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Tag: MEL

  • Maya to make animated feature for BBC

    Maya to make animated feature for BBC

    MUMBAI: Indian animation company Maya Entertainment Ltd (MEL) has bagged the contract to make a BBC show titled Jack Frost, a 30 minute animated feature based on a UK bestseller childrens book. The $7, 50,000 project is a 3D animation programme is scheduled for a Christmas launch on BBC Worldwide this year.

     
    According to MEL CEO Rajesh Turakhia, “The assignment came to MEL through UKs Jack Frost Productions who are associated with BBC Worldwide. While pre-production functions like the storyboard and modeling have been done in UK, we are involved in production activities related to animating the entire show, the background elements and compositing.

     

    MEL is also creating 10 to 12 animated fillers for popular kids channels such as Nickelodeon to be shown between programmes, each budgeted at $25,000, says Turakhia. The company is also negotiating a 26-episode television series with a European outfit. “Budgeted at $ two million, work on this project is expected to take off around October-November this year. Deliveries would start getting rolled out from 2005, says Turakhia.

    MEL is currently changing its infrastructure to accommodate an additional 150 animators from its current 65 while a division of its stake holder Intel will aid in the design, restructuring and update of the hardware and software to meet the expanding client base, he says.

    Maya Entertainment has also secured orders from a US firm to create a special programme based on products of a leading toy manufacturer. This show sports a budget of $250,000. MEL has also clinched a $150,000 gaming animation project from the same studio.

  • Not quite cricket? Hathway, MEL continue sparring

    Not quite cricket? Hathway, MEL continue sparring

    MUMBAI: For those who thought the spat between Hathway and Modi Entertainment Network Limited had ended; think again.

    Although both parties claim to have reached an ‘understanding’ and Hathway put the MEN distributed DD Sports back on air on Thursday morning, Hathway retaliated today through the same medium that MEL has employed over the past few days – print.

    In what is obviously an attempt to clear its turf, the MSO released an ad in the Times of India today, accusing MEL of anti customer attitude. “Only a fraction of the money collected from all the customers reaches Prasar Bharati /DD. The majority of the money goes to the pockets of MEL including the alleged recent price hike effected before the India/West Indies cricket series,” the ad says. Countering MEL’s allegation that Hathway ‘turned down’ DD Sports, the MSO questions the wisdom of such a move, since the series is being sponsored by Exide, a Hathway/WIN Cable associate company.

    Taking on MEL’s allegation that Hathway refrains from showing DD Sports although it charges the viewers for it, Hathway has responded with a charge that MEL is forcing cable ops to carry TEN Sports, FTV and Hallmark, which it carries.

    The dispute began on 11 October with the MSO’s refusal to accept DD Sports’ recent monthly subscription price hike from Rs 7.15 to Rs 8.95, when MEN switched off its feed in Mumbai and some other parts of Maharashtra.

    For the last three days, MEL placed advertisements in The Times Of India defining its stand on the matter and accusing Hathway of denying its viewers the pleasure of watching Indian cricket even though it costs ‘less than a cup of tea’. It went on to urge viewers to ‘give their verdict’.

    The icing to the cake , however, is Hathway’s declaration that “Hathway /Win cable is proud to carry India/ WI series ( Exide Cup) telecast on DD Sports” at the end of the ad.