1pm Presentation with Special Effects Designer and Senior Supervisor Paul Mann, Managing Director, Machine Shop
Paul Mann has 21 years full-time experience in the special effects and exhibition industry. During this time he spent a period of over 9 years working in the BBC visual effects department. This employment contained extensive specialist training periods for pyrotechnic uses, underwater rigging and diving, budgeting, studio and safety practices. Primary project designer with overall responsibility for the work of the company and its future direction.

Qualified underwater diver with credits on programmes such as Walking with Dinosaurs and Planet of Beasts. Puppeteer with numerous credits on commercial and film. Experience on over 1000 projects as Designer/Supervisor. Has a great belief that 'there is always more than one way to skin a cat' and is skilled in pulling something out of the bag at short notice. He is the driving force behind the company ethos that “we should produce quality at any price”.
Machine Shop Credits include:

Machine Shop’s experience also comprises of work on models, miniatures, animatronics, stop-frame animation, sculpting, mechanical rigs, liquids, foods, large and small-scale engineering, underwater work, flying and rigging. This selection of pop videos, commercials Television programme and events which the company has worked on illustrates the variety and skill which is abundant within the company: Stone Roses,Tetley Beer, Smirnoff Smarienberg, AC/DC,Tina Turner, Pepsi Michael Jackson, U2, Heineken, Blur, Bjork, BT / ET series, Walking With Dinosauors, Beyonce party In The Park, Jennifer Lopez 2002, London Fashion Week 2004, Celebrity Big Brother 2002,
For more information please visit their website: www.machineshop.co.uk

2pm, MONEY, TRAINING, MARKETS! MEDIA Plus Explained with Cian Smith
Cian Smyth began his position as MEDIA Coordinator for Northern Ireland in 2001. Based at the NIFTC, he is employed by the UK Film Council. MEDIA Service NI is supported by both organisations alongside the MEDIA Plus programme. Cian began his career in the film and television industry as a graduate of the UCD Film School where he completed a Masters in Film Studies and a Certificate in Film Production at Ardmore Studios.

The MEDIA Plus programme is a funding body within the Department of Education and Culture of the European Commission. It was established to strengthen the competitiveness of the European film, TV and new media industries while increasing the international circulation of European audiovisual content. It has a budget of ¤493 million to spend on project development, distribution, promotion (festivals and markets) and training.

MEDIA Service Northern Ireland is part of a network of around 40 offices throughout Europe established to promote national audiovisual industries' access to the programme and performance in a European marketplace. Cian Smyth, MEDIA Coordinator for Northern Ireland, will present this overview of what the programme offers and how you can access it.
For more information please visit their web site: www.mediadesk.co.uk

3pm, Tower Hotel, Simon Tuz, Shooting People
Simon Tzu is editor-in-chief of Shooting People the UK's largest online film community.
Simon studied Drama and Philosophy at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa - which he considers a great combination for a filmmaker, even though it was not planned that way. While waiting for his true calling to make itself know Simon spent most of the 90's working in the Internet industry with South Africa's premier ISP. In 2000 he moved to Europe and after a couple of years spent finding his feet over here he left employment to strike out on his own - launching a couple of companies and coming up with ideas for a half dozen more. 

Simon wrote and produced the short Film, "The Art of Flirting". He is also editor-in-chief of Shooting People. Founded by Jess Search and Cath Le Coteur in London about 6 years ago, Shooters is now huge- just shy of 40,000 members with around 250 more joining each and every week. Shooting People run 6 email bulletins (filmmaking, screenwriting, documentary, music video, animation,documentary) and run 1 in NY.

“Shooting People is basically about facilitating networking in a huge indie filmmaking community so everyone can get what they need and share what they know and the skills they have. It works really really well and we crew up and cast about 200 projects a week”.

For more information please visit their website:www.shootingpeople.org

3pm, Nerve Centre
Casting For Filmmakers with John and Ros Hubbart, Casting Agents

If you are a filmmaker and would like some insight into the casting process - how to get the big names for your film, how much it might cost, or how to attract talent to an unknown but brilliant script - then sign up to hear some expert advice from Ros and John Hubbart who are two of the biggest names in casting in Ireland and the UK.

 

2.30pm Lottery/ NIFTC Funding for Shorts and Features with Andrew Reid Head of Production NIFTC & Elsie Reid Funding Programmes Manager NIFTC
The NIFTC were delegated responsibility for Lottery Film Funding in April 2002. Since that time the NIFTC have received over 216 Lottery applications and have awarded £2,624,924 in funding to projects across the range of Lottery schemes.
The workshop will cover: Script Development Funding, Feature Film & TV Drama production funding, MINI (Made in NI) - production funding
This workshop is aimed at individuals who are considering applying to the NIFTC for Lottery Film Funding for the first time.
Places will be limited to 20 people. For more information please visit their web site: www.niftc.co.uk

 

11am, Nerve Centre film score workshop with Richard Hartley
Emmy Award winning composer Richard Hartley has created musical scores for the world’s leading Film and Theatre Directors including Bernardo Bertolucci, Stephen Frears, Richard Eyre and Jim Sharman on films such as Stealing Beauty with Jeremy Irons and Liv Tyler, Roddy Doyle’s The Van, A Thousand Acres, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange, Rogue Trader with Ewan MacGregor and Playing God with Angelina Jolie and David Duchovny.

He was also Musical Director on the film of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and has worked extensively at the Royal National and Almedia Theatres in London. Record productions include: Meatloaf, Little Richard and Bananarama. In this two hour workshop Richard will discuss his approach to creating scores for film illustrated with excerpts from some of his films and answer questions about working as a composer for the film industry.

 

2pm, Nerve Centre Seminar with Jane Gogan, TV3
Jane Gogan is the Commissioning Editor for TV3. As part of her role at TV3, Jane is responsible for the management of investments in and relationships with the independent production sector in Ireland. She also oversees all elements of TV3’s indigenous commissioning programme output. Jane has worked in the film and television industry since the early eighties and is an award winning independent producer of television drama and documentaries. Jane was a co-founder of Film Base training and information centre and Film Makers Ireland, an independent producers’ representative group.

TV3, Ireland’s first independent television network, launched an advertiser supported, national, free-to-air, entertainment and information service on 21st September 1998. TV3 is a full service broadcast network, providing news and information, sport, entertainment, comedy, movies, drama, documentaries and children’s programming. As Ireland’s second most watched channel TV3 has an audience of 14% nationally in its target market of 15 - 44 year olds.

For more information please visit their web site: www.tv3.ie

 

Three separate visual presentations with experts from the Games and Visual Effects industries. This event will run from 2.00pm to 3.30pm and includes a brief break between each presentation.

2.00pm - 3.30pm Presentation with Videogames Superdeveloper Company Rebellion’s Executive Jason Kingsley
Jason and his brother Chris Kingsley established the UK based videogames super-developer Rebellion in 1991. Their creative reputation was sealed with the worldwide success of the double BAFTA-nominated Aliens Vs. Predator videogame for 20th Century Fox in 1999.

In June 2000 Rebellion purchased 2000 AD publications and its character portfolio, which includes Judge Dredd. Their aim was to raise the profile, the readership of 2000 AD and to utilise the characters in videogame and feature film development. Their first feature film production was 'Parasite' in 2003, an 'alienseque' horror movie produced through Fearnort, their movie production arm. Their first 2000 AD videogame release Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death, was launched in 2003 to universal acclaim and received a BAFTA nomination.
They are currently producing the Rogue Trooper videogame.

The company specialises in videogame development, feature film production and sci-fi and fantasy. He is responsible for establishing TIGA - The Independent Games developers Association, providing a platform to address industry issues and offer assistance to UK videogames developers.

Presentation with Physical and Visual Effects Creator Mike Kelt, Director of Artem
Mike Kelt was born in Glasgow and studied at the Glasgow School of Art before entering a career in the Theatre as a Set Designer and Production Manager in Scotland. In 1979 he moved to BBC Television in London, working as a special effects supervisor on all types of production. From ‘Dr Who’, and ‘Blake’s 7’ to Shakespeare, comedy, and light entertainment.

In January 1988 Mike, with a few colleagues, set up ARTEM, a full physical effects house, providing Special Effects of all types covering Animatronics, Models, Pyrotechnics, Fire, Atmospherics, Mechanics, Prosthetics, Props, and Sculpture, and more recently digital Motion Capture and 3D Scanning. The philosophy has always been to cover the full range of Special Effects. The Company work mainly in Feature Film, TV, and Commercials, and have a substantial base in West London.

Film Projects the company has worked on include; ‘Reign of Fire’ (Spyglass), ‘Invincible’ (Werner Herzog), ‘Pinocchio’ (Roberto Benigni), ‘The Borrowers’ (Working Title), ‘Braveheart’ (Icon), ‘Gladiator’ (Scott Free), ‘Just Visiting’ (Gaumont), ‘The Lighthouse’ (Winchester Films), ‘The Innocents’ (BBC), and recently Terry Gilliam’s ‘The Brothers Grimm’ (Miramax) (still to be released)

Mike is a member of the Visual Effects Society in the US, sits on the British Screen Advisory Council, and is a founding Director of the new UK Post trade body that represents Post Production and Special Effects. He also sees an urgent need to revitalise the approach to training in the SFX industry in the UK where there is an ever-widening skills shortage.
For more information please visit their website : www.artem.com

3.00pm - 3.30pm, Tower Hotel Film Finance Seminar with Lucy Conran, Bank of Ireland
Individual meetings can be scheduled to take place after the seminar until 6.00pm. Contact the festival office to arrange a meeting.

Bank of Ireland Corporate's TeleMedia Unit first opened its doors for business in September 2003. With extensive expertise in the film financing area, the eight member team is primarily focussed on international feature
film finance. It operates from offices in Dublin and London with a consultant also based in Los Angeles.

The Unit provides inter alia, short term structured film and television loan facilities. In the main these facilities are provided to independent production companies. Loan sizes range from USD5m to USD20m and are
secured on pre sold distribution rights and 'soft money' sources. Bank of Ireland will also lend up to 20% of a film's budget against distribution rights yet to be sold.

The facility provided by Bank of Ireland Corporate provides only a portion of the lending required to make a film with the remainder coming from a variety of sources such as grants and subsidies, tax incentives, film funds
and producers' equity.

Films financed by Bank of Ireland to date have mainly consisted of co-productions involving European, American, Canadian and Australian production houses.
Contact details: Lucy Conran, Senior Manager Telemedia Group, Bank of Ireland Corporate, Tel: 01 611 5934, Email: lucy.conran@boimail.com

3.30pm - 4.15pm , Nerve Centre, Seminar with Micheál Ó Meallaigh, TG4 Documentary making as Gaeilge - the challenges Eagarthóir Coimisiúnaithe Sinsearach TG4 / Senior Commissioning Editor TG4.

After a varied career in New York and Donegal as a teacher and hotelier, Michael he trained as a television producer / director. He worked in the independent sector for a few years before moving to Údarás na Gaeltachta where his brief was to up the skills of new producers / directors for the promised Irish language broadcaster by commissioning pilot programmes.
Appointed as one of two Commissioning Editors for TnaG in Jan 1995. Has been responsible over the years for various programming strands that ranged from children's / comedy / entertainment / travel / documentary / animation and drama.
Currently concentrating on drama and documentary and promoting international coproductions.
Micheal will also touch on the new fund for Irish language productions which will be managed by the NIFTC.
For more information please visit their web site: www.tv3.ie

4.15pm - 5.00pm Nerve Centre Seminar with Emma Davie, European Documentary Network (EDN)
EDN is a meeting point for all professionals, who work with documentary film and television. It started September 1996 as a membership organisation for filmmakers, producers, production companies, distributors, associations, film institutions & boards, universities and festivals, broadcasters and film & television agencies.

EDN supports, stimulates and networks within the sector in Europe. One major focus has been to inform the members about possibilities for co-production and other kind of collaboration across the borders. This is done through individual service to members, including consultancy on film projects and through workshops and conferences. And through the indispensable EDN TV Guide and DOX Magazine.

Emma Davie is a Scottish based documentary maker. She is currently EDN (European Documentary Network) representative for the UK and in the past, programmed documentaries for the Edinburgh Film Festival, and served as jury member and tutor at various festivals/ workshops in Europe. Previous work includes" Seaview", "Buying Our Island"
(2003,BBC), "Mobile", "Flight" ( about Scots in Canada. BBC/ Vision). She has just finished a documentary for Channel4 about an incredible Art Room in the Highlands run by children whose cutting edge conceptual work is taking the art world by storm. She is one of the founders of Docspace, which is one of the key partners in the new European Docuzone - a digital network of 255 screens across 98 countries. Docspace will also lead the research into the audience and digital potential of European Docuzone.
For more information visit their website:www:edn.dk

5.00pm - 5.45pm, Nerve Centre Seminar with Derry O’Brien Managing Director, Network Ireland Television
Derry O’Brien is Managing Director of Network Ireland Television, Ireland’s foremost independent TV and film distribution Company. He has over 20 years experience in international services in both the music, TV and film sectors, with EMI Records, Irish Trade Board and Network Ireland Television respectively.

Derry was responsible for the inauguration of the Ireland on Screen joint marketing initiative between LEDU (Local Enterprise Development Unit - Belfast) and ABT (The Irish Trade Board) which represented the joint Irish TV production industry, at both the MIP and MIPCOM television markets for 5 years, from 1991 - 1995 inclusive. Furthermore, as a Board Member of the Brussels-based E.U. programme Euro Aim for a similar period, Derry was actively involved in Euro Aim sales and marketing activities at both the Berlin Film Festivals, the Donestia Screenings and their Rendezvous Co-Production and at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1995 Derry founded the first dedicated Irish-based international TV sales and marketing distribution Company. In the last 10 years their programme catalogue has grown to include a broad portfolio of 950 hours of TV and video material from Irish broadcasters and production companies which are available for sale to the international marketplace. They distribute the library of UTV, the ITV franchise company in Northern Ireland. They also represent on the international market, the output of TG4, Ireland’s Irish language broadcaster, and selected titles from the BBC Northern Ireland library, along with programmes from over 100 Irish independent production companies. With over 330 short film titles in it’s catalogue, Network Ireland Television is also now regarded as one of the largest distributors of quality short programming in the U.K. and Ireland.