Irish film duo launch Rangle: A New Crewing App for Irish Film Industry & Beyond
Posted: 14th September 2017
Irish film duo AnneMarie Naughton and Andrew Burke have launched Rangle, a unique new digital platform that works to connecting skilled crew with production companies in real time.
Over the last 18 months (2016 until present), the Irish film industry is worth €193 million to the Irish economy (this is based on eligible expenditure over this period.) As of 2016, the film industry employed 6,700 Irish residents as cast or crew on film. *
“Rangle is now the most efficient, cost effective way of identifying the best available crew for your production in the shortest period of time, It's that simple” says Naughton, founder and CEO of film production company Park Films.
Producer Naughton and co- founder Burke, graduate of IADT & New York Film Academy, bring the perfect balance of industry experience, along with a fresh-eyed approach to streamlining industry practice, and bringing it in line with efficient technologies.
The concept for Rangle came out of their individual frustrating experiences of accessing great crew for a project, particularly during busy periods of the year. “The team you assemble has such a huge impact on the quality of the project,” says Naughton. “We’ve been on the frontline for many productions so we have first hand knowledge of the challenges and stresses associated with crewing up. Connecting the right people with your project dates so you can go into production can be a very stressful and lengthy, time-consuming process.”
“There is currently no single reliable source where all skilled crew are listed for each of the different sectors we cover: Feature Film, TV Drama, Animation, Commercials, TV and TV Doc and Post Production including VFX,” adds Burke.
Not content to simply identify the problem, the duo knew there had to be an easier way than old school rolodexing and playing phone tag for days on end. They built the solution - the Rangle website and sister app.
“The App is always free for crew to download. Companies will use the Rangle website, create a production with details, and push a notification out to the relevant roles. All Crew on the App can respond with their availability, It’s a win-win for all and it’s so simple to use!,” says Naughton. “Much of Ireland’s content comes through co-productions and there is huge potential for this to scale to other territories as it is an identified problem throughout the Industry.”
Crewing up has never been easier or faster and as Rangle was created by industry professionals the creators have an inside view as to what would works best. “ We knew it would have to be as easy as WhatsApp for crew, and we have big plans for what the platform can do going forward. The priority for now is alerting professional crew to sign up.”
The duo are delighted to already have a number of high profile productions lined up to (w)Rangle their crew through the new system. Having just released a few days ago they already have about 20% of professional skilled crew with numbers climbing.
With over 37 productions across film, TV, animation and documenraties shooting or planned in 2017 Rangle has teamed up with Scannain to provide a rolling list of what’s in or going into production. As the Industry is thriving so well at the moment they are developing a suitable section for New Talent, aimed at encouraging new blood into the Industry.
For more information or to sign up go to www.rangle.ie
Rangle is proudly supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board & CreativeMedia.
So far, the industry response had been overwhelmingly positive:
Liz Gill, Producer of Vikings
“The industry has waited long enough for an app like Rangle - brilliant for crew, who can be sure they’re being considered for everything they’re available for, for free — and brilliant for PMs and producers who will no longer have to trawl through their lists to find out who’s available. I can imagine Heads of Department will also love it to find assistants, trainees, etc. It’s a brilliant tool for our business that will maximise everyone's most precious resource — time.
What especially excites me about this is the potential international crossover — our industry tends to find a brand and stick to it (Movie Magic, Final Draft, etc.), so Rangle could become the next household name for industry freelancers, which is a global market…"
Aoife O’Sullivan & Tristan Orpen Lynch Subotica Films
“We're delighted Rangle has arrived, we're very much looking forward to using it, a better method of accessing great crew is something this industry badly needs.”
Gary Shortall, CEO Egg Post Production
“A brilliant idea, long overdue.”
Carrie Nathan, Independent Pictures
“It's so exciting to see the industry take this long overdue step in updating our methods. It's surprising that we haven't already employed this kind of technology but I'm really interested to see what Rangle can do and where it can take us in terms of productivity."