Category: media

Hollywood heavyweights from a variety of disciplines, from film’s Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee to television’s Gary David Goldberg, are being invited to what’s being called the PBS Summit on Creativity and Community. They’ll be asked for ideas about what the noncommercial broadcaster ought to be doing. “We’re looking at a media landscape that’s going to change dramatically in the next five years, and public television and its member stations really need to look at some new ideas,” says new PBS president Pat Mitchell. “We need an infusion of outside thinking.” – Los Angeles Times 04/28/00

Even though the Berlin Film Festival – the Berlinale – is second in size in Europe only to Cannes, it’s not had the luster many of its supporters think it should have. Now Festival director Moritz de Hadeln has been fired – after more than two decades at its helm. – Die Welt (Germany) 04/28/00

China has seized 200,000 pirated DVD’s and CD’s in a raid in Guangzhou, its largest haul yet of stolen music and movies. – Variety 04/28/00

Costs for shooting and editing a movie have plunged, bringing sophisticated technology to the home user. A Pittsburgh man edits his full-length feature on his dining room table – total budget $2000.   “We had a 3/4-inch online video editing system that was worth $250,000.” says a movie maker. “Now, it can be done on a computer for less than $20,000.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 04/28/00

After reducing the time some of Robert Mapplethorpe’s more explicit photographs are shown in its documentary about the 1990 obscenity trial over the work, Showtime’s “Dirty Pictures” gets an “R” rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. As originally edited, the film would have been tagged with an NC-17 which would mean the network couldn’t have shown it in prime time. – Newsweek (Variety) 04/27/00 

The thing about technical advances is not just that they make it easier to do what you’re already doing – improvements in your tools change the way you think about your art, the way you conceive of it, the way it looks. – Chicago Tribune 04/27/00

No question television is changing. What’ll it look like in ten years? Six Australian experts make their predictions. – The Age (Melbourne) 04/27/00 

Consumer groups are stepping up to object to Time Warner’s merger with AOL. Critics are afraid of a “content bottleneck” if the deal goes through. – Variety 04/27/00

A new set-top box promises to deliver music on demand right in the home anytime you want it. – Wired 04/26/00

So the Napster is killing sales of recorded music. Can the “Flickster” be far behind? Who wants to buy a movie you’re only going to see once, or hassle with all those late video rental charges. As soon as someone solves the compression problem (like maybe next month) Hollywood’s going to find itself in the same position as the music industry. Copyright laws or no copyright laws. – Toronto Star 04/26/00