Lights, camera, action for new Offaly Film Board
FilmOffaly is being launched officially on Wednesday, September 10 in the Tullamore Omniplex Cinema (where else) by David Collins of Samson Films (Eden and Pure Mule).
"IT'S a whole unique kind of landscape; forests, bogs, canals, rivers and a couple of very small pretty towns. There is stuff there that's quite surprising, odd and peculiar things, disused power stations, old railway lines, derelict buildings, haunted castles. Garage and Pure Mule were shot there, it's easy to get to and it offers a version of real Ireland with lots of different elements in it. There is a pool of extras who are available, people who know what the film business is about, facilities and various other services which understand the film business". Manus Hingerty, Location Manager 'Becoming Jane'.
With a testimonial like that, why would a location manager look anywhere else? Offaly is a county that only recently people are beginning to scratch the surface of, perhaps more so since the new Taoiseach Brian Cowen has placed a spotlight on it but in the heart of Ireland Offaly has a thriving creative industry of motion productions.
Screenwriter Eugene O'Brien and Director Declan Recks are both Offaly natives who knew they would use the untapped visual resource of the vast peat lands, industrial buildings, canals, hills and quirky townscapes of their home county with the award winning Eden (Tribeca Film Festival) and Pure Mule (ITFA's).
It has been the location for a number of film productions over the past three years, Becoming Jane and Garage as well as TV dramas such as Hide and Seek and the Tudors. All of whom were multiple award winners in the annual IFTA awards.
Good Company Productions (those behind Hectors adventures), Hello Camera (those behind the recent 72hour Film Watching and Waiting at the Galway Film Fleadh) and Mixed Bag Media (those behind the RTE series Grassroots) are all based in Offaly, finding the central location easy when having to run around the country on multiple projects.
Sensing this growth and the potential to maximise it further Offaly County Council have established a Film Commission Committee chaired by Cllr Marcella Corcoran Kennedy.
Following almost two years of research, fact finding and building partnerships they are about to launch FilmOffaly. FilmOffaly has a two strand approach, to stand up and promote the natural resource of the county in terms of its locations and expertise in the film business and to support and promote local filmmakers.
FilmOffaly's main tool is its slick website www.filmoffaly.ie a one stop shop for production companies and location managers. A production team can shop for locations; find their civic contacts, taxi companies, catering facilities, airfields, accommodation and extras all with the scroll of a cursor.
FilmOffaly's first outing was to sponsor the much talked about 72hour Film Watching and Waiting at the Galway Film Fleadh, the production company Hello Camera being based in Offaly.
This impressed upon the film industry and networks at the Fleadh that this Commission was going to put its money where its mouth is and not just fly a flag for the faithful county.
Members of the Irish Film Board as well as Declan Recks and Eugene O'Brien will also be present to support the initiative.
See Also
Offaly film maker overcomes odds to produce feature film in 72 hours
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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