RTE announce commissions for science television programmes

RTE have announced that they are looking to fund original science programme ideas for a prime time television slot after the 9 o'clock news up to €480,000. The deadline for proposals is August 28th. Here is an excerpt from the presentation of the new commission: "Home-produced science programmes have not had a prime place in our schedules for some time now – So, with this in mind, RTÉ is now seeking to commission a short series of exciting, inventive, imaginative and, above all, accessible, Irish programmes on science. What we’re looking for are proposals for four one-hour programmes which will showcase exciting, science-related stories with an Irish angle. The programmes will go out in a prime time slot – most likely in the documentary slot after the 9 o’clock news. We’re specifically looking for proposals for programmes that treat science in a non-scientific way: human-interest stories with a science angle or populist, personal stories with science content are particularly welcome. Think “The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off” – a deeply personal and moving landmark documentary, about a boy with a rare medical condition and how he coped with it. There was science there, but the human story was paramount. We do not want worthy, voiceover-heavy, technical programmes about exciting new gismos; we don’t want to bash people over the head with science; what we want to see is science as part of life. So stories about people, and stories which have an undercurrent of science will help to bring science to a wider public. We’d also welcome new faces: if there is an exciting “new face of science” out there who will engage and excite the audience, we would be happy to receive proposals based around that person’s ability to bring science to as wide an audience as possible".
For more details see the RTE website.
If you have an idea for an art-science programme and might be interested in partnering with SEED on a submission, contact Eimear Bruen: ebruen@googlemail.com