In the news this week:
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posted 18th March, 2010
BBC Boosts Licence Fee Case With RTS Landslide
While politicians from both main parties debate the future of the BBC licence fee, the television industry showed what it thinks of the corporation by heaping Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards on its flagship channel BBC1.
All told, BBC1 took nine awards - with The Street and Small Island both noteworthy winners. The Street was named best drama series while Small Island, which explored post-war immigration to Britain, secured best actor and actress for David Oyelowo and Naomie Harris.
There were also triumphs for BBC2 and BBC4, which won four awards each. Most surprising was the entertainment category, where Charlie Brooker's Newswipe beat off The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent to secure its award.
Among the commercial broadcasters, Channel 4 and E4 took 4 awards combined while ITV got 2 (one for Harry Hill in the entertainment performance category and another for the drama serial Unforgiven). The lifetime achievement award went to Tony Warren for creating ITV soap Coronation Street, which the judges said was "the most successful programme in the history of British television".
BBC1 controller Jay Hunt was "delighted BBC1 got this sort of recognition for brave programming. It's a tribute to the teams who made such shows." David Oyelowo added some humour when he said: "I would like to thank the BBC for helping to pay my mortgage for the past 10 years."
With BBC2 poised to increase its investment in quality drama, there was good news for the channel in the shape of a single drama award for Five Minutes of Heaven - which depicted the Northern Ireland conflict. Conflict seemed to inspire much creativity this year with Peter Bowker securing the drama writer award for his Iraq war drama Occupation and BBC1 picking up a best documentary award for Wounded, which looked at the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers returning from Afghanistan. The full list of winners and nominees can be found at www.rts.org.uk.
posted 18th March, 2010
Diet Coke Employs Puppets With Attitude In New Ad
For some time now, pop singer Duffy has been the face of Diet Coke, providing the brand with a way of reaching out to independent and empowered women. However the latest ad campaign for the brand represents a change of approach.
Gone is Duffy and her pushbike. Instead we see three feisty marionettes getting up from their office workstations and dancing on their desks to 1980s hit song She's A Maniac.
Superficially, the ad echoes the old Diet Coke executions in which female workers ogle a builder outside their office. However these female puppets are independent-minded, taking control of their circumstances rather than bending to them. In place of the hunky builder are male metrosexual marionettes who join the back of the dance formation.
Coke will use the ad across European and English-speaking territories and has gone so far as to call the marionettes - who work at a fashion magazine - "savvy, sophisticated and witty" brand ambassadors. Coca-Cola marketing director Cathryn Sleight explained that: "Fashion, femininity and fun is at the centre of our brand. The TV commercial talks to our drinkers in a light-hearted and uplifting way."
posted 18th March, 2010
Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, stars of Location, Location, Location and other property shows, have formed their own production company in partnership with Sarah Walmsley and Jane Muirhead, partners from IWC Media.
The new company will be based in Glasgow and is to be called Raise The Roof. The stated plan is to "produce a range of lifestyle and property programmes for Channel 4 and other broadcasters (while also looking to) nurture new ideas and develop local production talent in Scotland."
Walmsley will be creative director, Muirhead will be managing director and both Allsopp and Spencer will be board directors. The company has also signed a deal with BBC Worldwide which will see it "act as their distributor and explore commercial opportunities across all platforms."
Muirhead and Walmsley said: "Setting up a Glasgow-based production company and creating fresh content is an incredibly exciting opportunity. The ambition for Raise The Roof is to be one of the foremost companies in features, factual entertainment and formats. Our intention is to grow a company with an ethos that encourages and develops new talent in Scotland, and keeps it there."
Jim Watson, senior director, Scottish Enterprise, said, "Raise the Roof's decision to locate in Glasgow is excellent news for the city and its flourishing digital media sector. Scotland has a large vibrant industry base with successful companies operating across the full range of digital media markets including games and animation, broadcast and TV production, new media and publishing. It is one of the growth areas for the Scottish economy and we are working with some of the industry’s key players to help ensure Scotland continues to grow in this evolving market sector."
posted 18th March, 2010
IABM Survey Suggests Technology Sector Recovery
The International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers (IABM) has reiterated its view that the TV technology sector started to turn the corner in Q4 2009.
In its latest survey of the market (March 2010), IABM said that sales of broadcast and media technology fell by 7.2% during 2009 - based on data gathered from 61 top companies. However the rate of decline slowed markedly towards the end of the year, with European companies in particular seeming to have come through the worst.
Still, the IABM survey paints a fragile picture. Almost half the companies (47%) in its sample were loss-making in 2009 - with 29% of then moving from profit into loss.
posted 18th March, 2010
Pinewood Unveils State-Of-The-Art Archive Facility
Pinewood Studios this week launched its state-of-the-art Media Preservation, Restoration and Archive facility at a reception attended by key media industry figures from companies including Optimum Releasing, Canal+, Disney, Getty Images, Warner Bros and the BBC. Located in Pinewood’s Picture Post Production suite, the facilities will provide restoration services for still and moving images.
The launch of the facility follows a deal last year between Pinewood, Optimum Releasing and Canal+ - relating to the Canal+ British Library Archive. Under the terms of that deal, Pinewood will provide film and audio preservation and restoration services for the Archive, which has been based at Pinewood Studios for the past twenty years.
In the first phase, Pinewood will restore three classic titles from the 1400 in the library. These are Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts and Coronets and Lionel Jeffries' The Railway Children, each of which will be re-released theatrically and made available in Bluray/DVD. Pinewood will also complete the planned digitisation of the Canal+ Image UK Ltd stills archive.
Speaking at the launch, Giles Farley, co-managing director of Pinewood Group Post Production, said: "We are delighted to have opened the facilities and are immensely pleased to have been joined by so many colleagues from across the film and TV industry. Everyone present shares our passion for preserving iconic and historical film titles and still images. We are proud that our facilities allow us to work with Canal+ to restore many classic British titles."
posted 18th March, 2010
BBC1 Displays Siege Mentality
BBC1 controller Jay Hunt and controller of BBC Drama commissioning Ben Stephenson have unveiled plans for an ambitious new four-part drama event from Big Talk Productions – Siege. Played out and broadcast in real time, the series opens with a botched kidnap plot in a London secondary school. With 100 civilians held hostage, the kidnappers demand the release of a notorious war criminal from jail. As the Government stands firm, events move towards their conclusion over four consecutive nights.
Written by Kate Brooke (Joanne Lees: Murder In The Outback) from an idea by Simon Curtis (Five Days, Cranford), Siege will be produced by Big Talk head of drama Luke Alkin (Dirty War). Executive producers are Simon Curtis and Big Talk chief executive Kenton Allen. Polly Hill will exec produce for the BBC. Siege is Big Talk’s first drama commission following BBC Worldwide’s investment into the company in 2008. BBC Worldwide will be handling international sales and distribution on Siege.
posted 18th March, 2010
Five Joins Forces With Flora On Cooking Show
Free-to-air broadcaster Five has linked up with Flora on a six x 30 minute cooking series which will feature celebrity chefs Jean Christophe Novelli and Matt Tebbutt.
The show is called Family Food Fight with Flora. It is described as "a prime-time healthy cooking show which aims to reinvent family dinnertime". In the show, Novelli will teach families new healthier versions of traditional dinners. He and Tebbutt will then mentor the families as they compete to win over a group of discerning diners.
Producer Cineflix is currently looking for families to take part. The families will get the opportunity to cook with world-renowned chefs and learn healthier recipes and new cooking techniques. Details can be found on Facebook.
posted 18th March, 2010