DRAMA

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DRAMA

• Development
• 2011-2013

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drama staff

• David Crean Development Executive for Events
  and series
• Jo Schofield Development Executive short
  films and StoryLand
• Vicky McDonald PA to Commissioning Editors

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development for RTÉ ONE

• Expanding development slate
• Looking for variety in tone and attitude across a
  range of drama
• 2011 to 2013 transmission
• Currently developing for RTÉ ONE only
• Important to bring down cost per hour

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• Priorities
• 2011-2013

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state-of-the-nation drama

• Either 2 x 1 or 4 x 1 hours
• Challenging and inquisitive
• Unique views on familiar stories
• Prescience how will simmering events impact in
  two or three years
• Contemporaneous

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renewable series

• High-end entertainment series
• Light-hearted more humour required
• Rooted in a truth so stories chime with the
  audience
• Potential for co-production or pre-sales
• Distinctively Irish in all its diversity
• Universality
• Small stories with big impact

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BCI Sound and Vision Fund

• Distinctive authored series and events
• Specific cultural purpose that will appeal to
  RTÉs audience while meeting Sound and Vision
  criteria.
• Multi-part events (minimum 2 x 1 hours)
• Stories that are told for a television audience

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Co-production

• Irish dimension to story is essential
• Degrees of involvement from RTÉ
• Think globally there are opportunities
• Be pro-active
• Its a long game
• Entertainment driven drama
• First class talent in writer, director and
  casting
• Think of forming strategic alliances with sales
  agents and productions companies if you dont
  have the contacts

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MEDIA

• MEDIA funding is available for development and
  production
• Shared development costs with other television
  financiers would be welcome
• The next MEDIA call for slate funding is in the
  autumn

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What we look for in proposals

• Clarity, originality and authenticity in the
  voice of the writer
• A unique and informed perspective
• A developed idea for a story
• Characters that audiences will take to
• A world that the audience recognises
• Consideration given to target audience
• Urban and rural perspectives
• Surprise, delight, inform, intrigue, engage and
  inspire!

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Other Priorities

• Talent new to RTÉ audiences where there is
  inexperience mitigate with experience
• Potential for pre-sales, co-production or
  co-finance

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demographics

• Urban
• Suburban
• Rural
• Core audience 35-54 but drama needs to make an
  impact across the full range of demographics.

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Most common reasons for rejection

• failure in the submission to convey a clear
  television drama idea with the distinctive voice
  of the writer,
• lack of definition in the story and the
  characters,
• Failure to convey the producers ambition for the
  piece often comprised of synopsis.
• an Irish version of something we've seen
  elsewhere,
• are standard genre pieces that lack singularity,
• express a world view that is detached from the
  audience,
• are sitcoms and therefore more appropriate to
  Entertainment.

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How to submit

• drama_at_rte.ie
• www.rte.ie/commissioning