Cablog!

Today's Art History Leaving Cert Question on Pixar.

2011-06-16T22:22:00.000Z

'The success of Pixar animation studios is firmly fixed on the understanding that the animated world should be based on the real world'. Discuss this statement with reference to any one of Pixar's productions, such as Toy Story 1,2, and 3, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Wall-E and Up. AND Discuss briefly two film-making techniques that make these films so visually attractive. Illustrate your answer.

MIPTV 2010

2010-06-07T22:16:00.010Z

Data, Transmedia, 3DTV and Ash-clouds were among the buzz-words at MIPCOM 2010 which took place in Cannes in April.

While there seemed to be fewer attendees than usual at the event, there certainly wasn’t any shortage of useful info or contacts to be collected and stored for future use.

Aside from winning an iPad at the Cake party in the Old Town (thanks for the iPad and the cake, Cake!) three highlights worth a mention were the seminars with Tim Kring, creator of the tv series ‘Heroes’, a fascinating session with companies pushing the boundaries on augmented reality and Gavin McGarry’s (@gavinmcgarry) Digital Wrap Up - always a crowd pleaser. (If you only have time to go to one seminar at MIP, McGarry’s wrap-up should be it. You’ll learn more in 45mins than any book, blog, social media site, or video will ever tell you. Yes, that age-old past time of watching a man talk on a stage still works.

Transmedia Heroes

Tim Kring is a transmedia hero, so it comes as no surprise that his tv show ‘Heroes’ has become the case study in transmedia exploitation. An incredible amount of content was created in tandem with the tv show to continue the experience for fans across a variety of online and offline content, including motion comics, various augmented reality experiences and mobile content. The producers even took the audience engagement to the point of asking viewers to assist in the creation of new characters for the show. Tim picked up a Digital Emmy for his efforts in Cannes.

The lesson reinforced once again is that content producers must look beyond the tv when creating content. Producers need to be feeding the audience’s appetite for wanting to take their entertainment brand beyond traditional media and into other aspects of the viewer's world (both real and virtual). Cross platform is no longer a spin-off, it’s a necessity and while it’s been that way for some time now, it’s surprising how many companies are still very slow in getting into this space and more surprising how many are getting caught up in trying to chase the technology and not just jumping in and getting on with it, using whatever technology is available. ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ – as the book title says. If you wait for the right technology to come along, you will be waiting – it’s changing too fast to keep up. While producers obviously need to be aware of what platforms are available, more importantly they need to know what platforms and technologies makes sense for their content. If there’s no obvious augmented reality spin-off for your content for example, don’t waste your time trying to make one up just because that’s the trend at that time. Use what makes sense for your idea, your characters and their world.

The other obvious thing to be garnished from Tim’s seminar is that content is king (we've been hearing that for years now). Tim explains that at the heart of the ‘Heroes’ success is the fact that the show is based on archetypes of the traditional hero characters which have been around for hundreds of years in various forms of literature. All he did (he claims and makes it sound so easy) was to put a modern spin on these archetypes. He pointed out that the appeal of the show is that audience identifies with the characters and their struggle to find their own identity and ultimately accept who they are, something we all do at various stages in our ‘non-superhero’ lives. Spiderman and Batman do this too but 'Heroes' does it without the cape and tights and that’s the heart of the entire ‘Heroes’ concept – everything else spins from this. It’s interesting that something so complex in all its various executions can be boiled down to something as simple as that.

As an aside - following Tim’s session, Chris Albrecht of Starz Media discussed his latest international co-production ‘Camelot’ which is due to shoot in Ireland this summer taking full advantage of Irish directing talent (Ciaran Donnelly) along with Irish actors and Irish crew with post-production to be completed in Canada. For many US studios producing content on this scale, Albrecht suggests that international co-pros are the only way forward. Interesting quote: 'The World is TV - a truly global medium, now more than ever'.

It’s all about the data.

Data: Who owns it? Can you sell it? Should you sell it? Does it belong to the producer, the company who collects it, the service provider or the government? And would you surrender it if you were asked to?

Plenty of companies are shifting focus to the collection, management and analysis of data with many saying that the content is only as good as the data you can garnish from its exploitation. And you can understand why. Data can tell us so much about our audience and consumers but the debate continues around data retention and who should own it and if it's right to even share it. Is the real value in a company its ownership of the content and the IP or is the value in the data that goes along with the content more valuable? Also how do you visualize all this data? Endless pages of Excel docs? Surely not.

There are companies developing animated maps for example to illustrate data with incredible detail and instant readability in a way that no presentation could do justice to. Accurate data reporting is continuing to change the face of tv too and providing inroads for brands looking to target specific consumers. The challenge for the brands is in continuing to create engaging content in order to stimulate the consumer and keep them involved. Brands and producers need to cosy up a lot more if both are to survive. Taking entertainment brands out into public spaces with things like digital graffiti and augmented reality experiences continues to open up endless opportunities for producers but the majority of content in this space appears to be coming from the technology guys at the moment with some very interesting results.

Note: If you haven't seen this, check out 'Hidden Park' - a great augmented reality iPhone app for parents and kids.

3D or not 3D

3D (stereoscopic using polarized glasses) looks like it’s here to stay, at least that’s what you might think looking around MIP. And it’s well on its way to becoming a fixture in your home, much to the disappointment of the movie theatre owners who thought they may have had this exclusive attraction for a while longer. But no such luck. TV sets requiring no glasses like the one at the MDA Singapore stand (screening content created by Tiny Island Productions) are impressive. Certain technical issues (a slight strobbing if you move left to right in your seat too rapidly) will be ironed out in the months ahead but the ‘no-glasses-required’ is a big attraction for all the family. This version doesn't just use a second camera eye - but 16 individually rendered perspectives so everyone sitting on the sofa get a slightly different pov.

The Singapore stand also had 3D gaming on display from a projector. While it did require glasses, the idea of playing you favourite Xbox game in 3D is very intriguing and gaming is thought by ‘experts’ to be the best application for stereoscopic 3D in the near future. Telecast (who have been working with 3DTV for many years) have a tv that displays 3DTV when you wear the glasses but ‘magically’ returns to normal 2DTV when you take them off so everyone can watch the tv at the same time even if there are only a handful of glasses in the house.

However, recent health concerns over the affect that viewing 3D for extended periods of time might have on your eyesight, may ruin the party for everyone but we will just have to wait and see what the scientists say. Reminds me of mobile phone health scares . . . whatever happened to them?

Ps: The Playboy Channel did have some ‘interesting’ 3DTV content on display – proving once again that adult entertainment is always at the leading edge when it comes to adapting technology and content for consumers.

Word about iPads

There was a lot of talk about iPads with over 1million sold in the 30 days in the US (the iPhone took 74 days to reach the same volume). The jury is still out for lots of reasons but there’s definite potential in that-there new gadget with consumer brands leading the way in creating content. It was kinda strange to see numerous people wandering about with the new must-have toy, reminding me of guys in the 80’s with the first mobile phones – battery in one hand and the receiver in the other. Remember them? You know who you are. I did spot someone with an interesting case for their iPad that doubles up as a 'wedge' which holds the iPad in a laptop-like position making typing on the touchpad keyboard much easier. See it here: Apple Store iPad case

Gavin McGarry’s Digital Warp Up

@gavinmcgarry is definitely a great follow if you are a tweeter. His Digital Wrap-up session is always a great way to get a snap shot of where everything is at in the industry - technology, trends, brands, gadgets, the future – he has all the answers, well some at least.
Gavin works for Jumpwire Media in NY.

Few quick headlines to note from his session:

- If you are an executive of a media company - get the data on your desk every week.

- Micro payments are going to be even bigger in 2010 / 2011.

- Single sign-on is the way forward.

- HTML5 - get on board with this asap. (Did you see Google's banner for Pac-man's anniversary? HTML5).

- Everything to do with location awareness is going to be big.

- Creative commons - Click here to find out more it's fascinating.

- Check out the 'Did you know 4.0' video Click here

- Money making models more obvious on the web than ever before.

- Be curious (old skool media types V the new skool). Curiousity over command.

- Women leading the way in digital space because the are more curious and are asking the right questions.

- Think global.

- Social media is being positioned in marketing departments rather than under PR.

- More innovation happening outside America BUT if America is not taking to it, it's not seen as leading the way.

- Niche markets are key.

- Key ways to monetize online remain: freemium, subscription, affiliate, banner ads, sponsorship.

- Americans spend $260 per month on entertainment (poorest Americans spend $180 per month).

- Consumers will pay for a unique experience.

- Watch out for Yahoo Connected Tv.

- If you ever visit NY check out NY video.org (a video meet up group) - 'The stuff I've seen there is phenomenal'. David McGarry.

- Foursquare is big in NY

- Video is almost 50% of internet traffic and will be approx 64% of mobile traffic. Video has the highest rate you can monetize content at right now.

- Interesting note that every public Tweet is held in the Library of Congress in the US.

- Youtube CPM $10-$15 for a pre-roll. Overlay $8-$10. Homepage banner $200k-$300k. Just over one third of all video streams are monetised.

- Online video revenue increased while online revenue overall went down.

- Facebook and monetising video? Watch out.

- Cut down on your Twitter followers - quality over quantity.

Thanks to Gavin McGarry for pulling all this useful info together.

And then there was ‘ashcloud’

As MIPCOM 2010 came to a close on Thursday morning, a new word began to emerge: ‘ashcloud’. A development by Microsoft in the field of cloud-computing perhaps? Left over and unwanted data floating in the stratosphere waiting for some garage start-up to turn into a digital business and make a fortune from? No …. sadly it was a simple act of God (or an act of man as some would later debate) in the guise of a good old fashioned volcanic eruption in Iceland (7000kms) away which led to a complete grounding of all flights across Europe.

While the idea of being stranded in Cannes for a few days or even a week is not too shabby, there were those of us who wanted to get home asap. Cannes is expensive and straight way the opportunists came out of the wood work – car hire €900 per day???!!! Thanks anyway. In fairness though some of the hotels did reduce rates and even offered some rooms for free for a night or two until people had figured out a way to get home.

The biggest things we learned from ash-Thursday was, as Damien McCarney from Enterprise Ireland put it: ‘Without air travel, the world is a very big place’.

Our road trip from Cannes to Lille to Callis to Dover to Holyhead to Dublin (just under 2000kms in 2.5 days was followed by many on Twitter (thanks tweeters) and a series of bets on Facebook as to who would get home first saw some people garnish a small fortune out of other peoples' misfortune.

Once again social media led the way in getting info to the masses. Hashtags #getmehome and #ashcloud became the most followed in Europe with people offering free transport, accommodation and coach rides to help get you home.

Thanks to all who shared news, information, tips and suggestions to aid the thousands of travellers over the week.

Thanks also to the wonders of iPhone, Sat nav, strange French biscuits with apple inside and an empty Samsonite case for all your help on our adventure.

The Special 1 is returning to England for the World Cup.

2010-05-11T18:46:00.008Z

The BBC today confirmed today that Jose, aka The Special 1, will be hosting his new show, ‘Special 1 TV’ as part of BBC3’s World Cup coverage.

‘Special 1 TV’ is a topical spoof phone-in show hosted by puppet versions of Jose and co-hosted by Wayne Rooney and Sven Goran Eriksson. The show also features regular calls from managers like Rafa, Arsene ‘The Voyeur’ Wenger, and Mr. Alex (Ferguson). Set against the backdrop of the upcoming World Cup, players like Didier, Stevie G. and Beckham will contribute each week, as well as personalities from beyond the world of soccer like Nelson Mandela and a certain ‘Barack’ in Washington.

The comedy puppet series, originally created by Irish writer and impressionist Mario Rosenstock and producer, director and puppeteer Damian Farrell began on Setanta Sports in 2007. However, with Setanta’s demise, Jose put a transfer request in and BBC3 have since snapped him up.

The topicality of the show is the real hook, with Jose and his rubbery cohorts regularly taking on the traditional media with its version of footballs breaking headlines.

Mario Rosenstock says, ‘The idea of Jose, Sven, Wayne and Fabio as puppets is a mouth-watering prospect. With the puppets you have free range to poke fun and heighten the characteristics that already exist. Having written and performed many of these characters for over 10 years on the radio for the ‘Gift Grub’ comedy slot on Today FM’s breakfast show, it’s great to transform the same characters into puppets which also give us the license to veer towards the surreal.’

‘Special 1 TV’ episodes will be produced by production company Caboom for BBC3 and BBC online ahead of each of the England games, capturing the mood, atmosphere and anticipation from Jose’s South African studio in the lead up to what’s undoubtedly going to be one of the most exciting World Cup tournaments of recent years. With Wayne and Sven embedded in the tournament, Jose will be doing what he does best - shouting in his opinion from the outside.

Damian Farrell from Caboom says that ‘S1TV has proven to be a very unique and well-loved TV and online series, with its humour, topicality and fan interaction at the heart of its success. We are delighted to be working with the BBC on a World Cup version and very excited in particular with the opportunities presented to us in working with BBC online to further build on the social media and online potential of content like this.’

The show will also feature a puppet version of England manager Fabio Capello whose approach and attitude to the beautiful game will undoubtedly stand in complete contrast to puppet Sven’s tactics of hanging out in South Africa for the month, on an all expenses paid trip courtesy of the Ivory Coast.

‘Special 1 TV’ begins on BBC3 on June 11^th with daily episodes available on BBC online during the World Cup.

Follow 'Special 1 TV' on www.twitter.com/special1tv
And follow @caboomtweet on twitter for more details.

J.J. ABRAMS TO BE HONORED AT OSCAR WILDE EVENT

2010-02-26T19:18:00.032Z

Tom Cruise, Tim Roth and Brian O’Byrne, will be presenters at the fifth annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring The Irish in Film" pre-Academy Awards party, Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Ebell of Los Angeles.

The US-Ireland Alliance, a non profit organization that fosters ties between the US and Ireland, will honor multi-award-winning screenwriter, producer and director J.J. Abrams, cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, and actress Saoirse Ronan at the intimate, casual awards ceremony that has become a must-have ticket on the Thursday night before the Academy Awards.

Tom Cruise will present the Oscar Wilde to J.J. Abrams. It was recently announced that Tom will star in, and J.J. will produce, Mission Impossible IV for Paramount. The pair worked together on Mission Impossible III, which starred Mr. Cruise and was directed by Mr. Abrams. Mr. Cruise was most recently seen in Valkyrie and will next be seen this summer, in the action-comedy Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz. Mr. Cruise has starred in nearly 40 films with more than a dozen of them earning more than $100 million. He has been nominated for an Academy Award three times, for Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, and Born on the Fourth of July.

Tim Roth will present to Seamus McGarvey. The two met when Seamus was the cinematographer for The War Zone, a 1999 film directed by Mr. Roth. Tim made his studio feature debut in Rob Roy opposite Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange, in a villainous role that earned him Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. He currently stars in the Fox series, Lie to Me, as a pioneer in the field of deception detection. He was recently seen in The Incredible Hulk, Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, and Funny Games, opposite Naomi Watts. He gained worldwide recognition for his roles in two Quentin Tarantino films: Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

Saoirse Ronan will be unable to attend, as she will be filming in Europe. Directed again by Joe Wright, she will star as a teenage assassin in Hanna, co-starring Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana. Saoirse will accept her award by video and will be introduced in L.A. by Brían O'Byrne. Brían won a Tony Award for his portrayal of a serial killer in Frozen. He was also Tony nominated for his role as the priest in Doubt, for which he won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award. He was Tony nominated for his role in Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia and for the Drama Desk Award for his role in Conor McPherson’s Shining City. Directed by Garry Hynes, Brían was Tony nominated for roles in two Martin McDonagh plays -- The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West. Among his many film roles, he played the priest in Clint Eastwood’s,Million Dollar Baby and will soon be seen in Brooklyn’s Finest.

Caboom is proud to support this event and the ongoing work or Trina Vargo and the US Ireland Alliance.

For more details visit the US - Ireland Alliance website.

IFI Screening of Irish Oscar Nominations March 3rd 6.30pm

2010-02-26T18:13:00.004Z

The IFI celebrates Irish Oscar nominations with a special Ireland at the Oscars screening of all three nominated films; The Secret of Kells, The Door and Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

March 3rd 6.30pm

The IFI is delighted to present this event that celebrates the achievement of the three Irish films nominated for Oscars at the prestigious Academy Awards. The Secret of Kells has already proved to be a big hit during its Irish release and this event is also a rare chance to see the two nominated short films, The Door and Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty, in the cinema before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday 7th March.

The Secret of Kells, nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, is a magical animation in which a 12-year-old Brendan fights Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. The film was directed by Tom Moore for the Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny, the company he helped to found, and the film has recently secured a wide release in the United States for 2010.

The Door, nominated for Best Live-Action Short Film, is a powerful tale of life, loss and death set in Chernobyl in 1986 and was produced by Irish duo Louise Curran and James Flynn from Ardmore-based Octagon Films.

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty is a retelling of the well-known fairy tale by seemingly sweet Granny O’Grimm before things go decisively off the rails. The film was produced by Brown Bag Films who are no strangers to the Oscars, having been nominated in the same category in 2002 for Give Up Yer Aul Sins.

The films will be introduced by Sarah Glennie, IFI Director, and the evening will be attended by members of the Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty crew from Brown Bag Films.

RIP EUGENE LAMBERT (PULLING STRINGS - RTE ARTS LIVES)

2010-02-23T09:58:00.025Z

1 x 60 min documentary on the life and work of Irish puppeteer Eugene Lambert. This highly visual documentary traces the career of Ireland's leading puppet-performer from stage to radio (yes puppets on radio!) to black and white television, to colour television and back to theatre with the development of his own puppet theatre in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. Now in his seventies, Eugene looks back on his career with his wife Mai and 10 children, reflecting on changes in the business, the good times, the bad times and what it takes to ensure the show must go on. Directed by Damian Farrell & produced by Maria Horgan.

Damian Farrell: 'Working on this documentary was a real dream come through. Getting to pick Eugene's brain for a few months was great. His old stories, his crazy inventions and his memories of the early days of tv in Ireland were among our regular conversations. I remember bringing him a photograph of myself and my sisters standing in the door way of Wanderly Wagon - I was about 3 years old in the photo which taken in the mid 70's and featured in the closing credits of the doc. I remember vividly visiting the set of Wanderly Wagon on Sunday afternoons with my family to see the show being made. My dad worked in RTE at the time in set construction. I remember standing by the magic chute on the side of the Wagon as my sisters climbed inside and slid packets of Cadbury's buttons' down to my brother & I who eagerly took turns pulling the lever. We really believed it to be the most unusual wagon we ever saw!

'Waking Sleeping Beauty' - Trailer

2010-02-20T00:16:00.018Z

Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairytale. It is a story of clashing egos, out of control budgets, escalating tensions… and one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history. Director Don Hahn and producer Peter Schneider, key players at Walt Disney Studios Feature Animation department during the mid1980s, offer a behind-the-magic glimpse of the turbulent times the Animation Studio was going through and the staggering output of hits that followed over the next ten years. Artists polarized between the hungry young innovators and the old guard who refused to relinquish control, mounting tensions due to a string of box office flops, and warring studio heads create the backdrop for this fascinating story told with a unique and candid perspective from those that were there. Through interviews, internal memos, home movies, and a cast of characters featuring Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Roy Disney, alongside an amazing array of talented artists that includes Don Bluth, John Lasseter, and Tim Burton, Waking Sleeping Beauty shines a light on Disney Animation’s darkest hours, greatest joys and its improbable renaissance. From Apple Trailers.

If Jason Reitman & Pete Docter had worked together . . . .

2010-02-19T07:49:00.005Z

Spotted on http://www.slashfilm.com

Toy Fair NY 2010

2010-02-16T06:48:00.019Z

'Toy Fair' is all about Toys as the name suggests. Thanks to Joanne@caboom for the pics!

Here Comes 'Toy Story 3'

2010-02-14T15:53:00.007Z

Some of the new characters from the upcoming 'TOY STORY 3'.

Click below for a bunch of trailers incase you haven't seen them:

'TOY STORY 3' TRAILERS

Tim Burton Exhibition @ MoMA New York

2010-02-14T01:13:00.014Z

If in New York be sure to check out the Tim Burton Exhibition at MoMA. Fantastic collection of artwork, sketches, models, costumes and other oddities from the work of one of the most influential animators and directors of our time.

Some great unseen videos of Burton's early animations and student art.

Check out the animated advert for the exhibition - it's great.

Click here for Tim Burton MoMA advert

Also check out how this ad was made - it's even greater!

The 'Making Of' the Tim Burton MoMA advert

KIDSCREEN 2010 – Was it worth it?

2010-02-14T00:16:00.020Z

Participant numbers seemed to be down this year at Kidscreen. Snow in NY meant a slow start on day 1 but it did get busier up as the week went on.

Interesting points to note from the event:

MULTI-PLATFORM & TRANSMEDIA now more important than ever. When first muted at KS some years ago, broadcasters didn’t really ‘get it’ but now it’s a must for most broadcasters to have at least an online component for any IP they are investing in aswell as multiple other opportunities in other media for the content to perform. Though revenue models are still some what cloudy, it’s more about continuing the engagement with your audience than generating revenue when it comes to the online experience.

THEY ARE NOT EVEN WATCHING TV! A lot of conversation was given to the fact that more and more kids are spending less and less time sitting in front of the goggle-box and finding their favourite tv shows and movies on their computer.

CO-PRODUCTIONS. With funding more and more difficult to come by, everyone is looking at co-pros with countries who have tax credit schemes. So there were a lot of conversations about Ireland, Canada & Australia banding together to get projects off the ground. But co-productions are not easy – you have been warned!

IRELAND. The Irish sector was a hot topic with the Oscar nominations, the presence of ‘Animation Ireland’ and its participating studios, a Kidscreen award for Campbell Ryan’s Production ‘Aisling’s Diary’ and a visit from Minister Kelleher to a reception hosted by Enterprise Ireland firmly putting the Irish on the map.

WHAT DO BROADCASTERS WANT? Comedy, particularly for boys 6-11, is still the genre in demand by most broadcasters. The next ‘Sponge Bob’ please. Preschool is over saturated and the most difficult space to sell into. A lot of broadcasters are looking at successful book properties as potential investments for tv.

LOW-BUDGET ANIMATED FEATURES and by low-budget, they mean below 10million USD, seems to be a land of opportunity for animation producers. It’s considered by many to be an easier play than tv at the moment and ‘The Secret Of Kells’ the little-Irish-feature-that-could, seems to prove the theory true. Also worth noting was Fred Seibert’s comment that if you are not generating revenue from your online activity, then use that presence to do something different like promotion or building your audience.

THE FASTEST SEMINAR AT KIDSCREEN seemed to be a 45min session with David Freeman, author of a screenwriting book called ‘Beyond Structure’. He went through the 5 key writing elements in a Pixar Movie. Short but insightful. Nothing you haven’t seen before but a good refresher course in why Pixar stories work so well.

THE COMMENT BOX:

MEETING POINTS: Organisers need to arrange and signpost a number of meetings points around the auditorium. In previous years landmarks of large plastic statues or banners of our favourite cartoon characters meant it was easy for people to tell others where to meet them. The layout this year lacked such focal points meaning it took forever for everyone to find their next meeting into valuable meeting time and pushing meetings later and later.

MORE SOFA'S & TABLES: There’s never enough seating so you literally end up sitting on the floor at points. There may be a reason for this (safety and fire regulations) but there did seem to be a lot of spare space that could do with a few more chairs.

LABELS ON THE TABLES: Using numbers or the names of characters to differentiate the sofas areas is a must. ‘We are sitting at Dora’s table . . . come and join us’. This makes it very easy for people to find each other for meetings, again saving everyone some time.

MORE POWER SOCKETS: With most people using laptops or mobile devices to show demos and presentations for hours on end, it happens that your device will need a power boost at some time during the day. Can we have more power points please Brunico?

THAT'S ALL FOLKS, NOW GO HOME: On the final day, the furniture removal men show up at 4pm to de-rig the auditorium, forcing people out into the corridors to continue meetings. 4pm is far too early to stop – it needs to go to at least 5.30pm OR if you must de-rig at 4pm, at least get the Hilton to open at the bar from 4pm so participants can still chat and relax after 3 busy days. There were approx 150 people sitting in the bar for about an hour before the barmen show up (happens every year), people who would have happily purchased an overpriced drink. How much money are the Hilton loosing out on in that time? Insane.

SO, WAS IT ALL WORTH IT?

Yes, Kidscreen is always worth it. It continues to help you build relationships with broadcasters, producers, distributors and a variety of other talent from around the world. It facilitates in helping establishing new contacts, seeing what else is going on in the market, identifing trends and opportunities and possibly triggering that one deal that changes everything for you.

Here’s to Kidscreen 2011.

Irish Animation Companies Shine at KidScreen 2010 in New York

2010-02-11T12:18:00.002Z

NEW YORK and DUBLIN, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, top executives and much of the creative talent drivingIreland's film animation industry are gathering in NY to showcase their latest productions at the KidScreen Summit, an annual conference focused on the childrens' entertainment industry. The event draws TV programming executives, producers and distributors who influence the market success of inventive new productions. Irish companies represented at the Summit include: Boulder Media, Brownbag Films, Caboom, Cartoon Saloon, CR Entertainment, Hibernian American,Jam Media, Kavaleer, Magpie 6 Media, Monster Animation, Monster Distributes and Telegael.

The Irish delegation is supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Government agency responsible for the development and promotion of Ireland's indigenous business sector. Leading the delegation is Ireland's Minister for Trade and Commerce,Billy Kelleher, who will host a reception for the Irish companies and their US guests during the conference.

With two 2010 Academy Award nominees in the mix and several additional award-winning production companies, this year's KidScreen event marks a high point for the Irish animation industry. For generations, Ireland has produced well-known writers, actors, artists and some of the world's most successful musicians. More recently, that same creative streak has extended into the film business, where artistry has blended with advanced technology and entrepreneurship to ignite a vibrant new animation industry.

Today, more than 50 Irish animation companies offer a broad range of products and services to the worldwide entertainment market. They include dedicated animation companies, post-production houses, flash and mobile content developers, advertising and TV/film production companies. Collectively, their work has captured accolades at prestigious awards events, including Sundance, the Emmys and Oscars, Cartoon Forum and the ANNIE Awards. Several companies have also been recognized for their entrepreneurial flair by Ernst & Young in its annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

"The animation space has grown steadily over the last two decades and is now the largest provider of full-time and permanent employment in Ireland's broader film and TV sector," said Minister Kelleher. "What's more exciting, however, is how quickly the Irish studios have claimed mindshare and established a strong competitive position in international entertainment markets. This takes unique, high-quality productions with universal appeal—especially in the US where the competition includes some of the biggest names in the animation business. The creative talent behind these endeavors is a source of great national pride," added the Minister.

Among the Academy Award nominees are: Brownbag Films, a contender in the short animation category for its "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" production and Cartoon Saloon, whose feature-length production of "The Secret of Kells" was shortlisted for an award in the animated feature film category. For Brownbag Films, this year's Oscar nomination is a repeat performance. The company was nominated for an earlier short film in 2002. Its latest production has already received 11 national and international awards.

To learn more about Enterprise Ireland, please visit www.enterprise-ireland.com or www.americas.enterprise-ireland.com.

To learn more about the Irish animation companies attending KidScreen Summit 2010, please visitwww.animationireland.com.

SOURCE Enterprise Ireland

37th Annual Annie Award Winners

2010-02-07T09:35:00.002Z

Best Animated Feature
Up — Pixar Animation Studios

Best Home Entertainment Production
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder — The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Best Animated Short Subject
Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 — ShadowMachine

Best Animated Television Commercial
Spanish Lottery “Deportees” — Acme Filmworks, Inc.

Best Animated Television Production
Prep and Landing — ABC Family/Walt Disney Animation Studios

Best Animated Television Production for Children
The Penguins of Madagascar — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

Animated Effects
James Mansfield “The Princess and the Frog” — Walt Disney Animation Studios

Character Animation in a Television Production
Phillip To “Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space” — DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Eric Goldberg “The Princess and the Frog” — Walt Disney Animation Studios

Character Design in a Television Production
Bill Schwab “Prep and Landing” — Walt Disney Animation Studios

Character Design in a Feature Production
Shane Prigmore “Coraline” — Laika

Directing in a Television Production
Bret Haaland “The Penguins of Madagascar - Launchtime” — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Feature Production
Pete Docter “Up” — Pixar Animation Studios

Music in a Television Production
Guy Moon “The Fairly OddParents: “Wishology-The Big Beginning” — Nickelodeon

Music in a Feature Production
Bruno Coulais “Coraline” — Laika

Production Design in a Television Production
Andy Harkness “Prep and Landing” — Walt Disney Animation Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
Tadahiro Uesugi “Coraline — Laika

Storyboarding in a Television Production
Robert Koo “Merry Madagascar” — DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Tom Owens “Monsters vs. Aliens” — DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Television Production
Tom Kenny - Voice of SpongeBob - “SpongeBob SquarePants — Truth or Square” — Nickelodeon

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Jen Cody - Voice of Charlotte - “The Princess and the Frog” — Walt Disney Animation Studios

Writing in a Television Production
Daniel Chun - “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX” — Gracie Films

Writing in a Feature Production
Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach - “Fantastic Mr. Fox” — 20th Century Fox

List of Oscar Nominees in Best Animated Feature & Best Animated Short Film for 2010

2010-02-02T13:51:00.004Z

The list of nominees for animation Oscars, have been announced.

They are:

Best Animated Feature

Coraline

Fantastic Mr Fox

The Princess & The Frog

The Secret Of Kells

Up

Best Animated Short

French Roast

Granny O'Grimm

The Lady & The Reaper

Logorama

A Matter of Loaf and Death

Congrats to Brown Bag Films & Cartoon Saloon! Best of luck next month.

Irish Animators Drawing International Attention

2010-02-01T10:11:00.001Z

IRISH TIMES

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

ANALYSIS: Aside from plaudits, Irish animation also earns its keep with revenues of over €40m, writes PAMELA DUNCAN

IRISH ANIMATORS are continuing to draw international attention with two Irish animated films on the shortlist for Oscar nomination, and two more shown at Sundance Film Festival.

The Secret of Kells has made the last 16 in the animated feature film section at the Oscars, while Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty has been shortlisted for nomination in the animated short film category. The final five nominations in each category are to be announced tomorrow. Old Fangs, produced by Kilkenny company Cartoon Saloon, and Please Say Something , directed by David O’Reilly, also from Kilkenny, were both shown at Sundance.

But aside from earning plaudits, the Irish animation sector is also earning its keep. Dubbed the “star performer” of the film and TV industry in this year’s report of the Audiovisual Federation, the sector’s total output reached €38.9 million in 2008, with €43 million estimated for 2009. Animation is the only independent audiovisual sector which predicts growth this year. It is now the largest provider of full-time employment in the Irish independent film and television sector, with 337 jobs in 2008.

Kevin Moriarty, chairman of the Audiovisual Federation steering committee, says that the animation industry is a perfect example of the smart economy.

There are innate advantages to animation. Firstly, there is a wide audience given that animation is easily dubbed into other languages. Good for employees is that it takes time: 30 seconds of animation can take a week. “The gestation period for productions can be one, two or three years – so . . . people have regular employment,” Moriarty says.

Cathal Gaffney, co-founder of Dublin-based Brown Bag Films, and a nominee for this year’s Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, says that the success of the Irish animation sector is bigger than the sum of its parts.

“A lot of the studios have matured and have a strong presence in the international marketplace now,” he says.

Brown Bag Films currently has 55 full-time staff, providing another 15 jobs on a freelance basis. Gaffney says that, as indigenous studios invest money back into Irish animation, they are building the industry and securing long-term work. Gaffney points to Nicky Phelan, who joined Brown Bag Films after college and worked his way up to direct the Ifta-winning short Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty .

“The people working in animation . . . they’re building a career, and you can see them moving around studios and staying in studios for a number of years. It is very heartening because it makes the animation sector very strong internationally,” says Gaffney.

However, difficulties remain. Gaffney says that Irish studios succeed in spite of the absence of a strong domestic market. “We really have no option but to become an export-focused sector,” he says, adding that 90 per cent of Brown Bag’s business is export-based.

Irish studios have built up good relationships in different territories to ensure a flow of work into the country.

Through a combination of collaborations, work-for-hire productions and creating, producing and exploiting intellectual property, Ireland has made a name for itself as “a safe pair of hands”.

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.

Studios are also exploiting technological avenues. JAM Media is in the process of further developing its “head-hunter” technology, which allows users to use their image to become the star of their own show. Chief executive John Rice says Irish studios are “punching above their weight” on the international market, aided by the tax incentive and Irish 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.

Star studios: top producers

Brown Bag Films

Best known for Oscar-nominated short Give Up Yer Aul Sins . Successful TV series include Olivia for US Nickelodeon and Noddy in Toyland .

Cartoon Saloon

Producer of the Year at Cartoon Forum in 2008 and Producer of the Year at Cartoon Movie in 2009. Tomm Moore, director of The Secret of Kells , was named Director of the Year at Cartoon Movie in 2009. The Secret is one of two 2D films on the shortlist for nomination in the animated feature film category for the Oscars. The studio’s Skunk Fu! series has been broadcast in over 120 countries.

JAM Media

Achieved critical acclaim with the BBC series Roy , which centres on the trials and tribulations of a cartoon boy who lives in the real world. The series was born out of a short called Badly Drawn Roy .

Barley Films

Currently working on a feature length animation, Little Caribou .

Kavaleer

Series Garth and Bev is broadcast on CBeebies. The company has just signed a deal with Yowza to bring Mort Walker’s comic strip Hi Lois to the small screen.

Monster Animation

Series Ballybraddan was launched on RTÉ in 2009. Its Fluffy Gardens series was a global success.

Magma Films

Niko and the Stars was distributed worldwide.

Where do animators fit into the 'fame' chain?

2010-01-29T14:40:00.012Z

Thanks to CG at BBF for this one!

Kidscreen 2010

2010-01-28T13:20:00.012Z

Kidscreen Summit 2010

Next month, a host of Irish Animation companies will be back at Kidscreen in New York.

“Over 1500 Kids entertainment execs from around the world are expected to attend the three day event to engage in critical dialogue on issues that affect the industry; take advantage of some of the industry’s best networking opportunities; recognize and understand current market needs, opportunities and challenges; learn more about key innovators and their vision; and find and share ideas that will drive their businesses forward.”

And the Irish animation headlines keep getting better and better, with Brown Bag Films and Cartoon Saloon no doubt the names on everyones lips following 12 months of great success with 'Granny O'Grimm' and 'The Secret Of Kells' respectively. And almost every other Irish animation studio has things to shout about too as their work now airs in many countries around the world, on most of the leading networks.

The Irish animation sector has also made the headlines of the business pages aswell. According to the recently published IBEC report, the Irish animation sector is the only part of the Irish audio visual industry to demonstrate increased growth over the past numbers of years, creating sustainable employment with ongoing investment in staff and training. All this despite receiving the smallest share of available public funding for production which has meant that Irish producers have to look to international co-productions with the UK, Europe, US & Canada as a way of funding their own projects. So it's by no means an industry without it's challenges!

Supported by Enterprise Ireland, 'Animation Ireland', the brand under which the Irish studios collectively market themselves, has also picked up momentum representing the interests of the animation studios to Irish broadcasters and funding bodies aswell as hosting events with animation historian John Canemaker and participation in ISA CON 2010.

And we think the government are at last taking notice of the sector's growing success with an Irish government minister scheduled to drop by at Kidscreen to witness first hand the Irish producers hard at work. He will also be attending a networking reception on the Wednesday evening for Irish and international producers to swap stories.

If you are attending Kidscreen 2010 and interested in finding out more about producing animation in Ireland, check out www.animationireland.com

'The Princess and The Frog' Irish Premier

2010-01-28T11:02:00.005Z

Irish animation folk were out in force last night at the Irish Premier of Disney's return to traditional animation with 'The Princess & The Frog'. A packed Savoy cinema greeted co-directors John Musker & Ron Clements, legendary Disney animator Andreas Deja, the film's producer Peter Del Vecho and the voice of the Princess herself, actress Anika Noni Rose.

The movie is a true Disney flick - traditional fairy tale story telling, lots of musical moments, fantastic production design and the best hand-drawn animation around. Some surprises too (bring your hankies).

One big advantage that traditional animation has over CG is that it doesn't seem to date as quickly. Already movies like 'Toy Story' are showing their age because Pixar themselves are making such massive leaps with the technology that they can barely keep up with their own success. 'Toy Story' will always be a bench mark movie because of it's 'cutting edge' CG but it's the story and characters that makes it a re-watchable feast every time. Having said that, we can still put a date on it - somewhere mid 90's . . whereas many of the hand-drawn movies seem to be less period specific. 'Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and The Beast' and 'Princess and The Frog' look like they could all have been made at the same time but they span almost 3 decades!

Comparing the movie's story treatment to that of a Pixar movie, one wonders if Disney's traditional animation team will ever do a movie that's more mad-cap in execution along the lines of the 'Incredibles' or 'Monster's Inc'. We can see that Pixar are most definitely making their mark with deep heart felt story lines as in 'UP'. Is traditional hand-drawn animation destined to be the medium of choice for fairy tales? What would happen if Andrew Stanton & Co gave one of their stories to Clements & Musker an his team . . . time will tell.

Thanks to Trish Long and her team at Disney in Ireland for a great night.

WANTED: SOCIAL MEDIA MODERATOR

2009-12-18T18:43:00.010Z

Caboom is looking to hire a 'Social Media Moderator' to assist in a variety of tv and branded entertainment projects in 2010. Suitable applicants should be familiar with all the inner and outer workings of most leading social media sites. While the chosen candidate will be working to a brief, they will be required to generate their own editorial and fuel the online life of a project. An understanding of metrics and analytics is essential and a knowledge of online marketing, a huge benefit.

Please email your CV to info@caboom.ie outlining relevant experience and knowledge with links to your work.

An Evening With John Canemaker

2009-12-04T23:01:00.017Z

As part of John Canemaker's fellowship at IADT, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to interview him at the Lighthouse Cinema for an Animation Ireland Q&A.

Having sat in on one of John's masterclasses at IADT earlier that afternoon, it was amazing to see how he seamlessly blends animation history and practical production advise, delivered in a calm and entertaining manner, into an unmissable lecturing experience.

The Q&A followed John's presentation on 'The Art & Flair Of Mary Blair' - a display of over 200 images of work from one of Disney's most distinctive concept artists along with a vast selection of her independent designs. Seeing concept art on a full size cinema screen was hugely refreshing and indeed inspiring!

Over the course of our 1 hour conversation, John discussed many topics from the affects of technology on animation production & distribution, to encouraging animators to look to the performance arts for inspiration and knowledge. He chatted about his animation work for Sesame Street and the emphasis he puts on teaching the art of storytelling to animation students at NYU, as well as stressing the need for the industry as a whole to bridge the gap between education & industry.

John's new book 'Two Guys Named Joe' (due out in 2010) is a must have for any practitioner or fan of animation. This is John's 10th book and it looks at two of the most important people who influenced storytelling in animation - Joe Grant & Joe Ranft.

Many thanks to Donald Taylor-Black of IADT, Eileen Bell of Enterprise Ireland, The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and The Irish Film Board for their support in bringing John to Ireland and allowing us pick his brains of an evening!

All photos are copyright John Canemaker 2009

GIFT GRUB LIVE

2009-09-29T15:35:00.012Z

Caboom is delighted to be associated with the upcoming production of 'Gift Grub Live' at Vicar Street in November. Following on from the success of 'Special 1 Tv' Mario Rosenstock has chosen to bring us onboard his next adventure as he takes his hugely successful 'Gift Grub' brand to the stage for the first time. 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of Gift Grub. 'Gift Grub Live' is a Rag Lane Production.

'THE SECRET OF KELLS'

2009-08-26T15:09:00.014Z

The very talented Irish animation director, Tomm Moore from Kilkenny based studio Cartoon Saloon recently presented his animated feature 'The Secret Of Kells' to a special audience of SDGI members. What was great to see was that some liveaction directors also showed up for the event. The movie is beautifully crafted, with some stunning hand-drawn animation (yes, we did say 'hand-drawn', remember that from the 1990's?). The art direction, character design and background layout had so much detail that an audience viewing this on any small screen laptop, mobile phone, or a tv wrist-watch are doing themselves and the project an injustice. The bigger the screen the better in this case. We reckon 'The Secret Of Kells' is one of those movies with a long shelf-life timeless in both storytelling and style. Well done Tomm & Co.

Batman's Digital Campaign

2009-07-27T17:21:00.037Z

BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT - CASE STUDY

This clip demonstrates the mix of digital advertising, branded entertainment, traditional advertising and Flash mob activity that was used to create a buzz for 'The Dark Night' - the ultimate digital campaign! In this case the brand was 'Batman' and the product was the new movie.

Wikipedia defines Branded Entertainment as 'an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by and complementary to a brand's marketing strategy. The purpose of a branded entertainment program is to give a brand the opportunity to communicate its image to its target audience in an original way, by creating positive links between the brand and the program'.

The most successful branded entertainment work, results from the perfect association between the entertainment content and the values of the brand - in simple terms - cheeky brand, cheeky content, sophisticated brand, sophisticated content etc.

Branded Entertainment can also involve sponsorship and product placement where the brand association makes sense and the integration of product and content feels completely natural and unobtrusive.

Branded Entertainment can involve a variety of digital deliverables with no two branded entertainment strategies using the same components or distribution platforms.

Deliverables can include webisodes, games, iPhone apps, virtual worlds, micro-sites, ARGs, MMOS and lots more. Distribution of the content can be online, in the real world, use traditional media, appear on mobile or utilise digital signage to reach an audience.

An important element of any branded entertainment production is the ability to get the content to your audience once it's created. This is where digital advertising and digital marketing come into play and a complete understanding of how to 'work' social media to make your content stand out, is absolutely crucial. Giving the audience the tools and allowing them engage with the content adds a further layer to its value - mash-ups, re-voicing & integrating viewers comments into the body of the content can go a long way in bridging the gap between brand and consumer.

Measuring the results (views, hits, comments & clicks) and reacting to those results is also crucial if you are to provide a fully rounded proposition that works for both client and consumer.

Caboom is combining its background in commercial production & long-form entertainment production to position itself as a branded entertainment partner, producing content and digitally distributing the content with measured results for agencies and brands.

Some of our branded entertainment projects include work for Warner Brothers motion comics, Icebox for the Fox News Channel, The Red Charity and our comedy web-series 'Special 1 Tv'.

For a more detailed look at 'Special 1 Tv' and its use of social media, click here.

IKEA

2009-07-23T07:42:00.009Z

With the opening of the IKEA store in Dublin happening on July 27th, I noticed a simple but very effective little piece of advertising in action this morning on my way to work. Along the Northside of the river between the 02 & IFSC, each bench had a brightly coloured cushion with an invitation to the opening of the new store next week. As I walked the distance of the display, everyone who walked by (including a poor homeless guy), stopped to see what it was all about. The cushion had a simple message - 'IKEA' Take A Seat' Opening July 27th 2009. Free & With compliments from IKEA'. Oddly through, no one was actually taking the free product away. They just looked, read the message, gave a little smile and went on their way. Nice & simple!

Click the pic to see it up close.

Michael Jackson June 25th 2009

2009-06-26T21:00:00.042Z

Michael Jackson June 25th 2009 by Damian Farrell.

While it's a very unlikely topic for our blog but couldn't resist the doing something on the passing of 'The King Of Pop' Michael Jackson.

Without a doubt the world has lost an icon and despite the massive controversy that sounded him in the later years of his life, Michael Jackson was a very influential figure to many creative industries. He not only paved the way for a generation of African Americans, defining music styles that would influence many artists in the industry today but his creative impetus has been so apparent in music videos, animation, special effects and live performances for 40 years. From the development of the morphing technique in the 'Black & White' music video to the 'Jackson 5' animation series to his experimental film work in 'Moonwalker', Jackson was always on top of, and often the setter of, many trends in the audio visual world.

I happened to be in LA when news of his death broke yesterday afternoon and decided, like hundreds of others, to go along to UCLA Hospital for The Jackson Vigil from about 10pm until about 2am and then on to Michael's star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

On route to the hopsital, at the very end of Sunset Blvd in Bel Air, crowds had already assembled at Michael's house. While I was there, the owner of the house from whom Michael was renting was in deep conversation with the LAPD who had closed off the entire street to everyone - including the property's unhappy owner.

The atmosphere at hospital was like a music festival. Very upbeat with small groups of people knocking out Jackson tunes on ghetto blasters and Casio keyboards. The crowd was a complete mix - young and old, every race and people from all over the world and a guy claiming to be Jesus also showed up to participate - it is LA after all!

While many news networks compared the public reaction to the reaction following the death of Princess Diana, the mood in LA was alot less sombre. Perhaps it hasn't sunk in yet that The King Of Pop is dead.

Needless to say it's a media frenzy and an interesting battle between the traditional media (tv networks & press) and the bloggers and various online sites that were covering the event.

The story broke on TMZ.com. and was quickly picked up by Twitter where all kinds of rumors were instantly going around about him being dead then saying he was in a coma with some indicating that it may just be a publicity stunt for the upcoming tour. This really fuels a debate that's been going on whether social media sites, like Twitter, are reliable sources of information. Twitter 'crashed' numerous times yesterday as did Google. Fox, NBC or CBS never once fell off air!

The face of the new news generation was very apparent at the Vigil outside UCLA last night - with the new Apple iPhone the tool of choice for many to record history unfolding. While the big networks struggled with heavy camera and lighting equipment, blocking the surrounding streets with Satellite trucks, working with 4 man crews and news anchors in pressed suits rehearsing their script before going 'live' - it was interesting to watch the new generation in action - one guy, in jeans and tshirt had his Macbook standing on an extendable table streaming his 'report' back to a website, competently speaking off the cuff. Another Spanish speaking host moved among the crowd, chatting to people while his friend, using a camera-phone, streamed the interviews back to a leading Hispanic website.

By 2am the crowd had dwindled to about 50 people, with most leaving to make their way to the Hollywood Walk of Fame (myself included).

Earlier in the afternoon Sasha Baron Cohen's new movie 'Bruno' was Premiering at Grumman's Chinese Theatre. As a result, Hollywood Blvd was closed and no one could get access to Michael's star on the Walk Of Fame. So a small group had set up a mid-afternoon vigil on Sunset and Vine to hijack the star of a chat show host with the same name, Michael Jackson. Sometime after 10pm when Hollywood Blvd opened up again, fans started pouring to the area - placing photos, drawings, flowers and candles around the real Michael Jackson star.

By the time we arrived at the star at about 3am - the news crews of CNN and NBC were well embedded in the area and seemed to planning to stay there for the next few days.

It's now 2.30pm Friday just over 24 hours since the news first broke and the biggest questions circulating in the media - what exactly happened to Michael Jackson, when is the funeral, what will happen to Michael's children and who get's his money.

For some pics on last night's events, click here!

Michael's Star Hollywood Blvd 3am

MORE ABOUT OUR TV WORK

2009-06-21T06:12:00.043Z

CABOOM TV CREDITS INCLUDE:

'SPECIAL 1 TV' (formerly known as 'I'm On Setanta Sports')

'Special 1 Tv' has just completed it's second season, winning an award from EPLTalk, the leading online soccer blog. The second series of the show built it's international audience on tv and online using tv, traditional media and digital social media to engage with it's audience.

'Special 1 Tv' sees puppet versions of Jose Mourinho (The Special One), Wayne, Sven, Fabio Capello and 'Ronnie' (all written and voiced by Mario Rosenstock, produced and directed by Damian Farrell and exec produced by Tony Whelan) tackle the Premier League headlines in a very topical and unique way.

Check out www.youtube.com/doitchampions & www.twitter.com/special1tv

'ANONYMOUS SERIES 1&2 ' (12 x 30' for Animo TV & Kite Entertainment)

'Anonymous' is a highly original comedy tv format created by Animo Tv & Kite Entertainment. The hidden-camera series produced by Darren Smith and Adrian Lynch, written and directed by Damian Farrell, sees numerous celebrities like popstar Samantha Mumba, tv presenters Pamela Flood & Hector, comedian Des Bishop, soap actor Keith Duffy, singer/songwriter Ronan Keating and snooker ace Ken Doherty attempt to hide their fame and go undercover in prosthetic make-up, to pull stunts on unsuspecting members of the public and some of their own showbiz mates.

'MIND, MYTHS & MAGIC' 1 x 60mins

This 1 hour Christmas Special staring Irish Magician Keith Barry fused mythology, magical illusions and hypnosis. Filmed on location at Charleville Castle in Co. Offaly, this gothic setting provided a stunning backdrop and added much atmosphere to Keith's performances which included hosting a seance with the ghost of a young girl who died in the castle over 200 years ago. The castle has been investigated by many paranormal investigation groups from around the world and was featured on ABC Family's 'Scariest Places On Earth' and on 'Ghost Hunters International'.

'BEFORE THE HUNGARIANS'

1 x 60 min documentary on the 1949 Irish Soccer team who were the first foreign team to beat England on home soil at Goodison Park. Stories and memories with many players of the day including goal scorer Con Martin & Sir Tom Finney. Also featured Jack Charlton, Eamon Dunphy, John Giles, Dr Gareth Fitzgerald and many past Irish managers and journalists. Directed by Brian O'Flaherty & produced by Damian Farrell & Al Byrnes.

'PULLNG STRINGS' (RTE Arts Lives 2004 for Liberty Films)

1 x 60 min documentary on the life and work of Irish puppeteer Eugene Lambert. This highly visual documentary traces the career of Ireland's leading puppet-performer from stage to radio (yes puppets on radio!) to black and white television, to colour television and back to theatre with the development of his own puppet theatre in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. Now in his seventies, Eugene looks back on his career with his wife Mai and 10 children, reflecting on changes in the business, the good times, the bad times and what it takes to ensure the show must go on. Directed by Damian Farrell & produced by Maria Horgan.

Damian Farrell: 'Working on this documentary was a real dream come through. Getting to pick Eugene's brain for a few months was great. His old stories, his crazy inventions and his memories of the early days of tv in Ireland were among our regular conversations. I remember bringing him a photograph of myself and my sisters standing in the door way of Wanderly Wagon - I was about 3 years old in the photo which taken in the mid 70's and featured in the closing credits of the doc. I remember vividly visiting the set of Wanderly Wagon on Sunday afternoons with my family to see the show being made. My dad worked in RTE at the time in set construction. I remember standing by the magic chute on the side of the Wagon as my sisters climbed inside and slid packets of Cadbury's buttons' down to my brother & I who eagerly took turns pulling the lever. We really believed it to be the most unusual wagon we ever saw!

'THE OFFSIDE SHOW' 6 x 60mins live tv soccer & entertainment show

Hosted by comedian & radio show presenter Dermot Whelan, this highly experimental live format took at look at the world of soccer in a very light hearted way. With studio guests from Nick Gleeson to Ken Doherty, comedy sketches on the underground world of Mascot fighting and a chance for viewers to participate in an penalty shoot out with studio guests via Xbox Live (according to Microsoft the first use of the gaming platform on a live tv show in that way).

KEITH BARRY & FRIENDS 1 x 60 live

Recorded at the HQ in Dublin, magician Keith Barry entertained a celebrity audience of tv stars, actors & musicians. This hour long Christmas Special features the last tv performance of veteran magician Billy McComb who died a few months later.

MORE ABOUT CABOOM

2009-06-21T06:05:00.040Z

Caboom was set up in 1991 as an independent animation outfit employing 5 people to produce a commercial for Colgate for Arks Advertising. Early clients included Double Z Enterprises - the company responsible for creating Zig & Zag, Dustin the turkey, Podge & Rodge and Soky.

1991 EARLY WORK

In 1991 we continued to produce traditional animated commercials for many Irish clients including Guinness & Avonmore Milk. We produced animated title sequences for RTE including the then Network 2 seasonal branding & some years later the title sequences for The Eurovision Song Contest mixing liveaction, rotoscoping animation and special effects designed by Gary Keenan & Conor Cassidy.

DIGITAL INK & PAINT WINS AWARD

In 1992 we were one of the first Irish studios to develop a digital ink & paint pipeline, winning an Gold International Advertising Award for a series of commercials for Barry’s Tea using this technique. We further developed this pipeline to create the opening sequence for The Den – RTE’s first digitally painted animated sequence.

FIRST ANIMATED TV PILOT

In 1995, we produced our first tv pilot for ‘The Mr Hell Show’ for Peafur Productions in London. In 2000 the series went on to be made in the UK and Canada as ‘Arrgh – It’s The Mr Hell Show’.

GOING DIGITAL

In 1997, the company was incorporated and in 1998 went digital adding digibeta, motion control rostrum, Silicon Graphics workstations with Softimage, and Apple Macs alongside our traditional animation pipeline. Our production focus became mostly tv commercials, tv graphics and title sequences. A commercial for Northern Ireland Rail featuring dancing CG chickens was a result of this mix of CG and traditional animation skill.

MORE AWARDS

Caboom has won Digital Media Awards for mobile content 'Donlitteratto' (mobile game) and 'Frozen Heart' (a short animated film) and a variety of Advertising Awards including an ICAD award for an Opera Ireland commercial.

A HAMSTER & A DUCK

Our first original IP deal was with the BBC for puppet characters 'Tiny & Mr Duk' (created & performed by Damian Farrell & Dave Chapman) who would present Saturday mornings on BBC 1 for 2 years and would later go on to present their own show called 'Tiny & Mr Duk's Huge Show'.

TV PRODUCTION

The company has also produced a variety of liveaction tv projects including doc and entertainment shows - 'Before The hungarians', The Offside Show', 'Keith barry & Friends', 'Mind, Myths & Magic' & 'Special 1 Tv'. The company's creative director, Damian Farrell also worked with Animo Tv & Kite Entertainment to write and direct hidden-camera shows 'Anonymous' & 'I Dare Ya'.

CABOOM IN LA

In 2006, the company established an office in LA, engaging a former Disney Development Executive, Joanne Roboz, to front the business in Hollywood. Since then, the company has worked with TBS, Fox News, Icebox, Disney , The Jim Henson Company and American Greetings and is now co-producing an animated pilot called 'Toad Rules' created by Jeff muncy (Pet Aliens & Pajanimals). The show was co-developed and brought to market by Caboom, where funding was secured from Telescreen in Holland for a pilot (currently in production).

SPECIAL 1 TV

In 2007, we began to produce 'Special 1 Tv' (formerly known as 'I'm On Setanta Sports') for Setanta Sports. Based on characters created and performed by Mario Rosenstock, S1TV developed a cult following on tv and online throughout the world, and has just completed it's second season.

This show proved to be a good example of creating and developing an online brand and engaging with an audience using traditional media and social networking. We are now looking to take this experience to traditional brands and advertising agencys as a case study in what can be achieved using digital media.

The company employs 6 fulltime staff and numerous freelance staff in both Ireland and the US.

'SPECIAL 1 TV' - DO IT!

2009-06-18T20:49:00.024Z

'SPECIAL 1 TV' - BUILDING A BRAND USING TRADITIONAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

'Special 1 Tv' has just completed it's second season, winning an award from EPLTalk, the leading online soccer blog. The second series of the show built it's international audience on tv and online using tv, traditional media and digital social media to engage with it's audience.

'Special 1 Tv' sees puppet versions of Jose Mourinho (The Special One), Wayne, Sven, Fabio Capello and 'Ronnie' (all written and voiced by Mario Rosenstock, produced and directed by Damian Farrell and exec produced by Tony Whelan) tackle the Premier League headlines in a very topical and unique way.

Filmed on Fridays at Setanta HQ in Dublin, the show airs on Saturdays, following Premier League Games in Ireland, UK, US and Australia and has gathered an online audience well outside these territories.

The show started in late 2007 on Setanta Sports in the UK and Ireland and was originally called 'I'm On Setanta Sports' with just Jose as the host. Phone contributors like Mr Alex, The Voyeur, David Beckham, Roy and Nelson provided comedy for the early episodes and then came a 'new signing'. 'Look at it' Jose proclaimed at a press conference as he raised a brown paper from the head of Sven, his new co-presenter. Camera-flashes, a hum of excitement and the the deal was done.

But all was not to go to plan for Sven who soon found himself compromised at the hands of The Special One. Having been sent to Iraq to entertain the troops and forced to re-create that gimp scene from 'Pulp Fiction', he now lived under the constant threat of another new signing to challenge his position on the show.

And that challenge was met when the roof of the studio opened and a wooden crate was lowered to floor. Inside, Jose's second signing - the boy genius Wayne Rooney.

A dysfunctional family dynamic flourished with Jose as the dad, Sven as the ever-bickering housewife and the boy Rooney as the child prodigy, stuck somewhere between the two.

Wayne shone. His knowledge of football and his academic ability took the show to new heights (and some new lows!).

The participation of the characters in a sketch parodying 'Britian's Got Talent' saw the birth of another character. Wayne's unique talent on BTT was ventriloquism. He produced a small puppet and without moving his own lips, Wayne magically brought to life little Ronnie (a hapless puppet of Man United's Ronaldo).

Meanwhile online, uploaded episodes to a channel called videoup12 were finding there way around youtube and rather than curtail the spread, we encouraged fans to engage with the show through the site by getting Jose to read comments, which had been posted to youtube, live on his show. And viewers reacted, wondering if their comment was going to be read next week or not.

Facebook groups were set up by the production and fans alike. And in a bizarre imitation of art and reality, puppet Jose managed to sell his €5 scarf on eBay to a fan in San Diego for £1000 who was informed of his winning bid via a skype call from our Jose at 2am - the recorded conversation featured in that week's episode. The money was donated to Roy Keane's favorite charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Christmas Day greetings from the Special 1 went up against the Queen's speech on the BBC, where he drew parallels between his arrival into the world on a donkey named Drodga (who was always falling) with that of Jesus Christ's.

Many 'Be Champions' & plenty of 'Shut-ups' later and season 2 kicked off with rumours of yet another signing. Shortly thereafter, England manager Fabio Capello, was interviewed by the boy Rooney in what was to prove to be a controversial signing for the show dividing fans in their opinion about whether he was the right choice or not.

Shortly after Christmas 2008 came the shocking news no one was expecting. Jose opened the episode with the words: 'Welcome to the last ever episode of I'm On Setanta Sports' - and he wasn't lying. Fans went crazy. Online petitions were set up with fans like 'Doitchampions' fronting the cause to have the show reinstated immediately. No statements were issued by Setanta while subscribers to the sports channel threatened to cancel their subscriptions if 'IOSS' was discontinued.

A week later and an episode appeared showing the characters clearing out their desks while a maintenance guy peeled the name 'I'm On Setanta Sports' from the glass door of their office. Messages on the answering machine from Rafa and calls from Willie Nelson and Nelson Mandela failed to sway The Special One into rethinking his position. A closing shot of a new sign being revealed on the door saying 'Special 1 Tv' gave hope to fans that the show was not dead just yet.

And so a new chapter! 'Special 1 Tv' started in Jan 2009 and the buzz created around the rebranding from IOSS to S1TV, generated increased interest in the show and the antics of its rubbery cast.

Sponsorship from Subaru and Pools4All proved that being associated with the show wasn't the worst thing a brand could do with some of their marketing money.

Featured articles in the New York Times, the Irish Times, a vote from Hot Press Magazine naming S1TV as 'Tv Show of The Year', two pages of space in soccer's leading UK publication 'FourFourTwo' magazine and increased traffic to YouTube widened the audience and proved that the show was successfully straddling the tv and online digital world using both media to feed off each other.

In the latter months of season 2 as the phenomenon of 'Twitter' went main stream, Jose began tweeting the world. He quickly had 500, then 1000, then 2000, the 3000 and now has just over 4000 followers on the social networking site with Sven, Wayne and even puppet Ronnie quickly building a band of followers. Jose's Tweets included messages to fans about upcoming episodes, responses to their questions, commentary on real-life headlines and just about any other Tweetable subject he cares to tweet about.

Season 2's final episode saw S1TV go live to the White House where President Obama was seen to congratulate Jose on his work on S1TV. What role the world's most powerful man will play in the future of the show remains to be seen.

'Special 1 Tv' is the success of alot of hard work from alot people:

As Roy Keane would say 'All credit to . . . Tony Whelan, Niall Cogley, Mario Rosenstock, Damian Farrell, Tom O'Connor, Colin Purves, Darach O'Tuairisigh, Mark Cantan, Doireann Ni Chorragáin, Ed Condron, Kevin O'Boyle, Ciara Moore, Amy Gilsenan, Mark Irvine, John the young fella, Pete, Kevin & Sean, Shadow Creations and the fans of the 'S1TV' all around the webworld!

'ANONYMOUS' SERIES 1&2

2009-06-18T19:28:00.020Z

'Anonymous' is a highly original tv format created by Animo Tv & Kite Entertainment. The hidden-camera series produced by Darren Smith and Adrian Lynch, written and directed by Damian Farrell, sees numerous celebrities like popstar Samantha Mumba, tv presenters Pamela Flood & Hector, comedian Des Bishop, soap actor Keith Duffy, singer/songwriter Ronan Keating and snooker ace Ken Doherty attempt to hide their fame and go undercover to pull stunts on unsuspecting members of the public and some of their showbiz mates.

The key to carrying off a successful 'Anonymous' makeover is in the makeup, the character we have created for the celebrity to become and the celebrity's ability to keep it together on the day as the show's presenter, comedian Jason Byrne, incessantly prompts them to 'do this' and 'say that'. It's not that easy to do - especially if you are not sure you want to give up your fame! Each show is filmed over two days and each day begins with a grueling five hour session in the makeup chair for the celeb at the hands of Mike Stringer and his team from Hybrid Effects in London as they apply the 'Anonymous' mask.

But prior to this, like any production, alot of preparation work has been done to secure locations for hidden-camera filming - shopping centers, streets, offices. Camera positions have been carefully mapped out at all the locations for two digibeta crews, four DV camera crews (the bagcams) and the two sound crew who have to blend is as much as possible with the background, not to mention the PAs who have to ensure everyone our anonymous celeb chats to is cleared for broadcast - a difficult enough job to do in itself.

On top of this a number of the production staff have spent weeks 'lying' to the other celebs, sports stars and politicians we wish to 'punk' in the show, convincing them that a pilot for a new tv show is taking place or an interview for a special programme that they feel the personality should contribute to is happening at a local hotel on a particular afternoon. Fake websites, 'special' mobile phone numbers and false names have all been a part of the production, with everyone making sure they are not to the one to let the cat out of the bag and spoil the setup for the show in advance of filming.

The writing and construction of the characters the celebrities will play also requires a lot of consideration - we have had young people play old people, snooker stars play priests, pop singers play Zambian nuns and gate crash an event at the President's Residence and characters like Paul Toomey (played the nation's leading 'activist' on the preservation of the Irish language, Hector O'Heochagain) front a campaign to abolish the very language he has spent he life promoting!

And then there's Jason Byrne. Known for his offbeat & bizarre sense of 'funny' - Jason is a mentor to the celebs, guiding them through their day of anonymity, encouraging them to do things they wouldn't normally dream of doing in their everyday celebrity life - chatting up strangers, hitting on other people's partners, shop lifting, stealing shoes and sweets, visiting a pharmacy as a priest looking to buy feminine hygiene products or simply spouting random words of nonsense at the top of your voice in the middle of a crowded street.

Postproduction can take weeks. Our editor Janice trawls through endless amounts of tapes, slowly narrowing it down to a half hour of the funniest tv we can produce. Some episodes, we have way too much to choose from with some very funny moments ending up on the cutting room floor while other episode you may struggle to find the required minutes of comedy where celebs just froze or it wasn't until the second day that they really got into their anonymous role.

'Anonymous' aired on RTE television in Ireland from 2006 to 2009 and the format has also been distributed internationally with versions of the show currently playing in the UK, Germany, Romania and Spain.

'Anonymous' is (c) Animo Tv & Kite Entertainment 2009

'SPECIAL 1 TV' WINS EPL 'BEST FEATURE TV SHOW' AWARD

2009-06-09T17:18:00.007Z

'Special 1 Tv' has won the 'Best Feature Tv Show' from leading soccer blog EPL Talk.

The inaugural EPL Awards honor the very best of the 2008/2009 Premier League season -- everything from the players, managers and teams to the podcasts, blogs, commentators and TV shows that matter. The shortlist of the nominees in the 41 different categories were chosen by the editor and writers of EPL Talk. The winners were then chosen by the readers of EPL Talk, who cast more than 60,000 votes (one vote per person per category) between May 10-31, 2009. In addition to the people's choice winners, an editor's choice winner was selected in each category by EPL Talk.

The EPL Awards were created as a true reflection of the entire Premier League season instead of other award competitions where votes are cast at the end of the year or mid-season. The awards are a 360 degrees view of how supporters experience every facet of the Premier League, from the best footballers and managers to the best blogs, podcasts, journalists, books, TV shows and more.

Founded in 2005, EPL Talk is the leading Premier League blog in the world with daily news and analysis of the world's most popular sports league.

THE IRISH TIMES - SPECIAL WRITE-UP

2009-05-05T22:59:00.011Z

Article written by Irish Times Sports journalist Mary Hannigan about her visit to the set of S1TV

SPECIAL ONE PULLS ALL THE STRINGS

'On the set of Special 1 TV, Mary Hannigan talks to the man who puts words in the mouth of Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney

IT’S NOT often Jose Mourinho has nothing to say for himself, instead he’s just lying quietly on his back on the desk, his brooding eyes examining the studio ceiling. You tiptoe past the Special One for fear of disturbing these moments of meditation, for fear he’ll suddenly leap up and declare: “Shut up. I’m fantastic. Be champions.”

But then you get a grip and remind yourself he’s a puppet so he literally has nothing to say for himself, that without some vocal assistance from Mario Rosenstock this Jose Mourinho will remain speechless. Still, you take no chances and tiptoe away.

Rosenstock appears with Wayne Rooney in his arms and carries him over for an introduction.

“Say hello to Wayne,” he says.

Eh, “hello, Wayne”.

“All right, there?” he beams, with Rosenstock’s help, from freckled cheek to cheek.

Eh, “How are things?” “Brilliant, like.” Good. Good.

He grins back so angelically you wonder how any referee could ever book him.

Fabio Capello, meanwhile, is having his facial “muscles” exercised by his puppeteer, the England manager having remained uncharacteristically calm while an arm was inserted in his nether regions, the hand moving up to his head.

Over in the corner Sven-Goran Eriksson – or “It”, as Jose refers to him – sits motionless on a chair, staring out at the River Liffey and the bustle on the city centre streets below. Sven, not for the first time in his life, appears friendless and alone. You say hello but he doesn’t reply, mercifully enough.

Truly, the set for Special 1 TV – formerly known as I’m on Setanta Sports – is no place for pupaphobes. Damian Farrell, luckily enough, isn’t one of them, instead he’s the “genius”, as Rosenstock describes him, who, with his team, brings Jose, Wayne, Fabio and Sven to life once a week on Setanta Sports.

“I was really looking around for an extension of what I do,” says Rosenstock of his eagerness to find a television format that would allow him bring to the screen some of the comic brilliance that has been Gift Grub for the last 10 years. Farrell, as it proved, was the answer.

Having trained at Jim Henson’s (of The Muppets fame) Creature Shop in London, worked with Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin and “with” Podge and Rodge and Dustin the Turkey, Farrell was no stranger to bringing madness to life.

His own animation company, Caboom, has made advertisements for Guinness, O2, Vodafone, Cadbury, Lucozade, Smarties and the ESB, to name but a few, and won international awards for a series of animated commercials for Barry’s Tea. His next challenge was like no other – to transfer to the screen Rosenstock’s largely surreal weekly take on the world of football, with the assistance of Jose and his guests.

Setanta snapped up the proposal, and I’m on Setanta Sports (a very distant cousin of You’re On Sky Sports!, the football phone-in show) was born.

The real Jose didn’t exactly help by departing English football in September 2007, but Rosenstock looked on the positive side of what was, initially, “a blow”.

“When he left everybody missed the guy – immediately, huge withdrawal symptoms. So I said, right, ‘let’s bring him back’. It looked like a PR coup. It looked like Setanta were saying ‘you think you lost Jose? No you haven’t – we’ve built a puppet and we’re going to give you your fix every week’.

“And Jose, the puppet, says it himself – ‘even if you don’t like me, you love me’.

“I still believe he’ll be back in England, his particular antics don’t go down too well in Italy. The Italians are surprisingly prosaic, you might think they’d be quite dramatic but when it comes to football, they’re quite conservative,” says Rosenstock.

“The football community in Italy is dominated by northern Italians and they’re much more Germanic, they like to talk tactics, the serious stuff, they don’t want to be listening to Jose calling a rival an idiot, and so on. There may be a Latin snobbery there too, the Portuguese might be seen as a lesser cousin of the Spaniards and Italians.

“I just think he’ll be back. Even though Inter are going well, his gig isn’t working there, the home of what he does is in England.”

Rosenstock and Mourinho do, of course, go back a long way. When the latter heard the former’s Gift Grub recording of The Special One – Jose and His Amazing Technicolor Overcoat he described it, on television, as “amazing”. It was, said Rosenstock at the time, “probably the best moment of my entire existence – I recorded it [the Mourinho interview] on DVD, VHS, MP3, KMS, BLS, BLT.”

He was, famously, then invited to Chelsea to meet Mourinho and the players, word of which merely served to heighten his reputation as the Special One’s pre-eminent impersonator.

“One of the more puzzling ones was just before Chelsea played Barcelona in the Champions League. I got a call from Hector at Radio Barcelona. He told me everyone there loved the Special One song and he asked me to go on radio that night and do an interview as the Special One.”

“I said, ‘but I don’t speak Spanish’. He said ‘it’s okay, we have an interpreter’. I said, ‘Eh, that comedy just isn’t going to work’, but I did it anyway. It took 15 minutes to get through the thing. The questions were asked in Spanish, then translated in to English, my English replies as Jose were then translated in to Spanish. So there they were, getting an Irish guy to do an impression of a Portuguese manager in English on a Spanish radio station.”

If Mourinho is the show’s guv’nor, Rooney – who looks a little like a cross between Mad magazine’s Alfred E Neuman and Dennis the Menace, with a hoodie – is its genius. “And that’s what we decided to make him, not this cruel, Shrek-like figure that is usually his caricature,” says Rosenstock.

“He’s a genius footballer, so we decided to make him a genius at literally everything. And the best thing is that he’s completely unaware of his own genius.”

True enough, Mourinho and Eriksson were left dumbstruck by that genius when Rooney completed his Rubik’s Cube puzzle in seconds, sang Ave Maria and then performed keepy-uppies blind-folded. Rooney didn’t blink. The boy is, after all, a bit special.

When, in January, Mourinho announced that I’m on Setanta Sports was ending, Rooney and the show’s fans were inconsolable. “Nelson Mandela” rang the show to plead with Mourinho to change his mind, as did Willie Nelson. Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger called too, but only to celebrate the show’s demise.

“I am running out of credit – can you call me back,” Wenger asked Mourinho. “You’re on a pay-as-you-go phone? Typical stingy voyeur.” There followed online petitions . . . “Best thing on TV by far and you want to get rid of it? Pathetic.” “What a way to treat your fans. You disgust me Setanta and I have already cancelled my subscription.” “Shame on you Setanta for not caring about your viewers.” “Damn it Setanta Sports! What the hell do you think you are doing, cancelling one of the best programmes you’ve ever had? I thought Setanta Sports was a channel of champions not losers?”

There were more angry phone calls to the station, and more threats to cancel subscriptions. It was, though, as Rooney noted, a rebranding “ruse” – “a cheap marketing ploy, more like,” muttered Sven – with Mourinho explaining that he was now “syndicating myself senseless”. “That’s Machiavellian, that is,” said an admiring Rooney.

So the four puppets (four and a half if you count the mini Cristiano Ronaldo puppet Rooney often produces from under the desk) remain in business.

“Spitting Image would have had a couple of hundred puppets and they could imagine and do any situation they wanted. We can’t, we’re slightly constrained by budgetary issues, which means we have to come up with more ideas,” says Rosenstock.

“But it’s been a lovely union between ourselves and Setanta, they’ve given us a free rein, Tony Whelan [director of programming] has been very supportive and creative. I love it. Every week is a buzz,” he says.

Between the demands for material from Special 1 TV and Gift Grub on Today FM, Rosentock’s “antenna has to be constantly moving around”.

“I’m scripting all week, looking at stuff,” he says, before he has to record the five-minute Setanta show for Friday morning.

Once he’s done, Farrell and his team of puppeteers – uncomfortably positioned under the studio desk – take over, working Jose, Wayne, Sven and Fabio to match Rosentock’s words.

It’s a gruelling process, “very technical and stoppy-starty”, says Rosentock. Farrell, the politest of perfectionists, regularly declares, “that was great . . . but can we try it one more time?”

“He sees each gag around 20,000 times, it’s exhausting,” says Rosentock. “I call him that night to ask how it went, and he says something like ‘hkhsa hioydg hkgadgk’. So, really, I have to wait until Saturday evening [after Setanta’s coverage of an English Premier League game] to know. I’m usually scared, but, as I said, Damo, like Wayne, is a genius, he makes it work.”

“Is Wayne there?” shouts Farrell.

“He’s in the toilet,” comes the reply.

Rooney emerges, attached to his puppeteer, smiling as usual. Although there were tears the time he analysed ET for the show. “The lad ET, you can’t coach that sort of thing.

“He’s over the moon – very emotional scenes here.” Genius.'

CABOOMTWEET

2009-05-05T22:25:00.009Z

Find out what we are doing ever minute of the day . . . well not every minute but a few times a day or maybe just once a week or whenever we do or see anything exciting.

To follow Caboom on twitter - click here!

MEET THE PRESIDENT

2009-05-05T21:30:00.021Z

Following on from the successful antics of Jose, Sven & Wayne, here is a sneak preview of our latest puppet production. You can follow the antics of the rubbery president at www.twitter.com/rubberpresident and see his clips here!

INSPECTOR GEORGE GENTLY

2009-05-05T21:12:00.013Z

Caboom recently produced the title sequence for the BBC Drama Series 'Inspector George Gently'. The 4 part series directed by Daniel O'Hara & Ciaran Donnelly airs on BBC 1 from May 3rd at 8.30pm.

Oscar Wilde Night

2009-03-02T12:35:00.003Z

Caboom recently part-sponsored The Oscar Wilde Event in LA organised by Trina Vargo and the US-Ireland Alliance. The event celebrates the work of the Irish in Hollywood. Honorees on the night included Jonathan Rhys Myers, Brendan Gleeson & Hylda Queally. Republic of Loose & Gemma Hayes provided the music and the event was attended by, now oscar winner, Kate Winslet, Harvey Weinstein, Dana Delany & Tracy Ullman.

SPECIAL 1 GETS EVEN MORE SPECIAL

2009-01-29T13:50:00.006Z

Alas 'I'm On Setanta Sports' is no more! The final episode aired 3 weeks ago. A swell of emotion, goodwill and downright disgust followed, with online blogs, petitions, youtube comments and emails resulting in the bulging of Jose's inbox with requests that the special one rethink his position and make a comeback. Two weeks later, fans of the series from all over the world were delighted to find out that perhaps all was not as it seemed and in typical Jose form, he may just be 'playing the game' with his audience. So fear not - Jose, Sven & Wayne will be back in a brand new show called 'Special 1 Tv' appearing on a local sports channel from Jan 28th. 'Do it!'.

BALLET CHANCERS - OPENING SEQUENCE

2008-11-20T11:09:00.006Z

Caboom recently produced an opening title seq for RTE's 'Ballet Chancers'. The series, produced by Animo Television, sees hip-hop dancers transform in ballet dancers, ultimately appearing in a production of 'Nutcracker' in the Helix in December.

'The Alarms - A Story In Words'

2008-10-20T20:42:00.005Z

The Alarms - A Story In Words' is a mock rock doc with an original approach to storytelling that embraces the world of low budget film making with open arms and shallow pockets. The movie chronicles the life of a fictitious Irish rock band from its birth, through its growing pains, eye opening education and disenchanted maturity into its final resting place in a whole load of money, a whole load of press and a whole load of police.

The Alarms - A Story In Words is one of the cheapest films ever made . The movie’s nano-budget was made possible by the unique way in which the film is constructed. The story is told through interviews with the principle players twelve years after the events they describe. Whether it’s through diplomacy, arrogance, disgust, or plain forgetfulness each person has a different take on what happened. As the story progresses the film cuts between these differing voices leaving the audience to fill in the blanks for themselves and draw their own conclusions about what really went on.

The Alarms - A Story In Words is a smart and funny comedy with heart, soul and rock ’n’ roll; a symphony of 9 different view points which when brought together are much greater than the sum of their parts.

'The Special One' is Back!

2008-08-18T14:27:00.005Z

He's back! Jose and his of merry band of rubbery pundits have regrouped for another season of 'I'm On Setanta Sports'. With promises of new signings, this season aims to be more fantastic than the last. Jose now has 2 jobs - Setanta Sports & Italy, Sven is in Mexico and The Boy Rooney is . . . well at the moment he is tucked up in his bed suffering from a virus that's 'not Malaria'.

Join the Jose posse every Saturday on 'I'm On Setanta Sports' following the Barclay's Premiership games - 'It's Fantastic!'!

Catch IOSS on youtube or at www.setanta.com/ioss

'The Alarms - A Story In Words'

2008-05-13T21:49:00.013Z

Post production is almost complete on Caboom's first low budget digital feature film.

From the legendary documentarist Werner Von Wergen (My Neighbours Don't Want My Yoghurts, Tiddley Winks for Jesus, A Night with Hank Woofty and his Body Popping Monkeys) comes a tale of bravery, desire, greed and stupidity. This is the story of 'The Alarms', an Irish rock band from the mid-nineties who only existed for 2 months, played 1 gig and never released a single single but thanks to a devious manager and their own gullibility became one the most famous bands in the world. Through interviews with the band, their manager and others involved, the thoroughly biased truth of what happened is told here.

'The Alarms' is a spoof documentary with an original approach to storytelling that embraces the world of low budget film making with open arms and shallow pockets.

'Fantastic Article'

2008-05-13T05:58:00.015Z

'The Special One' gets even more special. Over the past 20 weeks the popularity of 'I'm On Setanta Sports' has grown and grown breeding almost 1 million views on YouTube, appearing in soccer blogs across the UK and North America, emails from every corner of the world and 2 articles in the New York Times online and in print. Be Champions!

'Beary Boo'

2008-05-13T05:35:00.010Z

Check out the teaser for the first project from our 2008 slate of original content. Pitched as an environemental preschool show, 'Beary Boo' is a cute flash animated series.

American Greetings

2008-05-10T18:07:00.001Z

Caboom has just completed a short animated music video for the American Greetings company in Los Angeles. Set to the music of 'When A Man Loves A Woman', the simple story follows the adventures of a young man seeking out his true love. The 1 min piece is a mix of Flash and cut-out animation and was composited in After Effects.

JOSE ON SETANTA SPORTS

2007-12-26T21:11:00.001Z

Currently in production by Caboom is a weekly sketch series for Setanta Sports UK entitled 'I'm On Setanta Sports'. The series features the vocal talents of Mario Rosenstock in a re-working of his Jose character as a puppet presenter hosting a show called 'I'm On Setanta Sports'!

Check out our youtube page to see the latest clip 'It's Fantastic'!

JOE DOLAN

2007-12-26T20:58:00.007Z

Some years ago, we were luck to get the opportunity to work with Irish singer, Joe Dolan. In a revamping of his image by EMI Records we produced 2 music videos for Joe as well as re-designing the artwork for his album 'Joe's 90s'. Today we were saddened to hear of his death and will fondly remember him as a true legend!

FROM RTE WEBSITE:

The singer and entertainer Joe Dolan has died at the Mater private hospital in Dublin.

The 68-year-old was taken ill at his home in Foxrock last night and died just after 3pm this afternoon from a suspected brain haemorrhage.

Mr Dolan, from Mullingar in Westmeath, had enjoyed musical success in Ireland and around the world for over 40 years.

With his band the Drifters his first chart success came in Ireland with 'The Answer to Everything' in 1964 but he is best perhaps known for songs 'Good Looking Woman' and 'Make Me an Island'.

Mr Dolan, who was one of five children, was recently forced to cancel a number of Christmas concerts because of illness but he was at home in Foxrock in Dublin last night when he was taken ill.

Surrounded by his family he passed away after suffering a suspected brain haemorrhage just after 3pm.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern expressed his sadness at the news, saying it was only a couple of months since he had last met Joe Dolan.

He described him as a fantastic showman with a great stage presence and a distinctive singing voice.

James Joyce & The Volta

2007-06-21T20:54:00.000Z

Tuesday 12th June a plaque was unveiled marking the site of Ireland's first stationary cinema, The Volta. The Volta was the initiative of James Joyce, then resident in Trieste; he was also the cinema's first manager. The site of the Volta, 45 Mary Street, is now part of Penneys.
The plaque was unveiled by Irish Film Censor John Kelleher and Marc Zimmermann. The project was made possible through the support of Caboom, the staff of Filmbase and Film Ireland magazine, the James Joyce Centre, and Penneys.

(Photograph by Nerea Aymerich)

CABOOM SHOWREEL

2007-06-20T20:23:00.000Z

Incase you haven't seen it, here's our reel!

CABOOM ON TV

2007-06-20T19:42:00.002Z

From 'ANONYMOUS' celebs in make-up to 'CLASS CLOWNS' returning to their old schools, from an imminent property 'CRASH' to the world's diminshing supplies of 'OIL', from 'ARTEMIS FOWL'S' magical trips around the UK to helping Diarmuid Gavin visualise his garden designs in 'I WANT A GARDEN' . . . . CABOOM has been providing television graphics for many of RTE's flagship shows over the past season. Working with a host of production companies and directors, using Flash, 2D, 3D and rostrum camera, Caboom has designed and delivered graphics in a variety of styles and techniques.

'GUY WHITE - CLOSET CONSERVATIVE'

2007-06-20T18:55:00.000Z

Produced by internet animation leaders, ICEBOX, with animation by CABOOM, this 12 x 1 min series about Guy White - a closet conservtive and his co-workers, airs every Sunday on The Fox News Channel's 'Half Hour News Hour' and 10pm EST.

CABOOM GETS 'FLIP-FLOPPED' BY DISNEY

2007-06-07T12:21:00.001Z

“Flip-Flopped” premiered on Friday, May 25 – at 7:55pm (EST/PST) on the Disney Channel as part of their “Shorty McShort Shorts” program. Created by Jill Mazursky, with animation by Caboom.

Use “Shorty McShort Shorts” to find the podcast on iTunes.

CABOOM @ KIDSCREEN 2007

2007-01-15T23:32:00.000Z

Hey kids - It's almost Kidscreen time once again! Damian Farrell & Joanne Roboz from Caboom, will be attending Kidscreen in New York from February 7th - 9th at the Sheraton Hotel.

KEITH BARRY'S 'MIND, MYTHS & MAGIC'.

2007-01-15T23:23:00.003Z

Caboom has just completed production on a one-hour special for tv magician Keith Barry, to be aired in Ireland in 2007. In 'MIND, MYTHS & MAGIC' Keith Barry explores the link between myths and legends and how through the use of magic effects, peoples minds allow them to believe that the impossoble is possible . . . or something like that!

BÓTHAR COMMERCIALS

2007-01-15T23:13:00.000Z

Caboom has recenlty produced a series of commercials for Irish charity, Bóthar.

Bóthar is a charity specialising in helping poor farmers in Africa & third world countries to help themselves by giving them the gift of livestock. By sending cows, goats, camels, pigs, trees and providing education & veterinary back up, Bóthar is tackling poverty and supporting sustainable development. So if you are trying to find that perfect present for someone, why not send them a Bóthar voucher.