ITV

Tag: Oscar

  • Grazer replaces Ratner as Oscar producer

    Grazer replaces Ratner as Oscar producer

    MUMBAI: Within hours of Brett Ratner‘s announcement that he was stepping down as producer of this year‘s Oscar, Academy President Tom Sherak announced that Raner would be succeeded by super-producer Brian Grazer.

    Grazer has incidentally produced The Nutty Professor, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps but unlike Ratner, Grazer is of Oscar-caliber having won the Best Picture award in 2002 for A Beautiful Mind.

    Grazer showed his appreciation for his appointment when he said, "It‘s very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career."

    The inside job aspects of Grazer replacing Ratner is clear, as both recently co-produced Tower Heist.

    It may be known that Eddie Murphy, who recently stepped down as the Oscar host, was in good terms with Grazer.

  • I Am Kalam script in Oscar library

    I Am Kalam script in Oscar library

    MUMBAI: The script of Nila Madhab Panda‘s National Award winning film I Am Kalam has made it to the Oscar library.

    Commented Panda, “They wrote to me asking for the script. I recently got a mail saying the script is now part of their library. But this is just the start of things. Our movie is in the race for being India‘s official entry to the Oscars.”

    I Am Kalam revolves around Chhotu, a poor Rajasthani boy, who is inspired by the life of former President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and his strong desire to learn to read.

    The film, showcased in various film festivals, has bagged several honours and awards.

     

  • Academy to honour Winfrey on 12 November

    Academy to honour Winfrey on 12 November

    MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and sciences will honour Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith with Oscar statuettes at the Governors Awards on 12 November. 

    The 57-year old Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award that honours philanthropic and humanitarian contributions. Incidentally, Winfrey supports various charitable and educational causes including her own namesake foundations and Academy for Girls in South Africa.

    Jones and Smith will receive honorary Oscars for their outstanding careers. Jones, who has appeared in more than 50 films, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for The Great White Hope.His other credits include Field of Dreams, Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October.

    Starting his career in 1945 as NBC‘s first makeup man, Smith won an Oscar in 1984 for his work on Amadeus and was nominated again in 1989 for Dad. He also worked on The Godfather, ‘The Exorcist and Taxi Driver.  

  • Oscar gets a 9% drop in viewership

    Oscar gets a 9% drop in viewership

    MUMBAI: Though the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony was watched extensively around the globe, it failed to beat last year’s ratings.

    In its three-hour presentation, the Oscar ceremony drew an audience of 37.6 million. But compared to that of last year, there was a drop of 9 per cent in total viewership and another 12 per cent in the 18 to 49 demographics.

    Among the broadcasters, ABC finished on top among its network rivals like Fox, CBS and NBC. As per Oscar night tradition, the predictable bonanza of other-network repeats failed to make a dent in the recent Academy awards.

    Meanwhile, during the live telecast on Sunday, ABC Television President announced a contract extension of six additional years till 2020.

  • Oscar ad spending reached $720 mn in 10 years

    Oscar ad spending reached $720 mn in 10 years

    MUMBAI: Marketers have spent almost $720 million during the past 10 years to endorse their products during the Oscar telecast, according to a report released by ad research firm Kantar Media.

    The average price of a 30-second unit was the highest, $1.69 million in 2008, and the lowest in 2002, with $1.29 million.

    For the 2011 telecast, ABC’s initial asking price for a 30-second spot is around $1.7 million, according to published reports.

    Over the past decade, the total ad spend per year reached a high of $81.1 million in 2008 and a low of $61.6 million in 2001. The total for 2010‘s telecast was $70 million.

    According to the report, for the past five years, just five companies – Coca-Cola, JC Penney, General Motors, American Express and MasterCard International – accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total ad revenue.

    However, due to recession, the number of first time advertisers has increased during the live telecast of the academy awards over the past five years, says Kantar Media.

    Forty-eight per cent of advertisers during last year‘s telecast were first-timers, up from 33 per cent the year before and up from 15 percent in 2008.

    Last year‘s newcomers included Ameriprise, Estee Lauder, Intel, Kimberly-Clark and Samsung.

  • ‘We are looking at localising further’ : Sunder Aaron – Pix business head

    ‘We are looking at localising further’ : Sunder Aaron – Pix business head

    Pix is lapping up new movies to shed its image of being an English movie channel that showcases only classic films. Its most prize catch: Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.

     

    The channel from the Multi Screen Media stable, which is up against stalwarts like HBO and Star Movies, has been able to draw in a slightly younger audience base while having a wider age appeal.

     

    Pix has also been flirting with sports properties to bring more sampling into the channel. It has been showcasing the FA Cup to grow its reach while trying to connect with brands to be constantly visible in the viewer’s eye.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Pix business head Sunder Aaron talks about the channel’s focus in content acquisition and its growth plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    How would you describe the progress that Pix has made since launching three years back?
    We have evolved over time in terms of the schedule. In the beginning, we had mainly library films. Today while library films are shown, we air current films as well. While we are not the number one English movie channel at this stage, we are in the top three.

    How is the channel perceived in the market?
    We frequently do dipsticks and studies from time to time to find out what is the perception of the channel. Data shows that we are skewed towards a younger audience. When we launched, we were viewed by an older TG 25+. Today, our TG is 18-44 years.

     

    Earlier, the perception was that Pix shows all classic movies. That has changed with us bringing in current films like Honeydripper, I’m Not There and Slumdog Millionaire.

    Pix has focussed on building up a current crop of films this year. What strategy has been followed in this regard?
    We focussed on bringing in current films without losing the premise of showing very good films. We have to remember that just because a film is new, it doesn’t necessarily make it good. Acquiring new films has helped boost our reach and increase sampling.

     

    Slumdog Millionaire is our biggest acquisition and this airs on 27 June. This kind of acquisition sends a positive signal to the market. We will also air a film called Push.

    Is variety a factor in acquiring titles?
    While variety is important, we find that the action and thriller genres fare the best. We buy from independent producers and distributors; we also source some content from the studios. Studios are already selling to HBO and Star Movies. While this is a handicap, we are able to find other suppliers and also do studio deals. This year we acquired films from NDTV, PVR, MGM, Icon, Pathe, SPTI and AMG.

     

    Our first and foremost aim is to find films that have good stories. We also focus on getting films with recognisable stars. Our aim is to improve the ratio of current films that we air.

    In terms of pricing, what is the scene as far as English films are concerned?
    With the economic slowdown, the entire industry has had to change their budgets. We are a smaller and specialised category. While pricing has not changed much, suppliers abroad are closing deals at lower prices just because they understand that channels might not be as successful as they once were due to the current economic situation.
    ‘Acquiring new films has helped boost our reach. Slumdog Millionaire is our biggest acquisition. This kind of acquisition sends a positive signal to the market‘

    Has Pix been able to improve its viewership performance during the last six months?
    We are looking to solidify our primetime slots as well as the afternoon bands over the weekend.

     

    During the IPL we adjusted our schedule so that we could catch the audience after they finished watching a match. This has done well for us. In some weeks, we could catch up with HBO and even beat Star Movies in Kolkata or Mumbai. But we need to be more consistent.

    Are you refreshing the look and feel of the channel?
    We are looking at refreshing the look of the channel. We want it to remain fresh and contemporary. We are encouraged at the response Sony Entertainment Television has received after its repackaging.

    Did the blackout of Bollywood films on multiplexes boost viewership of the English movie channels?
    No! While viewers would have been at home, there are several viewing options. DVD sales went up.

    What programming innovations is Pix coming up with?
    We are looking at localising further. We are examining two to three concepts that can further build our equity. We have had success with ‘Chicks on Flicks.’ Unfortunately, as not many films were released during the producers’ strike, viewership took a dip. Now that it is over, the ratings should pick up.

    What feedback have you received for the film review show Chicks on Flicks?
    It has done well. In a lot of instances, the two hosts have not agreed with their assessment of a film. It is completely non scripted. The girls attend press screenings. They have a passion for cinema which is key in making the show work. We engage viewers by giving them references of the clips that the reviewers are talking about. Now our hosts are permanent invitees of studios who release films in India.

    Has Pix introduced thematic blocks to woo different audience segments?
    While we have festivals, it does not pay off to have too many blocks. Then there is an inventory problem. If every Tuesday, for instance, you have a block dedicated to action, then you need to have enough movies in that genre. You could run out of content after a certain number of weeks and then start to duplicate.

     

    What could also happen is that viewers think that you only have a certain set of films to dip into. The English genre does not have much appointment viewing happening and blocks do not help in this regard. There is a lot of snacking that takes place.

    So how do you build viewer loyalty?
    Viewer loyalty is a challenge that all of us face, particularly film channels that are title driven. In general, you create an environment that viewers find attractive. Then you frequently deliver films that suit their taste.
    Would you look at dubbing and subtitling to boost reach?
    No! Subtitling can distract the viewer. Many channels put incorrect subtitles illegally. They do not use the official subtitles from the supplier’s side. They may not have taken the permission of the film’s distributor to do this. If you watch some of these channels, you will see that the subtitling has been poorly done.
    Pix started airing soccer last year with the FA Cup. Given the escalating costs of sports rights, to what extent does it make sense for a niche channel to showcase such programming?
    It makes a lot of sense. When you want to grow reach, you need to bring in special events. We have done things like concerts. The good thing about the FA Cup is that it is not soccer every week. It happens on one weekend a month. Then the timings do not disrupt our primetime schedule. Also, the TG is a fit. So we increase sampling for the channel.
    Are you looking at other sports events?
    It has to be special enough to raise our profile. I am not actively going out there looking for sports content. We had aired a boxing bout with Oscar De La Hoya live a few months back.
    Should there be a block for A rated content?
    It would be good if this was to come in. Frankly, it is a question the content code has to take a view on. We will have to see what the CBFC comes up with. Some other Asian markets are more relaxed in terms of what is allowed. Others like Malaysia, though, are stricter.

    What kind of marketing activities does Pix do to create awareness?
    We do campaigns periodically around big properties. We will be pushing Slumdog Millionaire actively. We will have visibility in places like Planet M. We have also tied up with a hotel in Dubai called Atlantis. This will be in the shape of a contest and offers viewers the chance to live the life of a millionaire.

     

    The other strategy is to constantly connect with consumers. One way is to constantly spend a lot of money every month. A better way, though, is to tie up with brands.

     

    We are looking at tying up with restaurants like a Firangi Pani or a Sports Bar. We have a tie up with DNA. We are trying to do something with The Times of India. We are also tying up with out of home screens at McDonald’s and Café Coffee Day where our promos run on a continuous basis. These will be yearly tie ups. We have a promotional deal with VH1. We are looking at one with MTV as well. To succeed we need to constantly be in the consumer’s eye.

    What about tying up with studies to promote theatrical releases?
    This is an area that we are increasing our focus on. This is not restricted to just what Sony Pictures is releasing on the big screen. We recently tied up with Fox for the release of Wolverine where we had clips and interviews. We also do contests around upcoming releases.

     

    The marketing, thus, is not just about films that we show. What we bring to the table when a studio wants visibility for a new theatrical release is much more than what a competing channel can offer.

    How do you see new entrants like MGM affecting the scene?
    The category is growing organically. Homes with television sets are growing by about 10 per cent. New channels are coming in, but the English film genre is about three channels – Star Movies, HBO and Pix. The rest of them are in a sort of jumbled up pecking order. MGM and Warner Bros, for instance, are coming in and spending money to get distributed.

     

    The question is whether they will make the necessary investments to do what it takes to become a leading player. It requires a sustained investment on all fronts – programming, marketing and distribution. I feel WB will really have to step up; their campaigns will have to be sustained across the country and not just in a couple of Metros.

    What about the impact of the economic downturn on the genre?
    Obviously we will have to be savvy with how we spend our marketing dollars and also our programming budget. There is at the same time a flight to quality. While advertisers reduce their budgets, the top channels in each category are the ones that are in demand the most.

     

    In a downturn you do not want to spread the money around too much. You want to go with what you know is safe.

    On the ad sales front do you offer customised solutions in addition to spots?
    We try to be creative at a time when clients want more added value. We have Fiama d’Wills doing a campaign in our 4 pm block on Sundays. We air films that target women in this block. We have also done stuff on the ground with clients.

     

    We recently did a ‘Hollywood Picks Your Brain’ initiative and ITC was a big sponsor. This was done across six metros and one could win prizes like ipods. We are now looking at doing a similar initiative targetted at media outlets.
  • Al Gore, Cameron Diaz throw weight behind ‘Live Earth’ concerts to fight climate crisis

    Al Gore, Cameron Diaz throw weight behind ‘Live Earth’ concerts to fight climate crisis

    MUMBAI: Detailing an effort to engage billions of people across the globe, Kevin Wall, former US VP Al Gore, Pharrell Williams, film star Cameron Diaz, and the MSN Network have launched Save Our Selves (SOS) – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis. The announcement was made at the California Science Center.

    SOS is designed to trigger a global movement to combat our climate crisis. It will reach people in every corner of the planet through television, film, radio, the Internet and Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 of the world’s top musical acts. Live Earth alone will engage an audience of more than 2 billion people through concert attendance and broadcasts. MSN has partnered with SOS to use its reach to make the Live Earth concerts available across the globe.

    The Live Earth audience, and the proceeds from the concerts, will create the foundation for a new, multi-year global effort to combat the climate crisis led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and its Chair, Vice President Al Gore. SOS was founded by Kevin Wall, who won an Emmy as Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8.

    Wall said, “Our climate crisis is the paramount challenge facing humanity. SOS is more than a global distress call. SOS will give the world the tools we need to answer that call with meaningful action. The most important part of SOS is how individuals, corporations, and governments respond.

    “Our climate crisis affects everyone, everywhere, and that’s who SOS is aimed at. Only a global response can conquer our climate crisis. SOS asks all people to Save Our Selves because only we can.”

    Gore featured in a documentary about the environment An Inconvenient Truth which is the favourite to win an Oscar. He says, “In order to solve the Climate Crisis, we have to reach billions of people. We are launching SOS and Live Earth to begin a process of communication that will mobilise people all over the world to take action.

    “The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement. We hope to jump-start that movement right here, right now, and take it to a new level on July 7, 2007.”

    MSN corporate VP and chief media officer Joanne Bradford says, “At MSN, we have the worldwide audience and the technology stage to help unite a global community around SOS and Live Earth.

    “Anyone around the world with an Internet connection will be able to come to MSN to view not just the concert events, but also an extensive collection of interactive media that will entertain, educate, inspire and ultimately drive change.”

    Wall has announced that 25 of the 100 top musical acts that have answered SOS’s call and are performing at Live Earth. SOS is also engaging other celebrities, CEOs, athletes, academics and government leaders to engage their constituencies. Please see that attached list of 25 artists.

    Wall adds, “More than 100 artists are performing at Live Earth and they’re all headliners. That’s what it takes to engage billions of people. We’re not just engaging fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, or the Foo Fighters and Faith Hill. We are engaging them and everyone in between.

    “We have been overwhelmed by the response from the artist community and are feverishly working out the logistics for all of the bands that want to be involved. Today we are announcing just the first 25 and will soon be announcing even more headliners who, for contractual reasons, cannot be announced today.”

    The campaign’s identity is based on SOS, the international Morse code distress signal: three dots, followed by three dashes, followed by three dots. SOS is the most urgent, universal message we have, and SOS will use that signal as a continuous distress call to prompt individuals, corporations and governments around the world to respond to our climate crisis with action.

    Wall says, “SOS is creating an unmatched communications platform to take on an unparalleled crisis. Our message must saturate the globe if we are to succeed, and we will. In the US, we’re partnering with NBC-Universal and its networks. On satellite radio, we have SIRIUS and XM. In the UK, we’re partnering with the BBC. In Japan, we have a historic partnership with two broadcast partners. We have already secured television, Internet and wireless coverage in 120 countries, and the rest are soon to come.”

    Wall announced that Live Earth concerts will take place in the Brazil, Shanghai, Japan, Johannesburg, London, Sydney, and the US. Live Earth will be broadcast worldwide on MSN, which was the first sponsor to answer SOS’s call. MSN is one of the world’s most popular Internet destinations, and as such will allow the SOS campaign to have a global reach. MSN has services in over 42 markets and 21 languages, and more than 465 million people around the world visit MSN each month. Beginning today, people can go to http://liveearth.msn.com and begin participating in the global movement, and on 7/7/07, to watch the Live Earth concerts.

    Live Earth is being produced by Control Room, of which Kevin Wall is the CEO. Control Room has produced and distributed more than 60 concerts since its founding a year and a half ago featuring Beyoncé, Madonna, Green Day, Dave Matthews Band, Keith Urban, James Blunt, Snoop Dogg, the Rolling Stones, among others. Its multi-partner network provides a global reach for live offerings through broadband, television, digital movie theatres and mobile phones throughout the U.S. and the world.

    Live Earth will implement a new Green Event Standard that will become the model for carbon neutral concerts and other live events in the future. The Green Event Standard is being developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Commission to create a way for venues to be Leed-approved.

  • Tune in to the exclusive premiere of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ this Friday at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: When a country descended into madness and the world turned its back, one man had to make a choice!!! This Friday night, Star Movies presents a true story of a man who fought impossible odds to save everyone he could and created a place where hope survived. Tune in to the Academy Award nominated blockbuster, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo and Joaquin Phoenix, this Friday, February 16th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies!

    Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda–and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

    Nominated for three Oscar Awards, Hotel Rwanda is the story of Paul Rusesabagina’s courage, which also captures the political events that occurred between April and September 1994. Cheadle gives a riveting performance as Rusesabagina, the manager of a European-owned hotel in Rwanda, who created a secret refugee camp for the Tutsi people during the brutal genocide committed against them by the Hutu people in 1994. His efforts helped to save 1200 lives out of close to a million who were killed.

    Powerful acting from all cast members, including throngs of children, makes this film touching and believable. Sophie Okonedo offers moving support as Rusesabagina’s wife Tatiana, Nick Nolte shows knowing machismo as an American UN officer, and Joaquin Phoenix turns in a heartfelt display as a TV journalist.

    Did you know?

    Because Hotel Rwanda was filmed mostly in South Africa, where road traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road, many of the vehicles are right-hand drive. Rwandans drive on the right side of the road, so the use of right-hand drive cars is incorrect for standard vehicles.

    The mistake is most obvious in the scenes involving buses, which have passenger doors on the left — in Rwanda, people using those buses would be stepping out into the middle of the road. However, some vehicles in Rwanda are right-hand drive.

    On a magazine rack in the lobby of the hotel, there is a copy of Time magazine’s 1992 Man of the Year with Bill Clinton on its cover.

    So don’t forget to tune in this Friday night at 9 p.m. for the exclusive premiere of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ only on Star Movies.

  • Disney visual effects veteran Peter Ellenshaw dies at 93

    Disney visual effects veteran Peter Ellenshaw dies at 93

    MUMBAI: Peter Ellenshaw, the Oscar winning visual effects pioneer and matte artist who is known for his work on several Disney classics like Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Treasure Island and The Black Hole, passed away at his home in Santa Barbara on 12 February at the age of 93.

    Announcing his demise, an official statement referred to him as “a hand-picked member of Walt Disney’s creative team.” Ellenshaw was called upon to create a wide variety of visual effects for the Studio’s films, and even painted the iconic first map of Disneyland that was featured on all the early postcards and souvenir booklets.

    Ellenshaw regarded Walt Disney as a source of inspiration, a wonderful executive, and over the years, a good friend. “Walt had the ability to communicate with artists,” observed Ellenshaw. “He’d talk to you on your level — artist to artist. He used to say, ‘I can’t draw, Peter.’ But he had the soul of an artist, and he had a wonderful way of transferring his enthusiasm to you.”

    Ellenshaw began his association with Walt Disney in 1947, when he was tapped to work on the Studio’s first live-action film, Treasure Island (1950), and continued working there until his retirement in 1979 following The Black Hole. Born in Great Britain in 1913, Ellenshaw began his film career in the early 1930s, when he apprenticed for visual effects pioneer W. Percy (Pop) Day, O.B.E. He worked on such productions as Things to Come, Rembrandt, Elephant Boy, Sixty Glorious Years, A Matter of Life and Death, and the Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger classic Black Narcissus.

     

  • Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ in Oscar race

    Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ in Oscar race

    MUMBAI: Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards were announced yesterday. It is likely that Star Movies’ ratings for the show, which it will air on 26 February, will be higher than last year.

    That is because Deepa Mehta’s Water is competing in the foreign film category.

    The film deals with the plight of widows in India in the 1930s and was submitted by Canada. It stars John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. The film was not allowed to be shot in India. The favourite to win the foreign language film award though is Pan’s Labyrinth from Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. Mongrel Media and Fox Searchlight, which released Water in Canada and 57 other countries, including the UK and Denmark, have, in the past few months, launched a nomination campaign in Hollywood to attract the attention of the Academy.

    Best director is once again a fight between veterans Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorcese. Eastwood made two great second world war films Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. He has ben nominated for the latter film which tells the story of the battle at Iwo Jima from Japan’s perspective. It has Japanese subtitles.

    The former releases in India tomorrow 25 January and tells the story from America’s perspective. Scorcese has been nominated for the gangster film The Departed. Two years back Eastwood won for Million Dollar Baby beating Scorcese who had been nominated for The Aviator.

    Best picture is less clear. Dreamgirls which had been considered the favourite has not been nominated for best film though it got a leading eight nominations. Besides the films of Eastwood and Scorcese the other films competing for best picture are The Queen about the two weeks following Princes Diana’s death, the global film Babel which has five languages and the comedy Little Miss Sunshine. There is no front runner.