‘The Shield’ Creator Shawn Ryan: Industry Consolidation Hurts Writers, Consumers

Latest News, Television

The showrunner for “The Unit” will tell a Senate committee that the Comcast-TWC merger should be blocked and net neutrality should not allow priority access.

Shawn Ryan, creator of The Shield, The Unit, Lie to Me and other shows, will blast the trend toward media consolidation next Wednesday in testimony before the U.S.

Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, speaking on behalf of the Writer’s Guild of America West.

Ryan, who is a writer, producer and showrunner, says that while there are more ways to distribute shows than ever before, the “disturbing truth about American media” is that it “is controlled by only a handful of companies through monopoly power,” he says.

“These large corporations profit by underpaying those who are actually responsible for content creation and by overcharging consumers who have few alternative video choices.”

Ryan recalls the era before the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules were repealed in the early 1990s, when in 1989, he says 76 percent of the fall primetime schedule on broadcast was independently produced. Today, according to a WGA survey, only 10 percent is independently produced, and almost all of that is lower-cost reality TV shows.

“This excessive concentration has benefited the bottom lines of Fortune 500 companies at the expense of actual content creators,” Ryan will tell the senators.

“With tight control over both production and distribution, the vertically integrated media companies possess all the power as employers of talent.”

Yet, adds Ryan, “the writers who are the R & D of this industry bear all the risk of developing new creative works while the media companies, through their control of distribution, reap the rewards. If a television series creator and a network experience creative differences, it is the writer who is replaced, not the network.”

Ryan says it is not just the writers who suffer: “Consumers fare no better in this equation, as monopoly power restricts creative expression, limits content choices and drives up prices.”

Now online content is being consolidated as well, warns Ryan. “The promise of vibrant video competition is threatened by incumbent control of distribution. Our nation’s largest ISPs [content creators] are also MVPDs [operators of cable systems and other distribution platforms].

“These companies,” says Ryan, “which include Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T, have both the means and incentive to stifle emerging online video alternatives.”

Ryan calls on Congress and the government to stop the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, as well as that of AT&T and DirecTV. He also calls for an open Internet with no priority access because no matter how the rules are written, it will ultimately lead to independent voices being squeezed out.

“What is good for these [big media] companies is not necessarily good for society,” says Ryan. “We need a video marketplace that more closely embodies the American values of free speech, fair competition and the rewarding of creativity and innovation.”

In calling on the Justice Department to block the Comcast-TWC and AT&T-DirecTV mergers, Ryan says, “There is a fundamental political and economic question raised by mergers, concentration and the resulting monopoly power. Are they good for society or not? The answer in economic theory is a resounding no. Every economic textbook makes clear that the result is a misallocation of resources and an unfair distribution of income.

“What will the result be of further mergers and market concentration?” asks Ryan rhetorically. “Writers will be paid less to create and innovate, even though our national political rhetoric exalts the importance of creators and innovators. And consumers will pay more, just as economic theory and history have made clear they will.”

18/07/2014 by Alex Ben Block – THR

Hollywood director: piracy is necessary, and doesn’t hurt revenues

Film, Latest News, Television

Lexi Alexander has called out the industry for ‘bullshit’ claims about the cost of piracy, and says Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde should be released from prison

Hollywood director Lexi Alexander slams MPAA anti-piracy war and demands Hollywood director Lexi Alexander has criticised the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its war on piracy claiming that kids hacking film security is more entertaining than most Hollywood movies.

Alexander said she thinks piracy is necessary because of country content restrictions, and that while the wealth piracy begets for the pirates isn’t right, the freedom of access to content is.

Sweden free Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde “For every IP block, DRM and who-knows-what security feature Hollywood spends thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on, some piracy kid will undo it for free and within a couple of minutes,” says Alexander on her blog.

“And this is my favourite part: I am 100% certain that the hacking of entertainment industry’s security features provides better entertainment for these kids than the entertainment we’re trying to prevent them from stealing. Let that sink in for a second, then try not to bust up laughing,” she said.

Region-locking content forces piracy

Alexander explains that as a German living in the US it’s difficult to get German news, and while in Germany it’s difficult to get US shows – so she resorts to piracy, and says many people in the film and TV industries rely on it to get content.

“Like many people in the film and TV industry, sometimes I find myself in pirate waters,” said Alexander. “As an expat household, with three paid Amazon Prime memberships for three different countries, a paid Netflix membership, a paid ACORN membership, a ridiculously high DISH [pay TV] bill and an Apple TV box, we still can’t watch most programs from back home, even though we’re willing to pay good money for it.”

“I’ll go on the website of a German public TV channel in hopes of catching up on some (objective) news and up pops the message: ‘Sorry, the copyright for this program does not extend to the country of your current location’,” Alexander explains. “Of course when I’m over there, trying to catch up with a US show sets off even more alarms.”

Hollywood piracy loss statistics ‘are bullshit’

Alexander also hits out at Hollywood’s insistence that piracy is causing massive losses within the industry.

“You know what statistics are bullshit? The ones stated by the MPAA about losses due to piracy,” she said emphatically. “Piracy has NOT been proven to hurt box-office numbers – on the contrary, several studies say it may have boosted the bottom line.”

Large sums are spent combating piracy, according to Alexander: “Money spent by Hollywood to fight piracy: Hundreds of Millions of dollars. (It’s almost impossible to find out the exact numbers, but given they spent $91m lobbying for Sopa [Stop Online Piracy Act] in one year alone, we can all assume what the total comes out to.)”

Alexander concludes that she isn’t endorsing piracy, because she sees people like Kimdotcom lining his own pockets rather than being Robin Hoods. But she says that she is willing to “at least reach out to the other side” and demands that Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde is freed from prison in Sweden.

Sunde was confined for his role in “assisting in making copyright content available” through the Pirate Bayby a Stockholm district court in 2009 after two years on the run.

Samuel Gibbs – theguardian.com, Friday 11 July 2014

Movie piracy: threat to the future of films intensifies

Film, Latest News, Online Media, Television

Almost 30% of Britons are now watching movies illegally online or buying counterfeit DVDs, costing the industry £500m a year

‘There’s a perception it’s a victimless crime, but it’s not,’ says Mark Batey of the FDA. The movie industry excels in selling dreams. But since the dawn of the digital revolution, there is one narrative they’ve consistently and conspicuously failed to sell: that piracy is theft and consumers who indulge ought to feel guilty about it. Recent research by Ipsos suggests that almost 30% of the UK population is active in some form of piracy, either through streaming content online or buying counterfeit DVDs.

Such theft costs the UK audiovisual industries about £500m a year.

Given such scale, why has that the message failed to sink in? “There’s a perception that it’s a victimless crime,” says Mark Batey, chief executive of trade body the Film Distributors’ Association. “But it’s not. There are just a handful of super successes every year among hundreds of movies that are brought to market. And when a film is copied or made available online, it reduces the value of that film around the world.”

This, says Batey, can be particularly detrimental to the independent film-maker who may have spent years raising money for the film and may have had to remortgage their house.

Former lobbyist and US senior government official Jean Prewitt agrees. “The impact of piracy tends to play out differently and arguably more immediately on the independent sector than it does on the studios,” she says. “The indies are totally dependent on local distributors in all countries to take risk and invest in the making of a film before it is made. This is how these films get financed.”

Prewitt, who now heads the Independent Film and Television Alliance, points to its members who go to markets at festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and the American Film Market in Los Angeles (which is produced by IFTA) to present their project to buyers, who pre-commit to the film and then take it when it is finished, guaranteeing a minimum level of royalties to the film-maker.

These pre-sales are then taken to a bank and used as collateral to finance the film. If the pre-sales aren’t secured, the bank won’t loan the money and the film doesn’t get off the ground.

“Distributors are not able to take the risks they used to. What this means to the consumer is not that some producers don’t get rich, it means the product doesn’t get made.”

Each year, a huge number of these independent films are lauded at the Oscars: Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street all went to market to seek independent financing.

This reduction of revenue caused in part by piracy has also resulted in studios and production houses making less adventurous choices when it comes to films – just think of the prequels, sequels and remakes hitting screens this summer. Similarly, streaming television content illegally has a huge effect on the business, says Gareth Neame, executive producer of Downton Abbey.

“Broadcasters will pay us money upfront, but it’s not sufficient to cover the cost of the whole production, so we look at the long-term value of our product and, based on all the ways we can exploit this, we cashflow against anticipated revenues,” he says.

“If it comes to pass that the show doesn’t make those revenues because of illegal downloads, we don’t recoup the money, and we have to be more cautious.

“Long term, movies and TV and other content simply won’t be created in the first place. One may think an individual act of piracy doesn’t matter, but if that becomes a way of life then the value of intellectual property becomes eroded, shows like Downton Abbey won’t get made.”

Phil Clapp, chief executive of trade organisation the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, says that cinemas are losing about £220m a year at the UK box office due to piracy, representing about two months’ income in an average year.

“We recognise that the vast majority of illegal content starts its life in the cinema, and because we remain the key source we have put a huge amount of effort into making our sites more secure and training staff and giving them the ability to take action,” he says.

Clapp adds that the financial impact is felt most acutely by the long list of people you see on the credits of a film. “Makeup artists, costume designers,, studios and facilities, even box office staff – they are the ones who are greatly affected by this loss of revenue.”

According to a 2010 TERA report, up to a quarter of a million jobs will be at risk if nothing is done about copyright infringement in the UK by 2015.

Alex Hamilton, managing director of eOne Films UK, which has brought films such as the Twilight saga and 12 Years a Slave to British theatres, agrees with that assessment.

“The audiovisual industry supports hundreds of thousands of people’s livelihoods and if the industry has trouble supporting itself, it’s going to put people out of work,” he says. “People aren’t pirating to make themselves better or put food on the table; they are doing it for recreational purposes. An individual has to acknowledge that their actions don’t exist in isolation.”

There are a number of ways to consume content legally, says Hamilton, from cinema to video on demand subscriptions such as Amazon Primeand Netflix, and the cost is relatively low. Another crucial point pirates should understand is that nothing is free.

When a consumer streams illegal content, these sites are making money, either through advertising or subscription costs.

“It’s straightforward plagiarism for profit,” says Prewitt. “Every consumer click is driving legitimate dollars out of the legal industry and into the pockets of these criminals.”

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) works with law enforcement agencies to prosecute piracy but also works to educate the public on the consequences of copyright infringement.

“One message that is key is that, whether you’re pirating physical copy or streaming, you are putting money into the hands of a criminal,” says Kieron Sharp, director general of Fact.

Many pirates who produce counterfeit DVDs on a large scale can be traced to organised crime rings in the far east, he says, who then reinvest that money in other strands of criminal activity, such as prostitution, drugs and dog-fighting. “Our view is that most of these people [who stream illegally] are film and TV fans and we want them on our side, not on the side of criminals, who will profit from their consumption.”

Fact general counsel Byron Jacobson says the organisation has also been working hard to prevent companies from advertising on infringing websites. There seems to be evidence, he says, of a significant decrease in the number of high-street brands doing so.

And while Fact has proved to be a strong backbone for the entertainment industry when it comes to copyright infringement, support from outside the business has waned.

The UK coalition government has moved slowly in implementing the Digital Economy Act, which addresses policy issues related to digital media, including copyright infringement, and it has been an uphill struggle to get internet service providers to help combat the issue.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In the UK, BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk have reached a deal with the Motion Picture Association and the BPI, which represents the British music industry to send “educational” letters to customers who have downloaded illegal content. The process is expected to come into effect in 2015.

“The difficulty is there is no end point,” says one industry insider. “It’s not really going to divert or stop even medium-level or hardcore pirates. Maybe it will quash the nervous teenager, but that’s about it.”

And it’s not just the entertainment industry that will suffer if the value of copyright is not respected, says Neame. “IP businesses and learning-based business industries are hugely increasing in the west,” he says. “The erosion of IP will have an increasingly large impact on the global economies and economies in Europe. It’s important that we try to educate people to behave like responsible citizens and to be honest and understand why copyright matters.”

Diana Lodderhose – theguardian.com, Thursday 17 July 2014

Why ‘Apes’ Won’t Be Enough to Turn Around the Summer Box Office

Film, Latest News, Online Media

Where have all the blockbusters gone?

That’s the question on Hollywood’s lips as the summer box office pants its way past midpoint. With less than two months to go, this season’s crop of tentpole films look shaky, despite a gorilla-sized $73 million opening weekend for “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

Overall, there have been more raunchy comedies and fewer family films — and, in fact, fewer tentpoles packed the season vs. last year. China’s box office is surging, while the domestic market shrinks. And the endless stream of sequels and reboots has failed to lure away crowds from the World Cup, barbecues and the beach.

Box office revenue from the first week of May through the most recent weekend is down nearly 20%, as “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2” failed to match the massive grosses of such 2013 popcorn films as “Iron Man 3,” “Despicable Me 2” and “Monsters University.”

This summer almost certainly will fall short of last year’s record-breaking $4.76 billion haul.

“Product is a big part of the equation,” said Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Hudson Square Research. “When the product’s not there, you don’t see the big audiences.”

Films have been opening big, but flaming out quickly, with pictures such as the “Spider-Man” sequel and “Godzilla” debuting to nearly $100 million, then dropping more than 60% in their second weekends. Both have struggled to clear $200 million domestically. The lack of stickiness is evident across the digital watercooler.

“As the box office has fallen, social media has had a strong correlation,” said Ben Carlson, prexy of social-media tracking service Fizziology. “There’s been less social engagement for a lot of these films.”

Leaving a huge void in the calendar, two major movies vacated the summer season: Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur,” due to production delays, and “Fast & Furious 7,” owing to the death of star Paul Walker.

The loss of “Good Dinosaur” deprived the season of a major family film in a year packed with R-rated comedies. Some of these laffers, such as “Neighbors” and “22 Jump Street,” were successes, but a dearth of films that appealed to children, save for “Maleficent,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” has robbed the B.O. of some of its demographic dimensionality.

“It’s the vagaries of production schedules,” said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. “Last year, we had too many family films; this year there are too few.”

When summer 2014 ends, there will be a few happy chapters, perhaps none more encouraging than the breakout success of “The Fault in Our Stars.” Produced for $12 million, the film, based on John Green’s bestselling novel, has taken in north of $225 million worldwide. In place of giant robots and costumed heroes, its selling point is the story of two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group. Yet, Fox made the bold decision to release the movie in the heart of popcorn season.

“We knew who the audience was, and we felt strongly that we knew how to get to them,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. “We knew if we timed it just right, it would hit as the kids were getting out of school — post-prom and post-finals. This wasn’t a comicbook movie. It wasn’t about action and explosions. It was just a movie about people and life.”

With the U.S. theatrical business in a rut, China continues to be a dominant force internationally. For the first half of 2014, the Chinese box office grew 22%, to $2.2 billion. The power of the country and its population of 1.3 billion was on display as it pushed movies such as “Edge of Tomorrow” toward solvency, goosed the international grosses of “X-Men: Days of Future Past” to new highs for the mutant franchise, and outpaced domestic ticket sales on “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”

One kernel of good news for Stateside exhibitors was that after experiencing historic lows in 2013, 3D rebounded, contributing a more than 40% share of ticket sales for films such as “Godzilla” and “Edge of Tomorrow.”

“It’s obvious 3D is here to stay,” said Rolando Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of Marcus Theatres. “It bodes well for the industry, because it is an amenity that separates the theatrical experience from the home experience.”

An even more promising reason theater owners aren’t entering into mass suicide pacts is that salvation appears to be just around the corner. The next two years bring new installments of such Tiffany franchises as James Bond, “The Avengers,” “Star Wars” and “Batman.”

“Like everyone else, we’re looking at 2015 and 2016, and the incredible lineup of films,” said Bud Mayo, chairman and CEO of Digiplex Destinations.

Tomorrow is a brighter day.

Brent Lang – Variety – July 16, 2014

A Deluge of New Summer Programs Has TV Marketers Scrambling

Latest News, Television

The promotion of the 2nd season of the Showtime series “Masters of Sex” includes a video clip on YouTube titled “Undress Me,” created by the filmmaker Tatia Pilieva.

FOR the marketing executives whose job it is to round up eyeballs to watch television, the summer is turning out to be hazy, crazy, anything but lazy.

A deluge of original programming is replacing many of the reruns that typically dominate schedules this time of year, offering viewers perhaps the most new summertime series since the early decades of the medium, when so-called summer replacement shows filled in for 13 weeks when the networks’ premier programs finished their seasons and went on vacation.

By one count, broadcast networks and cable channels are introducing 88 shows from late May, when the 2013-14 season ended, through late September, when the 2014-15 season will begin. Add the new series on websites like Hulu and YouTube, along with new episodes of streaming video series like “Orange Is the New Black” on Netflix, and “the choices are bountiful,” said Marc Berman, editor in chief of TV Media Insights. “That once-proverbial ‘Gone fishing’ sign in the summer is now a memory.”

“The growing trend of programming on a year-round basis” not only produces “larger tune-in” in the summer, which benefits advertisers, he added, it also “translates into a stronger promotional platform for the fall,” when the television season starts again.

The need to find viewers for all that fresh summer fare is generating a flood of advertising campaigns, in traditional media as well as in newer realms like social  “It’s challenging in a culture with a lot of noise to get attention,” said Don Buckley, executive vice president for program marketing and digital services at Showtime Networks. “You have to find unique ways to reach people.”

For instance, among the commercials, print ads and posters to promote the second season of the Showtime series “Masters of Sex,” which is to begin on Sunday, will be a video clip on YouTube . titled “Undress Me,” created by the filmmaker Tatia Pilieva. “First Kiss,” her video promoting a small clothing line, Wren, has generated almost 85.8 million views on YouTube since March.

In “Undress Me,” 20 strangers are paired, undress each other down to their underwear and go to bed. The action is meant to evoke the research conducted in the 1950s by the main characters of “Masters of Sex,” William Masters and Virginia Johnson, as is the principal artwork for the campaign, which is styled to resemble the racy men’s magazines of the era that were often sold in plain brown wrappers.

A campaign to promote “The Strain,” a new series on the FX cable channel, includes  “It’s probably more important than ever to have the right creative platform,” Mr. Buckley said. “We don’t take anything for granted.”

“Masters of Sex” is one of two series that Showtime, owned by the CBS Corporation, is bringing back on Sunday for a second season, along with “Ray Donovan,” with Liev Schreiber in the title role. Another cable channel, USA Network, is running campaigns for four series that returned for the summer — “Covert Affairs,” “Graceland,” “Royal Pains” and “Suits” — and two, “Rush” and “Satisfaction,” making their premieres on July 17.

“I joke that as a marketer I wish I’d appreciated five years ago, even three years ago, how much easier it was to launch and sustain a show,” said Alexandra Shapiro, executive vice president for marketing and digital at USA Network, part of the NBCUniversal division of Comcast. “To stand out, you’ve got to zag while everyone else is zigging.”

“ ‘Satisfaction’ is a great example of what we need to do now, and will need to do, for all our shows,” she added. To promote that drama, about a couple trying to make marriage work, USA Network has teamed with two nontraditional media companies, HowAboutWe and Vice Media, for efforts like online video and events.

“This is one of our first television-related projects,” said Eddy Moretti, chief creative officer of Vice Media, which also creates content that advertises movies and brands.

He described the three-episode web series that will promote “Satisfaction,” about “sex and relationships in the modern world,” as “additional storytelling inspired by the storytelling of the show.”

“The TV marketing departments are saying, ‘Let’s do something different,’ ” Mr. Moretti said. “I think that’s really cool.”

As appealing as unconventional promotional tactics are, Mr. Buckley of Showtime said, they are “part art, part science.”

Although “we have analytic tools we didn’t have even five years ago to help us find people with the propensity to watch a show,” he added, “we’re flying a little blind because we don’t always have the metrics.”

The result is sometimes two steps forward and a step back. For instance, complaints in Los Angeles about some billboard ads with startling images of a worm in an eyeball — promoting “The Strain,” a horror series that the FX cable channel will introduce on Sunday — led FX to replace them with other ads for the show. Although “we’re not out there looking to upset people,” said Stephanie Gibbons, president for marketing and on-air promotion at FX Networks, part of 21st Century Fox, the series is “not for the faint of heart” and the images “are signaling some people that it’s not for them.”

“When you’re breaking rules,” she added, “there can be some glass on the floor.”

“The Strain” is one of five series FX will introduce this summer, along with “Married,” “Partners,” “Tyrant” and “You’re the Worst.” Television is “definitely a 365-day-a-year business now,” Ms. Gibbons said. “There’s no break, no cycle; it’s a wheel of continuous content.”

“Sometimes,” she added, laughing, “you feel like the hamster within that wheel.”

By Stuart Elliott – New York Times – July 6, 2014

How to delete Facebook from your life completely

Latest News, Online Media

Deleting Facebook: more difficult than you might think.

If you’re seriously considering deleting your Facebook account, you’re not alone.

Start typing in the letters “dele” into Google and you’ll see “delete Facebook account” as a top suggestion. Whether it’s to alleviate privacy concerns or avoid digital distractions, more people are trying to figure out how to fully disconnect themselves from the social network giant that we live and breathe.

For those ready to call it quits, you’re in for a surprise — it’s more difficult than you think to erase yourself permanently. With its ever-changing privacy policies, becoming Facebook-free requires more steps than just hitting the delete button and saying goodbye.

Keep in mind deletion is not the same as deactivation. You can deactivate your account at any time, which means your Timeline and information will disappear from Facebook until you reactivate your account. When reactivated, your information is restored. Deleting your account means you can never, ever access your account again, and you won’t be able to retrieve any of your content or information.

Most of your personal data, like your email and mailing address, is removed from Facebook, but some information, such as messages and photos, may remain on its server for “technical reasons.” Facebook’s Help Center also says the data left behind will no longer be identifiable or searchable as your own, and that it will be inaccessible to other people using Facebook.

If you 100% want out, follow the step-by-step guide below to erase your Facebook footprint and make sure your account is gone for good:

www.theage.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/how-to-delete-facebook-from-your-life-
completely-20140703-zsuib.html

Kyli Singh – Mashable – July 3, 2014

‘Transformers’ Earning More in China Than U.S.

Film, Latest News

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” is a bigger hit in China than it is in the United States, according to numbers released Tuesday by China Movie Media Group, a partner in the production. So far the film has made $134.5 million in the People’s Republic in its first five days of release compared with $121 million domestically after five days in theaters. The previous “Transformers” film grossed roughly $165 million in China.

The film brought in $10.5 million Stateside on Monday and $10.4 million on Tuesday, so it’s doubtful it will match those figures after Wednesday’s grosses are tallied.

Moreover, the film has now shattered the record set by a China-Hong Kong production, “The Monkey King,” which grossed $133 million over 11 days, and it has done it in half the time. China Movie Media Group said “Transformers: Age of Extinction” is on track to surpass “Avatar’s” record $217.7 million haul from the country.

It’s almost unheard of for a Hollywood film of this size and scale to surpass its Stateside gross in a foreign country, particularly a fiercely protectionist market such as China, which often takes steps to safeguard its local productions by giving foreign films unpalatable release slots. However, Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, took great pains to incorporate Chinese elements into the film — shooting parts of the picture there, casting Chinese star Li Bingbing in a key role and partnering with local companies to help promote the film.

China Movie Media Group, the country’s largest distributor and film promoter, collaborated for the first time with a U.S. studio, providing ad, online ticketing and other forms of support.

Brent Lang – Variety – JULY 2, 2014

Australian branded content drama The Horizon hits 21 million online views

Latest News, Online Media, Television

Australian brand funded online drama series The Horizon series has hit more than 21 million views on YouTube.

The show which depicts the lives of a group of Sydney gay men hit the number following the US launch of its fourth season. The third season has claimed four awards at the 2014 LA Webfest following a successful run online.

The show is averaging 40 – 60,000 viewers daily say its creators, and now boasts 73,000 ongoing subscribers to its YouTube channel. Brands behind the series include General Pants, NSW health promotion agency ACON, and DNA Magazine.

The series is produced and directed by former Packed to the Rafters writer Boaz Stark, and is backed by producers Brian Cobb and Jacob Inglis and Executive Producers Tania Chambers and Rob Cannella.

Series 4 features a number of Australian stars including Belinda Giblin and Barry Quin with cameos from Gretel Killeen and Jonny Pasvolsky as a vivacious nurse and a caring Priest.

“We have found some great ways for people to be involved with The Horizon series five and six, through pledges towards the production costs, which will then enable us to offer various opportunities like a walk on role or name your own character, as well as executive producer titles to those wanting to pledge” said Cobb. “Pledges can be made from $100 offering fantastic opportunities at every level”.

Robert Burton-Bradley – mumbrella – July 1st, 2014

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e6bf2OkQKA&list=UUrkkQ0gp5biGP7K0mixrdyQ

States ponder responses to Film Vic initiative

Film, Latest News, Television

Film Victoria’s switch from equity investment to non-recoupable funding of film and TV productions has prompted other state screen agencies to review their funding policies to remain competitive with the Vics.

Screen Queensland, which is in the midst of renewing its terms of trade, and ScreenWest both confirmed they are closely examining the Film Victoria initiative, which assigns the agency’s equity interest to producers.

The South Australian Film Corp., which introduced a producer equity scheme soon after Richard Harris’ arrival as CEO in 2007, is reviewing aspects of its scheme.

At Screen NSW, any adjustment of its funding policies would need to be signed off by a new film and TV industry advisory committee to be appointed by the Minister for the Arts, which replaced the board. Screen NSW recently increased the non-recoupable sum available per project from $70,000 to $100,000. CEO Maureen Barron is on leave and unavailable for comment.

Announcing the funding arrangements that began on July 1, Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi said an external review found there was no “real rationale” for the agency to make equity investments. Projects which are primarily but not entirely filmed and post-produced in Victoria will also be eligible for non-recoupable investment, a move which may attract more production from other States.

Film Victoria has the advantage of being the best-resourced of all the state agencies, meaning it can support financially more projects than Screen NSW and Screen Queensland.

By Don Groves INSIDEFILM [Wed 02/07/2014]

Screen Australia Invests Over $3.8 Million In 13 New Documentaries

Documentary, Latest News, Television

In the final round of documentary funding for this financial year Screen Australia is pleased to announce 13 projects will receive over $3.8 million in support, generating production value of more than $13.2 million.

The projects selected under the National Documentary Program and General Documentary Program include eight one-off documentaries and five series. The documentaries will appeal to a diverse audience covering areas across science, arts, sports, history and religion, and will be accessible broadly through public, free-to-air and subscription broadcasters.

Screen Australia’s Senior Manager of Documentary, Liz Stevens, said, “We are excited about this final round of well-researched projects that will entertain and inform.

Appealing to a wide audience the projects should stimulate conversation about contemporary concerns such as parenting, poverty and identity.”

Three projects will be supported through the National Documentary Program.

From Blackfella Films comes DNA Nation, an epic story of genetic time travel, written/produced by Jacob Hickey and produced by Darren Dale for SBS. It is a story about our origins and how we are all related to one another.

Writer/director Paul Clarke’s Priscilla: Monster in a Party Frock is an observation of the history and development of celebrating gay culture. This one-off documentary from Jungleboys FTV will be produced by Jo-anne McGowan, Jason Burrows and Jen Peedom for the ABC.

Stop Laughing, This Is Serious is a three-part one-hour series exploring the history of Australian comedy, by writer/producer Paul Horan and Paul Clarke with Screentime for the ABC.

Ten projects will receive funding through the General Documentary Program.

Battlefields is an account of the ANZACs’ encounter with and defeat of the enemy on the Western Front. Written by Michael Cove, produced by Michael Tear and Harriet

Pike, and directed by Serge Ou, the six-part half-hour series by For Valour will broadcast on Foxtel’s History Channel.

A moving examination of the growing trend of broken families and fatherlessness, Call Me Dad, is about fathers that have come together through a men’s program to transform themselves with a focus on reconnecting with their children. Writer/director, Sophie Wiesner, producers Madeleine Hetherton, Rebecca Barry and Ester Harding with Media Stockade will make the one-off documentary for the ABC.

From Cordell Jigsaw Productions, Go Back to Where You Came From returns with a third series, by producer/director Rick McPhee. The three-part documentary for SBS, will challenge six Australians with strong views about the government policy on illegal immigration and boat arrivals.

360 Degree Films’ one-off documentary The Great Australian Fly, written/produced by Sally Ingleton and written/directed by Tosca Looby for the ABC, examines the annoying pest and the influence it has had on shaping Australia.

Harry is the story of a poor young Brazilian immigrant who rises to become an Australian AFL celebrity and struggles to understand a different culture and establish his identity along the way. Jotz Productions’ one-off documentary will be written and directed by Jeff Daniels and produced by Tom Zubrycki for SBS.

From writer/producer/directors Tosca Looby and Alex Tarney, and producer Sally Ingleton, comes Kids Unplugged, a life lesson from Carl Honore teaching three busy families techniques to turn their fast-paced lives into relaxed and happy existences in five weeks via the power of ‘slow’. The one-off documentary from 360 Degree Films will go to air on the ABC.

Licketty Split’s Missing Ingredient explores the ramifications of donor-conceived children and donor dads not being allowed to find each other because of existing laws.

The one-off documentary will be written/directed by Lucy Paplinska and produced by Lisa Horler for the ABC.

A documentary about a celebrated comedian and writer travelling to the East to discover the oldest religion in the world to help him better understand his own relationship with God, Artemis International’s SMGR will be written/directed byRussel Vines and produced by Celia Tait and Brian Beaton for SBS.

KEO Films’ three-part series, Struggle Street, observes the voices and stories of a cross-
section of the western Sydney community struggling to get by while facing overwhelming personal and social challenges. The three-part series by producers Leonie Lowe and David Galloway will be broadcast on SBS.

WKCR is a documentary about a murder investigation and trial that affected many in the community. Produced by Artemis International with writer/director Michael Muntz, writer/producer Celia Tait and producer Brian Beaton, it will be screened on the Seven Network.

Screen Australia’s documentary funding programs are currently under review to ensure that they continue to support the unique qualities of Australian documentary in an evolving ecosystem of screen production and consumption. Drawing on the submissions to the Discussion Paper, Stories that Matter, Screen Australia will be publishing draft guidelines shortly for industry feedback.

NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM (NDP)

DNA NATION (working title)

3 x 52 mins

Blackfella Films Pty Ltd

Producers Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey

Writer Jacob Hickey

Broadcaster SBS

Sales SBS Distribution

Synopsis This is an epic story of genetic time travel. A story about who we are, where we

came from and how we are all related to one another.

PRISCILLA: MONSTER IN A PARTY FROCK

1 x 57 mins

Jungleboys FTV Pty Ltd

Producers Jo-anne McGowan, Jason Burrows, Jen Peedom

Director Paul Clarke

Writers Paul Clarke, Alex Barry

Broadcaster ABC

Sales ABC Commercial

Synopsis Monster in a Party Frock is the story of how an unlikely film changed the

course of history and brought a celebration of gay culture to the world.

STOP LAUGHING, THIS IS SERIOUS

3 x 57 mins

Screentime Pty Ltd

Executive Producers Jennifer Collins, Bob Campbell

Producers/Writers Paul Horan, Paul Clarke

Broadcaster ABC

Sales ABC Commercial

Synopsis Stop Laughing:This Is Serious is a documentary series exploring the history of

Australian comedy for ABC1.

GENERAL DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM (GDP)

BATTLEFIELDS

6 x 24 mins

For Valour Pty Ltd.

Producers Michael Tear, Harriet Pike

Director Serge Ou

Writer Michael Cove

Broadcaster FOXTEL History Channel

Synopsis How the ANZACs met and defeated the main force of the enemy on the

Western Front.

CALL ME DAD

1 x 57 mins

Media Stockade Pty Ltd.

Producers Madeleine Hetherton, Rebecca Barry, Ester Harding

Director/Writer Sophie Wiesner

Broadcaster ABC

Synopsis In the midst of a silent yet devastating epidemic of fatherlessness, this is a film

about fathers at risk of or struggling with broken families whose children are vulnerable.

Now, through a men’s program, they each have the chance to regain what’s lost, to

transform himself and earn another shot at the title, ‘Dad’.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM SERIES 3

3 x 52 mins

Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd

Executive Producers Nick Murray, Michael Cordell

Producer/Director Rick McPhee

Broadcaster SBS

Sales Cordell Jigsaw Distribution

Synopsis With major changes to government policy on boat arrivals, six Australians with

strong views on the issue, embark on a life changing journey which will challenge their

opinions to the very core.

THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN FLY

1 x 57 mins

360 Degree Films Pty Ltd

Producer Sally Ingleton

Director Tosca Looby

Writers Tosca Looby, Sally Ingleton

Broadcaster ABC

Sales ZED Sales

Synopsis How a national nuisance helped shape Australia.

HARRY

1 x 52 mins

Jotz Productions Pty Ltd

Producer Tom Zubrycki

Director/Writer Jeff Daniels

Broadcaster SBS

Synopsis The story of an immigrant boy from Brazil who becomes an AFL star. A black

man in a white world, Harry searches for his own identity in a country and culture that

he feels never really accepts him. From the slums of Rio de Janeiro to the dizzying

heights of Australian celebrity this is the story of a boy who becomes a man by forging

his own perilous path through other’s expectations.

KIDS UNPLUGGED

1 x 57 mins

360 Degree Films Pty Ltd

Executive Producer Sally Ingleton

Producers Sally Ingleton, Alex Tarney, Tosca Looby

Directors/Writers Tosca Looby, Alex Tarney

Broadcaster ABC

Synopsis ‘Slow coach’ Carl Honore has five weeks to turn three busy families from

stressed and hectic, to happy and unhurried – via the power of ‘slow’.

MISSING INGREDIENT

1 x 57 mins

Licketty Split Pty Ltd

Executive Producer John Moore

Producer Lisa Horler

Director/Writer Lucy Paplinska

Broadcaster ABC

Synopsis Missing Ingredient is an intimate and cautionary tale about secrets

surrounding sperm donation … and the donor conceived adults – and donors – who are

demanding some answers.

SMGR

1 x 52 mins

Artemis International

Producers Celia Tait, Brian Beaton

Director/Writer Russel Vines

Broadcaster SBS

Synopsis Celebrated comedian and writer journeys to the East to discover the oldest

religion in the world to help him better understand his own relationship with God.

STRUGGLE STREET

3 x 52 mins

KEO Films Australia Pty Ltd

Producers Leonie Lowe, David Galloway

Broadcaster SBS

Sales Hat Trick International

Synopsis A three-part observational documentary series that will feature the voices and

stories of a cross-section of struggling western Sydney residents and families as they try

to get by, despite overwhelming personal and social challenges.

WKCR

1 x 55 mins

Artemis International Pty Ltd

Producers Brian Beaton, Celia Tait

Director Michael Muntz

Writer Michael Muntz, Celia Tait

Broadcaster Channel 7

Synopsis A murder investigation and trial divides a city, and the legal fraternity.

Screen Australia Media Release = Friday 6 June 2014