TD 1
down yet again for funding for a feature I wanted
to make – this one based on Oisin Fagan’s novel Nobber – and I decided I had had enough, I would make a film on my own, with what money I had. So I started thinking about what hadn’t been done. I love horror movies, and there’s a huge amount of interest around folk horror, and folk music is huge in Ireland, and horror leaning into folk music hadn’t been done, so that’s what I decided to do. It’s the first script I ever wrote entirely by myself. The first person I sent it to was Ian [Lynch], I didn’t know him then but his interests are a perfect overlap with what the film’s about. He’s a musician, he has a PhD in folklore, and he loves horror. When he told me the script was exactly what he’d been waiting for someone to make, I thought “Now I have to make it.” I also very much wanted to do something original. I feel there’s a lot of weight currently being put on rehashing old ideas. If you apply for funding here in Ireland, you have to fill in a little box that asks you to name three recent films that made money and resemble your film. But why make a film that’s like another film? Just go and see that other film. But that’s what they ask, and I’m just not interested in that. It’s a business thing. I’m not a businessman. I’m not a content provider. I’m an artist. So you have an idea. You have the burden of originality on your side. How did you move forward? I spoke to Peter Foott for some advice on creating a no-budget film, who I don’t know personally, but he had made ‘The Young Offenders’ entirely on deferred fees. As far as I know, there were two professional crew members on that first Young Offenders film, the cinematographer and the sound recordist, and everybody else was a mate working for a deferred fee, or a percentage on whatever the earnings might eventually be. His advice to me was: don’t do what I did. Obviously Peter’s film was a huge success, so he spent a year running around to pay back everybody as promised, and it kinda took over his life, so he said “Look, if you’re gonna defer payment, defer it at the high end, the cinematographer, the sound recordist. Those people understand how the business works and how long it takes to get paid. If you have extras or people coming along for a couple of days, just pay them.” So I put together a plan around that, sat down with my line producer, sat down with the crew, discussed the fees, which were very low, but everybody was fine with it. We put together a really strong crew, a lot of people working in more responsible positions than they might previously have done, but they rose to the occasion, and everybody had a great time on set, because everybody chose to be there. It was the most positive film set I’ve ever worked on. I saw you had Ishmael work on the movie, and I read that Sean Fitzgerald makes an appearance. One of the things I personally find so inspiring is how integrated and supportive the creative scene is here now, as opposed to maybe a decade ago. 18 It’s great. I go to see Acid Granny or Deadlians and John Francis Flynn is there. Everybody goes to each other’s gigs, everybody supports each other. Electronic, experimental, metal, traditional, they’re all mates. I love Vinny [Enthusiastic Eunuch], and Leagues [Foggy Notions], and what they do. Daragh Lynch from Lankum and Róisín Barrett from the Mary Wallopers are in the film too, and I had written a role for Charles Hendy from the Wallopers but he wasn’t available to do it on the day so we re-cast. Ish I met when he was directing a music video for my friend John Murry, who also turns up in the film. Since then Ish and I have become very good friends, and of course he’s a great artist who’s headed for big things. How have people been responding to the film? The response has been great. We’ve only had one screening here, so I’m looking forward to people seeing it. I’ve had strangers stop me on the street and tell me about how they can’t wait for the film to come out, which has never happened in my life. And what are the plans with your Choice Music Prize winning composer? I was very keen that Ian could release the music separately to the film, so I made sure to hold the rights back when I signed the deal. We brought it to Invada Records, Jeff Barrows’ record label. They’re going to put together a wonderful release, with coloured vinyl, a beautiful sleeve. Can you tell me about the next few months? What does the schedule of an auteur entail? I don’t want to be paying homage to someone else’s film, I want to make a film people will pay homage to. That’s what you should be aiming for.