CineMag (Jun 30, 1980)

June 30, 1980 CineMag | a ER Seo ——— ee pose I _—~ x is _ = Pl te ie le ee — _ Ata . se ~~ eeeseeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee SSSERPSSRESEESESSESERRBSSESRBRRBRBRABREGREORSRBHRREHRESCHESHREREKRKEEERERESEHRSESHSSERERHBARESEHSBEHEARERESESES ies Animation Grads TORONTO — There’s a new player in the animation game in -Canada, to date the domain of only a handful of independents and the National Film Board. Canimage Productions Inc., armed with a production contract for segments ofa Saturday child | rens’ cartoon series for L.A.’s~ Hanna-Barbera studios, opened its. doors. earlier this month. Company is run by a trio of exSheridan. College animation grads who paid their dues at H-B, Roger Chiasson, Colin Baker and Alvero Gaivoto. The production agreement with H-B calls for Canimage to produce 1,000 feet (i.e. 10 min utes) of programming for the. Scooby Doo series, which airs weekly on ABC, Contract terminates in November, but spokesmen are confident it will lead to others with H-B and other sources, both in the U.S. and Canada. _ Gaivoto says currency differences between the U.S.and Canada, along with reduced overhead (unlike H-B’s salaried employees, freelancers used by Canimage are not entitled to the same Company benefits) made the establishment of an animation house here asound business vent ure. Further, Gaivoto says Sher -idan’s reputation, as. a training | -| ground for animators is unriviled,..|.. and Canimage intends to tap into the talent pool. At present, Canimage’s 30‘odd staffers are primarily Sher idan grads, says Gaivoto, although several come from elsewhere: France, Australia, and one from H-B’s L.A. operation, which employs about 500 animators. “We hope to get more people from the college,” says Chiasson, CRTC Cuts Kids _ Channel | “TORONTO — ‘Delays by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. (CRTC) in establishing policy guidelines for use of satellite channels has cost a proposed commercial-free children’s channel almost half of its capacity. Galaxie, a new children’s channel to begin programming via TVOntario Sept. 15, will now be available only through sub scription to Canadian Cable systems Ltd. (CCL), Original estimates called for a viewing audience of about 1.8 million homes, but a CRTC ruling now reduces the potential audience to about 700,000 homes. A CRTC committee, charged with conducting public‘ meetings’ into the issues of remote/satellite “services and pay-TV, is due to _ the next month. Should the CRTC ‘adopt its recommendations, the _| doors may soon be open to ex an ‘satellite services such as ‘Teport to the Commission within _ “most studios,” ~ Make Own Way ||. company yice president and the “man in charge of training new Staffers. “Sheridan provides a good market for people. “We'll try to keep a friendly ‘atmosphere here,” says Gaivoto. “We want to grow together. There’s a lot of potential in this studio, so much talent.” Gaiyoto, like his partners a * youthful 30-ish, moved to L.A. four years ago after a brief and unhappy experience with a Canadian animation house. After about a year of pounding on doors, financed in part by ajob as a trucking clerk, he finally landed a position with H-B in April, 1977. H-B, which has produced a Jong list of cartoons (Tom and Jerry, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and The Jetsons, to name a few), initiated Gaivoto into the rigours of producing a cartoon strip. The experience also exposed him, and his partners, to several ex-Disney animators. . “There’s a big gap in the industry between the old fellas that started way back when animation was still developing and the younger ones,” says Chiasson. “Meanwhile, these guys are dying off and nobody is tapping their talents,”” continues Baker. Sheridan is the only one that took the initiative’ to ga after t that classic* | Disney’style.’’: | Chiasson defines the ‘classic’ style thusly: “Usually classical animation is done with fully structured live characters. You should be able to look at it and say ‘there’s a heartbeat.’ It’s a live thing.” There’s not one studio in Canada that can come close to the Disney style.” ’ “Some people down there are masters at the stuff,” continues Chiasson. “After all, that's where the industry originated. So Canadians can learn from them. Why should we be too arrogant tolearm from the people who know it. better than us ?” After Gaivoto and company broke ground back in ’77, many others from Sheridan followed. “Atone point, there were 31 ofus from Sheridan at H-B,” he recalls. Though Baker predicts Canimage will “probably always be doing this?’ (produce childrens’ cartoons), he says he company may get inio the half-hour special format two to three years down the road, Gaivoto is less enthused about the prospects of producing and animated feature : “*Youcan bein business for five years, come along and do a feature that doesn’t work, and you’re out of business,” he says. “It’s too risky.” As for the effect Canimage will have on the existent animation houses in Canada, Baker downplays it. “] think there is room for he says. “Most of the stuff is done for TY now anyway. It will take everything people can throw at it.” In Transit Producer Robert Cooper(Running, Middle Age Crazy) has lifted the lid on a new corporate partnership with Toronto financier Gurston Rosenfeld, to be referred to henceforth as Cooper-Rosenfeld Productions Inc. In the process, Cooper divulges plans to produce seven features, two within the next few months. Latter includes Bells, a thriller to be produced in association with Stanley Colbert Productions, and Utilities, to be helmed by Daryl Duke. Rosenfeld, chairman of the firm, is currently a v.p. with Guafdian Capital Group-and president of subsidiaries Guardian Growth Financial Services and Guardian Capital Investment Counsel. Simultaneously, Cooper-Rosenfeld reveal appointment of Michael Meltzer as L. A.-based v.p. of creative affairs. A grad of Southern Cal, Meltzer has been director of creative affairs with Dee Anthony Films, a story editor/production exec with Jon Peters (Main Event, Eyes of Laura Mars), and astory analyst atthe William Morris Agency. Other company members include production manager Michael Hadley and controller Gregory Sneyd. O° ——, a The dust hasn’t quite settled yet on a host of ad/pub staff changes at the Toronto branch offices of-the ‘major distributors. Warners, Columbia and Fox have all experienced shuffles in the past. few weeks. At the latter, the flow of new faces continues with the recent addition of John Donnelly and Sharon Wiener. Donnelly, formerly the manager of Odeon’s ‘Fairlawn Theatre in Toronto, joins Fox as assis tant to the director of advertising. Donnelly. ‘began duties June 1. Ms. Wiener, meanwhile, becomes an assistant to Fox publicity director André Beauregard. She assumed her post J une 11... Fox has yet to fill its advertising director shoes, though Donnelly is now handling duties on a temporary basis._Ex-Fox staffer Dianne Schwalm, now with Warners, formerly handled both advertising and publicity functions. @® At the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation an important appointment has just been made. Trina McQueen, exec director.of network newscasts since ’76, will become assistant director of network programming and gm of the web as of July. The 37-year-old McQueen, with CBC’s news staff since 1967, becomes second-incommand to programming director Jack Craine once the appointment takes effect, making her the highest-ranked female exec in the industry. CBC’s news department, at-the same time, continues to buzz with activity in anticipation of The National’s move to 10 p.m. in Sept./81. Bill Morgan, formerly TV network program director, becomes head of TV current affairs. And Mark Starowicz, exec producer of CBC-Radio’s Sunday Morning, joins CBC-TV’s current. affairs department as head of a team commissioned to develop a daily national affairs program that will follow the news. Father afield, the web announces that it has nicked a new Peking bureau correspondent. He’s Don Murray, currently a national reporter covering the province of Quebec. Appointment was announced June 10 by chief news editor Vince Carlin. Another news department shuffle has Chris Walmsley assuming duties June 16 as CBC’s western parliamentary reporter. Reporting on Ottawa affairs for CBC’s local TV news program in the western provinces, he’ll be based out of Ottawa. He’s been with the network since 1977. ed ca Global Television, meanwhile, announces the resignation (effective June 30) of corporate vice president Peter Viner. Viner plans to join Vancouvers CK VU-TV as exec v.p. and general manager. With Global since °74, Viner moved through the ranks as sales manager and v.p. of sales and marketing before being appointed to his latest post. Most of the past year has been spent on leave at Harvard’s Business School. Viner’s replacement has yet to be named. Cable Satellite Network, which held its first shareholders meeting May 28 at the Hotel Vancouver, has elected its board of directors and appointed its corporate officers for the year. Robert McIntyre becomes CSN chairman, Jacques Duhamel has been named vice chairman, Jack Simpson is now company treasurer, and Kevin Shea is CSN secretary. C.W. (Bill) | Stanley, the firm’s first board chairman, is exofficio board member for 80/81. ee Below the 49th parallel, most of the action these days is happening-at Walt Disney Productions and its distribution arm, Buena Vista. A host of upward shuffles have taken place, paramount of which was appointment of Ron Miller to president and chief operating officer, oversee _ing the corporation’s three operating groups. Miller was formerly creative affairs and production exec v.p. Other changes are as follows: Tom Wilhite, 27, becomes vice president of creative development for features and TV; Chuck Good takes over from the retiring Irving Ludwig as president of Buena Vista Distribution Co. ; Card Walker, president before Miller's promotion, is now board chairman and chief exec officer over Miller; Don Tatum is now_chairman of the executive committee; Bill Yates is appointed executive TV producer ; James Jimirro becomes prez of non-theatrical and Telecommunications ; Jack Lindquist takes on a new post as Senior v.p. with responsibilities in advertising/publicity/ promo for films, -TV, and Disney’s theme parks ; and finally, Bo Boyd becomes veepee of consumer products, The lone refugee from Disney is Frank Paris, the production division’s top story executive for several years, who is now launching into independent production. He’ll remain aboard until July, when a replacement is expected to be announced. . United Artists is the only other distribbery announcing multiple changes. Elaine Cohen joins UA as a New York-based associate story editor after stints with several publishing houses ; Bill Stuart, ex-Australian gm for the company, also moves to New York in the post of assistant to international sales v.p. Michael WilliamsJones ; and Brian Payne, the most recently Fox’ director of European video sales, becomes chief honcho at UA’s British operations as of July 7. Payne is to replace the departing Jonathan Chissick. = Fox’ lone change has Henry Guettel coming aboard as senior production vice president out of New York. Guettel was last with Columbia, as its creative v.p. And at Columbia, Jane Garzilli is upped to director of west coast business affairs. e@ Obits this issue are registered for A.C. Nielsen Co. founder and ex-chairman, Arthur-Nielsen, 83, who died June | in Chicago. And for Henry Miller, 88, who pioneered fictional sexplicitness in his many novels, including “Tropic of Cancer” (filmed in’69) and ‘Tropic of Capricorn.” Miller was an untiring advocate of freedom of thought, but later criticized modern writers for their calculated use of explicit sex to boost book sales.