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forge a new direction for the medium in which it exists. But when the dust settles the rich variety of form and content in any artistic discipline is increased by such innovation, and the established methods are enhanced by both the contrast and comparison these developments bring.
Only when a movie of the scale of Lawrence of Arabia or the complexity of Saving Private Ryan can be made on DV then traditional film stock may find its days are truly numbered. ■
Time Code and Julien Donkey-Boy are now on general release; Chuck & Buck is due out on November 17; The Trouble With Men & Women and My Brother will be released next year.
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News Digest
THERE!
THATWASTHEFESTTHATWAS MAGGIE BROWN LOOKS BACK AT THE EDINBURGH TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2000
This was the festival’s silver anniversary. For 25 years it has acted as a debating shop for television produc- ers and executives, though increasingly “new media content” producers are part of the mix. Love it or hate it, the festival formally marked its age by mov-
ingtoapurpose-built Edinburghinterna- tional conference centre, losing a range of eccentric meeting places, but gaining in efficiency. The famous bar of the George Hotel was packed at night, but no longer the alcohol-fuelled focus.
As chair, Channel 5’s Dawn Airey devised a rich schedule of events - one of the best pro- grammes anyone can remember. The only grouse was her distinctive use of offensive session titles - sample, “Cocks on the Box “ covering the annual debate over sexual por- trayal on television.
The festival was given a sense of occa- sion by Greg Dyke’s opening James MacTaggart lecture, in which he presented his blue print for the publicly funded part of the BBC. Naturally his confirmation that BBC1 would be moving its main news to 10 pm, taking maximum advantage of ITV’s dis- array, attracted huge coverage and was fun- damentally well-received. His prediction that audiences would rise for news was seen as rash but in keeping with his determination to make BBC1 more popular.
The long term effects from his mission to slash bureaucracy were finally priced: it results in a massive investment in pro- grammes, above all for BBC1, rising to £480 million a year by 2002/3, a 30 per cent boost. This created a feeling of good- will, even among the independent produc- ers alarmed at BBC plans to source much more in-house.
At Edinburgh it became plain, though, that Peter Salmon, controller of BBC1, was on his way out. Also included was a coherent strategy for five BBC networks, with orphans BBC Choice recast as BBC3, aiming at younger people, and BBC Knowledge (BBC4) as a seri- ous arts and ideas network . But two chil- dren’s services, zoned by age, to run on BBC3
and 4 during the afternoons and early evenings provoked instant opposition from rival commercial children’s channels.
The date of the relaunch was left deliberately vague, but the consensus is that it will kick in next Autumn. His speech was sketchy on the BBC’s commercial plans.
Other key themes included debate on the making of Big Brother and the ethics of exploiting people; the dangers of copy-cat series going to far to gain shock value and
whether a new genre was about to take root. With Peter Bazalgette and his team in attendance, including the psychiatrist consulted for Big Brother, this was Edinburgh at its best
Other lively sessions included a debate on news readers, and their relative sex appeal: the disproportionate appearance of black and Asian characters in soaps and dramas, often only as villains, and the strange reviewing patterns of newspapers.
Advertisers weighed in with a telling session explaining how they valued programmes by ranking them from heaven and hell. They added to a feeling that this was a bad festival for ITV, which had by far the most nominations for hell, with You’ve Been Framed, Wheel of Fortune, London Palladium, with Blind Date and London’s Burning turning up too. The general worry, at a point of Big Brother frenzy, was ITV’s lack of innovation.
Also Edinburgh attracted Charles Allen, chief executive of Granada Media, for his first public grilling after the greenlight given to merger with United News & Media television opera- tions. He opened the door to a potential settlement with the Independent Television Commission over the “News at Ten” row.
Patricia Hodgson, the new chief executive of the ITC was able to seize the olive branch in public, and use a session on regulation and this autumn’s White Paper on Communications to offer to a fresh approach, less onerous regulation, but with responsibilites attached.
Of the speeches by industry grandees apart from Dyke, least satisfying was that of American Barclay Knapp, the chairman and chief executive of NTL, the UK’s largest cable operator, who owns pay-per-view rights to 40 Premier League matches. He failed to enthuse delegates with a gobbledygook vision of how such con- tent would be exploited on broadband interactive services,
In contrast, James Murdoch, the 27-year-old son of Rupert, gave a surprisingly refreshing speech. The chairman and chief executive of Star TV, the Hong Kong based satellite service debunked the belief that English was the lingua franca of the internet and global media, declaring there would be at least four world languages, English for sure, but Spanish,Hindi and Mandarin too. It sent delegates away asking for more interna- tional content at next year’s Edinburgh. ■
ALL SET FOR RIMA 2001
The prestigious Race in the Media Awards have announced two new categories for RIMA 2001: Best Soap, sponsored by Granada Media and Broadcaster of the Year - a special cate- gory aimed at stations and licensees - sponsored by the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
An entry form for RIMA 2001 is inserted in this month’s issue. The closing date is Friday December 8 and the winners will be announced at a Gala Luncheon in Spring 2001.
For further information contact the RIMA Office on 020 8864 2005 or check the web site www.cre.gov.uk/media/rima.html
FEAST OF FILM
The 2nd London Food Film Fiesta, which combines cooking and celluloid, takes place from October 13-15 at the Tabernacle Arts Centre in Notting Hill.
More info at www.londonfoodfilmfiesta.co.uk
Photo opposite page: a scene from The Trouble With Men & Women main: Mike Figgis wields a digital video camera on the set of Time Code on the contents page: Chuck & Buck