Nickelodeon UK and Ireland Presenter Anna Williamson Announces Christmas Special Of Nickelodeon's "N View"

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland presenter and voice-over artist Anna Williamson on her official Twitter profile page (@annawilliamsTV), she recorded her voice over recording work today (Tuesday 8th November 2011) for Nickelodeon UK's version of a brand new Christmas special episode of Nickelodeon Internationals children's entertainment magazine television show "N-View":

V/o for @NickelodeonUK 's NView in the can. It's a Christmas special and a right corker if I may say so

You can also watch the very first episode of Nickelodeon Europe's children's entertainment magazine television show "N-View" (in English) and N-View's on-air design package at NickALive!'s Nickelodeon design blog Nickelodeon TV Media.

BECTU Calls On Government To Support UK Animation

From BECTU (The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union) Magazine:

BECTU calls on government to support UK animation

A new report has warned that Britain's animation industry is set for a terminal decline unless the government steps in with tax breaks.

According to research set out in Securing the Future of TV Animation in the UK, three-quarters of companies in the sector are either contemplating a move abroad, or have begun moving, to more tax-friendly countries.

Blame for the exodus, according to the report, lies with the UK's tax system, which allows rebates on animation projects for cinema, but not for the 90 per cent of animations destined for broadcast on TV.

France, Canada, and Australia have a system of tax credits, public funding, and broadcast quotas, to support their animation sectors, and even the USA offers tax breaks to some animated productions.

General cutbacks also hurting

Animation companies are also suffering from reduced commissions, partly because of general cutbacks in the TV industry, and also because tighter rules on advertising in children's programmes have reduced the volume of cartoons in the schedules.

BECTU has backed Animation UK, the trade body for the UK industry and publishers of the report, in calling for existing tax breaks for feature films to be extended to animation for TV.

There has also been a demand for better policing of European quotas for the many cartoon-led TV channels like Nickelodeon and The Cartoon channel which do not meet targets for sourcing the majority of their transmitted programmes within the EU.

BECTU general secretary Gerry Morrissey said:

"The report offers solid evidence to reinforce a feeling on the ground that this sector of the audio-visual industry is sinking fast."

In spite of the explosion in computer generated images, over half the companies in the UK's £300m a year animation business still offer traditional drawn and stop-frame techniques, provided by skilled artists among the sector's 4,700 workers. Seventy per cent of the industry is based outside London.

Animation UK and BECTU have begun working jointly to promote the report among politicians, and will be raising concerns about the impact on post-production and computer-gaming if companies continue to move workers with world-class skills out of the UK.

"Without action now", Gerry Morrissey said, "we could be witnessing the end of yet another great British industry which is capable of excelling artistically and commercially, but which needs support urgently."

Interviewed last weekend by the BBC, Mike Bullough, head of TV for Aardman, said there was a crisis in the UK's TV animation industry and he urged the government to review its policy on tax credits to support the sector. "Animation is such a labour-intensive undertaking that by retaining jobs in the UK we increase national insurance receipts, tax receipts, expenditure and VAT receipts and actually a tax credit should be profitable in the long run."

Treasury spokesman Matthew O'Toole, is quoted in the BBC's report as saying: "We recognise the importance of the animation industry and the UK's proud international reputation for excellence in this creative sector. The future support for this is being considered as part of the film policy review, which is expected to report to ministers shortly."

Nickelodeon TV Show "House of Anubis" Helps Liverpool, UK Achieve A Record Year Of Film and TV Production In 2011

From BBC News:

Liverpool film and TV production set for 'record year'

Liverpool is set for a "record breaking year" for film and TV production in the city, a report has said.

There has been a 22% increase in filming on location in Liverpool between April and September 2011.

There were 253 productions in 2010/11, generating £16m for the local economy, a report to the council's Culture and Tourism Select Committee said.

Captain America: The First Avenger and the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy were among the movies shot in the city.

'Film friendly location'

Filming of a new BBC police drama Savage, set in Liverpool, planned for late 2011, along with the children's drama Young Dracula and Nickelodeon's House of Anubis has raised production levels in the city.

The report said that "With more production planned in 2012 early indications show that 2011/12 could be a record breaking year for TV production in Liverpool."

Liverpool was also the base for the world media launch of Jaguar Land Rover's new Evoque car.

Wendy Simon, cabinet member for culture and tourism for Labour-controlled Liverpool City Council said: "Each week there is filming taking place across the city - whether it's for a children's TV programme, an advert, a documentary or a Hollywood blockbuster.

"Liverpool offers a fantastic range of locations, and the excellent reputation and can-do attitude of our Film Office attracts more and more filming requests every day.

"The city's stature within the industry goes from strength to strength, and Liverpool is undoubtedly one of the UK's most film friendly locations."

Liverpool Film Office was set up by the council in 1989 to promote the city to filmmakers and facilitate productions.

The council estimates £100m of investment has been brought in to the city over the last 10 years.

Nickelodeon UK To Show Westland Horticulture's "Peckish Complete 5 in 1" Bird Food TV Spots Throughout November 2011

From CampaignLive:

Hungry birds star in Peckish TV debut

Westland Horticulture has launched its first TV ad for Peckish Complete 5 in 1 bird food.

The £1m campaign, created by TBWA\Manchester, focuses on the food's nutrients and uses the strapline "bring more birds to your table".

Spots will air across ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Sky1 and Sky Atlantic until 27 November.

Media planning and buying was handled by MEC.

Keith Nicholson, marketing director of Westland Horticulture, said: "The advert is really striking and it will certainly capture the imagination.

"The media campaign deployed around it will definitely help Peckish to gain a great share of voice and hopefully inspire a whole new set of bird feeders in the UK."

The campaign was directed by Chris Gaffey at The Mob Film Company, and created in association with visual effects company Jellyfish.

The spot's copywriter was Lisa Nichols; editor, Rob Featherstone; art director, Gary Fawcett; producer, Mark Collins; planner, Helen Davies; media planner, Alex Heywood.

Post-production work was completed by Envy Post.

In 2004, Westland Horticulture launched its biggest ever TV and press activity as part of a three-year £17.5m campaign.

You can view an image from Westland Horticulture's new "Peckish Complete 5 in 1" bird food commercial and a streaming video of Westland Horticulture's new "Peckish Complete 5 in 1" bird food commercial here on the official CampaignLive website.