News Release for Immediate Release
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
News Release For Immediate Release Award-winning animation, documentary and lifestyle programmes lead Singapore’s offerings at MIPTV 2011 Aleph Labs’ BeyondTV “second screen” application vying for the top honours at the MIPTV Content 360 Competition Singapore, 1 April 2011 – 11 Singapore media companies will be participating in MIPTV, the world’s premier market for the buying and selling of audio-visual entertainment content. Together with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), the Singapore companies bring to the Cannes event some 45 TV titles covering more than 200 hours of animation, factual and drama content, as well as innovative technologies with the potential to transform the TV viewing experience. Nine of the Singapore companies (August Media, Bang Productions, Infinite Frameworks, MediaCorp, Ochre Pictures, Scrawl Studios, ScreenBox, Sitting In Pictures and Sparky Entertainment), will be offering a catalogue of award winning animation series, hard hitting factual documentaries and web-enabled interactive lifestyle programmes. Some of the highlights include: Animation Content The premier animation titles being showcased illustrate the high quality of work done by Singapore companies with their international partners. These include the popular pre-school animated series Dinosaur Train (Season 2) co-produced by Sparky Page 1 of 13 Animation and The Jim Henson Company. The series was among the top five programmes for children aged two to five on United States’ PBS Kids channel in 2010. PBS Kids is a Public Broadcasting Service in the United States for kids aged 8 and under. Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of the Little Nutbrown Hare developed by Scrawl Studios and Australia’s SLR Productions, is the first official TV co-production resulting from the Australia-Singapore co-production agreement. August Media’s Ask Lara is an animated sitcom that follows the lives of Lara and her friends as they muddle through their prepubescent years. The series created by animation expert and visual developer Mercedes Marro, Director of Tomavistas, has been commissioned by Televisio de Catalunya, BBC Learning and Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. Factual Content MediaCorp will be showcasing seven titles with a strong Asian focus on the trials and tribulations of life. Six of these, Crimson, Almost Famous, Living for the Dead, Rest of My Life for Sale, Street Teachers and Angels of Troubled Paradise will be making their debut on the international stage. Food takes centrestage for two shows, Kungfu Kitchen and The Maverick Chef by Sitting In Pictures and Ochre Pictures respectively. Screenbox’s second season of FUSEAN sees 10 youths discovering more about ASEAN through the performing arts. Technology solutions SyQic and Aleph Labs will be at MIPTV to display innovative TV technologies. Singapore-based broadcast technology solution provider SyQic will be marketing its internet protocol TV platform YOONIC™. The platform has been deployed to Hypp.TV’s broadband TV service in Malaysia, supporting over 30 live and video-on- demand channels. SyQic is looking to promote the YOONIC™ platform to content owners and distributors around the world as it seeks new partners for its next phase of expansion. Page 2 of 13 Aleph Labs will be pitching BeyondTV, an application that enhances viewers’ experience by combining conventional TV-watching with real-time interactive content such as Facebook and Twitter through a “second screen”, typically a tablet device or smart phone. BeyondTV is among 18 finalists (out of 157 entries from 29 countries) competing at the sixth edition of Content 360, the digital creativity festival held in conjunction with MIPTV to showcase the latest ideas in audience engagement. The company has been nominated under the “Rich Media Tablet and Social TV Apps” category. One of the most established competitions of its kind, the judging panel comprises senior executives from leading international companies such as MTV, Nokia and Samsung. Each winner in the four categories will receive project development funding. Aleph Labs now seeks partnership with broadcasters and advertisers in its next phase of developing BeyondTV. Interactive TV Content Singapore will also be showcasing interactive content at MIPTV. Hidden Cities is an off the beaten track travelogue series supplemented by a blog, Facebook page and micro site that is produced by Singapore’s Beach House Pictures. Partners in Crime , produced by Singapore’s Very! Productions, is a 6 x 30 minute series focusing on forensic criminal investigations that is complemented with web- exclusive video vignettes. These two titles are also making their debut at Cannes and are also the first two titles to emerge from MDA’s partnership with AETN All Asia Networks to develop TV series which harness the interactive and versatile capabilities of new media platforms for a 360-degree viewing experience. MIPTV 2011 takes place from 4 – 7 April 2011. The Singapore Pavilion at MIPTV is located at 05.20 - 07.19. Please refer to Annex A for the full list of programmes that will be marketed at the Pavilion. - End - Page 3 of 13 For media queries and high-resolution screenshots of the programmes in Annex A, please contact: Mustaffa Bin Ehsan Sa’aid (Mr) Chia Pei Siang (Ms) Assistant Manager, Communications Head, Communications Media Development Authority Media Development Authority Tel: +65 9726 3021 Tel: +65 9726 3151 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] About Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the development of vibrant and competitive film, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation and interactive digital media industries in Singapore. It has developed an industry masterplan, Singapore Media Fusion 2015 (www.smf.sg) to advance this goal. MDA also promotes a connected society, consumer choice and a pro-business environment. Page 4 of 13 Annex A: List of Programmes at the Singapore Pavilion MIPTV 2011 Title Producers Genre Synopsis Format Animation Ask Lara is about growing up and learning how to deal with puberty, friendships and relationships. August Media Holdings Together Lara and her two best friends, Monica and Akira, along with their / Red Kite Animations, 'Tween' friends Tony, Deon and Gabriel, explore the issues of puberty with all the 26 episodes x 11 Ask Lara Tomavistas, Drama drama and humour of everyday ‘tween’ life, and reflect how each character minutes (HD) Submarine & 2D Animation copes differently with this new phase in their lives. Televisio de Catalunya As well as being great fun, Ask Lara is an informative show for teens and parents alike, encouraging kids to talk about these issues openly and honestly. The Adventures of CG Animated Meet Bradley - a plucky 6 year old boy with a head crammed full of ideas. August Media, Red 52 episodes x 11 Bradley and Pre-School Join Bradley and his pals on their adventures around the world as they Kite Animations minutes (HD) Friends Series discover new and exotic places. For the millions of girls around the world who love horses… here comes WENDY! This new animated TV series is full of drama, horse & rider August Media, Red CG Animated 26 episodes x 24 Wendy adventures, romance and a big helping of comedy. Follow our teenage Kite Animations Series minutes (HD) heroine, Wendy Thorburn, as she navigates the stormy waters of her teenage years against this exciting background of an equestrian-centred world. You know Mr Moon. We all do. Just look out your window at night - there he is! Climbing up his ladder and taking his place in the star-studded, indigo sky. Sparky Animation Pte But have you ever wondered what Mr Moon does when he's not shining down Ltd., Gallileo Ltd.and Animated TV on us? Well, that, my friends, is where our story begins. Mr Moon is an 26 episodes x 22 Mr Moon Title Entertainment (Mr Series adventurer - and who wouldn't be, with the whole Universe for a playground? minutes (HD) Moon) Inc. With his Supafast Moon Rocket and his best friends Silva and Gold Star, Mr Moon zips around exploring planets, stars, constellations, black holds nebulae and galaxies. Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural The Jim Henson Animated TV history and paleontology. Each episode features Buddy, an adorable 80 episodes x 15 Dinosaur Train Company and Sparky Series preschool-age Tyrannosaurus Rex who, along with his adoptive Pteranodon minutes (HD) Animation family, ride the Dinosaur Train on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans to have adventures with all kinds of dinosaurs and creatures. Page 5 of 13 Annex A: List of Programmes at the Singapore Pavilion MIPTV 2011 Title Producers Genre Synopsis Format Young viewers join Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps volcanoes and 26 CG-animated, The Jim Henson paleontology. The Dinosaur Train is a colourful locomotive, customized to Dinosaur Train Animated TV half-hour episodes Company and Sparky accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs. The Dinosaur Train has the ability to Season 2 Series (or 52 x 11 minute Animation Pte Ltd visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train's episodes) (HD) Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts