News
May 20, 2016
May 20th News Report from your Los Angeles Representative
Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative
Happy Friday everyone,
Before I present any clippings this week I want to remind you that Canada's Heritage Minister Melanie Joly recently announced a sweeping review of Canadian Content regulations, particularly with regards to the emergence of digital technology. You can read more about the initiative here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/culture/consultations.html
The government is currently in the preliminary stages of consultation and interested parties have been asked to submit their thoughts via the pre-consultation questionnaire you can find here:
http://pch.sondages-surveys.ca/s/dwc/?l=en
May 27th is the last day that the pre-consultation questionnaire will be available. If haven't already filled it out, I encourage you to do so ASAP.
Here in Los Angles this week the trades were largely focused on news out of Cannes and highlights from the television upfronts, which is the annual showcase during which broadcast networks roll out their fall schedules for advertisers. As the Los Angeles Times reports below, the networks have taken a conservative approach to programming next season, reflecting both the fears and revenue-generating opportunities they have, as Madison Avenue prepares to spend more than $8 billion to buy commercials.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-ct-networks-upfronts-reboots-20160518-snap-story.html
The Hollywood Reporter also offered an extensive, engaging take on this year's upfronts. In a critical editorial piece below, the writer asserts that while broadcast television is not exactly innovative these days, it still attracts the most eyeballs and ad dollars and its vaults hold the largest percentage of accrued culture in the medium.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/upfronts-tv-abc-nbc-cbs-895963
The LA Times this week featured some really interesting contextual pieces on the state of the television industry. The article below asks does anything but where we watch separate film and television anymore? And what does that melding mean for storytelling?
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-st-the-blur-movies-tv-mcnamara-critics-notebook-20160511-snap-story.html
The Times also looked at the melding of film and television in context of a generation of viewers that has viewed the majority of its lifetime entertainment on neither a film nor a television screen.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-the-blur-movies-tv-future-audiences-zeitchik-20160516-snap-story.html
Variety this week also published a small story that could have big implications for the way content is consumed. As detailed below, Fox is set to become the first broadcaster in Europe and Africa to showcase a new drama on Facebook Live.
http://variety.com/2016/tv/global/fox-outcast-facebook-europe-africa-1201778816/
Finally this week, regardless of how content is consumed, it still has to be produced and the competition for production dollars remains fierce between jurisdictions across the globe. As reported by WDSU News in Louisiana, industry stakeholders there have mounted a campaign to keep business in the state after tax credit cuts last year resulted in a slowdown of 70 per cent since last summer.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/local-filmmakers-create-video-campaign-called-keep-film-in-louisiana/39603488
Warmest regards,
Kelly Graham-Scherer
Los Angeles Representative
Toronto/ Ontario Film Office