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The perils of product placement
I don’t dislike brands. But there are a few forms of marketing that irritate me. Top of the list is cold calling from companies when I’m eating my dinner – closely followed by those annoying pop-up ads that scroll down across the screen just as I’m about to click my cursor on something else. Other irritants are brands in the classroom, confusing product variants and checkout assistants who offer me a half-price chocolate orange when I’m buying a newspaper.
Breaking bread with rookie Copper scribe Morwyn Brebner
A little bit of luck, a great idea and a whole lotta talent takes playwright to the zenith of network TV
Staring down the pipeline
Like a plot from a ’50s sci-fi movie, satellites are taking control of Earth. Cyber cowboys are dueling to wield global communications’ power as we sleep.
Canada is first country to rule on net neutrality
Canada is the first country to rule on the controversial topic of Internet neutrality, according to the CRTC, although the debate rages on south of the border and around the globe (see story, p. 17).
3D at the B.O.: Avatar has changed everything
If you haven’t seen Avatar, you haven’t seen 3D. And you may soon find yourself in the minority, judging by the number of people who have seen the film around the world. Since its Dec. 18 debut, when it opened in 103 territories on more than 13,000 screens, James Cameron’s epic had earned $1.6 billion worldwide (at press time) and is poised to surpass Cameron’s own Titanic as the highest-grossing international film. The film is making money faster than the media can keep pace.
3D TV channels coming to your living room
Imax, Discovery and Sony plan to launch a 3D general entertainment TV channel that will broadcast 24/7 in the U.S. in 2011, according to the new partners. And ESPN has announced that it will establish a 3D channel by June 2010 to accommodate the World Cup. It also plans to cover a minimum of 85 live events in its first year.
2011 deadline is costly for casters and producers alike
For some Canadians, the days of free over-the-air TV signals are numbered.
Now U 2 can broadcast
Brace yourself for real-time iPhone broadcasting.
NFB and Brazil shoot for the ‘unimaginable’
The National Film Board’s new co-operative agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Culture is a bold step into the tumultuous zone of digital media.
Digital Glossary
Net Neutrality (aka Internet Neutrality; aka Network Neutrality):
Kids in the Hall: Death becomes them
Question: Fifteen years after their famed series and famously troubled movie, have the Kids in the Hall learned anything? Answer: Yes. When shooting in North Bay, beware of moose
Haiti specials raise $40 million
Joint effort by the big three networks hailed a success. Over 2.4 million tune in, leading into U.S. telethon
Box office topped $1 billion in 2009
In Canada as in the rest of the world, the box office broke records in 2009, bringing in just over $1 billion on the strength of 3D, sequels and non-traditional titles. Earnings were up 9% versus 2008, which clocked in at $920 million.
E1 gains momentum in 2009
Two years after it entered the market via an acquisition of Quebec’s Seville Pictures, E1 Entertainment has augmented its place on the Canadian distribution scene in 2009, a landmark year that saw the company increase box-office revenues by 74% in Canada.
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