COMMISSIONING BRIEF
Commissioning Editor - Niamh O'Connor
Assistant Commissioning Editor - Sarah Ryder
UPDATED: Thursday 15th November
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FACTUAL PROGRAMMING
Great story-telling is at the heart of Factual TV: stories with layers beyond first glance, stories that explore issues beneath the surface of Irish life and Irish people today.
Factual documentaries will remain 'blue chip' and offer programming that takes a significant and considered approach to state of the nation issues and deliver with the highest possible production values. This is where Factual engages the RTÉ One audience with landmark output.
In 2011, RTÉ Factual commissioned and broadcast a number of relevant and cutting-edge documentaries which reflected life in contemporary Ireland today. Landmark documentaries that delivered in terms of audience and in sparking National Debate were , Behind the Walls the late Mary Raftery's final series for RTE. Over two weeks, it charted the myriad of injustices suffered by those who had been taken into care in psychiatric hospitals in Ireland since the 1900s. Secret Millionaire was an entertaining and insightful series which chimed perfectly with the times. The first episode delivered a 41% and we are currently in production for series 2 which will TX this Autumn. Property Crash: Where To Now? was Richard Curran's follow-up to the controversial and oft-quoted 2007 polemic Property Crash. Arrivals was our follow-up documentary to last year's Departure Day documenting the all too familiar Emigration story and The Commute told the story of the many Irish people who now face gruelling commutes to work as a result of the Recession. Crisis: Inside the Cowen Government was a political history series which charted the unravelling of the Fianna Fáil party in the months and years after the banking crisis. What's Ireland eating? saw Journalist and consumer champion Philip Boucher Hayes casts a cold eye on Irish eating and shopping habits. This programme delivered a 40% share and generated huge debate across radio and print media. It is crucial that RTE Factual continue's to deliver these Landmark documentaries to the highest possible editorial and production values. Monday night documentaries will remain authoritative, bold and provocative.
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Themes and Events:
In September 2011, Factual put a call to the Independent sector, looking for proposals for a themed week, the result is a cross platform week of programming on all aspects of the Education system in Ireland. Factual will play landmark documentaries on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, framing the spine of this themed week. Inside the Department is an observational documentary following Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, his advisors and top civil servants. Primary Principles is a one-off observational documentary focusing on the pupils of a DEIS designated primary school in Co. Wexford. Falling through the Cracks sees John Lonergan in search of answers behind the statistic that 90% of the prisoners in Mountjoy had left school by their sixteenth year.
RTÉ Factual welcomes ideas for programmes on which we can build themed seasons and events.
Your documentary or series could be the cornerstone of a theme night, weekend or week; or it could play as part of a mini-season of thematically-linked programmes over a few weeks. Is there an issue facing the country that you think needs to be exposed or explored? Or something you think the country needs to celebrate, anticipate or rediscover? We particularly welcome ideas that create a big splash and that have enough light and shade to be rolled out across the entire schedule - from Factual and Entertainment to Lifestyle and Current Affairs - and across all RTÉ platforms: Online, Radio and Television.
Reactive documentaries
A key objective of the factual department in 2011/2012 was to build on the ability of the Factual Department to react to major events, both through the commissioning process and our in-house capabilities. We have achieved this and want to build on it. Successful reactive documentaries in 2011/12 were The Naked Race, Life and Debt, Pension Shock and" Ireland outside the Euro".
Factual Formats
A serious factual format like Secret Millionaire can make an impact with strong story, depth and insight. What are your ideas for new returnable Irish factual formats that can bring a structured narrative to bear on important human stories? We would like develop a number of proposals in this area for potential TX in 2013/14
Authored
RTÉ Factual has a strong tradition of authored documentaries. The right author can bring complex ideas and analysis to a receptive Irish audience.
In autumn 2013, Richard Curran will take us through the huge rise and falls of some of Ireland's biggest Tycoons, while actor Liam Cunningham will build on his very successful Hostile Environment series.
On-screen Factual talent should either be experts in a particular field or high-profile, intelligent and respected personalities willing to be immersed and challenged on a particular subject that they are passionate about.
We are looking for new stories and new expertise; charismatic and knowledgeable personalities willing to journey through areas of Irish life, culture and contemporary experience that we might not otherwise have had access to.
History
As always, the aim is to bring audiences to history via strong stories, directors, fresh perspectives, and often passionate and informed on-screen authors.
New proposals should be targeted at 2013 and beyond. We have two documentaries commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of the Civil War, and two in development to mark The Dublin Lockout. We will be looking for idea's to commemorate 1916 but not till next year. We particularly welcome ambitious proposals with potential for BAI Sound and Vision support
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2013 - What we're looking for:
Transmission: Sunday/Monday: RTÉ ONE 21:30
Duration: 52 minutes
Budget: Up to a maxium of €127,000**
Observational documentaries:
For 2012, we will prioritise compelling and innovative proposals for long-term observational and immersive documentary singles and series. We are particularly interested in hearing from companies who have already secured full access to institutions or organisations which are at the frontline of Irish life - anywhere where stories can be told that uncover or illustrate issues which are unfolding now in Ireland.
We have a number of projects already in development/production for 2013: They are, The Obesity Clinic, an observational series set in Ireland's first obesity clinic in Dublin, Shelton Abbey, A fly on the wall documentary series on Ireland's only open prison. We are also in development for a long term"Fixed rig" observational doc in one of Irelands busiest A&E which we would hope to bring to the schedule early next year.
Observational/immersive series are a major priority for RTE Factual in 2013 and beyond. It is critical that companies come to us with access fully secured and a very clear idea of the types of stories they expect to tell, as well as the wider issues they wish to illustrate through those stories.
We ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the eCommissioning system:
https://e-commissioning.rte.ie/SWIFT.Web/skins/rte/login.aspx
under the programme category Factual - Ob Doc
**Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
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Arts 2013
Budget: Up to a maxium of €114,000**
Arts documentaries on RTÉ Television to date in 2012 have worked well in achieving our aim to increase audiences for the arts while maintaining the quality and creativity that are a hallmark of RTÉ Television arts output. Documentaries like Edna O'Brien: Life, Stories, Triúir and Finbar Furey: Free Spirit continued the RTE Factual tradition of the beautifully-told personal story but also were hugely popular with the audience; while the Ireland's Favourite Painting campaign worked in partnership with galleries across Ireland to create awareness of the visual arts. The campaign was enthusiastically received by the public and resulted in significantly increased footfall in galleries throughout Ireland.
We wish to continue the mix of event or campaign/event style arts programming and strong documentary in 2013. We receive many more ideas for single documentary than for series or event/campaign programming. We will only commission single docs that involve exceptional stories or subjects, or that can form the centrepiece of a larger idea that can be amplified across Television and/or Online and Radio.
We are actively looking for ideas that raise the profile of different Irish arts forms among a general audience. Ideas which enable partnership between RTÉ and Irish arts organisations in order to encourage awareness of different art forms will be particularly welcomed - but we will also welcome inclusive formats or event-style programmes that encourage audience participation in or engagement with an art form.
As always, we are open to "big idea" overview or authored series on the arts; but be aware that funding is limited, so (strong, relevant) ideas that enable co-production, or that bring funding to the table are also welcome.
Accessibility is still key to our arts strategy: your idea should appeal as much to a non-arts audience as to the existing arts audience. It should be big enough to become a highlight in the RTE1 schedule and to ignite discussion and debate across radio, online and on existing RTE television programmes.
We ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the eCommissioning system:
https://e-commissioning.rte.ie/SWIFT.Web/skins/rte/login.aspx
under the programme category Factual - Arts 2013
**Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
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Tuesday nights
Budget: Up to a maxium of €119,000**
We have a limited number of Tuesday 10.15 slots available in 2013. As always, human interest stories and little stories that illustrate big issues are what we are looking for here. We are actively seeking ideas for striking observational documentaries and series that enable us to illustrate real, current issues through real-life stories. We are open to light and shade here for 2013; if you have an idea for a strong, feel good observational documentary/series that is current, substantial, insightful and multi-layered, we want to hear it too.
We ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the eCommissioning system:
https://e-commissioning.rte.ie/SWIFT.Web/skins/rte/login.aspx
under the programme category Tuesday's 2013
**Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
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Please note:
The discussion of, or initial interest in, a proposal does not represent a commitment to commission by RTÉ and should not be understood as such.
Commissioning decisions will reflect the quality of proposals received and the scheduling priorities operating at the time. RTÉ's financial position will also be a factor.
Any proposals previously submitted to RTÉ in categories listed here, and which were rejected on a first reading in a previous Round, should not be re-submitted and will not be reconsidered.
