COMMISSIONING BRIEF
Cross Divisional Head of Children's Content - Sheila DeCourcy
Executive Producer, Animation & Independent Commissioning - Pauline Macnamara
**********************************************************
UPDATED: Friday 24th May 2013
RTÉ: OUTPUT for CHILDREN
RTÉ broadcasts two distinct programming blocks designed specifically for its younger audiences on television. For the 0-6 year olds RTÉjr delivers a mix of both original and acquired live action and animated programming on RTÉjr Saorview from 0900 - 1845 on weekdays. This programming is also broadcast on RTÉ TWO from 0900-1500 on weekdays, and during the early mornings at the weekend. For older audiences, aged 7-15, TRTÉ on RTÉ TWO delivers a mixed schedule from 1500-1730 weekdays and mornings at the weekend. In addition 'Two Tube', a third programming strand, for older teens and young adults runs from 1730-1900. All of our original programming is complemented by online content on our websites, and on digital radio. (During school holidays the schedule alters according to the availability of the young audience)
TYPES OF PROJECTS WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
RTÉ YPP looks for a broad range of material to meet the needs of these audiences. Entertainment, reality challenge, game shows, factual and lifestyle, drama and comedy are all of interest to us. Short-form series can work well as can longer series of half-hour programmes. Documentaries and specials also work well in our schedule. Both animated and live action treatments are of interest. As the online world is central to the world of today's child, we are looking for shows which will engage our audience on more than one platform. Proposals which embrace multi-platform will be favoured at assessment.
Above all, however, your proposal must have the capacity to bring something original, innovative and exciting to our audience.
Of particular interest to us at this time are co-productions with broadcasters or content producers in other countries. These should deliver material reflective of and relevant to youngsters living in Ireland in a way that is cost-effective to RTÉ.
WHAT HAS WORKED FOR OUR AUDIENCE?
Our audiences love to escape their daily lives with good stories, strong characters and loads of humour. They like people to look up to, people who will guide them through the messy business of everyday life, and entertain them on the way. They love (age-appropriate) anarchy and passion, but their lives are busy and their media lives even more cluttered. So TV content needs to hook them right from the opening moments of a show to the very end, and the content must have an online resonance. There must be something to talk about - whether in school or online after the show.
Since the launch of RTÉjr and TRTÉ in September 2010 we have seen the creation of many new series. On RTÉjr series such as the 'growing and cooking' series GRUBZ UP, OUT THE BACK in which a team of boys create games in the back garden and animation series GARTH AND BEV, I'M A MONSTER and THE MAD COWS have been successful with younger audiences, as has Irish/Welsh animation co-production THE ABADAS. PUNKY the animated series in which the central character has Down Syndrome has also been a special feature of RTÉjr.
Successful series on TRTÉ included OMG! JEDWARD'S DREAM FACTORY which saw Jedward make many children's dreams come true over 2011 Christmas/New Year period ; MISSION BEACH USA which brought 8 Irish 16 year olds to Florida to train as lifeguards; SING! - the teen entertainment game-show based on The Lyrics Board,; FRENEMIES, a debating gameshow, in which teenagers try to work out who is with them and who is against; Science challenge series THE MOUNTAIN and teen drama series THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WHATEVER based on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
New series commissioned for the 2012 autumn schedule include reality challenge series FOOTBALL'S NEXT STAR which will see one teenager win a contract with Celtic Football Club, BIG WAVE BOOTCAMP which will see eight teenagers take on the big waves of Oahu in Hawaii in a surfing series and PUMP UP MY DANCE a nine part dance audition series which will see youngsters put through their steps by international choreographers.
SO, WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE INTERESTED IN?
Original commissions provide highlights in our mixed schedule for young people. We are interested in innovative production models, original onscreen/online style and diverse approaches to storytelling in concepts which explore or reflect the livesof youngsters growing up in Ireland today. Co-productions on proposals which will contain a strong Irish component and provide our audience with good value-for-money content are particularly welcome. Given the profile of our audience every proposal should have an original complementary online component or dimension. Finally,as we are unlikely to commission a subject area already in the schedule, we highly recommend you familiarise yourself with our output before finalising your idea or proposal. We look forward to hearing from you.
************************************************************
Young Peoples Programmes
CHRISTMAS SHORTS for RTÉ's YOUNG PEOPLE'S OUTPUT.
RTÉ Young Peoples Programmes wishes to commission a series of Christmas 'shorts' - films which will be broadcast throughout the Young Peoples' schedule on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day 2013.
In this short series we would like to feature 'surprises', children surprising one another or family members with surprise treats or special events. Each two minute episode will be stand-alone and feature one story. The series can feature children from a broad regional spread or select one community to focus on. The stories should all feature the target audience (RTÉjr - under 7s; TRTÉ - 7-14s) however adults may be part of a film (as recipients or as facilitators of a surprise). It's not necessary for all of the surprises to be big showstoppers - small, high impact stories with big heart have equal appeal.
Given the positioning of these shorts in the schedule (24/25/26 December) the successful proposal will embrace the 'feel-good' spirit of the season. In keeping with Young Peoples Programmes' ethos, children will be in control. Also important to YPP is that the diversity of today's society in Ireland is represented.
It is not intended that the Young Peoples' presenters will feature in the series.
The shorts will be used as localising devices between programmes on RTÉ's output for children, bringing an Irish sensibility to these three holiday days.
Seven of the films will be transmitted on RTÉjr - for under 7's and the proposed treatment, participants and content should reflect this age-group.
Nine of the films will be transmitted on TRTÉ - for 7-14s and similarly the proposed treatment and content should reflect the world of this older age-group.
It is intended that the films will be broadcast a number of times on the days in question so repeatability will be a favoured quality.
No. of Shorts: 16 x 2'00" (or as agreed with Commissioning Team)
Total budget: €45000
The deadline for delivery of 16 x 2 minute short films to RTÉ is Friday 13th December 2013.
Submissions should demonstrate the company's ability to deliver in the following areas:
1. An understanding of RTÉ's Young Peoples Programmes and its target audience.
2. A demonstrated appreciation and understanding of the brief, as outlined above.
3. The production company illustrates a proven track record in production of programmes for children/young people.
4. Ability to engage strong production talent capable of delivering the proposal as required.
5. Is the proposal realisable with reference to budget, time-scale and other key elements?
These criteria are not in any particular order of importance.
Interested companies should submit a proposal which includes concept, narrative outline, treatment and budget by 5pm on Friday 21st June 2013. (Strict Deadline)
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 - Young Peoples "Christmas shorts 2013"
***********************ROLLING ROUND ***********************
*************************************************************
GAMESHOW or ENTERTAINMENT SERIES
Duration: 25 minutes
No. of Episodes: 9
Target Audience: 9-12 year olds (tweens)
Transmission: Weekdays 2013
Budget: Up to a maxium of €241,000**
Young Peoples Programmes is looking for proposals for an entertainment series which primarily targets the tweens audience (9-12 year olds) for transmission as part of the TRTÉ programme block.
Our audiences love good stories and strong characters. They enjoy humour, anarchy and passion. They need to be hooked from the opening moments of a show and entertained right to the very end. Successful programmes for this audience understand the audience and feature and reflect the themes which occupy their worlds and minds.
This particular age group is curious about growing up, about attaining independence from their parents, about developing personal relationships, about identity and how they should appear to their own peer group. Their generation is celebrity obsessed. Social media has created a world in which confident youngsters publish many aspects of their own lives and anybody can be a celebrity.
Other programmes which have been successful for this audience include FRENEMIES, a debate-based game show, SING! - a teen version of the gameshow The Lyrics Board and OMG! JEDWARD'S DREAM FACTORY. In the lifestyle/reality genre MISSION BEACH USA and ULTIMATE STREET CHALLENGE have also engaged the age-group successfully. A game show format with jeopardy, skill and fun at its core will have appeal. A series for this audience would need to incorporate the production values of adult/family shows: the jeopardy, the entertainment and the fun.
Each programme can be self-contained and capable of standing alone, however there should be a format or other defined identity that gives cohesion to the series.
Youngsters with strong, engaging characters should feature strongly on-screen in each programme and there should be a good regional spread amongst participants.
It is envisaged this series will be block recorded in a studio but ideas but location based ideas achievable for the available budget may also be considered.
Existing formats or formats new to RTE Young Peoples Programmes/Ireland will be considered.
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 Young Peoples "Gameshow or Entertainment Series"
*Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
*********************************************************
Lifestyle/Reality
No. of Episodes: Between 5-10 episodes
Duration: Half hour
Transmission: 5.00pm weekdays; 2013
Target Audience: 11-15s
Budget: Range €80,000 - €85,000 per hour**
What are we looking for?
We are looking for strong reality or ob-doc programming designed to appeal to tweens and teens. The appeal of this genre for Irish youngsters is evidenced by the recent successes with MISSION BEACH USA which saw 8 Irish 16 year olds take the challenge to train for 3 weeks at the Fort Lauderdale Junior Lifeguard Programme, and tackle sun, sea and survival on the Florida coastline and ULTIMATE STREET CHALLENGE which challenged 10 sixteen year olds in a series of physical and fitness trials using Dublin city as an urban gym. The successful proposal will feature teens taking part in a series which embraces the positive aspects of teen world - achievement, bond-building, physical challenge, positivity, friendship, happiness, overcoming fears etc. Ideas which see the participants in the outdoors, nature and sunshine also have an appeal.
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 Young Peoples "Lifestyle/Reality"
*Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
*************************************************************
SCIENCE SHORTS
No. of Episodes: 5 x short films
Duration: 2.5 min
Transmission: During Two Tube (between 5.30pm and 7pm weekdays) 2013
Target Audience: 11-18s
Budget: Up to a maxium of €28,000**
What are we looking for?
In support of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2014, Young Peoples Programmes would like to commission five short films which will play to a tween-teen/young adult audience in late 2013. The scope is broad - these shorts can be live action, animation, drama, documentary in style. They can be high concept and will be repeatable during the year either as stand-alone interstitials or as a series of inserts with a continuing narrative. Given the audience age profile, placing a wow-factor or humour at the core of these shorts is advantageous.
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 Young Peoples "Science Shorts 2013"
*Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
*************************************************************
ANIMATION for RTÉjr
No. of Episodes: Multiples of 5 or one-off specials
Budget: RTÉ Finance available to a max. of €60,000 per hour**
What are we looking for?
RTÉ YPP is interested in receiving your proposals for animated series suitable for the
RTÉjr audience. The RTÉjr audience is made up of two distinctive groups - under 4's and 4-6 year olds. For the Under 4s the world is a safe and magical place, and their lives are very defined by the range of their daily interactions. Series which continue to be successful with this audience include I'M A MONSTER, THE ABADAS, FLUFFY GARDENS and HAPPY VALLEY. For 4-6 year olds the world is opening up as they deal with everything going to school offers. For this audience PUNKY and GARTH AND BEV work particularly well.
Series commissioned for RTÉjr for the 2012-2013 season include 'I'M A MONSTER' which features information about monsters; THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO and 'JOE AND JACK' which features character-based stories.
When submitting an animation proposal for consideration it is helpful for us to have as much detail as possible. Ideally this should include Producers CV and Production Company information and similar for proposed co-producers, production bible (Including character description, project synopsis and episode outlines;) any completed scripts or pilot; rough indication of budget and finance plan including additional sources of finance.
Proposals may be considered for general Broadcaster support, support for BAI Sound and Vision Funding or other funding support. While it is appreciated that funding models necessitate proposals for animated series looking towards the international market, proposals that have an Irish resonance are of particular interest to us. This may be reflected in a number of ways including visual design; specific character qualities; soundtrack; editorial content amongst others.
We are also interested in proposals that offer versions in both the Irish and English languages, aswell as potentially other languages which are part of Ireland's cultural diversity. Proposals which bring an original or unique point of view, understanding or dimension to the RTÉjr schedule will be particularly welcomed.
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 Young Peoples "Animation for RTÉjr"
*Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
**********************************************************
ANIMATION for TRTÉ
No. of Episodes: Multiples of 5
Duration: Up to 24'00"
Budget: Funding available to a max of €75,000 per hour**
What are we looking for?
RTÉ YPP is interested in receiving your proposals for animated series suitable for the TRTÉ audience. The TRTÉ schedule has two distinctive focuses. When TRTÉ starts, following the end of RTÉjr channel block behind, the core audience is aged 7-10 years old. At this age the world is opening up , but it's still a time when youngsters want to be safe, and entertained, and to laugh a lot. BALLYBRADDAN and THE MAD COWS have worked very well for this audience.
Later in the afternoon tweens and teens join the TRTÉ audience. At this stage they want to escape (from school, authority, their parents.. You name it) but they want to feel safe; friends and fitting in are very important to them and anything that gets in the way is problematic; they love anarchy and madness and in consuming content they are platform-neutral, and will only stay with something if it engages them from the start - or if their friends are watching too. ROY has worked very well for this audience in 2012.
When submitting an animation proposal for consideration it is helpful for us to have as much detail as possible. Ideally this should include Producers CV and Production Company information, production bible (Including character description, project synopsis and episode outlines;) any completed scripts or pilot; rough indication of budget and finance plan including additional sources of finance.
Proposals may be considered for general Broadcaster support, support for BAI Sound and Vision Funding or other funding support. While it is appreciated that funding models necessitate proposals for animated series looking towards the international market, proposals that have an Irish resonance are of particular interest to us. This may be reflected in a number of ways including visual design; specific character qualities; soundtrack; editorial content amongst others.
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 Young Peoples "Animation for TRTÉ"
*Please note budget ranges are indicative only, and proposals that can achieve lower costs per hour will be particularly attractive'.
************************************************************
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.
