Across the Mediaverse

While the film world continues in it's struggle to become cross platform and multimedia, it's reassuring to see that other mediums such as the traditional book face the same challenges.

Nick Cave's just released a new book 'The Death of Bunny Munro' and it comes with a selection of music and an i-phone application as well.   The combination of Cave as an author and a musician is an obvious one, but could more books utilize music in their promotion and delivery?  

Music and film is a natural match, soundtracks are a given, and novelizations of movies are common place.   Could you create a series of short films to go with a literary release? - that's an idea that Susan Taylor Suchy explored at the FTI animation centre last year - and one that has great merit.   Could a publisher release a book that is accompanies by a series of short films or animations, a series of video portraits of the main characters maybe?

Source: Pitchfork

  

The other day Liz highlighted the blogging attributes of Danny DeVito and it immediately made me thing of the online presence of Jane Fonda.

The actress is active as both a blogger and on Twitter, where she first began posting about the rehearsals of a play which marked for her return to Broadway earlier this year.   Once the play finished though Fonda has kept on posting proving updated on her new love life, her travels and clarifying false rumours.

I wonder how long it will be before the social networking activities of actors will have an effect on them getting hired?   Does an actor with a big online following bring an audience with them?   Will future contracts have clauses written in to them requiring actors to post a certain number of posts during production and the promotional campaign?   Or will online profiles damage our ability to believe the actor is the character their playing?

Could an online strategy of this nature work for a small production within unknown performers?


  

Remember the old days?  We had to rely on Who Weekly reporters to publish embarrassing photos of celebrities.  Well now, thanks to Social Networking, celebrities are doing it themselves!  You may have seen this already, but Danny DeVito has set the Twitterverse alight with his brand new Twitter page. The real Danny DeVito.  Not just because he posts pearlers like "Don't follow the fake "DiVito" twitter! I know how to spell my name and I don't suck at photoshop!".  Danny doesn't know how to 'verify' his account.  Apparently if you're a celebrity, you need to take this step so that the average person knows that you're not an imposter. So Danny went one further and established a Facebook Fan Page, complete with a video so that you know it's really him. Check it out. 

Douglas Coupland author of 'Generation X' has a new book coming out, it's called 'Generation A'.   his publisher is running a competition that allows readers to create thier own cover for the book, a personalised copy.

This reminds me of Penguin producing books with blank covers and encouraging readers to create their own cover artwork.

Hw could this idea work for televison... I'd quite like to make my own opening credits for CSI Miami, each week a diffferent viewers credits could run.

The Gruen Transfer has of course already treaded in this area when they provided fottage for people to make their own advertisements.

Source: Galleycat via Mr Trivia

THe character's on Neighbours have begun to twitter each afternoon in the lead up to the show.   What a pity Harold's not there anymore, I'd have like to be able to turn to him for advice.

Also on ABC's 'Q&A' and 'News Breakfast' they are quite twitter savy, with calls for viewers to hashtag their tweets, so the whole online audience can follow the discussion and comments.

If your a twitterer, you can follow FTI on Twitter too

Source: TV Tonight

OZTAM the company that supplies the TV rating is having a major change in 2010 when it will begin to report on time shifted viewing.   At the moment the ratings only include what people watch on live TV, not included is the use of digital recorders such as TIVO.  

This will have a major effect on commercial television business as we may discover some not so popular shows have a huge audience who watch it at a later time.

Source: TV Tonight

The 2009 Perth Fashion Festival (4 - 11 September) kicks off with the launch of POPSICLE!, a vintage bus and mobile retail space stocking clothes, accessories and books from emerging WA designers.

Visit onwilliam.com.au/popsicle for all the details.

Watch behind-the-scenes footage of the bus under construction and more exclusive content - runway shows, style events and backstage mayhem - on Perth Fashion Festival's Official Video Blog, brought to you by Cut & Paste.

Plus Minus was awarded 'Best Film' at Revel-8, the Super 8 Film Competition which screened as part of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival programme.

This year's theme was 'audacity'.

Shot entirely on super 8mm stock and edited in-camera, it features the talents of FTI's Production Support department.

Production Support Manager Yvette Coyne co-directed the short film with Stephen McCallum and Chris Trappe, and Production Support Officer Nat Eaton stars alongside Adam Kroll.

Plus Minus also features a haunting score by composer Sean Bernard.

This is a simple but inspiring piece of stop motion animation. it's by Bang-Yao Liu and was created at the Savanah College of Art and Design.



See how they made it in this 'behind the scenes' film.
 

From AFACT (Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft)

 

FOUR PIRACY SEIZURES IN FOUR MONTHS IN BANKSTOWN AREA

Sydney: A 36-year-old woman was arrested by New South Wales Police in Bankstown late yesterday and charged with copyright offences in relation to possessing for sale pirated movie DVDs.

Police discovered the woman selling the illegitimate movie DVDs from the rear of her parked car in Bankstown's Brandon Avenue Carpark. Officers seized around 2,500 pirated movie DVDs, including copies of Land of the Lost and Angels and Demons which have only just been released in cinemas across Australia. Other titles included copies of Valkeryie, which is not yet legitimately released on DVD.

Following the arrest, Neil Gane, Director of Operations for the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) said: "We commend the work of the New South Wales Police for putting a stop to the sale of these pirated movies in our communities. Legitimate suburban businesses like cinemas and DVD rental stores have enough challenges in these tough economic times without having to compete with criminals."

The operation yesterday represents the fourth seizure of pirated DVD movies in Bankstown in the past four months. Over 7,000 pirated DVD movies, with an estimated street value of $35,000, have been seized in these operations.

Police enquiries are continuing and further charges may be laid.

Penalties for copyright crimes are up to $60,500 and/or 5 years jail per offence.

 

"What are you really burning?" - AFACT's anti-piracy campaign.