One Hundred Mornings
If Harold Pinter did a rewrite of The Road, it could easily resemble One Hundred Mornings; eschewing multi-million dollar CGI special-effects and giant fireballs for an emphasis on actual story and character, Irish filmmaker Conor Horgan and cast craft an intimate look at the emotional and spiritual toll the apocalypse could bring to one’s life. Unfolding in a quaint Irish mountainside, two couples eek out a rustic existence in what at first seems like a vacation gone a few days too long. Signs begin appearing though that all is not as it appears with armed gunmen roaming the roads and basic supplies coming into sharp demand. It becomes all too apparent that society has fundamentally broken down but the cause is never explained; this open-ended approach allows the viewer to impart his or her own backstory, any other explanation would be little more than a MacGuffin to move the action along. Again though, the emphasis is placed on character. The four main characters Jonathan, Hannah, Katie, and Mark are two couples that are forced to wait things out in this remote cabin; there’s no exposition on how they came to arrive there, how they knew each other previously, etc. All we know is they’ve been there for two months and live next door to a survivalist hippie named Tim. Tensions already brew when we meet them over claustrophobia and dwindling supplies as well as a bout of infidelity which doesn’t help either. One Hundred Mornings essentially boils down to an endurance test for viewers to see how much degradation and heartbreak can be endured in a two-hour sitting. As the story moves on, characters die, relationships break down further, and the barest layers of human civility are dissolved. And yet, hope does exist if not in a grand gesture then rather a resignation to accepting this particular end of the world. It’s a tough journey to take but shows the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of complete social breakdown.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
One Hundred Mornings: The Reviews
Hi Folks!
Check out the amazing response One Hundred Mornings has had since its screening at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2009:
"By way of contrast, you couldn’t honestly call Conor Horgan’s One Hundred Mornings particularly cheery, but, to my mind, it just surpassed His & Hers as the finest domestic feature I saw at the Fleadh. Beautifully shot in washed-out watercolours by Suzie Lavelle, the film sends four young people to a remote cabin following a vaguely defined collapse in western society. The group is lucky enough to have a shed full of vodka and canned food, but, without a gun, they are unable to defend themselves against hungry neighbours and disreputable police officers.
More a personal drama than a post-apocalyptic thriller, the lean One Hundred Mornings is to be commended for what it dares to leave out. Featuring contained, committed performances by Ciaran McMenamin, Kelly Campbell, Alex Reid and Rory Keenan, the film tells its unhappy story through a neat arc, but it never feels forced or overworked. There could be no higher compliment than to say that, after a first viewing, I wanted to see it again and discover what it all meant”
Donald Clarke, Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0715/1224250688703.html
"Tightly scripted, beautifully shot and with standout performances from all the cast", "a grim, chilling but entirely engrossing vision of things to come" Quiet Earth review
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2009/07/31/Review-of-Irish-apocalyptic-drama-ONE-HUNDRED-MORNINGS
"Beautifully shot in muted, earthy colours, One Hundred Mornings is both harrowing and humorous" Fiona McCann, Irish Times Blog Review
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/pursuedbyabear/2009/10/29/one-hundred-mornings/
“One Hundred Mornings changed my mind about Irish film. It is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, perfectly written and seamlessly directed. The location is at times utterly breathtaking, and is the perfect setting for the movie. The story tackles some tough questions (sometimes with wicked black humour), but it never punishes you for wanting to know the answers.” Dan Walsh, Culch.ie
http://www.culch.ie/2009/11/03/one-hundred-mornings-a-review/
"Horgan's auteur film excels in its ability to depict what he has decided to leave out; with suggestion painting a more powerful picture in the minds of the audience. One Hundred Mornings exhibits ableak apocalyptic worldview, but Horgan constructs it with an eye to the beauty of things, thus making the places and the people we love ever harder to leave. How it didn't win best picture is hard to fathom" Breandan O'Brion -Galway Film Fleadh review, Marketing Magazine
Check out the amazing response One Hundred Mornings has had since its screening at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2009:
"By way of contrast, you couldn’t honestly call Conor Horgan’s One Hundred Mornings particularly cheery, but, to my mind, it just surpassed His & Hers as the finest domestic feature I saw at the Fleadh. Beautifully shot in washed-out watercolours by Suzie Lavelle, the film sends four young people to a remote cabin following a vaguely defined collapse in western society. The group is lucky enough to have a shed full of vodka and canned food, but, without a gun, they are unable to defend themselves against hungry neighbours and disreputable police officers.
More a personal drama than a post-apocalyptic thriller, the lean One Hundred Mornings is to be commended for what it dares to leave out. Featuring contained, committed performances by Ciaran McMenamin, Kelly Campbell, Alex Reid and Rory Keenan, the film tells its unhappy story through a neat arc, but it never feels forced or overworked. There could be no higher compliment than to say that, after a first viewing, I wanted to see it again and discover what it all meant”
Donald Clarke, Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0715/1224250688703.html
"Tightly scripted, beautifully shot and with standout performances from all the cast", "a grim, chilling but entirely engrossing vision of things to come" Quiet Earth review
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2009/07/31/Review-of-Irish-apocalyptic-drama-ONE-HUNDRED-MORNINGS
"Beautifully shot in muted, earthy colours, One Hundred Mornings is both harrowing and humorous" Fiona McCann, Irish Times Blog Review
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/pursuedbyabear/2009/10/29/one-hundred-mornings/
“One Hundred Mornings changed my mind about Irish film. It is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, perfectly written and seamlessly directed. The location is at times utterly breathtaking, and is the perfect setting for the movie. The story tackles some tough questions (sometimes with wicked black humour), but it never punishes you for wanting to know the answers.” Dan Walsh, Culch.ie
http://www.culch.ie/2009/11/03/one-hundred-mornings-a-review/
"Horgan's auteur film excels in its ability to depict what he has decided to leave out; with suggestion painting a more powerful picture in the minds of the audience. One Hundred Mornings exhibits ableak apocalyptic worldview, but Horgan constructs it with an eye to the beauty of things, thus making the places and the people we love ever harder to leave. How it didn't win best picture is hard to fathom" Breandan O'Brion -Galway Film Fleadh review, Marketing Magazine
Keep connected to One Hundred Mornings!
Keep up to date with One Hundred Mornings news on the following links:
Blinder Films: www.blinderfilms.com
One Hundred Mornings: www.onehundredmornings.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=244539682875&ref=ts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/100Mornings
Slamdance: http://slamdance.bside.com/2010/films/onehundredmornings_conorhorgan_slamdance2010
Blinder Films: www.blinderfilms.com
One Hundred Mornings: www.onehundredmornings.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=244539682875&ref=ts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/100Mornings
Slamdance: http://slamdance.bside.com/2010/films/onehundredmornings_conorhorgan_slamdance2010
Blinder Films is going to Slamdance Film Festival
Bl!nder Films are delighted to announce that their first feature film One Hundred Mornings, funded by the Irish Film Board Catalyst Project and directed by Conor Horgan is to have its world premiere screening at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January 2010. It will be one of 18 features films screened at the festival out of over 5000 applicants.
The Slamdance Film Festival is in its sixteenth year and runs in conjunction with the Sundance International Film Festival in Park City. Its main focus is on films by first time directors with limited budgets and its lineup of narrative and documentary films are programmed in the spirit of its motto ‘by filmmakers, for filmmakers’. It takes place between January 21-28 2010.
Starring Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan and Kelly Campbell, One Hundred Mornings is set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society where two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis. As resources run low and external threats increase, they forge an uneasy alliance with their self-sufficient hippie neighbour. With no news from the outside world they can't know how long they must endure living in such close quarters, and with such limited supplies. Unspoken animosity fills the air, and a suspected affair is driving a wedge between them all. Poorly equipped to cope in a world without technology and saddled with completely conflicting worldviews, everything begins to disintegrate. Finally, each of them faces a critical decision they never thought they'd have to make.
One Hundred Mornings was screened at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh where it was widely praised. Donald Clarke named it ‘The finest domestic feature I saw at the Galway Film Fleadh’. It has received rave reviews from the press with an Irish Times review describing it and ‘both harrowing and humorous’ and ‘beautifully shot in muted, earthy colours’.
Director Conor Horgan trained as a photographer, moving into directing TV commercials in the 90’s and has won many awards. His first short film, The Last Time, was screened at Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, and Tampere and was the recipient of seven awards, including the UIP Director Award and Best Irish Short at The Cork Film Festival. Other films include the Arts Council funded experimental film Happiness, and the recently completed About Beauty an Irish Film Board/ Documenting The Arts film following artist Dorothy Cross as she works on the island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. He has recently completed post-production on Fear, a follow-up to Happiness and has been awarded further Arts Council funding for The Beholder, an arts documentary about portraiture.
One Hundred Mornings was produced by Bl!nder Films, a film production company established in 2006 with director Kieron J. Walsh and producer Katie Holly at the helm. Their ethos is on unique contemporary stories that will provoke, move and entertain. It is a recipient of the Irish Film Board’s Multiple Project Development scheme. They have worked with writer/director Owen O’Neill on short film The Basket Case (winner of Best Irish Short at the Boston Irish Film Festival), and with writer/director Virginia Gilbert on the critically acclaimed three-part Irish language documentary Striapacha: Three Hundred Years of Vice. They are currently finishing post production Sensation (d. Tom Hall) the first feature on their MPD slate and have a sketch comedy show, The Savage Eye which recently finished a successful run on RTE Two.
The Slamdance Film Festival is in its sixteenth year and runs in conjunction with the Sundance International Film Festival in Park City. Its main focus is on films by first time directors with limited budgets and its lineup of narrative and documentary films are programmed in the spirit of its motto ‘by filmmakers, for filmmakers’. It takes place between January 21-28 2010.
Starring Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan and Kelly Campbell, One Hundred Mornings is set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society where two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis. As resources run low and external threats increase, they forge an uneasy alliance with their self-sufficient hippie neighbour. With no news from the outside world they can't know how long they must endure living in such close quarters, and with such limited supplies. Unspoken animosity fills the air, and a suspected affair is driving a wedge between them all. Poorly equipped to cope in a world without technology and saddled with completely conflicting worldviews, everything begins to disintegrate. Finally, each of them faces a critical decision they never thought they'd have to make.
One Hundred Mornings was screened at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh where it was widely praised. Donald Clarke named it ‘The finest domestic feature I saw at the Galway Film Fleadh’. It has received rave reviews from the press with an Irish Times review describing it and ‘both harrowing and humorous’ and ‘beautifully shot in muted, earthy colours’.
Director Conor Horgan trained as a photographer, moving into directing TV commercials in the 90’s and has won many awards. His first short film, The Last Time, was screened at Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, and Tampere and was the recipient of seven awards, including the UIP Director Award and Best Irish Short at The Cork Film Festival. Other films include the Arts Council funded experimental film Happiness, and the recently completed About Beauty an Irish Film Board/ Documenting The Arts film following artist Dorothy Cross as she works on the island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. He has recently completed post-production on Fear, a follow-up to Happiness and has been awarded further Arts Council funding for The Beholder, an arts documentary about portraiture.
One Hundred Mornings was produced by Bl!nder Films, a film production company established in 2006 with director Kieron J. Walsh and producer Katie Holly at the helm. Their ethos is on unique contemporary stories that will provoke, move and entertain. It is a recipient of the Irish Film Board’s Multiple Project Development scheme. They have worked with writer/director Owen O’Neill on short film The Basket Case (winner of Best Irish Short at the Boston Irish Film Festival), and with writer/director Virginia Gilbert on the critically acclaimed three-part Irish language documentary Striapacha: Three Hundred Years of Vice. They are currently finishing post production Sensation (d. Tom Hall) the first feature on their MPD slate and have a sketch comedy show, The Savage Eye which recently finished a successful run on RTE Two.
Actress Kelly Campbell - about playing Katie
‘‘Katie is married to Mark and Mark and Katie are friends of Jonathon and Hannah, It is very much Mark and Jonathon’s relationship that brings them to the house. The way that Conor describes it is that the house belongs to Hannah’s family and Hannah and Jonathon had a choice of who to bring and they decided to bring Mark and Katie. I get the sense that they have known each other for maybe ten years and the complication in this situation is that Katie and Jonathon have been having an affair which precedes this event, so they are bringing this to the house. From Katie’s perspective, Conor sees her as very pragmatic and adaptable, she is a survivor but not neccesarily as pragmatic as Hannah.’’
‘’I think playing off the others and what there giving me I found it easy to throw myself into the imaginary world because it is made very real by interplay. We have a very solid world and everyone has done their part to make it seem real and ultimately Conor brings that and the location brings that. It makes you think about what your priorities are in the way that things are simplified in this world it makes you understand what you need most.’’
The Story –
‘‘It is kind of like a greek drama in the sense that the crisis is being described off screen or off stage outside the main action of the story and you do to a certain extent have to imagine how bad it is, but for the most part you have to have faith that the story will tell itself and ultimately it is about human emotion and the effect that the situation has on their nerves and on their relationships and mood. I think the other little dramas and the interplay between the four of them says a lot about how they cope with the situation and how your priorities change.”
The Filming –
‘‘I have found that getting into this world and understanding what happens to four people in this situation has been made very easy by the location, the fact that we are in the one place and also the four of us are spending an awful lot of time together, we got to know each other quite well quite quickly and also had the luxury of a week’s rehersals beforehand. I feel that this film is a directors piece; it is very visually driven and it is Conor’s story so in a way we’re just fitting into that and it is made very easy by his clarity and vision. Even his collaboration with Suzie you can see that they have thought very hard about the way they want each set up to be.’’
The Catalyst Scheme –
‘‘The Catalyst scheme is a great programme and it’s really great to see the Film Board supporting writers and directors. I think this film is almost ideally set up because it is all set in one location and it is a small cast and it is manageable on a low-budget. It is delightful to be with a crew who are always learning because everyone has been bumped up a grade and everyone is on a steep learning curve and it has been a really lovely crew and everyone has bonded well.’’
‘’I think playing off the others and what there giving me I found it easy to throw myself into the imaginary world because it is made very real by interplay. We have a very solid world and everyone has done their part to make it seem real and ultimately Conor brings that and the location brings that. It makes you think about what your priorities are in the way that things are simplified in this world it makes you understand what you need most.’’
The Story –
‘‘It is kind of like a greek drama in the sense that the crisis is being described off screen or off stage outside the main action of the story and you do to a certain extent have to imagine how bad it is, but for the most part you have to have faith that the story will tell itself and ultimately it is about human emotion and the effect that the situation has on their nerves and on their relationships and mood. I think the other little dramas and the interplay between the four of them says a lot about how they cope with the situation and how your priorities change.”
The Filming –
‘‘I have found that getting into this world and understanding what happens to four people in this situation has been made very easy by the location, the fact that we are in the one place and also the four of us are spending an awful lot of time together, we got to know each other quite well quite quickly and also had the luxury of a week’s rehersals beforehand. I feel that this film is a directors piece; it is very visually driven and it is Conor’s story so in a way we’re just fitting into that and it is made very easy by his clarity and vision. Even his collaboration with Suzie you can see that they have thought very hard about the way they want each set up to be.’’
The Catalyst Scheme –
‘‘The Catalyst scheme is a great programme and it’s really great to see the Film Board supporting writers and directors. I think this film is almost ideally set up because it is all set in one location and it is a small cast and it is manageable on a low-budget. It is delightful to be with a crew who are always learning because everyone has been bumped up a grade and everyone is on a steep learning curve and it has been a really lovely crew and everyone has bonded well.’’
Actor Rory Keenan – about playing Mark
‘‘Mark is married to Katie, a friend of Jonathon, and I suppose he is a fixer he knows how to fix things and get things and use whatever resources they have available to make things easier for them. He is a very practical, optimistic kind of guy and it is almost as important to himself as it is for the group for them to remain optimistic. His mantra is that things will be ok and get better, whether or not he actually believes that I don’t know, it is just something he needs to hear and I think other people need to hear. Towards the end his line of argument becomes thinner and there is also the thing between Jonathon and Katie, I think he doesn’t confront it probably because it is something he cannot fix and if he cannot fix it he probably doesn’t want to acknowledge it. It is a heartbreaking situation for him with his friend and his wife, aside from the fact that life is hard enough at this particular time, he probably needs that optimism to get him through each day which probably turns into denial.’’
The Script –
‘‘The script was great, what I liked about it was that it was very unIrish. The setting here is almost Scandinavian, it was just a story and it could have been set anywhere which is lovely. I liked Mark because he goes through a genuine struggle aside from the major one at hand and it’s a bit of a sad ending aswell.
It is essentially a story about four people in a very enclosed and suffocating environment and in that way it is very much a performers film so we have a lot of responsibility to make this real or interesting to look at and make people care about the people and the film so in that sense it is definitely a challenge.
As far as I see it and if I was sitting watching this film I would imagine that it’s not giving any statements, any socio-political message, I think it’s a small story that just happens to take place at this time. You can take any messages you want out of it but I think to do that would take away from the story and what Conor is trying to do.‘’
Filming –
‘‘Conor Horgan is a very actor-friendly director in that he is very open to input and we got time to rehearse which is very rare in films and I think it helped. The strength of this film is how performance driven it is and the star of the show is really the setting and surroundings because it is just beautiful here.
What I was most surprised at was how similar the set was to how I had imagined it to be, it was almost as if this film was written for here and it went a long way in helping the mood and getting us tuned to where we were supposed to have been for so long. You really get the sense through shooting the film how bad things could get. It does make you think that to keep sane is almost as important to keep warm and dry.‘’
The Catalyst Scheme – ‘
‘It is a brilliant opportunity for me and for all of us, it is a great opportunity for first time directors to get something on screen and it is great for actors as well.’’
The Script –
‘‘The script was great, what I liked about it was that it was very unIrish. The setting here is almost Scandinavian, it was just a story and it could have been set anywhere which is lovely. I liked Mark because he goes through a genuine struggle aside from the major one at hand and it’s a bit of a sad ending aswell.
It is essentially a story about four people in a very enclosed and suffocating environment and in that way it is very much a performers film so we have a lot of responsibility to make this real or interesting to look at and make people care about the people and the film so in that sense it is definitely a challenge.
As far as I see it and if I was sitting watching this film I would imagine that it’s not giving any statements, any socio-political message, I think it’s a small story that just happens to take place at this time. You can take any messages you want out of it but I think to do that would take away from the story and what Conor is trying to do.‘’
Filming –
‘‘Conor Horgan is a very actor-friendly director in that he is very open to input and we got time to rehearse which is very rare in films and I think it helped. The strength of this film is how performance driven it is and the star of the show is really the setting and surroundings because it is just beautiful here.
What I was most surprised at was how similar the set was to how I had imagined it to be, it was almost as if this film was written for here and it went a long way in helping the mood and getting us tuned to where we were supposed to have been for so long. You really get the sense through shooting the film how bad things could get. It does make you think that to keep sane is almost as important to keep warm and dry.‘’
The Catalyst Scheme – ‘
‘It is a brilliant opportunity for me and for all of us, it is a great opportunity for first time directors to get something on screen and it is great for actors as well.’’
Actor Alex Reid talks about working with writer/director Conor Horgan
‘‘From an actors point of view he is great, I do think it makes a difference when you work with a writer/director as opposed to a filmmaker; his vision is a lot different to someone who is just directing someone else’s story. It’s a good point of reference to go to, just one person as opposed to many different people. He has always been open to our ideas and I think it’s nice as an actor to have that trust put on you, that it’s your job as an actor to bring your idea about the character and thoughts to bring the story along and he is completely open to that.’’
The Story -
(The beginning) ‘‘I think the ambiguity is good, I think people will always make up stuff in their own minds. I hate watching stuff where the audience is patronised and spoon fed what has happened and in this it doesn’t really make a difference, it has maybe made a difference to us and we discussed it but it has been more important for us to discuss our relationships beforehand because then the different personalities and relationships can react in the situation. When the film starts we have already been there for a little while anyway so I think it is a case of playing catch up from an audience’s point of view but you don’t need to know, there is more enjoyment when you don’t. I think with the ending you don’t know, I liked that about the film, there is no apology and no sugar coating anything. ’’
Themes/Issues –
‘‘I think there are different issues for the different characters; I would say one of the themes is forgiveness, loss of hope and also not losing hope. Sometimes in tragic circumstances people’s strengths really come out and people tend to come together sometimes rather than unravel. I suppose human nature and the lengths that you will go to to survive or get what you want but I think there are some really interesting dynamics within the house; watch people crack in different ways than you hopefully will expect.
About Hannah –
‘‘Hannah and Jonathon have been married a few years, along with the fact that the situation these four people have been put in is a very stressful and non-pleasant one, it kind of highlights the fractures in peoples’ relationships and Jonathon and his marriage is very flawed. They have lost closeness, it is like watching two seperate people functioning. The same as in life, a crisis can bring people together as well, it highlights the good points and bad points in their relationship.’’
On Set –
‘‘ It all feeds into the part, if you filming on location you get cold and tired and hungry and by the end of the day it’s not so much of a stretch to be acting it. On set is a really lovely atmosphere and you get that when you work with a relatively small crew who are all on the same page and really want it to work, and at the centre of it is Conor’s story and script and everyone’s loving it so you want to see it all come together.
Working on something like this and people with different skill levels and people who are very talented the enthusiasm is the most important thing, you do get a sense of everyone being on the same page and working towards the same thing, everyone wants the film to work and you do whatever you have to do to get that. Personally I love working at this speed because I think that it keeps things fresh, certainly for the storyline it is a great way to work; a great team effort and no one takes their eye off the ball.’’
The Story -
(The beginning) ‘‘I think the ambiguity is good, I think people will always make up stuff in their own minds. I hate watching stuff where the audience is patronised and spoon fed what has happened and in this it doesn’t really make a difference, it has maybe made a difference to us and we discussed it but it has been more important for us to discuss our relationships beforehand because then the different personalities and relationships can react in the situation. When the film starts we have already been there for a little while anyway so I think it is a case of playing catch up from an audience’s point of view but you don’t need to know, there is more enjoyment when you don’t. I think with the ending you don’t know, I liked that about the film, there is no apology and no sugar coating anything. ’’
Themes/Issues –
‘‘I think there are different issues for the different characters; I would say one of the themes is forgiveness, loss of hope and also not losing hope. Sometimes in tragic circumstances people’s strengths really come out and people tend to come together sometimes rather than unravel. I suppose human nature and the lengths that you will go to to survive or get what you want but I think there are some really interesting dynamics within the house; watch people crack in different ways than you hopefully will expect.
About Hannah –
‘‘Hannah and Jonathon have been married a few years, along with the fact that the situation these four people have been put in is a very stressful and non-pleasant one, it kind of highlights the fractures in peoples’ relationships and Jonathon and his marriage is very flawed. They have lost closeness, it is like watching two seperate people functioning. The same as in life, a crisis can bring people together as well, it highlights the good points and bad points in their relationship.’’
On Set –
‘‘ It all feeds into the part, if you filming on location you get cold and tired and hungry and by the end of the day it’s not so much of a stretch to be acting it. On set is a really lovely atmosphere and you get that when you work with a relatively small crew who are all on the same page and really want it to work, and at the centre of it is Conor’s story and script and everyone’s loving it so you want to see it all come together.
Working on something like this and people with different skill levels and people who are very talented the enthusiasm is the most important thing, you do get a sense of everyone being on the same page and working towards the same thing, everyone wants the film to work and you do whatever you have to do to get that. Personally I love working at this speed because I think that it keeps things fresh, certainly for the storyline it is a great way to work; a great team effort and no one takes their eye off the ball.’’
Actor Ciaran McMenamin talks about working with writer/director Conor Horgan
‘‘The whole concept of working with a director who has actually written the piece I think in any project is always an attractive prospect for an actor because I suppose it is his baby. You are getting a direct link to the creation. For me the idea is an amazing thing to do because you don’t get that direct hit usually. You might go to a director in a normal process with a question which, on another job, might come across as an actor being too precious and holding the process up where as in this instance your getting instant feedback from the man who has actually written the thing.
Conor has actually written this in terms of the characters and story but he has also written what he visualised in his head was what it was going to look like and I find that very helpful and in a strange way it simplifies the process because you get straight to shoot the scene that is going to be visually within boundaries and then your let free to make it believable within that. Conor has been great, he direction is very concise and simply because he already clearly knows exactly what he wants.
I think with a piece like this everyone is working on it because of the love of the piece and you get a theme ethic and it cuts out any egos, that is why I wanted to do it. The script was good and then I met Conor and I got a sense of real passion about it from this guy and it’s his thing, and the way he spoke to me about what his vision was, what he wanted the character to be, I could really genuinely get excited about it. I liked the idea of filming up a mountain in Wicklow, you get immersed in it filming for four weeks, it’s a really focused way of making a film and in a weird way you might not have that with a bigger budget.
It is a very experienced cast because it is a performance driven piece and on the other side of the camera there is not so much experience which is interesting because the Catalyst scheme is to get creative people started so in my view there can never be anything wrong with that living in a world where it is harder to make films for financial reasons and creative people are bottom of the rug when you’re coming out of school so I think it is a really admirable and honorable scheme.‘’
The Script –
‘‘I read the script and thought this is fascinating on an individual character level. I think as much as anything I found everything to do with the story very exciting because I find it very relevant. In some ways it’s like a western; these people cut off in the middle of no where but I think these kind of catastrophic situations are something that people are starting to realize are more and more possible even though we’re living in our advanced scientific technology world we are now being faced with the reality that the things we’ve taken for granted may not be kept in place. For me it is universal, it’s not a story just for a Irish audience, it is a story you could watch in any modern western culture where there are things that can break down and I think it would be apt for any audience which is attractive. We are living at a time where the world is falling apart credit wise, you have increasing energy problems and scenarios and I just find the whole thing very realistic.
The Beginning –
The story I think is that you could watch this and every individual audience member can make their decision about what has happened and it won’t affect the story. Because of what is going on now for me to make a reality of it I have taken current events and taken them to there hopefully unrealistic but possible end conclusions. Lets just say because a hundred and fifty city boys sold a load of hedge funds in a dodgy scenario coupled with rising energy costs and diplomatic breakdown with Russia etc, I have taken world events and accelerated them to the worst conclusion and made that what has happened. So for me it is a combination of things that are happening in our modern world. The film is about how people deal with each other and themselves and starvation and everything that goes on when something like this happens so for me it is more about that. ’’
about playing Jonathon:
‘‘Playing Jonathon in ‘One Hundred Mornings’ has been a fascinating study of, for me, putting yourself into that suitation. You do your character work on who this guy is, the background with the wife and the relationships, but we had a very clear brief with Conor. To me the thing is to be as naturalistic and realistic as possible, to put Ciaran as much as you can into that situation which to me is the core of nine out of ten jobs that you do. So I have gone at it very simply in the style of imagining as much as you can what it would be like to be in that senario. It has just been a case of getting in, getting dirty and really trying to let your imagination go to the depths which this guy has been forced to which is a fascinating journey for a character. Jonathon has an amazing arc and I think at the start of the story it was clear that he was the most realistic, he has a very sardonic and sarcastic way. Probably for other people he is very irritating in his reality, he is quite clear in his mind that things aren’t going to go back to normal. When you balance that with Mark who is brave and irritatingly upbeat about how things are going to sort itself out which is his way of dealing with it, I think Jonathon sort of goes down hill and plateaus very quickly into the reality of the situation, hence he starts behaving in a way that any normal society that is functional would see as unacceptable. Some of the behaviour to us is quite hard to fathom and excuse but I think he sort of goes back to animal instincts and very clearly is living in the moment, he’s not dealing with or excepting any of the consequences of his actions. For me it was about playing each scene individually, I mean if your going to have an affair with you best friend’s wife in the same house that your wife is in your clearly dealing in the self gratification of the moment, you’re not really looking as to what might happen tomorrow. In the scenes where all this starts to unravel he starts getting caught on the hop, I think his reactions are very interesting. We have ended up with a great cast in this, and it is an ensemble, each of the four stories of the four characters are as important to the overall story. I think Jonathon’s story strands it together...it is a very interesting arc of a story for me to have played because he does come full circle. It is a guy who is not dealing with his circumstances but eventually the consequences and what is happening overtakes him and he is put in a situation where he has no choice. The scene where Jonathon kills Tim is a watershed moment for that character and the story and I suppose in that moment Jonathon represents civilisation...there is nothing worse, he goes next door kills the guy to keep himself [and his wife] alive and it was an appauling scene to film and it was great to act it. Bob O’Mahony who plays Tim is such a gent of a man and it was quite heartbreaking and it was all very realistic . I think everything builds up to that moment and after that there is no going back and you have blood on your hands and soul and everything completely changes after that.
The Approach – One of the basic ways of approaching this for us actors is to imagine you don’t have your day to day stuff and on a very small level we have been stuck up a mountain in Wicklow with no internet or mobile phone connection, I’ve been here for four and a half weeks gladly not having phone or internet access but a tiny element like that helps you imagine what it would be like if you had nothing. I work best when I’m relaxed and having a bit of craic and you’re going to get that on any film set, you know, a group of people thrust together up a mountain in Wicklow and you form relationships that is a good thing. Someone said to me there is acting and then there is being so immersed in it that you’ve actually gone to madness.’’
Conor has actually written this in terms of the characters and story but he has also written what he visualised in his head was what it was going to look like and I find that very helpful and in a strange way it simplifies the process because you get straight to shoot the scene that is going to be visually within boundaries and then your let free to make it believable within that. Conor has been great, he direction is very concise and simply because he already clearly knows exactly what he wants.
I think with a piece like this everyone is working on it because of the love of the piece and you get a theme ethic and it cuts out any egos, that is why I wanted to do it. The script was good and then I met Conor and I got a sense of real passion about it from this guy and it’s his thing, and the way he spoke to me about what his vision was, what he wanted the character to be, I could really genuinely get excited about it. I liked the idea of filming up a mountain in Wicklow, you get immersed in it filming for four weeks, it’s a really focused way of making a film and in a weird way you might not have that with a bigger budget.
It is a very experienced cast because it is a performance driven piece and on the other side of the camera there is not so much experience which is interesting because the Catalyst scheme is to get creative people started so in my view there can never be anything wrong with that living in a world where it is harder to make films for financial reasons and creative people are bottom of the rug when you’re coming out of school so I think it is a really admirable and honorable scheme.‘’
The Script –
‘‘I read the script and thought this is fascinating on an individual character level. I think as much as anything I found everything to do with the story very exciting because I find it very relevant. In some ways it’s like a western; these people cut off in the middle of no where but I think these kind of catastrophic situations are something that people are starting to realize are more and more possible even though we’re living in our advanced scientific technology world we are now being faced with the reality that the things we’ve taken for granted may not be kept in place. For me it is universal, it’s not a story just for a Irish audience, it is a story you could watch in any modern western culture where there are things that can break down and I think it would be apt for any audience which is attractive. We are living at a time where the world is falling apart credit wise, you have increasing energy problems and scenarios and I just find the whole thing very realistic.
The Beginning –
The story I think is that you could watch this and every individual audience member can make their decision about what has happened and it won’t affect the story. Because of what is going on now for me to make a reality of it I have taken current events and taken them to there hopefully unrealistic but possible end conclusions. Lets just say because a hundred and fifty city boys sold a load of hedge funds in a dodgy scenario coupled with rising energy costs and diplomatic breakdown with Russia etc, I have taken world events and accelerated them to the worst conclusion and made that what has happened. So for me it is a combination of things that are happening in our modern world. The film is about how people deal with each other and themselves and starvation and everything that goes on when something like this happens so for me it is more about that. ’’
about playing Jonathon:
‘‘Playing Jonathon in ‘One Hundred Mornings’ has been a fascinating study of, for me, putting yourself into that suitation. You do your character work on who this guy is, the background with the wife and the relationships, but we had a very clear brief with Conor. To me the thing is to be as naturalistic and realistic as possible, to put Ciaran as much as you can into that situation which to me is the core of nine out of ten jobs that you do. So I have gone at it very simply in the style of imagining as much as you can what it would be like to be in that senario. It has just been a case of getting in, getting dirty and really trying to let your imagination go to the depths which this guy has been forced to which is a fascinating journey for a character. Jonathon has an amazing arc and I think at the start of the story it was clear that he was the most realistic, he has a very sardonic and sarcastic way. Probably for other people he is very irritating in his reality, he is quite clear in his mind that things aren’t going to go back to normal. When you balance that with Mark who is brave and irritatingly upbeat about how things are going to sort itself out which is his way of dealing with it, I think Jonathon sort of goes down hill and plateaus very quickly into the reality of the situation, hence he starts behaving in a way that any normal society that is functional would see as unacceptable. Some of the behaviour to us is quite hard to fathom and excuse but I think he sort of goes back to animal instincts and very clearly is living in the moment, he’s not dealing with or excepting any of the consequences of his actions. For me it was about playing each scene individually, I mean if your going to have an affair with you best friend’s wife in the same house that your wife is in your clearly dealing in the self gratification of the moment, you’re not really looking as to what might happen tomorrow. In the scenes where all this starts to unravel he starts getting caught on the hop, I think his reactions are very interesting. We have ended up with a great cast in this, and it is an ensemble, each of the four stories of the four characters are as important to the overall story. I think Jonathon’s story strands it together...it is a very interesting arc of a story for me to have played because he does come full circle. It is a guy who is not dealing with his circumstances but eventually the consequences and what is happening overtakes him and he is put in a situation where he has no choice. The scene where Jonathon kills Tim is a watershed moment for that character and the story and I suppose in that moment Jonathon represents civilisation...there is nothing worse, he goes next door kills the guy to keep himself [and his wife] alive and it was an appauling scene to film and it was great to act it. Bob O’Mahony who plays Tim is such a gent of a man and it was quite heartbreaking and it was all very realistic . I think everything builds up to that moment and after that there is no going back and you have blood on your hands and soul and everything completely changes after that.
The Approach – One of the basic ways of approaching this for us actors is to imagine you don’t have your day to day stuff and on a very small level we have been stuck up a mountain in Wicklow with no internet or mobile phone connection, I’ve been here for four and a half weeks gladly not having phone or internet access but a tiny element like that helps you imagine what it would be like if you had nothing. I work best when I’m relaxed and having a bit of craic and you’re going to get that on any film set, you know, a group of people thrust together up a mountain in Wicklow and you form relationships that is a good thing. Someone said to me there is acting and then there is being so immersed in it that you’ve actually gone to madness.’’
Director of Photography Suzie Lavelle talks about One Hundred Mornings
The Script –
‘’I thought it was the best script I ever read. The way the story was told, the development and also that the theme was so topical that we are all quite worried about it and I love the visual poetry in the script, the exposition was flawless for me. Everything had a purpose, every transition was there andI just thought the characters were amazing and it is a character story in a really extreme circumstance but it is a character story and I love that about it.’’
Working with Conor Horgan-
‘‘Before I got the job we thought the best way to approach it not knowing each other was to bring any stills or images which we felt represented the mood. Out of all the pictures in the world we happened to have one picture that was the same image and I think that is how I got the job, that and we knew straight away that we saw it in the same way.’’
The Filming -
‘‘It was great story and huge opportunity to tell it in a really creative way. We had to use our imaginations a lot to keep it interesting, 80% of the filming is in the house and it just gave great scopes for subtle tricks with story telling and with each character we could develop their own personal story through camera angles, lenses, lighting, contrast.’’
‘‘We started Jonathon off with wider lenses, he is lost in this world that everything is in focus in. He lets the world around him come inside so we started to use longer lenses towards the end of the film. Another element of this film was creating an element of real time, long takes, to use the blocking to tell the story. If his character is empowered we place him close to the camera and on his weaker parts he is much further away.’’
‘‘The location really guided us in our approach then we started to think, is this movie like a western? Nature is a really important part, that nature lives on seamlessly and in fact blossoming really. We shot listed it like mad and we have a folder that’s like our bible with everything in it but every morning we choose to throw it away and just watch the performance and see what they bring to it because it changes quite a lot and we always wanted to have the approach of thinking on our feet.’’
‘‘For me if you are camera aware something has gone wrong, I’d like the camera to be relatively invisible in this and you’re just caught up in the characters and the world and I hope we achieve that.’’
Approach -
‘‘We wanted people to feel like this could be them, in order for them to feel that we thought real time was really important, long takes but clever blocking. On a low budget with a limited amount of time this is quite terrifying so I had a meeting with the editor, I knew we couldn’t come in with a four week shoot and do our takes that work for everything and also provide cover. Straight away from the beginning we had to make a choice, are we going to make a film that is cutty or are we going to go for it. So went for the one takes, long takes. I’d much rather go and see a film with some risks, with an interesting approach and script than to have made something that has allready been made and I hope it comes out as something different and that you walk out of the cinema and you’re not going to forget it.’’
Working with RED Camera –
‘‘Essentially it is a computer with a lens on. Being quite remote here [in Wicklow] dealing with lots of bad weather, working very quickly, lots of hand held, I was really nervous about it but its been great.’’
‘’I thought it was the best script I ever read. The way the story was told, the development and also that the theme was so topical that we are all quite worried about it and I love the visual poetry in the script, the exposition was flawless for me. Everything had a purpose, every transition was there andI just thought the characters were amazing and it is a character story in a really extreme circumstance but it is a character story and I love that about it.’’
Working with Conor Horgan-
‘‘Before I got the job we thought the best way to approach it not knowing each other was to bring any stills or images which we felt represented the mood. Out of all the pictures in the world we happened to have one picture that was the same image and I think that is how I got the job, that and we knew straight away that we saw it in the same way.’’
The Filming -
‘‘It was great story and huge opportunity to tell it in a really creative way. We had to use our imaginations a lot to keep it interesting, 80% of the filming is in the house and it just gave great scopes for subtle tricks with story telling and with each character we could develop their own personal story through camera angles, lenses, lighting, contrast.’’
‘‘We started Jonathon off with wider lenses, he is lost in this world that everything is in focus in. He lets the world around him come inside so we started to use longer lenses towards the end of the film. Another element of this film was creating an element of real time, long takes, to use the blocking to tell the story. If his character is empowered we place him close to the camera and on his weaker parts he is much further away.’’
‘‘The location really guided us in our approach then we started to think, is this movie like a western? Nature is a really important part, that nature lives on seamlessly and in fact blossoming really. We shot listed it like mad and we have a folder that’s like our bible with everything in it but every morning we choose to throw it away and just watch the performance and see what they bring to it because it changes quite a lot and we always wanted to have the approach of thinking on our feet.’’
‘‘For me if you are camera aware something has gone wrong, I’d like the camera to be relatively invisible in this and you’re just caught up in the characters and the world and I hope we achieve that.’’
Approach -
‘‘We wanted people to feel like this could be them, in order for them to feel that we thought real time was really important, long takes but clever blocking. On a low budget with a limited amount of time this is quite terrifying so I had a meeting with the editor, I knew we couldn’t come in with a four week shoot and do our takes that work for everything and also provide cover. Straight away from the beginning we had to make a choice, are we going to make a film that is cutty or are we going to go for it. So went for the one takes, long takes. I’d much rather go and see a film with some risks, with an interesting approach and script than to have made something that has allready been made and I hope it comes out as something different and that you walk out of the cinema and you’re not going to forget it.’’
Working with RED Camera –
‘‘Essentially it is a computer with a lens on. Being quite remote here [in Wicklow] dealing with lots of bad weather, working very quickly, lots of hand held, I was really nervous about it but its been great.’’
Producer Katie Holly talks about producing One Hundred Mornings
On the Catalyst Scheme –
The Catalyst Scheme is a terrific initiative. Not only for the experience of making One Hundred Mornings, but also in getting such a huge number of filmmakers together for a series of workshops – our second feature SENSATION came out of those gatherings, as did a number of other projects and relationships I’ve heard about since.
The provision for mentorship as part of the scheme, through Screen Training Ireland, was a really crucial part of our strategy for being able to properly equip and support crew who were, in most instances, working as a Head of Department for the first time. It meant we had an editor of the calibre of Tony Lawson mentoring our editor throughout or the DOP James Mather on call to advise and assist Suzie Lavelle during prep.
On One Hundred Mornings –
I was delighted to be asked to take on the task of producing One Hundred Mornings and it was a steep learning curve. As a producer, particularly on a low budget film, there are so many tasks that fall to you and trying to balance those aspects with the desire to keep involved on a creative level is a difficult, but very rewarding balancing act. It was always an ambition with One Hundred Mornings to keep the production values really high, despite the budget constraints and I’m delighted with how the film turned out. To me, on reading the script, the subject matter felt so prescient, I felt it could really strike a chord – it certainly made me question how well (or rather ill-) equipped I might be to survive such a disaster. The fact that underlying this was a story about two people who manage to rediscover their love for each other was really appealing to me.
On Producing a Low-Budget Feature -
‘‘This is my first feature and when I read the script initially I thought it’s just one location, four characters, it’s quite contained, we’ll be fine! But then when you get to start breaking the script down we’ve got a lot of scenes happening at night, we’ve got animals, we’ve got fireworks, stunts, we have a bonfire, the list goes on! So it really is quite demanding when set against the resources we have available to us but thankfully the team that we have have been able to pull out all the stops to get everything that we need and we’re still on budget.‘’
Filming -
‘‘There is an awful lot of good will with a scheme like this and because a lot of people on the crew are upgrading, (ie this is the first time they are working in their particular department as a H.O.D.) or beneath them people are stepping up, then it just means that people are just so willing to give their time. Having that energy with the crew is the thing that gets you through the fact that you have very little resources and the schedule is really tight and everything is frantic. Our last day was one of the most memorable I’ve ever had filming, it was a terrific atmosphere, and, despite how exhausted everyone was I think we got through more scenes that day than any other!
On Casting –
We were extremely fortunate with the cast we managed to assemble for the film. It’s a real ensemble piece and I feel that in the four leads: Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan and Kelly Campbell we have a terrifically strong group of young actors who bring more to the piece than one could ever initally envisage. It was so exciting watching them develop their characters through rehearsals and their input and performances have profoundly strengthened the film.
The Catalyst Scheme is a terrific initiative. Not only for the experience of making One Hundred Mornings, but also in getting such a huge number of filmmakers together for a series of workshops – our second feature SENSATION came out of those gatherings, as did a number of other projects and relationships I’ve heard about since.
The provision for mentorship as part of the scheme, through Screen Training Ireland, was a really crucial part of our strategy for being able to properly equip and support crew who were, in most instances, working as a Head of Department for the first time. It meant we had an editor of the calibre of Tony Lawson mentoring our editor throughout or the DOP James Mather on call to advise and assist Suzie Lavelle during prep.
On One Hundred Mornings –
I was delighted to be asked to take on the task of producing One Hundred Mornings and it was a steep learning curve. As a producer, particularly on a low budget film, there are so many tasks that fall to you and trying to balance those aspects with the desire to keep involved on a creative level is a difficult, but very rewarding balancing act. It was always an ambition with One Hundred Mornings to keep the production values really high, despite the budget constraints and I’m delighted with how the film turned out. To me, on reading the script, the subject matter felt so prescient, I felt it could really strike a chord – it certainly made me question how well (or rather ill-) equipped I might be to survive such a disaster. The fact that underlying this was a story about two people who manage to rediscover their love for each other was really appealing to me.
On Producing a Low-Budget Feature -
‘‘This is my first feature and when I read the script initially I thought it’s just one location, four characters, it’s quite contained, we’ll be fine! But then when you get to start breaking the script down we’ve got a lot of scenes happening at night, we’ve got animals, we’ve got fireworks, stunts, we have a bonfire, the list goes on! So it really is quite demanding when set against the resources we have available to us but thankfully the team that we have have been able to pull out all the stops to get everything that we need and we’re still on budget.‘’
Filming -
‘‘There is an awful lot of good will with a scheme like this and because a lot of people on the crew are upgrading, (ie this is the first time they are working in their particular department as a H.O.D.) or beneath them people are stepping up, then it just means that people are just so willing to give their time. Having that energy with the crew is the thing that gets you through the fact that you have very little resources and the schedule is really tight and everything is frantic. Our last day was one of the most memorable I’ve ever had filming, it was a terrific atmosphere, and, despite how exhausted everyone was I think we got through more scenes that day than any other!
On Casting –
We were extremely fortunate with the cast we managed to assemble for the film. It’s a real ensemble piece and I feel that in the four leads: Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan and Kelly Campbell we have a terrifically strong group of young actors who bring more to the piece than one could ever initally envisage. It was so exciting watching them develop their characters through rehearsals and their input and performances have profoundly strengthened the film.
One Hundred Days Without the Light – An Interview with Conor Horgan
Writer/Director Conor Horgan talks about making One Hundred Mornings, the first feature for him and for Bl!nder Films
What’s the source of the One Hundred Mornings idea?
‘‘I went to a talk in late 2005 given by Margaret Atwood, during which she recommended “A Short History Of Progress” by Ronald Wright, which is a very good book on how societies tend to collapse. I’d been reading a lot about this subject, and wrote one script inspired by this research but it didn’t work out. Then in early 2007 the Irish Film Board started the ‘Catalyst’ scheme, where three filmmakers got a chance to make a low-budget feature. I wrote the first draft of a new script very quickly, in four and a half months, and then out of 48 scripts submitted we were one of the three awarded the funding.’’
Does the film Straw Dogs have anything in common with One Hundred Mornings?
“I haven’t seen it! I also haven’t read ‘The Road’ which several people have told me has a similar take on things. There isn’t as much violence in OHM as I think there is in Straw Dogs. The conflict in the house in understated and it was very important to me that all the violence has consequences. It isn’t movie violence that has no lasting psychological effect on the participants.”
Is the film closer to the existential drama or horror/ thriller?
“We never say what the breakdown is in the movie. It’s obvious that there’s no power/electricity. I think it is an existential drama, definitely.”
These few words of synopsis foreshadow a rather pessimistic movie. Does it have any reflection with your personal philosophy of life and worldview?
‘‘Someone once told me that you should write about what scares you. Since I’ve finished the film, paradoxically I feel less scared about this possible outcome, even though it is probably even more likely to happen than when I first wrote the script. It’s hard to believe that we aren’t rushing headlong towards some kind of breakdown. The film has a pessimistic tone, undoubtedly, but in a way the making of the film is in itself an act of hope.’’
The Concept –
‘’What has caused the world of the film to come about is not for me to say. That’s not what the story is really about, it’s much more about dealing with behaviours and actions and choices. It’s about basic human nature and the way in which we live in the hope that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of our actions, and this world that the film has built is the consequence of some of those unthought through actions.
There is very little hope in the film, but the film in itself is an act of hope. And my hope for the film is that it might help people see what a world that involves a breakdown of society would actually be like’’
The Casting –
‘‘I was looking for people who had the kind of qualities that the characters had and then you find somebody who has one of the qualities and it’s fantastically exciting and then you think through the rest of the film and see is there any evidence that they have the other qualities that an actor needs to be able to bring to the story as well and you don’t really know, it’s always an act of faith. You can’t ask someone to read for every scene in the film so you have to use your gut instincts. I’m really, really pleased with the cast I have.’’
The Location –
‘‘I thought I was being terribly clever by writing a film that only needed one house, 90% of the film would take place in a single location. Then I went back and looked at exactly what the requirements of that house were and realised that it needed to be the hardest working location in Ireland, which was almost impossible to find. Being on a low-budget meant we had to be close to Dublin, and because of the nature of the film there couldn’t be any streeet lights, it couldn’t be near any major roads, it had to be perfectly still, quiet and dark, to be the world that we were looking for. We just kept looking and looking and we saw this place down the bottom of a hill and I looked through the window and instantly knew this was the place. It’s a very un-Irish looking house, and the location is an intensely private little place, it is its own world. Being here feels like being in the film, it’s a wonderful place to be working.’’
The Making –
‘‘It has been an extremely tough thing to do and I have really enjoyed it. Working with such a wonderful cast and crew makes it so great and everyone is really into it. And as nobody is making a fortune out of this film we have the complete creative freedom that comes from abject poverty, so we’re making the best film we can with the resources we have. I’m very lucky because a lot of people on this film are head of department for the first time, and all of their dedicationn has assembled itself into the visual structure of the film and it’s really working well.’’
Working with D.O.P Susie Lavelle –
‘‘I first met Suzie when I was acting in a friend’s short film and she was the D.P and I was very impressed by her, firstly as a human being and then as a camera woman. She is just wonderfully talented, and because I come from a photographic background it can be difficult for me to let go of that side of things but with her I was very happy to have the input into it that I needed to have and then take the time to work with the actors as well. She is this passionate ball of energy at the centre of the crew and it feels like a privilege to be working with her. One of the ways we’re approaching this film is to do very minimal coverage, in fact many of the scenes have been done in just one shot, with only a handful of takes. I think that makes the film feels really believable and that’s what we want, we want it to feel real, we want people to come into this world and believe that they’re in there.’’
Finance/ The Catalyst Project –
‘The Catalyst project brought a bunch of 160 budding film makers in a room together and told us what kind of film we can expect to make on this kind of budget. A production manager got up and said for this level of funding you can’t have this, this, that and the other, which is pretty much basically a world with no electricity. I had been thinking of making about these kind of issues and this kind of world for a while and when the Catalyst project came along with its reduced resource I thought well that’s actually really going to suit the kind of film I want to make and I’m very glad they saw fit to fund the film.’’
What’s the source of the One Hundred Mornings idea?
‘‘I went to a talk in late 2005 given by Margaret Atwood, during which she recommended “A Short History Of Progress” by Ronald Wright, which is a very good book on how societies tend to collapse. I’d been reading a lot about this subject, and wrote one script inspired by this research but it didn’t work out. Then in early 2007 the Irish Film Board started the ‘Catalyst’ scheme, where three filmmakers got a chance to make a low-budget feature. I wrote the first draft of a new script very quickly, in four and a half months, and then out of 48 scripts submitted we were one of the three awarded the funding.’’
Does the film Straw Dogs have anything in common with One Hundred Mornings?
“I haven’t seen it! I also haven’t read ‘The Road’ which several people have told me has a similar take on things. There isn’t as much violence in OHM as I think there is in Straw Dogs. The conflict in the house in understated and it was very important to me that all the violence has consequences. It isn’t movie violence that has no lasting psychological effect on the participants.”
Is the film closer to the existential drama or horror/ thriller?
“We never say what the breakdown is in the movie. It’s obvious that there’s no power/electricity. I think it is an existential drama, definitely.”
These few words of synopsis foreshadow a rather pessimistic movie. Does it have any reflection with your personal philosophy of life and worldview?
‘‘Someone once told me that you should write about what scares you. Since I’ve finished the film, paradoxically I feel less scared about this possible outcome, even though it is probably even more likely to happen than when I first wrote the script. It’s hard to believe that we aren’t rushing headlong towards some kind of breakdown. The film has a pessimistic tone, undoubtedly, but in a way the making of the film is in itself an act of hope.’’
The Concept –
‘’What has caused the world of the film to come about is not for me to say. That’s not what the story is really about, it’s much more about dealing with behaviours and actions and choices. It’s about basic human nature and the way in which we live in the hope that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of our actions, and this world that the film has built is the consequence of some of those unthought through actions.
There is very little hope in the film, but the film in itself is an act of hope. And my hope for the film is that it might help people see what a world that involves a breakdown of society would actually be like’’
The Casting –
‘‘I was looking for people who had the kind of qualities that the characters had and then you find somebody who has one of the qualities and it’s fantastically exciting and then you think through the rest of the film and see is there any evidence that they have the other qualities that an actor needs to be able to bring to the story as well and you don’t really know, it’s always an act of faith. You can’t ask someone to read for every scene in the film so you have to use your gut instincts. I’m really, really pleased with the cast I have.’’
The Location –
‘‘I thought I was being terribly clever by writing a film that only needed one house, 90% of the film would take place in a single location. Then I went back and looked at exactly what the requirements of that house were and realised that it needed to be the hardest working location in Ireland, which was almost impossible to find. Being on a low-budget meant we had to be close to Dublin, and because of the nature of the film there couldn’t be any streeet lights, it couldn’t be near any major roads, it had to be perfectly still, quiet and dark, to be the world that we were looking for. We just kept looking and looking and we saw this place down the bottom of a hill and I looked through the window and instantly knew this was the place. It’s a very un-Irish looking house, and the location is an intensely private little place, it is its own world. Being here feels like being in the film, it’s a wonderful place to be working.’’
The Making –
‘‘It has been an extremely tough thing to do and I have really enjoyed it. Working with such a wonderful cast and crew makes it so great and everyone is really into it. And as nobody is making a fortune out of this film we have the complete creative freedom that comes from abject poverty, so we’re making the best film we can with the resources we have. I’m very lucky because a lot of people on this film are head of department for the first time, and all of their dedicationn has assembled itself into the visual structure of the film and it’s really working well.’’
Working with D.O.P Susie Lavelle –
‘‘I first met Suzie when I was acting in a friend’s short film and she was the D.P and I was very impressed by her, firstly as a human being and then as a camera woman. She is just wonderfully talented, and because I come from a photographic background it can be difficult for me to let go of that side of things but with her I was very happy to have the input into it that I needed to have and then take the time to work with the actors as well. She is this passionate ball of energy at the centre of the crew and it feels like a privilege to be working with her. One of the ways we’re approaching this film is to do very minimal coverage, in fact many of the scenes have been done in just one shot, with only a handful of takes. I think that makes the film feels really believable and that’s what we want, we want it to feel real, we want people to come into this world and believe that they’re in there.’’
Finance/ The Catalyst Project –
‘The Catalyst project brought a bunch of 160 budding film makers in a room together and told us what kind of film we can expect to make on this kind of budget. A production manager got up and said for this level of funding you can’t have this, this, that and the other, which is pretty much basically a world with no electricity. I had been thinking of making about these kind of issues and this kind of world for a while and when the Catalyst project came along with its reduced resource I thought well that’s actually really going to suit the kind of film I want to make and I’m very glad they saw fit to fund the film.’’
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