Crew for OTRH

As I’ve mentioned in the previous blog we were very lucky to attract the people we did for the filming of On The Road Home.  From my perspective I was over the moon to be around other creative people, I consider myself to be a general lover of people but I do especially get a kick out of being around openly creative minds alike.

In this blog I wish to highlight the talents and personalities of the younger members of the crew.  The Director Richard Crawford [http://www.storyjack.com/s/Home.html], the Producer Larry Cowan [http://www.lambfilms.com/] and the DOP Marty Stalker [http://www.scatteredimages.co.uk/] are all well known within the writing/ filming industry in Northern Ireland and you can at your leisure check out their pages.

However a BEAM of light [I feel] must be shown on the talents of the following people;

Eileen Tracey – 1st AD

http://eileentracey.co.uk/

I had briefly met Eileen on the set of another short film called The Circuit King.  What struck me immediately that day was the level of confidence and professionalism she displayed in her role as first assistant director.  My first impressions of her were very much gathered from across the room, she appeared attractive and very much ‘with it’.

Having a plenitude of experience in all areas of film beyond the role of first AD, check out her CV at the above link.  I can’t sing her praises enough though regarding the focus and discipline she brought to our project.  With a relaxed, friendly manner Eileen always seemed one step ahead of the game, quite an impressive stance for someone in their early twenties!

Gerard Donnelly – Camera Assistant

Gerard was in his element working along side Marty Stalker, with whom he’s amassed invaluable experience.  I found him to be friendly, eager and extremely focused on set.  Open minded with a great sense of humour he was a pleasure to chat with over lunch.  Thanks Gerard! 😀

Megan McCrea – Production Assistant/

Stills photographer

As with Eileen I had briefly met Megan on the set of The Circuit King.  Immediately upon hearing of our project she enthusiastically offered her services having recently graduated, and being keen to build her experience.

And how lucky we were to attract such a willing, positive, try any role character.  Sadly our stills photographer pulled out at the last minute so on the second day of filming Megan gladly stepped up and began capturing the film, behind the scenes snaps and landscape shots.  As well as any task the producer Larry Cowan might have thrown her way.  Nothing appeared to be too much, Megan has been truly open to helping with the film at all levels.

Nathan McKee – Sound

I recognized Nathan [again] from The Circuit King but hadn’t really a chance to chat with him until the weekend of shooting OTRH.  Nathan proved to be a real character, friendly, congenial and very focused on set.  Completely professional he did whatever it took to get the sound top notch, working closely with the director Richard Crawford.  We were fortunate that he was available, experienced and able to bring the equipment he did!

A very big THANK YOU to all of the above, I would most definitely work with them all again and also a huge thank you to Elish McQuillan and Michael Hall for their time and efforts with filming On The Road Home.

Stay tuned a website will follow shortly, you can join us Facebook https://www.facebook.com/onthe.roadhome.3?ref=tn_tnmn until then 🙂

The making of OTRH

  

[picture credit to Megan McCrea]

On The Road Home

Well it’s happened filming is now complete, long days passed in the blink of an eye.  Actors and crew put in 110% you couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people, even when we were all tired and in need of a long hot shower we remained tolerant of each other.

[picture credit to Michael Hall]

We began our three-day shoot in Ballyvoy Service Station we eat a HUGE breakfast together at 9.45 am and got stuck in to scene 10.

[picture credit Sarah Docherty]

Sadly I didn’t take a picture of the breakfast 😦

But here is one of our call sheets instead 🙂

Cast and crew eat lunch at 5.30 pm, water is provided throughout the day.  Later dinner is ready and on table as they arrive back to base camp between 9.30/10 pm.  Our producer Larry Cowan [http://www.lambfilms.com/] is a jack of all trades and particularly good in the kitchen.  It had been a long day especially for the skeleton crew who stayed to film scenes 3, 7, 9, & 14 – flashbacks that contain partial nudity.

Most of the crew headed to bed relatively early as Saturday promised to be just as grueling as Friday.  I won’t lie the script required every ounce of energy and emotion the cast could muster, this naturally filtered out to the crew.  And I think it would be fair to say the weekend emotionally was similar to a roller coaster ride.

As the writer I found by Friday evening I was feeling quite nostalgic and I really couldn’t figure out what my deal was, through casual conversation with the producer and then with the director [http://www.storyjack.com/s/Home.html] the following morning I came to realize I was nostalgic about  my younger years.   Slightly more leveled headed these days as a mother I do look back occasionally with fondness for what were probably my crazier years, crazy because I didn’t have a clue what I was at [so to speak].  If I ever become crazy again it shall be more fluid opposed to wild or frenzied!

So Saturday, up bright and early we all had a date with a road, a field and some cows;

[picture credit Sarah Docherty]

Would you just look at how cool we are here in N.Ireland, do you see Banksy anywhere, lean in a little closer cast your eye on the road sign.  That’s right we have class and culture in the arse end of nowhere.  Of course it is somewhere it’s the Ballywoolen Road that was leading us through our journey to on the road home.

Binevenagh mountain was our next port of call, it was to test the skill of our DOP Marty Stalker [http://www.scatteredimages.co.uk/] after a couple of run through’s and adjustments we were on our way.

[picture credit to Sarah Docherty]

Eileen Tracey first AD [http://eileentracey.co.uk/] Gerard Donnelly assistant to the DOP, Megan McCrea production & props, Mary-Ellen McCartan casting director, Michael Hall production assistant and myself sat above the set next to the statue of Manannan Mac Lir sea Lord, son of Lir God of the sea, we renamed this place mount happiness.  Megan was kind enough to share Love heart sweets [candy] we chatted among ourselves happily while the wind cleared our heads and battered the ear drums off us.

[picture credit Mary-Ellen McCartan]

 After a late lunch and a finish up at Binevenagh we headed back to the Ballywoolen Road for Deans much-anticipated speech to be acted/spoken by Gary Crossan.  The cows had been called home or perhaps to the next field – chatting at the side of the road while the sun lowered itself across the fields, we had just forty-five minutes of light to capture Dean putting the world to rights.

[picture credit Mary-Ellen McCartan]

Saturday evening we let loose in Ballycastle and much to the amazement of one or two crew and admittedly myself it was pretty rockin’.  The Central Wine Bar was lively with a good atmosphere, a young girl with a tremendous voice played guitar as a couple of people bopped about on the dance floor, we capped the evening off in O’Connors.

Day three was slower to start the only thing left to shoot was exterior car shots, I stayed behind to clean the house we had so kindly be allowed to use, kinda makes me want to have a holiday home 😀

Click the clip below for a short behind the scenes video.

Come join us on Facebook and follow are journey as we move toward the edit suite and beyond!

https://www.facebook.com/onthe.roadhome.3/media_set?set=a.159371424269512.1073741837.100005899664117&type=3

Character Rehearsal for OTRH

What a day, what a day!

Rehearsals for On The Road Home carefully planned by Director Richard Crawford.  This was to insure we made the most of our day and got a thorough understanding of the script/ intention of the piece.  But most importantly an idea of how he would like to take the words and make them visual.  Schedule below;

It was interesting to see the actors dissect the script, of course the Director and myself had previously been over it many times at length.  To hear impartial view points on words I had written with a specific intention, was eye opening.  Their job now to make their own mark while keeping with the tone/ intention of the piece.  Very exciting I think!!

I found myself dealing with feelings of concern, euphoria and nervousness.  This all at once was an experience as I sat to the side of the room listening and staring.  In awe at points that three people I had never met until the audition process where able to explain and describe characters I had scribbled down on paper so many moons ago.  Made me realize I’m not at all as complicated or confusing as I’d previously presumed.  Truly thankful these three people have the capacity/ ability to gently take my words and inject the correct context and emotion – my words no more 🙂

There were moments of tension, confusion, laughter and out right hysteric’s.  There were serious issues broached like “just where do young people go to open up about x, y and z” and “what are the implications for young girls [openly] experiencing intimacy”.  If we had of had a drink in our hands I might say in a way we put the world to rights!

A good friend John Maxwell of Jmaxphotography came along to capture some moments here and there, also Bryan Marshall talented artist/ writer was kind with his time and helped with recording the day. (http://bmcreations.deviantart.com/)

The lovely Mary-Ellen McCartan of Punch Canvas was there to keep the day on track and help us to explore the characters from every angle.

Many thanks to Seamus O’Hara [Glen], Caroline Davis [Sorcha] and Gary Crossan [Dean] for all their efforts to date.  By the end of rehearsals there was a clear sense of ‘things shaping up’, all is what is required of this project and all is what we’re willing to give.

Stay tuned for updates, pictures and of course a bit of craic!

Some YouTube links of rehearsals below;

***CONGRATULATIONS***

To Seamus O’Hara, Caroline Davis and Gary Crossan who have been selected to play our main characters in the short film On The Road Home.

We’re very happy to welcome the three on board and excited as we move closer to our shoot date at the end of September.  Seamus will play the character Glen, Caroline plays Sorcha and Gary will play Dean.  More behind the scenes footage will be available from our rehearsals set for the beginning of September, stay tuned!! 😀

PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS: JOHN MAXWELL of http://www.jmaxphotography.com/

Casting – On The Road Home

Saturday was quite an experience we had fifteen people show up to audition for OTRH, bright and early at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast.  They have a number of rooms available and cater for a variety of events.

On arrival the cafe entrance was bustling for a short period with toddlers and their parents all excited for a showing of Gruffalo and disco afterwards.  You can keep up to date with all up and coming events at the Crescent Art centre via their web page ———>  http://www.crescentarts.org/

Sitting at a corner table there was a different type of excitement growing, Director Richard Crawford, Casting Director Mary-Ellen McCartan, Mr Bruce of www.studio-ni.org, John Maxwell of www.jmaxphotography.com and myself the writer Sarah Docherty.

I can’t compliment Mary-Ellen enough on her talents as Casting Director, down to earth, approachable her character bubbles over with a natural energy.   Having the ability to extend and apply herself in a friendly manner to the actors auditioning while offering an unbias perspective to the director is a skill and not an easy task.

Personally, I hadn’t considered how much I would learn about each actor in the short period it took to cast our characters.

         

I did short interviews with as many of the actors that I could fit in on the morning.  Interestingly  I went from seeing a person to hearing and feeling their individual thoughts and aspirations.  Inevitably comes the moment when the director picks who is right and everyone else is left a little disappointed, it sucks, but on this occasion there could only be three.  Mary-Ellen was fabulous  at working as a ‘middle man’ filtering down feed back from the director to all who attended the audition, offering positive words.  Each of us after all had meet someone new, and in life this can sometimes be priceless.

The process came and went in the blink of an eye, in the space of an hour and forty-five minutes I had made fifteen new acquaintances.  Yes that’s right the director Richard Crawford had the audition process down to a fine art, running the morning with military precision, which was a bonus for everyone waiting their turn.  Mary-Ellen again was great at keeping the energy light and happy, we all know how mundane auditions can be!

A pre-chat from the director is available to view on YouTube, follow the link below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyXU-3ecopU

Two small clips are available to view on YouTube from the end of the audition process, follow the link below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gre9f7SKap8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXlJR_j5bjs

Interviews with all actors will follow once I figure out how to nicely edit them together.  Oh! and I did a five minute ramble, still trying to get the hang of video diaries please feel free to leave positive tips 😀

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXSHDaP8Xvc

OTRH – Casting – August 2013

Meeting last Friday with Mary-Ellen McCartan who has been sent from above to sort the casting process for On The Road Home.  Mary-Ellen is a talented lady having years of experience as an actress, she is truly knowledgeable regarding the industry and how to pull the best actors to match each of our lead roles.  Mary-Ellen has a passion for casting and believes there is a wealth of talent in N.Ireland and Ireland alike.  Having access to this pool of talent means the casting process will be less time consuming and more fun as she plans to open the actors up with an audition workshop.  I can hardly wait, video diaries will be available – so watch this space!!! 🙂

The Crescent Art Centre offers a beautiful space for all types of events.   With adjoining cafe and toilets I find it always affords a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere to catch up.

Click here ——>  http://www.crescentarts.org/

Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page for updates and contacts – On The Road Home – https://www.facebook.com/onthe.roadhome.3

Cast and Crew

      

After a team meeting earlier today we’re progressing steadily with idea’s for location, crew and have decided the cast for this project will really make or break the short film.

Chemistry between the three main characters is a must, the intimate nature of some of the scenes will call for three people who have a natural compatibility or rapport.  We will shortly decide on a date for casting once we have a concrete idea of what local talent is available in terms of the age and characters that will fit the script.

We’re hoping to attract some of the best local talent on offer, timing is everything though as we’re aware other projects begin filming in Northern Ireland at the end of August such as Game of Thrones and Dracula to name but a couple.  However we’re positive with a three day shoot schedule and the right date we can attract a great cast and crew!

Location is being narrowed by Director Richard Crawford who has visited area’s such as Carnlough, Kircubbin, Portaferry and Millisle.

                   

                  

We’re also quite excited to possibly have the opportunity of working with Cine Copters which is a professional aerial cinematography service, you can find out more about there business online https://www.facebook.com/CineCopters.  All I could manage was “Wow” once I saw some of their equipment below.

                      

“Wow” is a very well known female technical term which roughly translates to impressive 😀

Thanks for stopping by, we’ll have regular updates as On The Road Home moves forward.

Story Synopsis

 

On The Road Home is a fictional teenage drama, involving two guys and a girl who are travelling home from a weekend at a caravan site.  It is set in modern day times, Antrim coast scenery forms part of the back drop with quite a number of in car scenes.

 

We begin the story the morning after, with animosity between Glen and Dean, Sorcha serves as a referee between the two throughout a good part of the story.  During the car ride home through conversations and flash backs it is made clear to the audience what has happened between these three student type characters.

 

All of the characters have had sex with each other the night before; more specifically they have all experienced a threesome.  Having enjoyed themselves at the time the morning brings more than a hangover, it brings to light a number of hang ups they all have regarding their sexual experience together.

 

Glen is homophobic and finding it difficult to deal with the sexual contact he’s had with Dean who is gay.  In turn Dean is finding it difficult to get his head around enjoying sexual intimacy with a girl and Sorcha who is an open minded earthy girl is unhappy she’s had unprotected sex with two guys.

 

Finding it difficult to face each other at the beginning of the story they all gain some type of peace within themselves by the closing scene.

 

                

Character Summaries for OTRH

CHARACTER SUMMARIES

SORCHA

Sorcha is 19 and pretty.    Her character has matured faster than her personality can assimilate experience, so she has a stable and sensible outlook on life but hasn’t yet got all the life experience she needs to hang her personality on.    Like she KNOWS there is more to life than the normal life her friends at the local Regional College lead, but she doesn’t yet know where to find it.   She’s quirky and independent, likes to develop her own style in clothes, likes to be thought of as unconventional.   She wants to change the world, if she can, she wants to save the whales and recycle everything.  She resents consumerism and the capitalist system she’s been brought up in.   Her parents are aspiring middle class and have always tried to steer her towards the ‘right’ kind of boy.   They’d like to see her married in her early twenties with a brace of gorgeous kids by the time she’s thirty – but that’s not how Sorcha sees her life going.

When she finishes her course at college she thinks she’ll travel for a couple of years, to broaden her mind.  She wants to have stories to tell when she’s old.   She was the first one in her year at school to try smoking, then decided she didn’t like it.  She was the first one in her year at school so smoke weed, and decided she did like it.   She likes to think of herself as having the broadest mind imaginable, and thinks she could never censure anyone for their behaviour – so long as they didn’t hurt anyone.

DEAN

Dean is 19, slim, good looking.   He doesn’t immediately look gay, but he realized that he was different soon after his 15^th birthday, when he realized that he wasn’t getting the kick out of internet porn that his male friends were.  Or rather, he was interested in different bits.    He’s a full-on sort of guy; once he realized and accepted that he was gay, he went all out to explore and understand it, wanting to comprehend every aspect of it.   He’s not camp, and he’s not promiscuous, but neither is he a shrinking violet.   He’s physically fit, and likes to run and cycle.   In later life he’ll run marathons on a regular basis.

He thinks deeply, much more than other people, but he’s too young to realize how rare a facility this is.   He reflects on what he observes, and considers what he can learn from it.   He’s a very smart guy.    But like many very clever people he is disorganized and easily distracted and always late for appointments.   He would be the life and soul of any party, however, for his general kindness and warmth combined with his happy energy.

He’s very aware of the issues facing gay men in Northern Ireland: though he was once bitter about the prejudices of local society, he’s now come to terms with it.   He is Sorcha’s best and oldest friend, and for the past two years they’ve been pretty much inseparable.

GLEN

GLEN is 20, well built and strong.   A rugby player at school, one of the first fifteen, minor idol of the third form girls.    He’s good looking, too.   He’s been aware of his looks for a long time, doesn’t think much about it – that’s just the way he is.   His father is a bank manager, he’s the black sheep of the family, feeling he never quite makes the grade.  He understands a man’s world, and thinks he knows his place.   His folks would have liked to send him to University but he hasn’t any interest in academia.    As far as he’s concerned, college is little more than an opportunity to enjoy himself, do some work, get a degree, before starting to work in his father’s business.   He wants the conventional lifestyle, the nice house, the nice wife, the kids, the new model BMW.   He has no real curiosity about live beyond all of that, in his experience everything he wants usually comes his way.   

Glen does party and he does take a drink: he’s dabbled with weed but can take it or leave it.   He is very partial to the ladies – who in turn tend to be very partial to him.   He’s never had a problem getting laid, and on occasions he’s thought of it almost like a sport.   He doesn’t think of women, however, in the same way he thinks of men.   To Glen, girls are lovely, pretty, incidental creatures who are difficult to understand but important in the scheme of things.   He likes to have sex with them, but it might take him a lifetime to understand them.

He has known Sorcha for around a year, and is entranced by her – mainly because she isn’t swooning at his feet, like most of the girls at the college.   He senses that she likes him back, at least a little, but her failure to fall confuses and tantalizes him.    He’s been hanging around her more and more recently, accepting the fact that Dean comes as part of the package.

O.T.R.H

On the Road Home is a short story which has evolved into a short film script.  Originally the short story was written in 2009 and later refined in 2011.  Twenty-twelve saw the story naturally progress into script format and in early 2013 an application for funding was placed with Northern Ireland Screen and approved late April.

Filming will be aimed for the beginning of August and shot over a three days period with local scenery providing a back cloth of subtle beauty.

The Director – Richard Crawford, http://www.storyjack.com/s/Home.html

The Producer – Larry Cowan Lamb Films, http://www.lambfilms.com/

The Writer – Sarah Docherty, http://acreativeflow.wordpress.com/

The short story can not be published in full as it has been entered into the Bristol Short Story Prize.

http://www.bristolprize.co.uk/news/115-2013-bristol-short-story-prize-launched.html

This space along with a facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/onthe.roadhome.3?ref=tn_tnmn] will be used to highlight the development of our project.   Hopefully our idea’s will evolve organically to encompass not just our work but other local talent and art.

We endeavor to make the most of the funding we’ve received, by making the short film as interactive as possible, although the script is complete we will be opening the concept up to debate and are happy to hear others views and idea’s.

Watch this space!!! 🙂