Two film and TV production studios are to open in Cork as plans to promote the county as a prime production location to the international film industry get into full swing.
The two studios – one a video production and photographic studio will open on Monaghan Road; the other a state-of-the-art post-production facility which will open in Marina Commercial Park in Cork.
The announcements follow a seminar earlier this week dedicated to promoting production and investment into the region, which was held at the Clarion Hotel in Cork City on Monday.
Studio 51-08 will open its new visual media prodcution facility next month.
The second studio, in Marina Park, is Half-Light Audio Post-Production Studio. It will cater for film, television, animation and gaming and has been opened by composer Conor Barron. It is the first state-of-the-art post-production facility to open in Munster, according to Barron and Cork Screen Commissioner Niall Mahoney.
Half-Light Audio will operate from a 500ft sq purpose built studio, with surrounding mix room, recording studio and vocal booth facilities.
The Cork Screen Commission and the Southern Screen Professionals co-hosted the film investment seminar in Cork yesterday, which saw Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan address a crowd of business people looking to invest in the Cork film and television industry.
The aim of the seminar was to explain how the Government’s Section 481 tax incentive works for private investors.
Niall Mahoney, the new Cork Screen Commissioner, says it is vital that the business community understands the process of the tax incentive in order to invest in Irish film.
He said: “There are key facilities, skilled people here [In Cork], but what we need is the business community and individuals to come in on what’s a very low-risk investment scheme under the Government, to help assist the whole of Ireland.”
The key facilities referred to by Mahoney come in the shape of the newly-founded Cork Screen Commission, described as a “one-stop shop for all your film needs in Cork City and County”, and the Southern Screen Professionals, which aims to “attract media investment and job creation to the south.” Both organisations provide crew and locations databases for the Cork and the south of Ireland.
In light of the seminar, a number of Irish and international production companies are currently in talks with Niall Mahoney to work on productions in Cork and the south of Ireland. While no deals have been signed on the dotted line just yet, Niall says the fact that he and the SSP are building plans for the bottom up makes the production news all the more vital.
