Post by dangeresque on Apr 24, 2007 18:35:43 GMT
Significant progress has been made over the past six months to move Connolly towards full production with a revised shoot date of autumn 2007.
Tom, Frank and Connolly director Adrian Dunbar have undertaken an intensive line by line revision of the screenplay, running through a number of drafts to arrive at a script that will remain true to the story, fully engage a global audience, provide the basis for an efficient production and ensure a successful release.
They have also concentrated on other aspects such as the creative vision for the project, technical and logistical issues, crew, cast and marketing and distributing the finished product to a global audience.
Finance is the key to bringing any film to the screen. The Connolly film’s budget, calculated by an independent industry professional at €24 million, will make it the biggest indigenous film production in Irish national cinema.
This figure is justified in light of the profit potential from two identifiable core audiences for this film – 70 million members of the Irish Diaspora and 300 million members of trade unions, worldwide. Achieving a box-office figure of just 3 percent of each of those core groups will bring the film into serious profit, and the producers expect, on the basis of the work they are doing and the feedback they have got, to do far better than that, with the general audience as an added bonus.
Over the past year, Tom, Frank and Adrian have sought support in the Irish Parliament for their proposal that some State funding be applied to bringing Connolly to the screen. As the first ever telling on screen of the story of the Irish Revolution of 1916, which led to the creation of an independent Irish State, it is important that this film goes out into the world as an indigenous Irish production, and that the integrity of the story is protected.
The outcome of this work has been that cross-party support has been established within the Irish Parliament for Connolly. In November 2006 the Oireachtas 1916-2016 Committee set up by Parliament to commemorate the 1916 Revolution agreed unanimously to recommend that Connolly receive State support and have forwarded their recommendation to the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowan T.D. His decision is expected shortly.
Frank travelled to the United States in August to raise awareness and support for the film and over three weeks visited New York, New Jersey, Boston and Chicago, meeting key figures in Irish-American cultural organisations and the labour unions. The project drew a very positive response which will lead to the opening up of that huge market for the film in an innovative way.
Tom, Frank and Adrian have worked closely with the Irish trade union movement to build on the commitment to a significant investment in the film by James Connolly’s union, SIPTU. In December 2006, the National Executive of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted to invest €250,000 in the Connolly movie.
Tom, Frank and Adrian are continuing to work to bring other unions on board as investors and are confident that they will achieve their target figure of ten percent of the budget from that source. Trade union investment in Connolly is an important element, not just for the project, but also for the trade union movement itself, being ethical, pragmatic and visionary. An added bonus is the potential audience from those unions, and the international links with other unions that the Irish trade union movement has established, which will help create a global audience for Connolly.
The producers have worked closely with their legal advisors Paul Egan and John Kettle of Mason Hayes & Curran to bring private investment to the project and expect to present their investment proposals to a targeted list of potential private investors very shortly. The unique vision for the film, the core audiences that are available as a market, the financial structures that are being put in place and the prosperity of the Irish economy are key elements in Rascal Films’ decision to raise the bulk of private investment from within Ireland.
Tom, Frank and Adrian are confident that the Connolly movie project is in great shape with a strong script, top-class core cast and crew, achievable budget, identifiably high audience potential, and an overall strategy that has worked to plan.
Tom, Frank and Connolly director Adrian Dunbar have undertaken an intensive line by line revision of the screenplay, running through a number of drafts to arrive at a script that will remain true to the story, fully engage a global audience, provide the basis for an efficient production and ensure a successful release.
They have also concentrated on other aspects such as the creative vision for the project, technical and logistical issues, crew, cast and marketing and distributing the finished product to a global audience.
Finance is the key to bringing any film to the screen. The Connolly film’s budget, calculated by an independent industry professional at €24 million, will make it the biggest indigenous film production in Irish national cinema.
This figure is justified in light of the profit potential from two identifiable core audiences for this film – 70 million members of the Irish Diaspora and 300 million members of trade unions, worldwide. Achieving a box-office figure of just 3 percent of each of those core groups will bring the film into serious profit, and the producers expect, on the basis of the work they are doing and the feedback they have got, to do far better than that, with the general audience as an added bonus.
Over the past year, Tom, Frank and Adrian have sought support in the Irish Parliament for their proposal that some State funding be applied to bringing Connolly to the screen. As the first ever telling on screen of the story of the Irish Revolution of 1916, which led to the creation of an independent Irish State, it is important that this film goes out into the world as an indigenous Irish production, and that the integrity of the story is protected.
The outcome of this work has been that cross-party support has been established within the Irish Parliament for Connolly. In November 2006 the Oireachtas 1916-2016 Committee set up by Parliament to commemorate the 1916 Revolution agreed unanimously to recommend that Connolly receive State support and have forwarded their recommendation to the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowan T.D. His decision is expected shortly.
Frank travelled to the United States in August to raise awareness and support for the film and over three weeks visited New York, New Jersey, Boston and Chicago, meeting key figures in Irish-American cultural organisations and the labour unions. The project drew a very positive response which will lead to the opening up of that huge market for the film in an innovative way.
Tom, Frank and Adrian have worked closely with the Irish trade union movement to build on the commitment to a significant investment in the film by James Connolly’s union, SIPTU. In December 2006, the National Executive of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) voted to invest €250,000 in the Connolly movie.
Tom, Frank and Adrian are continuing to work to bring other unions on board as investors and are confident that they will achieve their target figure of ten percent of the budget from that source. Trade union investment in Connolly is an important element, not just for the project, but also for the trade union movement itself, being ethical, pragmatic and visionary. An added bonus is the potential audience from those unions, and the international links with other unions that the Irish trade union movement has established, which will help create a global audience for Connolly.
The producers have worked closely with their legal advisors Paul Egan and John Kettle of Mason Hayes & Curran to bring private investment to the project and expect to present their investment proposals to a targeted list of potential private investors very shortly. The unique vision for the film, the core audiences that are available as a market, the financial structures that are being put in place and the prosperity of the Irish economy are key elements in Rascal Films’ decision to raise the bulk of private investment from within Ireland.
Tom, Frank and Adrian are confident that the Connolly movie project is in great shape with a strong script, top-class core cast and crew, achievable budget, identifiably high audience potential, and an overall strategy that has worked to plan.
