Category: media

The credit was designed to discourage runaway productions that film outside the US. “In effect, the IRS decision means there is less money for other production costs because participations and residuals must be included in the total. The decision could also potentially hurt low-budget films that become hits as participations and residuals are paid on revenue the film earns. A big hit could cause the film to rise above the tax credit limit, triggering a fine or other retaliation by the IRS.”

America’s biggest media companies have accused Google of knowingly encouraging copyright theft by suggesting to illegal movie download sites that they place adverts to appear in response to search terms such as “pirated” and “bootleg”.

A new survey suggests Americans would support a new “R” rating for movies that include actors smoking. “The survey of 1,800 Americans by the American Medical Association AMA Alliance, an arm of the AMA, shows public concern over the issue of tobacco imagery on screen has grown substantially.”

Google has revolutionized the online ad business. But the company is having a harder time repeating the success with radio ads. “Industry insiders cite everything from culture clashes to resistance in the radio industry, which relies heavily on sales representatives, to automate its advertising systems. But the hurdle mentioned most often is Google’s apparent inability to secure enough air time, or inventory, to make its system attractive to advertisers.”

A Santa Rosa TV station ditches its news staff and turns to the community for news. “Over the next few months, the station’s management plans to ask people in the community — its independent filmmakers, its college students and professors, its civic leaders and others — to provide programming for the station. Will they be paid? That’s being worked out.”

“Indian films, especially the flashy musicals and dramas of Bollywood, have grabbed plenty of attention in the West. But the country’s lesser-known television business is more than twice as big, with an estimated $3.4 billion in revenue in 2005, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. It is also starting to exert greater cultural influence.”

If they win the next national election, the Scottish National Party has big plans for the national broadcaster. “The Nationalists want to see much more Scottish programming on BBC Scotland, starting with a locally produced Six O’Clock News.”

“TV writers have been dealing with critics since the dawn of the medium. But these days everybody’s a critic – the explosion of Internet blogs and fan websites has amplified viewers’ reactions to everything from a boring plotline to the death of a favorite character. In this glut of feedback, the creative minds behind a season’s lineup are finding they must learn which voices to heed and which to shut out.”

Movie blogs “serve as a tip sheet for the movie industry – especially the marketing and publicity people – to decide which films to support for Oscar nominations. And one way to do that is by placing ads on the sites. Another is to grant sites access to stars for interviews, making them real players. If it sounds a little like the long, media-paved road to a presidential election, that’s what it has become.”

Helen Mirren wins Best Actress, “The Queen” wins Best Picture, and Forest Whitaker wins Best Actor at the British film awards. “On a cool, bright evening, the stars marched along one of the longest red carpets ever seen. For the first time the ceremony had an air of Hollywood gloss, having moved this year to the crimson plush of the Royal Opera House.”