A cabinet shuffle has significantly restructured the highest ranks at CHUM. Newly appointed president and CEO Jay Switzer announced earlier this month the formation of a four-person ‘managing operating committee’ that, reporting to him, will handle the day-to-day operations of the Toronto radio and TV giant.

* Robb Chase has been named president and CEO of Famous Players, taking over command of Canada’s largest theatre chain from outgoing film vet John Bailey. Chase, previously president and COO, is ‘has had an enormous impact on the company’ since joining three years ago, according to Tom McGrath, EVP of Famous Players parent Viacom Entertainment Group.

Sandra Richmond 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

Watching the primetime news conference March 6 of U.S. President George W. Bush, I was struck by how stiff the entire event was. I couldn’t help but feel that R2D2 would have been more successful in affecting a less mechanical performance.

In the February 3 issue of Playback, a photograph was incorrectly identified as ‘young Doug Dales holding the clapper on a commercial shoot’, when in fact it is a picture of a young Alar Kivilo, DOP, holding up the slate for the feature film Me. Playback apologizes for the error.

Montreal: New location inquiries from the studios and from independent U.S. and European producers have picked up noticeably in the past month, says Martine-Andree Racine, director, Quebec Film & TV Office (QFTVO). Other inquiries have been in negotiation for months. ‘We won’t get them all but we have a good chance with several,’ adds Racine.

Montreal: With two new Warner Bros.-backed pictures opening offices in Montreal, the production service season is off to a promising start, at least in terms of studio work. Mathieu Kassovitz’s psychological thriller Gothika is operating out of Mel’s Cite du Cinema/Technoparc while DJ Caruso’s serial murder drama Taking Lives has opened an office at the Cine-Cite Montreal studios.

Lorraine Boily, commissioner, Quebec City Area Film and TV Commission, says two studio project developments are being examined. Quebec City has fabulous, unique locations but a multitude of professional services are also necessary for major film and TV production, she says.

Montreal: Arden Ryshpan, on location production liaison with STCVQ and ACTRA, says, ‘competing interests within government’ have made it difficult for SODEC to designate funds to encourage foreign production when there is not enough money to fund indigenous production.

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.