Screen Directors Guild of Ireland

Tomm Moore with his award winning feature film THE SECRET OF KELLS featured at the most recent SDGI Directors Club screening on August 11th . In this special screening, Tomm discussed with fellow directors the creative process in independent animation and his vision of this beautiful, inspiring film which reflects powerfully the rich history and beautiful aestetics surrounding the book of Kells. Tomm also gave SDGI members an insight into 2d animation and the practical aspects of managing a creative team working simultaneously in several different international locations.

The next SDGI Directors Club will feature Tomm Moore with his award winning feature film THE SECRET OF KELLS. In a special screening, Tomm will discuss with fellow directors the creative process in independent animation and his vision of this beautiful, inspiring film which reflects powerfully the rich history and beautiful aestetics surrounding the book of Kells. We encourage both live action and animation directors to come along and engage in dialogue with Tomm. The event will kick off as usual at 6.15pm with some light refreshments with the screening beginning at 6.30pm sharp. To register for this event please reply by return as the screening room is an intimate space!

DATE: Tuesday August 11th
TIME: 6.15pm
LOCATION: Directors Screening Room

When exec producer Morgan O’Sullivan calmly leads me on to the set of The Tudors I’m immediately struck by the scale of things. It’s more people than I’ve ever seen on a set. But then, as somebody who devotes most of his time to documentaries, I haven’t been on that many sets.

 

I’m told it’s not the biggest production you’ll see but I’m still impressed by the number of people around and the amount of organization that goes into making the production run like a well oiled machine.

 

‘Machine’ is a word I hear frequently throughout my day on The Tudors - most of this team have been through a few series of the Tudors and a feature film together and they know very well what it takes to keeping the production moving. There’s a great atmosphere on set and people are immensely friendly, going out of their way to make me feel at home.

 

In the driving seat of the machine on this particular day is Ciaran Donnelly, the easy-going director of George Gently, Stardust, Proof and numerous other TV dramas. As I arrive, they’re picking up a scene from the previous evening. I immediately show my naivety by asking Ciaran if there’s much of a light difference overnight. He gives me a tour a few minutes later and I realise that the lovely natural light coming from outside is all lights and the trees outside the windows are blowing in the wind due to a fan.

 

In my own defence, drama is entirely new to me. My background is documentary and my preference is for observational documentary. Sometimes when making a documentary the best approach is to cede control, to let the action proceed naturally and not intervene in anyway. The notion of ‘direction’ is almost counter-intuitive - sometimes it is better not to direct at all.

 

I recently shot a three-minute short and a massive amount of prep went into it. I couldn’t help thinking that you have to have a completely different approach to how you control things in drama. When I say this to Ciaran, he says, “control is everything.”

 

Before each scene, Donnelly does a rehearsal with only the actors where they quietly work through the scene and the elements that concern them, then the first team (heads of department) will watch what he has in mind before communicating that through the ranks.

 

The mood is relaxed but this is presumably only the case because of all of the structures that are in place. A lot of preparation has gone into this and it very much feels like a team are working through a prearranged plan. Donnelly tells me that he will prepare three or four ways that a scene might work in advance before arriving on set.

 

Having said that, it is clear to see the creativity and collaboration unfold as the first team rehearses the scene. In a scene that involves a fight that breaks out during a card game, little elements are added every time they work through it. In this case, the suggestions add tremendously to the scene but it must be difficult sometimes to know which suggestions to listen to and which to ignore.

 

Two cameras are rolling simultaneously on each scene. The purpose of this is to pick off little story beats where available and Donnelly is on the lookout for little details that add to the story.

 

The second camera is used first to get reaction shots from a major character in a crowded scene. In another scene it’s used as a steadicam to give another option and in a third scene it’s a wider view of the tighter main camera. Donnelly watches them all carefully and chooses the ones he likes.

 

The Tudors is part-funded with Canadian money and Donnelly explains to me that the footage goes to Toronto for the edit. As I understand it, by the time he gets to the edit, it’s about 60-70 percent cut. He then does a cut for story and one for character and works out the best solution.

 

After spending the day on The Tudors, I have a much better understanding of the work that goes into a major drama like this. So much of it is preparation but a director must also be open to the little bits of magic that happen on the day.

 

Thanks to all on The Tudors and the folks at SDGI for making this available. It’s definitely an experience that helps you understand TV drama better.

Irish filmmaker is presented with high-profile industry award, opportunity to showcase film in Los Angeles

The Directors Finders Series award was presented this evening to filmmaker Ken Wardrop for his film His and Hers

Dublin, July 16th 2009  This evening the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI) welcomed the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emer Costello, stars from “The Tudors”, and the cream of Irish filmmaking talent to the “Directors Finders Series” Awards Ceremony in the Morrison Hotel, Dublin. The winner of the award, Ken Wardrop with his film His and Hers, was presented with the award at a star-studded ceremony in front of 400 invited guests from all sectors of the film industry.  Guests at the exclusive event included stars from the global television phenomenon “The Tudors”, along with established and up-and-coming voices in Irish filmmaking, and the recently elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Emer Costello.
 
The award allows the filmmaker the enviable opportunity to screen his film to an invited audience of high-profile members of the US film industry, including agents, distributors, press, and fellow filmmakers, with a view to securing a distribution deal for the film in highly competitive US film market.  This screening takes place at the venerable Directors Guild of America Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in August.  This opportunity has proven successful for the previous two winners of the award, Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells) and Tom Collins (Kings), who both secured US distribution deals as a result of this ambitious initiative, demonstrating the importance of the initiative.
 
Ken Wardrop, on being presented his award, commented “To receive this kind of response to my documentary feature film is really overwhelming – I am thrilled that audiences and the film industry have embraced His and Hers, which was very much a labour of love for me and our committed cast and crew.  It’s incredibly gratifying to have such positive feedback, and to have been selected by the panel to showcase the film in the US.  My thanks go to the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland for conceiving and championing this initiative, and to the panel for rewarding the film.”   
 
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emer Costello, said “Attending my first film industry event as Lord Mayor of Dublin has been a great pleasure.  It's wonderful to see so many facets of the film industry come together to celebrate this initiative and to congratulate Ken on his superb achievement.  I wish him every success with the film.  I also applaud the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland for providing Irish filmmakers with this amazing opportunity.”
 
Ciaran Donnelly, Chairman of SDGI stated that “As a fellow director I understand the challenges for distribution and this award is especially important in this current climate. We are especially delighted to be showcasing His and Hers this year as it is a unique documentary that in many ways goes places where traditional narrative film can never reach.”
 
Selected by an international panel of experts His and Hers is a beautifully observed and innovative documentary that combines observation and imagination to illustrate a universal love story.  The film explores woman’s relationship with man by visiting moments from the lives of 70 female characters.  Shot in the hallways, living rooms and kitchens of the Irish Midlands, the story moves sequentially from young to old to deliver a unique and touching insight into sharing life’s journey.
 
His and Hers screened to rapturous applause at last weeks Galway Film Fleadh, where a sold out audience attended the World Premiere of the film, and also came away with the award for Best Irish Feature.
 
The initiative, conceived by the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI), and the Directors Guild of America, presents an Irish director with an opportunity to showcase theirfilm and to have direct access to decision makers in the film distribution process in the US.  The awards spotlight works of fiction, documentary or drama feature submissions from Irish directors who have not secured U.S distribution for their films.

This award is supported by
The Irish Film Board, The Directors Guild of America,
Culture Ireland, FÁS Screen Training Ireland, American Airlines, Paulaner & The Morrison Hotel.

For the third consecutive year SDGI brought some of the best documentary makers in contemporary world cinema together at the SDGI - Director in Dialogue event hosted by SDGI member Vittoria Colonna in the Town Hall on Sunday July 14th.

In attendance were Sandy Cioffi (Sweet Crude), Gerry Gregg( Til the Tenth Generation), Samantha Buck(21 Below), & Dawn Mikkelson & Melissa Koch (The Red Tail)