Irish short animation, ‘Fear of Flying’, has completed production in preparation for its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh this July. Shot at Dublin-based South Studios, ‘Fear of Flying’ was funded by the Irish Film Board’s Frameworks project, with RTÉ and the Arts Council.
Conor Finnegan wrote and directed the short, while IFTA Award-winning producer Brunella Cocchiglia (Foxes) produced for Lovely Productions, flanked by cinematographer Ivan McCullough (The Eclipse). Mark Doherty (A Film with Me in it) voiced main character Dougal, while breakout actress of ‘Behold the Lamb’ Aoife Duffin co-starred.
‘Fear of Flying’ tells the story of a small bird which makes the decision not to migrate for winter due to his fear of flying. Miniature sets and hand-made puppets set the scene for the animation, while characters designed by Finnegan were created in puppet form by Dublin-based Australian designer Renate Henschke.
Having received funding in August 2011, filming began on ‘Fear of Flying’ on 6 February 2012 and lasted five days. South Studios was chosen as the filming location for the live-action shoot.
South Studios currently has three rental studios: The Loft, a daylight studio with a blackout option; The Laundry Room, which has a double height ceiling, and The Shutter Room, a groundfloor blackout studio with greenscreen facilities.
The Galway Film Fleadh will be held form 10-15 July this year.