Category: Movies

MUMBAI: With the installation of a second high-end negative bath and additional facilities, Reliance ADA group company Reliance MediaWorks has expanded its UK operations.

This move will enable the company to handle processing bonded feature films for Hollywood, British and European producers shooting in the UK.

The laboratory, one of the only two film processing facilities operating in London‘s Soho district, is a widely preferred destination for film negative processing for leading commercials and high-end television work including majority of BBC‘s productions like Spooks, Waking the Dead and New Tricks, the box-office hit Earth, the feature film version of the hit series Planet Earth among others.

Reliance MediaWorks UK currently offers front-end, processing restoration, 2D to 3D conversion and post-production services to Broadcasters and Studios. The company has added additional 5000 sq ft premises on Poland street in London to house its extensive film and media services offering.

Commenting on the expansion, Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun said, “Our London lab has developed a reputation as one of the top processing labs anywhere in the world. As an integrated global film and media service provider, we see a strong business opportunity across Europe, which is why we are making significant investments to increase the capacity of our London lab and enable it to support work on major feature film productions as well.”

Reliance MediaWorks has already processed several independent UK and European feature films, having recently also catered to Indian film productions in London and UK.

MUMBAI: Last week saw the release of three low-cost films – Bumm Bumm Bole, Bal Hanuman 2 and Kushti and none could muster a face-saving opening.

While the industry was expecting the Darsheel Safary-starrer to at least manage a good opening, the numbers that it has registered at the box office are extremely disappointing. And the same is the case of Hanuman 2 and Kushti.

Given the fact that Kushti has Rajpal Yadav in a duel with Khali, people seemed excited to view the film from the comedy angle but the film also couldn‘t register a decent opening.

Though Bal Hanuman 2 saw some excitement among children, its opening too couldn‘t excite the box-office.

Avers Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur, “Among the three films, we screened only Bumm Bumm Bole and Bal Hanuman 2, both made for the children audience. But due to poor content, the films could attract only between 20 to 25 per cent footfalls. On the other hand, Badmaash Company and Housefull continued to do great business.”

Yash Raj Films‘ Badmaash Company that had registered an opening weekend haul of Rs 135 million, grossed Rs 210 million in its opening week. And now, the film, in its second weekend, grossed Rs 90 million.

Meanwhile, Sajid Nadiawala‘s Housefull that had grossed Rs 950 million in its first week globally, annexed Rs 480 million in India alone in its second week.

All eyes now rest on the much publicised Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer Kites that will hit theatres on 21 May.
 

MUMBAI: The film and television sector has emerged as a strong sector offering varied opportunities to the growing youth demographic of the country.

And thus, has emerged many training schools to tame this amateur lot who can get trained to have a cutting edge over the untrained contenders.

The latest addition to this catch-up on training school line up is the Ramoji Academy of Film and Television (RAFT), launched by Ramoji Film City (RFC). The other such institutes include FTII, AIFT and Whistling Woods. 

The institute aims to offer training in filmmaking and is designed to address the in-demand disciplines of the film industry that can pave way for a better career.

RAFT curriculum has been designed in tune with the industry demands and expectations, says the company. The curriculum includes film direction, cinematography, acting, editing and sound design.
 

MUMBAI: As part of its regular endeavour to promote the development of the cinema in India, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will conduct Screenwriters‘ Lab 2010 this year.

Screenwriter‘s Lab 2010, being done in association with Binger Filmlab and Locarno International Film Festival, is a workshop designed to prepare screenwriters with original Indian stories for working with the international filmmaking market place. It aims at improving a completed screenplay in its final stages and to increase the international marketability of the same.

The first session to be held from 7 to 9 August during the Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland, in which participants will get first-hand experience of the workings of the international film community and will also get to train with their screenplay mentors.

The second session to be conducted at Film Bazaar, Goa from 23 to 26 November will be where participants will apply their training and pitch their revised screenplays to participants at the film market.

The workshop will be conducted by Marten Rabarts, Artistic Director, Binger Filmlab, aided by experienced international guest mentors.

MUMBAI: Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti, that boasts of a big star cast like Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Ranbir Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif among others, is releasing worldwide on 4 June.

Since the story of the film is about Indian politics and youth, UTV Motion Pictures, co-producer of the film, has chalked out a unique marketing strategy involving the youth.

The cast and crew of the film has been going around visiting colleges in cities like Bangalore, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Lucknow. 

“Like in Chandigarh colleges, we had a discussion on ‘Should voting be made compulsory,‘ while in those in Bangalore, the topic of discussion was ‘Should one be a graduate to get into politics.‘ There would be other topics like ‘Woman Empowerment’ etc that would be discussed as we move further,” says UTV Motion Pictures SVP Shikha Kapur.

Besides UTV has roped in Star News (TV partner), Radio Mirchi (Radio partner) Dainik Bhaskar (Media partner), Kingfisher (travel partner), Book My Show (online partner) and Wizcraft (event managing partner).

To a query if the radio promos would be as normal as always, Kapur avers, “No, these would be also different from what is normally done on air. We would be having discussions on politics among the youth, similar to the ones we are doing on college campuses.”

Another promotion ploy that UTV has embarked on in the promotion of Raajneeti is that the national anthem has been re-rendered by Adesh Srivastava. “We thought it would be a nice thing to do. These would be shown in cinema halls very soon,” divulges Kapur.

UTV is going to release the film with 2,100 prints worldwide.