Sunday, December 23, 2012

Film Ireland Interview with writer/director Patrick O'Shea


Film Ireland recently interviewed Tree Keeper writer/director Patrick O'Shea about his experience of shooting his debut feature film. Here's a snippet from that interview;


Ailbhe O’ Reilly caught up with Patrick O’Shea, whose film Tree Keeper is available on DVD, Blu-ray and as a HD Download from the film’s website, (www.treekeepermovie.com)
How did you originally get into film?
I always loved stories when I was growing up – books, comics and of course movies. As kids my mother used to take us to the Ormond Cinema in Midleton which of course is closed now. I made my first film back in transition year in secondary school with a full size VHS camera. That was it, from then on it was my ambition to be a director. I spent 4 years in D.I.T. Aungier St. studying Film & Broadcasting and I continued to make independent short films from the time I left college back in 1999 up to making Tree Keeper, which is my debut feature.
What was the biggest challenge you faced shooting a feature?
Money – or a lack of it! Because we had very little money there was a lot of multi-tasking. This had its benefits in that we were for the most part a very small and very mobile crew and we were able to get through our set-ups reasonably quickly. But, having to take on multiple roles take its toll on your energy and your concentration. This can lead to certain aspects of the film suffering. When you’re juggling so many balls at once it is inevitable that you drop one from time to time.
The full article can be read here;