MoviePass revives all-you-can-watch plan despite theater friction...

MoviePass Inc., the New York company that angered theater chains in June over its planned roll-out of an all-you-can-watch movie plan for $50, isn't going away.

The company, backed by AOL Ventures, on Tuesday announced plans to roll out its service across the country on a limited, invitation-only basis. Only this time, instead of partnering with MovieTickets.com, MoviePass has formed a partnership with Hollywood Movie Money, which provides promotional movie tickets to theaters across the country.

The announcement is likely to create more friction with exhibitors, many of whom have grown increasingly uneasy about the heavy marketing of low price-tickets through discount services like Groupon, LivingSocial and MoviePass. The concern is that such promotions could hurt their business by encouraging moviegoers to wait for a bargain before trekking to the multiplex.

AMC and other theater chains blasted MoviePass when it was first announced in June, saying they had been blindsided by the program and wouldn't honor it. But Ron Randolph-Wall, chief executive of Quantum Rewards, which operates MoviePass, anticipated a better reaction this time. "Because MoviePass will be paying theaters the full price of admission using the Hollywood Movie Money system, the theater industry benefits as well as the fans," Wall said in a statement.

No word yet from AMC and other exhibitors on MoviePass' latest incarnation.

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Israel Offers Incentives to Lure Filmmaking to Jerusalem...

Officials are promising tax breaks, terror attack insurance and $400,000 credits to entice more productions to shoot in the Holy Land.

Israel is pushing for more authenticity in Hollywood films.

Glenn Beck Announces 'Restoring Courage' Rally in Jerusalem

Laurieann Gibson: 'We've Created a New Jerusalem' With Lady Gaga's 'Judas' Video
Because of the country's volatile political environment, movies which feature Jesus' crucifixion are often filmed in Italy while Morocco takes place for the Holy Land.
But now, Israeli officials are dangling better tax breaks, terror attack insurance and credits of up to $400,000 to try and coax international movie producers to film in Jerusalem, reports the Associated Press.

"It's absurd. Movies set in Jerusalem are filmed in Malta, Morocco and Greece," said Yoram Honig, an Israeli film director who heads the Jerusalem Film Fund, which was set up three years ago to encourage more moviemaking in the city.

STORY: Glenn Beck Announces 'Restoring Courage' Rally in Jerusalem
In the 1980, the country was a popular filming spot, with movies like Rambo 3 and The Delta Force being shot there. But, because it is currently common for international insurance companies to refuse to provide terrorism risk coverage, or offer it at an extremely high price, producers have moved on to other --less risky -- overseas locations.

Israeli's own filmmakers have also gone outside of the holy city to make movies. Out of 600 Israeli movies that have been made since the country's founding, only 30 have been shot in Jerusalem says the AP.

Recently, World War Z shot its Jerusalem scenes in Malta, which offers large financial rebates to foreign film productions. The production even flew in Israeli actors to shoot the scenes.
Which is why the country, which set up tax breaks for foreign films in 2008, has also created a municipal insurance fund which will provide protection to productions should they be disrupted by acts of terrorism.
Tel Aviv and Haifa are also developing similar movie funds to try and bring productions to their towns.

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Anti Virus Software that Cleans Infected Excel Docs in Macs

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Call for entries, Paley Center Pitch Workshop. Deadline Aug. 31

The Paley Center for Media in Manhattan is now accepting entries for its 12th annual documentary pitch workshop for emerging directors with work-in-progress films. The late entry deadline is Wednesday, August 31.

http://www.paleycenter.org/pitch2011

This is a competition for a $5,000 finishing grant for a relatively new documentary directors (two or less projects) with a project they've started but haven't finished. This year's sponsor is The Documentary Channel.

To apply, you'll need to submit ten minutes of selects from your project. PCM chooses five finals to pitch their projects in Manhattan in late October in front of an audience and a panel of judges, who choose the winner of the grant.


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L.A. Mayor Promises More Support for Film, TV Industries...

Antonio Villaraigosa said he would consider lowering film permit fees and speeding up the permitting process and called on the city legislature to pass a bill to extend California's production tax credits beyond 2012.

NEW YORK - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he would consider additional steps to help the local movie and TV industry and make LA a competitive location for productions, including possibly reducing film permit fees and speeding up the permitting process, the LA Times reported.

He also called on the city legislature to pass a bill that would extend California's production tax credits beyond 2012. A state Senate committee is expected to take up the bill Thursday, according to the Times.

Speaking to a group of producers, location managers and industry executives on Wednesday, the mayor cited previous steps to support the entertainment industry, such as free parking on city lots.

"We're doing some things, and that's nice and good, but we can do a whole lot more," the Times cited Villaraigosa as saying. "This is one of the most important industries for us." But he also cautioned that the city is constrained by a tight budget, saying: "There are limitations to what we can do."

The entertainment industry in Los Angeles County directly employs about 140,000 people, according to the paper.

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The Australian film and television industry was worth AUS$6.1 billion...

Over 40,000 people work in the sector, the AFACT report shows.

SYDNEY -- The Australian film and television industry was worth AUS$6.1 billion ($6.5 billion) to the nation's economy in 2009/10, with $5.5 billion in direct contributions from the 40,000-plus people working in the sector, according to a report released on Wednesday by consultants Access Economics and commissioned by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT).

The report assessed the economic contribution of the film and television industry in its entirety — from small production companies through to large distribution and exhibition businesses, and from productions made for online viewing through to those for wide television network viewing.

According to Access, in fiscal 2009-10 the total value added contribution of film and television to the Australian economy was over $6.5 billion and supported 48,667 jobs on a full time equivalent basis. The value added contribution rose 5.1% from $6.2 billion in 2006-07, according to Access. By comparison Access said the aviation industry was worth just $4.4 billion over the same period.

Film producer and distributor Andrew Mackie of Transmission Films, local distributor of The King's Speech, said the report shows that "the film and television industry is one of the fastest evolving sectors of our economy, providing jobs at the cutting edge of our digital transition. Our professionals are not only developers of valuable intellectual property, but are proving to be internationally competitive in creative and technological fields. They are industries of great value to Australia and well worth supporting."

"The Access Economics Report is a timely reminder of the value the screen entertainment sector brings to Australia. Content is the key driver of digital economy growth and the film and television industry here is at the forefront of delivering great content on a variety of platforms, world-class innovation and first-rate careers. It is also the reason why we are fully committed and dedicated to promoting and protecting this community that makes a tremendous contribution to the country in more ways than one," Neil Gane, executive director of AFACT added.

The report said the figures were net of $118 million in production subsidies paid by all levels of government in Australia.

Other highlights include:

The industry generated a total output of $21.6 billion;
The sector contributed an estimated $2.08 billion in tax to the Australian government in 2009-10, rising from $1.9 billion in 2006-07;
The total industry supported 48,667 full time equivalent jobs;
Free-to-Air TV contributed almost $2 billion in value added;
The production sector contributed $911 million in value added;
The distribution sector contributed $890 million in value added; and
The digital contribution of the film and television industry is estimated to be $4.4 billion.

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Apple discontinues 99-cent TV rental program...

Apple Inc. has pulled the plug on its 99-cent rentals of television show episodes after making a push last year to persuade TV networks to sign on to the low-price plan.

Consumers, the company ultimately discovered, were just as willing to pay $1 or $2 more to purchase an episode -- even when presented with the discounted rental option.

"iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows," Apple said in a statement Friday. The company said the introduction of the iCloud service allows customers to store content they've purchased online, then watch it whenever they want on any Apple device.

The 99-cent download program faced too many hurdles, said Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors. It required people to have an Apple TV device to view the episodes on their living room TVs, or be forced to watch the programs on a much smaller screen.

"It's very simple. People want to watch shows on their TVs -- not on their computers," Vorhaus said. "Besides that, the competition is intense and much of the competition is free."

From the beginning, the 99-cent rental struggled for traction. Major television studios, including Warner Bros., NBCUniversal and CBS, refused to offer popular shows through Apple at such a discount. They didn't want to set such a low price point and undermine the still-nascent market for digital purchases.

Apple's former Chief Executive Steve Jobs lobbied aggressively a year ago to get the television industry onboard, but only Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and News Corp.'s Fox signed up. Jobs stepped down as CEO this week, to serve in a more limited capacity as the company's chairman.

ABC had an incentive to participate because Jobs is Disney's largest shareholder. News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch agreed to experiment with the 99-cent downloads because he was interested in launching his company's digital news magazine, The Daily, which runs on Apple's iPad.

"After carefully considering the results of the rental trial, it became clear that content ownership is a more attractive long-term value proposition both for iTunes customers and for our business," a Fox spokesman said in a statement.

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey was more blunt earlier this month during an earnings call with analysts.

"We want to make sure we are vigilant about attacking practices that undervalue our product, like $1 rentals," Carey said. "Our priority [is] just to make sure we're thoughtful and do not allow a quick buck to jeopardize the longer-term value of our product."

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HRTS Panel Sparks Debate About Reaching a Younger Demographic...

TV execs say it's still about the content despite the modern-day advances of Netflix and Hulu.
The opportunities, pitfalls and problems for the TV industry in a fast changing, multiscreen world were on the minds of panelists Tuesday at the Hollywood Radio & Television Society newsmakers "2011: State Of The Industry" luncheon in Beverly Hills.

CBS, Netflix Sign Two-Year Content Agreement

"You don't have to choose among the platforms," said Jeff Bader, Executive VP, planning, scheduling & distribution for the ABC Entertainment Group. "You have to figure out how to use them all, and how each one integrates with the others."

You also have to find ways to reach those in their teens and 20s who haven't grown up believing the big screen in the living room is the primary video option. "We know how to reach people over 35 with traditional screens," said Jordan Levin, CEO of Generate, a production and management company.

A lot of the talk at the last HRTS panel of the season was about how differently the generations view, consume and consider entertainment content, and how to monetize the content consumed outside of the traditional platforms.

The younger generation who have grown up with lots of media options "want it all, when they want it and how they want it," said Doug Herzog, President, MTV Networks Entertainment Group. "And the genie is not going back in the bottle."

Although the preferred choice is to watch on the big screen, added Herzog, "they (also) want to watch on all the screens when they want."

One thing all the panelist agreed on was that "it always comes down to the content," as Sean Perry, co-head of non-scripted TV at WME Entertainment put it.

While there is often a tendency to put the process and technology first, these panelists were unanimous in believing that the technology, the web platforms and mobile don't mean anything if there isn't good movies, TV shows and more to drive it.

Much of that content is first showcased on well-known networks, before it is sold and re-sold and endlessly distributed over the Internet. "There is no Netfllx, there is no Hulu, without what we do," said Herzog. "We have great brands. As long as you are making great stuff, it will lead you there."

"What's good for everybody who creates content in this room," said Jordan, "is that they are going to be increasingly dependent on good content."

However, added Jordan, at a time it is so easy to use a camera or phone to create some kind of video, the problem also becomes how to get the word out about it. "The networks used to be able to use their own air to reach viewers," said Jordan. "But for the social media generation, it is different. Now the question is who plays the role of curator of that content?"

The other big issue is how to break through the clutter of a crowded universe of programs, information and entertainment options using these new tools. "It is not yet the fully branded environment we would want it to be," said Bader.

That gives an advantage, to an extent, to a channel like Comedy Central because it represents a brand that the consumer can easily understand, and go to for something specific. That is not the case with a network like ABC, but it may have to be in the future.

"We are having those discussions every day," said Bader. "We need to microcast and broadcast at the same time."

One way that is going to happen across multiple distribution platforms is to better integrate the producers, networks and advertisers, according to Michael Kassan, chairman of MediaLink: "We need a different relationship between content creators and national advertisers. This isn't about product placement, it is about working together in new ways."

"Five years from now or sooner," predicted Kassan, "we will be talking about distribution models where (advertisers) play a different role."

Not all new models will include advertisers, of course, as is already the case with services like Netflix.

Moderator Lacey Rose, who covers TV for The Hollywood Reporter, asked the panelists if they considered Netflix a friend or a threat to their business?

"We see them as a friend," said Herzog. "They're paying us for the content."

Herzog was less thrilled about the prospect of Netflix moving into creating a lot of its own content, which would make them more of a competitor. "We'd rather see them as buyers," he added.
Kevin Beggs, president, Lionsgate Television Group, praised Netflix as a place where certain kinds of shows which are difficult to syndicate, like the critically acclaimed hit Madmen, can find added life, and provide additional revenue to cover its cost.

Beggs also likes that Netflix is an alternative to traditional pay TV services: "It puts a little pressure on them to pay competitive prices and that's a good thing."

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Current TV – 50 Docus To Se Before You Die

This sounds promising.

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ITVS Celebrates 20 Years with Free Online Documentary Film Festival

ITVS CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF FUNDING AND SERVICE TO INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS WITH THE ITVS INDIES SHOWCASE :

Online Film Festival Streams 20 Acclaimed Docs for Free Through September 22

The Independent Television Service (ITVS) is turning 20. To celebrate, we're launching the ITVS Indies Showcase, a free online film festival featuring a succession of 20 unforgettable documentaries July 25 to September 23. We're fortunate to be able to honor the extraordinary contributions of independent filmmakers to public television.

Each full-length program will stream for free for three days on

http://itvs.org/indies-showcase where viewers will also find a timeline of ITVS's history, film trailers, clips, interviews, an audience award contest, and more.

The ITVS Indies Showcase line-up represents a sample of the 1,000-plus productions ITVS has supported as the country's leading provider of independent films for public broadcasting.

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FCC order angers cable industry...

A robber dressed in drag angles toward a window at Norms Restaurant in Burbank and whips out a gun. Within a few seconds, the burly-looking guy behind the cash register yanks the criminal through the window, slams him against a countertop and repeatedly pummels him as he crumples to the ground.

The scene was based on surveillance video of an actual robbery and was recently filmed on Magnolia Boulevard for Fuel TV's "Punk Payback." The aptly named reality TV series, starring former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Bas Rutten, showcases combat moves that help viewers avoid being "punked" on the street.

"It's part martial arts action, part comedy,'' said Greg Glass, president of BCII, which is producing the show. "It's very over the top."

"Punk Payback," which debuts in November, is just the lastest among an onslaught of new reality TV shows that have kicked into production in Los Angeles this summer.

Since early July, about 50 new reality TV shows have pulled permits to film on local streets or non-certified soundstages, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc.

While reality TV production slowed in the second quarter — it was down 13% compared with a year earlier — activity has rebounded this summer with a crop of new and returning shows.

The flurry of activity is a reminder of the American public's seemingly insatiable appetite for so-called reality TV, much of which is scripted, and how the industry remains a key driver of local TV production even as other types of television production decline.

Fewer one-hour dramas are shot locally in part because of rising competition from other cities outside of California.

"We're grateful to have it [reality TV], but we'd also like to see more scripted programming, which has a higher economic impact," said Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmL.A., which handles local film permits.

In addition to "Punk Payback," other new shows include "Shahs of Sunset," a Bravo! series produced by Ryan Seacrest about a group of affluent young Persian American friends living in Los Angeles; "Dance Moms," a Lifetime show that centers on a demanding dance company instructor and her students; and E! Entertainment's "Dirty Soap," which follows the personal lives of soap opera actors.

Then there's "Barbies Reality," which spotlights the drama surrounding a party rental hall in South Central Los Angeles. The show's producer, Hue Hollins, who owns the rental facility, hasn't sold the show yet, but he's confident he'll find a buyer from a cable channel such as True TV.

"There's enough madness going on at the facility that it would make for good television," he said. "It's a pretty open market, and we feel like if we can come up with something that's interesting and good, we shouldn't have any trouble selling it."

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SAG members earn more in movies and commercials, less in TV...

Screen Actors Guild members were better off last year than in 2009, reporting overall higher earnings thanks to increases in movies and commercials, even as they reported less income from work on television shows, according to a guild survey.

SAG members reported $589 million in movie-related earnings, up 8% from the prior year. Earnings from commercials jumped 13% to $818 million, according to the Screen Actors Guild survey.

The higher earnings "reflect a rebound in production levels from the downturn of 2008-2009," Ray Rodriguez, deputy national executive director for contracts, said in a statement published in the union's magazine, where the findings were reported. Rodriguez also attributed the higher commercials earnings to contract gains negotiated in 2009.

TV earnings for SAG members, however, continued to slide, falling 8% last year to $565 million. TV earnings have fallen 24% since 2007, when SAG members reported income of $746 million.

SAG officials attributed the decline to a "loss of coverage." SAG, which once dominated prime-time TV, has ceded significant ground to its smaller sister union, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, in recent years, in part because of the perception among networks and studios that the union was more stable and easier to deal with. SAG's loss of market share in prime-time television has helped to fuel a movement to merge the two unions, which has gathered steam this year.

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Amazon Instant Video Streaming Service Now Offers More Than 100,000 Movies...

Recent content deals with CBS Corp. and NBCUniversal have also expanded the lineup of Amazon Prime as the e-tailer competes more aggressively with Netflix in the streaming video space.

NEW YORK - Amazon.com said Thursday that its iTunes-type Amazon Instant Video service now offers more than 100,000 movies and TV shows, while its subscription-based Amazon Prime service has more than 9,000 movies and TV shows available for streaming.

The Amazon Prime content milestone was reached based on previously announced content deals, such as ones with CBS Corp. and NBCUniversal.

Meanwhile, Amazon Instant Video has content from all major studios and networks and regularly adds more titles as they become available. Earlier this summer, Amazon had reported that Amazon Instant Video had 90,000 content items available.

Amazon, led by CEO Jeff Bezos, has been expanding its streaming video programming lineup as it has competed more aggressively with video streaming powerhouse Netflix.

Amazon Instant Video offers new releases and classics for purchase or rental on an a la carte basis starting at $3.99, while Amazon Prime is a $79 a year shipping service that has been packaged with video offers.

"We are focused on offering our customers the very best selection and are always working to expand our already extensive list of great video content," said Steve Oliver, director of video at Amazon. "The 100,000 titles on Amazon Instant Video range from new hit blockbusters to old favorites, with more than 15,000 of those titles available in HD, and popular TV shows available the day after they first air."

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Hollywood on Track for Record Summer Box Office...

Boxofficemojo.com predicts the May-August haul will rise 6% over last year to $3.9 billion thanks to such hits as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

NEW YORK – Hollywood is on track for a record summer box office thanks to higher 3D ticket prices and a slight attendance increase with the latest forecast from a prognosticator calling for a 6 percent improvement over last year.

Boxofficemojo.com estimates that the May-August haul will reach $3.9 billion, the New York Post reported.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' Becomes No. 3 Film of All Time at Box Office

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' Hits $1 Billion at Global Box Office
The forecast comes after a record-breaking $1.4 billion box office haul in July that left summer box office revenue in North America up 4 percent over last year.
The Post cited 3D films, such as the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which earlier this month became the third-highest grossing film of all time, as a key driver. During the summer of 2010, movie studios released seven major 3D films. This summer has seen 12 so far, with four more to come, the paper highlighted.

Meanwhile, Hollywood has sold 482 million tickets this summer, a slight improvement over last year's weak performance, but that is still the third-weakest result since the turn of the century, the Post said.

"The 3D grosses were up, but that's mainly because there were more 3D movies and more 3D screens versus last summer," Brandon Gray, president of Boxofficemojo.com, told the paper.
Experts have highlighted that 3D tickets have this year represented a lower percentage of overall ticket sales though. Two of the summer's biggest hits - The Hangover 2 and Bridesmaids – were 2D comedies, the Post pointed out.

Hollywood is hoping that the summer boost will further narrow the year-to-date box office decline. As of the end of July, box office revenue for the year-to-date remained down 5 percent though driven by a sharp downturn in moviegoing earlier in the year.

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German Cable Companies Back in Black...

Little sign of cord cutting as Kabel Deutschland and Kabel BW report strong first half results.

COLOGNE, Germany - Cord cutting? What cord cutting? First half results from Germany's Kabel Deutschland (KDG) and Kabel BW provided further evidence that, in this territory at least, cable remains king. Both companies booked strong revenue and profit growth. Sales at market leader KDG were up 5.8 per cent year-on-year to $592 million (€412.1 million) and the company turned its $3.5 million loss in H1 2010 into a $12 million (€8.5 million) net profit. While the total number of KDG customers slipped slightly, to 8.7 million from more than 8.8 million a year ago, more Germans signed up for KDG's broadband, telephony and pay-TV services, boosting revenue overall.

John Malone's Liberty Global Buys German Kabel BW for $4.5 Billion

It was a similar story at regional cable operator Kabel BW, which saw revenues jump 10.7 per cent to $431 million (€300.2 million) and pre-tax profits top $144 million (€100.4 million), a 28.4 per cent increase. Again it was premium services driving the numbers, as pay-TV subscriptions jumped 39 per cent to 324,000 and broadband/telephony subscriptions were up about 25 per cent to 740,000. Kabel BW even managed to increase its total customer base, adding 48,000 new subscribers to make nearly 2.4 million overall. John Malone's Liberty Global bought Kabel BW in a $4.5 billion deal earlier this year.

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CRTC: Canadians Love Their Digital Devices...

Canadians are increasingly watching TV on their smartphones, tablets and online as U.S. digital giants like Netflix, YouTube and iTunes move north of the border.

TORONTO -- Now we know why Netflix, YouTube and iTunes are breaking for the Great White North: Canadians are watching TV shows on their digital devices in droves.

Commercial concerns dominate CRTC ruling

Netflix Canada cheaper than U.S. service

The CRTC, Canada's TV watchdog, in an industry survey reports 24% of English-speaking Canadians and 20% of French-speaking Canadians in 2010 watched some TV programming online, including newscasts, sports clips and popular U.S. and Canadian TV shows.

"This trend is expected to continue as these services give consumers the flexibility to catch up on the television shows they have missed, at a time and on the device that is most convenient," the regulator said.

The CRTC predicted that online viewing traffic on Canadian Internet networks will quadruple from 2009 to 2014.

Mobile video streaming is driving the growth: the regulator estimates that, between 2010 and 2014, the number of Canadian wireless subscribers will grow from 25.8 million to nearly 30 million, with half using a smartphone that can connect to the Internet and social media.
The CRTC report is not just about cheerleading about Canadians being digitally savvy.
The regulator insisted it needs to know the TV viewing habits of Canadians online, or on mobile phones and tablets, to ensure it can maintain shelf space for homegrown content.
"In this new digital world, regulators will be faced with challenges, particularly as they pertain to maintaining the currency and flexibility of existing laws," the CRTC warned in its report.

"In order to understand where regulations may become ineffective or result in unintended consequences, it is critical to examine the trends that drive convergence, alter business models, and change consumer behaviours—particularly those related to media consumption—and any other issues that concern consumers," the report added.

The CRTC has faced calls from domestic TV producers and broadcasters for the regulator to force Netflix to subsidize homegrown TV production as it continues to expand into Canada.
Netflix is considered the canary in the mine as the Canadian TV industry deals with a wall of U.S. digital content coming across the border and aimed at digital devices – and all unregulated by the CRTC.

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BSkyB Told to Loosen Grip on Hollywood Studio Pay-TV Deals...

Satcaster's deals with the six majors means rival subscription services are failing to compete.

LONDON – U.K. satcaster BSkyB is facing a call to loosen its pay-TV grip on films made by the Hollywood majors following an investigation by the Competition Commission here.

BSkyB agrees to deal with pay TV rivals

British Prime Minister Denies Involvement in News Corp.'s BSkyB Bid
T
he Commission said Friday BSkyB's deals for the first subscription pay-TV window with "the six major Hollywood studios" means other competitors, such as BT and Virgin Media, cannot compete for rights properly.

The industry watchdog noted that while BSkyB does supply its movie channels to "some other pay-TV retailers," it found that that "has not these retailers to compete effectively with Sky for movie channel subscribers."

"Due to the importance of being able to see recent movies to many pay-TV subscribers, Sky's control over the FSPTW movie rights of the major studios, and therefore over the movie channels incorporating this content, contributes to a lack of effective competition in the overall pay-TV retail market," the Competition Commission's report states.

BSkyB's deals for the first pay window means the satellite provider enjoys exclusivity on an array of high profile Hollywood fair for 15 months. It means output from Universal, Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Dreamworks and Warner Brothers are on Sky first in the pay-TV window.

Upcoming high profile films to be offered exclusively on Sky include Tron Legacy, Shrek Forever After and Sex and the City 2.

The Competition Commission has invited industry and public reaction to a series of recommendations to help loosen Sky's grip on the market.

The first recommendation is to restrict Sky from signing exclusive deals with the six majors in the first subscription pay television window.
Loosening the grip would mean rival operators could buy the rights to other distribution methods, including video on demand.

"Sky has had control of recent movie content on pay TV for many years. At the heart of the problem is Sky's strong position in the pay-TV market, with twice as many subscribers to pay TV as all other traditional pay-TV retailers put together. This provides Sky with a great advantage when it comes to bidding for movie rights, which no rival bidder has yet been able to overcome – and, if things stay as they are, we see no likely prospect of change," Competition Commission movies on pay-TV investigation chairperson Laura Carstensen said.

Carstensen also noted that providing new movie releases enabled Sky "to attract more pay-TV subscribers than its rivals and having more subscribers increases further its advantages when bidding in the next round for pay-TV movie rights, and so it goes on."

Added Carstenen: "Recent movie content is important to many pay-TV subscribers. As a result, Sky's control of this content on pay TV enables it to attract more pay-TV subscribers than its rivals and having more subscribers increases further its advantages when bidding in the next round for pay-TV movie rights, and so it goes on."

The satellite broadcaster spends north of £250 million ($412 million) per year on buying films, more than its budget for Sky News and other entertainment channels.

Under recommendations put forward by the Competition Commission, BT and Virgin Media would be able to rival Sky Movies by offering their own selection of new releases.
BSkyB issued a statement noting the announcement of provisional findings by the Competition Commission in its movies on pay-TV market investigation.

"BSkyB continues to believe that no regulatory intervention is required and that consumers benefit from high levels of choice, value and innovation across a wide range of providers," BSkyB said. "We note that the CC's findings remain provisional and have been issued for consultation. We will continue to engage with the CC during the ongoing regulatory process."
The Competition Commission is scheduled to publish a final decisino in August 2012 after consultation on its provisional findings.

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JC PowerHouse Short Film Festival/ FREE for Filmmakers to submit!

Short film festival Sept.30th-Oct.2nd, 2011 in Jersey City, NJ called "JC PowerHouse Short Film Festival"

Looking for short films/docs that are 30 mins and under.

The website is

It is FREE to submit and the deadline is Sept.16th, 2011

If any filmmaker is interested, please visit our submit page for address and submissions instructions.

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IRS regulations regarding tax deductions for documentary filmmaking

Does anyone know about an IRS regulation disallowing documentary filmmakers from making tax deductions during the course of their production, because documentary filmmaking is considered a hobby and not a business, intent on making a profit?

We've been in the documentary business (courterfilms) for more than 40 years and take all appropriate deductions. I have read about the Story lawsuit, but have not seen their tax returns. Of course you can take deductions if you do it right. Check with lawyers and accountants to be sure you are.

Here are some principles:

1. You can have a company that receives income that pays the expenses of making the film. It has to be funded from somewhere. For instance, a foundation gives us money to make a doc. We take all expenses and pay salaries--including ourselves. At the end, all the money is gone, but we have legitimate income from working on the film and pay taxes on that. If we had $100,000 for making the film and paid ourselves $25,000 and had $75,000 of expenses, the $75,000 are deductions. A "C" corp is different from a Sub-S, but in our case we use the latter and any extra left in the budget is taxed to us. If we end up with more expenses, we can write off the loss on our personal tax return.

The key here is you can't have losses for X out of X years.

In the case of the lawsuit, the filmmaker was also a lawyer with one assumes income from that practice. If she made a film for $300,000 and deducted that full amount from her income as both a filmmaker and an attorney and never showed a profit from filmmaking during that time, her filmmaking would be declared a hobby. This would be the same if she was deducting her horse stables or antiques business etc.

2. You can work within your own Sch. C. I am a writer. All my writing income appears on my Sch. C. I can deduct research trips to Europe, my assistant's salary, computer expense, ads, publicity etc. But again, I have to show a profit every few years. I just can't deduct the trips and goodies and not sell enough books to cover and show real income/profit. In my case, I sometimes have big sales spread across many years, but the sales are large enough to show the IRS that my writing is a legitimate business and not done for vanity or self-publishing.

Keep track of every single receipt and how you are financing your film. Pay yourself a salary. Run it like a business--which it is.

Thanks, Gay (Courterfilms)--and this advice goes for free-lancers as well.

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On Location: "The Mentalist" TV drama joins film marketing effort...

About 300 protesters marched down 56th Street past a theater in Highland Park , hoisting placards with slogans like "Stop Targeting Aliens," "We're not Thugs" and chanting "We're united."

No, this wasn't an immigration rights rally. The demonstrators were actually extras who gathered on a hot Monday morning to film a scene for an upcoming episode of "The Mentalist, " the CBS crime drama that is shooting its fourth season in Los Angeles.

Producers had cordoned off three blocks in the Highland Park community , where the extras milled with another 100 crew members and the show's stars Simon Baker, Amanda Righetti and Tim Kang, whose characters were investigating a murder amidst the protest.

"This was a big one for us,'' said location manager David Marmolejo, who spent a week getting the necessary permits and approvals to film the protest march sequence. "Your average Joe doesn't realize how many people work on a show like this. There are lot of people who are contributing to our local economy."

To reinforce the point, "The Mentalist" is among the first of several local TV shows that have emblazoned their production trucks with eight-foot long yellow and black banners with the slogan: "FilmWorks. Keep jobs in Los Angeles."

The banners are part of a two-year, $150,000 marketing campaign launched in December by FilmL.A., Inc., the nonprofit group that handles films permits for the city and incorporated areas of the country. The goal is to remind often film-weary L.A. residents how important their signature industry is at a time when the region has struggled to keep productions from leaving the state.

"The Mentalist" is one of about 45 one-hour dramas and nearly 60 sitcoms that regularly film in Los Angeles, which still remains the largest production hub in the world, notwithstanding growing competition from cities like Vancouver, Canada, Detroit, Michigan, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

FilmL.A. has been plastering thousands of FilmWorks logos on bumper stickers, billboards, bus stops, kiosks and, more recently, film equipment trucks. The campaign also will feature a 90-second public service announcement starring Tia Carrere that will run in Mann Theatres next month.

Warner Bros., which produces "The Mentalist," has featured the Film Works slogan on a half dozen production trucks and has also included the logos on "Hart of Dixie," the new medical drama series from the CW. ABC Studios also has agreed to feature the stickers on a half-dozen production trucks, said Todd Lindgren, spokesman for FilmL.A. Inc.

"It's just to remind the public of the cultural and economic value of this industry to the region,'' said Lindgren.

Overall, on location production in Los Angeles rose 17% last week compared to same time a year ago due to a surge in feature film activity, including shoots for Sony Pictures Entertainment's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," based on the Swedish crime novel and the romantic comedy "Think Like a Man." Feature film production activity rose 117% while commercial production increased 8% and TV activity dropped 3%, according to data from FilmL.A.

"The Mentalist," about a pyschic who helps police solve crimes, is set in Sacramento but films heavily throughout L.A., from downtown to the beaches and San Fernando Valley. Next week the crew will shoot a desert scene in Palmdale.

"We're all over the place," Marmolejo said. "Hopefully, people will understand that we're keeping people working and putting food on the table."

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Gamescom Video Convention Breaks Attendance Record...

The European gaming confab drew 275,000 which represented an 8 percent increase in visitors over last year's event.

COLOGNE, Germany -- Europe's number one video gaming confab, Gamescom, hit a new attendance record this year, with 275,000 visitors making the trip to Cologne to check out the latest titles and trends in the gaming industry.

The figure represents an 8 percent jump on attendance in 2010 but remains just slightly behind Korea's G-Star convention, which last year drew 280,000 fans. With 550 companies represented, however, the Gamescom defended its title as the gaming world's largest industry event.

The surge in fan numbers temporarily overwhelmed Gamescom organizers, who closed the entrance to the event for a short time on Saturday as the crowd threatened to turn into a crushing mass. If Gamescom is to build on the momentum it has shown in its third year in Cologne, the confab will have to find a way to better accommodate its swelling fan base.
The 2012 Gamescom runs Aug. 15 -19, 2012.

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