Greetings from Ireland friends! So, we completed our Proof-of-concept for 10 Days in December! We shot for just one day up at Millmount Museum in Drogheda, a beautiful place to shoot and wonderful staff, who were so accommodating.
Here's a little Thank You poster for the Seed & Spark Backers:
It was a long, cold wet day. We had fog in the morning, some sun (with freezing tempatures) for a couple of hours, then the wind really picked up, the clouds rolled in and then the rain started. Not to mention the fact that we were shooting on the day before the shortest day of the year! So there was the light. Then only thing we didn't have, which might have been nice actually, was snow! But we got through it, and we got it in the can.
I am now looking forward to... first, relaxing and spending Christmas with friends and family... and then, getting back to the States to edit this and share it with you. And of course, using this to help us get the big one off the ground!!!
My huge thanks to the fantastic cast, Grace Fitzgerald and Graeme Coughlan for be absolute troopers and braving the weather without a complaint, total pros, while the crew were all nicely wrapped up in North Face, hats and Gloves, they had to look all trendy with none of that because of the silly director! Thanks to a great crew, a bunch of really nice, professional, folks who just got stuck in. Thanks to Millmount, Betty Quinn and Richie Quinn for helping us get set up, and all the staff for being so friendly and accommodating. To Gwen and Orlaith in Stockwell for the food. To Colin Browne and Film Equipment Hire Ireland for the gear. And to all the Seed & Spark backers who funded the projected and helped us get this shot. It's a dream come true for us.
The biggest thanks of all from me has to go to my wife, producer and co-writer, Maryann Koopman Kelly, she's really the one behind this project. When I was thinking about making something new she said "Why not do 10 Days" and I said OK. And she stuck with the project, and pushed the script overstep of the way in an effort to make it better.
Here are some pics from the shoot:
Two things that are truly unbelievable: 1. The amount of gear you need for a one day shoot. 2. That it all fits into the back of a Nissan Micra!
Millmount in Drogheda, our location for the day. Truly great staff accommodated us for the day, they were fantastic.
Early morning, crew gather at 8AM.
Actor Graeme Coughlan (Will) surveys the location for the day.
Crew tech check on the equipemnt, shooting on the Arri Alexa.
Here we go...
First shot rolls on 10 Days in Decemeber and it's a beautiful shot of Drogheda.
Conematographer Ivan McCullough and Director Frank W. Kelly discuss shots.
The Jib is rigged.
Shooting on Cannons... producer and co-writer Maryann Koopman Kelly gets in out of the wind!
Actors on set! Grace Fitzgerald and Graeme Coughlan brave the cold, troopers and absolute professionals.
And that's a wrap folks.
I should have something to show you in a couple of months. I think you're really going to like it. It's just one scene mind you, but hopefully it gives you a sense of what's to come, and makes you as excited about as we are about it.
And one last thing, it was such fun getting back behind the camera, being on set and being with such a great cast and crew - really good, friendly, hardworking individuals. I have missed it. It's been far too long. And I wont lie, I was nervous about it, somewhat stressed and a little unsure if I could still do it. But it all came back pretty quickly, and as soon as we got going I just enjoyed myself! So thank you all for allowing me to get back to doing what I love, making movies!
More soon...
