The axing of Ballykissangel might have been a blow for Avoca’s tourist trade, but film industry professionals are also beginning to feel the pinch. From the studio itself, down to trainee crewmembers, the absence of a regular staple is already being felt.
Kevin Moriarty of Ardmore Studios described the lack of additional activity as a depressing scenario. “ I did anticipate having Ballykissangel in the studio for the second half of this year, and there will also be a negative impact from the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes, which significantly reduce the potential for an inflow of production activity from abroad,” he explained.
In a business where one-off productions are the norm, Ballykissangel was an important client for the studios. A regular production offsets the downside of quiet time, and covers overheads in an ongoing facility. This benefited not only the studio, but also crewmembers, and as we have seen with Ballykissangel, the local economy generally.
According to Mr. Moriarty, attracting another large-scale series would be a great boost for the industry. “I would love to find another series because although it will come to a natural end at some point, repeat business is good for providing employment and creative opportunities.”
Ultimately the demise of this production highlights the delicate state of the industry here, and the precarious nature of this business for many of those involved. Mr. Moriarty points out that in an Irish context, there aren’t many opportunities for a successful series, so Ardmore were fortunate with Ballykissangel, because in reality it wasn’t an indigenous production. Irish series or soap operas tend to be in-house projects from RTE, and now TG4, so unless they achieve a level of drama that they couldn’t produce in their own studios, he will have to attract a tenant from outside the country.
He also highlights problems being generated by the lack of more local productions appearing on the horizon. “There should be a natural flow of indigenous activity taking place at this stage, and that doesn’t appear to be happening.” He was involved in the strategic review group that met in the summer of 1999 and explains that project development was one of the areas they identified in the report as being necessary for the success of the industry. “That report came out nearly two years ago, and I’m quite sure people are working behind the scenes to actively try and bring that about, but I don’t believe there has been a major upsurge in the availability of development money.” He maintains that indigenous companies need funding to bring projects to a level where they can attract the appropriate finance. “I’m sure there are many reasons contributing to this but I think that is one important element.” He added.
Explaining the decision in a press release, head of drama for BBC Northern Ireland, Robert Cooper, said Ballykissangel had a terrific run, but had to give way for a number of new series. Ironically, the sleepy village setting is still successful overseas, where it has several seasons yet to run on some networks.
Colin Cowman and Natasha O'Connor have been at the series’ coalface since they began making ‘On The Ballykissangel Trail’, a ‘making of’ documentary, which is due to receive its first airing on PBS in the US this June. Their company, Paradise Pictures began filming before BBC NI cancelled the seventh series. Having worked alongside the crew for the best part of a year before the announcement, Colin described the news as shocking, and sympathised with the Wicklow-based production team.
Since then Paradise Pictures have seized the opportunity to rework a more retrospective theme into the documentary, and have been happy with the reaction. “I think its very interesting that so many stations have come on board to find out more about Ballykissangel since its been axed. Most of our pre-sales were negotiated before it was cancelled but they’re still interested in the programme. This highlights a hunger for Irish material on the International market.”
He explains that Ballykissangel’s success hinged on it being a drama series, incorporating high production values, rather than a soap opera, but as with the best of dramas a strand like this has a lifespan and will eventually run its course. What is impressive is its popularity in countries that have only recently begun airing the series. Fans of the series might be upset, but with Reign Of Fire due to wrap in early summer, the lack of major, feature length projects pencilled for shooting this summer is worrying others. Given that it can be difficult to generate adequate employment to allow people to maintain a livelihood, the production’s cancellation could have a serious, knock-on effect at a time when there is very little additional activity here.
NW
