Category: media

The tax would have significantly raised the price of MP3 players, cellphones and computers.
“The levy, which was slated to be introduced in 2008, would have amounted to an additional $5 to $75 depending on the storage capacity of the recorder.” The money would have been paid to copyright holders to “compensate” them for digital file copying.

China made a record 402 movies in 2007. China exported 78 feature films and that more than 200 movies from the country were entered in nearly 100 film festivals last year.

The actors of the popular 1980s hit “thirtysomething” became a generation of successful behind-the-scenes directors and producers. It had much to do with the way the show was produced…

“In 2007, a record 450 movies had theatrical runs here — a staggering figure that may be more than double what played here in any given year of the 1980s. In 2008, that number is expected to rise again.”

Even as TV audiences are slipping, production costs for scripted TV shows are going up. Why? Shows are opting for more lavish production effects…

The Writers Guild of America, West, which is the Los Angeles-based wing of the guild that represents some 10,500 writers, had planned to announce winners of awards for film and television screenplays on February 9, but said in a brief statement that its awards gala would not be held until the strike ended.

“One of Canada’s largest film and television production companies, Shaftesbury Films Inc., is embroiled in a battle for control that pits the company’s co-chief executive officers against each other. The dispute has landed in an Ontario court…”

As the writers’ strike drags on, it will be extremely difficult for late-night stars Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who rely on topical humor and highly scripted routines, to keep their shows fresh and funny. The shows could suffer, but given their huge and loyal audience, their struggles could swing public opinion to the side of the writers.

“The People’s Choice Awards lost nearly half of its TV audience after it had to put out a pre-recorded programme instead of the usual live ceremony… People’s Choice organisers were forced to change their plans last month after the Writers Guild of America refused to let its members write for awards shows.”

Overture Films is not a major Hollywood studio. But you might be forgiven for thinking that it is. Overture’s business model involves keeping costs low, but marketing its films to a mass audience, and then reselling them to pay TV channels in short order. So far, the approach looks to be paying big dividends.