29 March 2024 The Irish Film & Television Network
     

Irish Film and Television Network

 »

News

 »

Features & Interviews



Multi-Platform Doc 'Man on Bridge' Airs this Christmas
22 Dec 2014 : Deirdre Molumby
El Zorrero Films’ multi-platform documentary ‘Man on Bridge’ culminates with an hour-long documentary set for broadcast this Christmas.

Incorporating some of the thousands of photographs sent in by members of the public via www.manonbridge.ie, the Man on Bridge documentary is a fascinating insight into the life of legendary Dublin street photographer Arthur Fields. Having stood on O'Connell Bridge from the 1930s to the 1980s, Arthur took and sold photographs of ordinary people as they passed by, becoming one of Dublin’s most recognisable street characters up until his retirement in 1988.

Below IFTN interviews Ciaran Deeney, the director of the documentary, on what has proven to be an innovative and rewarding venture:

Tell us about the journey from turning the idea for ‘Man on Bridge’ into the multi-platform documentary it has become.

The creative concept for the Man on Bridge project actually originates in a completely different project. I was developing an interactive documentary with the Canadian National Film Board and with support from the Irish Film Board for quite a while and in conjunction with a wonderful Canadian co-producer by the name of Victoria Evans. Through two-years of conversations, we discussed how certain documentary stories could work online and in different forms, beyond just being a cinema or television project. This co-pro project unfortunately didn’t happen but the concept we developed for it, attaching crowd-sourced images to a documentary story, was ready-to-go.

When the Man on Bridge story revealed itself, Dave Clarke and myself sensed a great opportunity in it because it works on a lot of levels. It resonates with normal people, the pitch is very internet friendly and Arthur Fields’ own personal story has depth. We set the production model around the belief that it could get bigger and bigger but the first and most important step was going to be a way to gather the photos. Whereas in Canada, there are funding opportunities for digital projects, in Ireland, it’s not so apparent. As such, some of the funding for the online element came from the Arthur Guinness Projects scheme and we invested in ourselves as we felt that this initial element would release all the other platforms.

Prior to launch, when we revealed the concept of the project online, it was obvious that it had legs. It was briefly most popular on Reddit, there was a two-page spread in the Observer and the Late Late Show got in touch about launching on the show that we ended up doing. The story of how a man stood on a Bridge with a camera for fifty years was engaging and I suppose it has a bit of a mythical quality that people can buy into.

Once we launched the online element, everything else fell in place very quickly. We held scan days in communities around Dublin, there was a series of outdoor projections for Culture Night in partnership with RTE, there’s a photobook we created with Collins Press and there’s currently an exhibition on in the Gallery of Photography. One of the main supporters and catalysts for the project to exist has been RTE and specifically Sarah Ryder (Commissioning Editor of Arts) who commissioned the documentary. The project was launched on RTE back in March and culminates on RTE this Christmas so there is a nice symmetry there.

So far, there has been a lot of engagement with the project and we’ve received almost 5000 images. I think the reason why the project has struck a chord right now is because it’s a very positive and accessible project that reminds people about how we’re all playing a part in history, whether a big part or small part. The crowd-sourced aspect of the project also emphasises social cohesiveness which is quite timely.

What was the greatest challenge along the way?

As with every project, the greatest challenge was financial. We knew it had a distinct business model but for it to exist, we’ve had to hustle behind-the-scenes, like no other project before. Our goal has just been to make it as big, as varied and as wide as possible. The success of that strategy meant that we ended up running a national campaign and I don’t think we were financially prepared for that or indeed the obligation that comes with that. The good news is that once the documentary is broadcast, we will have ran out of things to do with the project apart from the legacy aspect. The website element can continue to organically crowd-source photos for a few more years to come, so in some ways this unusual archive is only getting started.

Between ‘Man on Bridge’ getting its highly anticipated broadcast and the short you produced, ‘Coda’, doing so well on the festival circuit (and now on the Oscar shortlist!), 2014 has been quite a year for you. How have you felt about all these events?

It’s been great. Both projects are very different but both have had a lot of time put into them and have engaged audiences which is sort of all you can ask for in a project. ‘Coda’ in itself has been a wonderful journey and a privilege to produce. From the moment I saw the rough animatic of the film, I thought it was beautiful and the final product doesn’t disappoint. At every level, it’s a showcase for Irish craft and Alan Holly is a really great talent. After watching the film around 100 times now, I still discover new things and I still love it. I think the whole team would be happy with just the product but short-listing for the Oscars is exciting. We’re up against Disney, the great Bill Plympton and seven other superb films so we definitely haven’t booked flights yet.

What’s in the pipeline for you next?

Along with my colleague Dave Clarke from El Zorrero Films, I’m currently producing a feature-documentary with director Colm Quinn that is all sorts of fun. We all share an office together so we’ve been living that one for a while and can’t wait to see it come to fruition. With ‘Man on Bridge’ and ‘Coda’, 2014 has been the year of the loosening the definition of ourselves and expanding our skillset which has been a lot of fun but also very important. We have been looking into doing a feature-length projects and another multi-platform documentary.

Finally, what do you hope viewers will take away from ‘Man on Bridge’ when it airs on the 28th of December?

Each platform of the Man on Bridge project has added something to the story of Arthur Fields. Being the last platform, the documentary is a reveal and we’re really curious as to how it goes down. After celebrating the man all-year-round and collecting his photos, the documentary is a journey into his own story and his own family photos. It explores why he stood on O’Connell Bridge all-day every day for 50 years and has been superbly edited by Paul Giles and has a fantastic score created by Michael Fleming. Both of them put an awful lot into finding the right tone for the film as it walks a very unusual line. It’s a celebration of a peculiar and complex character who probably isn’t your archetypical hero but through the photos he took, has accidentally become one. So hopefully viewers walk away thinking that we should celebrate more guys like Arthur Fields.

‘Man on Bridge’ airs on the 28th December on RTÉ One at 6.30pm.

The documentary is directed by Ciarán Deeney and produced by David Clarke and Ciarán Deeney of El Zorrero Films. It was edited by Paul Giles, the music was composed by Michael Fleming and director of photography was JJ Rolfe. Actor Chris O’Dowd narrates the doc.







FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
“For the industry to grow here, we need more storytellers”, Oscar-nominated producer Ed Guiney discusses Storyhouse
Sharon Horgan, Róisín Gallagher, and Éanna Hardwicke among BAFTA TV Award nominees
Free Industry Newsletter
Subscribe to IFTN's industry newsletter - it's free and e-mailed directly to your inbox every week.
Click here to sign up.






 
 the Website  Directory List  Festivals  Who's Who  Locations  Filmography  News  Crew  Actors
 

Contact Us | Advertise | Copyright | Terms & Conditions | Security & Privacy | RSS Feed | Twitter

 

 

 
canli bahis siteleri rulet siteleri deneme bonusu veren siteler bahis siteleri free spin veren siteler deneme bonusu veren yeni siteler yeni casino siteleri yeni bahis siteleri betwoon grandpashabet