✖
Successful Canadian television drama – tackling an oxymoron
Ted Kelterborn is a partner in the Toronto law firm of McMillan Binch LLP and a member of the firm’s KNOWlaw Group. This article was prepared with the assistance of Julie Beeton.
Correction
Brett Sullivan directed the sequel to Ginger Snaps, not Grant Harvey as reported in the May 26 Prairie Scene column. Harvey directed the Ginger Snaps prequel. It should also be noted that the prequel is being posted at Tattersall Casablanca and Medallion-PFA in Toronto, not at Calgary’s Joe Media Group.
Want to build audiences? Market the product
While it’s been popular sport to bash Trina McQueen’s report Dramatic Choices since its release at the end of May, kudos to her for highlighting the need for a more concerted effort in the area of ‘audience building.’
90th Parallel on the case of the missing apes
In 1997 civil war broke out in Zaire and, fearing for his life, a young primatologist was forced to abandon his research station deep in the Lomako Forest. Jef Dupain had been in the troubled west African country for several years, studying the endangered bonobo ape – one of the most human-like and least understood of the great apes. As the nation, now called the Congo, tore itself to pieces, the fate of the apes remained a mystery until last November when Dupain and director Kenton Vaughan (The Devil You Know) made the long trip up the river, into the rainforest.
The resulting one-hour doc, Ghosts of Lomako, airs this fall on CBC’s The Nature of Things, via 90th Parallel Film and Television Productions.
Toronto fests persevere through SARS scare
The 11th annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival, held May 3-11, wrapped with a 20% increase in attendance and a 15% jump in box-office revenue, says the festival’s managing director Ellie Skrow.
Gill and Duguay recreate Hitler’s evil rise
Director of photography Pierre Gill admits to feeling uncomfortable at times while filming the two-part miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil, directed by Christian Duguay for Alliance Atlantis Communications and U.S. broadcaster CBS.
24th Banff fest opens amid biz uncertainty
Not long ago, Pat Ferns, president and CEO of the Banff Television Foundation, looked into his crystal ball and saw a lot of long, worried faces.
Fest fetes Mercer’s comedic talents
Rick Mercer will wear almost as many hats at Banff as he does in the TV biz as a quadruple-threat writer, performer, producer and director. The funnyman will grace the Rocky Mountain town to participate in a master class, co-host the awards show and, most notably, receive a special award himself.
The Frantic life of exec producer Jamie Brown
Frantic Films CEO and executive producer Jamie Brown has some advice for those who want to get ahead in the highly competitive film and TV business. And some won’t want to hear it.
Banff recognizes Murray’s ‘biocentricity’
Retired TV producer Jim Murray, best known for executive producing The Nature of Things, will be feted at Banff with ACTRA’s John Drainie Award for his contribution to broadcasting.
Writer Karen Walton comes full circle at Banff
In the career trajectory of Canadian screenwriter Karen Walton, historic dates might be listed as ‘BB’ or ‘AB’ – as in life before the 1992 Banff Television Festival and the whole ‘life as writer to watch’ period after.
Don McKellar, reluctant man of letters
To speak to Don McKellar, you might find him a curious choice to lead a Banff master class on writing.
Lunz shares the driver’s seat on Comedy Bus
Gerald Lunz doesn’t appear too nervous about participating as the subject of a Banff master class on writing. Perhaps he seems comfortable because he’ll be up there with Rick Mercer, a man with whom he has worked and laughed for more than a decade, the pair making up a partnership known as Island Edge (see Mercer story, p. 29). Or maybe it’s because the title of the master class is ‘Driving the Comedy Bus,’ a topic he understands very well.
Fragmentation, concentration and diversity: old policy issues for a new world
Janet Yale is president and CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association. She will be at Banff to participate in a State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration and Diversity. Here she provides a preview of some of her thoughts .
TV programming financing – a fix now for the long term
Glenn O’Farrell is president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. He will be at Banff participating in the State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration & Diversity.
The definitive CDN broadcast and production resource.Over 5,000 company listings!
