CINE Newsletter, February 2009
A Letter from CINE President Donald Thoms
Hello everyone! We are in tumultuous times, and I hope that you are all surviving as well as you can. We have some amazing announcements to make, and I’m going to get right to them.
We have three new board members to help us craft the future of CINE. Wendy Douglas, Executive Producer, and Rita Mullin, Vice President of Development, both come to us from Discovery Communications. They both bring a wealth of experience and savvy to us. Mark Finkelpearl of Beyond International is a seasoned executive from the world of broadcastin I’m thrilled to be working with them.
A special thanks to Rob Henninger for the magnificent "Finishing in High Def" workshops. They were very informative and extremely well received. Our thanks to Rob and all of the folks at Henninger Media Services!
Another of our generous sponsors, the Chubb Group of Insurers, has given us another enlightening article for our newsletter. This article features information on how to safeguard production equipment. I’m sure you will find it useful!
And, our annual Awards Gala will be held on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009. It will be held at the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. We are honoring three of the industry’s top leaders this year.
Judy Woodruff will be honored with our Lifetime Achievement Award. Judy’s remarkable career in journalism has spanned nearly forty years, and we are extremely proud to honor her accomplishments.
The CINE Trailblazer Award will be presented to Ted Leonsis. The founder of SnagFilms, the online documentary distribution channel, Ted has long been a visionary in the fields of business and media. We are grateful for his contribution to the world of documentary filmmaking.
Clark Bunting, the President of Emerging Networks at Discovery Communications, will receive the CINE Leadership Award. Clark has had a tremendous impact on the success of Discovery, and we look forward to recognizing him.
I am so excited about this event! So please join CINE, our honorees, and their friends and colleagues for this very special evening.
Have a great summer!
Donald Thoms
The 2009 CINE Awards Gala
Spring is just around the corner, and so is CINE’s Annual Awards Gala!
Plan to join us for this very special evening on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at the Embassy of France, overlooking beautiful Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. The Awards Ceremony, following an elegant reception, will recognize the winners of our CINE Masters Series Awards and CINE Award of Excellence, presented to the top films in each of CINE’s divisions.
Also this year, we’re thrilled to honor three people whose contributions to the film, television and new media industry set them apart.
We are pleased and proud to announce that CINE’s Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Judy Woodruff, veteran newscaster, former White House correspondent for NBC News, former host of CNN’s acclaimed show Inside Politics and currently Senior Correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. Judy has been the recipient of nine CINE Golden Eagle Awards over the years, and we are delighted to honor her with our LIfetime Achievement Award this Spring.
Ted Leonsis, the well-known Washington, DC-based businessman and technology innovator — and founder of SnagFilms, the groundbreaking online distribution system for documentary films — will receive CINE’s Trailblazer Award. A former executive with America OnLine, Ted is also the owner of the Washington Capitals and Chairman of Revolution Money, among other ventures, as well as a dedicated supporter of the arts in general and documentary films in particular. In addition to founding SnagFilms, Ted produced the films Nankingand Kicking It. Ted is a trailblazer in every sense of the word, and we’re thrilled that he’ll be CINE’s Trailblazer this year.
The recipient of CINE’s Leadership Award will be Clark Bunting, the President and General Manager of Discovery Studios’ Emerging Networks. Prior to that, Clark was Executive Vice President of Discovery U.S. Networks Group, which is responsible for the Travel Channel, Discovery Health, Discovery Kids, Discovery Home, The Military Channel, The Science Channel and FitTV. As Executive Vice President and General Manager for Discovery Channel, Clark was at the helm when the successful series Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters and American Chopper were developed. Clark’s previous tenure at Animal Planet began with its launch in 1996 and brought "Shark Week" into being. Clark’s leadership at Discovery has been remarkable, and we’re so pleased to recognize his contributions with our own Leadership Award.
As CINE begins its next half century, we are so grateful for the support of our sponsors, History, Discovery, Henninger Media Services, the Chubb Group of Insurers, CNN and Kodak — for helping CINE continue our mission of recognizing and rewarding excellence in filmmaking. We’re privileged to recognize the professional and student filmmakers who keep the industry vital, and to honor as well Judy Woodruff, Ted Leonsis, and Clark Bunting, all innovative contributors to our industry.
We look forward to a festive evening of entertainment, networking and, of course, excellent food. So save the date! Spring is coming soon.
Safeguarding Your Production Equipment
By Amy E. Sanz
Senior Property Claims Examiner
The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of CINE and do not constitute legal advice.
Production equipment - often small, portable and highly valuable - is especially lucrative and easy to steal. In this struggling economy, filmmakers and production houses should anticipate a rise in theft attempts, and take extra measures to protect their assets and personal worth.
Unattended Equipment
Equipment left unattended in vehicles accounts for a large portion of reported losses. Insurance companies report a high number of theft incidents in the following public areas:
- parking garages
- outdoor lots
- city streets
- residential areas (homes of production members)
As a rule of thumb, equipment should never be left in vehicles, but if this is unavoidable, follow the "3 Ps":
- Plan on using a vehicle with a security system
- Park within eyesight of the vehicle
- Pay attention - minimize the time the car is left unattended
On Set
Production locations and sets also present numerous crime risks. Dozens of freelancers and staff, as well as those who could gain unapproved set access, can easily walk away with high-definition cameras, specialized lenses and post-production hardware. Missing even a few pieces of high-end gear could quickly cost upwards of $200K and result in even costlier production delays. It is important to hire security who can manage, guard, and account for production equipment daily.
Rental Tips
Rental houses are the key providers of film production equipment. It is in the filmmaker's interest to work with an experienced rental house that knows how to protect their equipment. The equipment will be more likely to be well maintained and the likelihood of misunderstandings in the rental and return process will be reduced. Many of the top-caliber rental houses also have top-notch security methods. Expect and welcome the following safeguards when renting from these houses:
- Security cameras in all areas they conduct business
- Identity verification (driver's license, passport, etc.)
- Certificate of insurance required
- Photograph taken of renters
- Payment other than cash
When renting gear, don't assume the rental house is liable. Upon leaving a rental house's premises or signing for a shipment, equipment becomes the renter's responsibility. Take heed of your insurance and consider the following factors:
- Understand your exposures and how your insurance responds to them and helps protect your business and financial assets.
- Purchase insurance that insures equipment on a replacement cost basis so that lost gear will be replaced with the comparable equipment.
- Ensure your policies have sufficient limits relative to the monetary value of the equipment.
Filmmakers and production companies beware; your upcoming project could be somebody's next target. Take proper measures to protect your equipment, and mitigate against the significant financial exposures you face.
Finishing in High Def
Last Fall, CINE announced a series of workshops with longtime sponsor Henninger Media Services that would tackle a host of technical issues faced by producers making the transition from SD to HD.
CINE and Henninger Media Services’ "Finishing in High Def" series helped several local filmmakers gain the knowledge they need to produce in the age of high definition. The first of three workshops, "Digital Glue: Keeping it Together," was an all-day, hands-on seminar and workshop held at Henninger Media Services facility in Arlington, Virginia on February 7, 2009. Filmmaker Frank Frost said, "The CINE-Henninger seminar on HD was a great overview that filled in what I didn’t know and made better sense of what I did know. The best presentation of its kind that I’ve experienced."
On Thursday, February 12th, CINE held its second workshop at Henninger’s DC location. "Audio All Around" was presented by Robert Fritts, the Senior Audio Mixer at Henninger Media. Fritts, a multiple Golden Eagle Award-winner, talked about the various software, technical elements and devices used to produce a successful audio mix in HD.
The series concluded on Thursday, February 19th with "Picture Perfect." This seminar addressed the visual aspects of high definition, including optimization and effects in color correction, passing Quality Control standards, and understanding compression for non-broadcast distribution.
At CINE, our mission is to provide emerging and established filmmakers with the tools necessary to succeed. We were proud to partner with Henninger Media Services on this series and look forward to future collaborations that further educate and support our remarkable constituency of filmmakers.
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PAST NEWSLETTERS:
November 2008
July 2008
February 2008
November 2007
July 2007
January 2007
October 2006
May 2006
January 2006
IN THIS ISSUE:
• CINE President’s Letter
• The 2009 CINE Awards Gala
• Safeguarding Your Production Equipment
• Finishing in High Def
Competition Update:
The Spring 2009 Competition Deadline Has Been Extended
You now have until March 2, 2009 to submit your work to the Spring 2009 CINE Golden Eagle Film & Video Competition. You can enter online or download a PDF entry form and mail or fax it back to us.
The 2009 CINE Special Jury Award Recipients
The 2009 CINE Special Jury Award winners have been announced! Chosen from among all of the 2008 CINE Golden Eagle Award-winning productions, these films were selected as the best in each of their categories. This year’s group of winners includes films from Ken Burns, the Discovery Channel, UCLA, the United States Postal Service, CNN, Thirteen/WNET and many others.
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