MORE investment is needed to fill gaps in key areas in the Irish film and television industry, according to a report on the sector prepared for Forbairt and the Irish Film Board by the industry's representative body, Film Makers Ireland.

The report highlights a lack of specialised laboratory processing facilities, high tech graphics and dedicated wardrobe and costume facilities.

The country's audiovisual industry needs more camera equipment, greater studio space, particularly outside Dublin and subtitling facilities, particularly for Irish language programming following the establishment of Telefis na Gaeilge.

The study recommends that a more generous capital allowances regime be introduced to take account of the fact that equipment is now becoming technically obsolete much more quickly than was the case a few years ago.

The period over which audiovisual companies can write off their capital expenditure should be reduced from seven to three five years, it suggests.

Facilities companies are urged to form co-production agreements and strategic alliances with other facilities either at home or abroad in an effort to achieve economies of scale.

Greater pressure should be put on financial institutions to become involved with the industry, the report suggests.

There are now about 190 production companies in the independent sector in Ireland. A majority are regarded as micro sized" employing one to two people on average.

There are a further 40 production service companies and 30 post production facility houses. These include firms providing special effects such as pyrotechnics and atmospherics commodities hardly in short supply in Irish political life.

There are now about 300 audiovisual facility businesses.

During the height of the film making boom studio capacity came under pressure, with Ardmore Studios being forced to turn away two productions worth around £250,000. A number of other productions such as the film Frankie Starlight relied on temporary studios in warehouses and disused factories.

According to the report. Ardmore Studios is preparing a major investment programme, increasing the range of production and post production facilities in an effort to turn the country's premier film making facility into a one stop shop for film and TV production.

Ironically, this comes at a time when the project pipeline for 1996 is looking relatively thin if industry sources are to be believed. The second largest studio in the country is the new studio run by Concorde Anois Teo, the company promoted by the veteran American film maker, Roger Corman.

Based in Connemara, it employs 60 people and is expected to produce six films with relatively low budgets of 13 million each year.

The most glaring gap is in the field of laboratory processing. Film stock has to be sent to Britain for processing. This is particularly serious in the case of low budget films.

According to the report, the Irish film and TV production sector turnover has now reached $150 million a year. This represents an increase of around one third on the figure quoted for 1993 in the Coopers & Lybrand report on the sector.

The facilities infrastructure accounts for just one fifth of total industry turnover in Ireland. In Britain one third of turnover is accounted for by facilities.

This study is the second major one on the audiovisual industry to be placed before the semi state body coordination group, STATCOM, in the past year.

Late in 1995, a report by FAS on the independent film and TV sector was highly critical of education and training facilities for young film makers.

An industry training committee under the chairmanship of the well known producer, Arthur Lappin, has since been established.

The committee is preparing plans to increase the range of workshops and courses for young directors. There are plans to introduce mentors or advisers into emerging film companies. There will be a focus on training people to serve as heads of departments, in effect, serving as an industry officer corps.

Lappin has indicated that up to £3.5 million could be spent by the State on training over the next three to four years. A further £1.5 million may be injected in the form of fee income and business sponsorship.