CNM Short Takes

AOL Time Warner, By The NumbersIn early February 2002, Canadian NEW MEDIA filed an Access to Information request seeking more details about a benefits package announced by AOL Time Warner as part of its merger approval (CNM, Feb. 7/02). Following are the results of that request, received April 4: Pages of documentation which exist pertaining to AOL’s acquisition of Time Warner and held by the federal government: 2,593. Pages of documentation released to Canadian NEW MEDIA as a result of its request for documentation relating to AOL’s acquisition of Time Warner: 6. Number of pages containing the body of a publicly released media advisory related to the merger approval: 2. Number of facsimile cover letters included in the pages released to CNM: 2. Number of letters which substantially state only that the "above-noted investment is likely to be of net benefit to Canada" and that the takeover was approved included in documents released to CNM: 2. Number of those letters signed by Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps: 1. Number of Access to Information exemption clauses cited in removing 2,587 pages from public release, including solicitor-client privilege, third-party trade secrets, and "advice to Cabinet": 4. Emmas confirmed for TorontoInteractive Media Arts & Technologies president Aurel Langlois has confirmed that Toronto will host the 2002 Electronic Multimedia Awards (CNM, Jan. 23/02). The event will be co-produced by IMAT and the EMMA Foundation, and held Oct. 16-20. Langlois says the awards represent "recognition for Toronto, and ultimately Canada, as an international new media centre…a digital media capital."It’s likely at least four of the jury will be Canadian. The awards use a jury of about 45 members to reward web sites and multimedia products across a spectrum of categories. 120seconds.com film fest puts out call for digital submissionsCanadian film/video makers and producers have been invited to submit original works to CBC Radio 3’s 120seconds.com Digital Film Festival contest. The fest is designed to celebrate the works of Canadian digital short filmmakers, and will be held between May 24 and June 7, 2002. Deadline for entries is April 30. All 15 selected short films will be shown at the Blinding Light Theatre in Vancouver, May 24 and 25. See http://filmfestival.120seconds.com for further details. ecentricarts completes Key Porter Books web siteToronto’s ecentricarts has built a web site for book publisher Key Porter Books. The site features upcoming author events, a sneak peek at newly published authors, and a regularly published newsletter. Key Porter is known for its illustrated and mainstream books, and features a stable of authors including Allan Fotheringham, Robert Fulford, Dennis Lee, Farley Mowat and George Bain. VertigoXmedia and OmniBus Systems seal distribution dealVertigoXmedia Inc., Montreal, has signed a distribution agreement with OmniBus Systems for distribution of the Vertigo Producer broadcast software. Under the agreement, OmniBus will integrate portions of the system into its Columbus transmission automation system to control graphics in television newsrooms and other live productions. The OmniBus and VertigoXmedia systems are currently being used by Time Warner Cable. CinéGroupe and Film Roman announce strategic allianceFilm Roman, the Los Angeles-based producers behind The Simpsons, has announced an agreement with CinéGroupe, a CGI and special effects production company in Montreal (Sagwa, GALIDOR: Defenders of the Outer Dimension). The pair have agreed to pool their resources on a non-exclusive basis with an eye towards producing numerous projects over the course of the coming year. CinéGroupe is a subsidiary of Lion’s Gate Entertainment. A first joint Film Roman/CinéGroupe project should be announced in the next few weeks. ExtendMedia extends due date on debentures by two monthsExtendMedia Inc. has extended the maturity date on its outstanding debentures (with a principal amount of $3.9 million) from April 1 to May 31, 2002. In connection with the extension, the company has agreed to pay all accrued and unpaid interest on the debentures as at March 31, 2002. New Media BC unveils web site revamped by BayleafNew Media BC has announced that its web site has undergone a complete re-design, including of its navigation system. The new site also features a number of resources to further highlight the resources and profile that the association offers the new media community. The site was revamped by Bayleaf, a Vancouver-based web development company. New funding announced for Francommunautés projectsCanadian Heritage and Industry Canada have announced $4 million in new funding for the Francommunautés virtuelles program to assist in the creation of online projects targeted to the Francophone and Acadian communities. The deadline for applications is May 24, 2002. An organization may receive financial contributions representing 50% of total allowable costs, to a maximum of $75,000 for regional projects and $250,000 for national projects. VR Interactive wins PMA Editor’s Choice Award for photo techHalifax’s VR Interactive Corp. has won the Editor’s Choice Award at the 2002 Product Forum of the Photographic Marketing Association annual show in Orlando FL. The company wins for its Showcase 360-degree photographic technology, which uses multiple digital cameras firing simultaneously and a proprietary software tool to create a three-dimensional view of an object. The technology requires less than 60 seconds for the time an object is placed in the Showcase studio unit to actually being published. The image is kept in a small computer file for quick downloading from the Internet, where it can be rotated, tilted and viewed in zoom. Last year, the company won an award at the same show for its technology providing a 360-degree panoramic view in a single shot, without image stitching. Yahoo! Canada to offer movie tickets online at new portalYahoo! Canada will make movie tickets available online from a new Canadian portal touted as a one-stop shopping destination for movie-related goods and services. The site will package a comprehensive directory of movie and entertainment information, including local showtimes and ticket purchasing. It will also feature upcoming movie releases, top box office info, news and reviews, movie information resources and various Internet events. Liberty Village celebrates one year anniversaryThe Liberty Village New Media Centre is celebrating its first year of operations since its official launch. On April 30, it will highlight its activities at an event featuring keynote speaker Ellie Rubin. The evening will also acknowledge the centre’s supporters. For details, visit www.lvnmc.com/cwa. New media firms included in Telefilm MIP-TV pavilionSeveral leading cross-platform producers are taking advantage of a Telefilm Canada pavilion at MIP-TV 2002 in Cannes, April 15-19. The pavilion will host 52 Canadian companies in total, including 15 from the West, 18 from Ontario, 11 from Quebec, and 8 from the Atlantic region. The Canada pavilion is issuing a brochure on the participating companies prepared with the help of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association. Some of the participants include: Collideascope Digital Productions Inc., Mainframe Entertainment Inc., the National Film Board of Canada, and the Multimedia Group of Canada. Alliance numériQC issues call to action on educational contentQuebec’s main new media lobby association has called on the provincial government to make interactive educational content a priority as it drafts an initial policy on the issue. In a newly issued report, Priorité aux contenus éducatifs interactifs, Les temps d’agir, the Alliance numériQC argues that Quebec’s Ministry of Education and Employment should implement financial and tax incentives aimed at developing and acquiring Quebec interactive educational content, along with various specific measures geared to encouraging such efforts.

CNM Short Takes

Broadcast | April 8, 2002

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CNM Short Takes

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