With the due
date for the end of the section 481 incentives. A report was published known as
the Kilkenny report in 1999 to look into the progress of the film board and to
see in full detail the effectiveness of the tax incentive scheme, and mainly to
address the issues that the Irish film production market could face in the
future. The report resulted in the formation of the film industry strategic
review group in 2001, chaired by Mr Ossie Kilkenny. The group main job was to
keep an eye out in identify and recommend measures that would improve and
support the film industry. Working with the department of arts, sport and
tourism to set goals, targets and timeframes for production actity. Number of
films being made, budget tracking and training of skills.
While in time the feedback from these board scheme
where meeting there targets and the growth of the film industry positive.
In the end of
2006 in the IBE confederation annual review showed that Film production
activity had been gone to slow down since 2003. This was mainly due to lost of
international production in Ireland. Causing the film production falling by
from 244 million in 2003 to 33.5 million in 2005. Although some low budget
production continue on, but with the blow to the effect of the section 481
funding which was getting more tie in
with international business here then local. This saw employment drop to below
a thousand in full time employment. Even though the film industry strategic
review group in 1999 stated in there finding that there was a potential for
employment would grow big time by 2010.
This decline
could be trace back to the early 1990’s when it was though that the commercial
basis for the industry would come from making and producing content for the new
liberalised broadcasting market developing in Europe. Also Ireland was offering
Hollywood extra cost saving deals like a discount if they needed the defence focus
and easy access to national monuments and sites. But this causes the Irish film
industry to become vulnerable in the upcoming changes in international trade
and services laws outside the controlled of the Irish state. Back in 2000 the
European convention on Co production deal was form that aloud producers to get
access to both the section 42 and section 48 tax incentives in the auk as well
as the section 481 in Ireland.
This gives more structure for project and was a
key element in getting major Hollywood films into Ireland. But however in 2004
the at that time British chancellor Gordon brown begin a process of getting rid
of the section 42 and section 48 by 2006 to be replaced by a system where
anyone getting tax incentive must have 25% of the project budget spend within
the uk with cast and crew working and shooting in Ireland did not counting
toward the 25%. This cause trouble as big UK based productions that had
alreally started examples being films like Tristan and lsolde which had begin
filming in Ireland back in 2003, where not to keen on continuing to shoot in
Ireland or for other to even start. With that and the change of the exchange
rate of the Euro and the US dollar.
Even though the film sector was going
through a downturn, the newly founded Eastern Europe counties became more
popular to film due to being not only cheaper but also have little to no
restriction on filming productions. So the then minister for Charlie McGreevy
increased the tax break of the section 481 to 15 million euros. This didn’t
have the effect they wanted from it, so more changes was made to include that
producers could take 80% of production cost from the section 481 up the maximum
of 35 million Euro. The Irish film board put a great deal of time and effort in
promoting Ireland as a location for Hollywood production. In 2006 setting up
the Irish film commission and appointing Jonathan loughran.
With that not doing
as well as hoped the film board set about getting money for a new type of
production loan that targeted international productions that’s had dome kind of
link to Ireland as a subject matter. It was minister john o’donoghue the got
the board the 2.3 million Euros needed for the fund, and it prove to be
successful. Resulting in a 50% increase on production compared to 2005 numbers.
The film board set about target to keep this ball rolling working along RTE, independent
Productions Company and productions in the UK. The new industry objectives with
a 20 million euro and about five million in incentive funds backing it, where
to have 120 project up and running.
With at least one films much be in
competition at Cannes every year and another getting global box office
interest. Out of a target of funding twelve fiction features and documentaries.
Fourthly shorts both live action and animated, and at least one experimental
film project. Thirty made for TV documentaries divided up into ten for the
arts, ten for national interest and history and then ten for science and other
topics. There was to also be the upkeep of four Irish film festivals and in ten
international ones. With support for twenty Irish filmmakers at international
events. All this plus the tax scheme being improve abound, the Irish film board
has begin to see big Hollywood production come back. And high budget TV show
from both the US and the UK looking to Ireland to film. The film board set
about better relation with both international and nation production.
Biography
Mapping Irish media roddy Flynn 2007
Iftn.ie/legal/section 481
Pobail.ie/department of arts culture and the
Gaeltacht/ Irish film board
Irishfilmboard.ie
Estudiosirlandese.org/ roddy Flynn
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