0:00:20 > 0:00:23Hello and welcome to The Arts Show,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26covering the best of arts and culture in Northern Ireland.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30We've got a packed show for you tonight. Here's what's coming up.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Enniskillen actor Adrian Dunbar
0:00:33 > 0:00:36talks about his long stage and screen career,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41and his role in the groundbreaking BBC drama, Nick Nickleby.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Animation in Northern Ireland
0:00:42 > 0:00:45has surprisingly taken off as an emerging industry,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47with growing respect on the world stage.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50We investigate some of our brightest prospects.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And singer-songwriter Foy Vance, who's about to embark on a US tour
0:00:54 > 0:00:57with phenomenally popular Ed Sheeran,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00gives The Arts Show an exclusive performance.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04But first, the printed book has been around for nearly 600 years.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07But the publishing world is getting to grips with a new way of reading
0:01:07 > 0:01:10due to the changes electronic or e-publishing
0:01:10 > 0:01:14is bringing to the industry. A staggering 1.9 million titles
0:01:14 > 0:01:17are now available to download onto your e-reader.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22And sales in the UK alone rose by 366% last year.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Also, a growing number of these titles are self-published.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29So how does an aspiring writer break into the market?
0:01:33 > 0:01:35You upload it as a file and publish, that's it.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38If you follow the instructions, you're good to go.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44For writers, self-publishing promises you can be master of your own destiny.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49No longer at the mercy of publishers who might reject your masterpiece.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55'Well, Mr Red, White and Blue was standing there with dinner made for us and all.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59'Now we're not talking a bucket from KFC
0:01:59 > 0:02:02'or a portion of well-done scallops from Manny's chippie.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'It was friggin' oysters. And this is him:
0:02:05 > 0:02:08' "These are an aphrodisiac, Margaret."
0:02:08 > 0:02:12'And this is me: "Your whatsit?"'
0:02:12 > 0:02:16This time last year I was sitting in this very seat
0:02:16 > 0:02:21and I just dreamed of writing a book. I started writing with this pen.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I wrote the last half of the book with it. It's my lucky pen.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28I was just typing these on to Facebook and hitting 'Post'.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30No editing or anything.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Just shared amongst my friends on the Friday night.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Over the weekend they shared it with their friends,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36they shared it, they shared it,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and by the Monday there was a thousand people on it.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42And now there's about 29,000 or something.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I'd just heard of e-publishing,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47so I decided to put it all together on a document.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The next day it went live. The numbers just went up and up and up.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55"He staggered towards the coop, the weight of the girl wearing him down,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57"pushing his feet deeper into the sticky ground.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02"It was quite a distance. Dre stood over the Caldwell boy for a moment.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08"He knelt rocking in the dirt, the noise of his grinding the only thing breaking the silence."
0:03:08 > 0:03:11"Oh, you can't get a publisher, so you're going to go down the e-publishing route?"
0:03:11 > 0:03:16That's what most people sort of thought, without a publisher you were absolutely nothing.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Now authority and things sits with the writers a lot more.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25But publishers are also keeping track of what is happening online.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29It wasn't long before Lisa was approached about a print version
0:03:29 > 0:03:31of "50 Shades of Red, White and Blue".
0:03:31 > 0:03:35But why get a publisher if you're selling e-books on the Internet?
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Well, as a writer it kind of validates it for you.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41You've came on this journey, you've written a novel.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Until you actually hold a book in your hand that you have written,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and been published, I don't think you really believe
0:03:49 > 0:03:53that you've achieved something and done something. That's me personally.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57We bring a credibility to writers.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And then potentially building a brand for a writer,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03that can take them to the next level. And often,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06most times, that's the publisher who helps the writer to do that.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12If you're self-publishing, being a good writer is not enough.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15You have to stand out from the crowd.
0:04:15 > 0:04:22In the last 90 days, 170,252 books have come out.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28So my little one book that came out, what, about six weeks ago,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32has disappeared beneath nearly 200,000 books.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35For Rebecca, the solution is social media.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Well, I always go into my mail and see how many responses I'll have had to different things.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It's really a matter of going through all the pages
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and responding to as many people as possible,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50and posting things up on as many sites as possible.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Word-of-mouth is what it's all about. And all you need
0:04:53 > 0:04:55is a few people to say, "Oh, have you seen this novel?" And that's it.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59It's away, it's a runaway success.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03In the mid-20th century, there was an earlier publishing revolution
0:05:03 > 0:05:05brought by new technology.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Cheap paperbacks rolled off the presses
0:05:07 > 0:05:12and suddenly new experiences and new voices were making it into print.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Is this happening again?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I just thought, I'm going to write it as she says it. That's part of the joke.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23"Here's me", well that means, "What?" Only in Belfast!
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The way in which we read, and potentially the way we write,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28is all up for change just now.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's a while maybe since we've had
0:05:31 > 0:05:34a woman coming forward and writing in that kind of voice.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38So would a new voice like Lisa have been signed
0:05:38 > 0:05:40if she had just sent in a sample chapter?
0:05:40 > 0:05:43She's a great entrepreneur, Lisa.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Whether that would have persuaded us, I'm not sure.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51But as it was, we knew she had 28,000 followers on Facebook.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55So if you ever wanted a kind of demonstration of an audience,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58that's it there for you, laid on a plate.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Fewer books are going to be printed on paper.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05But can e-publishing alone be enough for writers?
0:06:05 > 0:06:10I think, for me, I'm going to stay with the e-book publishing.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15And my main aim would definitely be to have an e-publisher
0:06:15 > 0:06:19probably take my books, and then I would literally get time to write!
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And they could do the hard bit for me!
0:06:23 > 0:06:30This is the advance chromalin proof of the cover for Lisa's new book.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35We just wanted it to have a really fun, kind of party feel. Lots of glitz.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40I was over the moon at the people buying online, on the Kindle and everything.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43But to actually have it and to flick through it
0:06:43 > 0:06:47and to feel it, you know, it just brings it all home.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Like, "Oh my God, look what I've done", you know.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It definitely is a massive difference for me.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And good luck to them.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Now, Enniskillen's Adrian Dunbar
0:06:58 > 0:07:02is one of our best-known actors in film, television and stage.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06He's also carved out a career as a screenwriter, singer and director.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11His movie credits include 'Hear My Song', 'My Left Foot', 'The Crying Game' and 'The General'.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16While on TV he has been in popular dramas from 'A Touch of Frost' to 'Line of Duty'.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19He's known for playing tough characters, and just last week
0:07:19 > 0:07:22saw him play the villainous Uncle Ralph in 'Nick Nickleby',
0:07:22 > 0:07:27BBC Northern Ireland's modern-day adaptation of the Dickens classic.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Nick Nickleby.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35- Here. - There is some spell about that boy.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40What usually happens when you do Dickens is that all the comedy gets stripped out.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Just the cruelty is left. - And just the cruelty's left.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45So this is both cruel and funny.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50- Good evening, Miss Nickleby. - Still Missus, if you don't mind, Ralph. It's early days yet.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54What was very, very difficult about it was knowing where it was pitched.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Whether we're going for the humour, whether we're going for the tragedy,
0:07:57 > 0:08:04you know, where is the balance to go from real intense drama to slapstick, you know, all in the one piece?
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Do you like playing horrible characters?
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Well, it's great fun, yeah! There's a lot of them!
0:08:09 > 0:08:14In his early 30s, Adrian co-wrote and starred in 'Hear My Song',
0:08:14 > 0:08:18playing a club impresario wooing his true love
0:08:18 > 0:08:22in this BAFTA-nominated film.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- Nancy here?- Yeah. - Champagne?- Yeah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Give that to her halfway through the second verse.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38When you walk out in that scene and you start to sing to Nancy,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41how much do you improvise in a role?
0:08:41 > 0:08:45'That's very interesting, that particular scene.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48'It makes you like the central character.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52'You start to like this guy despite the fact that he's kind of'
0:08:52 > 0:08:58so cheeky and abrasive and kind of obviously trying to put one over on so many people.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01So, you know, but somebody who's brave enough
0:09:01 > 0:09:04to do something like that, you kind of like, you know.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07APPLAUSE
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It was a real fabulous moment in my career,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14just to see something that you created go all the way through.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Let's move on then to a completely different kind of film.
0:09:19 > 0:09:26We're fast-forwarding seven years as well. 1998 and 'The General'.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31Why don't you go after them instead of harassing ordinary decent criminals?
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Does that kind of swagger and strut come easily to you? Some actors just don't have it.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38No, I don't think it comes easily to you.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40There's a certain amount of responsibility
0:09:40 > 0:09:43to get the character right, that you hit the right pitch.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49There's a bit of fear involved. Also, a kind of brio and bravado that's kind of unfounded,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52because you know that you're connected to a criminal gang.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54But ultimately it's a collaborative thing,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56so you're looking to see what's coming off the crowd.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59You're looking to see what Seamus Deasy's doing with the camera.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04You're aware, even as you're acting, you're aware of the crew and the camera and all of that?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Yes, you have to be aware of environment.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I mean, environment is crucial to all these things.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15While some roles need a high degree of technical know-how,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17others require a personal response.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20In Mickybo & Me, Adrian played the father of a young boy
0:10:20 > 0:10:23in 1970s Belfast.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24The scene we're going to look at
0:10:24 > 0:10:28is where Micky meets his dead father - your part.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31You have been killed in a pub shooting,
0:10:31 > 0:10:36and it is an unbelievably tender interaction
0:10:36 > 0:10:38between a father and son.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I have to tell him!
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Are you dead, Da?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44I am that, son.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Every square inch of me.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Why, Da?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51It all happened dead quick.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Just sitting having a wee pint.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Thinking about the world...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Where did that incredible performance come from?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04My own father died quite young, when he was 50.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08We didn't have a very close relationship.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11So I kind of thought about...
0:11:11 > 0:11:16some of those aspects, of those lost aspects of relationships.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20It is strange, sometimes, if you just work off...
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- Yeah.- ..an understanding of something like that -
0:11:23 > 0:11:25that it will read entirely to an audience.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I found a place
0:11:28 > 0:11:31where I felt the scene could exist
0:11:31 > 0:11:33in projecting what the future might be.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38I knew that the audience would be understanding that this child...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41was suddenly going to be unprotected in the world, if you like.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Christina would sally forth to weddings and wakes,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52taking me by the hand with her,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54cos I was her Benji.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Her golden boy.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58One of Adrian's most high-profile stage roles
0:11:58 > 0:12:01has been Irish playwright Brendan Behan.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05This was informed by a very different kind of personal insight.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08I threw him the whole way down the stairs...
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- Physically, you're not like him in any way, shape or form.- No.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14But you inhabited him so powerfully.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Did your own struggle with alcohol help you get into the mind
0:12:18 > 0:12:20of what it must have been like to be Brendan?
0:12:20 > 0:12:21I think it probably did.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I don't consider myself an alcoholic -
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I just consider myself someone who is very lucky to stop drinking when he did.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29HE LAUGHS
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Just put it that way.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Maybe I should take a drink of it,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36just to prove to meself that I'm no longer in its thrall.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39That I'd just as soon have a cup of coffee,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and at the same time, you don't want to cause offence, do ya?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And I see this... hand...
0:12:47 > 0:12:49..reaching out...
0:12:49 > 0:12:51for the brandy.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'When I came to dealing with Brendan,'
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I had a lot of compassion and understanding
0:12:56 > 0:12:58for where he was at, I think.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I didn't let it colour my performance to the extent
0:13:03 > 0:13:06where I was trying to get that across.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I think I would try to show Brendan
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and his alcoholism for what it is,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13and it's not a very nice thing.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16If you can try and understand it as a disease,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18then you can have a better understanding
0:13:18 > 0:13:20of the madness and the problems he was facing.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23DS Cottan, is it all right if I call you Matthew?
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Fine by me, sir.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26In the recent Line Of Duty,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Adrian played a cop whose job is to police the police.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34It's a role that demands the right presence on screen.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'You have the benefit of uniform.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:38That helps, does it?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It tends to give you a sort of moral authority, doesn't it?
0:13:41 > 0:13:43There's also a thing that goes across
0:13:43 > 0:13:45both the North of Ireland and Scotland
0:13:45 > 0:13:47that there is a kind of moral authority
0:13:47 > 0:13:49that comes with...the accent.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51HE LAUGHS
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I think, you know,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55we're big on finding the truth,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and wanting to know what the truth is.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02And the subtlety is only really actually in
0:14:02 > 0:14:05how your eyes slowly lose their twinkle.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Very much so. I was doing a lot
0:14:07 > 0:14:09of distracting things that you don't actually see.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12"We decided, we decided." Who decided, Matthew?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Getting him kind of comfortable, and then just gradually
0:14:15 > 0:14:17slightly unnerving him...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I do remember, after the scene,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23he said, "What the hell was all that about?"
0:14:23 > 0:14:25But that comes across so powerfully...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27That comes across, yeah.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31These are just things you kind of learn
0:14:31 > 0:14:32as you're going along.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Interview terminated.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37You've played a lot of very big, masculine characters,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40who really dominate the screen or stage.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42How much of this comes from within you?
0:14:42 > 0:14:46I've never thought about that, to tell you the truth,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49it's just the characters I play.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52You don't bring anything of yourself? You have to surely
0:14:52 > 0:14:53bring some part of yourself?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Oh, no...
0:14:55 > 0:14:56it's mostly myself.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58I mean, that's where you start.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Mm.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Then you lay character and all the rest on the top,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05but you try and use as much of your self as you can - of course you do.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08And, after nearly 40 years as an actor,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10there's a new challenge -
0:15:10 > 0:15:11directing for the theatre.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I have a vocabulary, and I understand the process
0:15:14 > 0:15:15that actors go through,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18so I'm able to communicate with them.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22So, yes... of THAT bit of directing, I understand.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26There are other bits which I'm still learning about.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Coming up, I've got two plays that are going to be...
0:15:30 > 0:15:32aired in Derry,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34for the UK Capital Of Culture
0:15:34 > 0:15:35next year.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Translations is one of those amazing plays,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and it's a huge responsibility.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44So...
0:15:44 > 0:15:45HE SIGHS
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Got to get that right - you know?! Heh!
0:15:56 > 0:16:02Animation has become something of a surprising emerging industry in Northern Ireland.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Local designers and studios are beginning to garner respect on the world stage
0:16:06 > 0:16:09through film and TV work, and a University of Ulster graduate
0:16:09 > 0:16:12recently won a worldwide award in the genre.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14We sent reporter Sarah Brett to investigate
0:16:14 > 0:16:16some of our brightest prospects.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Before 24-hour cartoon channels,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30there were Saturday morning marathon cartoon sessions -
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo, the Flintstones, anyone?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35These, for the most part, were animated productions,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37made by the big US studios.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42Since then, computer technology has transformed the animation industry...
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and the transition from children's entertainment
0:16:45 > 0:16:47to feature film is now complete.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Three years ago, James Cameron's Avatar
0:16:50 > 0:16:52became the highest-grossing film of all time,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56clearing 2.8 billion at the box office.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00The appetite for animated movies is continuing to grow,
0:17:00 > 0:17:01and here, in Northern Ireland,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04creative industries are making their mark.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08'In 1988, University of Ulster design graduate Greg Maguire
0:17:08 > 0:17:09'left Northern Ireland
0:17:09 > 0:17:12'for the US, to pursue his dreams in animation.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15'Since then, he's put together a pretty impressive CV.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17'Working with Disney and George Lucas,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20'he went on to be a key player in the Oscar-winning Happy Feet,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23'and, more recently, creature director on Avatar.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25'Despite all the accolades,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27'Greg recently returned home to the university,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31'to teach and inspire a new generation of local talent.'
0:17:31 > 0:17:34I was working on Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38I went, "Woah! That's Daniel Radcliffe."
0:17:38 > 0:17:41And it dawned on me, "I'm working on a Harry Potter film."
0:17:41 > 0:17:44And I thought of my friends and I thought of my family,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and I thought of everyone back home who would saw off their right arm
0:17:47 > 0:17:49to be doing what I'm doing right now.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Nobody really wanted to work on Avatar when it came in,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59because it was an emergency job.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03You're trying to do something someone else has taken two years over,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and you're given a crunch time of six months to complete.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09James is a very demanding director, and he'll keep asking for more.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10He's looking at my shot...
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and his eyes got wide.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15He was like, "Wow, this is freaking AWESOME!"
0:18:15 > 0:18:17And I was like, "Yes!"
0:18:17 > 0:18:18HE LAUGHS
0:18:18 > 0:18:20"James Cameron likes my work!"
0:18:26 > 0:18:28One of my recent graduates, Gerard Dunleavy,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32was voted CGI Student, 2012, award.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34The judges were from Pixar, from DreamWorks,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37from Double Negative, and from Animal Logic.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40So, he won the top prize, the top award in the world.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43You could say he's the best CGI student in the world, but I won't...
0:18:43 > 0:18:45HE LAUGHS But I will.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53The animation industry was not as far along as I thought it could be, or should be.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Erm... I was determined to change that.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Avatar was not made by one person in their bedroom -
0:19:00 > 0:19:04it was made by a group of people that came together to create something bigger than themselves.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06That was not going to happen in Northern Ireland,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08unless people were actually talking to each other.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13'Greg left sunny California, taking a chance that he could make it work at home.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17'And he's not the only one taking business risk based on drive and belief.'
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Belfast-based based animation studio Black North
0:19:19 > 0:19:22got off the ground in the middle of the recession,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26trying to show that staying local can still attract international work.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28And it's a gamble that's paid off,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31with work on big projects like the Bruce Willis epic Looper
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and Good Vibrations.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47It was a really interesting time
0:19:47 > 0:19:51to set up when we stepped out in 2009,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53because of the financial difficulties
0:19:53 > 0:19:55a lot of larger studios found themselves in.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It was an opportunity for us.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59The other thing that happened was,
0:19:59 > 0:20:00people were starting to stay around,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04so, rather than leaving university and heading to London or the States,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07they were staying and looking for opportunities here.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Here To Fall is an Irish Film Board-funded project.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16We wanted to use people that were Belfast-based, primarily...
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and employed a number of people from the University of Ulster,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21studying an MA at the time.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Because it was a slightly abstract and experimental animation,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27they had room to experiment, themselves,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31but ultimately still had a brief and still had a project that was live.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Insiders say the industry is in a state of hope, rather than glory,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37but, with continued committed funding,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41companies HAVE been able to stay at home and compete on the international stage.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Dog Ears, based here, in Derry, resisted relocation offers,
0:20:45 > 0:20:50and now they're on the verge of launching their first children's animated TV series.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Hello! I'm Rosie - Miss Rosie Red!
0:20:54 > 0:20:57We're going to make the Rosie Red cartoon in Derry.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58Scriptwriting has begun,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01storyboarding for the cartoon has begun on the back of that,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and we're casting for the different voices for the animation.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Hello, Cooper!
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Some of the progress we've had in the last couple of months
0:21:08 > 0:21:09is just such vindication.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11When there's a small team of four people,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and you're working really hard,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and people are sometimes saying,
0:21:16 > 0:21:17"You're doing it in Derry.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20"Do you have a chance, cos you're not in London,
0:21:20 > 0:21:21"or one of the major centres?"
0:21:21 > 0:21:23But we really feel like
0:21:23 > 0:21:26our hard work is paying off. and it's exciting in that respect.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Dog Ears is making a TV show
0:21:28 > 0:21:31about me...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33all the funny things that happen to me...
0:21:33 > 0:21:37A huge amount of work goes into making something simple.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I think that's true in any kind of discipline.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41We're also in fairly advanced talks
0:21:41 > 0:21:43with major national broadcasters, as well,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46who've shown a fair degree of interest,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48so we can't say any more than that at the minute,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50but things are going extremely well in that respect.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55We are in a three-way partnership now
0:21:55 > 0:21:57with Penguin and Cartoon Saloon,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and we'll be rolling out Puffin Rock globally in TV, apps
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and a cartoon series,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05all being well, next year.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09You've had offers to leave but you haven't left.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Why have you stayed in Derry?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13We're really keen about growing local talent,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15about fostering things that are happening here.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19And in collaboration with, be it a cartoonist in Kilkenny
0:22:19 > 0:22:21or studios further a-field...
0:22:21 > 0:22:24but very much based here.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26That's the point.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Now, with his tips on what's not to miss
0:22:29 > 0:22:31in the music world over the next few weeks,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33here's Ralph McLean.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34Thanks, Marie-Louise.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36We'll start with the first appearance on these shores
0:22:36 > 0:22:38of a true cult legend.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Anyone who's seen the multi-award-winning documentary Searching For Sugarman
0:22:41 > 0:22:44will know what an amazing talent Sixto Rodriguez is.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45It's a mad story, as well.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Donovan-flavoured Detroit singer-songwriter releases
0:22:48 > 0:22:50a couple of phenomenal albums in the early '70s,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and then just disappears off the face of the Earth.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Down the decades, his reputation has grown and grown,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and now he's back sounding as wise and wonderful as ever.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Rodriguez plays the Empire Music Hall on the 28th of this month.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Support comes from local hero David Holmes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Trust me, this is one gig you will not want to miss.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Current flavour of the month, folk-rock trio The Staves,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12will be playing the Limelight in Belfast on Saturday night,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16When they come through town next time, it'll be in a considerably bigger venue,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18as they're really on the up at the minute.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19So it's the perfect time to see them.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24For my money, The Undertones are the greatest singles band in Irish rock history.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Think Teenage Kicks, Here Comes The Summer, Jimmy Jimmy -
0:23:26 > 0:23:28the examples of pure pop perfection
0:23:28 > 0:23:30just keep on coming.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Paul McLoone may have replaced Feargal Sharkey as the lead singer,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and the old hair may be getting a bit thinner on top for some of them,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38but they're still an electrifying live prospect.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Where better to see them than in a home-town gig?
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The play the Nerve Centre in their native Derry/Londonderry
0:23:43 > 0:23:44tomorrow night.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Peter Wilson, AKA Duke Special,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49has been a stalwart of the live local music scene for years now.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52The dreadlocked Duke will be out on the road again in December.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55He plays An Creagan Centre in Omagh on the ninth,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57the Atlantic Lounge in Portrush on the 14th,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01and the Arts Centre in Newry on the 15th of December.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Irish duo The Lost Brothers have been described as a kind of cosmic Everly Brothers,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and that makes sense because their harmonies are beautiful,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10but, most importantly, they write great songs.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I've seen them a lot and I can tell you they're brilliant live, as well,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and they play the Errigle in Belfast on the fifth of December,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19then go up to Sandino's Bar in Derry on the sixth.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley will be promoting his Mercury-nominated album,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26the defiantly psychedelic and, let's be honest, fairly noisy album,
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Standing At The Sky's Edge,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29with a couple of gigs in Northern Ireland.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32He plays the Nerve Centre in Derry on the first,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and then plays the Mandela Hall in Belfast on the second.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Finally, a big shout out to one of my favourite singer-songwriters,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40the phenomenally-talented Gareth Dunlop.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41He'll be playing tunes from his brand-new EP
0:24:41 > 0:24:44in the Empire Music Hall on the fifth of December.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Get your tickets, and I'll see you there.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Thank you, Ralph.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50That's almost it for tonight. The Arts Show will be back
0:24:50 > 0:24:53on the 13th of December with actor James Nesbitt
0:24:53 > 0:24:56talking about his latest role in the Christmas blockbuster The Hobbit.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You can keep up to date with what's happening every weeknight
0:24:59 > 0:25:03at half-past six on BBC Radio Ulster's Arts Extra.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05You can also join our guest Tweeter-In-Residence,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07critic Hugh Odling-Smee,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09who'll be curating our Twitter account tomorrow.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11We leave you with some music.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Local singer-songwriter Foy Vance has a growing international reputation.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19His songs have featured in hit US TV series Grey's Anatomy,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and he begins a US Tour with Ed Sheeran in January.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Foy's recent EP, Melrose, produced by David Holmes,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29formed the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning short film The Shore.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Taken from it, this is Be The Song.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34GUITAR PICKING
0:26:09 > 0:26:13# When nightmares come
0:26:13 > 0:26:17# Keep you awake
0:26:17 > 0:26:21# Baby, close your eyes
0:26:22 > 0:26:25# I'll take the weight
0:26:27 > 0:26:31# But I won't speak
0:26:31 > 0:26:35# I will refrain
0:26:35 > 0:26:38# And be the song
0:26:40 > 0:26:45# Just be the song
0:26:45 > 0:26:49# When inner scars
0:26:49 > 0:26:53# Show on your face
0:26:53 > 0:26:58# And darkness hides
0:26:58 > 0:27:01# Your sense of place
0:27:03 > 0:27:06# Well, I won't speak
0:27:07 > 0:27:11# I will refrain
0:27:11 > 0:27:16# And be the song
0:27:16 > 0:27:18# Just be the song
0:27:22 > 0:27:26# Flow down all my mountains
0:27:27 > 0:27:31# Darling, fill my valleys
0:27:31 > 0:27:36# Flow down all my mountains
0:27:36 > 0:27:40# Darling, fill my valleys
0:27:40 > 0:27:45# Flow down all my mountains
0:27:45 > 0:27:49# Darling, fill my valleys
0:27:56 > 0:28:00# And when you run
0:28:00 > 0:28:04# Far from my eyes
0:28:05 > 0:28:09# Then I will come
0:28:09 > 0:28:13# In dead of night
0:28:14 > 0:28:18# But I won't speak
0:28:18 > 0:28:21# Till morning light
0:28:23 > 0:28:27# I'll be the song
0:28:27 > 0:28:32# Just be the song
0:28:34 > 0:28:38# Flow down all my mountains
0:28:38 > 0:28:41# Darling
0:28:42 > 0:28:47# Flow down all my mountains
0:28:47 > 0:28:49# Darling. #
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd