Mr. Eoin Holohan:

I will speak on it briefly as a location manager, and I want the committee to understand what the location manager does. I get a script and I break it down by the locations, and then I scout and source the locations. We then secure all of the contracts and the permits, and then they make the film. It sounds easy but it is not. To have the whole country available as a location is the reason a lot of international production is coming here. To have it all available to us would be fantastic and that is why the regional uplift is so important. When we had that, it did promote filming in the regions. I worked on a couple of films in the regions. I would hire local trainees and it is part of regional uplift that we have to hire local trainees. They would go around to each department, such as my department, and ask what we need, and I would, for example, ask for two trainees, if possible. Those trainees would work with us.

We can see there is a willingness in the regions. There are crew in the regions who want to work and they do not necessarily want to come to Dublin or Wicklow.

They should not have to come to Dublin or Wicklow; it should be nationwide. It is going to take time to build up that crew base. To make a film in the regions, there is a cost involved because the crew will be based in Wicklow and they will have to be brought over. There might also be some local trainees or other grades. Galway, for example, would have more crew elements available than, perhaps, Donegal, which is nonetheless a great place to film. It is going to take a longer period to build up that crew base but it could be done if there were the regional uplift. It would make the industry nationwide and take the pressure off Dublin and Wicklow being the main production hubs.