JOHN BRAMALL Hon AMPS

Members who knew him will be saddened by the news of ‘Bram’s’ death in July. During his working life he was a well known and much respected mixer. Flowers were sent to Mrs Bramall on behalf of AMPS members and a tribute to John will be published in the Autumn Newsletter. If any members wish to add their thoughts on John, please forward them the the Editors

THE NEW FILM COUNCIL

April last saw the establishment of the Film Council - the new super-body for the film industry. The fourteen-member Council is headed by Alan Parker and John Woodward, Chief Executive. The Council’s annual budget is derived from the Treasury and the National Lottery and, depending on the number of lottery tickets sold, is likely to be in excess of £55 million. The Council will take responsibility for the British Film Commission (promoting inward investment), the Arts Council of England’s Lottery Film Department (investing in film production), British Screen Finance (a publicly-supported investment company which will become incorporated into the Film Council later this year), and the British Film institute (BFI) which is an independent body funded by the Film Council to deliver cultural and educational opportunities for the public.

There are also eleven major initiatives, which include a film training fund of £1 million a year, a film development fund with a budget of £5 million a year, a premier production fund of £10 million annually, a programme to stimulate the export of British films around the globe and expansion of the British Film Office in Los Angeles as a conduit for attracting inward investment and promoting film exports.

We at AMPS wish the Film Council every success and look forward hopefully to the plentiful supply of work that will result from their endeavours. 

Look them up on www.filmcouncil.org.uk 

BAFTAS BEFORE OSCARS 

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced that its next Awards ceremony will be on Sunday 25 February 2001, two months earlier than before and one ahead of the Hollywood Oscars. BAFTA hopes this will make their ceremony a form-predictor for the US Academy Awards, instead of its current inevitable anti-climax after the bigger Oscar-night show.

21st TONMEISTERAGUNG

INTERNATIONAL AUDIO CONVENTION

24-27 November 2000 

Hanover Congress Centre

The Tonmeisteragung is renowned for its comprehensive programme of lectures. Over 100 selected specialist presentations cover the following topics:

MUSIC ACOUSTICS + ROOM ACOUSTICS + LOUDSPEAKERS + SOUND REINFORCEMENT + PSYCHOACOUSTICS + MICROPHONES & RECORDING + MULTI CHANNEL SOUND + FILM AND TV SOUND + VIRTUAL ACOUSTICS + AUDIO QUALITY & AUDIO MEASURING TECHNIQUES + DIGITAL STUDIO AND DIGITAL RADIO + POST PRODUCTION AND MASTERING + AUDIO CODING & MEASUREMENT OF ITS QUALITY + AUDIO ON THE INTERNET, RADIO AND MULTIMEDIA + ARCHIVING AND RESTORATION 

There is also a programme of demonstrations and workshops, likely to include:

PRACTICAL SURROUND SOUND + MUSIC RECORDING IN 3/2 STEREO + HIGH DEFINITION AUDIO + AUDIO &THE INTERNET + DVD & SACD + MULTI-CHANNEL FOR DVB + LOUDSPEAKERS AND REPRODUCTION + SOUNDFIELD ANALYSIS + THE VIRTUAL MONITOR ROOM 

Simultaneous translations from German into English will be available for all specialist lectures and round tables.

The Tonmeisteragung is considered one of the more important forums for the professional audio industry. It imparts a comprehensive overview of the latest trends in product development, research and application practice. About 5000 visitors are expected this year. The convention programme is complemented by an exhibition of professional equipment, with over 250 exhibitors presenting the product range of some 450 global manufacturers.

 Look them up (in German) on www.tonmeister.de