Cork filmmaker Tadhg Hickey fuses his comedy with his city
TADHG Hickey expected a bumpier ride. When commissioned to create a short comedy feature for RTÉ’s Storyland project, the Cork filmmaker had concerns about outside interference. He feared the national broadcaster would be too hands-on. But the opposite was the case.
“If a big player gets involved, you worry,” he says. “That wasn’t how it went at all. We were allowed do exactly what we wanted. The degree of latitude was extraordinary. It truly was our baby.”
Shot around Cork city, (R)onanism is, as the title alludes, about a young man named Ronan who falls hopelessly in love... with himself. Starring Hickey as the title character, and co-directed by his long-time collaborator, Shaun O’Connor, the movie is funny, but not hammy.
Rather, the laughter is subtle and, amid the wryness, the filmmakers have serious things to say about self-esteem and liking yourself and respecting others. (R)onanism is subtle and thought-provoking. Under the silliness, this is a serious piece.
“There’s nothing wrong with [broad comedy] The Big Bang Theory,” says Hickey. “Stuff like that has its audience and that is absolutely fine. However, this is the opposite of that. With sitcoms such as Big Bang, it’s a case of gag, gag, gag. The jokes keep coming, are really-in-your-face. Here, the charm is between the lines. We wanted to do something natural and relaxed — that might not be ‘laugh out loud’, yet which had a likeability factor. We don’t bang you over the head with the jokes.”
After a hiatus of several years, RTÉ revived Storyland as an outlet for up-and coming filmmakers, where they could learn and make mistakes.
In its previous incarnation, the project was a competition, the ‘winning’ entry receiving a series-long commission.
The downside was that the broadcaster ended up with too much of the same sort of material: YouTube ‘chucklefests’ inspired by unlikely success stories, such as Hardy Bucks. That Ireland did not lack for aspiring comics was heartening — still, Storyland was in danger of being capsized by its own success. It needed to get smart and serious.
“It was conceived and launched as a competition and a certain kind of drama was being offered to us,” says David Crean, drama development executive at RTÉ. “We want to make it about straightforward commissions. The previous format wasn’t serving the audiences as well as it might.
“We were curious to test out new writers and directors, let them operate in an environment that wasn’t as pressurised as, say, RTÉ One at 9.30 on a Sunday night. It’s a good opportunity for writers to do something with less exposure — to take greater risks.”
The other major change is that Storyland is now virtual, screened exclusively on the RTÉ online player. Just a few years ago, not being broadcast on television would have been a slight.
However, the industry has moved on; the web is no longer regarded as a ‘lesser’ medium. For many, the internet and television are one and the same.
“Me and my mates are obsessed with House Of Cards,” says Hickey, who also fronts the rock band, Exit Pursued By A Bear. “It’s not on TV and it doesn’t matter. I watch everything online. Even conventional ‘television’ shows. I don’t see a distinction.
“In the years Storyland has been away, the situation has changed massively. You tell people that a show is on the BBC player, and it isn’t a letdown anymore. Good content is good content, regardless. And audiences are willing to go looking for it.”
3 sleeps til Ronanism is on @RTEplayer - We're so excited, we recorded a song! https://t.co/tWIYB9ICsO #Ronanism #RTE pic.twitter.com/dKViQk2Ndw
— Ronanism (@Ronanisms) February 13, 2015
With a budget of €30,000 and a shooting schedule of just six days, Hickey and O’Connor had to hit the ground at pace.
The pair looked on Cork city as one big open-air set: they filmed at Blarney Castle, Triskel Christchurch and Ballinlough, and secured cameos from local figures, such as broadcaster John Creedon and Killinaskully’s Jack Walsh.
“It was not a script-heavy kind of thing,” says O’Sullivan. “RTÉ didn’t really give us any ‘notes’ — they just let us go and do our thing. It was a very rewarding process.
“We really were allowed bring our vision to the screen. The freedom was tremendous. We learned a lot — and had great fun with it.”
The hope is that the returning season of Storyland will shine a spotlight on a new generation of Irish film talent.
"When you're in love, you know you're in love no matter what you try to do" @StorylandRTE @IrishFilmBoard @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/5uG9SjvhrL
— Ronanism (@Ronanisms) February 10, 2015
In previous years, the series provided a shop-window to such newcomers as Paul Duane, who went on to shoot the drama, Amber.
“The projects are very ambitions,” says Crean. “We have some very good directors. Kieron J Walsh has a piece called Rapt [a post-apocalyptic drama set in Dublin]. What he has achieved with the budget is remarkable.
“Money isn’t an impediment to filmmakers who want to make something ambitious. They could have played it safe and done something ordinary and generic — all our filmmakers have decided this was not the route for them. We have been tremendously impressed.”
As to the decision to broadcast on the web… this, says Crean, was merely a recognition of where television is going. It is no longer simply a box in the corner of the living room.
“What is the web? It’s just a place to watch stuff. I’ve got a smart-TV at home with the Netflix app installed. It’s never bothered me that I’m watching the web rather than television. Woody Allen has been commissioned by Amazon to produce a series. Ripper Street got canned by the BBC and picked up by Amazon. Now, it’s back on BBC. So things have changed dramatically.”
- (R)onanism, RTÉ Player, from Monday
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