Wildlife-film.com
Newsletter 1
July
1999
Welcome to the first wildlife-film.com newsletter!
First of all we would like to say a big thank you to all who have supported the site so far, and for all the encouraging comments. It's been a great start – on the first day the site had 200 visits from 30 different countries. The response from the industry has been very positive with many wildlife film-makers telling us that a site like this was much needed, and a great way of keeping people in the industry together – especially as they are scattered all over the world. The number of people subscribing to this newsletter grows daily!
Remember to look at the site regularly - www.wildlife-film.com - every week there are new news items and new members joining!
Membership Changes - two important changes:
1. The first month of your
entry is free from whenever you join (not just the first live
month of the site), as before there is no obligation to continue beyond your
free month.
2. We have decided to waive the £50 set-up fee for full
membership, so the cost after your first free month is just £99 per
year.
Now onto the Wildlife Film News. Most of the news articles will also have appeared on the website news page but in a shortened form - so now you can read the more detailed articles. You may wish to print out this email to read at your leisure and pass on to other colleagues. Don't forget to keep me posted on any news you would like us to pass on to the rest of the wildlife film-making community and any events for the calendar.
Piers
Warren
Producer
wildlife-film.com
News Contents:
1. Al Giddings to Sell Stock Footage
Library
2. Alexandria Productions in Development on Large-Format
Shipwreck
3. International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula Montana hosts a
five day kids video making course
4. Wildscreen Festival
Creates Over £400,000 trade for Bristol
5. Wolf's World is Shifting into High
Gear
6. Visitors to
wildlife-film.com
1. Al Giddings to Sell Stock Footage Library
4. WILDSCREEN FESTIVAL CREATES OVER £400,000 TRADE FOR BRISTOL
More than £400,000 was pumped into Bristol’s hotels, restaurants, shops, attractions and taxi firms by the visitors from 46 countries who were drawn to the city at the end of last year for the week-long Wildscreen festival of moving images from the natural world.
The spending figure emerged from the first economic impact survey to be carried out by the Bristol-based organisers of Wildscreen - the world’s biggest celebration of wildlife and environment film and television.
The survey involved questioning 870 delegates at WILDSCREEN 98 in October about their local spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment and souvenirs. Their answers showed attenders spent an average £515 a head, giving a total for the week of over £450,000.
Spokeswoman, Pam Beddard said: ‘It’s an impressive amount, especially as it represents only half the picture. The festival itself has a ‘buy local’ policy which means we also spend large sums locally - on hiring venues, leasing equipment, arranging catering, producing publicity materials and so on.
The result has been welcomed by Andrew Kelly, the head of Bristol’s Cultural Development Partnership. He said: "We always knew that WILDSCREEN contributed considerable sums of money to the Bristol economy. These figures, based on detailed research, show not just the extent of that contribution but also the value of festivals and the arts generally."
WILDSCREEN takes place in Bristol every two years and is now internationally recognised as the leading festival of its type in the world.
Wildlife film and television professionals travel from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Americas to take part in a week-long programme of screenings, seminars, workshops and exhibitions and to hear the winners of the prestigious Panda Awards. There is also an extensive programme of free public screenings.
Festival events take place at a number of city centre venues. WILDSCREEN 98 used more than a dozen locations including Watershed Media Centre, Arnolfini, Bristol Old Vic, Ashton Court Mansion, Colston Hall and the Council House. Additionally, many companies attending the Festival hired local restaurants for delegate entertaining.
Pam Beddard said: "Bristol has always worked hard to make our delegates feel welcome. Hopefully, the economic impact figure will demonstrate that the effort brings direct and indirect benefits to many people in the city, and that international festivals like WILDSCREEN are well worth encouraging."
Plans are now being made for the city to host WILDSCREEN 2000 - the first to be headquartered at the new Wildscreen at-Bristol visitor attraction being built at Harbourside. It will be the 10th festival in a series begun in 1982 and is expected to attract even more attenders than in 1998.
FURTHER INFO:Pam Beddard, Tel: 0117 987 0442 Mobile: 0476 621207, e-mail: pam@beddardcoll.freeserve.co.uk
5. Wolf's World
is Shifting into High Gear
Jackson Hole, WY - The next
phase of production is getting underway for Wolfgang Bayer's $2.7 million
high-definition extravaganza, Wolf's World.
"This is by far the
most ambitious project I've ever taken on," said Bayer, one of the world's
premiere wildlife filmmakers. "For the past two years we've been
traveling around the world shooting our wildlife sequences. Now
we are
returning to many of those locations with a nine-person crew in order to
complete the behind-the-scenes elements."
The 90-minute production,
which is originating in Super-35mm and already has 200,000 feet of film in the
can, chronicles the behind-the-scenes adventures of a filmmaker and his family
as they travel the planet documenting the wonders of nature.
"Wolf's World is really a love story," added Bayer.
"It's a story about the love I have for my family and the love I have for
the natural world. For 30 years I've had a career that has allowed me to pursue
my passion. I now feel compelled to share with my family the extraordinary
places and animals that have been such a major part of my
life."
Traveling with Bayer on this project and working as part of
the nine-person crew are his wife, Candy; their 22 year old son, Tristan (an
aspiring filmmaker); and their 20 year old daughter, Malaika who has taken time
off from college to join her family in the field.
Locations and
subject matter for Wolf's World include orangutans in Borneo; flamingoes in
Kenya; army ants in Panama; polar bears in the Arctic; icebergs, glaciers, and
the midnight sun in Greenland; jellyfish in Palau; manta rays in Yap; sperm
whales in the Azores; and monarch butterflies in Mexico.
"This is such an amazing project," said Kent Noble of Safari
Network, the agency representing Wolfgang Bayer and his film.
"Throughout his career, Wolf has been obsessed with capturing breathtaking
images and delivering them to a global audience. Now, as a filmmaker at
the pinnacle of his career, I really feel that this will be his most spectacular
effort. In a sense, it's his gift to himself, his family, and the
world."
The project, which is entering its third year of production,
is being produced with widescreen and high-definition television in mind, but
will also be available in standard NTSC and PAL formats for more traditional
television transmissions. A theatrical release in Cinemascope is also
being considered.
"At this point we have made no commitments,"
said Noble when asked about financial partners. "Within the next few
months we'll produce a demo so that we can introduce Wolf's World at this
September's Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival."
For more
information regarding Wolf's World please contact Kent Noble at 307-733-8423,
fax 307-733-1422, or by e-mail at knoble@wyomng.com.
6. Visitors to wildlife-film.com
In the first week wildlife-film.com was visited by people from the following countries (in order of the most visits):
UNITED
KINGDOM |
SINGAPORE DENMARK MALAYSIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FINLAND ISRAEL INDIA ITALY FAROE ISLANDS SOUTH AFRICA KENYA BELGIUM SWITZERLAND COLOMBIA BRAZIL |
The most popular browsers used by visitors are as follows:
Internet Explorer 4.x
(38%)
Netscape 4.x (25%)
Internet Explorer 3.x
(15%)
Internet Explorer 5.x (11%)
Netscape 3.x
(6%)
Unknown Netscape compatible (1%)
Unknown
(0%)
Internet Explorer 2.x (0%)
Opera x.x (0%)
Netscape 2.x (0%)