Irish production company wins ESA contract

Agtel, one of Ireland's leading independent film and video production companies, have won a major contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a science education programme that will be distributed to schools across Europe.
It will involve Irish and European students and ESA astronauts in a series of earth and space based science experiments that take science out of the classroom and into real life. The three-year contract blasted off from Kazakhstan with the launch of the Cervantes mission with video cameras and filming instruction from Agtel on board.
In a public tender competition Agtel saw off stiff competition from film and video producers across Europe to secure this prestigious contract.
The project involves the filming of a series of experiments both in space and on earth. The resulting footage will form the basis of a comprehensive educational programme, produced on DVD format. The DVD will be encoded to include 11 European languages and will be accompanied by a teacher's guide, also developed by Agtel. Over 10,000 copies will be distributed to schools all over Europe.
DVD authoring, mastering and duplication will be carried out by DV4, an Irish based media company.
"We are really excited about this project and are particularly pleased that the ESA welcomed the innovative and interactive solution that we proposed," said John Cummins, Agtel Managing Director. "It shows that we can compete creatively and win at the highest levels in Europe and working with partners such as DV4 can create high value multimedia resources. It is not just about technology, but talent is more important, and Irish talent is key to this project."
Agtel, better known for 'Ear to the Ground', RTE's popular, rural programme, also include BBC, TG4, Baileys, Bord Bia, Schering and ESB among their blue-chip client base.
(GB)