Western Australia's major film and television conference, Small Screen Big Picture, starts tonight. 50 speakers will be at the event which takes place in Fremantle over the next two days.
Western Australia's major film and television conference, Small Screen Big Picture, starts tonight. 50 speakers will be at the event which takes place in Fremantle over the next two days.
below is the full release on the conference, with speakers list.
GLOBAL TELEVISION SPOTLIGHT AIMED RIGHT AT FREMANTLE
Australia's premier TV industry conference kicks off in Western Australia tonight, marking the coming together of some of the world's best producers, creators, writers and program developers.
The Small Screen BIG PICTURE conference has attracted more than 50 guest speakers from across Australia and around the globe, including Emmy, Oscar and BAFTA award winners. The conference gets underway tonight with a cocktail party at WA's prestigious Maritime Museum, before moving to the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle for two days filled with more than 15 separate panel sessions and a specialist masterclass.
The theme of this year's Small Screen BIG PICTURE TV conference is Unwrapping the Business of Creativity and according to ScreenWest CEO Tania Chambers, this event provides "an incredible opportunity to showcase Western Australia and the television talent within it to the world".
"We are very honoured to have such a high calibre of TV industry professionals from all over the globe come to WA to share their experience and knowledge with us",said Ms Chambers. "At the same time the industry here is given the chance to network, build relationships and working partnerships with the industry's movers and shakers".
As well as the array of panel sessions and documentary masterclass, the Small Screen Big Picture TV conference will also feature a major industry announcement by SBS and the unveiling of the winner of the 'Big Pitch' competition - a joint initiative between ScreenWest and ABC TV.
Five shortlisted finalists have been given the opportunity to pitch their children's television program idea at the conference with the chance to win up to $30,000 in development funding as part of the ABC and ScreenWest Children's Program Development Initiative. The winner will be announced at the closing session on Friday, November 25.
The Small Screen BIG PICTURE TV conference will be officially opened by Minister for Culture and the Arts, Hon. Shelia McHale at 9.00am tomorrow (Thursday, November 24) and will be followed soon after by a major announcement by SBS Managing Director, Shaun Brown.
The keynote address will then be given by acclaimed international TV producer Tom Gutteridge. Mr Gutteridge is a former CEO of the USA's largest independent TV production company, FremantleMedia and one-time creative director of the UK's major production company, The Television Corporation.
Other sessions tomorrow include panel discussions on successes and failures in television programming, how to make a buck in TV, new production techniques, taxation partnerships, a look at big event television programs, successful comedy writing, several sessions on documentary making and working with high definition formats.
Across the conference, delegates will get to hear from a wide range of international speakers including hard hitting New York television critic, David Bianculli; Emmy and Oscar winning US Director/Producer, Mitchell Block; Theresa Plummer-Andrews, Head of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Children's BBC and Executive Producer (Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben, Fireman Sam, Postman Pat, Koala Brothers, Bob The Builder); Steve Hewlett, consultant and former Director of Programs Carlton TV UK; Pat Ferns, Ferns Productions Canada; Caterina De Nave, Head of Drama and Comedy TV3; Emmanuel Laurent, Films a Trois France; Bryan Smith, Executive Vice President National Geographic Channels International; John Lindsay, Executive Producer Towers Productions USA; Nobuo Isobe, Japan Broadcasting Corporation; Khim Loh, Managing Director The Moving Visuals Co. Singapore; Michael McMahon, Executive Producer Primitive Entertainment Canada; Hilary Pryor, The May Street Group Canada; Nick Witkowski, WV Entertainment UK.
Panellists will include commissioning editors and Heads of Drama/Programming from the ABC, SBS, Network Ten, and Seven Network.
Other speakers include representatives from TV 1, the Movie Network, Screentime as well as writers/producers Mike Bullen (Cold Feet, Life Begins, All About George), Ewan Burnett (Last Man Standing, Kangaroo Palace), Noel Price (Girl TV, Pigs Breakfast), Geoffrey Atherden
(Mother and Son, Grass Roots), John Eastway (Aunty Jack, The Norman Gunston Show), Rick Kalowski (Big Bite, Comedy Inc), David McDonald (Comedy Inc, Election Chaser).
A full list of speakers is available on the Small Screen BIG PICTURE website: www.ssbp.com.au
