RTÉ Religious invites proposals for an occasion series of simulcast / multi-platform Christian Worship outside broadcasts.
7 x 55’ + 1 x 90’ Christian worship OBs
Technical requirements:
- HD. 16:9. 5 or 6 camera shoots.
- Stereo with simulcast radio feeds where required.
- Library copies of all broadcasts to be supplied on HD tape.
Schedule: From St Patrick’s Day (17th March) to Christmas Day (25th December), 2019.
Maximum budget: €280,000.
The aim of these broadcasts is to complement RTÉ's schedule of in-house, studio-based TV and Radio Masses & Services in ways that reflect and celebrate the diverse spectrum of Christian belief, practice, talent and worship across the 32 counties of Ireland.
The programmes must be accessible, entertaining and inspirational to a mainstream RTÉ One audience. RTÉ's priority is therefore to find the events, places, themes, people, stories and forms of worship that will resonate most with their audience. RTÉ aims to continue to show Christian worship as an integral part of the life and culture of this country – diverse and creative, prayerful and passionate. Whatever the denomination of the worship RTÉ features, it must feel inclusive and welcoming to members of other Churches and whatever style of music or liturgyRTÉ features, it must be high quality and well produced.
The commission is for eight Outside Broadcasts in 2019, beginning on St Patricks’ Day (17th March) and running up to Christmas (25th December). For religious reasons, any Masses RTÉ broadcasts must be live, but they are also open to the possibility of packaged or pre-recorded formats and approaches to reflect other forms of worship. Even live broadcasts can and should include VT elements to introduce and contextualise the location, contributors and any religious themes of the day.
Many of those who watch RTÉ’s Sunday morning Religious programmes are unable to get to church, because of sickness or immobility. They may depend on this element of RTÉ's output for a sense of community and spiritual nourishment. RTÉ will continue to meet that need. However,RTÉ should not limit their audience to those who cannot get out to church. An imaginative approach to the selection of locations, themes and contributors is therefore vital, in order to attract a mainstream RTÉ One audience, including some who already attend church services elsewhere and others who might not expect to enjoy religious programmes of this nature.
Included in the brief is the expectation that the successful production company will provide live, simulcast worship broadcasts on St Patrick’s Day (17/3), Good Friday & Holy Saturday (19&20/4), Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (24&25/12). RTÉ has previously commissioned pairs of broadcasts from a single location at Easter and Christmas and would be open to continuing this, in order to make the most of rigging and lighting large or spectacular locations on these festivals. Every year, RTÉ shares at least one Mass OB with Eurovision partners, where necessary facilitating their commentators on location at no additional cost to them. This, too, is therefore part of the brief.
How, when and where the OBs are deployed will be determined in consultation with the Genre Head of Religious Programmes, Roger Childs, who is open to suggestions about the events and locations most deserving of outside broadcast coverage or most likely to attract mainstream audiences. Past examples have ranged from Mass from the top of Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday or from Station Island, Lough Derg, to packaged coverage of the Gospel Rising Festival, Bray, or Church of Ireland Services on Remembrance Sunday. In every case, the expectation is that a stereo audio feed will also be available to RTÉ Radio, together with appropriate and timely press and billings information and suggested radio Presentation announcements.
Production companies will need to demonstrate not only the technical capability to deliver high quality single and multi-camera output, but also an understanding of liturgy and a clear grasp of the diverse religious culture and sensibilities of today’s Ireland. They will be working mainly with amateurs at grassroots level to produce highly professional results on screen.
- Budget: maximum budget is €280,000. However, RTÉ will welcome more cost-effective proposals that can deliver high quality outside broadcast worship content for less.
- Submissions: through eCommissioning system: https://e-commissioning.ie under the programme category Factual Religion “RTÉ Worship 2019”
- Closing date: 12 Noon on Friday 7th December (Strict Deadline) with the first transmission to take place on St Patrick’s Day, 17th March, 2019. Offers will need to include detailed, date specific and deliverable plans with that in mind.