Village Gamer

The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors is pleased to announce the names of the seven production companies that will receive 23rd-round funding under its Main Television Production Assistance Program (MPAP), following October 1, 2011 submissions. In this round, Quebecor Fund will disburse a total of $2,709,092 to the following production companies:

• PVP-Films Inc.
• Muse Entertainment
• Cineflix Inc.
• TVA Productions Inc.
• Pixcom Productions Inc.
• ZONE3 Inc.
• Cité-Amérique Inc.

The selected productions will air on the Canadian broadcasters Société Radio-Canada, TVA, Télé-Québec, TVTropolis (Shaw Television Inc.), VRAK.TV (Astral), History Television (Shaw Television Inc.), CASA (TVA Group), APTN and Canal Savoir, and the foreign broadcasters Canal Plus (France and Africa) and Gulli (France).

Since its inception in 2000, Quebecor Fund’s MPAP program has supported 143 projects involving 56 production companies, 31 Canadian broadcasters and 10 foreign broadcasters. During this period, the Fund has distributed nearly $39 million to support the multiplatform components of the funded projects (which amounts to 67% of the total sums invested in multimedia by the participating production companies) and more than $7 million to support the television components of the same projects.

Of the funding granted to date by Quebecor Fund to support television and multiplatform production, 27% has gone to children/youth programs, 32% to documentaries, 33% to variety/performing arts, and 8% to drama.

Quebecor Fund, a major source of financing for Canadian television, event and film production and for digital media content, is an independent fund with a mission to support, among other things, the production of high-quality television programs with value over time as well as their interactive multimedia components, which use new information and communication technologies including multiple platforms such as interactive television (ITV), video on demand (VoD), mobile devices and, of course, high-speed Internet.

Quebecor Fund is a vital source of financing in the digital age, when Canadian content must be delivered on multiple platforms and interactive content that enriches but is distinct from conventional television must be developed.

Quebecor Fund was established through Videotron Ltd., which provides over $5.7 million annually in broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to the Canadian industry under its Main Television Production Assistance Program (MPAP).

Financed Projects:

PVP-Films Inc.

• Objectif Nord – Broadcasters: Télé-Québec and APTN, Canal Savoir

The call of the North is more compelling than ever! But northern development demands a comprehensive, not a piecemeal, approach. The land, its people and the issues that must be addressed in the very near future form a single mosaic. Objectif Nord is an immersive multiplatform experience that brings northern Québec to life, a fascinating and fun journey that bridges North and South, showing us the North as a place inhabited by people and unique flora and fauna, endowed with a history, a texture, natural resources and natural beauty that call out to be discovered and shared.

Productions Gawayn 2 (Muse) Inc. (Muse Entertainment)

• Gawayn (season 2) – Broadcasters: Société Radio-Canada, Canal Plus (France and Africa), Gulli (France)

Ten year old William is a precocious horseman devoted to his mentor, the somewhat less adept rider Sir Roderick. The Princess Gwendolyn has been shrunk by the Duke. William and Sir Roderick set off on a quest to find the crystal of Gawayn, the antidote for the spell that has been cast upon the Princess, but the Duke and Rex, his pet cockroach, are determined to stop them. “All for one and one for all,” the Gawayn series’ motto, is what the interactive component is all about. It consists in three games for children aged 8-12 on complementary platforms (web, mobile, ITV).

Cineflix (ICC3) Inc.

• Instant Cash Canada – Broadcaster: TVTropolis (Shaw Television Inc.)

A hidden camera tapes unsuspecting members of the public walking up to an ATM in a busy location and getting the surprise of their lives when the machine starts talking and asks them whether they’d like to win some cash. They find themselves in a TV game show facing unusual challenges and the prospect of large cash prizes. The interactive Instant Cash game, which reproduces the TV quiz show experience, is available on all platforms (web, smartphones, ITV), reaching audiences through mobile apps and social media with the support of promotional tools and viral marketing.

TVA Productions Inc.

• Le Tricheur – Broadcaster: TVA

Five celebrities compete in a trivia game every day for a week. In each episode, only one knows all the right answers. He is Le Tricheur (the cheater). Can you figure out who it is? The interactive component of Le Tricheur uses a real-time conversational multiplatform strategy, supported by web and mobile tools that let viewers find, comment on and share information about the show, the guests and the worthwhile causes they support, and ultimately identify the episode’s cheater in a mobile game.

Zone3-XXXIV Inc. (Mixmania)

• Mixmania III – Broadcaster: VRAK.TV (Astral)

Back for a third year in the spring of 2012, the reality talent contest Mixmania has been a big hit, drawing hundreds of thousands of young viewers to watch eight talented teens learn the ropes of the music business, with some help from the pros. The budding stars find out how the recording industry and show biz really work. So far, the Mixmania online interactive experience has generated some 15,300,000 page views. This year, the web platform is getting a facelift with more interactivity, more immersive experiences, more webcasts, more exclusives and more mobile offerings to enrich the cross-media experience.

Pixcom Productions Inc.

• Bomb Hunters – Broadcaster: History Television (Shaw Television Inc.)

For more than a hundred years, Canada was a training ground for allied forces from around the world. Thousands of bombs were launched and tested in this country, and some of them remain unexploded to this day. Bomb Hunters follows the squads that perform the complicated and delicate job of disarming these ticking time bombs. The online component of Bomb Hunters draws visitors into the bomb squad’s high-risk daily work with a unique immersive web documentary that relates a forgotten piece of Canadian history, through the series’ characters.

TVA Productions Inc.

• On connaît la chanson – Broadcaster: TVA

Millions of fans, thousands of dollars in prizes, hundreds of songs, dozens of mystery words all in one show. On connaît la chanson, hosted by Mario Tessier, is an adaptation of Don’t Forget the Lyrics, a variety game in which participants sing along with a live band. Will they be able to continue singing when the lyrics disappear from the screen? The interactive component features a multiplatform strategy encompassing an Internet site and mobile site where viewers can watch, comment on and share content from the show, plus a mobile app with two game modes: musical quiz and missing-word songs.

Zone3-XXXIV Inc. (Animo)

• Animo II – Broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada

Animo, the show about animals, is back in 2012 for a second season with new clinical and surgical cases, new solutions to behavioural problems, and inspiring interviews with breeders. Animo’s legions of fans enjoy dynamic interactive content on its informative multiplatform interactive component (web, mobile app, social networks), where viewers can get answers to their many questions. The “Animo coach” section (the only one of its kind in Québec) and the “health guide” section contain useful information and promise to be very popular with audiences.

Cité-Amérique Inc. and 4508190 Canada Inc.

• Al Dante 3 – Broadcaster: CASA (TVA Group)

Once again, Stefano Faita will serve up the delicious recipes for which he is known. Al Dante takes viewers into his world, a tantalizing mix of food and tradition rooted in close-knit communities. The interactive side of Al Dante is driven by a conversational multiplatform/multimedia strategy with web and mobile components that let visitors view, comment on and share content from the show and experience recipes via a multisensory voyage through Little Italy.