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Shane McCabe speaks on Vikings mentorship: I haven’t been up at 5.30 am to head to a set in a while but when Birch Hamilton called me to ask me if I’d like to do a day’s mentorship with Ciaran Donnelly on Michael Hirst’s Vikings the early start didn’t even come into the equation. Arriving […]
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 […]
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 […]
SDGI is running a one day mentorship programme for three directors on the fourth series of Vikings with one of four directors. Vikings is currently shooting in Ireland, written by Michael Hirst and starring Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick and Clive Standen. SDGI members will be invited to observe Ciaran Donnelly and other directors in action as they work with cast and crew and shoot scenes on the set of Vikings.
Laura Way wrote a comprehensive and enjoyable report of her experience of the Vikings mentorship:
"The last time I drove through Ashford was with my Dad travelling from Wexford in a clapped out Hiace van to pick up costumes in Dublin for an upcoming stage play. Ashford hadn’t changed much in 12 years besides a snazzy looking Centra and new chipper. I try to drop a pin, but to Google Maps, Ashford Studios doesn’t exist [...]"
"Walking onto someone else's set was a little bit of a daunting prospect, but I was quickly put at ease by the extremely friendly cast and crew, and it helped in knowing and having worked with some of them previously. From the outset it was clear how well an oiled this machine was. The set's were huge and about to be filled with over 100 extras, 10 principal cast and a huge crew - yet it all just seemed to click into gear. A clear indication of the importance of building relationships with those you work with and gaining vital shorthand within your production team. Once the shoot was up and running it really rocketed along..."
