As well as acting, I love messing around with editing software and use this as an opportunity to learn about the software and gain more experience about that aspect of film making.  I think it helps as an actor too, to know what is involved behind the scenes, if ya pardon the pun. 

I have also started doing a bit of directing which I am definitely keen on doing again. 

At the moment, I am penning a little sit-com (episodes only like about three minutes long) which is going to be set in my flat!  It is about three flat mates living in London.  I haven’t written any scripts previously so it’s all new to me and i don’t know how it will turn out.

I am planning  to shoot the first episode soon!  I will be playing the part of one of the flatmates, I don’t know yet who will shoot it as I really want to shoot it myself but I want to be in it too, so it may be a joint venture.  When it is completed, I am going to post it on here and create an online mini soap opera for your viewing pleasure, so please check back and tell me what you think.  Your input will be taken on board… (if it’s constructive!)

Here is a sketch that I shot at one of our little gatherings recently.  Tanya Mackenzie & myself directed it.  The Actors are Kim Falconer & Tom Shepherd.  I edited it with Adobe Premiere software. 

Let me know what you think anyway…

And don’t forget to check back to see my mini soap!!

Toodle pip for now!

The Lift Sketch from Shirker on Vimeo.

Anyway, just before we went into the cinema, they had to empty it of the people inside.  Out they came one by one and who was among them only Mike Leigh – Hup hup!  The Usher asked him what he thought and his eyes widened and he nodded seriously “very good”…  great, my mood lifted…

We got a grand ol’ seat in the middle and of course the tallest person (complete with chefs hat, I’m not coddin’ ya) in the cinema is destined to sit in front of me and he does, what a pain.  I lean to the side for the duration.  The film starts and I am away… 

The film is directed by a Dublin Man by the name of Leonard Abrahamson.  He goes to study Physics in Trinity and emerges with a first class honours degree in Philosophy.  While there he starts up a video society with a friend and they try their hand at film making on a small scale.  One thing leads to another and in time he finds himself torn between his love for film and Philosophy.  Thank God he chose the former.  Films like this need to be made. 

For Garage, he teams up with writer Mark O Halloran gets a few top actors, among the bigger names; Pat Shortt, Anne-Marie Duff…  much as I like Anne Marie Duff, I felt as though she was wrong for this particular role…

and this guy I have not heard of before but he is Conor Ryan (below on the left) and a perfect choice for the role.  Good on ya Amy Rowan (Casting Director) 

The film is set in a small sleepy village in Ireland where nothing ever really happens.  It’s a slice outta the life of a fella called Josie.  He is a bit soft in the head.  He is a totally harmless ol’ fella and his best friend is a horse.   The rest of the village holds a random pack of characters.  Even if the film didn’t have any story to tell, you’d be happy watching them anyway.  There is a story to be told however, and as the yank said as he emerged from the cinema: “It’s not a bunch of chuckles…”

Go and see this one… 

go wan….

Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on….