Uncertain times for Welsh indies

Broadcast

As the biggest commissioner of content from Welsh production companies, changes to the way S4C is funded are causing concern throughout the sector. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/analysis/uncertain-times-for-welsh-indies/5023933.article

Welsh indies are intent on showing their resilience and acumen in this unsettled period, and pledge to maintain a strong voice in discussions about how the sector’s principal benefactor will be managed.

“We’ve got to see the remodelling of S4C as an opportunity,” says Rondo Media chief executive Gareth Williams. “Indies are a key stakeholder in S4C and part of the solution to its more effective operation.”

Indie trade body TAC (Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru) has submitted reports to, and answered questions before, the Welsh Affairs Select Committee. It wants to ensure that S4C commissioning budgets continue to feed local producers, and that S4C retains editorial control. It has called for an independent review of the way the broadcaster works. “There’s a certain nervousness in the sector, which greater clarity would resolve,” says TAC chair Iestyn Garlick. “One is always dubious of internal reviews since they are never going to highlight all the problems.”

Telesgop managing director Elin Rhys echoes calls for TAC’s lobbying to be heard. “The financial and editorial independence of the channel is paramount. Nobody can understand the nature of S4C except those who speak the language.” A related concern is that the BBC’s pledge to double Wales’s share of the corporation’s network TV spend to 5% by 2016 could be threatened by S4C coming under licence fee control from 2013.

“Indies naturally want to know that there will be no reduction in BBC commissioning power because of new responsibilities at S4C,” says Green Bay creative director Phil George. “We are all trying to work out what will happen and play into it. We don’t, for example, know how S4C will sustain its tariffs, but it will impact on different indies in different ways.”

Despite the uncertainty, the sector is reassured by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s announcement that S4C’s commissioning budget for independent producers (outside of the BBC’s statutory commitments) will be ringfenced at £83m until 2014/15. In 2013/14 and 2014/15, the BBC will contribute £76.3m and £76m respectively, while the DCMS will fund £6.7m in 2013/14 and £7m in 2014/15.

“That’s a better deal than we have at the moment, where S4C can produce in-house and therefore doesn’t have to spend 100% on indies,” notes Boomerang chief executive Huw Eurig Davies. “Post 2015, though, the formula is likely to be linked to the fate of the licence fee.”

This is what worries indies most, according to TAC. “We are assured that the new funding deal isn’t going to affect S4C’s policy of commissioning from Welsh-language TV producers, but we’d like to see it in writing with something cast iron in place for the situation beyond 2015,” says Garlick.

In the absence of personnel in key executive roles at S4C, the broadcaster’s relationship with the indie sector post 2015 remains unclear.

“We are prepared for inevitable budgetary impacts but the degree of editorial control the BBC may have in a few years time also needs to be nailed down,” says Dinamo comanaging director Aron Evans.

Cloudy outlook

While TAC calls the future editorial integrity of S4C “cloudy”, Welsh indies in general do not share these insecurities, preferring to emphasise the positive. While the larger indies have diversifi ed to encompass network and international commissions, the importance of the Welsh broadcaster remains fundamental to their businesses.

Boomerang is in year two of a threeyear, £12m contract to produce children’s programming for the broadcaster, while Rondo Media increased turnover from £10.3m to £11.4m in 2010, largely as a result of winning an S4C children’s and youth tender worth £6m over three years.

Rondo is also mid-way through a four-year soccer contract, Sgorio, for S4C. It has a factual series covering regional events in co-production with Telesgop, and was recently recommissioned for two more series of youth drama Rownd A Rownd.

On the back of that, and on the region’s growing reputation for drama, it completed its fi rst network commission, the 5 x 45-minute The Indian Doctor, and is hopeful of a second run with BBC Daytime and BBC Wales.

The year is also looking strong at Green Bay thanks to a 6 x 60-minute Big History Of Wales for BBC Wales, and a 3 x 60-minute BBC4 examination of Shakespeare, Jacobean Genius, both for delivery in 2012.

“We don’t want to paint a picture of doom and gloom because indies are producing network-level work but we need 2011 to be a good year,” says George. “When you commit to grow the company’s resources, you need to see the investment deliver. We need to see a bigger breakthrough at network level from the BBC and Channel 4 so we can build business in a more solid way.”

Up to 80% of Telesgop’s output is for S4C, including weekly farming strand Ffermio and ultra-local community programming Bro, although it also produces network documentaries such as Heath Wilson for BBC4.

“The quality of work from Welsh producers for S4C based on tight production budgets should be held up as an exemplar to other broadcasters as a way to provide value for money,” argues Rhys. “The Welsh production community has built itself up through sheer determination, unique talent and a willingness to pool resources and collaborate that puts indies in other parts of the UK to shame. All of that will survive and ensure that the sector and Welsh-language provision wins in the end.”

S4C: CO-PRODUCTIONS

The change in funding structure is widely tipped to force S4C into more focused commissioning, particularly with regard to international coproductions. This may also provide a shot in the arm to local producers.

“The upside could be significant, with S4C and its suppliers working less in isolation and more in partnership with a global distribution arm in BBC Worldwide,” suggests Wil Stephens, chief executive of Cardiff-based Cube Interactive. “I suspect most indies will alter working practices and diversify more than they already have to offset budgetary pressures.”

Tim Morley, who runs distribution business Content West, agrees that changes at the broadcaster will stimulate the local industry. “There is deep expertise in programme-making here but the time is right to take that skillset wider, especially internationally,” he says.

Dinamo co-managing director Aron Evans spies opportunities for companies that already operate in the international market. The animation house is the recipient of S4C’s first partnership with CBeebies (and RTE), for 52 x 10-minute The Abadas, currently in production.

“If S4C embraces the international market and shift to a more co-production-based model, it can make its funding go further,” Evans says.

In its document presented to the DCMS last October, S4C announced plans to launch a co-pro fund from its commercial budget. The intention is to invest on a commercial basis, including international co-pros, or to co-fund productions with commercial
potential.

Ahead of a full announcement, S4C’s commercial group has already invested in copros including Ynysoedd (Islands), a six-part series from Green Bay with France 5 and Wales Creative IP Fund support, and Patagonia, a feature film released in 2010 that was co-produced by Boomerang, Boom Films and Rainy Day Films.

“S4C is crucial to the viability of international co-productions,” asserts Green Bay creative director Phil George. “Its commitment to sustaining international co-pros will also help S4C secure high points in its schedule and make sure the S4C brand is seen worldwide.”

3D focus: Caution - convert with care

Broadcast 

Converting 2D programming to 3D offers a cost-effective way of supplying broadcasters with the content they need. But it’s a contentious issue, as Adrian Pennington finds out.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/tech-focus/3d-focus-caution-convert-with-care/5023204.article

As the initial wave of promotion fades away, the financial reality of 3D TV is coming under scrutiny. Broadcasters, particularly those with commitments to full channels rather than one-off events, are under pressure to bring costs into line with 2D, and to make available a steady stream of content.

“There’s not enough content for channels to survive,” warns Pierre Routhier, Technicolor’s vice-president of 3D product strategy and business development. “There are not enough blockbusters to fi ll the schedules, while live events and new TV productions are a challenge because there is a premium on the cost of production.”

That cost is 20-30% in excess of HD production and is exacerbated for live sport, as separate production and transmission chains are required for simultaneous 2D and 3D broadcasts.

There are now more than 30 3D channels worldwide, most of which offer occasional live sport and ondemand schedules based on Hollywood movies. Hollywood has produced about 60 digital 3D movies since 2008, with 30 more set for release in 2011 and 2012.

Even with the addition of independent releases, it’s clear that a library of around 100 titles is a sparse one on which to base a business. Yet few operators have the pockets to fund a portfolio of original 3D production. This limited selection of content is likely to stall further consumer willingness to pay for expensive 3D TV sets, let alone 3D-specific subscriptions.

Industry analyst Screen Digest says that by 2014, just 10% of all TV sets installed in the UK will be 3D-capable. “The lack of true 3D content has created a sellers’ environment and on occasion resulted in broadcasters being expected to pay unrealistic premiums, particularly when they themselves are currently unable to charge customers a premium,” says Futuresource research consultant David Watkins.

One solution to bulking out the content gap is converting 2D material to 3D. This can be done in automated fashion on the fl y, or by rigorous post-production. But it’s a contentious issue, with proponents arguing that conversion is a necessary and creative option, while critics say that poorquality work risks damaging the 3D brand by giving viewers an uncomfortable experience.

In the latter camp are BSkyB and Discovery, which have taken strict stances against the use of converted material. SBS Broadcasting, which launched a Dutch 3D channel in November last year, is automatically converting the bulk of its 12-hour-a-day schedule from 2D.

However, Sky has softened its stance slightly, altering its original criteria for converted content destined for Sky 3D. Any programme destined for Sky 3D can have up to 25% converted content, up from an earlier limit of 10%.

According to Sky, this brings it into alignment with HD guidelines, which also dictate 75% should be in true HD, and to “take a pragmatic approach to supporting the growth of 3D production in the UK”. It remains adamant that no automated conversions are allowed, although exceptions are made for live events.

For shots where it is impractical to place a bulky, heavyweight rig - such as on an aerial wire, Steadicam or in restricted stadia positions - short bursts of realtime 3D processing taken from a 2D camera are widely used. Certain scenes or camera shots can work when converted and may be acceptable when converted using a live conversion tool, but such shots “need to be set with care”, Sky states.

It is far cheaper to use automated conversion than twin cameras and 3D rigs, with processors from JVC or Sony costing between £17,000 and £25,000, but shooting whole shows with them is not advised - even by the manufacturers.

“There’s a misconception that these products were designed to replace true acquisition,” says Kris Hill, 3D product specialist at JVC. “It’s a tool to complement 3D production.” Indeed, there’s a stigma attached to the use of conversions.

“It’s like the early days of HD, where a lot of content was upconverted from SD and broadcasters were reluctant to talk about it even though the picture difference was negligible,” suggests Mike Poirier, general manager at Teranex, which manufactures an automated conversion system.

Perhaps the lowestgrade conversions come from cheap chipsets now built as standard into an increasing number of 3D TVs and Blu-ray players. With a fl ick of the remote, consumers can turn any programme into pseudostereo vision outside of the control of broadcasters or fi lm-makers. The software reads each frame and sends, for example, faster-moving and background objects, or objects at the sides of the frame, to the back of the picture. Samsung’s 3D sets even enable the viewer to alter the 3D effect on a scale of 1-10. The effect is crude and has its opponents. “As a movie studio, we made it very clear to the consumer electronics companies that we don’t support conversion at all,” declares Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn. “It distorts what everyone is trying to do. We don’t even want a football game converted like that.”

However, studios will be reluctantto force consumer electronics firms to discontinue the option in the greater interest of selling more 3D TVs, provided the consumer is aware of the difference that true 3D makes.

True 3D is said to be the hallmark of 3net, a channel launching later this year in the US in a joint venture from Discovery, Sony and Imax. It expects to have about 200 hours of 3D programming, the majority of it original documentaries commissioned by the channel, and is destined to supply a forthcoming launch on Sky’s platform in the UK.

“We looked at conversion, but the technology is shaky,” says Discovery’s executive vice-president and head of international business operations John Honeycutt. “Conversion is a concern because some consumers may have an adverse physical reaction when viewing it. The effect is like that of reading a book in a moving car.”

Discovery, like Sky, will accept sequences of post-produced converted content provided the work meets the required quality. Indeed, post conversion is the best route for CG-intensive scenes or for certain shots where stereo capture is tricky, such as filming inside a moving car or from the air.

Even James Cameron’s Avatar contained postconverted sequences, suggesting that hybrid productions, mixing converted and native 3D content, will be routine. Provided sequences are devised with a view to being converted, and are therefore framed and edited with 3D in mind, the argument is that conversion can deliver an experience as high quality as native capture.

The process requires manual frame-by-frame rotoscoping with a 3D editing system, and doing it well requires attention to every frame. “This isn’t a ‘press the button’ solution but a creative process that requires a lot of time and careful decision- making,” says Cinesite managing director Antony Hunt.

For this reason, post-conversions are not a cheaper alternative to native stereo. Prices range from £16,000 to £80,000 a minute of converted footage, even if work is farmed out to places like India with lower wage bills. This won’t break the bank for a £100m feature, but adding £1-2m per episode for a documentary pushes the technique beyond most TV budgets.

“Post conversion is a high-end VFX process that involves stereography and huge amounts of manpower, so it’s generally only applicable to feature fi lm budgets,” explains Matt Bristowe, senior producer at Prime Focus, one of several facilities that have conducted conversion tests for UK broadcasters.

“There is huge demand for it so we are researching ways to create a faster, cheaper conversion pipeline for broadcast,” says Bristowe. “If it takes a week to convert a shot for a feature fi lm, we aim to bring that down to two or three days by introducing automation to some elements of the process while maintaining quality.”

Atlantic Productions chief executive Anthony Geffen has even called for 3D TV productions to be badged according to the degree of converted 2D-3D content they contain. “I would like to see a brand called Real 3D credited to any programme that contains 10% or less of converted content,” he says. “My concern is that a lot of converted 2D-3D material, whether automatically processed or done in post production, is so inferior in quality that it will damage the impression that viewers have of natively captured 3D, which at its best is a remarkable, immersive experience.”

Atlantic’s Flying Monsters 3D (left) for Sky featured 20 shots (out of 340) of conversion, mainly of aerial and archive footage. “Sky has adopted a strict policy with 3D because it thinks it has one or two chances to capture people’s imaginations and entice them to buy 3D TVs,” says Geffen.

“It did that with HD. Viewers were wowed by Sky HD because it was of superior quality.” “Other broadcasters are upconverting considerable amounts of content and may think that the audience won’t know the difference. I think people are more literate now than a year ago and would appreciate the choice of watching something that is simulated or real 3D.”

Maintaining quality Sky says it continues to monitor the development of 2D-3D tools but maintains, as a general rule, that conversion is not acceptable for delivered programmes being categorised as ‘original 3D content’.

It adds that producers are encouraged to talk with Sky about 3D modelling and conversion techniques to ensure that “the vision of stereoscopic 3D is seen in the same perspective and the proposed techniques that best suit the content in question understood”. Converted 3D content is here to stay, but producers need to apply it correctly and judiciously.

THE PRINCE’S ROCK GALA - LIVE CONVERSION

3DD Productions and Nineteen Fifteen recorded the Prince’s Trust Rock Gala at the Royal Albert Hall for Sky just before Christmas.

Six stereo rigs, combinations of 3ality and Steadicams, plus seven Sony HDC1500 2D positions were used. Sony’s MPE200 processor was deployed live to convert some 2D shots to 3D, while JVC’s IF-2D3D1 image processor was used to post-convert additional 2D shots.

Nineteen Fifteen co-founder Vicki Betihavas says 90% of the show was captured in native 3D.

“Conversion has its place on certain shots where a 3D rig is impossible to place,” she says. “Integrating converted shots within 3D-originated programming is normal and unavoidable for good editorial cases.”

The production delivered a 2D and a 3D version of the event simultaneously from the same OB unit.

THE VIEW FROM JAPAN

Televised 3D programmes without the need to don 3D glasses are now a reality in Japan, and to celebrate Fuji TV has commissioned the first series to be shot entirely in 3D (writes Michael Fitzpatrick) .

Broadcast on the cable channel SkyPerfecTV, the fi rst episode of Tokyo Control, a drama about air-traffi control, was well received in Japan after airing last week.

Which is, perhaps, just what the Japanese TV manufacturing industry wanted to hear, particularly as despite high hopes, 3D TV sales in Japan have disappointed so far. According to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, 131,000 3D TV sets were sold in Japan in the six months from April last year - just one in 25 of all big-screen set sales.

Toshiba’s Naked Eye TV, technically known as autostereoscopic 3D displays - the fi rst commercially available in the world, according to its makers - comes with a high price tag of ¥119,800 (£913) for the 12-inch model. The first Naked Eye TV, the 3D Regza GL1, also sells as a 20-inch model.

Both have been marketed in Japan for nearly three months but sales have not been as impressive as Toshiba hoped. There are no plans as yet to sell the sets abroad. Analysts believe the high price tag and dearth of content has put off many buyers. They say that larger Naked Eye TVs are essential to the success of 3D TV, while in reality 3D TV is now only in the development phase and the glasses-free technology still has a way to go.

Another drawback to Toshiba’s 3D TV is that viewers need to occupy a sweet spot to enjoy it - within a 40-degree zone. Japan’s fi rst 3D drama has enjoyed a better reception so far. Tokyo Control’s 3D effect can be enjoyed with glasses or no glasses, and as Sony was behind the 3D technical help, the show was optimised for its glasses-only 3D TVs.

Like other electronic fi rms in Japan, Sony is working on a glasses-free TV of its own. Tokyo Control director Gaku Narita visited Avatar director James Cameron in Hollywood for tips on directingin 3D and says the new drama should go some way towards filling the demand for 3D TV in Japan. But he doesn’t see the country’s TV companies throwing themselves into more ambitious 3D projects.

“We have our 3D documentaries, sports programmes, but this is the fi rst drama. Naturally shooting in 3D is expensive, and given the conservative nature of Japan’s TV networks, I don’t see them rushing into these type of things,” he says.

BSkyB amends 3D content rules

Broadcast

BSkyB has changed its regulations to allow more 2D-to-3D converted content within programmes broadcast on its Sky 3D channel.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/bskyb-amends-3d-content-rules/5022844.article

It is a tacit acknowledgement of the high cost and technical difficulties associated with trying to film stereo 3D content entirely natively with 3D rigs.

Its new guidelines allow up to 25% of non-3D content to be used in any 3D programme, up from the strict 10% of converted material written in its original specifications, published last February.

The new rules came quietly into force last year, but Sky has yet to update the specification on the technical section of its 3D website, introducingsky3d.sky.com.

Sky said the change brought its 3D guidelines into line with its HD guidelines, which dictate that 75% of content should be in true HD.

It said the change was also about taking a “pragmatic approach to supporting the growth of 3D production in the UK”.

The 2D-originated footage must be HD and in segments that do not exceed five minutes during any 15-minute period.

This only applies to post-converted 2D-to-3D material, and Sky is still adamant that automated conversion of 2D HD programmes to 3D is not acceptable as “original 3D content”.

However, it makes an exception for the use of live conversion tools for certain scenes or camera shots during live events.

Mind the 3D content gap

 

CSI 

If 2010 was the year 3DTV became a reality, the next 12 months will go some way to proving if the industry's optimism is justified. Critical will be bringing attractive content, argues Adrian Pennington, who looks at what is being done to address the shortage.http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/Mind-the-3D-content-gap.php

‘Applification’ amplified at CES

Installation International

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which begins today in Las Vegas is a reliable barometer of the key trends likely to hit the residential market over the coming year,

http://www.installation-international.com/applification-amplified-at-ces/

Some are continuations of themes that dominated 2010: 3DTV and internet connected devices. In 2011 add to that gestural user interface and ‘apps’ with everything – plus a possible format war in the 3D arena.

Much of the chatter preceding the show has in fact been about the no-show of Google TV that was expected to excite the connected TV sector. Delayed by software glitches and the denial of content by major US networks Google forced TV makers Sony, Toshiba, LG Electronics and Sharp to shelf their presentation plans for Google TV products at the last minute.

That hasn’t however dented the phenomena which is that everything from TVs to smartphones, e-readers to tablets and even cars on show here are now connected to the Web.

Jason Oxman, senior vp of Industry Affairs at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), dubs this  ‘applification.’
“Manufacturers are changing the user experience and handing over the user interface to third-party app developers," he says. "Manufacturers have been historically reluctant to do this, but now they’re permitting apps to permeate their devices."

By the end of this year the CEA predict that 20% of all TVs sold in the US will have internet capability built-in.
Equally ubiquitous at the CES convention are 3D displays with portable 3D screens coming on stream.

Making 3D the centrepiece of its 2011 strategy, LG has announced a swathe of 3D enhanced AV product. These include a premium Blu-ray 3D disc home theatre system; a network Blu-ray 3D disc player; and a 7.2 channel 1280 Watt a Real 3D home theatre system featuring a pair of HDMI v 1.4 inputs and support for external HDD playback of downloadable video formats such as DivX HD and MKV. WiFi direct, Ethernet and DLNA support are all added.

Toshiba meanwhile is demonstrating its glasses-free autostereoscopic displays for the first time outside Japan. The models are 20-inch and 12-inch and sport a special coating on the display which splits light from the TV into nine focused directions in order to provide an illusion of depth.

It is not alone in developing autostereoscopic screens and has attracted considerable interest since many in experts only believe 3D will take off in the home without glasses. Could the glasses versus glasses free screens heat up in to a format war?

Elsewhere uWand, a start-up born out of Philips R&D, is demonstrating how its ‘remote touch’ technology might change the way we watch and navigate TV. Equipped with direct pointing and 3D gesture control capabilities, uWand makes it possible to navigate 3D user interfaces by zooming out to bring menu items to the front of the screen.
Norway’s Elliptic Labs also has a touchless gesture user interface for the iPad. The company says it uses ultrasound to generate a field that projects one foot in front or to the side of a docked iPad. Users can then wave their hands about in front of the screen to control the device. With Microsoft Kinetc sales well past one million worldwide, the motion controller is likely to become a staple of home installs going forward.

Car manufacturers also want in on the act. Exhibitors Ford, Audi and GM have invested significant resources on revolutionising the way we interact with — and think about — our vehicles. Innovations include HD radio, in-car Wi-Fi and new functionality to in-car infotainment systems like Ford Sync.

Year in Studios 2010 - Hotcam: providing the HD factor

Broadcast 
Three major shows took the leap into high-definition and tapeless production this year: EastEnders, Deal Or No Deal and The X Factor. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/production-feature/hotcam-providing-the-hd-factor/5021530.article

The current series of Talkback Thames blockbuster The X Factor is the first to make the move and transmit in HD. The project is built around a major new equipment package supplied by broadcast rental and crewing company HotCam, which facilitates the kit and crewing for all the UK auditions, boot camps and judges’ worldwide location shoots, all of which were previously shot on DigiBeta.

With ITV’s requirement that the show transition to HD, and given that these auditions take place in some of the largest venues in the country, HotCam devised a flyaway package centred on 10 Sony XDCam camcorders with additional EX3 kits, Evertz multiviewers and fibre cabling, which permits the transport of signals over longer distances than traditional copper.

“At certain venues in London you can’t park a truck or leave one overnight so you need to roll in and roll out the equipment,” says HotCam managing director Trevor Hotz. 

“We can have a 10 camera shoot rigged in three hours.”

Year in review 2010: Elstree Studios

Broadcast 

Elstree Studios managing director Roger Morris blames the dip in TV work on a “lack of decision-making and musical chairs” at the top of broadcasters including ITV and Channel 5.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/production-feature/elstree-studios/5021525.article

Meanwhile, the studio also saw Big Brother bow out after its 11th series, although its dormant set remains in place at the Hertfordshire lot, and it had to turn away the sixth series of ITV1’s Dancing On Ice because of a lack of a capacity caused by film shoots for The King’s Speech and Sherlock Holmes 2.

“We’ve looked to keep an even balance of film and TV work alongside corporate and advertising shoots,” says Morris.

“While TV comprises 50% of our business, it’s important to keep that spread so that we’re not overly reliant on one sector.”

Morris is planning to double the studio space at Elstree to avoid having to turn away large-scale shows in future. “We want to build more stages and we’re discussing the optimum size of construction with a view to putting the plan into action in the next 12 months,” he says.