News

Exclusive: Last year’s labor strikes may have eventually convinced the big players to revamp streaming residuals, but debates around compensation are far from over or unique to the U.S.

Via their fledgling consultancy businesses, British TV vets Adrian Wills and Simon Brown are on a mission to help producers, talent and agents pick up a greater slice of the pie from the streamers.

Working closely with analysis firm Digital-i, the pair, who have several decades of experience between them working for the likes of BBC Studios and UKTV, have developed a formula to broadly work out how much certain shows are worth to a streaming service in terms of monetary value – prospective gold dust to in-the-dark content makers.

While the streamers, especially Netflix, have become more transparent with viewing data of late, Wills and Brown are now taking data and leveraging it.

“We’re on a bit of...

Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Thalissa Teixeira will star alongside Lucy Hale in the AMC-Alibi series “Ragdoll,” Variety has learned.

The six-episode show, which was ordered to series back in February, is set to begin production on April 19 in London. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Cole. Variety exclusively reported Hale’s casting in March.

Assigned to a shocking new case, nicknamed The Ragdoll, are DS Rose (Lloyd-Hughes), Di Baxter (Teixeira) and DC Edmunds (Hale). The “Ragdoll Killer” taunts the police by sending them a list of his next victims, with Rose’s name at the very end. And with those victims to protect, our heroes soon come under intense public scrutiny.

“We’re thrilled to have Lucy, Thalissa and Henry on board as three ideal leads to bring Ragdoll to life,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and co-head of AMC Studios.

Sam Mendes’ Theatre Arts Fund has raised £1.6 million ($2 million) to support out-of-work theater professionals across the U.K. by offering quick and easy access to a £1000 grant. Although the fund has supported 1,600 freelancers so far, it’s a far cry from the nearly 4,000 applications it received in just one week.

Launched July 6, the fund was established with a £500,000 donation from Netflix, and has since received another £85,000 in donations from public and industry donors via the online donation platform Enthuse. The rest of the $2 million total came from various organizations such as The Estate of Sir Peter and Lady Suanders which joined Netflix as a headline supporter, as well as The Mackintosh Foundation, Eileen Davidson Productions, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and the Linbury Trust and others.

After recognizing generous support from high-profile individuals such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Colin Firth, Tom Hiddleston, Edgar Wright, Michaela Coel, Emma Thompson, Mark Strong,...

The Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The Seven Network’s drama centred on the staff and patients of the Royal Flying Doctor Service is the latest production casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pre-production was underway and Endemol Shine Australia (Esa) had intended to start shooting in Broken Hill in late April with Jennifer Leacey as the set-up director.

An Esa spokesperson told If: “Due to the ever changing situation of Covid-19, it has been decided to temporarily suspend pre-production of Rfds (working title). We will continue to assess the situation to determine when production can recommence.

“We remain committed to working with the incredible Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Broken Hill community and look forward to telling their stories.”

Based on real-life events, the series created by Imogen Banks will follow the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the Rfds at work and in their private lives.

The cast...

Cheat creator Gaby Hull has written a six-part psychological thriller for UKTV’s Alibi – the British broadcaster’s second original drama since it moved into scripted commissioning.

Hull, who wrote the ITV and Sundance Now college thriller, is behind We Hunt Together, produced by BBC Studios.

This comes a week after the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster revealed it was taking control of the majority of UKTV channels following a landmark deal with co-owned Discovery. We Hunt Together follows Alibi’s move into original drama with Traces from Happy Valley producer Red Production Company.

The cat-and-mouse thriller begins with the collision of two people; Babeni, a former child soldier desperate to suppress his predisposition for violence, and Freddy, a magnetic and disarmingly charming free spirit. When Baba rescues Freddy from an attack following a date that has turned sour, something dark is ignited in them both. It also...

UK broadcaster Alibi, which is operated by Discovery and BBC-backed UKTV, is moving into original commissioning for the first time with a Happy Valley-meets-Silent Witness-esque crime drama. Traces is produced by Happy Valley and Safe producer Red Production Company.

The drama is a six-part series written by Scott & Bailey and This Life writer Amelia Bullmore based on an original idea from crime writer Val McDermid, whose Hill/Jordan books were turned into hit crime drama Wire in the Blood.

It is the first original scripted drama for Alibi, which airs series such as Quantico and repeats of Luther. Red’s Nicola Shindler is exec producing.

Traces is set in Scotland and explores the world of Sifa, the Scottish Institute of Forensic Science. The drama follows female characters – Emma Hedges, Prof. Sarah Gordon and Prof. Kathy Torrance – who will use the rigors of forensics to uncover the...

‘Little J and Big Cuz’.

Ned Lander Media’s animated series Little J and Big Cuz is the winner of the inaugural Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network (Sdin) Award.

The Sdin Award was created to honour Australian producers and projects which have made a significant contribution to diversity and inclusion, on and off screen, within the Australian screen industry. Little J and Big Cuz, commissioned by Nitv, is the first animated series specifically targeted at Indigenous children aged 4-6.

The announcement was made at Screen Forever yesterday by Sdin chair Courtney Gibson.

“For decades Ned Lander has been producing screen works in complete creative collaboration with Indigenous screen practitioners, going right back to the feature Wrong Side of the Road, made with the bands No Fixed Address and Us Mob. The creation of the first-ever Australian animated series targeted to an Indigenous audience, Little J and Big Cuz, is a continuation of that collaborative approach,...

Alibi has celebrated its summer crime season... by staging a huge crime scene in London.

An enormous skull is protruding from the ground in South Bank, surrounded by forensic investigators and police tape, to promote the UK channel.

"Our dramatic installation pays homage to the moment that features in many thrilling crime dramas; the unexpected discovery of human remains that triggers an investigation into how and why it came to be there," said Adrian Wills, general manager of UKTV's Alibi.

"Because the channel celebrates the biggest crime dramas on TV, we decided to super-size this crime scene and really get people talking."

Meanwhile, a unique point-of-view crime drama was recently announced for Alibi.

The Alibis consists of eight shorts, between one and three minutes long, and is designed to let the audience play detective.

A chance meeting at the 2013 Logie awards was the catalyst for the launch of a joint venture between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions.

Big Chance Films. first production, Ready for This, a teenage drama with mostly Indigenous characters commissioned by ABC3, is now shooting in Sydney.

The ensemble cast includes two newcomers, rapper/singer Majeda Beatty who competed in The X Factor, and Liam Talty, who studied at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in Brisbane.

They join Aaron McGrath (The Code, Redfern Now, The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Leonie Whyman (Redfern Now), Madeleine Madden (The Code, Jack Irish: Dead Point, Redfern Now), Christian Byers (Puberty Blues season 2), Christine Anu (Dance Academy, Outland) and Lasarus Ratuere (The Mule, Mabo, Terra Nova).

Set in inner city Sydney, the plot follows five Indigenous kids who come to the city to pursue their dreams. Anu and Ratuere play the couple who run the kids. boarding house.

A chance meeting at the 2013 Logie awards was the catalyst for the launch of a joint venture between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions.

Big Chance Films. first production, Ready for This, a teenage drama with mostly Indigenous characters commissioned by ABC3, is now shooting in Sydney.

The ensemble cast includes two newcomers, rapper/singer Majeda Beatty who competed in The X Factor, and Liam Talty, who studied at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in Brisbane.

They join Aaron McGrath (The Code, Redfern Now, The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Leonie Whyman (Redfern Now), Madeleine Madden (The Code, Jack Irish: Dead Point, Redfern Now), Christian Byers (Puberty Blues season 2), Christine Anu (Dance Academy, Outland) and Lasarus Ratuere (The Mule, Mabo, Terra Nova).

Set in inner city Sydney, the plot follows five Indigenous kids who come to the city to pursue their dreams. Anu and Ratuere play the couple who run the kids. boarding house.

A chance meeting at the 2013 Logie awards was the catalyst for the launch of a joint venture between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions.

Big Chance Films. first production, Ready for This, a teenage drama with mostly Indigenous characters commissioned by ABC3, is now shooting in Sydney.

The ensemble cast includes two newcomers, rapper/singer Majeda Beatty who competed in The X Factor, and Liam Talty, who studied at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in Brisbane.

They join Aaron McGrath (The Code, Redfern Now, The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Leonie Whyman (Redfern Now), Madeleine Madden (The Code, Jack Irish: Dead Point, Redfern Now), Christian Byers (Puberty Blues season 2), Christine Anu (Dance Academy, Outland) and Lasarus Ratuere (The Mule, Mabo, Terra Nova).

Set in inner city Sydney, the plot follows five Indigenous kids who come to the city to pursue their dreams. Anu and Ratuere play the couple who run the kids. boarding house.

The Pinkertons will air on Drama, UKTV has announced.

The crime drama becomes the first original and exclusive Us acquisition for the channel, and is premiering later this year.

The Pinkertons stars Angus Macfadyen as Allan Pinkerton, the founder of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency.

Together with his son William (Jacob Blair) and America's first female detective Kate Warne (Martha MacIsaac), they solve crimes throughout the Wild West of the 1860s.

Drama general manager Adrian Wills said: "2014 was a huge success for Drama, and it is the right time to broaden the channel's content lineup by premiering brilliant Us dramas to our viewers first, ahead of other UK broadcasters.

"The Pinkertons will complement the channel's existing slate of dramas, and I'm sure viewers will enjoy this compelling series."

The Pinkertons premiered in the Us late last year. The first season will comprise of 22 episodes.

The first two seasons of Crossing Lines will air on Alibi.

The crime drama was previously exclusive to Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Crossing Lines features William Fichtner and Hunger Games star Donald Sutherland, and focuses on the workings of the International Criminal Court's special crime unit.

Adrian Wills, general manager for Alibi, said, "Crossing Lines is a smart and fast-paced crime drama peppered with great characters, intrigue and amazing international locations. It is a perfect fit for the channel and I'm confident it will prove compelling for our viewers."

Alexandra Finlay, head of acquisitions and co-productions, added: "Crossing Lines, headed by a stellar cast including Donald Sutherland and William Fichtner, is a stand out crime drama that will keep Alibi viewers on their toes and guessing throughout.

"It's a thriller with an international twist and will perfectly complement Alibi's existing slate of programmes."

Fichtner's previous credits include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Prison Break.

Anton Corbijn’s Life also set to get direct government investment from Screen Australia.

Many Australian filmgoers were today thrilled to hear that director Clayton Jacobson and his brother, the actor Shane Jacobson, the two brains behind the good-natured local box office hit Kenny [pictured], are finally going to be making a followup.

The family movie Oddball is one of two features to get direct government investment from Screen Australia, it was announced today. In the other, the official co-production Life, starring Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame, Australia and Germany are minority partners alongside Canada.

“Oddball has the perfect mix to really carry across to an international audience,” Clayton Jacobson told Screendaily. “It is your classic four quadrant film. Both Shane and I were invited on board for the ride… We are thrilled to be able to work together again. It’s not every day someone pays you to hang out with family.”

Kenny was made...

Tickets are selling fast for the 46th Annual Awgie Awards, to be held in Melbourne on October 4.

To be hosted by writer, comedian and singer Sammy J, the ceremony will honour the achievements made by Australian writers for performance. The Awgie Awards are the only Australian awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script . the writer's intention . rather than the finished production.

"The Awgies are the highlight of the year for us and a unique chance to celebrate the oft-unsung but stellar work created by Australian writers of the script," says Awg.s President and Academy Award nominee Jan Sardi..

.It.s a night that really just celebrates the importance of story and storytelling. And that.s what sets us apart from other animals in the end, the ability to tell stories..

Sardi says the slate of nominated work is once again a strong one.

.It.s...

Forget about Colin Firth's memorable scene emerging from the lake as Mr Darcy in BBC1's Pride and Prejudice, recently voted the most memorable British TV drama of all time, there's a new torso in town. And this one belongs to Adrian Wills, general manager of new UKTV channel Drama. It was Drama which commissioned the memorable drama moments poll, you see, marked by a giant Mr Darcy sculpture in the Serpentine in central London (pictured above). Wills was so inspired by the whole thing that he donned a Darcy-style shirt and plunged into the waters himself (below). We're getting a bit more Alexander Armstrong than Colin Firth. Anyway. His pedalo is apparently just out of shot on the left.

UKTVTelevision industryMarketing & PRColin FirthDramaTelevisionMonkey

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions...

Colin Firth's eye-popping lake scene from 'Pride And Prejudice' has been brought to life once again - with a giant statue positioned in a well-known lake.

The fibreglass sculpture of the actor's head and torso stretches 12ft out of the water at The Serpentine in London's Hyde Park.

Mr Darcy, brought to life again in Hyde Park

It has been built to celebrate today's launch of new TV channel Drama after topping a poll last week to find the the most memorable moment in British TV drama.

The scene featured in a 1995 BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, which was published 200 years ago. The image of Firth emerging dripping wet from the lake at Lyme Park in Cheshire caused a stir and turned the actor into a sex symbol.

Mr Darcy stands !2 feet tall in Hyde Park's Serpentine lake

What else do you think made the...

UKTV has announced new Freeview channel Drama.

The station will launch on July 8 and feature shows including Pride and Prejudice, Catherine Cookson's The Cinder Path, Sharpe, Tipping The Velvet, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Cranford and Lark Rise to Candleford.

UKTV controller Emma Tennant said: "Drama is targeted at a different audience demographic than our other highly successful free-to-air channels, Dave, Yesterday and Really.

"The channel is aimed at people who simply love drama and want to watch critically-acclaimed shows that have absolutely defined the landscape of British television."

She added: "I am very passionate about the subject and discussing the programmes that will create Drama's schedule has just been brilliant fun.

"I'm genuinely excited about the launch of Drama both as a viewer and as controller."

General manager of drama Adrian Wills added: "Drama lovers' prayers have been answered.

"This channel represents the best drama content within the genre and...

Screen Australia says it has not mismanaged its finances by spending its annual production funding in just six months - a state of affairs which it says reflects the strength of the local film industry.

The government screen agency revealed in mid-December 2012 that it had spent its entire annual $42 million drama production allocation due to the unprecedented number of quality feature film and television projects seeking support. The shock announcement was reminiscent of the agency's abrupt decision to cut its investment cap in 2009 while several films were mid-financed. That decision.threw several major Australian productions into dissaray including The Tree and the biggest box office hit of.2010, Tomorrow When the War Began (Omnilab Media had to increase its investment at the last minute to ensure production).

Overspending on such a scale has never occurred before, even going back to the era of Screen Australia.s predecessor funding arm, the Film Finance Corporation.

Actor/director Leah Purcell added to writing team for Redfern Now series two

Screen Australia is to fund a second series of gritty indigenous drama Redfern Now as part of a $5.5m funding round.

The public funding body has also announced that it is to invest in feature films Son of a Gun - by Julius Avery and starring Ewan McGregor – and My Mistress, to be produced Leanne Tonkes, directed Stephen Lance and written by Gerard Lee.

Joining Redfern Now’s writing team of last year; Jon Bell, Steven McGregor and Adrian Wills, is first series directors Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell.

The series, made up of six standalone episodes, is produced by Darren Dale and Miranda Dear for Blackfella Films. Redfern Now debuted on ABC1 on Thursday 1 November rating 721,000.

Jimmy McGovern, creator of the UK’s Cracker and The Street will again lead the development process of the series.

Screen Australia has invested almost $5.5 million in two feature films, My Mistress and Son of a Gun, as well as a second series of indigenous TV program Redfern Now.

The second, six-part series of Redfern Now will once again tell the stories of six indigenous families whose lives are changed by a seemingly insignificant incident. Acclaimed writer Jimmy McGovern (The Street, Cracker) will take Redfern Now writers Steven McGregor, Adrian Wills and Jon Bell, as well as new writers Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell, through an intense development process. The series will be produced by Blackfella Films. Darren Dale and Miranda Dear.

.Redfern Now is one of several partnerships between ABC TV and Screen Australia.s Indigenous department and I.m very proud of the work we.re achieving together,. said Screen Australia.s chief executive Ruth Harley in a statement. .This is compelling television drama at its very best,...

The Sapphires director Wayne Blair will be one of a trio of directors working on a new Indigenous drama The Gods of Wheat Street to screen on ABC1.

Today marks the first day of production on Northern Nsw set for the six by one hour series.

Produced by Every Cloud Productions, and written by Jon Bell, joining Blair in directing is Satellite Boy’s Catriona McKenzie and Boxing for Palm Island’s Adrian Wills.

The Gods of Wheat Street tells the story of Odin Freeburn, the head of a Freeburn clan, struggling to keep the family together.

The cast includes Kelton Pell in the lead role as well as Lisa Flanagan, The Sapphires’ Shari Sebbens, Ursula Yovich of Redfern Now and David Field of Wild Boys.

The series is produced by Bell and Lois Randall.

Bell, who is from the Northern Nsw regions of Wiradjuri and Bundjalung, said: “The series...

Indigenous drama series The Gods of Wheat Street has begun shooting in northern New South Wales.

The ABC1 series stars Kelton Pell (The Circuit), Lisa Flanagan (Redfern Now), Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires), Mark Coles-Smith (Beneath Hill 60), Rarriwuy Hick, Miah Maddeen (The Sapphires), Ursula Yovich (Australia) and David Field (Wild Boys).

Pell plays Odin Freeburn, head of the sprawling Freeburn clan - a legendary modern local Aboriginal family. The six-part, one-hour series was written by Jon Bell, a Wiradjuri and Bundjalung man, and is set in his home of Coraki, Casino and Lismore.

.The series is an intimate journey into the lives and hearts of a modern Aboriginal family," Bell said in a statement. "Each episode spans a few hectic days with a touch of magic and lots of deadpan humour that help our characters rise above obstacles - like death, financial difficulties and injustice - that would bring mere...

Dexter

"Chuck" star Yvonne Strahovski has joined the cast of Showtime’s "Dexter" for a multi-episode arc in the upcoming seventh season.

Strahovski will play Hannah McKay, a strong, independent woman with a past that she’s struggled to put behind her but is asked by Miami Metro Homicide for help in solving some old cases. [Source: Deadline]

Vatican

Kristin Scott Thomas, André Dussollier and Sergi Lopez are set to star in Laurent Herbiet's €7 million, French-language political thriller "Vatican". Shooting begins in Rome and Switzerland next June.

The story revolves around a bitter struggle for Papal power between two cardinals following the death of the Pope. Thomas plays a devout Catholic mother whose investigations into the death of her Swiss Guard son lead her to uncover this web of intrigue. [Source: Screen Daily]

The Quiet Ones

Erin Richards ("Breaking In," "Being Human"), Olivia Cooke ("The Secret of Crickley Hall," "The Fuse") and West End...

From live blogs on 'Occupy' protests to footage of Syrian atrocities on YouTube, filmmakers now have access to a wealth of raw material – but can it all be trusted?

In a digital world with a whole host of different ways to communicate a factual message it is increasingly hard to judge the value of amateur eyewitness film shot on a mobile phone and posted on the internet against a considered, observational documentary broadcast on a traditional television channel.

From the Occupy New York City bloggers, such as Tim Pool who has broadcast hours and hours of live reports from Zucotti Park in the city, to YouTube videos of citizens under fire from government forces in Syria – these incidents and more are changing the landscape of documentary filmmaking. This has been made possible by the technology they use, the distribution platforms that are now available and the passion of ordinary men...

Who hasn't dreamed of space travel? Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté had the rare chance to visit this most exotic world, after enduring a rigorous training regimen of course, in 2009, becoming the first Canadian space tourist. Filmmaker Adrian Wills (All Together Now) followed the eccentric entrepreneur and circus man on his journey, gaining new insights into the life of astronauts along the way to the stars, and emerged with Touch the Sky, opening in select Cineplex theatres May 18.

Cineplex recently had a chance to speak with the director about making the documentary, working with Laliberté and being accepted into the astronaut community.

Read the interview after the jump.

Today, Montreal's Festival du nouveau cinéma (Fnc), which will take place between October 12 to 23. Here's the complete line-up of feature films according to the press release we received.

Opening and closing

The 40th edition of the Fnc kicks off on Wednesday, October 12, with Declaration of War by Valérie Donzelli (France) at Cinéma Impérial (Centre Sandra & Leo Kolber, Salle Lucie & André Chagnon). This critically-acclaimed second feature by Valérie Donzelli (The Queen of Hearts) tells the love story of Roméo and Juliette who are battling to save their sick child. The director and her producer Edouard Weil will be in attendance.

Ten days later, on Saturday, October 22, Monsieur Lazhar (Quebec/Canada) by Philippe Falardeau will close the Festival. Selected to represent Canada at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, Monsieur Lahzar shows the efforts of an Algerian schoolteacher to help his Grade 6 students come to terms with their teacher’s death.

I will soon post a list of films I have already seen that I highly recommend as well as a list of my most anticipated films screening at this year’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema. For now here is the press release from the festival. Make sure you read carefully because there are a ton of great films to check out.

Montreal, Tuesday September 27, 2011– Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma will be celebrating its 40th edition from October 12 to 23. For the past 40 years, Canada’s oldest film festival has offered film buffs a selection of the year’s most exciting new films — a bold lineup with plenty of whimsical and surprising elements, but one that also turns its lens on social realities and the evolution of film and new technologies. Over the course of this year’s 11-day Festival, audiences of all ages can take in features and shorts, fiction films and documentaries,...

Screen Australia has published a catalogue of screen projects featuring Indigenous creatives in key roles, called The Black List.

“The Black List celebrates these contemporary screen storytellers and those who have gone before. It reveals how far the Indigenous filmmaking sector has come,” said CEO Ruth Harley.

Harley explained that while in the 70s there were no features and only one TV drama with Indigenous people in key creative roles, the 2000s saw Indigenous filmmakers participate in nine features and 16 dramas.

The catalogue has been compiled by the agency’s Strategy and Research Unit, and features the work of 257 Indigenous Australians credited as producer, director, writer or cinematographer on 674 productions. The listings go back to 1970 for features and telemovies, 1980 for docos and mini-series, and 1988 for shorts and series.

The Black List is indexed by year and by filmmaker, and features a statistical summary and timeline of titles and events.

The...

Costumers Chrisanne have revamped the traditional Morris dancing outfit with the aim of making the hobby more popular. The fashion firm, which makes outfits for Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing On Ice and Britain's Got Talent, teamed up with UKTV channel Blighty to celebrate its upcoming spoof Morris dancing documentary. Channel head Adrian Wills said: "At Blighty, we very much believe in preserving great British traditions (more)...

Montreal -- Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinema on Sunday handed its top jury prize, the Louve D'or, to Sergey Dvortsevoy's "Tulpan," a Swiss-Russian comedy about a Kazakh sailor looking to become a sheep and goat herder.

"Tulpan" won Un Certain Regard category at Cannes, and in early October grabbed the top jury prize at the Zurich Film Festival.

The audience award in Montreal went to Adrian Wills' "All Together Now," a Canadian documentary about the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles Las Vegas production "Love."

And the Grand Prix Z trophy, chosen by ordinary festgoers, went to U.S. director Nina Paley for "Sita Sings the Blues," an animated version of the Indian epic poem "Ramayana" set to jazz music that picked up earlier awards on the festival circuit.

Back on the jury front, the Fnc, which wrapped Sunday, gave the Louve D'or for acting to Michael Fassbender for his star...