January 29th, 2010
So Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol, Jonathan Ross is leaving the BBC, Conan O’Brien is set to leave NBC and Archie Mitchell was killed off from Eastenders – so therefore left little choice. I mean, where are we going to find people who want to be on television?
Amid intense speculation over his next career move and Jay Leno’s widely criticized return to late night, O’Brien stepped down as host of The Tonight Show to his biggest audience ever. The final episode attracted 10.3 million viewers, with final guests including some actor named Tom Hanks and a curly, ginger comedian apparently called Will Ferell.
Cowell inked a deal with Fox earlier this month that will end his American Idol judging role. “We reached an agreement formally at about half past 10 this morning,” said Cowell, who confirmed his new deal in front of reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Monday, Daily Variety reported.
Wossy announced he was leaving the BBC after 13 years working for the corporation. As the BBC’s highest paid star (by some distance), he said in a statement that he had decided not to renegotiate his contract. The presenter added his decision to leave was not “financially motivated”.
Apparently, both Britain and America have new talent though, or so Cowell, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden, David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel (it’s okay, I’ve never heard of him either) keep trying to tell us.
Of course, when one door closes another one opens, and just because such TV powers are moving on does not mean we’re left empty handed, lacking sufficient prime-time personalities and missing pizzazz. There’s baggy entertainment whose sole purpose it is to both find new talent and to exploit those who were once famous (or at least to have supposed to be. It all depends on whether you read Heat magazine or receive daily alerts about wags and Z Listers). Big Brother, All American Girl, I’m A Celebrity, Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, Survivor, all create entertainment, albeit in a very different manner than the TV judge or talk show host. There’s even Indian Idol now, already in its fourth season.
So, while the big earners are moving on to pastures new (personally I’d opt for an early retirement), there’ll always be those trying to discover new talent. Uncovering individuals, who, may never have long and successful careers at the worlds leading networks, but in the search, will create light entertainment for the millions who will watch it. Fame and celebrity is constantly being stumbled upon, but very little of it is truly sustained.
Tags: All American Girl, Amanda Holden, American Idol, Archie Mitchell, BBC, Big Brother, Conan O'Brien, Daily Variety, David Hasselhoff, Eastenders, Fear Factor, Fox, Heat, Howie Mandel, I’m A Celebrity, Jay Leno, Jonathan Ross, NBC, Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Survivor, Television Critics Association, The Amazing Race, The Tonight Show, Tom Hanks, Will Ferell
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 1 Comment »
January 22nd, 2010
Andrew Zein
Andrew Zein is to quit as managing director of Tiger Aspect after 13 years to join Warner Bros International Television Distribution’s new London-based production unit. Reports suggest that Zein is planning to buy many of the UK’s leading indies with the aim to remake British versions of successful US shows.
The Guardian state that Zein, “Will join Warner Bros as senior vice president, creative, format development and sales, in the company’s recently formed international television production unit.”
Zein has been given the task of consulting Warner Bros’ back catalogue for formats that can be reversioned for the UK market. It will be looking to mirror the success of NBC’s Law and Order, which has been remade by Kudos for ITV1.
Zein became managing director of Tiger Aspect in 2001, working closely with Chairman Peter Bennett Jones, and overseeing the launch of television hits such as, The Catherine Tate Show and children’s show, Charlie and Lola.
As a former Chairman and vice Chairman of the UK’s Producers Alliance of Cinema and Television (PACT), Zein has successfully fought hard for independent production companies to receive a greater share of the proceeds from their shows.
Tiger was recently bought from entertainment giant IMG by Endemol, along with factual specialist producers Darlow Smithson.
Commenting on his new position, Zein said, “My role is to make sure Warner Bros is making the most of all the intellectual property it’s got. The Warner catalogue has formats in there that we hope to reversion for foreign markets - not just in the UK. The brief is more international than that.”
Tags: Charlie and Lola, Darlow Smithson, Endemol, IMG, Law and Order, Producers Alliance of Cinema and Television, The Catherine Tate Show, The Guardian, Tiger Aspect, US shows, Warner Bros
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | No Comments »
January 8th, 2010
Jonathan Ross: a colourful personality.
So, Jonathan Ross is set to leave the BBC. We’ll miss him. Despite his loquacious manner and entertaining wit, his last four years at the Beeb have been notable for the array of infantile pranks and borderline crude interviews. As The Daily Mail comments, “in his manner of leaving at least, he has finally attained a degree of dignity.” Ross’s announcement that he had decided not to renegotiate his contract with the BBC was uncharacteristically measured and composed.
In truth, although the BBC will probably claim to be sad to lose their highest-earning star, there are likely to be “a few executives not too bothered about losing a man whose waywardness and multi-million-pound contract had become an embarrassment.”
Days before the confirmation of his departure, sources reported that Ross was concerned by the prospect of having his yearly pay slashed by £3million. True or not, he was the BBC’s highest earner and many at the BBC were said to have cheered on hearing the news of his decision not to renew his contract. Perhaps there is now a new pot of money available to fund new talent, dramas, comedies and documentaries?
Outside his London home, Ross told reporters he “would have liked” to stay at the BBC. He continued, “It has been a great 13 years at the BBC. I think it’s not a bad time for me to move on. It’s possibly not a bad time for them either.”
Though £18 million, three-year contracts for TV personalities are now firmly in the past, what we got from Ross was brash with a cutting humour and a wonderful talent. But is that deserving of the taxpayer’s money and £18 million? There is an argument to spend the money on discovering new talent, yet, does money equal talent? Is there even a necessity for talent on television? Reality TV leads the way in the ratings and Z list celebrities (if we can still call them that) actually make their living from such reality dramas. If Ross was host for Channel 4’s Big Brother and then moved on, would the show still draw in the millions, watching, gasping and cringing? Presumably, yes?
Life after Ross then is likely to be business as usual, musical chairs as Norton, Kermode and even Evans step forward to host the chat shows, radio programmes and film reviews. And perhaps Ross will still grace the screens to present the odd BAFTA or even Children in Need? Whether the BBC will see fit to grant a similar sized contract in this age of austerity is doubtful.
Tags: BAFTA, BBC, Big Brother, Channel 4, Children in Need, Contracts, Daily Mail, Evans, Kermode, Norton, Reality TV, Television
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | No Comments »
December 21st, 2009
With thousands of Graduates and youngsters eager for relevant experience within the media industry, the UK National Council for Work Experience are experiencing their busiest period yet. The Council’s brief is to promote, support and develop quality work experience for the benefit of students, organisations and the economy - particularly important given the number of unemployed 16-to-24 year olds in the UK rose recently to 952,000, the highest figure since records began in 1992.
With fewer jobs and tighter budgets across the global media sector, businesses will naturally be looking to offer placements - a rare opportunity for candidates to gain industry experience, enhance their CV and hiring capabilities. But on what terms should businesses offer such opportunities. Should they at least be covering expenses and a minimum wage? Laws vary from country to country but certainly in the UK limited term (2-4 weeks) unpaid experience is allowable. [The UK minimum wage for workers under eighteen years old is £3.57, a development rate <http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw/#dev> of £4.83 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive and £5.80 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older (rates from 1st October 2009). This is different in America, where each state is responsible for its own minimum wage rate.
The subject of payment and wages presents very different opinions from business to business. What is clear is that for individuals considering a career in television, work experience offers the chance to gain an insight into the industry and to learn about different job roles and working arrangements. Most importantly, it can help them to build up contacts, which as we all know, are hugely important in this industry.
In a difficult economic climate and ever-developing industry, it is unfortunate yet inevitable that exploitation takes place. However companies and bookers should remember that there is a huge gulf separating untrained workers vs. trained and experienced workers, though both are eager to develop their talents and experience.
Creating and educating new talent is vital for keeping the industry alive, that much is obvious. Work experience can be as beneficial to companies as it is to individuals. In monitoring an employee a company may well find an individual worth investing in, after all, where are tomorrow’s camera operators, cinematographers, make-up artists etc. coming from? Comments welcome!
Tags: Camera Operators, Cinematographers, Exploitation, Graduates, Make-up Artists, Media, Minimum Wage, Unemployed, Work Experience
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 2 Comments »
December 8th, 2009
As we drop the curtain on 2009 and look through the moody clouds and stormy weather to 2010, media strategists will be gathering to discuss what the New Year will have in store. The first decade of the ‘Noughties’ (00’s) has seen Big Brother rise and fall, social contact between friends and family grow increasingly virtual, and the general rise of the ‘always-on’ society. Whether Apple or BlackBerry, our smart phone delivers information and storage at our fingertips; anytime, anywhere (unless you travel on the South Eastern train from London Victoria around 18:18).
So, the passing of Big Brother leaves an important legacy: the expectation of audience interactivity. Our highly-connected society now clamours to vote contestants in or out, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the satellites of gossip, recordings, T-shirts and online applications. The challenge therefore for 2010 will be the alchemy now required to make commercially successful programmes; ride with what’s hot and to avoid what’s not. And crucially for the bottom line to make sure that all bases are covered: the SMS deal, the online advertising, the mobile application revenues, the recording contract rights share and so on…complicated.
In a year that has seen the need for potential advertisers to make every marketing penny count, the importance of brand positioning and targeting will surely be on their mind when it comes to working with both producers and broadcasters. Both the government’s acceptance of product placement and a brave new interactive world make that possible. So begins the age of the ‘engaged’?
Tags: Advertisers, Apple, Applications, Audience, Big Brother, BlackBerry, Broadcasters, Media Strategists, New Year, Noughties, Online, Producers, SMS, Virtual
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 1 Comment »
November 13th, 2009
Sky TV have gone all festive and are in bountiful spirits, giving their UK high definition customers a complimentary ticket to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Angels & Demons and The Hangover on Sky Box Office HD in their homes the same week that the films are being released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.
As part of the Sky+HD Party campaign, Sky hope for customers to share the Sky+HD experience with friends and family. To help the party give customers the best experience, Sky are offering a complimentary Sky Box Office HD movie (worth £3.91) and a £10 Marks & Spencer’s voucher. Now that’s just not any voucher, that’s an M&S voucher (said with a seductive commercial voice).
Sky+HD Party
So are we all ‘HD Ready’?
HD services are already on-air in some parts of the world and they are about to be launched across the UK. To view HD you need a high definition display with HDMI or DVI connectivity, and there is an industry ‘kite mark’ to show whether a particular display is ready for high definition broadcasts.
High Definition TV (HD) is part of the latest digital revolution. HD television brings cinema quality into the home with greater picture quality and sharper images. Like 3D promises (look to the 30th Oct blog entry), there is the hope that such advancements produce a more colourful, exciting and immersive experience when watching television and films.
Sky HD
Standard definition digital TV displays a picture consisting of 720 by 576 pixels. This means the screen is made up of slightly less than half a million points of light.
High definition can display a picture of 1920 by 1080 pixels - well over 2 million - which adds clarity to scenes never before possible with either the old analogue system or standard definition digital.
Large television companies such as the BBC, Virgin, FX, ESPN and the National Geographic Channel have already launched themselves in high definition, magnifying the vibrant colour and quality of such events as the NFL, NHL, NBA, and many more American acronyms that are too tiresome to type. The National Geographic Channel - or NGC - has aired it’s HD content to great success: Alien Worlds, Earth Shocks, Alaska’s Fishing Wars and Inside Nature’s Giants - where a team of experts examine the nauseating anatomy - in full - of an elephant, crocodile and a giraffe, there’s even a 55-tonne whale.
Pixel Value Comparison
ESPN HD soon launches on Sky+HD, with the service now offering customer’s access to up to 35 HD channels. That’s a lot of high definition sport! You can see them sweat, up close and in detail.
The Sky+HD Party offer (http://sky.com/hdparty/) is subject to availability and limited to the first 10,000 parties.
Tags: 3D, BBC, Blu Ray, DVD, DVI, ESPN, FX, HDMI, National Geographic Channel, Sky, Sky HD, Virgin Media
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | No Comments »
November 6th, 2009
There is a storm brewing in Iver Heath, a peaceful suburb on the borders of West London. Enough intrigue to create a film.
The proposals to expand Pinewood Studios onto a 100-acre site in the Green Belt in Iver Heath have understandably generated substantial local opposition. The Buckinghamshire studios - nearly 75 years old - have produced hundreds of films, most famously, the James Bond franchise. Hollywood routinely uses the studios and this year they have hosted the final two Harry Potter films, a new version of Gulliver’s Travels and many lavish productions. Compare the Market are even filming their new CGI meerkat advert here (sorry folks, he’s not a real meerkat!).
Pinewood World.
Project Pinewood, as it is known, will consist of a new working and living community for the creative industry. Permanent lots will replicate European and American locations, including a Parisian square, a Venetian canal and Amsterdam, San Francisco, Berlin, Chicago and Brooklyn vistas. With 1,400 homes on the set, the project has been called a vibrant live-work “creative hub”. The problem is that locals in the South Buckingham District don’t agree.
Dominic Grieve, MP, says, “The proposals are entirely contrary to the local plan for South Bucks district and the national policy for the Green Belt.” The Group Director of Corporate Affairs, Andrew Smith - who has the Bond theme as his mobile ring tone (The Guardian) - has responded that such expansion will create up to 630 full-time jobs, increasing to 960 by 2022. Up to 550 additional jobs could also be created during the construction period.
Project Pinewood.
The expansion is set to include a new Screen Crafts Academy, offering training in the skills required by screen industries, such as carpentry, and wig and model making. The Academy will be run by the National Film and Television School, in conjunction with Skillset.
Locals are not happy at all, believing that the entire proposal is a scam to build houses on precious Green Belt land. Ultimately, the government could be called in and a decision will have to be made.
Tags: National Film and Television School, Pinewood Studios, Screen Crafts Academy, Skillset
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 4 Comments »
October 30th, 2009
3D glasses.
If there is one major thing to have come out the technology sector this year, then it must be 3D. Reports from NAB, Las Vegas, and IBC, Amsterdam, suggest that the 3D experience is with us like never before (3ality and Pace largely leading the way), and available on new and exciting platforms.
The dual-end cameras are setting the pace and SONY and Panasonic both have their single-lens 3D prototypes awaiting release (capable of capturing HD images). The Usain Bolt 150m run in Manchester in May - captured in 3D by Sky and FilmNova, a division of Nova International - showed how recording 3D television has advanced, and in late-November, Channel 4 will host an entire week celebrating 3D viewing, with The Queen in 3D, Derren Brown’s 3D Magic Spectacular and The Greatest Ever 3D Moments all given the 3D development.
These are predictions and statements however we have heard before. 3D is no new generation thing (in 1922, Power of Love was released, featuring the “anaglyph process” which involved simultaneously shooting two views of a scene and then printing the film in two different colours and combining them with layered film on one reel). It has been tried, tested and of course, developed over more than fifty-years. Advancements in both the cinematic world and that of gaming have magnified the watching and playing experience. It is immersive and playful, but so far, audiences have only been moderately interested in releases, despite the highest quality 3D ever available at the IMAX 3D and REAL D cinemas.
Panasonic's 3D HD Camcorder Prototype.
Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf (2007), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2008), The Rolling Stones’ epic performance, Shine a Light (2008), and the strangely eerie bubblegum charm of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (2008), have all proved only relative success with cinemagoers. Furthermore to the debate, won’t such films lose something when watched at home? Predictions suggest a drop in DVD sales, and not just because of piracy and illegal downloading but because something is lost from the big screen to the small, and if we are talking about 3D, then surely the loss is greater as the experience cannot be replicated at home.
3D, on any medium, has the ability to add depth and layers to the screen (called depth perception or Stereopsis <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereopsis>), despite cinema being its premium tool. One of its greatest assists, and something perhaps best left for adventure land rides - exciting the children and horror lovers - is its capacity to throw things at you: fists, sticks, blood, and limbs. Others see it as a “distracting technique”, removing you from reality and thus, losing the believability of the story and destroying the illusion.
A 1950s 3D viewing cinema audience.
A contrasting view is that this is an encouraging movement for 3D technology. There is the ability to offer something home television and computers cannot, but this is still a double-ended-sword; you fight piracy and illegal download theft, yet run the risk of affecting sales revenue, because whether or not a DVD release comes with a pair of those trendy Buddy Holly glasses or not, it can never compare to the immersive experience of watching it on the big screen.
Then there are the industry trendsetters, those “techno-chasers”, the Spielberg’s, Katzenberg’s and Lucas’ fuelling the fire, jumping in their studios like agitated children, just waiting to give old classics the 3D makeover. Currently we await Pixar/Disney’s Toy Story 3D, a film so perfectly executed the first time around that there is fear adding a 3D layer may be a step too far. Time (and ticket sales) will tell.
So far, at least, the last three generations have all had the 3D movement, and so far, it has proved nothing more than a retro gimmick from an industry under threat. Validating the medium could be James Cameron’s much anticipated Avatar (Fox Studios). Until then, it remains stuck with the novelty value and a steep admission rate.
I leave you with a quote from director Sam Mendes when asked if he would ever consider working in 3D, to which he replied, “I already have. It’s called theatre”.
Avatar (HD) Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_JBMrrYw8&feature=fvst
Tags: 3D, 3D Movies, Avatar, IMAX 3D, James Cameron, REAL D
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 1 Comment »
October 16th, 2009
The X Factor
I have succumbed for another year. The audition gruntings and howlings of the UK’s most erratic hopefuls finally gives way to the angelic harmonies of the final twelve contestants. The X Factor dominates weekend television now, and everyone is a star. In fact, we are guaranteed - through Mr. Simon Cowell - that twice a year (X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent) we will find ourselves a new golden entertainer. Someone propelled to instant fame, i.e. being interviewed on GMTV, This Morning, and likewise, early-morning US news/gossip chat shows. There will be untold fortunes for them, kiss-and-tells in The Mirror and The Sun, makeovers, celebrity partners and that now (almost) dead cert, a Christmas Number One.
The X Factor Judges
The X Factor is a prime example of the power of television as a medium. Perhaps not the power of ITV (though their advertising revenue from the show must be their greatest?) but of television’s ability to manipulate the public. Or should we say the power of Cowell and his burgeoning media empire, with the show broadcast on ITV, ITV2, STV, UTV, TV3, and then repeated on ITV and ITV2, streamed on YouTube, tagged on MySpace and Facebook, and so on.
The X Factor has become its own judge with the audience its partner in crime. For we watch, laugh, comment, record, and rewind all those eye-squinting, ear-bleeding auditions, and then, later down the line, pick up the phone and spend our hard earned cash voting for these nitwits. Nitwit reality stars whom A.A. Gill described as, “Bereft of a natural expression, the body language tortured into a physical Tourette’s by a thousand paparazzi, and you have to think: these are very, very bizarre, truncated human beings.” The X Factor and the audience are now the deciding judges. Simon Cowell is the brand.
Simon Cowell
He is a loveable rogue though isn’t he? Past the V-necks and high waistbands. Naïve sixteen-year-olds from Essex tumble out of their auditions in floods of tears (which infuriate their burly mothers) because Cowell has cut them off prior to finishing a powerhouse ballad, telling them, “Tesco will always need shelf stackers.” Yet they are pleased that he spoke to them. Louis, Danni and Cheryl can say what they like, dribble negative comments or heap praise, but it is Simon Cowell who commands respect and each individual, whether craving their fifteen minutes of fame or pursuing their childhood dream, long for the nod from Cowell.
For those with a smidgen of interest remaining, the previous series winners were:
Series One: Steve Brookstein (winning judge: Simon Cowell)
Series Two: Shayne Ward (winning judge: Louis Walsh)
Series Three: Leona Lewis (winning judge: Simon Cowell)
Series Four: Leon Jackson (winning judge: Danni Minogue)
Series Five: Alexandra Burke (winning judge: Cheryl Cole)
Series Six: ?
Tags: Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh, Saturday night TV, Simon Cowell, Talent Shows, X Factor
Posted in The Weekly Wizard | 1 Comment »
Hollywood actress and troubled starlet, Lindsay Lohan, will investigate child trafficking in India for a BBC3 documentary (the designing intelligence that gave us Freaky Eaters, My Man Boobs and Me, and Fuck Off, I’m Fat). And no, this is not a dippy film script or Paris Hilton-style reality TV show. It’s serious stuff dontcha know. Lindsay Lohan in India will follow Lohan as she meets children forced into sweat shops and prostitution, as well as former traffickers.