Jumpcut closes its doors
Written by Kelsey Brookes Tuesday, 16 June 2009 22:21
Acquired by Yahoo! in 2006, the online video editing and hosting service has closed down due to 'ongoing prioritisation efforts' at the parent company.
The suggestion on the jumpcut site is to edit using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker and upload to Flickr - also owned by Yahoo!.
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Goodbye analog TV
Written by Kelsey Brookes Monday, 15 June 2009 23:07
As the U.S. enters the new era of DTV and the last analog sets without set-top boxes tune in only to static, the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes the passing of an unwelcome corollary to broadcast media: DRM.
Although broadcasters and movie studios have tried for years to make the 'Broadcast Flag' a part of the DTV spec, disorganisation, greed and consumer revolt have led us to the point where DTV is here but there is no mandate for the Broadcast Flag.
In essence, the Broadcast Flag was meant to allow producers and broadcasters to tell your hardware whether it was authorised to play specific media. Broadcasters could, at the flick of a virtual switch, tell your home-theatre devices to not play or record any content under their control.
Fortunately for consumers, the scaremongering generated by broadcast media over the last few years has fallen on mostly deaf ears. Even Viacom's threat to not produce HD shows after 2003 if the Broadcast Flag was not honoured proved an empty one, as the EFF article shows:
It's six years later and these threats have all fallen flat. This week, CBS will broadcast dozens of popular programs, like CSI, Without a Trace, Survivor, and The New Adventures of Old Christine, in high definition via over-the-air broadcast. So will all the other major networks. Digital TV also continues to feature popular movies with no DRM.
Go to the EFF website for the full article.
0 CommentsHollywood cools on web video
Written by Kelsey Brookes Monday, 15 June 2009 22:31
The LA Times has a great piece on the failure of big media companies to successfully deliver an online video distribution solution that makes money.
Covering the recent closure of Disney's Stage 9 and the less well known 60Frames, the article looks at the attempts to monetise online video, chronicling the pitfalls encountered when pitted against the social video stars of YouTube.
Read more at LA Times.
0 CommentsThe Auteurs, Scorsese, social networking and cinema
Written by Forum Editor Monday, 15 June 2009 21:52
Calling the venture an 'online cinematheque', the Auteurs is the brainchild of Efe Cakarel, a former Goldman Sachs banker and offers arthouse and classic films on demand.
The idea is to make arthouse and classic films, which are typically difficult to find outside dedicated small cinemas, accessible to a wider audience.
In a masterstroke of PR, The Auteurs have announced a partnership with Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation. The WCF is dedicated to restoring lost cinema classics and has partnered with The Auteurs for distribution.
Read more about The Auteurs at CNN.
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Film production, the stable earner
Written by Kelsey Brookes Monday, 15 June 2009 21:31
Arizona Virtual Studios COO John Koop talks to PR Web about their custom-built green and white screens. Seemingly a guy after George Lucas' heart, he claims:
"with a properly lit green screen, the creative freedom is basically limitless."
Also citing production cost benefits, Arizona Virtual Studios has been producing scenes for the Fox TV show, Sex Decoy - Love Stings.
The most interesting quote is from Philip Bradstock, Film Commissioner for the Phoenix Film Office:
"The film industry, in all its many forms, has proven stable in an uncertain economy and continues to bring dollars to Phoenix businesses."
Read the whole story on PR Web.
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