Cinematic Endeavours

1 week down, 5 to go

2006-09-23T03:02:00.000+01:00

Finished first week of shooting on de film. Tuesday we were all decked out in sunglasses filming in St. Michael's in Mahon. Mucho grazias to Eddie in the cemetary who was so good to us. Being a Cork woman, I am very proud of how everyone locally is so supportive of the film.

I used underhanded techniques to try and win a bet. We were at a loss as to the offical name of the holy water bucket and sprinkling device used at the funeral scene in Mahon. The answer is "stoop". What a bad Catholic I am! I cunningly used my inside connection to Eddie to get the information. See what a ruthless person I am!

Wednesday morning was a bit of a shock weather-wise. Knew the bad weather was coming but I refused to acknowledge it because of previous day's good weather. Bad mistake! Got drenched at 6:30am and had soggy bottom syndrome for next 14 hours! The glitzy life of filmmaking, eh!

Spent 3 days in Passage West. Local residents amazing. Bodes well for rest of shoot.

*tried to post this at weekend but internet acting funny

Male Film Extras Required

2006-09-07T08:50:00.000+01:00

Apologies to the women but it is the guys who are needed on this film. Shooting will occur between September 18th and October 27th 2006.

If you are interested, please come to Mahon Community Hall, Mahon, Blackrock
4pm - 7pm on Monday 11th September.

All aged over 18 welcome.

Please bring a note with your measurements, height, sizes etc.

Animators and Visual Effects types

2006-09-04T23:45:00.000+01:00

My good buddy Conor & I have been exchanging "up to our eyes but loving it" e-mails of late. We are getting very close to principal photography on Strength & Honour here in Cork while Conor is slogging away on the latest Harry Potter in London. Conor works at Framestore which is the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe. They are responsible for the cool bits in Superman Returns, X-Men 3, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire and most impressively (for me, anyway) the squirrels in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

If this sort of thing is your cup of tea, you will be pleased to hear that Conor reliably informs me that Framestore are hiring 180 new staff over the next two months. Click on the above image for more information or visit Framestore's website here.

I Heart Walter Murch (part 2)

2006-08-30T17:43:00.000+01:00

Behind The Seen: How Walter Murch Edited Cold Mountain Using Apple's Final Cut Pro And What This Means For Cinema by Charles Koppelman

Gorgeous book. Gorgeous layout, typesetting & images. Add the engrossing content and it is a must own book for anyone with the remotest interest in film post production.

Behind The Seen tells the story of how Oscar-winning editor, Walter Murch embraced an then unproven Final Cut Pro and edited Cold Mountain with it, making it the first feature film (as opposed to video) to be edited on the system. You don't have to be a film editor to enjoy this book. Koppelman (also a filmmaker) had unique access to Walter Murch during the shooting and editing of Cold Mountain. He captures the atmosphere of a feature film very well and details the process very accurately. Koppelman's writing is supplemented by extracts from Murch's diary and e-mails from Murch to Anthony Minghella, DigitalFilmTree & Apple and vice versa. Walter Murch's e-mail to Steve Jobs modestly introducing himself is a treat!

One of the lasting impressions from reading the book is how unhelpful Apple was to Murch and his team, particularly as he has since become poster boy for Final Cut Studio.

Strength & Honour & Me!

2006-08-30T17:40:00.000+01:00

I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately as I have recently joined the production family on Strength & Honour. Principal photography is looming but everyone is cool, calm, collected and getting on with the job. Professionals, don't ya know!

By the way, if you come across a red-haired woman driving erratically in a blue Mazda, who abruptly stops at the side of the road and then jumps out to take photos, you'll know who it is!

Open Casting for Strength & Honour

2006-08-25T17:16:00.000+01:00

There is an open casting call for the Strength & Honour, the feature film that will be shot in Cork next month.

Open casting will take place in the Firkin Crane, tomorrow Saturday August 26th from 2pm.

Paramount Pictures No Longer In Love With Tom Cruise

2006-08-24T15:21:00.000+01:00

Production deals come and go. Nothing new about that. Producers, Directors and Stars are always falling in and out of favour with studios. This month's doyen is next month's has-been.

What I find intriguing about the collapse of the 14-year deal between Paramount and Tom Cruise is the reason cited by Sumner Redstone (CEO of Paramount's parent company, Viacom) - Cruise's controversial behaviour over the past year. Some suits finally put 2 + 2 together and realised that this odd little man spouting off his jaw-dropping "insights" all over the place and the dismal box office receipts of his recent films might actually be connected!

You can read more about the announcement here

Kryzstof Kiéslowski - Talking Heads (French subtitles)

2006-08-23T13:55:00.000+01:00

I am a huge fan of Kiéslowski's films (Three Colours, Double Life of Véronique, Dekalog etc.). His short documentaries are superb and don't seem to get much attention. Talking Heads asks 100 people of all ages "Who are you? What do you want?". It is facinating to see how our perceptions of ourselves and our desires change with time.

This version of Talking Heads is Polish with French subtitles. Even if your French is rusty it is easy to follow. If you like the look of it and want to see it with English subtitles, rent Camera Buff. Talking Heads is on the dvd extras.

Berlinale Talent Campus 2007

2006-08-22T09:37:00.000+01:00

Below is some information which I received from Media Desk Ireland:

The 5th Berlinale Talent Campus is being held from Saturday February 10th
until Thursday February 15th 2007.

The Talent Campus is an international summit of Europe's talented
up-and-coming filmmakers. The 5 day programme deals with the 5 key stages of
filmmaking:

Philosophy Pre-Production Production Post-Production Promotion.

You can only apply online, and receive more information, at
www.berlinale-talentcampus.de

This is an excellent opportunity for Irish Filmmakers also. Participation is
free and a portion of travel and accommodation expenses will be offered to
selected participants who are not German citizens or residents of Germany.
Eligible to apply are up-and-coming producers, directors, actors,
cinematographers, screenwriters, editors, production designers, art
directors, film-score composers and sound designers.

The application deadline is November 1, 2006.

You can read more at IFTN here and at the Talent Campus website here.

As I stated in my previous post about Walter Murch, I was selected to attend the 2nd Berlinale Talent Campus in 2003. It was an amazing experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough. You get to attend lectures and spend time with some of the most talented filmmakers in the industry, you have access to the Berlin Film Festival, you get plied with free food and drink and on top of that you get free clothes from Hugo Boss. What are you waiting for? APPLY NOW!

Strength & Honor (Honour) gets Cinematical

2006-08-19T14:46:00.000+01:00

Good to see top film site, Cinematical, has picked up on Strength & Honour, Mark Mahon's feature which is slated to start shooting in Cork in the near future. You can read the posting here

Technorati tags: Strength & Honour, filmmaking, Cork film

I Heart Walter Murch

2006-08-17T16:32:00.000+01:00

For anyone even remotely interested in how and why films are edited, The Conversations is compulsive reading. I started my career in film as an editor, so I have a long time love affair with Murch. Many books talk about the technology of editing and provide good manuals. Few, however, concentrate on the art of editing and how it has evolved over the past 100 years. This book does just that. Murch speaks beautifully about the psychology of and emotional responses to editing, and Ondaatje asks all the right questions. Murch is a fascinating and articulate subject and it is obvious that there is a good rapport between the two men.

If you enjoy this, follow up with Murch's 1995 book In The Blink of An Eye which has been reissued with an update on Digital Editing. It's worth buying for the beehive anecdote alone.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the 2004 Berlinale Talent Campus where Walter Murch was our "Godfather" and gave some workshops and lectures. The good people at the Talent Campus website put up some transcripts and videos on their site. It can't replace being there but it's worth a look.

Walter Murch - Editing The Sound And Music is a transcript of the lecture of the same name which can be viewed online ordownloaded as a pdf courtesy of the Berlinale Talent Campus website.

The Synergy of Sight and Sound is a similar transcript and Reflections on Being a Filmmaker contains video clips of Murch, Anthony Minghella and David Puttnam reminiscing about their careers. Poor old Guillaume Depardieu, who replaced Béatrice Dalle on the panel at the last minute (under mysterious circumstances), didn't make the cut.

*I will post a piece about Behind The Seen - How Walter Murch Edited Cold Mountain Using Apple's Final Cut Pro And What This Mean's For Cinema in the near future.

Technorati tags: Walter Murch, film editing, Berlinale Talent Campus, Michael Ondaatje

Cork Film Festival Seeks Young Filmmakers

2006-08-14T15:42:00.000+01:00

Cork Film Festival, in association with Du Grain à Démoudre Film Festival, is offering 5 young filmmakers the unique opportunity to participate in Travel: Source of Cultural Discovery, an exciting forum for young Europeans, which will take place in Normandy, France in November.

The chosen filmmakers will work as a team to produce a short film which will be screened at Du Grain à Démoudre Film Festival. In addition, they will travel to France to the festival and forum where they will film a second short film (also to be screened at the festival).

Equipment & facilities will be provided by Cork Film Centre. Gillian Morrison, who produced the Jameson award winner at last year’s Cork Film Festival – Killing The Afternoon – will mentor the project. Transport, board & accommodation will be provided by Du Grain à Démoudre.

Applications are invited from filmmakers aged between 18 and 25 (on November 1st, 2006) and should include the following.

• Evidence of age: photocopy of driving licence, passport etc.
• Indication of area of expertise, direction, camera, sound, editing, production design etc.
• CV & showreel
• Synopsis and treatment for a 3-5 minute short (no dialogue) based on the idea of how travel is approached in, and is representative of Ireland.

Submission materials should be sent to:

Eoin Ó’Catháin
Education Officer
Cork Film Festival
Emmet House
Emmet Place
Cork

Deadline for submissions is Monday 11th September.

For more information contact: education@corkfilmfest.org

Cork Film Festival
Du Grain à Démoudre Film Festival

Technorati tags: Cork Film Festival, Short Films, filmmaker

Support Your Friendly Filmmaker / Low Budget Filmmaking

2006-08-14T10:22:00.000+01:00

At the Berlin Film Festival last year I got to spend some time with the lovely and talented Jay Duplass, whose short film The Intervention was competing against Killing The Afternoon for a Golden Bear. A fun-filled week of films and Berliner Pils were to be had before the judges announced their decisions. Both Margaret & Jay lost out to equally talented and lovely Peter Mackie Burns for Milk but Jay did get the consolation of the Silver Bear. We were consoled by the free drink. If you are interested in what a Silver Bear looks like, here is Jay with his.

Jay recently e-mailed me saying that his low budget feature The Puffy Chair (which was a sensation at Sundance) has finally been given a theatrical release. I don't know yet if it will be shown here in Ireland although it may be the type of film that might make it to the Kino. For anyone out there who doesn't have big bucks to make your masterpiece, Jay Duplass is a bit of an inspiration. You can read a review of The Puffy Chair here.
You can watch the trailer and see some of Jay's short films (including The Intervention) at their official website and you can read an interview with Jay on Cinematical.

Technorati tags: Berlin Film Festival, Puffy Chair

Sell Us Your Camera

2006-08-10T18:55:00.000+01:00

If you own a Sony PD170 and are thinking of upgrading to HDTV I know just the man to take it off your hands. A fellow Cork producer is anxious to invest in a second-hand PD so if you hear of any, please let me know.

Technorati tag: Sony PD170

Placement/Internship With Cork Film Festival

2006-08-09T12:33:00.000+01:00

Eoin O'Catháin, the Education Officer at Cork Film Festival is offering a placement in the run up to this year's festival. Candidates will ideally be interested in arts administration and/or event management. Speaking from experience, candidates will need a cool head, loads of energy and a predilection for hitting the dance floor!

During my student days I worked at the Press Desk and Print Transport, respectively. There is nothing quite like the buzz before and during a film festival. The level of co-ordination on so many levels is astounding.

If you feel you have what it takes, e-mail Eoin at: education@corkfilmfest.org

Technorati tags: Cork Film Festival, internship

Calling All Cork Filmmakers - I Want Your Films

2006-08-04T13:26:00.000+01:00

I have been invited to direct a television series celebrating the past 10 years of Cork short films for a local station. I am currently shortlisting the films and directors to be included in the programmes. If you wish your film to be considered for inclusion, please send a preview copy (dvd preferably) and some background information on yourself to:

Gillian Morrison
Medaza Films
20-21 Anglesea Street
Cork

Technorati tags: short film, Irish television, Cork film directors

Short Documentary Competition

2006-08-02T18:40:00.000+01:00

The Irish Film Board has announced a short documentary competition for the Stranger Than Fiction festival which takes place in Dublin between Sep.28th and Oct. 1st.

The award is €2000 and films must be between 3 and 18 minutes in length. The festival is now accepting entries. You can link to the website via the header above.

So Long, Numero Uno Joe

2006-07-28T10:40:00.000+01:00

Last week, the subject of "Numero Uno Joe", my 2003 documentary, passed away. Joe O'Sullivan , from Skibbereen, was an exceptional character who had bought a plot in the local graveyard and erected his headstone some years back - for fear that when he died no-one else would!

When I stumbled across his story I initially thought that I would produce a film about Joe, but as I got to know him better I became fiercly protective of him. I didn't trust that another director would not exploit Joe and portray him as a caricature. Being from Skibbereen myself, I knew that I would have a lot to answer for locally if I did not treat him right. Thus, I ended up directing, with Chris Hurley of Guerilla Films producing.

The moment that I knew I had got the story right was when I was nearing the end of editing. Over the course of a few days, several people passed through the edit suite in Cork Film Centre where I was working. I showed each person the rough cut I was working on. The reactions to Joe were as follows:

He is a genius.
He is such a lonely old man. (Person who said this was in floods of tears)
He is so witty.
He is a lunatic.
He is obviously an artist.
He is being very practical.

It was wonderful that different people had different interpretations of the same information. When I showed the final film to Joe, his reaction was "God, I'm very funny aren't I? Show it to us again".

I was so happy when "Numero uno Joe" was screened at the Cork Film Festival that year, though not overly surprised as it is such a local story. What completely amazed me was when the film went on to receive over 25 screenings both nationally and internationally. I travelled to a few festivals and brought back festival catalogues to Joe as souvenirs. I even got a certificate of participation from a festival in New Zealand which I gave to him. I would call to see him and bring a rhubarb tart with me. Over cake and tea, he would ask how the screenings went. How many people saw it at the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, did the Estonians like him?

"Numero Uno Joe" is about memory. Joe was concerned about being forgotten, which was what prompted me to make the film in the first place. If nothing else, the film would be passed down through my family and through his, thereby keeping his memory alive.

There was a good turn out for Joe's funeral, he would have been pleased and he was laid to rest with the sound of bagpipes playing.

Rest In Peace Numero Uno Joe.

*For anyone who has seen the film, 1n 2004, Joe finally located his mother's grave in Clonakilty. He immediately erected a headstone at the site.

Technorati tags: Numero Uno Joe, documentary, Skibbereen

New Irish Filmmakers Network

2006-07-27T15:17:00.000+01:00

FilmmakersNetwork.ie is a new networking space for people who want to make films in Ireland. It has a good forum with seperate threads for Direction, Production, Cinematography, Editing, Screenwriting, Sound Design, Animation & CG & Acting, as well as more general threads.

There seems to be a pretty good response so far. Hopefully, it will sustain the momentum. I remember stumbling across a similar site a year or so ago, but it seems to have disappeared off the face of cyber-space. Perhaps this is a rebranding. Check it out.

Irish Film Archive offering one year studentship

2006-07-14T12:03:00.000+01:00

This may be of interest to some recent college graduates:

The Irish Film Institute is offering a one year full time studentship starting from September. It is intended for a graduate who intends to apply for the MA in Archives and Record Management in UCD.Candidates should have an honours degree or expect to obtain one this year. The value of the Studentship will be €15,000.Letters of application should be submitted to the Head of the Irish Film Archive, Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Dublin 2 by close of business on Friday July 21st 2006.

Get your film seen and make money too (possibly!)

2006-07-03T13:59:00.000+01:00

I have just stumbled across a website, Revver, which operates very much like YouTube except it may generate revenue for the filmmaker. You upload your film to Revver and they tag an ad on the the end of if. If someone clicks on the ad you get paid for it. Interesting concept, although how many people are likely to click on an ad after a film?

The original & the best of course is Atom Films. Hugely popular and they pay royalties. Check out Corkman Mickey Dwyer's "Sets & Violence" on the site http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/sets_violence

Looking for a location for RTÉ short film

2006-06-26T19:36:00.000+01:00

I am producing an RTÉ funded short film this summer and the main location is of vital importance. The story is set in a care facility/institution. The main requirements are that the building is old but well cared for and has plenty of twisting and turning corridors. A door leading to an enclosed outside yard would be an advantage. Can anyone suggest a suitable location in the Cork area? Perhaps a school or convent? We will travel further afield if needs be.

Paul Thomas Anderson blog

2006-06-16T16:29:00.000+01:00

The director of Boogie Nights, Magnolia & Punch Drunk Love is currently in production with There Will Be Blood a story about family, greed, religion & oil (no it's not about the Bush family!) centred around a turn of the century Texas Prospector. Little Boston News - www.littlebostonnews.com is a photoblog of the shoot. Worth checking out if you are the type of person who watches all the extras on a dvd

Splanc! Documentary Fund

2006-06-16T14:04:00.000+01:00

Currently there is a call for submissions for Splanc! which is a TG4 and Arts Council initiative to produce arts documentaries in the Irish language. This year's scheme is focusing on Litriocht Bheo or contemporary literature in the Irish language. Six half-hour films will be commissioned. The average budget for each is €30,000. Application forms are available to download at www.tg4.ie

Deadline for submissions is July 31st.

I produced a documentary which was funded as part of last year's Splanc! initiative. I found TG4 excellent to work with and would highly recommend the experience. For a director or producer who has had some successful short films it can be a stepping stone to television funding.

The Golden Bear goes to....

2006-06-15T18:39:00.000+01:00

(we were so close!)

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. There are thousands of film festivals in the world and the only thing that they have in common is that films shown in the festivals are selected by programmers. Mere mortals in other words, people like you and me. People with wildly differing tastes. I have produced films which have won awards at some film festivals while others will not even screen them. Anyone who has attended Cork, Kerry, Galway & Dublin film festivals will realise that each emphasises different values in filmmaking: animation, documentary, experimental, story, recognisible actors, production design, film vs video etc.

It can be tricky trying to find a festival that suits your film - and expensive to send it to all of them. Do some research. Some festivals have explanatory titles such as the Add A New Soundtrack To An Old Silent Movie Festival (www.4ff.it, deadline July 15th), Document 4 - International Human Rights Documentary Festival
(www.variant.randomstate.org/Doc4.html, deadline August 4th) and Norwich International Animation Festival (www.niaf.org.uk, deadline June 16th)

Here are some upcoming festival deadlines. Check websites for guidelines and application forms.

Cork Film Festival - www.corkfilmfest.org
deadline for entries: June 30th

Kerry Film Festival - www.kerryfilmfestival.com
deadline for entries: July 16th
(note: there is a €20 fee for Kerry)

Foyle Film Festival - www.foylefilmfestival.org
deadline for entries: September 4th
(note: Foyle accept digital formats for documentary only. All other categories, fiction, animation etc. MUST be screened on 35mm film print)

Boston Irish Film Festival - www.irishfilmfestival.com
deadline for entries: August 31st
(note: there is a $50 entry fee)

Aubagne International Film Festival - www.cineaubagne.com
deadline for entries: 30th October

Why don't you come up sometime and see me?*

2006-06-15T16:55:00.000+01:00

As a film producer, and former employee of Cork Film Centre, I am regularly asked "how do I get started?" by aspiring directors/screenwriters/actors/cinematographers. The answer is "get experience", which can be a catch-22 situation. There are many enthusiastic people in Cork who will gladly give up a litle bit of time to be involved in a film shoot. And there are often productions that could use that extra pair of hands. These two groups of people rarely meet. One of the functions of this blog is to help film people in Cork, with different talents and levels of experience, get in touch with each other. So please post comments.

I will also be posting information which may be relevant to Cork filmmakers such as festival deadlines, script awards, information on bursaries and film schemes. So stay tuned, folks!

* oft misquoted line, originally spoken by Mae West in the 1933 film, She Done Him Wrong