possible so nothing was going to f*ck up our movie. We had the good fortune of having a brilliant Line Producer, Susan Holmes, and she’d built good relationships with various Heads of Department. We knew the type of people we were looking for too, we knew we were looking for the best. Somebody like David Wilson (Omagh) as Production Designer, what he did with the amount of money he had was extraordinary. Essentially we had to target the kind of people we were looking for and shooting in February, the cold, early part of the year, we knew we’d have a better chance of crewing than before. We had about 22-25 people working on location. It was a fast shoot so we were able to move locations fast, with the snow, and, if it rained, from outside to inside. So it was very fluid. Cúán: We almost cast the crew as much as we cast the actors. Fiach: We had Ronan Fox as DOP and we made the decision to shoot it on High Def which was a significant for us. I suppose another key thing, it’s a boring producers thing but it cost us an extra €80,000, was that we decided to shoot it in five weeks, do it a five day five week rather than a six day four week. I think just in terms of morale, commitment and energy, that was €80,000 well spent. So the crew worked on deferrals and I understand everyone who worked on the film now owns a piece of it and will benefit from profits it might make? Fiach: Once all the costs are cleared in terms of Sales & Distribution, everybody is equal. There is a certain investment and then all, both the film Board and cast and crew are equal. So therefore if it gets into a profit scenario everybody gets an equal share…we stuck with regular hours, we didn’t abuse that and we were very clear. I think that perhaps since it wasn’t as busy, or I think because of Paul Mercier, or because the cast and crew knew or that Brendan Gleeson was in it, they gave a big commitment, and they had that on board. We were straight up and fair and everybody was on the recommended rate that the Film Board suggested, so there were no secrets. And moving from producing short films to producing a feature, what was the biggest learning curve that the two of you had to face? Cúán: The funny thing is, before we did the first short ‘Before I Sleep’, had we known how difficult it was we wouldn’t have done it. Then that goes back to doing the feature, if you knew how difficult it was, you wouldn’t even start. So ignorance is bliss. It’s the same principles but it’s just slightly longer time and you have to make sure your story is right. Fiach: We’re unusual producers in that we don’t have an enormous slate of films and we’re not necessarily interested in an enormous slate of films. We work with a particular group of people, at the moment it’s Paul and we’ll be working with Pat O’Connnor in the future too. The idea is that we work with the directors, I mean, that Paul drives it. We have other jobs, Cúán has a successful film editing career and is just about to start directing a documentary and I’m working in theatre. Between us that allows a certain objectivity. Maybe some film producers might think what we’re doing is a cop out, but I think that we’re able to successfully look at a film like ‘Studs’ and say “well its getting 50 screens, and that’s something we’re proud of”. With the emergence of talents like Paul Mercier, Martin McDonagh and the other directors from the low budget scheme, do you think there is a hope in the industry that another big director, to rival Jordan and Sheridan, might be close at hand? Cúán: Yeah, Jim Sheridan started on a not dissimilar scale as this film. ‘My Left Foot’ was a low budget film at the time and he’s obviously gone on to do the films that he has done. From the last ten years, most of the films that were shot, quite a number of Irish films, most of the big ones were American. So to an extent there’s an honesty with the low budget films because you can’t lie, you have no money. Also you make the film that you actually want to make because you are not making it for a big cheque, which hopefully then allows you to be a little more honest. The Irish audience want to see themselves up on screen. Fiach: Culturally low budget film is the way forward. Financially, it’s a different argument because low budget films will not sustain a film industry here. So there has to be a combination of co-productions with the UK or America, but culturally the low budget initiative allows Irish filmmakers to develop their own sense of themselves. And what are the plans for an international deal for ‘Studs’? Fiach: We are waiting to see what the response is from audiences in Ireland before we actively, aggressively go out to the market. And we’ll be selling it in Cannes. And finally, how do you think international audiences will respond to the film? Fiach: I’ve no idea. We’ve made this film for a local Irish audience… Cúán: That was absolutely clear from the very start, in terms of the language, in terms of the accents; all those elements; it was made for an Irish audience. If it travels, nobody can predict what flies or what doesn’t fly. Fiach: I’m going to go down to Mullingar on the 16 th of Marchto watch it with an Irish audience. I think Paul, and ourselves as producers, made it for an Irish audience. That is ultimately the freedom of the low budget initiative. Cúán: The other thing in terms of the low budget structure is that we have a possibility to make money domestically. I’m not saying it’s going to do that but we were less concerned with it, I mean obviously we’d love if it sells and we’d love it to go abroad, but first and foremost we’re making films for an Irish audience. ‘Studs’ is released across Ireland from the 16 th of March through BVI Ireland. |