While ABC has taken Apple’s “Think Different” tagline to heart in terms of distributing select shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and Disney’s That’s So Raven on iPods, new thinking has to emerge in terms of the migration of commercials to this and other nontraditional platforms. That was the word from Albert Cheng, executive VP of digital media for the ABC Television Group.
Cheng observed that current labor and rights agreements can often preclude TV spots from being shown in other mediums and that ad agencies should be more aggressive in securing these rights to capitalize on certain sponsorship opportunities. Cheng’s remarks came during last month’s Online Media, Marketing & Advertising Conference & Expo in Universal City.
A first step may have been taken last Saturday (4/8) to address this as members of the advertising industry’s Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations (JPC), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) met to consider commissioning a joint study of alternate methods to compensate performers for their participation in commercials that appear on television and radio as well as in the growing assortment of new media. Should the JPC, SAG and AFTRA agree, the study will be conducted by an independent consultant with experience in TV, radio and labor relations, with the resulting approaches to be considered in the bargaining process between the ad industry and the unions on the new commercials contract.
The current contract is scheduled to expire on Oct. 29. However, the parties have also agreed to consider an extension of the contract to enable completion and review of such a comprehensive study, should additional time be needed.
The payments structures in the current collective bargaining agreement has been developed over and dates back to the last 60 years. But with the opportunities presented by digital technology to reach consumers in new ways, the JPC–which represents the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)–and the actors’ unions have recognized that a study analyzing adaptability of this technology to those structures could prove valuable.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More