone (l) and Ben O'Donoghue flanked the general manager of ABC content sales James Cuming at the ABC's stand. 2. Producers Marian Bartsch (l) and Sue Taylor shared a couple of drinks at the AFC...

The art of the pitch: 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)
November 1, 2003... Tim Worner and his mate Brad Lyons at Seven. Michael Healy, Posie Graeme-Evans, Stuart Clarke, Hilary Innes and Andrew Backwell at Nine. David Mott, Tim Clucas, Sue Masters, Cherrie Bottger and Stephen Tate at Ten. Sandra Levy, Robyn Kershaw,...