Encore Magazine articles from September 2007

Encore Magazine archives from September 2007

There's a hole in the bucket: the Nine Network's woes look set to continue with yet more high profile exits but alas, complaints about corporate heavy-handedness aren't restricted to the Willoughby bunker.(Editorial)(Chris Fitchett appointed as chief executive officer of Australian Film Commission)(Nine Network Australia Ltd.)
September 1, 2007... GERALD STONE'S SEMINAL WHO KILLED CHANNEL 9? is already in need of a new chapter. Or at least a post-script, now that Nine has lost another key executive and another major talent. Ray Martin, the coiffured journalist and figurehead of Nine's...

ACTF backs children's features: the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is backing a program for local filmmakers to develop feature-length stories for children and families. David Hull reports.(FUNDING)
September 1, 2007... THE AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S TELEVISION Foundation (ACTF) will fund the development up to four children's feature films through an initiative aimed at supporting the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC)'s plan to boost children's feature...

'Heyy Baby' delivers flavour of India.(EXHIBITION)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... AN AUDIENCE OF ALMOST 200 ATTENDED A PREVIEW SCREENING OF THE SYDNEY-SHOT Bollywood film Heyy Baby at Sydney's State Theatre on August 22 (ahead of its world premiere in Mumbai two days later). In accordance with Indian tradition, guests were...

Gaffney goes under.(BUSINESS)(Gaffney Licensing)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... THE INDUSTRY IS STILL REELING FROM news that licensing and merchandising company Gaffney Licensing has gone into administration following a meeting with creditors on August 13. Melbourne-based administrators CJL Partners confirmed that they had...

Pitcher to replace Woods as Ausfilm chief.(PEOPLE)(Caroline Pitcher replaced Mark Woods )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... AUSFILM HAS APPOINTED FORMER MELBOURNE FILM OFFICE (MFO) general manager Caroline Pitcher (left) to the chief executive officer role that was vacated by Mark Woods last month. Pitcher has served as GM of the MFO for the past four years and...

Doco sector fights for its rights under ASA: Film Australia CEO Daryl Karp responds to claims by leading documentary makers that they are being shut out of key industry discussions. Fiona Williams reports.(DOCUMENTARY)
September 1, 2007... FILM AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN CRITICISED AS "inefficient" and "outmoded" by a high-profile group of independent documentary makers in an open letter that makes plain their vision of documentary production under the auspices of the embryonic industry...

Gibson upped to expanded role at ABC.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... ABC TV's head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy Courtney Gibson has been promoted to the newly-created role of executive head content creation in which she will be responsible for all the ABC's content development and production across all...

FilmWorld sells, gains online presence.(IN BRIEF)(Thought Equity Motion)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... FilmWorld has been acquired by North American content agency Thought Equity Motion. FilmWorld previously acted as the Denver-based company's exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor. The acquisition will provide Thought Equity's...

White joins board of Adelaide Film Festival.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... People's Republic of Animation (PRA) managing director Sam White has joined the board of the Adelaide Film Festival. White has guided PRA's growth into a studio responsible for award-winning short films, TV series, commercials, mobile content...

Ten make sales executive changes.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... Ten has appointed television advertising heavyweight Vance Lothringer as its new chief network sales officer, while current general manager, network sales, Shaun James, has shifted across to the newly-created role of chief marketing officer....

Edgar appointed ABC2 head programmer.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... The ABC's digital network ABC2 has announced a new network programmer. Natalie Edgar, former program manager for the Cartoon Network, will take up the role at ABC Ultimo in Sydney in October. Edgar experience includes a stint at the Discovery...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2007... In a story on the new Screentime/Nine Network 13-part drama series Underbelly (July 2007, page 9) Encore incorrectly named Fiona Eagger as being the co-producer of the series. Eageer is not involved with the production, which is being produced...

Atlab launches digital partnership with Efilm: post production facility Atlab is establishing a separate digital services operation under the same roof as its photo-chemical business. David Hull reports.(BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... THE ATLAB GROUP IS RAMPING UP ITS digital post production offerings in a partnership with leading Hollywood counterpart Efilm. The new venture will launch as Efilm Australia in mid-October. It will operate out of the same premises as...

Exhibitors warned: convert to D-cinema now or pay for it yourself; The rhetoric employed to convince the local exhibition sector to invest in digital projection was turned up several notches for this year's Australian International Movie Convention. Fiona Williams reports.(EVENT COVERAGE)
September 1, 2007... AUSTRALIAN EXHIBITORS NEED TO HURRY UP AND CONVERT their cinemas to digital or face the prospect of being locked out of financing plans that will help offset the enormous cost of the digital transition, according to 20th Century Fox's Julian...

Snapped ...
September 1, 2007... MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR'S ASSOCIATION OF QUEENSLAND PRESIDENT RICHARD PARTON (LEFT) TALKS EXHIBTIION WITH GREATER UNION BOSS ROSS ENTWISTLE. HOYTS DISTRIBUTION MANAGING DIRECTOR ROBERT SLAVIERO (LEFT) CATCHES UP WITH FORMER HOYTS...

Anti-piracy campaign asks burning questions: the punitive implications of movie piracy were on the backburner as the first phase of the industry's new anti-piracy campaign was unveiled at the movie convetion. David Hull reports.
September 1, 2007... THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION AGAINST COPYRIGHT THEFT (AFACT), supported by a May 2007 $12.4 million Federal Budget allocation, launched its 2007 consumer campaign against movie piracy at the Australian International Movie Convention on August 14....

Jacobsen, Dravet pick up gongs.(Shane Jacobson)(Paul Dravet of Cremorne Orpheum got award from Australian Independent Distributors Association)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... IT SEEMS HIS CHARACTER KENNY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO is 'busier than a one-armed bricklayer in Baghdad'; actor Shane Jacobson continues to work the awards show circuit to collect gongs for his star turn as the put-upon plumber. Jacobson was...

A new take on an old morality tale: Bob Ellis bids farewell to two giants of the cinema, who passed away withn days of each other, and examines new films that grapple with morality and mortality (in that order).(REVIEW)
September 1, 2007... THIS MONTH BOB ELLIS REVIEWS: LADY CHATTERLEY (DIRECTOR: PASCALE FERRAN, DISTRIBUTOR: HOPSCOTCH FILMS); IRINA PALM (DIRECTOR: SAM GARBARSKI, DISTRIBUTOR: SHARMILL FILMS/AZTEC INTERNATIONAL); SICKO (DIRECTOR MICHAEL MOORE, DISTRIBUTOR: ROADSHOW...

Jeffrey Hayes: wizard of oz; Jeffrey Hayes has a lengthy history of bringing North American television projects to Australia. Ausfilm's Tracey Vieira speaks to the producer about why he keeps coming back.(PROFILE)
September 1, 2007... THIS MONTH'S 59TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS WILL have a distinct Aussie flavour with a significant number of cast, crew and productions shot in Australia nominated for the 2007 awards. TNT series Nightmares and Dreamscapes and USA Network's...

Demand for content fuels retro revival: classic films are satisfying the appetite for content on new playout platforms. Library owners are dusting off their back catalogues and reaping the rewards.(FILM LIBRARIES)
September 1, 2007... AS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES CHEW UP AND SPIT OUT content and producers and libraries struggle to keep up with demand, so old classics and classic brands are filling gaps in schedules and theatres--and enjoying revival--the world over. Ealing...

Creating content for kids is serious business: production levels are high but creators of kids' content have much to contend with, not least the local networks' wavering commitment to children's programming, and the evolution of the target audience's viewing habits. Peter Galvin reports.(Kids' Content)
September 1, 2007... CREATORS OF CHILDREN'S CONTENT IN AUSTRALIA BELIEVE THE sector is healthy at the moment yet its future is precariously balanced between growth and retraction. Regulated for over 20 years by the Federal Government (which requires 32 hours of...

'Esther' the outsider seeks broad appeal: Hey, Hey, it's Esther Blueburger tackles the dramas associated with puberty, families, school and religion. It was conceived as a film about teenagers but its makers tell David Hull that the film's themes resonate with audiences well beyond this age group.(Kids' Content)(Cathy Randall)
September 1, 2007... WHEN CATHY RANDALL BEGAN WRITING THE SCRIPT for HEY, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger some seven years ago she was motivated by a "hunger to see a young female role model on screen who wasn't perfect or beautiful but that young people would like"....

CGI takes 'Animalia' from book to screen: Burberry Productions has teamed with Photon VFX to translate Graeme base's cherished children's novel Animalia into a 40-part television series. Tracey Prisk reveals the challenges that had to overcome to bring the characters to life via CGI animation.(Kids' Content)
September 1, 2007... AFTER A SEVEN-YEAR GESTATION, THE BIG-BUDGET CGI-animated children's series Animalia is set for delivery later this year. Production of the $20 million-plus series marks the culmination of years of collaboration and development by Burberry...

Wathen to keep Ambience slate on steady course: Ambience Entertainment's new head of production speaks to David Hull about her new role and the diverse projects on the company's development slate.(DEVELOPMENT)(Jo Wathen of Ambience Entertainment)(Occupation overview)
September 1, 2007... AMBIENCE ENTERTAINMENT'S NEW HEAD OF production has touched down at the Omnilab Group company at a time when it is boldly expanding beyond its traditional base of children's and children's animation programming into areas such as adult...

Seven launches big ideas initiative.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... The Seven Network has announced a new pitching competition that will be staged as part of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) conference in November. Successful entrants will pitch their seven-minute television concepts...

Fringe/Avid back filmmaking scheme.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... SPAA Fringe organisers and Avid Australia are collaborating on an initiative to enable five teams to produce, edit and live stream a short film at this year's SPAA Fringe event in October. Avid Australia Fast Flicks is a competition that will...

Haigh set to join Granada next month.(IN BRIEF)(Allison Haigh appointed at Granada PLC)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Granada Productions Australia has appointed Allison Haigh as its new director of Production, effective October 2007, in place of Jaqua Page who is leaving Granada to pursue a career in law. Haigh has extensive experience in television broadcast...

Sony to launch new HDV camcorder.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... Sony is introducing an entry-level professional HDV camcorder with a shoulder-mount design. The new HVR-HD1000U model is targeted at the entry-level market of wedding videographers, freelancers and educational video creators, and is intended to...

NSW Govt cuts red tape for filming.(IN BRIEF)(State Environmental Planning Policy )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The NSW State Government has announced that short-term filming on Crown Land will no longer require development consent, as part of its changes to the Major Projects State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP). The SEPP previously allowed for...

Miller falls 'Prey' to the lure of genre filmmaking: David Hull chatted with director George "Snowy" Miller and producer robert Galinsky about their $3.5 million horror film, prey, which stars Natalie Bassingthwaighte.(PREY)
September 1, 2007... PRODUCERS ROBERT GALINSKY AND ELIZABETH Howatt-Jackman spent a few days drinking wine and watching horror movies when they learned that their feature script had attracted the interest of director George Miller (of The Man from Snowy River fame,...

'Tender' journey inside a time machine: local film noir the Tender Hook employs archival footage and subtle post production techniques to blur the old and new.(THE TENDER HOOK)
September 1, 2007... ACCORDING TO WRITER/DIRECTOR JONATHAN Ogilvie, "there's been a tradition of not-very-good Australian period films". As such he was keen to adopt an experimental approach to his latest project, The Tender Hook, which is set in a stylised version...

Pickett brings grading skills to FSM.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Los Angeles-based senior colourist Dave Pickett is guesting at Sydney post facility Frame Set & Match until the end of the year. Pickett commenced his stint with the faclility on August 27. He has over 11 years of experience and has worked at...

'Punishment' wraps Queensland shoot.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The low-budget HD feature Punishment has wrapped its Brisbane shoot and is now in post production. Written and directed by Danny Matier and produced by Peter Glover, the film is a thriller about a hit man's mission to avenge his son's death....

RSR launches update of cineSpace.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... Software development firm Rising Sun Research (RSR) is rolling out a new iteration of its cineSpace colour management suite for clients to download. The 2.5.2 update addresses a range of minor issues identified since the previous iteration, as...

Accent goes Underground.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... Independent film distributor Accent Film Entertainment has launched a new label, Accent Underground, to cover unconventional and transgressive titles, while also drawing on the talent showcased at the annual Melbourne Underground Film Festival...

Sydney the source of illegal 'Simpsons'.(IN BRIEF)
September 1, 2007... An illegally recorded copy of The Simpsons Movie that led to widespread internet piracy within 72 hours of the film's global release, was traced to a Sydney source. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) alleges the film was...

Ten signs digital deal with Foxtel.(IN BRIEF)(Network Ten Proprietary Ltd.)(Foxtel)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Network Ten has followed the lead of the ABC, SBS and the Nine Network in enabling its signal to be retransmitted on the Foxtel digital platform. Its schedule and program details will also be available via the pay TV provider's electronic...

Archive creates new space to showcase world cinema: the National Film and Sound Archive has invested in a traditional exhibition facility to showcase restored classics from around the globe. Peter Galvin reports.(PRESERVATION)
September 1, 2007... THE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE (NFSA) launched the Arc Cinema at its Canberra headquarters with a screening of Rolf de Heer's Dr Plonk on August 8. The NFSA's head of access and outreach, David Boden, tells Encore that a "world class...

Listings.(Production Report)
September 1, 2007... EVERY MONTH 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...

Cinematographers celebrate.(People)
September 1, 2007... [WHAT] Australian Cinematographers Society launch of its 50th Anniversary year [WHEN] July 19 [WHERE] The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

BIFF toasts local films.(People)
September 1, 2007... [WHAT] Brisbane International Film Festival [WHEN] August 2-12 [WHERE] The Regent Cinema, Brisbane

Making a killing out of horror: the horror genre is booming and a spate of local filmmakers are hoping to cash in on the phenomenon of scaring the pants off audiences, columnist Harvey Shore reports.(GENRE FILMMAKING)
September 1, 2007... IF THERE'S HORROR IN FAIRY TALES, THERE'S ALSO FAIRY tales in horror. Producer Matt Hearn mortgaged his house to make the recent Aussie horror movie Wolf Creek. He risked $1.38 million, but won more when Miramax paid $7.5 million for...