Rolling out the next generation of movie talent

Cork Film Centre has been at the forefront of the growth of filmmaking in the south, writes Carl Dixon

FOR almost 20 years the Cork Film Centre has been providing equipment and support to budding film makers from its base in Civic Trust House on Pope’s Quay.

Although its administration centre will remain in the city, much of the bigger equipment has now been moved to the Gunpowder Mills in Ballincollig, which also features an exhibition gallery and a cinema space as well as animation and editing suites. Also resident here is the new Cork screen commissioner Niall Mahoney, with a remit to develop commercial film making in the Cork region.

Long-time director of the Cork Film Centre, Chris Hurley, has seen the facility develop its role over the past two decades. “In the postmortems that followed the various Cork Film Festivals it was noted that very few films were actually being made in Cork,” says Hurley. “So a group of film buffs, artists and aspiring film makers got together to address this situation. We got our first funding in 1995 and started getting the basic equipment together, often buying gear second hand. Now there is an average of 16 Cork-made films screened at the festival each year.”

Over the years, the centre has reinvented itself to meet the changing needs of film makers. “When we started very few people had access to equipment or editing facilities,” says Hurley. “Film was all powerful and video was considered at best a toy; but of course with the arrival of the digital revolution that all changed. Although we still provide equipment, you could, in theory, make a film on your smart phone and edit it using readily available computer software. In the early days a lot of my work was hands on, I would sit down with filmmakers and physically help them to edit their work, whereas now we provide more of a mentoring service.”

The centre now offers a very broad service. “For example, we have graduates from various colleges who would previously have had access to facilities and support but are now going it alone. We have people who just have an idea in their head which they want to develop or even people who just know they want to make a film but don’t yet know on what.

“Apart from providing the basic equipment, if needed, we can talk them through their ideas, help them find specialist expertise and generally provide them with the encouragement and support to get the project moving. We also run workshops and courses on filmmaking and we host the online magazine Experimental Conversations, covering experimental film, video art and art cinema.”

For many aspiring film makers, budgets will be very tight and a certain degree of ingenuity may be required. “Probably most first time short films are shot by one person who does the writing, camera work, lighting, sound and editing,” he says. “Often they rope in their friends and family as actors. Some of these films work and some don’t but it is an important apprenticeship and although many will not continue, some will move into the mainstream world of film and television.”

The centre also administers the annual RTÉ Short Script Award of €10,000 for those seeking to move their film making on to the next level. The award had an auspicious start, as the first recipient was Enda Walsh for his film Not a Bad Christmas. “Financially it is still a drop in the ocean in film making terms, and the director of the project will plough every cent back into the his or her film,” says Hurley. “However, the higher production values do give a better chance of being shown at international festivals.

“Still, it’s worth noting that a bigger budget doesn’t provide any guarantees; high production values can’t necessarily save a bad story, and a good story can work brilliantly on a shoestring budget.”

One of the strengths of the Cork Film Centre is its emphasis on video art. “There are three quite similar centres in Ireland. Film Base in Dublin has a strong tradition in 16mm film; the Galway Film Centre, with the influence of TG4, has a strong focus on documentary; and we have a speciality in video art,” says Hurley.

“We provide Ireland’s first dedicated video art gallery in Ballincollig. At the moment we are featuring Pat McArdle’s evocative images of a long abandoned steam dredger as it gradually succumbs to the erosive power of the sea. We will also have artists in residence who can take advantage of the relaxed, spacious setting and an emphasis on video work featuring the local area.”

* www.corkfilmcentre.com. The gallery at the Gunpowder Mills is open from Wednesday to Saturday.