The Shark Awards’ Post

Clients are more production savvy than ever. Their brands’ production efforts are “always on”- and it isn’t all coming from you.  Clients can retain the same creatives, producers, directors, editors, VFX, and music houses as any creative agency - for lower rates and faster turnaround times. Ensure your clients aren’t paying a premium for the same talent they can retain elsewhere for less.

Project Update: As 2024 nears it end, HRE inches closer to completion. So far, the two and a half hour+ film has been a three year journey including research, writing, re-writes, more re-writes, sourcing photographs/footage from around the world, recording location interviews in three states, selecting post production editors, sound editors, videographers, a music composer, a narrator, an art director, a closed captioning service, and finally distribution planning. Yes, there have been more delays than we would have liked but the film is not only necessarily long but complicated. What can we say, what should we show, how can we be fair and respectful to all sides by covering the good and bad aspects of all the war's belligerents? It will be a film unlike any on the subject made to date. Watch for our Blu-ray DVD release this spring followed by distribution to ad based streaming providers later in the year.

"One thing that hasn’t changed is the worth ethic of executive producers." I spoke with Riff Raff Films' newest addition to its US team - Romy Jo Waller, who has joined as executive producer for music videos and special projects. Read the full interview below: LBBonline - Little Black Book

Most Canadians know generally what "Canadian content" or "CanCon" is, but how many of us know how it is measured? Established in 1984, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s point-based system for Canadian content is essential for determining eligibility for broadcast and tax credits, but is now in need of an update. By chance, a makeover is currently underway at the CRTC. For those readers unfamiliar with the Points System, one of the key conditions for an audiovisual production to be certified as “Canadian” requires a production to meet a minimum of 6 out of 10 points based on the below criteria. Points are earned when the below key creative roles are performed by Canadians: Director (2 points) Screenwriter (2 points) First Lead Performer (1 point) Second Lead Performer (1 point) Production Designer (1 point) Director of Photography (1 point) Music Composer (1 point) Picture Editor (1 point) My Dentons colleague Lindsay Paquette discusses recent CRTC workshops and a 2022 report prepared for the Motion Picture Association, which reveal varying perspectives among industry stakeholders on flexibility in the definition of Canadian content and the need for reform to remain competitive in the global market. Read more: https://ow.ly/n3XP30sHQxU #CanadianContent #FilmIndustry #Television #CRTC

The duration of a video doesn’t determine the cost to create. It’s a common misconception that in the video production world, a “short video” = cheaper than a longer one. Not always true. Take the annual John Lewis Christmas ad for example. Just 30 seconds long. But costs £Millions in production. Why? It involves a lot of moving parts, resources, creative development, multiple crew and filming days, location hire, specialist equipment, actors, voice-over, music composition, visual FX, etc. Whereas a relatively simple sit-down interview with some compelling supporting footage of your business/products, could be 3 minutes in duration, but cost just a few £k. It all depends on the creative elements and resources that go into your production, and the result you need for your available budget.

The duration of a video doesn’t determine the cost to create. It’s a common misconception that in the video production world, a “short video” = cheaper than a longer one. Not always true. Take the annual John Lewis Christmas ad for example. Just 30 seconds long. But costs £Millions in production. Why? It involves a lot of moving parts, resources, creative development, multiple crew and filming days, location hire, specialist equipment, actors, voice-over, music composition, visual FX, etc. Whereas a relatively simple sit-down interview with some compelling supporting footage of your business/products, could be 3 minutes in duration, but cost just a few £k. It all depends on the creative elements and resources that go into your production, and the result you need for your available budget.

The lawsuit you mentioned between a voice actor and Warner Bros over the alleged copyright infringement of his vocal performance as the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films raises some fascinating intellectual property questions around voice acting and character voices. A few key considerations: Copyrightability of Voice Performances There is an ongoing debate around whether unique character voices and vocal performances can qualify as copyrightable works of authorship. Some courts have recognized distinctive voice characterizations having their own copyright protections. Work-for-Hire Doctrine A common counterargument from studios is that voice acting done as contracted work should fall under work-for-hire doctrine, with any intellectual property rights assigned to the hiring entity. Scope of Licensed Rights  Even if the vocal performance has some copyright, the terms of the actor's contract likely stipulated licensed rights for that particular use only (film, home video, etc.). Using it again for new toys may violate that license's limitations. Derivative Works The studio could argue that merchandise renditions like toys are derivative works allowable under their original licensing of the actor's performance for the movies. Ability to Re-Create Character Voice If the vocal characterization is deemed unprotected, the studio may be able to hire a new actor to re-create and mimic that same voice and performance. This case reflects the delicate balancing of intellectual property interests when creative voice performances become highly marketable assets extended across different merchandise models. Ultimately, much may come down to the specific language in the original licensing/hiring agreements. But it's giving voice (no pun intended) to these emerging IP questions.

Good afternoon everyone! This text is addressed to both my current and future clients. It will be especially useful for producers, as I want to show why our work is worth its money. Let's start with timings: At the moment, our production team has over 4 major projects underway: 3 commercial and 1 music video. It's worth emphasizing that one of the big projects includes 10 commercials of up to 45 seconds each. Producers, you realize what a big amount of work it is and what tasks need to be solved. I can proudly say that after filming completed on September 2, we provided the first drafts for clients on September 15. They already included rough sound, voiceover narration and graphics. We all realize that every downtime in post-production is costly. Meeting deadlines is a critical skill. We achieved this by optimizing work within the team by dividing tasks between three independent editors. This solution allowed full access to all projects and edits without slowing down work on other clips. Thus, all 10 clips were processed simultaneously, and edits on one project did not interfere with the others. I'll tell you more about it later. #Postproduction #Commercial #Post

Comment “SFX” to get them for free Here are top 5 of our most used sound effects. Sound design is critical to making a super engaging reel or short-form video edit when used correctly The benefits of applying sound effects in your reel short form edits are: 1️⃣ Hook audience into your video draw 2️⃣ Higher retention watch time % If you want these five sound effects, just comment “SFX” and I’ll send them to you. #sfx #creator #sounddesign #soundeffects #soundeffectsforedits #freesoundeffects #filmmaking #videoediting #contentcreator #soundfx #sound #sfx #effects #videoediting #editing #creative #creativity #transitions

CP3 Member Dr Kim Munro recently wrote a fascinating article for The Conversation on the history of found footage in video art and its use in the music video for Macklemore’s new pro-Palestine song 'Hind’s Hall'. Read the article in the link below. #videoart #foundfootage #montage #archivalfootage #documentary #filmmaking #screenart #film #video #socialmedia