Events and News Item

Secret of Kells Nominated for an Oscar

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in LA on the 7th of March!

Paul Young is a partner with Cartoon Saloon and a producer on The Secret of Kells. In its day-to-day operations Cartoon Saloon employs 17 people, 10 full-time.

While producing The Secret of Kells and Skunk Fu! it employed 75 people full-time.Young says that "design, artistic and storytelling talent" here in Ireland coupled with the attractiveness of the section 481 tax incentive are driving the sector forward.

However, he says that it's necessary for Irish studios to collaborate with foreign studios. The Secret of Kells, for example, was co-produced in Belgium and France, but the Kilkenny-based studio took the lead - the creative blueprints, key animation and backgrounds, storyboard, voice recording and design were all carried out in Ireland .

Young says that the goal for Irish studios is not simply to provide service work for foreign studios but to produce and own a catalogue of content which will continue to generate sales and revenue."That's what the whole smart economy thing is all about," Young says.

Chief executive John Rice says Irish studios are "punching above theirweight" on the international market, aided by the tax incentive andIrish Film Board support.

Emma Scott, production executive with the Irish Film Board, which provides around €1 million for animation projects each year, says that, while Irish studios continue to demonstrate a high level of creativity, they are also astute business people who recognise the commercial opportunities which exist around holding the rights to productions.

Licensing, merchandise and personalised technology are just some of the wider opportunities."It's a commodity. They're creating a product and they see it as that - it's a creative product which they can go out and exploit on a number of different platforms," Scott says.

Kells, Co. Meath and The World Renowned Manuscript of The Book of Kells

Kells or Ceanannas Mór, meaning Great Fort, was known to be a royal residence before St. Colmcille established a religious settlement in Kells in 550. The monks from his community on the Scottish Island of Iona fled to Kells in 806 in order to escape savage Viking raids and it was here that they completed their illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels, the Book of Kells. While the original is housed in Trinity College, facsimile copies can be viewed in the Kells Heritage Centre and in the Church of Ireland.

The Story of Brendan and the Secret of Kells is based on a 12 year old monk who battles the vikings and other enemies to complete the Book of Kells.