TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Weekend 5-6 October 2024
Meta unveils AI video tool; CJ ENM boosts content spend; Pinewood TV closes; Screen Music Awards 2024 nominees; Peacock’s future; Kapil Sharma hits Netflix; Jon Steinlauf exits WBD; major film deals.
Today’s Highlights:
Meta Introduces GenAI Tools for Realistic Video Creation - Meta unveils Movie Gen, an AI tool for creating realistic video clips, positioning it as a future content creation tool.
CJ ENM to Boost Content Spending Amid Industry Disruption - CJ ENM commits to investing $750 million annually in content amid industry shifts in streaming and AI impacts.
Pinewood to Close TV Department—Pinewood Studios will close its TV department to refocus on film production.
Screen Music Awards 2024 Nominees Announced—The Nominees for the Screen Music Awards 2024 include composers from popular TV shows. The winners will be announced in October.
Matt Strauss Discusses Peacock's Streaming FutureNBCUniversal's— Matt Strauss discusses Peacock's role in NBCU's shift from cable to streaming.
The Kapil Sharma Show Transitions to Netflix - Kapil Sharma's comedy show moves from Sony Entertainment to Netflix, achieving global success.
$17 Million Deal: Behind It's What's InsideNetflix's— latest film, It's What's Inside, is making waves as a potential top-10 hit while marking changes in independent film deals.
Irene Maiorino: The Actress Making Waves - Irene Maiorino's standout role in HBO's My Brilliant Friend reflects her deep personal connection to her character, Lila.
Jon Steinlauf Exits Warner Bros. Discovery After Seven Years - Jon Steinlauf, head of ad sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, announces his departure later this year.
Renate Reinsve Talks Sociopathic Role in A Different Man - Renate Reinsve's performance in A Different Man marks a bold new direction following her breakout role in The Worst Person in the World.
Plus: News, Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals, Renewals, Cancellations, Opportunities and Jobs with Paramount, Netflix, Amazon, BBC, Little Dot, Endeavor, WBD, AMC & Red Bull.
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NEWS
Meta Introduces GenAI Tools for Realistic Video Creation
Meta has introduced Movie Gen, a new AI tool capable of creating realistic video clips based on text prompts, up to 16 seconds long at 16 frames per second, with AI-generated synchronized audio. Meta is still testing Movie Gen before public release, positioning it as a potential tool for content creation on Facebook and Instagram. Read More.
CJ ENM to Boost Content Spending Amid Industry Disruption
CJ ENM, Korea’s largest media conglomerate, announced plans to invest over KRW1 trillion ($750 million) annually in content. CEO Yoon Sang-hyun emphasized confidence in K-content during the Busan International Film Festival despite challenges such as weak box office performance, shifts in streaming, and AI disruptions. While CJ ENM’s film investments have declined, Yoon highlighted the strategic exploitation of content across platforms, with some films finding success on OTT after underperforming in theatres, according to domestic business head Cho Jin-ho. Read More.
Pinewood to Close TV Department
Pinewood Studios is set to close its television department as part of a strategic shift to focus on other production sectors. This decision affects several TV projects in development or production at the iconic studio. The closure marks the end of an era for Pinewood’s involvement in television as it turns its attention back to its film production roots. Read More.
WFTV Announces Writers for Kay Mellor Screenwriters’ Lab
Women in Film and Television UK (WFTV) has announced the 13 emerging writers selected for the 2024 WFTV Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab from September 30 to October 5. Led by Lisa Holdsworth and Carol Harding, the lab offers workshops and one-on-one tutorials. BAFTA-nominated writer-director Sally El Hosaini is a guest speaker. The initiative, honouring Kay Mellor OBE, allows participants to develop their scripts with industry professionals and advance them to a pitch-ready stage. Read More.
Australian Film Fragmentary Loses Appeal for Producer Offset Claim
The Australian film Fragmentary has lost its appeal for a producer offset claim. The Federal Court upheld Screen Australia's decision, rejecting the film’s application for financial assistance through the producer offset because an individual rather than a company completed most of the film. Read More.
Screen Music Awards 2024 Nominees Announced
Nominees for the Screen Music Awards 2024 have been announced. The awards recognise composers from TV shows like Bluey, MasterChef Australia, Ladies in Black, Bump, Prosper, and RFDS. Winners will be revealed at the APRA AMCOS and Australian Guild of Screen Composers ceremony on 29 October at Forum Melbourne / Naarm. Read More.
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INSIGHTS
Noob: From TikTok to TV
Victoria Boult and Rachel Fawcett, creators of Noob, discuss how their coming-of-age comedy transitioned from TikTok to television. After debuting on TikTok in August 2022 and gaining 1.5 million views, the series, backed by the Every Voice program, caught the attention of Warner Bros Discovery's Three and ThreeNow. Now, Noob is set to launch as a six-part series in New Zealand on October 17, showcasing social media as a platform for emerging creative talent. Read More.
Amazon Prime Video’s Gaming Shows Strategy
Prime Video is expanding its game show offerings with four new shows following the success of The 1% Club. Launching next month, titles include Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?, hosted by Travis Kelce, and a pop-culture Jeopardy! spinoff with Colin Jost. Prime is introducing "Winning Wednesdays," a weekly programming block releasing new episodes simultaneously, aiming to recreate traditional TV viewing habits. Lauren Anderson, head of brand and content innovation at Amazon MGM Studios, sees this as blending broadcast patterns with the convenience of streaming. Read More.
Skylab: The Space Age and Revolution on the Homefront
Radha Mitchell, Linh-Dan Pham, and Jesse Spencer discuss Last Days of the Space Age, Disney+’s third Australian original drama. Set in 1979, the show follows characters Judy Bissett (Mitchell), Sandy Bui (Pham), and Tony Bissett (Spencer) as Skylab orbits over Perth, blending historical events with personal stories in this new drama series. Read More.
Matt Strauss Discusses Peacock’s Streaming Future
Matt Strauss, chairman of direct-to-consumer at NBCUniversal, oversees Peacock and the company’s global streaming services, including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, and the Now TV platform by Sky in Europe. With Comcast, NBCU's parent company, transitioning from traditional cable TV, Strauss brings nearly two decades of experience from Comcast's cable division. His perspective is crucial as the TV industry shifts towards streaming, and he explores how the economics of this move will unfold in the evolving media landscape. Read More.
Irene Maiorino: The Actress Making Waves
Before Irene Maiorino was cast as Lila in HBO's My Brilliant Friend, she felt a personal connection to the character. Born in Naples and raised in a tough village near Salerno, Maiorino, 39, developed the same scrappy resilience as Lila. In the final season of the series, she portrays the strong-willed character from Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, which follow the lifelong friendship of Lila and Elena “Lenù” Greco. Read More.
The Kapil Sharma Show Transitions to Netflix
Indian comedy star Kapil Sharma, who featured in Nandita Das' Zwigato, has successfully transitioned his long-running TV show The Kapil Sharma Show from Sony Entertainment to Netflix as The Great Indian Kapil Show. This move has expanded his audience globally, with Season 1 trending in the Global Top 10 TV (non-English) list for four consecutive weeks. Season 2, currently #1 in India’s Top 10, has also entered the Top 10 in 11 countries, reflecting its international success. Read More.
$17 Million Deal: Behind It’s What’s Inside
It's What's Inside, which debuted on Netflix this week, is described as a twisty, Gen-Z-friendly movie and is expected to be a potential instant top 10 hit and a future cult classic. While director Rosenfeld's success marks a new high for the Sundance-to-streaming pipeline, the days of massive streaming deals—like Apple's $25 million for CODA—are fading as costs are being cut industry-wide. For independent films, media coverage of financial deals is crucial for gaining attention and avoiding long waits for distribution. Read More.
Renate Reinsve Talks Sociopathic Role in A Different Man
Renate Reinsve, following her breakout in The Worst Person in the World, chose a unique path by starring in the indie film A Different Man. In Aaron Schimberg’s Sundance 2024 hit, she plays Ingrid, a New York transplant who befriends Edward (Sebastian Stan), an actor with neurofibromatosis. After Ingrid rejects his advances, Edward undergoes a drastic procedure, transforming into "Guy." He claims Edward's suicide to explain his change, while Ingrid channels her grief into a play, complicating matters when actor Oswald (Adam Pearson) enters the scene. Read More.
Kate Siegel on V/H/S: Beyond, Mike Flanagan and Explores Alien Theories
Kate Siegel is open about her belief in extraterrestrial life, stating that it's not a question of whether aliens exist but when and where we will contact them. A sci-fi fan, Siegel imagines aliens could be something we've overlooked, like octopuses or fungi. This mindset suits her role in V/H/S/Beyond, the first sci-fi-focused chapter of the horror anthology series. Siegel directs the standout short Stowaway, where a woman encounters a UFO, showcasing eerie and imaginative visuals. Read More.
Inside OpenAI
The recent departure of OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, has fueled speculation about internal unrest within the company. Murati, chief research officer Bob McGrew, and researcher Barret Zoph left without immediate new opportunities, raising questions about leadership under CEO Sam Altman. Tensions have simmered since a failed attempt to oust Altman in November, driven by concerns over his "accelerationism" approach to AI development. Other key figures, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, have also left, many joining rival Anthropic, viewed as more safety-focused. Read More.
Francesco Manfio on the Creative Future of Gruppo Alcuni
Gruppo Alcuni, known for its original, non-violent content promoting positive values, is expanding its reach with new projects at MIPJunior and MIPCOM. One highlight is The Black Diamond Race, an upcoming upper-kids series set to launch next year on Rai and RTVE. While focused on children’s content, the company also operates the Talking Tree theme park, offering family experiences with its characters. CEO Francesco Manfio discusses their approach to creating captivating stories that engage different age groups. Read More.
The $10 Billion AI Cash Surge: What’s Next?
AI companies are cash-rich, studios hold the content AI craves, and talent finds itself at the bottom. Agents, reps, and execs are scrambling to protect clients and intellectual property while vying for a share of the projected $10 billion in AI fees expected to flow into entertainment by 2025. Read More.
How Does Horror Streamer Shudder Keep Dominating the Indie Film Market?
Shudder's lead curator Sam Zimmerman on the indie horror film scene, and how he connects to his audience one fan at a time.
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele on Will & Harper | BFI Q&A
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele visited BFI Southbank to promote their heartfelt documentary about a road trip marking Harper’s coming out as a trans woman. Two years ago, while filming a movie, Ferrell received an email from Steele, his friend of nearly 30 years, revealing her transition. The pair met in 1995 during Ferrell’s first day at Saturday Night Live, forming a lasting friendship. In the documentary, Ferrell and Steele embark on a 16-day road trip from New York to LA, revisiting meaningful locations and reflecting on their friendship, Harper's journey, and their evolving relationship.
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