The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said it wants to enhance local participation on community channels with the new policy released Thursday.

“The role of the community channel should be primarily of a public service nature, facilitating self-expression through free and open access by members of the community,” the CRTC said in its decision.

It has given broadcasters until Sept. 1, 2014, to ensure that half of the programming is created by community members. The old rules, created in 2002, required about 30 per cent of programming be made by the community.

This means that the original idea for a program must come from members of the community, who must also be involved in some aspect of the production, whether in front or behind the camera.

The policy recommends that cable firms increase community outreach, train more volunteers and build better ties with community groups.

Half of spending at community channels must be devoted to access programming, under a new regime to go into effect on Sept. 1, 2014.

However, the CRTC has not imposed any new fees, nor will it allow ads on community channels. The cable channels currently collect about $120 million annually from Canadians to spend on community TV.

In hearings held in April, the CRTC found most cable and satellite firms devoted less than half of community-channel airtime to access programming in 2009:

  * Cogeco, 54 per cent.
* Shaw, 48 per cent.
* Quebecor, 39 per cent.
* Rogers (Ontario), 37 per cent.

An association representing community groups told the hearing that cable firms had withdrawn resources from volunteers in recent years and filled the airwaves with repeats.

The broadcast regulator noted the lack of transparency in determining how the cable firms spend money on community access programming.

It has introduced a new stricter annual reporting system on how cable companies spend money at community channels.

Source: CBC News

Sundance Selects, a sister to Rainbow’s IFC that is both a theatrical and VOD label, was introduced in the summer with the launch of Spike Lee’s “Passing Strange.”

Three films premiering at the Sundance fest, which kicks off Jan. 21 in Park City, have been chosen for the new Direct From the Sundance Film Festival initiative and will be available on VOD the same day each bows at the fest.

“Moving the storytelling of the Sundance Film Festival beyond 10 days in Utah remains a top priority for us,” Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford said. “This collaboration with Sundance Selects is a new and important complement to this ongoing goal and a perfect way to introduce unexpected and refreshing voices to wider audiences simultaneous with the event.”

The films are:

– Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross’ documentary “The Shock Doctrine,” which examines how capitalism exploits crises. It will have its North American premiere and on-demand bow Jan. 28;

– “Daddy Longlegs,” Josh and Benny Safdie’s autobiographical comedy about the responsibilities of parenthood, which bows Jan. 22 and is expected to have a theatrical run;

– Daniel Grou’s “7 Days,” which centers on a surgeon whose world is torn apart by the murder of his 8-year-old daughter, bows Jan. 22.

Direct From the Sundance Film Festival titles will be available for 30 days in a Sundance-branded section on participating cable systems’ main movies-on-demand channels.

IFC’s Arianna Bocco negotiated the acquisition deals on behalf of Sundance Selects for “Shock” and “7 Days” with Charlotte Mickie of E1 Entertainment International. She negotiated the deal for “Daddy” with producer Tom Scott and sales rep Victoria Cook of Cinetic Media.

Sundance Selects is one of several initiatives designed to extend the festival’s reach beyond Park City, a goal of new fest director John Cooper.

Another effort, the inaugural Sundance Film Festival USA, will bring pics from the fest — including “Daddy” and “Shock” — to eight cities Jan. 28.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

An acclaimed cinematographer, Kniest has created an impressive body of work. He has shot commercials for such prestigious brands as US Army, California Tourism, California recycle, Dodge, Drunk Driving, Easter Seals, GAP, HGTV, Honda, Islands Restaurant, Jaguar, Lexus, K-Mart, Marlboro Racing, Mervyn’s, and Nike. And music video for Baby “Bird Man,” Jeff Austin Black, Currency, Marcos Hernandez, Remy Ma, Little Mo, Lil Wayne, Sizzla and Topic. His film credits include Crossing Cords, Merry Widow, and Walkabout.

Kniest has been behind the camera for many acclaimed directors including Lenny Bass, TJ Hall, Marcos Hernandex, Tyler Jay, Murphy Karges, Warren Krushner, Dan “The Man” Melamid, melina, David Palmer, and Geordie Stephens.

The film, called Perkins’ 14, is a horror story about kidnapped children who are dehumanized for evil. Whether or not a horror flick is your cue to break out the popcorn, Perkins’ 14’s more interesting story lies in its creation. The film is the product of Massify, a film production community that provides tools for members to share ideas, collaborate on projects, post resumes and portfolios, secure funding through grants, and ultimately find an audience through distribution companies.

Massify gave its members control over Perkins’ 14 every step of the way, from voting on the initial concept pitches, to picking the cast, and even a contest for the poster. Pitches were solicited in February this year, and Massify members were allowed to vote on them through the middle of March. Once Perkins’ 14 was chosen by the community, casting auditions began in March, screen tests followed the next month, and pre-production began at the end of May.

Massify partnered with After Dark Films, the production company behind the yearly HorrorFest (warning: link resizes browser), to bring Perkins’ 14 to life. The film will debut in just a few weeks during HorrorFest III, which runs from January 9-15 ,2009.

Cofounder Brett Icahn (son of Yahoo’s outspoken investor-turned-board-member Carl Icahn) told the New York Times in March that Massify is “more a production network than a social network, because it’s driven by a creative purpose.” The company is making a name for itself in part for being a useful collaboration tool for film makers and various talent, but Kenneth Woo, Massify’s other founder, hopes to also make money from advertising by “building an audience before the film is made.”

Fangoria has a trailer for Perkins’ 14, and Massify features a number of behind-the-scenes clips and information about the film’s production and its actors. Even if only mildly successful, it is almost certain that more projects like this are on their way, harnessing democratic tools like Massify’s to produce major films.

Source: Ars Technica

The potential for a strike by SAG or a possible lockout of the guild’s roughly 120,000 members by the studios will be greatly affected by the results of AFTRA’s contract ratification vote. Ballots are due back Monday with the results expected to be announced Tuesday.

Since it announced its tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, AFTRA has been engaged in a battle with rival performers union SAG, which is urging shared members to vote the contract down.

Most industry watchers believe AFTRA’s contract will pass, though it’s uncertain by what margin. Should the AFTRA pact be ratified, SAG would be the only major guild left without a pact — the DGA and WGA signed off on deals earlier this year, the latter coming after a 100-day strike — and would see its negotiating leverage significantly reduced.

“If this passes, it will undermine the ability of the Screen Actors Guild to negotiate a decent contract. It will be a civil war,” one dual cardholder member said.

SAG is the larger of the two unions. AFTRA’s membership is at 70,000 and is comprised of a variety of talent such as actors, broadcasters, radio announcers, sound recorders and dancers. The two unions share 44,000 members who are actors.

SAG spent 42 days negotiating with the AMPTP, but did not reach a deal by June 30. The AMPTP, however, made what it termed a final offer to the union six hours before the contract expired. The offer mirrors the tentative deal with AFTRA and those already negotiated by the DGA, WGA and by AFTRA on its Network Code.

SAG leaders spent the Fourth of July weekend studying the studios’ offer. On Wednesday, SAG negotiators met with the AMPTP for a late afternoon meeting to ask questions about the offer. No deadline for a response to the offer has been set by the AMPTP. The two sides met for an informational session last week, but SAG has made no formal response to the offer, and the studios have set no deadline.

The two actors unions, AFTRA and SAG, have had a tough year. The two groups jointly bargained their primetime/TV deals for 27 years. But that all changed in April when AFTRA, after going through the process of designing bargaining proposals with SAG, decided to split from the sister union and negotiate on its own with the AMPTP.

AFTRA claimed many reasons for the split, including alleged jurisdictional raiding by SAG on “The Bold and the Beautiful” as well as SAG’s push to try to change the voting percentage between the two unions during negotiations.

Despite SAG dropping that initiative, AFTRA decided to break from SAG. The result has been a public battle between the two unions, with A-list stars taking up sides.

Most recently, SAG recruited Sean Penn to record a message for a recorded phone call campaign. The actor urges dual cardholders to vote no on the AFTRA contract.

SAG so far has not sought a strike-authorization vote and its president, Alan Rosenberg, has been vocal that there are no plans to do so.

However, the studios could decide to lock out actors if their offer to SAG is rejected. So far, the AMPTP has not set a deadline for SAG’s response to the offer.

Production has slowed significantly in the industry because of the labor woes, so any lockout by the studios could be seen, at least initially, as largely symbolic.

Some joint members of the two guilds have threatened to challenge the validity of the AFTRA ratification vote if the pact is approved.

“Only affected members should vote on the contract,” one anti-AFTRA contract actor said. “Allowing broadcasters and disc jockeys to vote on it, that will be challenged even if it does pass.

AFTRA’s general counsel, Thomas Carpenter, discounted such moves.

“There is no avenue under the law to challenge a contract or ratification,” he said. “The law is pretty clear. A union has a very wide discretion to implement practices and procedures and contract ratification without any scrutiny by the Department of Labor or labor board or arbitrator.”

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Both executives will report to Mark Atkinson, Vice President and General Manager, Deluxe Vancouver.

Prior to joining Deluxe, Baldwin served as founder and President of PostWorks New York. He brings a deep technical knowledge as well as years of post production expertise to the Vancouver operation. Rick Cederlund is a long time member of the Vancouver post production community with a strong engineering background, and formerly served as Director of Operations for NorthWest Imaging & FX.

Deluxe Vancouver and its sister company, CIS Vancouver, are the former post production and visual effects units of Rainmaker Entertainment Inc. acquired by Deluxe in January 2008.

Jack Jordan, 37, is accused of sending harassing e-mails to Thurman’s father and brother, loitering for hours on the steps of Thurman’s Manhattan apartment and visiting her trailer on the set of the 2006 film, “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.”

He is charged with misdemeanor counts of stalking and harassment of the “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction” actress and faces up to one year in prison if convicted.

Thurman testified during the five-day trial that Jordan’s actions caused her to fear for her life and the safety of her two children.

“I was completely freaked out. It was like a nightmare,” Thurman said.

Jordan’s lawyer, George Vomvolakis, portrayed him as a desperate man trying to endear himself to the woman he loved.

“Will you see obsession? Yes,” Vomvolakis told jurors during his closing argument. “What you will not see is the intention to scare … In his own mind, he thinks that he had a chance.”

Jordan’s parents had him committed to a mental institution after his visit to Thurman’s movie set. He now lives with his parents in Maryland and is training to be a teacher.

Source: Variety

For the first time since 1994, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. beat rival commercial enterprise Global Television in winter primetime ratings, according to BBM Nielsen Media Research.

Global Television makes heavy use of U.S. series in primetime, while the CBC relies primarily on homegrown Canadian shows. But during the WGA strike, Global was forced into reruns while CBC rolled out its most ambitious winter schedule in decades.

The CBC posted a 7.8 share in total viewers (2+) from Oct. 1-April 6, compared with a 7.4 share for Global Television during the same period — a complete reversal from the previous winter season.

While it concedes that it lost out to the CBC in total viewers during the strike, Global Television insists it maintained a lead during the same period in adults 18-49, the network’s key demographic.

The CBC made its audience gains with new homegrown dramas such as “The Border” and “Sophie,” the reality series “The Week the Women Went,” and a new daytime lifestyle show.

“We’ve built a schedule with new shows and returning favorites, and we’ve really hit our stride,” CBC executive director of network programming Kirstine Layfield said.

Meanwhile, as Global suffered from a lack of fresh scripted fare, Canada’s biggest commercial network, CTV, succeeded in utilizing such nonscripted reality hits as “American Idol” and “American Gladiator” to boost its ratings during the strike.

Source: Hollywood Reporter