Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. It was once so rich that Concorde used to fly from Caracas to Paris. But in the last three years its economy has collapsed. Hunger has gripped the nation for years. Now, it’s killing people and animals that are dying of starvation. The Venezuelan government knows, but won’t admit it!!! Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty. People queue for hours to buy food. Much of the time they go without. People are also dying from a lack of medicines. Inflation is at 82,766% and there are warnings it could exceed one million per cent by the end of this year. Venezuelans are trying to get out. The UN says 2.3 million people have fled the country - 7% of the population.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Comcast launching new subscription VOD service

Streampix in the mold of Netflix business

By ANDREW WALLENSTEIN

Comcast is announcing a new subscription VOD service that is aimed squarely at countering Netflix but requires already paying for cable.

Streampix will launch across the nation's largest video distributor this week with movies and TV content from past seasons licensed from its own programming unit, NBCUniversal, as well as Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures.

With a business model and catalog-oriented content mix similar to Netflix and other competing services like Amazon and a coming joint venture from Verizon and Redbox, Comcast is clearly attempting to supplement its existing digital presence, Xfinity, with a long-tail-oriented offering. But Streampix is not available to those who don't already get Comcast cable.

Streampix will either be free to those who get Comcast's triple-play package of video, broadband and phone or for an additional $4.99 fee on top of other varieties of Comcast offerings.

A key differential from what Comcast already provides is that Streampix will give out-of-home access to select content across online, wireless and connected-TV platforms, including its own existing VOD assets.

Among the titles to be made available include "30 Rock," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ocean's Eleven." The volume of content at launch, however, won't be nearly on par with what Netflix has.

Comcast is already in the SVOD business to some extent through its stake in Hulu, which has a SVOD offshoot called Hulu Plus, though is a silent partner in the venture, a concession made to get approval for its acquisition of NBCU last year.

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Netflix inks pact with Weinsteins

'The Artist' included in multiyear deal

By JILL GOLDSMITH

Netflix and The Weinstein Company Tuesday announced a new multi-year licensing agreement, their first, to make foreign language, documentary and certain other movies from TWC exclusively available for Netflix members in the U.S. to watch instantly.

"The Artist" will make its pay TV debut exclusively on Netflix rather than on traditional premium cable.

The pic, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, has been sweeping the awards season, including the Golden Globe for Best Picture/Comedy or Musical and Best Picture Awards from the Producers Guild of America, British Academy of Film and Television, the London Critics Circle and NY Film Critics Circle.

Also making its pay TV premiere on Netflix is "Undefeated," nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Pic follows players on a Memphis, Tenn. inner-city high school football team as it attempts to win its first playoff game in the school's history.

A diverse slate of TWC specialty films will appear exclusively on Netflix within one year of their theatrical release, including World War II drama "Sarah's Key," "Intouchables," "W.E.," "Coriolanus" and "Bully."

Terms of the deal, the first between TWC and Netflix, weren't disclosed.

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British Film Institute poised to get more coin

British Film Institute poised to get more coin
Rising lottery sales to boost arts funding

By ADAM DAWTREY

LONDON -- The British Film Institute could be set for a dramatic increase in its funding, thanks to a boom in sales of National Lottery tickets, according to the latest U.K. government estimates.
Culture minister Ed Vaizey announced that the BFI is now projected to receive £240 million ($380 million) in lottery coin from 2012-13 to 2016-17, up 20% from the previous predicted figure of around $318 million.

That would translate as an average budget of $78 million a year to be spent on U.K. film production, distribution, training and industry development. The government previously said the BFI's lottery funding would increase from $43 million to $68 million a year by 2014.

That compares to the budget of $40 million a year received by the U.K. Film Council before its closure last April.

But insiders estimate that the BFI's actual budget could even higher, to as much as $90 million a year, after including unspent surpluses inherited from the UKFC and recoupment revenues from hit UKFC films such as "The King's Speech" and "Streetdance 3D."

The BFI was already set to benefit from the government's decision to give a larger share of the national lottery revenues to the arts from 2012 onward, after several years in which a significant proportion of lottery coin was diverted to funding the London 2012 Olympics.

The latest increased budget estimates follow an unexpected rise in lottery ticket sales.

The Arts Council of England is also now projected to receive an extra $253 million from 2012 to 2017, bringing its total five-year budget to $1.98 billion.

But Vaizey cautioned that these increases will only materialize if the current upward trend of lottery sales continues over the next five years.

"In a time of economic uncertainty, the arts are more important than ever," Vaizey said. "The cultural value is immeasurable and we are in no doubt about the contribution that the arts make to our economy, our communities, our schools and our well-being.

"We reformed the National Lottery so that the arts, film, sports and heritage would all benefit. And rising ticket sales mean that an extra £200 million could be going to the arts over the next five years, which is great news for artists and audiences across the country."

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Canadian Union Takes Bite Out of U.S. Actors' Residuals (Exclusive)...

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists charges American actors and other non-members a 25 percent processing fee, while members of the Canadians-only organization pay a fraction of that amount. The union blames "U.S. actors coming up and taking Canadian jobs."

An Arctic blast swept in from Canada last week as that country's largest performers union rebuffed efforts by American actors seeking refunds of a 25 percent "service charge" the union withholds from their residuals checks, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The fee, which applies to non-members only, is as much as 11 times higher than what members pay, but according to the union – the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists – membership is only open to Canadian citizens or residents.

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The size of the fee appears to be unprecedented. A source close to SAG – which charges no service fee on residuals – indicated that the guild will be looking into the matter. AFTRA declined to comment.
The 25 percent service charge is "grossly unfair," said Vincent Spano, who starred in Alive, a 1993 film shot in British Columbia. "It feels like a penalty for working in the country and being an American," he added, while noting that he loved Canada and its people.
An official of ACTRA's Vancouver-based branch, the Union of British Columbia Performers, left a voicemail for another performer on Alive, saying "you guys signed a contract, there was a statement in there about what the residual fees would be when you're a non-member." However, the official – UBCP's chief financial officer, Connie Brown – wouldn't explain what contract she was referring to, despite THR's requests.
ACTRA national executive director Stephen Waddell told THR in a statement that "the provision for a service charge for non-members can be found in the ACTRA Constitution." Left unexplained was how non-members could be bound by the constitution of an organization they weren't permitted to join.
David Marciano, who appeared in the Toronto-shot series Due South, told THR he had contacted ACTRA about five years ago and was told that the 25 percent fee was charged on all residuals checks that were sent outside the country.
UBCP and ACTRA offered a series of shifting and inconsistent explanations for the size of the fee, and for a 2008 hike from a prior level of 5 percent. Initially, Brown told at least one performer that the increase was due to rollbacks imposed by producers in 2007, and that the fee was set by ACTRA's national head office, leaving UBCP powerless to change it.
In response, an ACTRA national spokeswoman in Toronto told THR that the fee had been 25 percent since the mid-1990's. Informed by a reporter that this was not the case – THR had reviewed a series of payments made by UBCP to Alive actors – the spokeswoman had no explanation. She suggested calling UBCP – and also said that UBCP operates its own residuals processing department and was free to set its fee at whatever level it chose, contrary to Brown's explanation.
Told of this, Brown changed course, saying that the fee had indeed been 25 percent for many years and was set at the same level as ACTRA national's out of "solidarity with our parent union." Solidarity has its limits though: ACTRA national charges members a 5 percent service fee on residuals in addition to 2.25 percent dues, while UBCP charges members the same dues but no service fee.
Brown added in an email that "I did misinterpret one of my colleagues when they said that `we can no longer charge admin fees' as being related to the 25 percent change." That's apparently a reference to administration fees that producers pay – on top of residuals – in order to support the residuals department. It's unclear why Brown's colleague described them as a thing of the past, since such fees (at a 1 percent level) are in fact mandated by UBCP's 2009-2012 agreement.
As for why Alive actors saw their "service charges" leap from 5 percent to 25 percent, Brown now ascribes this to a procedural change, telling THR that residuals for the 1993 film had been processed manually until a new database system was implemented in 2008. The 5 percent level was erroneous, she said, and should have been 25 percent all along.
Missing from Brown's explanation was why the Alive residuals had been processed manually for a decade and a half, whether other projects had been processed in this way as well, how the 5 percent figure had come about, why the union hadn't notified the actors of the mistake and how or whether the union decided not to retroactively correct its error by recouping the undercharges from future residuals.
"They easily grabbed thousands of dollars from the recent Alive residuals we received," said Christian Meoli, a veteran SAG member who first brought the situation to THR's attention. "That's just one movie," he added. "Can you imagine how much they take from actors annually like this?"
When asked whether the 25 percent figure – or the eleven-fold differential between members and non-members – was fair or reasonable, UBCP's Brown suggested that it was appropriate, because "there are lots of U.S. actors coming up and taking Canadian jobs." The British Columbia Film Commission's statistics suggest otherwise, however: over 75 percent of film and TV production expenditures in the province in 2010 came from foreign productions.
Indeed, Alive was a Paramount film, and Due South a CBS series. Both were produced under ACTRA contracts prior to SAG's 2002 imposition of Global Rule 1, which requires SAG members to work under a SAG contract even on foreign productions.
In a conversation with this reporter, Brown proposed to put UBCP president Alvin Sanders on the line to discuss the matter further. The offer was unexpected, since Brown, in her voicemail message to actor Ele Keats, had said that Sanders "thought it would be better if I called back and gave you the position, because he not might be as diplomatic" as Brown. In any case, Brown returned a couple of minutes later and said that Sanders was not willing to speak about the issue after all.
Ironically, Sanders himself is a U.S. import: he was born in California, and moved to Vancouver when he was 32, according to his IMDb biography.
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Phone brings cinematography to masses

Phone brings cinematography to masses
Latest model improves image, sound, records in high-def
By CHRIS MORRIS

Korean thriller 'Paranmanjang' was shot entirely via iPhone by director Park Chan-wook.

As studios continue the transition from film to digital, the indie filmmaking community is going through a metamorphosis of its own.
The introduction of video recording options on Digital SLR cameras opened a lot of doors for budding auteurs on a budget, but advances to the camera quality of the latest iPhone could bring a flood of new offerings from people who haven't previously been able to afford quality video equipment.

Apple put a heavy emphasis on the iPhone 4S camera, adding high-def 1080p recording capabilities (the iPhone 4 had 720p), updating the maximum aperture and improving the auto-white balance, while also offering image stabilization and temporal noise reduction. The result is a handheld video camera that shoots nearly as well as Canon's EOS 5D Mark II at certain settings. And that's already encouraging people to see what they can coax from the $200 device (not including two-year phone service contract).

"I foresee a lot more people experimenting with short film," says Dmitry Kozko, CEO of OpenFilm, an online community for independent filmmakers whose advisory board includes actors James Caan, Robert Duvall and Scott Caan, along with director Mark Rydell. "I see it growing online, and I see a lot of festivals coming up that will cater to (the 4S), if only because of the 'cool factor.' "

The 4S certainly holds a pricing advantage, but it's handicapped in many ways when compared with DSLR recording devices. The aforementioned Canon camera performs much better in low-light situations. (The title sequence of "Saturday Night Live" is shot solely with a pair of Canon DSLRs, for instance.) And the iPhone is still incapable of shallow depth of field, due to its small sensors.

Still, that's not stopping some filmmakers from testing out the 4S for shorts. Benjamin Dowie of South Australia's Beanpole Prods. has shot an unnamed experimental short on the device, which has become a viral hit online.

Even before the improvements, the iPhone was becoming a tool of interest to filmmakers. South Korean director Park Chan-wook ("Oldboy") shot the thriller "Paranmanjang" (Night Fishing) exclusively with an iPhone 4. The 30-minute movie later won the 2011 Golden Bear for short film in Berlin.

The cinematic potential of the iPhone has grown to the point where there's a viable peripheral business geared to filmmakers. The Steadicam Smoothee has targeted iPhone shooters for the past two years, offering near professional level image stabilization. And the Owle Bubo incorporates a wide-angle and macro lens to enhance the phone's default offerings.

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H'wood buying up Argentinean titles

H'wood buying up Argentinean titles
By JOHN HOPEWELL

Hollywood's majors have begun an export drive on Argentine pics in return for the studios' bringing movies into Argentina for exhibition there.
Disney has taken select Latin American rights to "All In" from Argentinean helmer Daniel Burman. It has also snapped up animated feature "Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe," an Argentina-Uruguay co-production.

In all, Disney has committed to export five Argentinean films this year, Liliana Mazure, prexy of the Incaa national film board, said at the European Film Market Saturday.

Hollywood's other local operations -- Fox, Sony, Warner Bros. and Universal -- are also expected to acquire four to five Argentinean films for export outside Argentina this year, according to sources.

The majors' export drive on Argentinean pics comes following pressure from the government.

"It is important to export grains, machinery, technology, but it is very important to export our culture, our values," Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced at a meeting of Argentinean film professionals and Buenos Aires-based studio execs in early December.

The Argentinean government is aghast at U.S. blockbusters' near-monopoly of screens -- sometimes Hollywood product is playing on nearly 90% of Argentina's screens.

Prior to the December meeting, the government presented execs from Disney, Fox, Sony, Universal and WB with details of 120 films from 40 producers and dozens of TV productions from Dori Media Group, Endemol and Telefe Intl., among others.

The Argentinean governmental demands do not look particularly onerous, however.

On "All In" and "Selkirk," Disney has taken distribution rights to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Ecuador, plus Latin American TV rights.

Theatrical bows outside Argentina will depend on how well the titles perform on home turf, Mazure said.

Burman is one of Argentina's top directors, and "All In," which stars popular Argentine actress Valeria Bertuccelli, is his biggest-budgeted movie to date.

Latin American TV rights are also appreciating, given the demand for Latin American movies from regional pay TV operators.

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Pablo, a beautifully designed documentary by Richard Goldgewicht

A wonderful delve into the life and talent of the renowned film title designer, artist, trailer maker and full-on bohemian Pablo Ferro, this enthralling documentary is a must for any lover of cinema and is likely to spark retrospectives and tributes at cinematheques around the world.

An astute and entertaining blend of interviews, extracts and animation, Richard Goldgewicht’s film is – appropriately – delightfully designed and quite brilliantly narrated by Jeff Bridges, who brings a suitable Dude’s sensibility to the story of a man who embraced Hippydom and all that entails.

Pablo is a beautifully designed documentary.

With contributions from the likes of George Segal, Beau Bridges, Jon Voight, Andy Garcia and Anjelica Huston, the film is a wonderful celebration of Pablo Ferro’s work – on film such as Dr Strangelove, Stop Making Sense,Midnight Cowboy, Bullitt, The Thomas Crown Affair andA Clockwork Orange – and should be a source of inspiration for those who see it.

Ferro was born in Cuba in 1935, and moved with his family to the US in 1947. After finding work as an usher at a cinema, he dabbled in art and was asked to design some promotional material to help drive in audiences. After working as an artist for Stan Lee at Marvel Comics he moved into advertising, and created early adverts for television.

Summoned by Stanley Kubrick to devise a trailer and credits sequence for Dr Strangelove, which led to a long career working on Hollywood projects. Becoming best friends with the director Hal Ashby, the two embrace the Hippy lifestyle of the 1960s (the pair are beautifully animated), with Pablo’s New York lost apartment a Bohemian party venue.

After being shot in the neck in a strange incident at his flat he found work drying up, and after selling his Los Angeles house he ended up living with his on and working out of his son’s garage. Gradually being rediscovered, he is a modest man with nothing but fond memories for his career creating some of the most memorable title sequences in cinema.

He discusses with modesty how he created the multiple screen effects at the start of The Thomas Crown Affairand how Stanley Kubrick turned to him to create the staccato trailer for A Clockwork Orange. There are also contributions from his wife, children and former girlfriends who help deal with the darker aspects of life in the 1960s and his unconventional approach to fatherhood.

Jeff Bridges’ narration is almost poetical at times, and is wonderfully balanced by quirky and engaging animation that helps link interviews and film footage. Pablo is a beautifully designed documentary that should be a regular at film festivals and also has the appeal to work theatrically as well as for broadcasters.

Production company: Goldstreet Films

International sales: Shoreline Entertainment, www.shorelineentertainment.com

Producer: Jeremy Goldscheider

Screenplay: Richard Goldgewicht, Neil Katcher, Adam Trunell

Character animation: Nurbanu Asena

Motion design: Luis Freddy Morales, Marcela Permodo, Juan Camilo Fonnegra

Editor: Richard Goldgewicht

Music: Lior Ron

Website: www.pablothemovie.com

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Supreme Court upholds copyright law...

Supreme Court upholds copyright law
Affirms return of copyright to foreign works once in public domain
By TED JOHNSON

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Congress' ability to extent copyright protection to works by foreign artists and authors that were previously in the public domain.
The high court ruled 6 to 2, with Justice Elena Kagan recusing herself.

"Nothing in the historical record, congressional practice or our own jurisprudence warrants exceptional First Amendment solicitude for copyrighted works that were once in the public domain," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the majority opinion.

Orchestra conductors, educators and homevid distributors challenged the constitutionality of a 1994 act of Congress that restored the copyrights, bringing it in line with earlier trade agreements. Perhaps millions of works were covered, and they had argued that the "entry of a work into the public domain must mark the end of protection, not an intermission."

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, after the law was passed, notices were filed to restore copyrights on almost 50,000 works, including such Alfred Hitchcock titles as "The 39 Steps" and "The Lady Vanishes," Carol Reed classic "The Third Man" and a host of musical works and Mexican and Latin American films.

The content industry generally favored the restoration of copyrights. The MPAA filed an amicus brief in which it said that U.S. copyright holders could face "retaliatory measures" if the law was overturned, and the U.S. therefore did not honor the 1994 treaty and the Berne Convention, the international agreement in which countries recognize the copyright of works from other signatory countries.

"In aligning the United States with other nations bound by the Berne Convention, and thereby according equitable treatment to once disfavored foreign authors, Congress can hardly be charged with a design to move stealthily toward a regime of perpetual copyrights," Ginsburg wrote.

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Acad: Digital indies face early death...

Acad: Digital indies face early death
Indie and docu filmmakers unaware of risk, says report
By DAVID S. COHEN

The Motion Picture Academy's Science & Technology Council released the executive summary of part 2 of its "Digital Dilemma" report on the problems of long-term storage of digital movie footage. This new document focuses on the independent and documentary sectors of the movie business, and it paints a grim picture of filmmakers largely unaware how fragile today's born-digital movies are.
"In general," says the report "independent films that beat the odds and secure some form of distribution do so after a much longer time period than movies produced by the major studios. This time period quite likely exceeds the 'shelf life' of any digital work; that is, by the time distribution is secured, the digital data may become inaccessible.

"Most of the filmmakers surveyed and interviewed for this report were not aware of the perishable nature of digital content, or how short its unmanaged lifespan is compared to the 95-plus years that U.S. copyright laws allow filmmakers to benefit from their work."

The original Digital Dilemma report, released in 2007, focused on studio pics. It laid out the expense and difficulty of maintaining a digital archive of any kind, showing it is far greater than that of storing film in a temperature controlled vault. Originally the Acad's Sci-Tech Council recommended a "migration" strategy of moving data regularly from hard disk to hard disk periodically. However in subsequent presentations the Council has said it's been proven to a mathematical certainty that migration is ultimately bound to fail.

The bottom line: "Suitable long-term preservation and access mechanisms for digital motion picture materials have not yet been developed." In other words, there's no known way to preserve digital data over decades and ensure it will remain readable. That is not simply a problem for movie footage. The same issues pertain to digital medical records, financial data, and other information. The Acad is working with Library of Congress and other major industries, to search for a method to preserve digital assets.

However, because those efforts are being backed by big business, they may not prove suitable for indie films and filmmakers. Indie films that lack studio distribution -- and the financial resources that come with it -- are at particular risk of being lost entirely. "Unless an independent film is picked up by a major studio's distribution arm," says the summary, "its path to an audiovisual archive is uncertain. If a filmmaker's digital work doesn't make it to such a preservation environment, its lifespan will be limited - as will its revenue-generating potential and its ability to enjoy the full measure of U.S. copyright protection."

Awareness of the issue was no greater among documentarians than among narrative indie filmmakers. Says the report: "Surveyed and interviewed documentarians did not seem concerned about or aware of the possibility or likelihood of digitally acquired historical footage being lost. To the contrary, they believed that the Internet and today's digital technologies offered unprecedented access to historical footage."

The full report, not yet released, will include proposals for more education, sharing of information and collaboration among archives and other orgs.

The summary concludes by saying that unless preservation becomes a requirement for planning, budgeting and marketing strategies, it will remain a problem for indie filmmakers, documentarians and archives alike. "These communities, and the nation's artistic and cultural heritage, would greatly benefit from a comprehensive, coordinated digital preservation plan for the future."

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Europe's digital rollout passes half-way point...

Europe's digital rollout passes half-way point
Smaller cinemas are struggling
By ED MEZA

BERLIN -- More than 52% of theatrical screens in Europe have been converted to digital, up from just 4% three years ago, yet single-screen cinemas are still struggling.
According to a report by the Council of Europe's European Audiovisual Observatory and Media Salles, part of the EU's Media Program, some 18,500 digital screens had been installed in Europe by the end of last year.

While the initial phase of large-scale digital conversion during 2009 and 2010 was largely driven by 3D installations, it was 2D screens that for the first time propelled the rollout in 2011.

This second major phase of the digital roll-out, according to the report, is now driven primarily by full conversions of larger circuits under virtual print fee schemes with the major studios, and by public initiatives, ranging from legislation (such as in France), and publicly funded industry-wide conversion schemes (as seen in Norway and the Netherlands) to direct public-funding programs.

Not all theaters have been able to convert, however. The study shows that small cinemas and exhibitors have significant problems converting to digital. By the end of 2010 only 11% of single-screen cinemas had installed a digital screen, compared to 89% of multiplexes.

Small cinemas form a characteristic part of the European cinema landscape, with single-screen cinemas alone accounting for almost 60% of all European theaters.

"Though presumably not vital for overall box office results, these smaller cinemas play an important social and cultural role in many communities. The fact that these screens have not yet converted highlights the fact that commercial financing models cannot cover all European cinemas, causing a funding gap for between 15% and 20% of European screens," the report said.

Nevertheless, the high penetration rates in various European markets means the end of 35mm distribution is rapidly approaching. Distribs in Belgium, Luxembourg and Norway (which became the first country worldwide to go fully digital in 2011), were expected to end 35mm distribution as early as 2011 and 2012. A total of 11 territories had converted at least 50% of their screens by mid-2011, including France and the U.K., Europe's two leading markets.

The report warns that Europe's theatrical landscape could suffer major upheaval as a result of the fast-moving digital rollout.

"Once large distributors switch to digital distribution in such major markets, demand for film stock will drop significantly, putting pressure on 35mm economics on a pan-European level. This could cause financial strain for those distributors and exhibitors still depending on it."

Bigger companies are set to benefit more than smaller players from the transition to digital, leading to a "fundamental change in the fragmented European theatrical landscape" and posing "a challenge to the European independent sector, characterized as it is by a large number of small exhibitors and distributors."

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Wikipedia, Craigslist, other sites go black in SOPA protest...

Following through on their threats to shut down for a day over controversial proposed anti-piracy legislation, a coalition of websites including the hugely popular user-generated encyclopedia Wikipedia went black as midnight struck the East Coast.

Visitors to English-language pages on Wikipedia, regularly ranked as one of the five most popular sites on the Internet, with an estimated 2.7 billion monthly pageviews in the U.S., instead found only a headline stating "Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge." Stating that the proposed SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills "could fatally damage the free and open internet," the message said Wikipedia would be blacked out for 24 hours and asked visitors to contact their congressional representatives, providing a search box to look them up by ZIP code.

Other sites that shut down and displayed similar language included classified listings site Craigslist and technology blog BoingBoing, while a note on the social news website Reddit said it would begin its blackout at 8 a.m. Eastern time. Hundreds of other websites were scheduled to go dark, according to SOPAStrike.com.

Google, meanwhile, didn't shut down but blacked out the logo on its home page and featured a message that said "Tell Congress: Please don't censor the Web!"

Opponents have argued that SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and the similar U.S. Senate legislation PIPA, the Protect Intellectual Property Act, may be an attempt to stop international piracy of intellectual property but amount to censorship because they don't have proper protections for sites unfairly accused of enabling piracy and would "break the Internet" in the way the legislation blocks them.

Supporters, who believe the laws are needed to stop "rogue" websites that make it possible for Web surfers to illegally download or stream movies and television shows, went after organizers of Wednesday's Internet blackout, demonstrating the ongoing public battle between large media and technology companies.

"[S]ome technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging," Motion Picture Assn. of America Chairman Chris Dodd wrote in a blog post.

On Twitter, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch wrote, "Nonsense argument about danger to Internet. How about Google, others blocking porn, hate speech, etc? Internet hurt?"

The Obama administration this weekend announced its objections to SOPA and PIPA in their current forms, meaning it's unlikely the bills will be passed soon. Supporters continue to hope, however, that a compromise can be reached.
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Hollywood's design credit dilemma

Hollywood's design credit dilemma
ADG's 'Tintin' nom highlights production designer/art director issue
By PETER CARANICAS

"The Adventures of Tintin" was released without a credited production designer.

A heated dispute within the Art Directors Guild over a credit on "The Adventures of Tintin" has exposed a long-simmering debate over the title of production designer vs. art director while also raising questions about the changing role such artists play in a filmmaking process making ever greater use of digital tools.
Bookings and Signings

On Jan. 3, when ADG released its nominees for excellence in production design in 2011, it recognized an individual for each film, TV show and commercial on the list -- except for "Tintin," one of the five nominees for fantasy film and now a Golden Globe winner. For the Steven Spielberg movie the potential honoree was designated as TBA because no production designer was on the film's credits. "We were looking for who was responsible but couldn't get that info," said ADG prexy Tom Walsh.

Following inquiries, the producers -- who include Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy -- picked Kim Sinclair, referred to in the production notes as visual effects art director, as the person most responsible for the look of the film. As a result, Sinclair is the only art director on this year's ADG's noms list; the other 44 nominees are production designers.

At issue here is that a guild that in name is formed of art directors presents awards to its members for "production design," while the Academy often gives awards for "best achievement in art direction" to those same individuals.

"It's confusing to the industry and the audience that the Academy still chooses to award best art direction to the production designer, and it undermines the director and the producer when the production itself is not clear on the roles," said Alex McDowell, production designer on the upcoming "Man of Steel."

The quandary has historical roots. In film's early years, art directors designed a pic's overall look. Then, on "Gone with the Wind," David O. Selznick agreed to give his art director, William Cameron Menzies, the more all-encompassing title of production designer. Today, production designers are the acknowledged department heads to whom art directors, set decorators and others report.

The producers' designation of Sinclair rankled some guild members because "ADG takes the view that every film should have a production designer," said a person close to the guild.

McDowell added that animated films and those created via performance capture ("Tintin" falls in both categories) should also have a production designer. "The production designer's primary role does not change because of the methodology of the film," he said. "Animation and vfx films have all the same conditions as in-camera films; they're based on real physics, every surface needs to be designed and defined… and they require environments and characters that need to be defined and designed."

McDowell is not alone. "I can't imagine making an animated film without somebody in a production designer role," said Yarrow Cheyney, who had the credit of production designer on the animated "Despicable Me." "If they're fulfilling the role, their credit should reflect that."

Some production designers think their guild should do more to clarify the roles of its members. "Perhaps if ADG were completely clear in its categorization of the art department and its hierarchy, our union would be called the Production Designers Guild," said Scott Chambliss, production designer on "Cowboys and Aliens," who also got an ADG nom in the fantasy film category. "Then the guild would be much less likely to find itself in the baldly embarrassing position of its membership nominating a film for excellence in production design that had no officially designated production designer."

Such a move, added Chambliss, could spur the Academy to end the practice of "giving an award for best art direction to a production designer and a set decorator, but not to an art director."

As for "Tintin," the trio that worked on its design -- vfx art director Sinclair and art directors Andrew Jones and Jeff Wisniewski -- previously collaborated on "Avatar" and imported many of the digital tools from Jim Cameron's opus to Spielberg's work. Many production designers think that in addition to updating its terminology, ADG needs to continue to educate its members on new technology because production design is now often part of a complicated process that includes previsualization and vfx, and the disciplines can't be separated from each other.

"The moral of this story is that these hybrid films reinvent the roles," Walsh said. "This year we put out a film for first ballot with TBD as designer. I assure you we won't go down that path again."

Elevation Talent Agency signed editor Matt Garner ("Butter"), line producer Susan Leber ("Margin Call") and makeup artist Emily Ansel ("Keep the Lights On").

Thank you Variety.

Have a great day ☼

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Comcast launching new subscription VOD service

Comcast launching new subscription VOD service

Streampix in the mold of Netflix business