More speakers for MGEITF 2012 plus scoop some cash

The 37th annual MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival has some additional sessions and industry names on the bill between Thursday 23rd and Saturday 25th August, as well as the indies getting in with a chance of scooping a lucrative investment from Pinewood Studios.

As the rivalry and commercial tension increases between the UK’s two biggest channels, it’s been an explosive year in peak time entertainment, from the on-going dominance of The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing to the much-hyped arrival of nervous newcomers The Voice and Superstar. Star Wars! The Battle For Saturday Night will explore the hard fought battle to win the most coveted slot in our TV schedules and discover how to deliver a ratings busting, smash-hit. Elaine Bedell (Director of Comedy and Entertainment, ITV), Mark Linsey (Controller, Entertainment Commissioning) and Siobhan Green (Incoming Director of Entertainment, ITV Studios) join the discussion with chair Richard Bacon. There will also be a special performance from a mystery guest.

Former BBC One Controller Lorraine Heggessey, who recently launched production company Boom Pictures, will join the panel for the BBC DG 2.0 session, alongside Greg Dyke, openDemocracy Chairman David Elstein and Chief Executive of Left Bank Pictures Andy Harries. The session will consider the challenges and obstacles facing incoming Director- General George Entwistle, whose appointment marks the start of a critical new era for the BBC.

One of five indies is set to scoop a sought after £30k investment from Pinewood Studios in the culmination of the Pinewood Pitching competition; those in the running are today confirmed as RDF’s Neale Simpson, presenting Unbeatable, markthree media’s Adam Hunt, presenting Story:Time, STV’s Amy Maher, presenting The Lie which was written with colleague Gary Chippington, Pirate Productions’ Jenny Williams and Avalon’s Toby Stevens, co-presenting Bid for Brains, and Zebra Crossing’s Nev Pitty-Rose, presenting Table 10.

Each of the indies will one by one present their TV format idea in front of an audience and panel of experienced commissioning figures. The panel comprises Elaine Bedell, Zai Bennett
(Controller, BBC Three), Emma Tennant (Controller, UKTV) and Phil Edgar-Jones (Head of Entertainment, Sky). The prize package will include studio time, crew and post-production towards a pilot.

Meanwhile, help will be at hand for aspiring or struggling Indies as the Festival plays host to The Indie Surgery, a Q and A with some of the biggest and most influential figures in independent TV production. Eileen Gallagher (CEO, Shed Productions), Magnus Temple (Founder, The Garden), Tom Manwaring (Managing Director, Mediatique) and Andy Harries (Chief Executive, Left Bank Pictures) will answer all of prevalent questions on buying, launching, sustaining success and selling, as well as addressing topics such as setting up in the USA and how crucial having an agent really is in long term expansion…

In other news, The Inbetweeners favourite Simon Bird and his Friday Night Dinner co-star Tom Rosenthal will also be taking questions from fans and delegates alike in a first screening of the Channel 4 comedy’s second series at the Filmhouse.

Registration for the 2012 MGEITF is now open. Visit the MGEITF website for further information.

Useful links
MGEITF website
Follow the Festival on Twitter

2012 RTS Programme Awards winners

Proudly, the BBC has received a whopping 35 nominations at this year’s Royal Television Society Programme Awards. The ceremony took place last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel and it was hosted by comedian Rob Brydon, who was hilarious.

The Awards, chaired by David Liddiment, honour excellence in key genres of television programming, from children’s fiction to comedy performance, history to soaps, covering both national and regional output. Held annually, the RTS Programme Awards aim to recognise the work of exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as celebrating the programmes themselves.

Here is a list of winners:

Entertainment
Derren Brown – The Experiments
Objective Productions for Channel 4

Presenter
Gareth Malone – The Choir: Military Wives
Twenty Twenty for BBC Two

Arts
Graffiti Wars
TwoFour for Channel 4

Single Documentary
Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die
Keo North for BBC Two

Documentary Series
24 Hours in A&E
The Garden Productions for Channel 4

Nations and Regions Programme
The Scheme
Friel Kean films for BBC One

History
Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb
Windfall Films for Channel 4

Science and Natural History
Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret
Blink Film and Television for Channel 4

Soap and Continuing Drama
Coronation Street
ITV STudios for ITV1

Children’s Drama
Tracy Beaker
BBC Productions for CBBC

Children’s Programme
Newsround – My Autism & Me
BBC Productions for CBBC

International Award
Modern Family
Twentieth Century Fox Television/Levitan-Lloyd Productions acquired by Sky 1 HD

Daytime Programme
Deal or No Deal Live
Remarkable Television, an Endemol Company for Channel 4

Popular Factual and Features
Hugh’s Big Fish Fight
Keo Films for Channel 4

Actor (Male)
Dominic West – Appropriate Adult
ITV Studios for ITV1

Actor (Female)
Emily Watson – Appropriate Adult
ITV Studios for ITV1

Single Drama
Eric & Ernie
Blue Door Adventures/BBC Wales for BBC Two

Drama Serial
Top Boy
A Cowboy Films/Easter Partisan Production for Channel 4

Drama Series
Luther 2
BBC Productions/BBC America for BBC One

Writer – Drama
Peter Bowker – Eric & Ernie
Blue Door Adventures/BBC Wales for BBC Two

Writer – Comedy
Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong – Fresh Meat
Objective Productions/Lime Pictures for Channel 4

Entertainment Performance
Ant and Dec – I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Red or Black, Push the Button, Britain’s Got Talent
ITV Studios/Syco TV/Thames/Gallowgate Studios for ITV1

Comedy Performance
Russell Tovey & Sarah Solemani – Him & Her
Big Talk Productions for BBC Three

Scripted Comedy
Fresh Meat
Objective Productions/Lime Pictures for Channel 4

The Judges’ Award went to ITV commissioner Laura Mackie.

Men Behaving Badly star Martin Clunes presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Beryl Vertue OBE, who helped shape the television industry without working for a broadcaster.

Congratulations to all!

- Royal Television Society
- RTS Futures
- Television magazine

Zeebox: TV’s new best friend

Went to a very interesting Zeebox talk this week led by its creator, technologist Anthony Rose.

Zeebox is available both as iPad and web app and it really brings a whole new social level to watching telly. This free app allows you to see what your Facebook friends are watching whilst simultaneously enabling you to chat with them. It also provides Twitter feeds, Google search results, Wikipedia articles etc. to anything related to the show, as well as iTunes links to music and films. Here’s a really good clip explaining what Zeebox is about:

Check out the promo:

It’s quite an exciting way of enabling the users to consume content. Zeebox is tagged as television’s new best friend. This companion viewing application has content at your finger tips and although there are still some features to fix / add, there is definitely a lot of potential for some cool second screen propositions that could create two-way experiences and contextual experiences around live television. What I particularly find impressive about Zeebox is its eCommerce element in which products on telly are not only recognised, reviewed and purchasable but it also allows synchronised first and second screen advertising. I feel that this is the beginning of being able to monetise this untamed landscape.

Rose said: “My goal is to create a win-win between technology and editorial.”

Zeebox is currently only available in the UK but there are firm plans to make it available globally.

Some interesting links:
- Zeebox website
- Huffington Post: Janis Curry – Will Zeebox revolutionise the way we watch TV?
- The Register: Natalie Apostolou – iPlayer founder launches next big TV thing-Zeebox

TV Choice Awards 2011 winners

Here are the winners of tonight’s TV Choice Awards.

:: Best Food Show – Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals

:: Best Entertainment Show – Celebrity Juice

:: Best Drama Series – Being Human

:: Best New Drama – Sherlock

:: Best Daytime Show – The Jeremy Kyle Show

:: Best Game Show – The Cube

:: Best Family Drama – Doctor Who

:: Best Reality Show – The Apprentice

:: Best Talent Show – Britain’s Got Talent

:: Best Comedy – The Inbetweeners

:: Best Lifestyle Show – Come Dine With Me

:: Best Factual Entertainment Show – Top Gear

:: Best Actor – David Tennant (Single Father)

:: Best Actress – Karen Gillan (Doctor Who)

:: Best Soap Newcomer – Paula Lane (Coronation Street)

:: Best Soap Storyline – 50th Anniversary tram crash (Coronation Street)

:: Best Soap Actress – Jessie Wallace (EastEnders)

:: Best Soap Actor – Shane Richie (EastEnders)

:: Best Soap – EastEnders

Congratulations to all the winners!

MGEITF

So, this year’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival starts today and runs through the whole weekend. Expect industry leaders as well as various movers and shakers in television discuss key issues that are at the heart of the TV community. Here’s a snippet of who to expect in this year’s line up:

Danny Cohen, Peter Fincham, Jay Hunt, Stuart Murphy, Janice Hadlow, Jeff Ford, Richard Klein and James Hunt will feature in the 2011 Controllers Sessions – each one guaranteed to provide an in-depth and informative look at what their channel has in store for viewers in the future, whilst answering audience questions.

The stars of ITV2’s multiplatform phenomenon and runaway success, The Only Way is Essex are joined by producers and commissioners to talk vajazzling, spray tanning, and the blurring of fact and fiction.

The stars and creators of the massive ratings and critical success Downton Abbey will be deconstructing its popularity, examining its narrative structure and its modern appeal, as well as exclusively previewing the new series – a must see for all fans.

Award-winning actress, writer and new entrant to the British comedy pantheon, Miranda Hart, will give a masterclass covering the creative process and the future of comedy.

Journalist and presenter Miriam O’Reilly joins a panel discussion examining the relationship between older women and television in Too Old for HD? The session will explore the different ways TV women have adapted – or not – with the changing face of television.

In a year when new boundaries have been pushed in comedy programmes, 1980s light entertainment legend, Jim Davidson, reflects on the industry that loved him, supported him but ultimately rejected him, as he discusses the changing nature of acceptability in comedy and television as a whole.

Sofie Gråbøl, star of hit Danish crime thriller (and breakout BBC4 success) The Killing is joined by producer Piv Bernth to celebrate Sarah Lund, the cult following for the programme and everyone’s favourite jumpers.

As always, the Festival has a brilliant line up. And this year is no exception. Check out the programme highlights here.

There are lots of activity online as well, so to keep up to date, you can follow the MGEITF Twitter feed or their posts on Facebook. Not to mention, there’s a really cool iPhone app – just search for MGEITF 2011. And most of all, you can watch the action live on live.mgeitf.co.uk.

If you fancy going, online registration is now closed, however if you are in Edinburgh, you can register on site at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

The Million Pound Pitch

This July, RTS Futures is all about creating the perfect gameshow. So, if you’ve got tons of TV gameshow ideas or want to learn how to create a hit or simply want to hear from and pitch to the experts, The Million Pound Pitch is your chance:

Find out everything there is to know about how gameshows are created and what leads to success or failure, before having the opportunity to work up and pitch ideas to the biggest names in the business.

Controller of BBC Daytime, Liam Keelan will be joined by David Flynn, Managing Director of Remarkable Television and creator of Channel 4’s Million Pound Drop and BBC Two’s Pointless, to give an exclusive insight into the key lessons of gameshow development.

Then show off your own creative talent, working in a team with a highly experienced development guru to devise a gameshow concept pitch to the experts at the end of the session.

What makes the perfect gameshow? How do they get on TV in the first place? Do gameshow developers live the life of riley in rooms filled with toys and puzzles, or is on-screen success the result of years of toil, fruitless pitches and rejection?

Here are the details:
Monday 4 July 2011
6.30pm for a 6.45pm start
Hallam Conference Centre, 44 Hallam Street, London, W1W 6JJ

How to Book:
This event is open to all RTS Futures members but is designed for those with no more than two years’ television experience. The cost is £10.00. To book a place you (and any guest/s you book a place for) MUST be a member of RTS Futures. If you are an existing member please ring Callum Stott on 020 7822 2822 with your Credit/Debit Card ready or email cstott@rts.org.uk providing your name, postal address, email address and phone number (RTS will then contact you to request credit card details), otherwise please register as a member at www.rtsfutures.org.uk before attempting to book.

BAFTA TV nominations 2011

The list is out for the 2011 British Academy Television Awards. Great to see that my colleagues at LabUK have been nominated under the new media category. It’s looking good for Aunty as we’ve got 51 out of 92 nominations. Here is the official list:

LEADING ACTOR
Jim Broadbent Any Human Heart Channel 4
Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock BBC One
Daniel Rigby Eric and Ernie BBC Four
Matt Smith Doctor Who BBC One

LEADING ACTRESS
Anna Maxwell Martin South Riding BBC One
Vicky McClure This Is England ’86 Channel 4
Natalie Press Five Daughters BBC One
Juliet Stevenson Accused BBC One

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brendan Coyle Downton Abbey ITV1
Martin Freeman Sherlock BBC One

Johnny Harris This Is England ’86 Channel 4
Robert Sheehan Misfits E4

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Gillian Anderson Any Human Heart Channel 4
Lynda Baron The Road to Coronation Street BBC Four
Lauren Socha Misfits E4
Jessie Wallace The Road to Coronation Street BBC Four

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
Rob Brydon The Rob Brydon Show BBC Two
Stephen Fry QI BBC One
Harry Hill Harry Hill’s TV Burp ITV1
Graham Norton The Graham Norton Show BBC One

FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Jo Brand Getting On BBC Four
Dawn French Roger and Val Have Just Got In BBC Two
Miranda Hart Miranda BBC Two
Katherine Parkinson The IT Crowd Channel 4

MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
James Buckley The Inbetweeners E4
Steve Coogan The Trip BBC Two
Tom Hollander Rev BBC Two
David Mitchell Peep Show Channel 4

SINGLE DRAMA
Eric and Ernie
Victoria Wood, Peter Bowker, Tim Bricknell, Jonny Campbell
BBC Four/BBC Wales /Blue Door Adventures

I Am Slave
Andrew Calderwood, Gabriel Range, Jeremy Brock
Channel 4/A Slate Films and Altered Image Production for UKFC, Channel 4, Limelight, JAC Rights Management LLP and the Film Agency for Wales

The Road to Coronation Street
Production Team
BBC Four/ITV Studios

The Special Relationship
Production Team
BBC Two/Rainmark Films and HBO Films

DRAMA SERIES
Being Human
Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan, Toby Whithouse, Colin Teague
BBC Three/Touchpaper Television

Downton Abbey
Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, Nigel Marchant
ITV1/Carnival Films

Misfits
Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Kate Crowe
E4/Clerkenwell Films

Sherlock
Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, Beryl Vertue
BBC One/Hartswood Films

DRAMA SERIAL
Any Human Heart
Lynn Horsford, Lee Morris, Sally Woodward Gentle, Michael Samuels
Channel 4/Carnival Films

Mad Dogs
Cris Cole, Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie, Adrian Shergold
SKY One/Left Bank Pictures

The Sinking of the Laconia
Alan Bleasdale, Jonathan Young, Uwe Janson, Hilary Norrish
BBC Two/BBC Productions

The Promise
Peter Kosminsky, David Aukin, Hal Vogel
Channel 4/Daybreak Pictures

CONTINUING DRAMA
Casualty
Production Team

BBC One/BBC Productions
Coronation Street
Production Team
ITV1/ITV Studios

EastEnders
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Productions

Waterloo Road
Sharon Hughff, Sharon Channer, Fraser MacDonald, Lis Steele
BBC One/Shed Productions

INTERNATIONAL
Boardwalk Empire
Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, Tim Van Patten, Howard Korder
SKY Atlantic/HBO

Glee
Ian Brennan, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
E4/Twentieth Century Fox

The Killing
Soren Sveistrup, Piv Bernth, Birger Larsen, Sophie Grabol
BBC Four/DR/ZDF Enterprises

Mad Men
Matthew Weiner, Scott Hornbacher, Jennifer Getzinger
BBC Four/Lionsgate Television

FACTUAL SERIES
Coppers
Production Team
Channel 4/Blast!

One Born Every Minute
Production Team
Channel 4/Dragonfly Film and Television

Welcome to Lagos
Will Anderson, Gavin Searle, Chris King, Andrew Palmer
BBC Two/Keo North

The Young Ones
Leanne Klein, Tom McDonald, Michael Jochnowitz
BBC One/Wall To Wall Television

SPECIALIST FACTUAL *
Alan Bennett and the Habit of Art (The Making Of)
Martin Rosenbaum, David Sabel, Toby Coffey
More 4/Lone Star Productions

Flying Monsters 3D
David Attenborough, Anthony Geffen, Celia Taylor, Sias Wilson
Sky 3D/Atlantic Productions

Human Planet
Brian Leith, Dale Templar, Nitin Sawhney
BBC One/BBC Productions

Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town
Paul Elston, Daisy Scalchi, Richard Bradley
BBC Two/Lion Television

* Specialist Factual is given in honour of Huw Wheldon

SINGLE DOCUMENTARY **
Between Life and Death
Nick Holt, Meredith Chambers, Marina Parker, Ben Brown
BBC One/BBC Factual Wales

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
Jamie Doran, Najibullah Quraishi, John Moffat, Mike Healy
More 4/Clover Films

Pink Saris
Production Team
More 4/Ginger Productions

Scenes From a Teenage Killing
Morgan Matthews, Ruth Kelly, Steve Hewlett, Michael Harrowes
BBC Four/Minnow Films

** Single Documentary is given in honour of Robert Flaherty

FEATURES
Come Dine With Me
Production Team
Channel 4/ITV Studios

Hugh’s Fish Fight
Andrew Palmer, Will Anderson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Frankie Fathers
Channel 4/Keo Films

Mary Queen of Shops
Production Team
BBC Two/Optomen Television

Pineapple Dance Studios
Jonathan Stadlan, Pat Doyle, Hannah Springham
Sky One/Pulse Filmes

CURRENT AFFAIRS
Kids in Care (Panorama)
Simon Gilchrist, Roger Graef, Tom Giles, Clare Johns
BBC One/Films of Record

Lost Girls of South Africa (Dispatches)
Deborah Shipley, Brian Woods, Xoliswa Sithole
Channel 4/True Vision

Secret Iraq
Eamonn Matthews, Sam Collyns, James Jones, Philippa Lacey
BBC Two/Quicksilver Media

Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children
Jezza Neumann, Zoliswa Sithole, Brian Woods, Deborah Shipley
BBC Four/True Vision Productions

NEWS COVERAGE
BBC One Ten O’Clock News: Handover of Power
Production Team
BBC One/BBC News 24/BBC News

Channel 4 News: From Chile’s Ecstasy to Congo’s Agony
Production Team
Channel 4/ITN Productions

ITV News at Ten: The Cumbria Murders
Production Team
ITV1/ITN Productions

Sky News: Egypt Crisis
Production Team
Sky News/Sky News

SPORT
6 Nations – England v Wales
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport

FA Cup Final: Chelsea v Portsmouth
Tony Pastor, Paul McNamara, Jamie Oakford, Rob Hollier
ITV1/ITV Sport

Formula 1 – The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport

Wimbledon 2010
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport

NEW MEDIA
LabUK/Brain Test Britain
Richard Cable, Zoe Heron, Kathy Neil, Peter Harvey
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ BBC Multiplatform

Misfits
Matt Jarvis, Chloe Moss, Owen Priestly, Carl Hodler
E4.com/ Clerkenwell Productions & Kerb Digital

Malcolm Tucker: The Missing Phone
Dave Addey, Armando Iannucci, Henry Cooke, Henry Volans
iTunes App Store/Agant Ltd

Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Aardman Digital/BBC

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME ***
The Cube
Adam Adler, Nathan Eastwood, Andrew Newman, Andrew O’Connor
ITV1/Objective Productions

The Graham Norton Show
Graham Norton, Jon Magnusson, Graham Stuart, Steve Smith
BBC One/So Television

Have I Got News For You
Richard Wilson, Jo Bunting, Nick Martin, Mark Barrett
BBC One/Hattrick Productions

The X Factor
Andrew Llinares, Mark Sidaway, Nigel Hall, Richard Hall
ITV1/TalkbackTHAMES and Syco

*** Entertainment Programme is given in honour of Lew Grade

COMEDY PROGRAMME
Catherine Tate’s Little Cracker
Catherine Tate, Sophie Clarke-Jervoise, Izzy Mant
Sky One/Tiger Aspect

Come Fly With Me
Adam Tandy, Paul King, Matt Lucas, David Walliams
BBC One/A Little Britain Production

Facejacker
Kayvan Novak, Ed Tracey, Mario Stylianides, Tom Thostrup
E4/Hatrick Productions

Harry and Paul
Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Sandy Johnston, Izzy Mant
BBC Two/Tiger Aspect Productions

SITUATION COMEDY
Mrs Brown’s Boys
Stephen McCrum, Martin Delaney, Ben Kellett, Brendon O’Carroll
BBC One/BOCPix and BBC Productions, in association with RTE

Peep Show
Phil Clarke, Becky Martin, Sam Bain, Jesse Armstrong
Channel 4/Objective Productions

Rev
Kenton Allen, James Wood, Peter Cattaneo, Hannah Pescod
BBC Two/Big Talk Productions

The Trip
Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Michael Winterbottom
BBC Two/Revolution Films

To find out more, you can download the press release here.

The Philips British Academy Television Awards will be hosted by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC One on Sunday 22 May 2011. Good luck to all!

NaSTA 2011

Early this year, I was approached by NaSTA via the Royal Television Society to be one of the judges and speaker for this year’s National Student Television Awards held in Loughborough. I can’t believe how quickly we got to April and I just want to thank the organising team, who looked after everyone so well.

I had a midday talk about how to break into broadcasting and was glad to see so many eager faces listen intently. It’s quite overwhelming how many aspire to be presenters. Some are already showing a promising career ahead of them and I commend those who are involved in student television. They’re already showing their commitment to the industry by doing this.

Thank you to Dave Bird for this photo:

Then, I was in a panel session with the BBC’s Lisa Rogers, Tim Marshall (also from the BBC) and ESPN’s Paul Ryan Ore Oduba chaired and we talked about the changing media trends, the advantages and potential threats. Again, it is becoming apparent that there are broadcasting jobs that new candidates are completely unaware of and so there may be a call for exploring these ‘unknown’ industry opportunities.

Then the awards ended a brilliant Saturday with student TV stations from across the country vying for the top prize – Best Broadcaster. This year it went to LSTV and high commendation went to YSTV. I presented the category I judged, which was Best Freshers’ Coverage. I chose UniTV as the winner, because their entry stood out and high commendation went to LUST. The quality of the entries were really exceptional and it is reassuring to know that there will be a new intake of talent that know what they are doing.

The full list of winners are:

Best Ident: winner RU:ON, highly commended NTV

Best Video-to-Music: winner XTV, highly commended SUSUtv

Best Freshers’ Coverage: winner UniTV, highly commended LUST

Best Animation: winner Met TV, highly commended SUSUtv

Best Music Programme: winner LSTV, highly commended CUTV

Best Factual Programme: winner LSTV, highly commended LSUTV

Best Sport Programme: winner LSUTV, highly commended CUTV

Best Drama: winner SUSUtv, highly commended NUTS

Best Light Entertainment Programme: winner LSTV, highly commended STOIC TV and XTV

Best Station Marketing: winner LSTV, highly commended NUTS and SXTV

Best Comedy: winner SUSUtv, highly commended NTV

Best News Programme: winner Trent TV, highly commended QMTV

Open Category: winner LSTV, highly commended UniTV

Best Documentary: winner LSTV, highly commended Demon TV

Best Title Sequence: winner UniTV, highly commended LSUTV and STOIC TV

Best Live Programme: winner LSUTV, highly commended Warwick TV

Best Technical Achivement: winner YSTV, highly commended MADTV

Best On-Screen Female: winner Harriet Brampton (NUTS), highly commended Danielle Bevan-Jones (NTV) and Briony Lammas (LSUTV)

Best On-Screen Male: winner Chris Wells (Demon TV), highly commended James Goldburn (LSUTV)

Tim Marshall Award for Special Recognition: winner CUTV, highly commended NU:TV

Best Broadcaster: winner LSTV, highly commended YSTV

I’m already looking forward to 2012 and good luck to everyone – am sure our paths will cross once again.

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

I’ve loved the documentary series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings on TV, which was a big surprise hit for Channel 4. It gives a great insight to a very private community and let’s face it – it was brilliant looking at the flambouyant dresses on show.  And so I listened with great interest when Firecracker Films‘ Executive Producer Jes Wilkins and Producer Victoria Hamburger shared their experiences with making the whole series during a lunchtime talk they did.

Jes said that many indies and networks have looked into this subject but have drawn a blank. However, his development producer not only brought in the talent, they also suggested a way of making it. And even with that it wasn’t as immediate ‘slam dunk’, but the department at C4 that commissioned them fell in love with the idea and was able to give them development money, which enabled them to make a taster.

It took 13 months to make the whole thing and they were faced with editorial challenges as well as issues with access, casting and even finding that balance between serious journalism and popular/entertainment feel, but MBFGW had the images that the press wanted, which catapulted the series into the media spotlight. And although there are some bad press involved, Jes said: “We are very pleased and very proud. We could not anticipate how well it could have done.”

Victoria talked about logistics during filming and how a small crew suited the situation better, giving that feeling that the filmmakers are living their lives with the travellers.

Both said that majority of the feedback from the travellers had been ‘overwhelmingly positive’. They had mentioned that they do get calls from some contributors about the media attention they have been getting since being featured on the show.

“You have a duty of care to your contributors as a filmmaker even after the programme,” Victoria said.

2010 RTS Craft and Design Nominations

Here is the list of nominees for the 2010 Royal Television Society Craft and Design Awards:

Costume Design – Drama

Lucinda Wright Enid Carnival Films for BBC Four
Joey Attawia An Englishman in New York Leopardrama for ITV1
Annie Symons Worried About The Boy Red Production Company for BBC Two

Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama

Stephen Adnitt Dancing on Ice ITV Studios for ITV1
June Niven Bellamy’s People of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland BBC Productions & Down The Line for BBC Two
Kayvan Novak Facejacker (Series One) Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4

Thanks to sta1V1na for the video.

Effects – Digital

BBC Wales for BBC One
Paul Tuersley & The Visual Effects Team Big Babies BBC Productions for CBBC
Simon Thomas, Reuben Barkataki, Zoltan Benyo & Zoltan Szarvasi Going Postal The Mob Film Company for Sky 1
Mill TV Team Doctor Who ‘The Pandorica Opens’ EP12 Series 5

Effects – Special

Shine Productions/BBC Wales for BBC
Nick Hopkin, Martin MacKenzie, Jody Black & Alan Marques Mission 2110
BBC Scotland for CBBC, BBC One and BBC HD
Mark Holt Misfits Clerkenwell Films for E4
The Mill, Merlin VFX Team The Last Dragon Lord, Ep13, Merlin Series 2

Graphic Design – Programme Content Sequence

BBC News Graphics (Design) & Brainstorm/Idonix (Technology)
BBC Election Night BBC News for BBC One
Jellyfish Pictures & Burrell Durrant Hifle Inside the Perfect Predator
BBC Natural History Unit for BBC One
John Durrant, Duncan Dix, Jon Doe & Mick Connaire History of Now Episode One Burrell Durrant Hifle/BBC Bristol for BBC Two

Graphic Design – Titles

John McKenna, Richard Norley, Russell Mann & Paul McNamara World Cup 2010 Jump for ITV Sport for ITV
Momoco Luther BBC Productions for BBC One
John Durrant, Jon Doe & Duncan Dix History of Now Burrell Durrant Hifle/BBC Bristol for BBC Two

Graphic Design – Trails and Packaging

Louisa Fyans, Karen Potterton, Damon Collins & Marc Craste Winter Olympics Studio AKA/Red Bee Media/RCKR/Y&R for BBC Sport
James Berridge, John Cryer & Simon Glover Heston’s Feasts
4Creative for Channel 4

Lighting and Multi Camera – Lighting for Multi Camera

John Carberry EastEnders Live BBC Productions for BBC One
Martin Kempton Playhouse: Live-The Typist A Sky Arts Production for Sky Arts
Dave Davey Dancing on Ice ITV Studios for ITV1

Thanks to SmileHopeLove for the video.

Make Up Design – Drama

Chrissie Baker Mo ITV Studios for Channel 4
Neill Gorton & Janet Horsfield The Fattest Man in Britain ITV Studios for ITV1
Donald McInnes Worried About the Boy Red Production Company for BBC Two

Make Up Design – Entertainment and Non-Drama

Kristyan Mallett Facejacker (Series One) Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4
Mike Stringer, Suzanne Bates & Mike H G Bates Stoneage Atlantis
Hybrid Enterprises/Wall to Wall and National Geographic for
National Geographic Channel
Jane Walker Bellamy’s People of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland BBC Productions & Down The Line for BBC Two

Music – Original Score

David Arnold & Michael Price Sherlock
Hartswood Films in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One
John Lunn (Bucks Music Group) Going Postal The Mob Film Company for Sky 1
Samuel Sim Emma BBC Productions/WGBH Boston for BBC One

Music – Original Title

David Arnold & Michael Price Sherlock
Hartswood Films in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One
Edmund Butt (Bucks Music Group) Garrow’s Law
Twenty Twenty Television for BBC One
Samuel Sim The Deep Tiger Aspect Scotland Productions for BBC One

Lighting and Multi Camera – Multi Camera Work

Dragonfly Film & Television for Channel 4
Clive Arnold & Duncan Unsworth EastEnders Live BBC Productions for BBC One
Paul Kirrage Dancing on Ice ITV Studios for ITV1
Camera Team One Born Every Minute Episode 4

Production Design – Drama

Jacqueline Abrahams Wallander II: The Fifth Woman
A Left Bank Pictures/Yellowbird/TKBC Production for the BBC co-produced with Degeto, WGBH Boston and Film I Skane for BBC One
Ricky Eyres, Lee Gordon, Ray McNeill & Monica Esztan Going Postal
The Mob Film Co for Sky 1
Edward Thomas Doctor Who ‘The Pandorica Opens’ BBC Wales for BBC One

Production Design – Entertainment and Non-Drama

Simon Rogers & Team Mongrels BBC Productions for BBC Three
James S Thompson, Lucy Fewell & Team Hounded BBC Productions for CBBC
Jo Sutherland IT Crowd talkbackTHAMES for Channel 4

Effects – Picture Enhancement

Ross Baker Outnumbered Series 3
Halo Post Productions/Hat Trick Productions for BBC One
Perry Gibbs Misfits: Series 1 Clerkenwell Films for E4
Kevin Horsewood Sherlock
Pepper/Hartswood Films in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One

Photography – Drama

Gavin Finney Going Postal The Mob Film Company for Sky 1
Steve Lawes Sherlock
Hartswood Films in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One
Christopher Ross Misfits Clerkenwell Films for E4

Photography – Documentary/Factual & Non-Drama Productions

Rod Clarke & Kevin Flay Life: Insects BBC Natural History Unit for BBC One
Charlie Hamilton James, Jamie McPherson & Simon Werry
Natural World – Victoria Falls Halcyon Media for BBC
Jonathan Young Tropic of Cancer BBC Current Affairs for BBC

Sound – Drama

Paul Hamblin, Peter Brill, Iain Eyre & Lee Walpole Cranford II
BBC Productions/WGBH Boston in association with Chestermead for BBC One
Stuart Hilliker, Lee Walpole, Iain Eyre & J J Le Roux Strikeback
Boom/Left Bank Pictures for Sky 1
Billy Mahoney, Roger Dobson, Tony Gibson (Molinare) & Russell Jeffrey Misfits Clerkenwell Films for E4

Sound – Entertainment and Non Drama

John Rogerson & The Halo Sound Team Richard Hammond’s Invisible Worlds
Halo Post Production/BBCProductions for BBC One
Matt Skilton & Paul Paragon Murder on the Lake
Dragonfly Film and Television Productions for BBC Four
Tim Owens & Graham Wild Life: Mammals BBC Natural History Unit for BBC One

Tape and Film Editing – Drama

David Charap Dive ITV Studios for BBC Two
Phillip Kloss Five Days II BBC Productions for BBC One
Charlie Phillips Sherlock
Hartswood Films in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One

Tape and Film Editing – Documentary/Factual

Editing Team One Born Every Minute Episode 2
Dragonfly Film & Television for Channel 4
Caroline Richards & Julien Temple Requiem for Detroit
Films of Record for BBC Two
Brian Woods Jobless True Vision for BBC One

Tape and Film Editing – Entertainment and Situation Comedy

Mark Davies & Mark Everson Pete Versus Life Objective Productions for Channel 4
Nigel Williams & Team Mongrels BBC Productions for BBC Three
Mark Davies & Mark Everson Peep Show (Series 6) Objective Productions for Channel 4

Thanks to dwummers for the video.

Best of luck to everyone – lots of strong contenders there! Looking forward to finding out the winners on the 24th!