Galafilm and Decode unwrap new projects; wax wise on legacy of Quebecor funding

Where are they now? Nine and six years after winning financial support from the Quebecor Fund, TV/new media firms Galafilm Productions Inc. and Decode Entertainment Inc. (respectively) are still going strong, and they’re getting ready to launch new digital projects. Tech Media Reports catches up with the companies as the latest Quebecor Fund winners are announced. Now in its 18th round, the Quebecor Fund awards financial support to a handful of producers to develop advanced TV/multimedia projects. Fund winners invariably promise to generate engaging television programming accompanied by interactive elements via video on demand, interactive TV (ITV), wireless devices and the Web. Created by Videotron Ltd. (the cable-TV arm of Quebecor Inc., one of Canada’s largest media companies), the Quebecor Fund announced earlier this month that it’s providing $2.5 million to a number of organizations for various projects. (For details about the latest fund recipients, see “And the winners are...” below.) Judging from the experiences of at least two previous fund winners, Quebecor could be a stepping stone to long-term success. Galafilm won funding in 2000 for its documentary “Chiefs,” which profiled First Nations leaders, warriors and diplomats. The program incorporated web discussion forums and an image bank, but also added animation, video and text for a comprehensive multimedia experience. Various Chiefs episodes were nominated for Best History Documentary Program, Best Sound in a Documentary Program or Series, and Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series at the Gemini Awards in 2003, where the best of English Canadian TV is celebrated. “It allowed us to explore the new media possibilities,” says Galafilm president and founder Arnie Gelbart from his Montreal office, talking about Quebecor. “We prepared CDs of all the historical material we collected...and we also did the interactive website element. “I was astounded by the hits we had. It was discovered by mostly students.” The website was chockfull of images and text, he says – basic by today’s standards, but “I think we pushed it as hard as we could at the time.” Galafilm built on that new-media know-how to support other projects over the years, including the “Mars” series. Encompassing the dramatic miniseries “Race to Mars,” the documentary “Mars Rising,” and the Race to Mars website (http://www.racetomars.ca/mars/), the program posited a space race in the year 2030 and contemplated the practicality of a Mars mission. In 2008, “Race to Mars” won a Gemini for Best Cross Platform Project, awarded to producers that use TV and a secondary system for an interactive experience. Comedy show targets TV and web audiences Now Galafilm is preparing a new project for next January. “It’s called ’18 to Life,’” Gelbart says. “It’s a half-hour comedy supported by an interactive multimedia site, with user-generated content, and video purposely made for the site.” The show explores the lives of two middle-class couples with different points of view, and what happens when their children elope, bringing the families together. Galafilm is making 12 episodes for the CBC, and the show is set to air starting January 4. On the website, “a couple of the characters would answer questions about relationships,” Gelbart says. “We’re also asking people to send in their own video content, and we’re asking couples what it takes to be a successful couple.” To be a successful cross-platform company, Galafilm has had to ask itself some tough questions about the efficacy of multimedia properties. “These things cost quite a bit of money to produce,” Gelbart says. “They take a lot of manpower and a lot of creativity to make them interesting. The question is, just how useful is it, who uses it...and does a very rich website drive people to go and see the TV shows?” Gelbart says television continues to dominate. As for the web and mobile, “I think it’s just an extension of television programs. Ninety nine per cent of all video watching is still on traditional television – whatever you hear about new media.” Decode moves up value chain with Wii and iPhone apps Toronto’s Decode Entertainment seems to be betting its future on new media. The company won the Quebecor Fund in 2003 for “Be the Creature,” a TV series affording up-close encounters with wild creatures in their natural habitats. Online elements included educational resources about the creatures, and a game giving visitors the chance to take on the role of the animals. Decode also developed an interactive TV application allowing viewers to access special features and content while watching the program through Videotron’s illico digital set-top box. “Be the Creature” won Best Interactive Television Project at the Canadian New Media Awards in 2005. That year the show’s website also received an “excellent” rating from the Canadian Web Awards. Developing the interactive elements for the set-top box wasn’t easy, says Anne Loi, senior VP of Decode. “It was tough, because it was such an early stage of development for the middleware itself. Everybody was just figuring out how to develop on it.” Speed was one concern. Early iterations of the game – developed as a digital treasure hunt, wherein players used their TV remotes to collect information – were painfully slow; users had to wait a long time for the system to recognize their selections. “There was so much video and information – the system couldn’t handle it,” Loi recalls. “I can’t even tell you how the game ended up working, because we had to do quite a bit of modification after we wrote the game script just to fit into the box.” Fast forward to the present, and you’ll find that Decode has had to modify elements of its business model as well. For instance, the company’s latest project is more comprehensive than previous undertakings. Dubbed “Wonderworld,” it’s a broadband channel where children can interact with a number of Decode properties, including “Bo on the GO!,” “Animal Mechanicals,” “Poko,” “The Save-ums,” “Super Why,” and “Mighty Jungle.” Decode teamed with Montreal interactive firm Tribalnova for the project, and funding came from Quebecor, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Telefilm’s Canadian New Media Fund. “It has artificial intelligence built into it,” Loi says, explaining that the system knows which games the children have played in the past, and it recommends new games to give the kids a well-rounded experience. A parents’ section lets mom and dad see what sorts of game their children prefer and/or excel at. “It’s about to be launched in a month, so you’ll see some noise about it,” Loi says. The new media industry has shifted somewhat since Decode’s “Be the Creature” era. “At the time, broadcasters were not really investing anything in interactive, so the fact that we could give them a full, baked website they could link to, they were quite happy with that,” Loi says. “But now, everybody has a pretty sophisticated web presence. They know what they want... The project scope has become much tighter – which as a producer, presents some problems... Because the broadcaster requirements are so specific, nine times out of 10 what ends up being produced only fits the domestic market. Our foreign broadcasters tend to be not as interested.” Decode’s solution: “We’ve started to explore outside of the companion site business,” Loi says. The firm recently became a Nintendo Wii developer, and it’s working on an iPhone application with NASA. “It’s the 40th anniversary of man landing on the moon,” Loi says. The game is “going to be launched in about a month’s time – just around the same time as the anniversary of landing the lunar module.” And the winners are... Aetios Productions Inc.: “Trauma” – Broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada: The television series provides an insider’s perspective on traumatology, helping viewers understand the motivations of the doctors working in this fast-paced field. The accompanying website, interactive TV and mobile platforms provide exclusive content, and advise users on first-aid measures in the event of serious accidents. Avanti Ciné Vidéo: “La Joute” – Broadcaster: Télé-Québec: This weekly debate program stars three debaters in a verbal jousting match on four current-events topics. The public chooses the winner by voting over the phone or the Web. The show includes a webcast of La Joute Junior featuring high school participants, and an illico interactive application supporting votes by remote. Fiction Yamaska Inc./Duo Productions Inc.: “Yamaska” – Broadcaster: TVA: Written by Michel d'Astous and Anne Boyer, Yamaska follows the ups and downs of three families coping with the tragic death of a loved one. The interactive component includes a role-playing game where players seek clues, receive phone calls and emails from the characters of the series. Productions Pixcom Inc.: “Le Cercle 2009” – Broadcaster: TVA: Le Cercle is a smash hit in Quebec and boasts one million faithful viewers. A fast-paced quiz show that challenges participants’ cultural knowledge, memory and quick-wittedness, it offers an iPhone/iTouch application for fans on the move. Viewers can also challenge their friends on Facebook and play games against other members of the illico community from the comfort of their own homes. Sovitel Inc.: “Musée Eden” – Broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada: Part thriller, part historical saga, the Musée Eden drama series is set in Montreal in 1910. It follows the adventures of two sisters caught up in a series of mysterious murders and famous crimes that are reproduced in the museum they recently inherited. The interactive component unites games, detective narratives and historical documents, broadcast on a range of platforms (television, Web, VOD, mobile, and ITV.) TVA Productions Inc.: “Occupation Double” – Broadcaster: TVA: The show allows participants to travel the world and to take part in exclusive activities. The new media component offers content on the Web, ITV-VOD, and mobile telephony. A travel section on the website provides the itineraries followed by participants during the series. Stefan Dubowski is a freelance writer in Ottawa. You can reach him via sdubowski@rogers.com.

Galafilm and Decode unwrap new projects; wax wise on legacy of Quebecor funding

News | 06/23/2009 5:31 pm EDT

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