This week 100’s of people are aiming to make an Irish movie in just 4 days. We talk to Darragh Doyle and go behind the scenes of this exciting project.
How would you describe 4daymovie in 4 minutes or less?
Basically it’s 30 short films made by 30 film making teams that were filmed from 12:00 am to 23:59:59 on Thursday June 26. The common theme is a day in Dublin. The films are 3 to 5 minutes long and then delivered to curator Lenny Abrahamson and editor Declan Lynch to cut into a full length feature film called Dublin: The Movie. They must do this in 3 days. 3 days to put together a full length feature film. Fun!
How many people are taking part?
My God, that’s a tough one. We’ll start with the team behind it – Andrew McAvinchey, Lenny Abrahamson and Declan Lynch. Then we mention the Darklight team including Programmer Director Derek O’ Connor who are facilitating and promoting the movie as part of the Festival. Then you have the film makers, their actors, camera people, umbrella holders and so on. There’s the musicians who have offered their music royalty free for use in the movie. Then Emily O’ Callaghan, Niamh Smith and I are working on documenting the process. And there’s suppliers – lots from the Pie Shop in the Epicurean Food Hall to Twitterfone.com – and supporters and friends. And then there’s all the people of Dublin who allowed themselves to be part of this. It’s truly a collaborative effort.
What sort of stuff have people being filming?
What I love is the sheer difference of people’s ideas and experiences. We have the day of a dog in a dog pound. We have 5 teenagers following an unsuspecting guy around town. You have Rick O’ Shea filming bloggers at the Jay Z concert. You have Polish toys being filmed stop motion at certain sites. There’s a take on birth and death, on James Joyce’s Ulysses and on a Hen night in Temple Bar. A big mix, all in Dublin.
Did people have a brief of what sort of stuff to shoot?
The only brief is to shoot Dublin and stay within the confines of the M50. This led to some confusion as film makers were advised it didn’t mean they shoot ON the M50! That of course would have been interesting!
What has the quality of the raw videos been like so far?
Absolutely excellent. From the shorts I’ve seen these film makers – ranging from the 13 year old’s shoot to the inside of a Taxi. Lenny is thrilled with what’s come back – describing himself as “blown away by the quality of the work and genuinely amazed by the quality.”
Does director Lenny Abrahamson have a rough idea of what the finished story will be or will it evolve through watching all the videos?
I think it’s a bit of both really. There’s no story as such – just Dublin in a day.
Where can we see the finished movie?
As Darklight closes, the film will be shown in the Oak on Dame Street Sunday night at 9pm. We’re hoping there’ll be a larger later showing later.
What’s next for the movie?
One of the most interesting parts of this project will be the fact that each short film will be put online for people to watch – and to mix into their own movie. It’s truly a collaborative effort that can go on and on. People can add, subtract and mix what they think Dublin: The Movie should be.
Will there be another 4daymovie next year?
We hope so – it would be great to keep the momentum going, to see younger film makers, those who consider themselves amateurs getting involved and showing their unique view of Dublin, their take on life and what they want to show.
Follow the progress on http://4daymovie.wordpress.com and on http://www.twitter.com/4daymovie and on Facebook.