The Pixel Pitch

Power to the Pixel has launched the Pixel Pitch, a pitching forum for up to ten of the best UK and international cross-media film projects.

We are looking for stories that can span film, TV, online, mobile and gaming to be presented to a select group of financiers, commissioners, tech companies, online portals and media companies in front of an audience of PTTP participants.

The selected project teams will compete for the
BABELGUM PIXEL PITCH PRIZE of £6,000.

Teams will benefit from significant international publicity and be introduced to new international business and partnership opportunities as well as one-to-one consultancies.

Last year's Launch saw four cross-media projects presented to international companies including Babelgum, Sony Computer Entertainment, BBC, YouTube, MySpace, Amazon, Channel 4, UK Film Council, Arts Council of England, Tribeca Film Institute.

The deadline for applications is 18.00 BST, 14th August 2009, and further information on the submission process is on the web site.

Storyland 2 Results

The results of the second round of the Storyland web series competition are in:

1 Rental Boys
2 Hardy Bucks
3 Psych Ward
4 Happy Slapper
5 Pub World
6 Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
7 Running Low

The top four dramas will be commissioned to make a third episode.

Voting will open on Friday 5th June at 5pm until Monday 15th June at 5pm to decide who will progress to make a fourth episode.

Storyland Redux

Voting has opened in the second round of RTÉ's Storyland competition.

The second episodes of seven web series are now available for viewing:

• Happy Slapper
• Hardy Bucks
• Jenny was a Friend of Mine
• Psych Ward
• Pubworld
• Rental Boys
• Running Low

Voting closes at 5pm Monday 4th May, and will determine which shows progress to round three.

RTE Player in Beta

RTÉ is currently beta-testing its new online Player facility, a free online catch-up service which lets Irish viewers watch a variety of programmes for up to 21 days after they are broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Two television.

There are new programmes available every day, and include Entertainment, Arts, Music, Irish Language, Drama, Religious, News, Current Affairs, Factual, Lifestyle, and Young Peoples' shows.

Currently, there are two short films available to watch until early May: "My Dad", written and directed by John Vaughan, and "Badly Drawn Roy", written by Alan & Frank Shannon, and directed by Alan Shannon.

Sony in Talks with YouTube

According to a news article on CNN YouTube is in negotiations with Sony Pictures to acquire licensing rights to full-length content. Last week Disney agreed to licence short-form content to YouTube. To compete in the burgeoning online video market YouTube must obtain more long-form drama.

Sony Pictures' Web video property, called Crackle, could result in a boost to YouTube's ambitions to become a player in Hollywood.

Sony acquired Crackle in 2006, a year before Google bought YouTube. It's a multi-platform next-generation video entertainment network that distributes digital content including original short form series and full-length traditional programming from Sony Pictures' library of television series and feature films.

YouTube and Google can't be too choosy. The truth is that two years ago they miscalculated how much they needed Hollywood. YouTube frustrated some studio and TV executives by saying "we're not responsible for the actions of our users."

Since then, YouTube managers have changed their attitude and have focused on making the site more appealing to big entertainment companies, such as offering better-quality streams, and filtering for pirated content. Still, what was true two years ago is true now: none of the big entertainment companies is going to allow Google to build YouTube's business on their content without getting something in return.

There's also the question of what the studios intend to do with the traditional distribution model. Hollywood has long had agreements in place to release films through a complex assortment of channels, including theatrical release, DVD sales, and cable, premium, and broadcast outlets. For example, film-industry sources say the money Hollywood earns from the Web is a trickle compared with the ocean of cash it receives each year from cable providers.

Nonetheless, more and more people are canceling their cable subscriptions and turning to the Web for entertainment. Even execs from the cable companies have acknowledged this. Last week, after Disney announced the agreement with YouTube, I asked Jordan Hoffner, YouTube's chief of content partnerships, whether YouTube, Hulu, and the other Web video services can convince Hollywood to wean itself off these other distribution channels.

"I think that what we're doing is we're dealing with a fragmented world," Hoffner said. "You can't just say you're going to count out any distribution channel and focus on one because audiences are moving to other places. We're one of the places they're moving to."

Storyland Online

A reminder that RTÉ's online drama competition Storyland kicks off at 5pm, Monday the 16th of March 2009.

Pilots of nine dramas will be made available for viewing online. Viewers have until 5pm, Monday the 30th March to vote for their favourites.

Only eight projects will proceed onto the next round.

Canadian Fund Highlights New Media

It's worth noting an article on Canada's Globe and Mail about the change in direction of its federal government's funding for film.

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore unveiled a new super-fund, called the Canada Media Fund (CMF), which is amalgamating three previous schemes into one, for a combined $134.7 million in government financing.

It doesn't mean more cash, at least for now – but Moore was adamant that money can be spent more efficiently and will be focused on Canadian drama and comedy across the country. The government will give preference to projects developed in high definition and on more than one platform, such as television shows that incorporate interactive games, webisodes, podcasting or online streaming. That adds up to an added burden when designing projects for CMF support, but Moore said new media needs to be drawn out of its silo and into the production mainstream.

"New media isn't frankly new media any more. I watch more television on my iPod than I do on my actual conventional television set," said Moore.

TV's Future in NI

On Monday the 19th of January, 2009, from 6-8pm at the BBC's Blackstaff House in Belfast, Equity is offering a free seminar on the future of television, called "Television Is Changing - Are You Ready?"

It's open to Equity members, producers, agents, casting directors and other industry professionals.

Join Equity at this interactive seminar designed to give you the opportunity to find out about the work that Equity has been doing in response to the expansion and development of new technology in the world of television production, broadcasting and throughout the entertainment industry.

The key themes covered include:

• TV Is Changing: The way actors work and are paid will change as a result of the revolution that is taking place in broadcasting. This campaign is part of Equity’s effort to provide you with the information you need to help you make informed choices about the implications of the coming changes.
• Pan-Industry Negotiations: Equity has been meeting with representatives of all the major broadcasters and independent producers in the British television industry with the goal of negotiating a pan-industry agreement that will bring together the best of the many individual deals that currently exist.
• New Media Deals: Find out about the work the union has already done in areas such as mobisodes, podcasts, internet-only productions and games.

Places are limited, so if you wish to attend you must book a place in advance: details are listed on Northern Ireland Screen's web site.

WGA in Arbitration

Last month the Writers Guild of America West announced that it had filed for arbitration against the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers – the AMPTP – over non-payment of residuals from new media.

"Our agreement with the companies on material released to EST covers feature films produced after July 1, 1971, and television programs produced after 1977," said John F. Bowman, WGAW Board member and chair of the 2007 WGA Negotiating Committee. "The companies have reneged on this agreement and are taking the position that only programs produced after February 13, 2008 are covered by the new provision. This may be their deal with the DGA, but that was never our agreement. Every proposal we made during negotiations made clear our position that library product was covered, and the AMPTP never objected to that position. The Guild will not allow this to stand."

The Guild is also preparing to file for arbitration against the AMPTP companies for failing to pay residuals due for the streaming of television shows on the Internet. "Our tracking has shown that episodes are staying on websites longer than the 17-day initial window called for in the contract. This triggers the payment of a residual, but so far we've seen nothing," said David Young, executive director of the WGAW. "Given the reports by the conglomerates of the growth of the number of shows being streamed and increases in new media revenues, this is an unacceptable situation."

"In light of the fact that writers are not being paid for new media reuse, it's unconscionable that the AMPTP proclaims on its website, 'By working under an expired contract, SAG members are not receiving the new media residuals that other Guild members are already collecting,'" said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone. "The companies know what is being streamed, and they regularly announce how successful they are in generating online advertising revenue, so there's no reason for them not to honor the agreement they made with us."

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood covers the reply from the AMPTP as well as the WGAW's response to the excuses.

MAMA 08

Last week the Media And Multicultural Awards (MAMA) 2008 were handed out at a ceremony in the Abbey Theatre.

The awards, which were established by multicultural newspaper Metro Éireann, aim to recognise people, groups, companies, institutions and media platforms that promote diversity and multiculturalism in Ireland.

Saviours, the documentary film by Ross Whitaker and Liam Nolan about the St Saviours Boxing Academy, won two awards: first place in the Visual Media category, and the St Saviours Boxing Academy was awarded a special bursary of €5,000 from the Iris O'Brien Foundation. This award was for an individual or organisation that positively responded to cultural diversity in Ireland.

The documentary was funded by the Irish Film Board, and it reports:

Liam Nolan picked up the award for Saviours and said afterwards, "It's brilliant for the film to be recognised at these awards because we really felt that the film could say something positive about the benefits of a multicultural outlook. And we're very happy that the club has received a very well-deserved award too - it's nice to give something back."

Ross Whitaker added, "We didn't want the film to be overtly political but we still feel that it raises awareness about some issues related to race and we feel that the film can really make people think differently about these issues. We feel that this is a really important award and we're delighted to have been won it."

Here is a full list of all the Awards and their winners:

Multicultural

• Individual: Utsav Lal
• Non-Governmental Sector: Fáilte Isteach Project (Third Age Foundation/Mary Nally)
• Public Sector: Dublin City Libraries - Many Faces Many Places
• Private Sector: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin Northwood
• Multinational Organisations: Dell

Media

• Print Media: Kid's Own Publishing
• Broadcast Media: Spectrum, RTE Radio One
• Visual Media: Saviours Documentary - Ross Whitaker & Liam Nolan
• Student Media: Julian Ulrichs and Richard Walsh - FGM: No Way Home
• Online/Web Media: Garda John Condruin / www.nicnewcommunities.ie

Foras Na Gaeilge Award: In the Name of the Fada/Des Bishop

Iris O'Brien Foundation Bursary Award: St Saviours Boxing Club

National Action Plan Against Racism Award: O'Connell School, Dublin

BCI 2008 Conference

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has announced details about its National Conference, which will take place from Wednesday 17th - Thursday 18th of September, in the Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin 3.

Entitled "Does the Medium Matter?" and chaired by broadcaster and journalist Claire Byrne, this year's conference will address the themes of digital and new media from a variety of standpoints. A host of national and international speakers will explore the challenges of content delivery across increasingly diverse platforms and will examine the implications for providers and consumers.

On the theme of digital delivery, speakers in the session include Lucy Gaffney, Chairperson, Boxer DTT; Alex Pumfrey, Programme Director, Digital UK and James Cridland, Head of Future Media and Technology, BBC Audio and Music Interactive.

The area of new media has been a source of consideration and debate for practitioners and citizens alike, particularly in terms of how emerging and emergent technologies can and do interact with more traditional media forms. Speakers for this session include Jonathan Marks, media anthropologist; and Philip Macartney, Head of Sales, Bebo Ireland.

2008 also marks the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Radio and Television Act, which heralded the beginning of commercial radio and television in Ireland. This year's conference will look at the growth of radio and television in Ireland in the intervening years and examine the future implications for the sector through a panel debate. A number of workshops linking in with the conference theme will complete the conference line-up.

Information on how to register your interest in the conference is available online.

Strike.TV Coming Soon

According to Backstage a new online network, called Strike.TV, will launch this summer. Professional TV and film screenwriters set up the network during this winter's Hollywood writers' strike. It plans on going on air with 40 shortform programs, which will include comedies, dramas and a game show. There will be serials, as well as standalone shows.

Participating writers include Lester Lewis ("The Office"), Rob Kutner ("The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"), Stephen E. de Souza ("Die Hard"), Karen Harris ("General Hospital") and Ron Corcillo ("Malcolm in the Middle").

The impetus for the online network came from writers who wanted to generate revenue for out-of-work colleagues. To that end, Strike.TV pledges to donate the first three months of ad revenue to the Entertainment Assistance Program of the Actors Fund.

However, Strike.tv is also intended to become a profitable venture in its own right, allowing participating writers to own their intellectual property. Its creators also anticipate it could be an alternative to the studio system as well as a breeding ground for programming that studios could co-opt.

FilmmakersNetwork AGM

FilmmakersNetwork.ie is holding an AGM on Saturday 17th May from 14:00 - 17:30 in Filmbase in Temple Bar, Dublin. All those who are members of the online forum are welcome to attend.

Almodovar Blogs Film

Pedro Almodovar is blogging about the creation of his new film Broken Hugs. It can be viewed in Spanish, French and English and will offer a mixture of pictures and videos, as well as the writer/director's commentary on the process of drafting and shooting the film.

Irish Swede

The Irish Film Board has announced a fun competition that takes its inspiration from the new Michel Gondry comedy Be Kind Rewind.

Using an Irish or Irish-themed film as inspiration, the competition involves making a short 'sweded' movie that's no more than two minutes long. A 'sweded' movie is a re-imagining of a film, trailer or scene made using anything that is to hand.

The prizes which are sponsored by the IFB, Filmbase, Darklight Festival and Channel 6 include two tickets to an Irish movie premiere, a walk-on-part in an Irish Production, a year's free membership to Filmbase and a screening of the winning short on Channel 6 and at the Darklight Festival in June.

For further details about the competition and the movie please to www.bekindrewind.ie.

Going Independent

Hollywood screenwriter and prolific blogger, John August (Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Nines), has announced that the screenwriters' strike in the USA has inspired him to go the independent route with his next project.

The project is financed outside the studio system, with some of that much-fabled internet money. It has actors you recognize, and it probably could be a TV show -- but it won't. There's near-consensus that in the next year or two, one of the web shows will really take off and change the game. I can almost guarantee you it won't be ours. We may never see the light of day. But it's the right time to be experimenting: with tone, with format, with economic model.

Expect to see similar fallout from the strike in the coming year.

New Media Course in NI

IFTN reports that Campbell Ryan Film productions in association with Northern Ireland Screen will host a free New Media Writers workshop in Belfast. Nuno Bernardo, creator of the interactive TV series Sofia's Diary, will tutor the course.

The New Media workshop is an opportunity to learn about this rapidly evolving medium from one of the acknowledged global experts. The workshop will run on the 9th and 10th February at Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast.

Nuno Bernardo is Manager of beActive Produções Interactivas and creator of the interactive TV series 'Sofia's Diary'. She is considered to be a leading world expert in New Media and has given seminars at Venice Digitale, MIPCOM France and BAFTA London.

The workshop is free and split into stages over two days. A the end of the first day writers who are interested in developing their own New Media project, and also the possibility of working with Campbell Ryan Productions, will leave their contact details at the seminar and be given the chance to pitch their ideas in the final part of the workshop the next day.

Campbell Ryan Productions are seeking new individual writers for an upcoming new media production series so the workshop is an opportunity to showcase your writing skills.

Places on the course are limited and the closing date for applications is Wednesday 6th of February. Details about how to apply are on the web site.