Encore Magazine articles from September 2005

Encore Magazine archives from September 2005

Editor's note.
September 1, 2005... August turned into a very long month for the film and television industry with both the Screen Producers Association of Australia's (SPAA) annual conference and the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) held back to back on...

Drama levels continue downward slide.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... EXPENDITURE on local drama production has fallen an alarming 10 per cent since last year, according to figures released by the Australian Film Commission (AFC) in its annual National Drama Production Survey (NDS). The figures form part of...

AIMC hands out BO gongs.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... THE 60th annual Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) drew to a close on April 18, when the annual gathering of the distribution and exhibition sector handed out its awards for the top grossing films of the year. Unsurprisingly,...

Luhrmann juggles epics.(Baz Luhrmann)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Baz Luhrmann is simultaneously developing three projects: an Australian outback romance, a WWI epic and the much-discussed Alexander the Great epic that was beaten to the punch by Oliver Stone's Alexander. Luhrmann's Australian representative,...

Brown does 'Voodoo'.(PRODUCTION)
September 1, 2005... Production has commenced on Queensland's Gold Coast on Voodoo Lagoon, a $1 million Australia/UK co-production that is being produced by Martin Brown, David Cohen, and UK production company Matador Pictures' Nigel Thomas. UK director Nick Cohen...

'Giants' retells breakout.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Giants at Dawn, a film based on the Cowra breakout is in development, with a tentative pre-production date of April 2006. Director Geoff Murphy and producers Brian A Williams, Brian Burgess, Hideki Ujiie and Arthur Tanaka conducted a scout of...

'Sapphires' optioned.(PRODUCTION)
September 1, 2005... Melbourne writer/actor Tony Briggs' play The Sapphires is to be adapted to the screen having been optioned by independent production company RB Films. The adaptation will be co-written by Briggs and screenwriter Keith Thompson with Wayne Blair...

Vic having 'Nightmare'.(Nightmares and Dreamscapes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... An eight-part television series, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which is based on the stories of horror guru Stephen King, commenced production in Victoria in late August for Coote Hayes Productions. The series is shooting at Central City Studios...

Group at SPAA 2005: wine helps industry get a taste for lobby.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... WINE played a key role for reasons other than one might expect at the annual gathering of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) as filmmakers looked to grape growers for inspiration for turning the industry's fortunes around. ...

You said it.(opinion)
September 1, 2005... "This is a golden age for venture capital. There is money for the biggest crap you've ever seen in your life." April Entertainment executive chair Garry Charny in a session on steps filmmakers can take to win over the cashed-up private...

AIMC looks for AWOL audiences: seminars at the Australian international movie convention, held on Queensland's gold coast from August 15-18, tackled the worrying decline in audience admissions. Fiona Williams and David Hull report.(AIMC)
September 1, 2005... The 14 percent decline in Australian cinema admissions was the hot topic at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC), as distributors and exhibitors discussed strategies to entice moviegoers back to the cinema. Lacklustre product,...

Woodstock of the CG world: 64-bit computing was among the hot topics at this year's Siggraph event in Los Angeles. Scott Lehane reports.(SIGGRAPH)
September 1, 2005... Over 29,000 people attended this year's Siggraph conference and exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, held from July 31 to August 4. The show, now in its 32nd year, travels from city to city every year in an effort to bring computer...

Miff delivers masterpieces.
September 1, 2005... Melbourne's Film Festival seems, on second glimpse, the best we have. The walking distances, handy restaurants, orderly queues and awesome choices of endless masterpieces left me reverent, and almost prayerful, in the couple of days before...

Summer in the us ... stars and slumps.(LA INSIDER)
September 1, 2005... The news is bad. Read any of the production dailies such as Hollywood Reporter and Variety, or the Los Angeles Times, and it is clear that the film industry in the US is in terrible shape. Weekend after weekend, studio executives are sitting...

Animation's back on its feet: there's presently a hive of activity in the local animation sector, largely due to the assortment of co-produced TV series in production. David Hull reports.(FEATURE: ANIMATION)
September 1, 2005... Coinciding with the establishment of a dedicated animation division within the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA), there are signs the previously flagging fortunes of Australia's animation industry are on the improve with 2005...

Life after Disney: Tim Brooke-Hunt* outlines the challenges facing Australian animators in a changing global marketplace.(FEATURE: ANIMATION)
September 1, 2005... Over the next 12 months, approximately 40 percent of people currently employed full-time in animation for film and television within NSW will lose their jobs as a result of the Walt Disney Company's decision to close its Sydney studio in July...

Animated out in Annecy: the diverse nature of modern short animation was on display at this year's Annecy International Film Festival.(FEATURE: ANIMATION)
September 1, 2005... If there was a trend in animation techniques or styles at this year's 29th Annecy International Film Festival, I would say it was a trend toward no trends. Within the 485 short films, TV films, TVCs, film clips, internet films and features...

Anifex completes cinema cartoon: stop-motion specialist Anifex built on its Schmackos TVC work to produce a cinema short for the canine brand.(FEATURE: ANIMATION)
September 1, 2005... The Schmackos dog food brand, via Melbourne ad agency Nitro, enlisted Adelaide-based animation house Anifex to produce Dog of a Day the Schmovie, the model-animated short that has preceded selected features at cinemas nationally since September...

Work and play with the latest equipment ...
September 1, 2005... Videocraft rentals now include the very latest models from HDV to HDCAM. And we don't just rent camera's. We have a broad range of VTRs/monitors/flyaway edit systems/ OB kits and accessories. All our equipment is well maintained and totally...

Techtel snapshots.(reports)
September 1, 2005... Pixelmetrix DVStation The most advanced system available to continuously monitor the quality of television signals and content over digital broadcast and IP networks. DVStation's advanced monitoring technology is the best preventative...

Production report.(hidden pasts of memory)
September 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...

'Superman' DOP Sigel demos genesis: cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel ASC hosted a panavision genesis camera system seminar on July 20.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sigel took time out from the shoot of Superman Returns to host the seminar, which was held at Cutting Edge Sydney. 1. Cutting Edge managing director John Lee (1), with Cutting Edge Sydney manager Megs Gildea and director Brett Leonard. 2....

Phillips Fox welcomes Sainty: Phillips Fox launched a new information, media & technology practice on August 2.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... 1. General counsel ABC Stephen Collins with head of the law firm's new Information Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice Katherine Sainty. 2. ASTRA industry development officer Matthew Deaner (1) with Sainty and her Phillips Fox...

Corks pop for TV networks': backslap fest; 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)
September 1, 2005... Major TV anniversaries are popping like champagne corks all around us, and programmers love celebrating them by pouring out cheap but star-studded TV specials. Seven, Nine and the ABC are all working on suchlike for the 50th anniversary of...