Northern Ireland: Animation
Tax breaks and investment have created a buzz in Belfast’s animation community
There was a time when the animation community in Belfast would have looked enviously over the border at the thriving scene in Dublin.
But thanks to the arrival of the UK animation tax credit, investment from government-backed agency Northern Ireland Screen and a new emphasis on vocational education in the region, Belfast is fast creating an enviable sector of its own – one it will be showcasing as it plays host to the annual Cartoon Finance Forum next week.
“This is a really opportune moment for animation in Northern Ireland,” says Tim Bryans, head of production at Waddell Media’s animation arm, Flickerpix, which was set up in 2003 by Joel Simon. “It’s time for us to put our collective heads together and pitch Northern Ireland as a place where there is a lot happening in animation. There are some successful companies and nice projects for the international market.”
As well as producing a semi-animated Harry Hill A-Ha pastiche for this year’s Children In Need, Flickerpix is currently in production on Five Fables, a five-part animation series based on a collection of 14th-century medieval Scots poems, translated by the late Seamus Heaney.
Each episode is narrated by Billy Connolly and will also feature live action sequences including some of the last footage shot with Heaney. Commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland, the project has been funded by NI Screen’s Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund.
Five Fables was one of the first projects to benefit from the newly created UK animation tax credit in April this year, which has been instrumental in creating the current buzz surrounding the Northern Irish sector.
Cash injections
“Previously, people went to Ireland or Canada because they had the tax breaks,” says Bryans. “We’ve always had the talent here. Now we have the benefits to go with that to make us a really viable co-production partner.” “The animation tax credit has revolutionised the sector,” agrees Richard Williams, chief executive of Northern Ireland Screen, who views the sector as a key part of the funding body’s ongoing strategy.
“Eighteen months ago, we had to agree that animation created in Northern Ireland would be produced down south,” adds Williams. “Now, we can be confident that we can hold a decent chunk of activity here.”
Another crucial factor has been the introduction of a dedicated animation department at the University of Ulster, headed by Greg Maguire, who has returned to Belfast following a successful career as an animator in Hollywood.
This was one of the factors in Dublin-based animation company Jam Media adding a second office in Belfast in June this year. Currently, it’s producing Bafta-winning children’s animation Roy for CBeebies, buoyed by investment from NI Screen.
“We had looked at Scotland and other locations, but through research and talking to Greg, we found that the talent pool here was really great,” says Jam Media’s David McGrath, who has moved back from New York to head the Belfast operation. “We have the beginnings of a beautiful system in the animation sector, a group of leaders coming through and driving the sector,” adds Williams. “We can also see exactly where the animation roles are being developed.”
Another indie spreading its wings is Dog Ears, which has placed 50% of its show Puffin Rock’s production at Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny and half in Derry in a bid to secure tax breaks on both sides of the border.
The missing piece of the jigsaw, however, is the lack of a local broadcaster, such as RTÉ in Ireland, to secure a home territory pre-sale. Moreover, most in the sector agree that the BBC could be doing more to encourage production in the region.
And the small size of the domestic market means that Irish animation studios have to look abroad. The Cartoon Finance Forum is a welcome contribution to that exposure. “We have to be globally focused,” says Corrina Askin, Derry-based creator of Castle Farm, which airs on Channel 5’s Milkshake!. “The forum is a hands-on introduction to the international players –producers, distributors, legal and financial support.”
Maeve McAdam of Dancing Girl Productions, adds: “If you can’t cover your budget in your home territory, you have to be astute and work on your international networks. We spend a lot of money going to markets each year, which can sometimes be hard to justify, but if you’re not there, you are not seen to be in the business.”
Dancing Girl is currently raising finance for a second series of preschool animated series Joe And Jack, which aired in the UK on TinyPop. Now working on a German dub, the series has proved even more successful internationally. "It has been incredibly successful in Australia, for example, where we are told it is regularly beating Peppa Pig," says McAdams.
Over in Derry, 360’s John Farren notes that 70% of subs to YouTube channel Head Squeeze, plus viral series on Yahoo Finance, How Money Works, are from outside of the UK. He adds: "Things You Need To Know was sold and elements reanimated in French and German markets. Anything like the forum that raises awareness of our skills base and outward ambitions is very useful."
One of the biggest success stories from the Belfast animation sector is Sixteen South, run by Colin Williams, who moved out of commercials into children’s TV production in 2008. After beating 15 other producers to the pitch for a local version of Sesame Street produced with Sesame Workshop, Sixteen South’s subsequent projects included the double Emmy nominee Pajanimals, which has been seen in more than 300 million homes.
Economic boost
The company's first animated project, Driftwood Bay, is now in production, with Williams securing pre sales in 11 territories including the US (Spout) UK (Nickelodeon Jr), and Australia (ABC).
Using a new stop-frame animation technique, the show has the potential to be huge, especially with the Jim Henson company on board as worldwide distributor. Williams is hoping to sell to more than 100 countries.
Crucially, the production has created 75 jobs, providing the NI government with further proof that a strong animation industry is a viable way for the country to grow economically. "Driftwood Bay has taken us onto a different level. It’s our own show, our own intellectual property and we have financed it ourselves. We turned down co-productions and commissions because we were so in love with the concept, we knew we couldn't afford to have it watered down," says Williams.
His mantra of “do some good, have some fun, make some money,” seems to be working on all fronts: he’s one of Ernst And Young’s Entrepreneurs of the year and his company is on Deloitte’s Fast 50 Rising Stars list in both Ireland and the UK.
He uses his expertise to help build the sector further, forging links with the University Of Ulster and organising 2011’s “children’s television day”, which culminated in an open pitching session to commissioners. “People said we were crazy bringing our customers to town and then introducing them to the competition. But we want to create an open community where people can share ideas.”
Meanwhile, having won the Best Animation Award at the Irish Film And Television Awards for short animation Macropolis, Flickerpix is stepping up its ambitions, having been selected as one of 16 UK companies to receive a BFI Vision Award of £50,000 for developing feature animations.
The challenge now, says McGrath, is attracting the next generation of animators in the region. “I don’t think kids here are aware that it’s a career. We need to make it more visible – because this is an industry that is here to stay.”
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