How to Win a Commission for a Short Documentary on All 4

All 4 is the new umbrella name for all Channel 4’s platforms, including online, which is the home to the Channel 4 Shorts strand.

At a recent Sheffield Doc/Fest panel, the Head of All 4 and Digital Content, Richard Davidson-Houston, and Shorts Commissioning Editors Jody Smith and Issac Densu explained their remit to commission original digital content and how their audience differs from a mainstream terrestrial audience.

Ovation Digital Arts Launched

Ovation TV, has launched a unique multi-platform artist community that combines talented YouTube creators and the only television network in America dedicated to the arts. Ovation Digital Arts sets itself apart by carefully curating exceptional artists and helping them grow their brands and businesses through exposure on Ovation TV and highly personalized audience development support. […]

Three Ways to Develop Programme Ideas Using Twitter

When labouring at the coalface of a development slate, you need as many tools as you can get your hands on to excavate those elusive gems that are eye-catching enough to catch the eye of a commissioning editor. During a Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 session Dan Biddle (@DanBiddle), Twitter UK’s Head of Broadcast Partnerships, explained how producers can mine Twitter for breaking news stories, research, audience collaboration and marketing.

As you might expect of a digital platform, Twitter is all about the metrics, and has a host of audience user data that reveals information about Twitter users’ lives. For example, mentions of shopping indicate that Sunday is the biggest day for heading to the shops in the UK and more people go for (or talk about going for) a run on a Monday and Tuesday than they do at the end of the week, when the pub beckons.

But how does this help us in development? (Photo (C) TVMole)

Greenlit: Man vs Fly, The Sun Online

Man vs Fly (15 x 3′) – Celebrity fly-swatting competition. Channel: The Sun Online Producer: Gogglebox Entertainment TX: October 2014 Source: Broadcast

Opportunities for Filmmakers on Alternative/Challenger Platforms

It’s hard to get an idea commissioned as a large indie; it’s even harder if you are working solo. However, the changing media landscape means that there are an ever increasing range of outlets and platforms in need of content. At Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 a panel of commissioners from emerging/alternative platforms outlined opportunities for more independently-minded filmmakers.

For anyone frustrated by the glacial decision-making and risk averseness of traditional broadcasters (and indies), new digital platforms offer filmmakers an number of advantages.

Greenlit: 13 Days of Blood, Xbox

13 Days of Blood (6 x ) – Interactive docudrama that tells the story of Roman emperor Commodus and a gladiatorial event that saw 13 days of fighting at the Coliseum in Rome that interweaves interviews, dramatic sequences and play-along fight segments. Channel: Xbox Producer: Stephen David Entertainment / Xbox Entertainment Studios TX: 2015 Source: […]

Greenlit: HGTV Handmade, YouTube

HGTV Handmade – A new collaborative crafting channel that features some of YouTube’s top tastemakers. HGTV.com’s Marianne Canada (WeekdayCrafternoon), Meg Allan Cole (MeganAllanColeCrafts), Karen Kavett (xperpetualmotion), Ann Le (Anneorshine) and Julia Wycliff (SimpleDIYs) each host a weekly how-to vlog that features fun DIY projects such as how to create fashion accessories, handmade jewelry and home […]

Greenlit: Dumping the Alien, Xbox

Dumping the Alien (1 x ) – Documentary that unearths story of a mass burial of ET the Video Game in a grave in New Mexico in 1983. Channel: Xbox Producer: Lightbox TX: 2014 Source: Broadcast

Twitter: Why Should Filmmakers Bother?

The world seems to be split into two: Twitter Evangelists and Twitter Rejecters.  Although I think it might be fairer to say that the world isn’t so much divided, as at the two ends of a continuum.  Most people start as a Rejecter, but given the time and opportunity, will become an Evangelist and will […]

Greenlit: How Money Works, Yahoo!

How Money Works (20 x ) – Animated original web series that looks at the world of finance, both personal and global. Channel: Yahoo! Producer: 360 Productions / Group M Entertainment TX: TBC Source: Broadcast

Greenlit: Yes You Can With Chaban, NuevOn

Yes You Can With Chaban – Actor, motivator, author, primetime soap star, and formerly overweight heartthrob Alejandro Chaban proves that losing weight and getting in shape can be fun and change your life. In this new inspirational series, Chaban helps overweight fans trim up and get much-needed self-worth. Through fun experiments with food, trivia, nutrition […]

Greenlit: Turn It On, NuevOn

Turn It On – Host Alexandra Pomales talks to NuevOn fans from the NuevOn studio in Miami, Florida where she wraps up the highlights of what happens each week on NuevOn and around the web. The show will include behind-the-scenes footage and will address specific comments and questions from the NuevOn audience submitted via YouTube, […]

Greenlit: Mi Vida Con Toty, NuevOn

Ma Vida Con Toty – Manolo Gonzalez Vergara is a 20 year old film and acting student, who happens to be the son of Emmy and Golden Globe award-nominated actress Sofia Vergara. In this new, loud, in-your-face reality series, Manolo documents his mother’s colorful Hollywood Latino life. The voyeuristic, funny mockumentary is a unique opportunity […]

Greenlit: La Gran Royal, NuevOn

La Gran Royal – Mexico’s leading comedy troupe, brings a weekly sketch series that includes musical video parodies, irreverent situations, impersonations and ridiculous comedic situations targeted to young Latino audiences. La Gran Royal was co-founded in 2008 by Marcos Bucay and Moises Aisemberg, a pair of screenwriters, directors and friends who had the ambitious goal […]

Greenlit: King of the Floor, NuevOn

King of the Dance Floor  – A new reality competition series that allows audiences a rarely seen glimpse into the elusive world of underground break dancing where one-on-one dance battles are known for being a way of life and a fulfilling form of expression for an uprising young generation. King of the Floor follows the […]

Greenlit: Feim Fix, NeuvOn

Feim Fix  – A new online Hispanic entertainment news, gossip, fashion, and humor series hosted by beloved host Felipe Viel and his alter egos, the greater-than-life Franchis Mozzo and crass Armando Bronca. Known as one of the most charismatic and recognized Hispanic TV personalities in the world, Viel’s spontaneous style, sense of humor and versatility […]

New Channel: NuevOn (YouTube)

Ben Silverman’s multimedia studio Electus have announced the initial programming and talent line-up for its new Hispanic celebrity-oriented, pop culture channel, NuevOn (Spanish for ‘New On’), which launched on April 16th on YouTube™.NuevOn, which will feature high-impact, buzz-worthy programming almost entirely in Spanish, with a variety of entertaining reality, drama and comedy formats that are […]

Greenlit: The Sprial, Arte, SVT, NRK, YLE, TV3, VRT, VARA

The Spiral (5 x 60′) –  Ambitious cross-territory, multiplatform crime-mystery programme that that sees thieves planning to steal valuable paintings, those paintings vanishing from actual art collections and the viewing public drafted in to help solve the crimes and find the paintings. Channel: Simultaneous broadcast by Arte (France/Germany) / SVT (Sweden) / NRK (Norway) / […]

Greenlit: Hippo: Wild Feast Live, Channel 4

Hippo: Wild Feast Live (1 x 90′ + live streaming online) – A multiplatform event that reveals what happens to a hippo after death. The hippo carcass in question is located in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley by a section of the Luangwa river frequented by a range of predators and scavengers including leopards, lions, Nile crocodiles, […]

Historical Facebook

Ever wonder what the world would have been like if Facebook had been around hundreds of years ago? Me neither. But someone obviously has. Check out updates from God, Abraham Lincoln and the Titanic here.

Open Stories – iReporters

CNN has launched an online new reporting platform, Open Stories that crowdsources reporting from both professional and citizen reporters. The project aims to tell important stories from a range of viewpoints, using video, photos and comments. Public contributions are vetted and displayed on a timeline alongside reports from professional journalists. Read more on Springwise.

Shopping for Men

French dating site DealduJour puts a new twist on online shopping – you can bid for men. For one day only a man will appear in a video and interested women are given a limited amount of time to express their interest. Read more on PSFK

Hackney Hear

Hackney Hear is a GPS-enabled app for the iPhone an Android that will allow visitors to the 2012 London Olympics explore the boroughs around the stadium. As you walk, your location will trigger interviews with famous people from the area, such as Lord Alan Sugar or writer Iain Sinclair. The app will be free and […]

Digital Map of Manchester

The tourist honchos in Manchester have put together a map of online activity in the city,  including blogs and websites for tourist attractions, local interest groups and businesses. Explore digital Manchester here.  

Tweeting Animals You Should Follow

Are you on Twitter? Obviously you should be following @tvmole on there but there are a number of (funnier, if less useful in an industry intelligence context) other animals you should also be following for those moments when you need a little light relief. Top tweeters include (feel free to add your own suggestions below): […]

Putting Social Media to Work

Fresh Networks has put together a series of ways that people have used social media to find themselves a job, including this interactive video CV by Graeme Anthony. Applying for a job just got scarier.

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle

In 1911, 146 mostly young Jewish and Italian women were killed in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in NYC, in what was then the worst workplace disaster in the history of America. Most of the victims were trapped behind a locked exit, in what was supposed to be a modern fireproof building, but […]

Time Magazine’s Twitter feeds to watch

TIME Magazine has chose its top 140 Top Twitter feeds as rated by their readers. Top of the list: Comedian Andy Borowitz TV sitcom writer Kelly Oxford Satirist White Girl Problems Nabraska-based ad man Tim Siedell Satirical newspaper The Onion Read the full list on Time

Civil War iPad App

History channel has launched an app to accompany its Civil War programming, which is rolling out over the next 4 years. Users can get daily real time “updates”, mirroring the actual events 150 years ago, plus read contemporary accounts in newspapers, diary excerpts, photos, maps, casualty counts and send twitter ‘telegrams’ in morse code. Find […]

Redneck Bank

There’s a new internet banking concept in town that claims to be “funner” than the rest: the Redneck Bank, which is based in Oklahoma. It has a Mr Ed. style laughing horse as its mascot offers a choice of pictures on its debit cards for you to choose from.

How to Make a Viral Pop Video

British band Hadouken decided that rather than shoot a video to promote their new song Mecha Love they would edit together clips of 50 of the biggest viral, mostly sports-releated  YouTube videos. Watch it here (along with other 22.5 million views): Hat tip: three billion

Just Buy This One

Need a new TV or camera? Check the reviews on Amazon, pore over Which? reports, ask friends for recommendations, traipse around the shops on Saturday afternoon comparing prices… Exhausting. Justbuythisone.com takes the legwork, and guesswork, out of buying new gadgets by aggregating 1.3 million customer reviews from across the web and suggesting just one camera, […]

Twitter Yourself a Private Flight

When a group of Dutch party promoters and DJs wanted to get to the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on 21st March, 2011 they realized there was no direct flight. So DJ Sied van Rieland and filmaker Wilco Jung used Twitter to ask KLM why not. Instead of being fobbed of or treated to a […]

Multicultural Twitter

According to Iconoculture, African Americans represent 25% of Twitter users, and their conversations can often dominate the trending topics. And they get heard – when CW cancelled the popular drama The Game, BET noticed all the complaints on Twitter and picked it up (along with all the loyal viewers).

Fantastic Factology for the London 2012 Olympics

Fantastic Factology has been gathering facts from the public about “surprising things in life” – the best will be engraved onto plaques sited on benches around the 2012 London Olympic site, which will (hopefully) be visited by “generations of future visitors”.  You can see some of the facts on the Fantastic Factology website. It seems […]

Has Your Facebook Profile Been Hacked?

In the Face to Facebook project 1 million Facebook profile photos were stolen and sorted by their facial expressions – smug or mild, for example. 981 British women are deemed to have ‘sly’ expressions. The profiles were then uploaded on a specially built dating website, sorted by their expressions. It’s not identity theft, say the […]

Google Body

Move over Grey’s Anatomy – Google Body has arrived. Those clever Google people have created an online anatomical model (cleverly only available in certain browsers, including surprise, surprise, Google Chrome) that you can interact with to peel back the layers of skin and flesh to reveal and explore bones, muscles and nerves. Try it here. […]

The Streets: Computers and Blues Interactive Video

Mike Skinner of The Streets has released an interactive video – in which you choose what the protagonist does at certain junctures – to promote his latest album Computers and Blues. See it here.

Speed…Kills: A Town With a New Name

A town of just 45 people called Speed in Australia pledged to change their name if more than 10,000 people ‘liked’ their Facebook page. They reached that target on the day of launch, so local farmer Phil Down said he would change his name to Phil Slow Down if the ‘likes’ reached 20,000. At the […]

See Where Everything’s From

Sourcemap allows consumers to map the supply chain of goods and see exactly where component parts originated and how far they travelled to the end point. The map is crowd-sourced so anyone can update the maps, adding extra information. So for example, it’s possible to see that a bag made in China using Chinese cotton […]

Manchester – The New Cool Creative Playground?

The Cool Commentator has put together a map of all the digital and advertising agencies in Manchester, England, and contends that the rainy capital of the northwest is creeping up on London – and NYC- as the digital playground to be. As a one time resident of all three cities, I bet that Manchester is […]

A Short History of Wikipedia

2011 is the 10th birthday of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that is edited by an army of volunteers around the world and whose words often find their way, unedited,  into TV proposals (tsk tsk). Here’s a short history of a global phenomenon you can’t imagine life without:

TED Books

Are you a fan of TED Talks (and if not why not?). Now you can read about an interesting idea in depth and in a short book form – designed to be intellectually digested in about one hour. Unfortunately if you don’t own a Kindle you are out of luck as that’s the only platform […]

Be My Interviewer

Looking for a new job but a bit rusty at the old interview techniques? Or moving to a different field and not sure what’s expected. Be My Interviewer has gathered together some experienced (and formidable) interviewers who will throw some questions at you to answer so you can practice before the big day. You can […]

The Creation Project

Sim City creator Will Wright is working with Albie Hecht, ex-head of Spike and Nickelodeon to create a crowd sourced TV series called The Creation Project. The idea is that the public will submit storyline ideas via the “StoryMaker Engine”, which allows people to create storyboards. The best ideas will then be put to the […]

Movie Books – New Opportunities for Filmmakers?

Soomo Publishing aims to use multimedia to breathe life into learning. In this video they blend historical reconstruction in a pop video format (with lyrics from the hit Too Late to Apologize by One Republic) to engage students in the history of the American Declaration of Independence. It worked: to date the video has had […]

The Daily Grommet – Crowd Sourced Product Recommendations

Daily Grommet tells stories about innovative products or services that help shoppers find things that have a backstory that aligns with their personal values. Everyday a new story – submitted by people from around the world and consisting of a video review and text – is broadcast on the web to encourage word-of-mouth recommendation for […]

Create Stories From Social Media

Storify is a new to assemble social media to tell stories. It allows you to search a subject on various social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr and drag and drop various text, photos and videos into Storify that you can then assemble into a media-rich story by adding your own text. All sources keep […]

Online Social Matchmaking

Wings is a new dating website that aims to match potential lovers by trawling the internet to piece together their personality profiles by tracing the footprints they’ve left on social networking sites. The site’s creator claims that people with a small, tight social group on Facebook is likely to be best matched with someone with […]

How Big is It Really?

How Big Really offers useful visualizations of places, events and other important things, based on a map of your current location. For example, you can see how far the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch would stretch if centered on your neighbourhood (far) or the area covered by Chernobyl radiation (farther). Try it for yourself here.