When director George Lucas announced he was going to shoot Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones on the high-definition Sony HDW-F900 24p camera, many predicted HD was going to take a quick, huge bite out of 35mm movie production. But 24p HD origination has actually skewed significantly more toward the TV side.

One might use the term ‘the best of both worlds’ when describing the use of both film and video in the feature-length doc Undying Love, written and directed by Helene Klodawsky and shot by DOP Francois Dagenais.

James Tocher is a Leo Award-winning film and TV cinematographer who has shot substantial HD and other digital formats for film transfer. He also heads Vancouver’s Digital Film Group, which provides video-to-film transfers and digital filmmaking consultation for independents. Here he provides words of wisdom for filmmakers undertaking the video-to-film process.

Every day, Fujifilm faces two big challenges. On one side, as a manufacturer of motion picture film, it has to contend with the rise of digital technologies – in Fuji’s case, embracing the new media, which means going up against digital leaders such as Sony. On the other side, the Japanese giant has, for 70 years, been battling for market share against Kodak, the big kahuna of photochemical.

The IMAX Corporation has devised a cost-effective way to bring the ‘IMAX experience’ to multiplexes currently equipped only for 35mm exhibition.

Barely a financial quarter has passed since animation house Nelvana, struck by a $200-million writedown, saw its staff and production slate slashed by parent Corus Entertainment. But as it prepares for MIPTV at the end of the month, the beleaguered company is already talking recovery – heartily hawking 28 titles and its newfound knack for frugality.

Red Motel Pictures and White Iron Productions, both of Calgary, are coproducing Breakout for Craig Broadcasting, due to air in spring 2003. The pilot for a one-hour series captures a live performance by Canadian musician Sam Roberts, in which director Steven Goldman relies on fans and band members to act as impromptu cinematographers.

Finance Minister John Manley’s Feb. 18 budget commits $75 million a year over the next two years to finance the Canadian Television Fund – a reduction of $50 million over the two-year period – compared to the $100 million contributed annually to CTF since 1996.
In published reports, the minister offered a more positive spin, saying the two-year federal contribution is actually an extension of a program that otherwise was due to expire this year.

Funding season is turning out to be harder than usual on the nerves of the TV crowd, thanks to the new and nettlesome Broadcaster Priorities system at the Canadian Television Fund.
Having mothballed its by-now ineffective ‘Visibly Canadian’ criteria, the federal funding agency this year introduced a new system for the distribution of cash from its Licence Fee Program. Under the new rules, each broadcaster group – CBC, CHUM, Astral, TVA, et al – is assigned points by which to rank the importance of applicant projects. The CTF considers these rankings – they carry 26% weight – when handing out LFP money.

Vancouver: The checkout clerk at the grocery store, the guy sitting beside you on the bus, the woman who holds the elevator door open that extra second for you – they could all be strangers, but they may also be key players in your own story.
It’s this mystery and poignancy that marks the final scene of Third World, CBC’s grand, $9.5-million miniseries about Canada’s immigration challenge. In a nondescript parking lot in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour neighborhood, Moses, a Burundian refugee and parking lot attendant, makes change for Helen, a Canadian aid worker just back from Africa and driver of a compact car adorned with lefty propaganda.

With several sponsored programs already under the belt of Toronto-based Generator Films, parent commercial producer Avion Films is set to jump into the category with a new lifestyle/cooking show that will be financed almost entirely through sponsorship deals. It is the first of what Avion partner Michael Schwartz hopes will be several ‘branded programming’ initiatives out of the prodco.

With the commercial production industry reeling from a thousand body blows and long-suffering Canadian directors still looking for the respect they deserve, On The Spot turned to one of the industry’s most prolific creative talents for his prescription to help alleviate what ails commercial production.
Throughout his career, Martin Shewchuk has been involved in the creation of well over 1,200 commercials, and has worked extensively as a director as well as on the agency side.

Ontario worked a lot harder for a little more money in 2002, according to data on film and TV production recently released by the Ontario Media Development Corporation. There were more projects – including features, docs, series and animation – supported by the OMDC last year, 240 in total, up 30% from 2001, but overall production dollars left in Ontario gained only 0.3%, up to $984.5 million from $981.6 million the previous year.
The OMDC figures reflect expenditures in Ontario by productions utilizing OMDC-administered programs and services in 2002.

The original creators and producers of Starhunter have severed ties with the series to start up a new prodco.

Craig Broadcasting Systems has been given 90 days to rework the broadcast schedules on MTV Canada and 30 days for MTV2 after a CRTC commission concluded the MTV-branded diginets are in breach of Craig’s broadcast licence.