Screen Directors Guild of Ireland

SDGI MENTORING PROGRAMME - FIONA ASHE’S BLOG:

GENTLE MENTORING WITH CIARAN DONNELLY

It was early (7am).  It was cold (0 degrees).  It was the 1960’s (well, on set anyway).  This was my first day shadowing the director of BBC period drama ‘George Gently’.  As I arrived at base, I was quickly warmed up by a welcoming reception from the cast and crew.  A healthy breakfast of porridge and soya milk (offset by less healthy - but very tasty - sausages) further built my anticipation. 

I was bussed with the crew down to the set: a captivating disused mill beside a fast-flowing river.  Vintage cars added to the aesthetic landscape.  There I met up with director Ciaran Donnelly, whom I was delighted to have the opportunity to shadow.  I think the episode of ‘The Tudors’ for which he won the 2009 Directing IFTA was one of the finest episodes of television drama I’ve ever seen. 

Ciaran started the day with establishing shots of Chief Inspector Gently (Martin Shaw) and Detective Sergeant Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) arriving at the mill.  After getting coverage of this shot, three boys with toy guns joined the cast.  They had to run through the mill shooting each other.  They performed very well, but it was interesting to see how filming children requires a different approach from the director and 1st AD.

Cups of hot ginseng kept the team pepped up while shooting the exteriors.  Later the cast expanded to include more featured characters and a group of extras.  I really felt for them on the chilly afternoon, since their costumes were light.  I paid close attention to the staging and shots that Ciaran chose to ensure coverage.   These scenes involved more hands-on directing of the actors, which I enjoyed watching.

During a break in filming, I had a wonderful conversation with Martin Shaw.  A consummate professional, he put in an excellent performance during the shoot, despite acute back pain.  He shared with me personal stories of how his son got his break in directing and we had a lengthy discussion about the fantastic collaboration that can happen between directors and actors during rehearsal time.

The following Monday, I arrived on set, enthused about spending a second day on this exciting production.  I was greeted like a member of the crew (thanks for that!)  The production crew were refreshed after catching up on sleep over the weekend - and full of craic after catching up on their social lives at a Saturday night party.

The scenes that day were all interiors in attractive locations.  One room contained a dozen vintage red milling machines.  Another featured wooden beams throughout, which looked fabulous when semi-obscured by smoke.  However, the compactness of the locations created challenges in terms of laying tracks and selecting camera angles.  I was very impressed with the crew, who good-humouredly lugged heavy tracks, dollies and lights up five flights of stairs. 

Much of the day’s shoot centred on a hanging.  I learned that it requires 30% more setup time to film a stunt.  It was exciting to see it being staged and filmed.  One of the key responsibilities of a director is to get the job done on schedule.  The stunt hanging put the production under time pressure, and Ciaran efficiently stepped the filming up a gear - with the cooperation of the very professional cast and crew - only going four minutes over schedule.

The benefits of the SDGI Mentoring Programme go far beyond observing the process of filming drama.  The opportunity for the emerging director to ask questions of and seek advice from the mentor adds significant value to the process. I am extremely grateful to Ciaran who - despite the challenges the shoot presented - was extremely generous with his time and forthcoming with advice.  I am also grateful to the superb cast and crew who made me very welcome and to Claire, Liz and Birch (in abstentia) at SDGI for this progressive mentoring initiative.

Two days on the set of ‘George Gently’

I arrived at the Fort Lucan set of BBC’s ‘George Gently’ (series three) on a cold Wednesday morning at 7am. The episode that I was to observe director Ciaran Donnelly, DoP Peter Robinson and crew bring to fruition was called ‘Gently through the Mill’. As the name suggests, much of the action was to take place at a working 1960’s Mill called, for the purpose of the episode, Linton’s but in actuality Shackleton’s Mill in Co Dublin’s strawberry beds area of Lucan.

A difficult set-up was the opening work of the day; this involved a very tight balcony location requiring the manoeuvring of three characters and culminating in an act of violence that sees one of the characters plunge to his watery grave beneath the mill race.  The weather conditions and variations in lighting posed difficulties for the crew, not to mention the angles of the action sequences and the roaring sounds of water and wind (I am sure of particular difficulty to the patient ear of the sound man and steady arm of the boom operator).

Ciaran, after a private rehearsal with the actors and prior to his technical rehearsal brought me through his approach to the scene and his technical requirements to make it work believably on screen (areas of action setups always being of particular concern regarding safety and believability to the ever scrutinising gaze of the viewer). It was interesting to see how Ciaran liked to observe the action from the thick of things; directly beside the action taking place – to a position fifteen feet away; while seated, portable monitor in hand – to the larger indoor monitors (showing the action of cameras one and two simultaneously). Ciaran likes to cover views of the action from all angles which seems to be a very logical and sensible approach to the overall piecing together of the scene. He has a very relaxed and level-headed approach to all of the setups and various takes, which has a corresponding effect on actors and crew alike.

I spoke at length with DoP Peter Robinson (Garage, Inside I’m dancing, Song for a Raggy Boy, True North) and apart from some of the issues he was having with burn-outs on white shirts while shooting on HDCAM, he breezed through each setup (regardless of the confined spaces…and some of them were mind bogglingly tight).

The recreation of 1960’s Durham in Northern England was so precisely detailed as to include a 1960’s magazine on a counter, folded over and never in shot and countless bills with faded 1960’s handwriting that even the tightest macro could not pick up. The atmosphere of a working mill was palpable in all areas of the set and even the extras were hand-picked for their particular old world features that truly transport you to another era.  The actors required only a few takes to perfect their performances and did so with humility and great humour, despite the freezing and variable conditions - windy, snowing, sleeting, rainy, sunny, cloudy. I found the show’s star, Martin Shaw to be extremely amiable and as one would expect, highly professional.

Ciaran and I spoke several times over the two days on set and he described to me in great detail the requirements for directing drama for TV and the delivery schedule specifics for major networks. 

All in all it was a very insightful two days and I would like to extend my thanks to the SDGI, Ciaran, Peter and all of the cast and crew for a very welcoming experience. 

In almost all facets of film production, there is a well-defined and well-worn path to the top. For cinematographers, the path involves a journey through clapper/loader, focus puller, and camera operator. By the time they get to work as a cinematographer they'll have served as an apprentice to many superb past-masters. The DGA tells us that an assistant director is not a pathway to directing, although there are those who didn't pay attention and are now doing just that.  As a result of all this, directors don't have an opportunity to see others at work. In particular, to watch other directors working with bigger budgets, larger crews and actors who are household names. Steven Spielberg snuck into and was thrown off two Hitchcock sets.

The SDGI Mentor Programme is a wonderful opportunity to visit the set of a major production, breathe down the neck of the director, and soak up as much of the experience as possible, without being forcibly removed.  Damien Farrell and I spent two days in Inchicore on the set of George Gently, with director Ciaran Donnelly, cast and crew. To say it was a unique experience would be an understatement. Each of us approached the opportunity from a different perspective. For me, I have always thought of big budgets and large crews as daunting experiences. I've often felt physically ill on the first day of a zero budget short, so the idea of such a large production requiring focus and concentration is down the steep slope to a straightjacket. Ciaran made it look easy. Almost too easy. Arriving on set, the production office made us feel very welcome, gave us a copy of the call sheet, and introduced us to the crew. They all had good things to say about the director.

On meeting him, I was struck by how at ease he was with the hustle and bustle of an important BBC drama. If we wanted histrionics, tantrums or any outward signs of pressure, we'd have to go elsewhere. He approached each shot methodically and with a practised skill. The production marched through a schedule of four and a half pages a day which was relentless but never overbearing. At least to my eyes. I found it amazing and encouraging to watch such a group of professionals work their way through the schedule. Everyone knew exactly what they needed to do, and went about it in a considered and resolute way. The cliche “a well-oiled machine” springs to mind and is extremely apt.

On our first day, the team shot a variety of scenes around Inchicore Square, aged to look like the sixties. Damien and I tried to stay out of the way and to take in as much as possible. The crew, having been involved in the production for something approaching sixteen weeks, had an envious familiarity. Mind you, by the second day, we were starting to feel very much at home. It was becoming dangerously possible that we might not leave. Especially with the forthcoming wrap party a few days away.

Overall, being on the set of George Gently was a fantastic experience and one which has helped me as a director to approach bigger projects with less fear and uncertainty (Ciaran obviously made it look too easy). I look forward to putting my new-found knowledge to good use, at the earliest opportunity.

Congratulations to all our members who were both nominated and received awards at Saturdays IFTA’s award ceremony

They are listed as follows:

Director Film
Lance Daly                                                  Winner for ‘Kisses’
Also nominated in this category -           Ian Fitzgibbon for ‘A Film With Me In It’ & Declan Recks for ‘Eden’

Film
Lance Daly                                                  Nominated for ‘Kisses’

Script Film
Lance Daly                                                  Nominated for ‘Kisses’

George Morrison Feature Documentary Award
Joel Conroy, Margo Harkin                       Winner for ‘Waveriders’
Also nominated in this category             Dearbhla Glynn for ‘Dambe – The Mali Project, Pat Collins for ‘Gabriel Byrne: Stories from Home’ &
                                                                      Liam Nolan & Ross Whitaker for ‘Saviours’

Television Director
Ciaran Donnelly                                         Winner for ‘The Tudors’
Also nominated in this category             Kieron J. Walsh for ‘Raw’

Documentary Series
Nominated in this category                      Martin Danneels for ‘How the Irish Have Sex’

Single Documentary
Maurice Sweeney                                    Winner for ‘Cromwell in Ireland’

Short Film  
Nominated in this category                     PJ Dillon for ‘An Ranger’

Special Irish Language
Nominated in this category                      Neasa Ni Chianain for ‘Fairytale of Kathmandu’

Raising Star Award
Lance Daly                                                  Writer / Director

Industry Lifetime  Contribution Award to Honorary SDGI member George Morrision

It was a chilly Thursday in December when I joined the set of "George Gently", a BBC1 detective drama series set in north-eastern England in 1964. Having landed the SDGI mentoring spot with director Daniel O'Hara I was looking forward to seeing an experienced crew working a prime time film series, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

The helpful and friendly faces of Company Pictures/Manor TV's production crew guided me to Daniel who filled me in on the plan for the days shoot. The entire crew had been busy for the past 7 weeks shooting the first and second films in the series and I was going to shadow Daniel through some key scenes, including heated exchanges between George Gently (played by Martin Shaw, a true gentleman & great performer) and Bacchus (the entertaining & talented Lee Ingleby), a number of key police interrogations and a complicated stunt hanging scene!

The tour of the set was amazing: the old Smurfit building in Glasnevin had been transformed into a police station, complete with offices, interview rooms, period police vans, prison cells, a casino(!) and 2 giant "hanging sets". The art department had been busy building & testing the hanging rig and Daniel talked me through his plan for the giant set - a really impressive setup indeed.

As the crew began working through the scenes I kept a close eye and ear on Daniel, picking up some brilliant tips on staging actors and allowing them to create new frames as they move through the beats. I was particularly impressed by how Daniel moved action through the police corridors, using the timing of character arrivals and their positioning to create new frames and increase the flow of tension within the same shot. Watching Peter Robinson operate & control the lighting was a pleasure, and all the crew had a great rapport, working at a really fast pace and anticipating each others responsibilities. I also picked up tons of useful continuity tips from Kathleen Weir (through persistent badgering!) and managed to make it through the first day without knocking anything over or breaking any equipment - phew.

There were some lovely exterior scenes planned. Despite a cruel breeze the actors and extras endured and the shots looked great. The art department had transformed the front of the old building into a fully operational police headquarters - a sequence tracking a group of Police Officers into an old prison van was brilliantly orchestrated and timed by all the crew. That afternoon was followed by a poignant prison cell sequence & the grand finale - the hanging. Daniel's idea was to shoot the scene from a number of angles and as a result the art dept had designed 2 rigs - one stage for the actors and one for the stunt man (which could be shot from above and below the trapdoor, side angles, etc). It was a really impressive setup and handled patiently and professionally at all times. It was the final shot in Daniel’s directorial block and as the last frame wrapped it was great to see the happy faces and appreciation by all on a job well done.

And on to the edit! - after a Christmas break (and a shoot of my own where I tried to apply some of the techniques and tips I had picked up), Daniel invited me along to Screen Scene to see how the edit of films 1 & 2 were shaping up. Editor Ray Roantree had been working hard and the rough cut was looking & sounding excellent. I watched a fantastic casino intro sequence come together: a lovely steadicam shot with plenty of extras and overlapping action to "avoid" a cut, followed by a humorous exchange between Gently, Bacchus and Fawn Grainger (played by the excellent Nichola Burley). I also got to see some final edits to the first film in the series - a really well crafted a tense sequence (where Gently makes a shocking discovery) got the once over and was flowing brilliantly as the final cuts were made. It was great to see the full edit suite in operation and get a sense of the organisation and workflow for a production of this scale. Can't wait to see the final George Gently films on the box now in early Spring!

I'd like to thank all those at Manor TV & Screen Scene for accommodating the mentoring sessions and a special thanks to Daniel for being so patient & supportive - I know it's hard enough to get the job done on time without some eejit at your side asking questions! And thanks to Birch, Claire and Liz at the SDGI for hosting & initiating the mentoring program. It's an excellent way to learn from experienced directors and pick up practical advice - I know that I learned an immense amount and will carry that knowledge forward to future projects.