CNM Update

UPDATE – Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Telefilm, Bell Fund templates mergeThe Telefilm Canada New Media Fund and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund have streamlined the early-stage funding application process by offering a co-branded template common to both organizations. The new document negates the need for projects at the production and product development stages to complete two separate budgets for each fund. While some of the budget categories and descriptors for each fund have been harmonized, others – such as budget notes and parameters – will be reconciled in the months to come. The changes take effect in time for Telefilm’s deadline for full project funding applications coming up next month, as well the Bell Fund’s February 2006 deadline for production applications. Telefilm Canada faced criticism in April when it changed its funding templates, bringing them out of synch with the Bell Fund’s. The changes also occurred less than a month from a May application deadline. Telefilm abandoned the changes and reinstated the old templates just over two weeks after the announcement. More details will appear in a future issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA. New BC film portal nearing launchA British Columbian producer and distributor of independent films is hoping to revolutionize the relationship between movies and the Web with a new portal. MovieSet, a creation of Vancouver’s New City Group, aims to create a one-stop Internet source that merges the workflow management of a movie shoot for staffers and the marketing aspects of interest to fans. "It’s like chocolate and peanut butter: it’s the combination of the two that…makes this really special," says Colleen Nystedt, president of New City Group. Nystedt has enlisted the aid of fan-centric new media producer Fantrust Entertainment Strategies to help build the portal. Work on MovieSet got underway in June with a grant from the Telefilm Canada New Media Fund, and the partners hope the site will be up and running early next year. For a lengthier look at MovieSet, see the November 24 issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA. Beenox wins CIPA jury prizeQuebec City-based game studio Beenox was awarded the Judges’ Innovation Award at this year’s Canadian Information Productivity Awards for its partnership with parent company Activision. Beenox’s game conversion arm, Beenox Shift, helped Activision bring such titles as Madagascar, Fantastic Four and Ultimate Spider-Man to market this year using "simultaneous cross-platform game development," according to the CIPA website. Santa Monica CA-based Activision acquired Beenox in May. Study aids go online in QuebecWOW Evolution, a Montreal-based firm providing technology-enabled study solutions, has launched a new product to help Quebec school kids pass the high school admissions exam. The offering, which is presented in partnership with New York’s Brainfuse, evaluates students’ strengths and weaknesses in a given subject, then offers a "one-on-one" tutoring approach to work on problem areas. WOW Evolution says the product complies with guidelines laid out by the province’s ministry of education, and that Brainfuse already has 40,000 students making successful use of its Internet-enabled learning programs in the United States. EA, Nettwerk roll out digital music labelVideo game publishing giant Electronic Arts Inc. of Redwood City CA and Vancouver-based independent label Nettwerk Music Group have collaborated to launch EA Recordings, a digital music label for the music featured in EA’s game titles. Techno notables Paul Oakenfold and Photek, guitar god Joe Satriani and rap groups Da Riffs, Just Blaze and Cool ‘n’ Dre will have their compositions available for download in full MP3 format as well as ringtones and mastertones. EA’s music library contains more than 3,000 minutes’ worth of original, wholly owned songs featured in titles over the past 20 years. Last month, Nettwerk and PDA maker Palm Inc. teamed up on a new music distribution channel on Palm’s devices. Toronto firm’s latest leap to LinuxToronto’s TransGaming Technologies announced on November 8 the availability of Cedega 5.0, the latest iteration of its Linux porting software. Cedega helps game players convert games created for Windows operating systems for use on their Linux machines easily and quickly, and the 5.0 version boasts improved support for graphics protocols such as Pixel Shaders 1.4 and OpenGL 2.0, tighter integration between the user interface and the core engine, and an internal scheduler for managing Linux kernel processes and threads. The software, which is available either directly from TransGaming by subscription or from resellers and OEM partners, supports such best-selling titles as Battlefield 2, Madden NFL 2006, Half-Life, Guild Wars, and more. Tira hooks Hudson in licensing dealTira Wireless, which provides platforms for mobile content testing and deployment, has signed a licensing agreement with game developer and publisher Hudson Entertainment Inc. of San Mateo CA. The Toronto-based firm’s Jump product suite will be used to bring future Hudson titles to market. Hudson distributes its games, including updated renditions of classic titles such as Bomberman, Burger Time and Lode Runner, on the Verizon Wireless and Cingular networks in the U.S. Telus Mobility speeds up mobile dataWireless network operator Telus Mobility introduced its new high-speed data network in five urban centres across Canada recently. Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal will be the first to feature Telus’s new CDMA 1X EV-DO network, which averages data throughput speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps with a maximum of 2 Gbps. The company also launched new Connection Manager software for clients using Telus Mobility’s service with the Sierra Wireless AirCard 580 or the soon-to-be-released Kyocera Passport KPC650 wireless PC cards. Telus Mobility will also introduce a new Windows Mobile-based handheld and a new Blackberry model later this year.

CNM Update

News | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

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