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Tag: Film

  • ComicCon & Woodland ride on the Halloween bandwagon

    ComicCon & Woodland ride on the Halloween bandwagon

    NEW DELHI: Advertisers and event managers are taking full advantage of Halloween to promote themselves and their products.

     

    Leather outdoor gear manufacturer Woodland launched #Woodoo on Twitter and a video on Facebook to connect with viewers.

     

    It started with the rolling out of a spooky image with the message ‘Do Not ReTweet.’ This evoked the curiosity within its users and people did exactly what they were told not to do and expectedly they re-tweeted. They took it one step further by taking the profile picture of the person who had re-tweeted the message and customised it in a template. This template was re-tweeted too. It created a thrill and excitement in people to see these horrifying images of themselves, which they proudly flaunted on their Twitter handles.

     

    Woodoo was ideated with an objective to engage the young internet audience between the ages of 16 – 25 through the festival of Halloween.

     

    The video can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/woodlandadventure/?fref=nf

     

    The brand through this activity is reinforcing its international identity and getting its Indian audience to identify and relate with the same and in turn participate and create their own moments.

     

    The campaign is witnessing a high level of interaction and engagement because of its uniqueness. It has already trended on the social platform as it is a novel concept and has seen remarkable engagement.

     

    In Mumbai, ComicCon India marked Halloween with party-loving fans donning horns smeared with zombie make-up and wearing Dracula capes at their “creepiest-best” at the Goosebumps Halloween Party at Sante Bar.

     

    The fans were seen enjoying in the latest costumes inspired by movie and comic characters. The food menu was specially designed to suit this occasion. Drinks like Praying Mantis, Werewolf were the special highlight of the party.

     

    A special screening of the unseen footage from the movie Goosebumps which released on Friday on the occasion of Halloween was organised for fans at the party. The ones in the best scary costumes got two free drinks. DJs played some popular dance numbers.

     

    The aim of the party was to announce the Mumbai Film and Comic Con 2015 at Bombay Exhibition Centre on 19 and 20 December.

  • Spike Lee turns to crowdsourcing for his latest film

    Spike Lee turns to crowdsourcing for his latest film

    NEW DELHI: The veteran Spike Lee’s latest film Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is a remake of Bill Gunn’s 1973 Ganja and Hess, a film Lee himself saw when he was in film school.

     

    To make the film, Lee who teaches as a film professor at New York University turned to Kickstarter for crowd-funding.

     

    “I learned about crowdfunding from my students — IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and how they were financing their films,” Lee told The Wrap. 

     

    “I said to myself that I could do this. And then I began to think about what we could do, because I knew a lot of times, when you do independent cinema you have to work backwards — how much money you have to make the film, and then you make the film. I knew we weren’t going to do Malcolm X on Kickstarter, it wasn’t going to happen.” Still, the more modestly budgeted film did get made thanks to fan contributions.

     

    But the legendary director admitted he is not completely happy with how many people are watching movies these days. “As a filmmaker, I do not want my film to be seen on an iPhone,” he said bluntly. “I understand the convenience. But it hurts me. Nowadays, there are very few repertory theatres that show old stuff like there was when I was in film school. We would always go see stuff. So a lot of the stuff, you are never gonna see it the way it was meant to be seen, projected.”

     

    While he is happy people are watching Malcolm X, but the first time you see it, it is on your iPhone? Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson and I modeled those films on the epic films by David Lean, we wanted to have that size and scope, like Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge Over the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago,” he recalled.

     

    Starring two little-known actors (Broadway star Stephen Tyrone Williams and Zaraah Abrahams) and splitting time between Martha’s Vineyard and New York City, the movie is about a lonely, rich African-American scholar who becomes addicted to blood when he is stabbed with a sword used by the ancient, bloodthirsty Ashanti people.

     

    It is a departure for the director, half art film and half social commentary. Lee says that the movie acts in part as a metaphor for addictions of all kinds, which he posits are at an all-time high in America, but was clear about which he thought was the country’s greatest addiction: violence.

     

    “This country was founded on violence,” Lee said “Africans were brought here to this land (the United States), and then the genocide of Native Americans, that is the foundation upon which this country was built. It is simple, not taught in schools. We are taught some other stuff, and particularly, how we are taught is through the media. And as African Americans, we were taught how barbaric Africa was, with the Tarzan movies and whatnot, and the savages of the Native Americans in the many, many John Ford, John Wayne films.”

     

    “And the NRA is responsible for it,” he said. “These video games are not helping either.”

     

    My son is 17, my daughter is 19 — they know now what i knew at 25. Just all the stuff that young people are exposed to. Here in New York, we had channel 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, and maybe 13. We have got 900 channels on DirecTV, then the Internet. As a parent, I am trying to get my kids to study. They have got the headphones on, the TV is on, the computer is on, the phone, and they are trying to do their homework. They do not turn their phone off when they go to sleep. I am guilty of this too.”

  • HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    MUMBAI: It isn’t uncommon for brands to piggyback cinema as the medium with arguably the greatest mass outreach.

     

    HDFC Life is no stranger to this strategy; having co-promoted the franchise Spiderman in 2007 and in 2010, followed it up with an association with the Hindi film, Patiala House. This time round, the brand has gone a step further with in-film placement and theme integration with director Amole Gupte’s upcoming film, Hawaa Hawaai, about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds.

     

    Through this collaboration, HDFC Life wants to send out the message that strong determination and sound planning (pakka iraada and pakke plans) go a long way in helping you fulfill your personal and financial goals.

     

    Of the association, HDFC Life marketing, product, digital and e-commerce senior EVP and head, Sanjay Tripathy says: “As a brand, HDFC Life has always propagated ‘independence and self respect’ or ‘Sar utha ke jiyo’ as a way of life and the film’s core message is a perfect fit with our brand philosophy. Through this film, we are celebrating people who help fulfill others’ dreams through their efforts and live life with their head held high.”

     

    Gupte’s team has gone so far as integrating the line, Sar Utha Ke Jee, in a song from the film to bring out the strong thematic and philosophical connect.

     

    Associating with films is not new for brands across FMCG, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), what with marketers constantly searching for newer and better ways to reach out and connect with customers. HDFC Life has consistently launched marketing campaigns that bring out the relevance of life insurance for consumers.

     

    “Our core brand thought – Sar Utha Ke Jiyo – is about ‘financial independence’ and ‘self respect,’ which has always been a core value for all Indians. We stand for and celebrate achievement of every individual’s dreams and aspirations, being triumphant against all odds, and thereby, living life with the head held high,” says Tripathy.

  • Nike launches a digital campaign

    Nike launches a digital campaign

    MUMBAI: Be it any stadium, playground or a by-lane, children playing cricket is a common sight in the country where the sport is a religion.

    Playing on the same phenomenon, Nike has created a film called ‘Make Every Yard Count’. The film which is live on Nike’s facebook page was co-created with consumers through an active online participation and on-the-ground efforts. It has used over 1,440 crowdsourced action images of young cricketers in India who love the sport.

    Nike India marketing director Avinash Pant said, “At Nike, we understand that the cricket culture of this nation is not confined to team India and its players. It includes the millions of young cricketers who strive every day to be amongst the best tomorrow. This film is a dedication to each and every one of those young cricketers who relentlessly chase their dreams.”

    The campaign, which was launched on 22 February on Nike Cricket facebook and twitter, encouraged players all around the country to send in images and also involved over 100 photographers who travelled around the country to shoot young cricketers.

    The ‘Make Every Yard Count’ campaign aims to make the young cricketer the hero of the Nike film.

    Click here to watch the video

    The manifesto that captures the campaign idea best reads: ‘Yesterday was not good enough. Today is not over yet. Make Every Yard Count.’ 

    The digital film was created by JWT Bangalore and the song creation and sound design was done by Dhruv Ganekar and Taufiq Qureshi. 

  • BroadcastAsia2014 returns to Singapore

    BroadcastAsia2014 returns to Singapore

    SINGAPORE: BroadcastAisa2014, Asia’s most acclaimed exhibition and knowledge platform for the international broadcasting, film and digital multimedia industry, will return to Marina Bay Sands Singapore from 17 to 20 June 2014. Showcasing the newest innovations and cutting edge technologies, this business event is recognised by industry professionals as the most relevant arena for business networking opportunities. Gather topical knowledge and insights, and get to exchange ideas with leading industry players and thought leaders at the conferences. 

     

    ProfessionalAudioTechnology2014, incorporated with BroadcastAsia2014, is an international showcase for professional audio equipment, services and technology. Featuring the latest in professional audio technology and solutions, ProfessionalAudioTechnology draws industry professionals from radio broadcasting, audio production / post-production and live event and entertainment production.

     

    The BroadcastAsia International Conference and Creative Content Production Conference will bring together thought leaders and like-minded professionals from the broadcasting and media arenas to share business strategies for future broadcasting and content production. Visit www.Broadcast-Asia.com for more information.

     

     

     

    BroadcastAsia2014 at a glance:

    Show:

    BroadcastAsia2014 (In conjunction with CommunicAsia2014 and EnterpriseIT2014)

    Incorporating:

    ProfessionalAudioTechnology2014

    Date:

    17 – 20 June 2014

    Venue:

    Marina Bay Sands Singapore

    Opening hours:

    17 – 19 June: 10.30am – 6pm

    20 June: 10.30am – 4pm

    Admission:

    Business and trade professionals only

    Registration:

    www.broadcast-asia.com

     

    BroadcastAsia2014 International Conference:

    Date:

    17 – 20 June 2014

    Venue:

    Marina Bay Sands Singapore

    Admission:

    Registered delegates only

    Registration:

    http://www.broadcast-asia.com/index.php/conference/fees-registration/

     

    The Creative Content Production Conference:

    Date:

    17 – 20 June 2014

    Venue:

    Marina Bay Sands Singapore

    Admission:

    Registered delegates only

    Registration:

    http://www.broadcast-asia.com/index.php/conference/fees-registration/
  • Paramount shows the way for digital distribution

    Paramount shows the way for digital distribution

    MUMBAI: Being one of the oldest and largest Hollywood distribution studios, which has relied on 35-millimeter film to capture motion pictures, has taken a huge step for the industry. Paramount Pictures has become the first big studio to stop releasing its major movies on film in the US.

     

    The studio’s Oscar-nominated film The Wolf of Wall Street is its first movie in wide release to be distributed entirely in digital format. The studio also notified theater owners that Will Ferrell’s comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which opened in December, was the last movie released on 35-mm film, reports revealed.

     

    The decision is likely to encourage other studios to take a leap of faith and follow suit, pushing for a complete phase-out of film in a year or two. Closer home, we already have movies releasing on the digital format and this historic move will only fuel more distribution studios to think of migrating to the digital format seriously.

     

    The major factor for film studios to still remain hesitant of going completely digital is the factor of missing out on revenues and box-office collections from theatres which are still not equipped to show digital movies and are still on film. Internationally, Paramount is still expected to ship film prints to Latin America and other foreign markets where most theaters still show movies on film.

     

    So how will Paramount benefit from this move? Well here are a few facts to ponder over: Studios prefer digital distribution because it is much cheaper. Eventually, these movies could be beamed into cinemas by satellite, saving even more on production and shipping costs. Digital technology also enables theaters to screen higher-priced 3-D films and makes it easier for them to book and program entertainment.

     

    But then what about the theatre owners, they are at a risk of going out of business if they can no longer obtain film prints of movies.
     

    The future is certainly looking bleak for distribution of movies on film to continue…

  • IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    MUMBAI: The curtains have finally fallen on an acquisition which was in the news for quite some time now. Private investment firm Forstmann Little & Co has agreed to sell global sports, fashion and media business IMG Worldwide to US-based William Morris Endeavour  Entertainment (WME) and its stakeholder Silver Lake Partners at a price tag of around $2.3 billion.

     

    The final bidders CVC Capital and Chernin Entertainment and a consortium of ICM Partners and the Carlyle Group, bid less than $1.8 billion, thus losing out to WME.

     

    WME is a leading US-based entertainment and media company with an unparalleled client list of artists and content creators across film, television, music, literature, theatre and digital media and is led by co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.

     

    It was formed by the 2009 merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor. The company has over 1,000 employees and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, with offices in New York, Nashville, London and Miami. Through its partner companies, including award-winning global creative agency Droga5, WME also provides clients with unique advertising, brand integration and marketing opportunities across traditional, social media, mobile and gaming platforms. Amongst the big names it represents figure: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Sandler, Christopher Nolan, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Seth MacFarlane.

     

    IMG on the other hand has 3,500 employees and tremendous strengths in the sports business – representation, marketing, production and distribution – apart from representing 500 athletes, models and entertainers as clients. Among the names figure: Gisele Bundchen, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.

     

    IMG owns IMG College, the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights  (it handles marketing and ticketing for 200 collegiate sports properties). It is slated to generate revenue of about $375 million and operating income of $75 million.

     

    The group has joint ventures like IMG Reliance, IMX, IMG CCTV and IMG Dolu in the emerging markets of India, Brazil, China and Turkey. Additionally, IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. Its IMG Reliance joint venture promotes the All-India Football Federation.

     

    IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organisations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models and leading designers. IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists.

     

    Silver Lake, on the other hand, is a global leader in private investments in technology and technology-enabled industries. The firm has offices in New York, Menlo Park, San Mateo, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo and has approximately $20 billion in combined assets under management. The Silver Lake Partners portfolio includes or has included technology and technology-enabled industry leaders such as Alibaba, Allyes, Ameritrade, Avago, Business Objects, Dell, Flextronics, Gartner, Gerson Lehrman Group, Global Blue, Go Daddy, Instinet, Intelsat, Interactive Data Corporation, MCI, Mercury Payment Systems, MultiPlan, the NASDAQ OMX Group, NetScout, NXP, Sabre, Seagate Technology, Skype, Spreadtrum, SunGard Data Systems, UGS, Vantage Data Centers, Virtu and William Morris Endeavor.

     

    IMG was created by McCormack and golfer Arnold Palmer in 1960. Forstmann Little purchased it a year after McCormack died in 2003, and then Forstmann Little founder Theodore Forstmann died in 2011.

     

    With the acquisition of IMG Worlwide, WME has now leaped ahead of its once larger rival the Creative Artistes Agency.

  • Sony Pictures Entertainment gears for high-octane action on small screen

    Sony Pictures Entertainment gears for high-octane action on small screen

    MUMBAI: After successful production of TV series like Breaking Bad, Sony Pictures Entertainment has now decided to produce fewer films as it readies itself to make a significant shift from motion pictures to higher-margin television production and also to operating TV channels.

     

    It is learnt that Sony had earlier in May received a letter from hedge fund investor Daniel Loeb. It was after this letter that the channel has been looking at investor support to improve the studio’s profitability. There have been several media reports which state that the studio is working with a third party to identify further cuts.

     

    Sony’s pictures business, which includes its film and television operations, is expected to have revenues of $8.4 billion in fiscal year 2015, and an operating margin of 7.4 percent. In its music business, the company expects revenue of $4.8 billion with a 9.5 per cent operating income margin.

     

    Media reports suggest that the studio is expected to release fewer than 20 films, down from the 23 released previously every year.

     

    According to the company record released in October, the studio had an operating loss of $181 million in its fiscal second quarter that ended 30 September for its pictures unit, which includes film and TV production.

  • ETC engages audience to spread anti-piracy measures through short films

    ETC engages audience to spread anti-piracy measures through short films

    MUMBAI: ETC the most credible Bollywood trade channel in association with India’s leading creative crowd sourcing company Talenthouse India, have jointly undertaken the initiative to say ‘Thank You’ along with the Bollywood industry to loyal cinema goers for choosing theatres over other pirated medium to bring about awareness and thereby an end to piracy.

     

    The initiative, ‘Bollywood Thanks You’ has developed from a simple thought to appreciate people who consume films the way they are supposed to be – in theaters. The objective of the initiative was to represent the entertainment industry for a cause in a country like India where the film and TV industry lose money and livelihood due to piracy. ETC extended this idea to the audience to directly involve them in the initiative by inviting budding filmmakers who are all a part of the entertainment industry to bring forth a strong message.

     

    Talenthouse India, hosted this exciting opportunity on their platform www.talenthouse.co.in. The participants were required to create an ad film of maximum 30 seconds duration based on the theme ‘anti-piracy’. The crowd sourcing route to this campaign not only resulted in 50 creative thoughts on the theme from across India, but also generated engagement and a challenge to young filmmakers to convey the message in 30 seconds.

     

    The entries were monitored by the ETC team. 10 winners have been selected by the channel for a career defining opportunities. The films created by these young budding filmmakers will now be showcased at leading multiplexes and aired on ETC for the next one year.

     

    Zee Entertainment’s Anurag Bedi, said, “We, at ETC, represent the entertainment industry where the audience is the stakeholder and if they stop supporting the industry then the industry can’t make more products for them. Through ‘Bollywood Thanks You’ initiative, we hope to educate and encourage audience to watch films in theaters. Talenthouse India who had the access to the right kind of talent to generate the films gave us an opportunity to be relevant to the younger audience and enabled us to connect to and inspire young film professionals to bring out a strong message through the crowd sourcing activity.”

     

    From a marketing point of view, ETC has taken anti-piracy to a whole new level. Focusing on a positive and educative route, the aim for them is to develop user generated content that resonate with their brand identity and the initiative undertaken to shape future industry leaders.

     

    The winning films created by film students and enthusiast would be showcased soon.

     

    To view the films Log on to http://www.talenthouse.com/zee-2013

  • Priyanka Chopra stresses importance of persistence to succeed at SAMMA

    Priyanka Chopra stresses importance of persistence to succeed at SAMMA

    Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra enthralled American audiences as she related the story of her rise in Bollywood and the importance of hard work and persistence which always brought positive results.

     

    Chopra was one of the keynote speakers at the 4th annual conference South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment (SAMMA) held recently at the Time Warner building in New York.  

     

    Chopra also talked about her transition into singing. She shared her mantra of never giving up. Chopra was recently signed by Interscope and DesiHits! and is now the opening musical act for the NFL Network Thursday night football.

     

    The event brought together top South Asian leaders and innovators in digital media, television and film, marketing and advertising and music and entertainment for two days of insights, ideation and industry building, a press release issued by SAMMA said. Other keynote speakers included Dr. Mehmood Khan, EVP and Chief Innovations and Science Officer at PepsiCo, and Keli Lee, EVP and Head of Casting at ABC.

     

    The SAMMA Summit, co-presented by Time Warner, was followed by an evening gala where the organisation presented its 2013 SAMMA Trailblazer Awards to four individuals for significant contributions to their industry and helping pave the way for south Asians in their respective fields. The awards went to comedian Russell Peters, actress Mindy Kaling, jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer and Anjula Acharia Bath, CEO and founder of DesiHits.

     

    “It is strange to be called a trailblazer because I’ve never really considered myself one,” said Kaling, lead actor, producer and writer of The Mindy Project on Fox. “In general, I try to tell stories that are relatable to everyone. I’ve always aspired to be the funniest person out there, not just the funniest south Asian,” she said in a video acceptance from the set of her show. “I am privileged to have had these opportunities in show business,” she said.

     

     While accepting his award, Peter who celebrated his 43rd birthday at the gala, said “I’ve never been called a trailblazer.” Entertaining the audience with his one-liners and tongue-in-cheek remarks, Peter said, “When I was younger, I always wanted a Chevy Trailblazer, but this trailblazer I never imagined. I am honoured and proud especially to be recognised by my own community.  The more doors we can open for each other the better for everyone.  I see more of us in the industry every day, and I want to continue seeing more of us.”

     

     Peters was presented his award by actor, fellow comedian and previous Trailblazer recipient Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Before presenting the award, Ansari roasted and toasted Peters saying, “Let me introduce someone who is like worth 60 billion dollars,” playing off of Peters being the first south Asian to have been ranked as one of the highest paid comedians in the US, after working in the industry for more than 20 years.

     

     Trailblazer recipient Iyer, one of the most awarded jazz artists in the world and winner of the prestigious 2013 MacArthur Genius Award said he was proud to receive the award. Calling music a universal language, he said he hoped that in some way he has helped push the dialogue forward and has inspired others through the beauty of music and jazz, both south Asians and people at-large.

    Presented the award by David Taghioff and business colleague at CAA, Acharia Bath shared: “We have so much to learn from one another. I encourage everyone to live their dreams.  Bringing different cultures and viewpoints together in the arts and industry, whether in music or any field, takes passion and perseverance.” Bath, named Billboard’s top 40 women in music for her work in blending Indian talent with mainstream music in the US, continued,  “Helping one another, we can achieve anything.”