by Rafaella Spanou
An interview with Tom Cosgrove, filmmaker and film production lecturer in TU Dublin.
Tis the time of the year. The Oscar Awards are upon us (March 12th) and our very own Irish movie, “The Banshees of Inisherin” claimed 9 nominations. Over the last 20 years, several Hollywood productions have chosen the idyllic setting of Ireland to film, with streaming platforms following suit. It’s no wonder that Variety has called Ireland “the capital of filmmaking in recent years”. Ireland has produced its fair share of Irish movies and series, with some becoming iconic.
But how do local filmmakers experience this reality? Filmmaker Tom Cosgrove gives us an insight into the mystical world behind the cameras.
“I would say the capital of filmmaking is London. Although Ireland has enjoyed a Renaissance in production in the last 10 years”, says Tom Cosgrove.
According to ScreenIreland, Section 481 offers a tax credit to Irish production companies with no limitations for international casting, which helps draw in foreign productions, but Ireland’s experienced film crews also play a part. “It opens up enormous opportunities for crews, but in terms of being an Irish filmmaker, you have a limited number of places that you can go to get financing for your film”, Cosgrove explains.
Million-dollar-budget productions are showing a preference for Ireland, but Ireland doesn’t have the market to support new directors and producers. So how do students navigate in this competitive industry?
“It’s highly unlikely you’ll walk out of film school into a big directing job because you won’t have a track record”, Cosgrove says, whilst also acknowledging that there are exceptions to the rule, like the short film “An Irish Goodbye”. This work directed by two young filmmakers was good enough to win a BAFTA.
Filmmaking in general is one of the hardest industries to stand your ground, with massive competition and great dependence on the production companies that are needed to finance a project. Academic analyses agree that only 20% of motion pictures make a net profit. And yet, the flowers of creativity manage to bloom against all odds and offer us – the audience – what has come to be known as the 7th art.
At the centre of it all, a filmmaker is composed of constant perseverance and tenacity, talent as well as effort and a sprinkle of luck every once in a while, as Cosgrove described.
The challenges, though, don’t begin as soon as you enter the industry. The entire education process comes with its own workload. Just like any other field, filmmaking has a lot of aspects that have to be learned, from shooting techniques to script-writing. The ground, however, is shifting.
“There are so many ways to find knowledge about anything. I teach a course [in TU Dublin] that runs for 12 months, but I’m well aware that if I go to YouTube, there is a video of someone saying they can teach it to you in 12 minutes, And I’ve seen the video and it’s not entirely disproven that it can be learned in 12 minutes”, says Cosgrove.
The implications of this statement strike me immediately. Is university losing its value?
“The immediacy with which we can learn things is so appealing to young people.” However, “until people stop arriving at university, there will always be a place for teachers within that space”, Cosgrove argues.
Streaming platforms, YouTube and social media have proven to be an easily accessible medium for independent filmmakers to promote their work on their own, essentially becoming “their own broadcaster”.
And yes, maybe you can shoot a film on your phone, edit it and broadcast it on platforms – or even YouTube – and showcase your work, but films as we know and enjoy them are made in a whole different way. It is the collective effort of the writer, director, producer, actors and of course the filming crew that does all the heavy lifting.
“It is very hard work. And I don’t think that’s often recognised”, Cosgrove says, explaining the long hours, often unscheduled, that are needed to get the perfect shot that will make it through the final cut and into the movie.
Despite the challenges and hard work a filmmaker must show, there is support, especially from people in the industry. Even famous actors agree to take part in short films by new filmmakers and students.
“When actors come in to the school to work with students, they feel like they’re giving something back, to young people as well.”
“I think Ireland has always had a very strong respect for the culture of writing and creativity,” Cosgrove says. It’s a beautiful thing to see the baton being passed on from the older to the younger generation.