Kids and producers meet

LONDON: On October 24, Children on Screen, a one-day conference organized by Channel 4 and the British Film Institute, brought children and the makers of kids television series and feature films face-to-face to discuss the industries. The day kicked off with ‘What Do Children Think of Television?’ featuring a children’s council of 15 children from the U.K. aged 10 to 15. Channel 4 and BFI then revealed the results of research on the representation of children on TV and in films in ‘How Do Children See Themselves on Television?’ Six primary-school children forming the children’s jury discussed their likes and dislikes about kids films in ‘Children and the Big Screen.’ Finally, the debates closed with a panel of senior broadcasting executives discussing the International Charter of Children and Television in ‘The Children’s Charter and Beyond.’

Group of four co-produces Blake & Mortimer

PARIS: French channels France 3, M6 and Canal+ in association with Canada’s Coscient have joined forces in what is predicted to be a phenomenon for European co-productions. The four have joined to produce Blake & Mortimer, a 26 x 26-minute program. The series, budgeted at FF56 million (US$10.7 million) will premiere next fall on Canal+ and a year later on France 3. Ellipse Licence is handling the licensing campaign and forecasts FF17.6 million (US$3.4 million) in sales in the first year, FF60 million (US$11.5 million) in 1998 and FF80 million (US$15 million) in 1999.