Category: Videos: Promos

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Channel 4 Videos: Promos

Digitalism with Channel Four and Max Headroom.

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Like everything Channel 4 does, they’ve managed to make their digital switchover campaign that bit more creative then the rest of the bunch. Not only have they dug up bizarre eighties television icon Max Headroom, they’ve paired him with Ewen Macintosh from The Office.

Max Headroom made his television debut in 1985, the same year I was born, so the reference is going a little over my head. The BBC however refers to Headroom as the “original digital TV star” which makes him and his claim that “the future is here” a highly original and wry choice for Channel 4’s campaign.

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Channel 4 SBS Videos: Promos

SBS and E4 show some Skins.

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I realise I’m probably giving this show a disproportionate amount of attention, especially considering I’m not even sure I like it, but its always had fairly cool promos, and really, at least it looks interesting, something thats been lacking lately on Australia’s prime time schedule… Whacked Out Sports? Really?!

Skins starts from season one tonight on SBS, and a new season starts soon on E4.

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BBC One Videos: Promos

Let the BBC entertain you this Christmas.

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This time last year I posted BBC One’s Christmas promotion for their upcoming holiday programming, went off on a little tangent about the non ratings period, and romanticised the idea of actually sitting around the television with your family. I’ll spare you from hearing about the last two again, and instead just post this years BBC One Christmas promo.

The music is ‘Let Me Entertain You’ from the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy.

UPDATE: Another BBC One Christmas promo (second video), this time featuring ‘Make Someone Happy’ by Jimmy Durante. This time predominantly featuring the upcoming comedy on BBC One over the Christmas season.

– Thanks Andy for the second video, and thanks anonymous internet for the first.

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ABC1 Videos: Promos

The curious, and potentially exciting ABC Now.

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has just flicked the switch on its new software offering ABC Now. Currently only available on PC (with Mac on the way) the desktop client is an audio/video hub for ABC content that allows you to stream and download programs and listen to live radio. And while comparisions are bound to be made to the BBC’s iPlayer this isn’t quite it, not yet at least.

The software is currently pretty basic, and doesn’t offer anything you can’t already get through the ABC’s website. What I find exciting about this is the potential it has. The fact that the ABC is building its own software is great, and its promise to be cross platform is also nice, what it needs though is much more content, much better quality streams and downloads, an integrated media player and library for your downloads, live streaming of ABC television channels, and a huge video back catalogue of every ABC production they have the rights to give away or sell to us.

And while my wish list is probably a bit of a stretch, I think this very first release is a nice start, with a lot of room to grow. Try it out for yourself here.

In related news: The ABC have announced that vodcasts are being downloaded at a rate of 327,000 per week, with over 14 million video downloads so far this year.

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Foxtel Videos: Promos

A new Showcase for alternative television.

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Australian’s welcomed a new channel onto their subscription television platforms today, that new channel is Showcase. Available to subscribers of the Foxtel, Austar and Optus networks the new channel is being described as the home of “dramatically different TV” while extolling the old chestnut that “TV is the new hollywood”. I’m a huge fan of what you might call “alternative” or “cult” television, with most of my favorite shows not even airing on Australian television, at least not with any regularity or respectable time slots, unfortunately for this post though, I haven’t watched any of the shows making their local premier on Showcase.

Series like Dexter, The Riches and The Tudors are all finding their way uncut, and uninterrupted to Showcase, however I’ll have to leave it up to you guys to let me know if they’re worth a try. Documentaries and movies will also fill some of the Showcase schedule with Little Miss Sunshine and An Inconvenient Truth some of the first to air.

Showcase, along with its sister networks Showtime and Showtime Greats are jointly owned by NBC Universal Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Liberty Global International, and although this channels free to air debut would make for much more exciting news its still nice to see television being treated with a similar respect to films, even if you’re going to have to pay for it.

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Channel 4 Videos: Promos

Summer Skins on SBS

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Skins is a British teen drama whose first series was broadcast earlier this year on Channel 4’s hip digital sibling E4 to some of the networks highest ratings. In Australia the show is set to air Mondays at 10pm on SBS over summer.

Having only watched the pilot episode when the show first launched, and breaking my own oft-proselytised rule of at least watching a second episode before giving up on a show, I don’t have much to contribute review wise about the show..

For an actual review of the show though, from someone whose watched it, and almost convinced me to give it another chance, check out Triple J’s film critic’s thoughts about it here. And I tend to agree that ABC2 needs to score some content like this to help build an identity for itself, Peep Show was a good start, but it needs more.

– Much belated thanks for the video Craig.

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Foxtel Videos: Promos

Behind the Discovery.

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Last month Motion Foundry completed this promo for the Discovery Channel. Promoting the ‘Behind the News’ series (unfortunate name for those of us with primary school memories) the promo uses no footage from the actual show and instead relies on ink drop dramatisations. (Thanks for the video Alex).

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ABC1 Videos: Promos

Summer Heights High: Enrolling this Wednesday.

UPDATE: The ABC will be offering downloads of Summer Heights High here.

UPDATE 2: The ratings are in.. Wednesday’s rock the ABC.

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In May last year Chris Lilley became the first Australian ever to win at the prestigious television awards, the Rose d’Or. He won for best male comedy performance in his show, We Can Be Heroes, which introduced us to among others, his character Ja’mie.

Ja’mie is back this week, with Summer Heights High starting Wednesday on the ABC.

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Ten Network Videos: Promos

The American Office re-relaunches in Australia.

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The American version of The Office is without a doubt, one of the best sitcoms around. It is one month from today until the fourth season starts in the US, but tonight on Ten, you can catch the beginning of season three, which may not make a lot of sense to the uninitiated since the second season ends on a cliffhanger.. but anyway.

Ten treated this show pretty horribly, pulling it from prime time when the pilot didn’t rate well, and then playing a bunch of episodes late on Sunday nights. Well now they’re giving it kind of a chance, playing it at 10:25pm tonight after Californication.

If you haven’t seen it before, the first two seasons are on DVD, and season three is all over the net, so like I said with Weeds on 9, do yourself a favour and watch it at your own leisure, because you know Ten is just going to end up pissing you off somehow.

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ABC1 Videos: Promos

The new ABC News Online.. on television.

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When you’ve got one of the best online news services around, the least you can do is promote it. So check out the video above thats been running on the ABC lately, or just start reading, listening and watching the news here.