In today’s Daily Bite, BAFTA honours 100-year-old cinematographer and Nielsen overhauls TV ratings system.
British Film Commission hires new US production executive… Kattie Kotok has been hired by the British Film Commission as their executive vice president of US production. Kotok will be based in LA and joins the BFC from National Geographic Films where she was vice president of acquisitions and production. The BFC is Britain’s national body in charge of encouraging and supporting international feature film production to the UK. Kotok fills the role previously held by Andy Weltman who now heads up Pinewood’s LA office.
BAFTA honour cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky…The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) last night honoured Austrian-born cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky with a special BAFTA for creative contribution to British cinema, reports Variety. The evening featured tributes to Suschitzky – who turns 100 next month - from colleagues including actress Virginia McKenna and directors Hugh Hudson and Peter Pickering, as well as from his son Peter Suschitzky, David Cronenberg’s regular cinematographer. Suschitzky started his career in the 1930s and is best known for his work on Mike Hodges' ‘Get Carter’ and cult British children's TV series ‘Worzel Gummidge,’ which ran for four seasons in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Nielsen upgrades its ratings system… Nielsen has unveiled an overhaul of its television ratings measurement system with a view to fighting back at criticism over its methods, reports Variety. The data company will begin supplementing homes that use either paper diaries or set-top metres with a technology dubbed "code readers" in 20 markets beginning later this year. The code readers are VHS cassette-sized boxes that listen for audio watermarks embedded in TV programming. It will also extend its sample size.
If you watch one trailer today… Directed by Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme (The Silence of The Lambs), here is the trailer for the Neil Young live documentary ‘Journeys’.
