One of the most exciting parts of seeing Irish films today is the variety of styles. We have an animation outpost to the south Cartoon Saloon’s success inspiring new artists every year. This site spent the last month celebrating how much Ireland is killing it in the horror genre. There are regular festivals fully focused on indepenedent cinema, where the experimental and improvised are emphasised. Though more commonly associated with 2000s New York, mumblecore movies would find a welcome place on the programmes of the likes of the Dublin Independent Film Festival, or the Solax Film Club.
With low budgets, an emphasis on naturalistic, often improvised dialogue and a tendency towards handheld camerawork, ‘mumblecore’ movies proved to be a space for the likes of Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, Lynn Shelton and the Duplass brothers to cut their teeth creatively. A new short film from indepenedent Irish director Adam Kelleher, releasing to YouTube this week, carries a similar spirit.
“The film came from a period in my life of great procrastination where I felt completely stuck and unmotivated. I wanted to make something that felt of the moment and apparent to me right now.”
A twenty four year-old indie filmmaker from Dublin, Adam Kelleher studied at Ballyfermot College of Further Education before beginning his career as a director with his debut short LADY GOES TO SHOP. Working in web series, music videos, graphic design and photography, Kelleher is tapped into the creative industries of the fair city of film. The spontaneity and ingenuity that comes at entry level to the industry brings the director naturally to the mumblecore genre for his own work.
“I love how accessible those films are. When you watch them they seem so achievable to make because they don’t have that polish of higher budget productions. In essence it kind of strips everything back to really just be about the characters, which I think made sense for my film because it’s really just about one character and how the world is interfering with her own melodrama.
Mumblecore makes filmmaking seem possible, grab a camera, grab some friends, and go, that’s what I’m all about. I had never really seen Dublin depicted in that grittier nature of the camcorder and low-budget aesthetic. I think it opens up the viewer to see themselves in the film; warts and all. It feels more real to me.“
The direct DIY approach suited Kelleher, who shot his latest short on a camcorder and took to the city streets in an effort to recreate the dingier side of Dublin, the realities of walking the Quays at night. With a small crew and light equipment, Kelleher and co found the methodology of mumblecore suited them. Aesthetics inspired from films such as, ‘Funny Ha Ha’ (2002), ‘The Puffy Chair’ (2005) and ‘The Pleasure of Being Robbed’ (2008) match up with the moody and fantastical tone of his own film. But for Kelleher, the genre isn’t just accessible, it’s relateable.
“The majority of mumblecore films are about people in their 20s who complain a lot, and as someone in their 20s who complains a lot I felt very seen by those films!”
In Clump & Thud, Thud, Thud, a young woman finds herself stuck with a clump in her head. Unsure what to do about it, she roams the streets of Dublin in an attempt to rid herself of the monotonous thuds and escape her roommate’s loud acting practice.
“We really wanted to get at the viewer and try our best to make them feel uncomfortable. To put them in the place of the main character; irked by all the thuds and annoying sounds of the world. Especially while she’s walking down the quays, the thuds that come from the bars and clubs mimic that in her head. The aim was over-stimulation. I always heard the film while writing it with the various sounds in her room, on the street, and the loud swells and quiets that come in waves throughout it. You can never escape it.
The sounds of the film were developed with the composer of the film Daragh Lyons, he’s a bit of a sicko for that kind of stuff. It took us a while to find the right sounds for the clump. At first, the clumps were very static-y and almost computer-y sounding before settling on a more bass-y and clanky thump. Oftentimes it was Daragh messing around adding effects to a bunch of preset synths but sometimes I just left him to experiment with different noises. Once it sounded right it was a huge relief because we spent so long going through the various clump sounds over and over. It was maddening.
Guitar by John Mullarkey features on the soundtrack alongside Lyons’ carefully selected sounds. The soundtrack of the film is available to stream on Soundcloud, one essential part in a combined artistic effort. Songs by Kennedy Mann and Edboy, Curtisy & Solo Lui complete the short’s sound.
Because of the relatively plain presentation of the film I think the sound design and the music drives a lot of the story and emotion, and there’s a lot of interplay between the sound and the music, one heavily influences the other. We needed it to feel as immersive as possible with the sound design.”
With his own experience in music videos and visual arts, Kelleher came into this film with a cast of creatives to call on. DJ Lychee (Ly Hagan) and visual artists Dylan Gomery and Arann McCormack make appearances in the short, while indie pop artist EFÉ (Anita Ikharo) takes the lead role.
“Honestly, I never really made that distinction of ‘non-actors’ in my head. I feel like if you are already a creative and open person, which all of the artists in the film are, it makes the conversations around the film and the characters so much more rewarding. I have yet to work with any ‘actor’ actors so to me I have nothing to compare it to.“
As well as being a rising star in Ireland’s music scene, Ikharo has also been seen on screen across the Irish festival circuit this year in Aisha Bolaji’s Why The Sun & Moon Live in the Sky. Bolaji has described the musician’s infectious energy, playful approach and collaborative creativity, all qualities that were also key for Kelleher, who has directed and co-directed several EFÉ music videos.
“Anita was involved from the very beginning, I had her in mind because I love working with her so much and she has a super distinctive face that I really wanted to capture; her eyes are so emotive.“
The creative closeness of the crew helped the short have a collaborative approach. That fits the film’s ephemeral feel, but at the same time, when budgetary constraints are involved not every day is a playground. Finding a balance between being adaptable, and keeping the shoot on track, is key.
“There were certain things that I had written that definitely weren’t in the actors’ voices so I ended up cutting a few pieces of dialogue and bits of the monologues. Some of this was found in rehearsal readings but most of it was in editing. We were on a really tight shooting schedule so it definitely added a level of pressure on the day which may have inhibited us from being as free as we would have liked, but I suppose that’s what comes with no-budget filmmaking. If I could do it all again I would have liked to rehearse an extra day.“
As an election approaches in Ireland this month, young people renting – and those still at home unable to even rent – once again look set to be ignored by parties chasing votes from people further afield in the economic market. Though Clump & Thud, Thud, Thud has a dreamlike atmosphere, it still aims to capture the lived experience for a young person living in Dublin, and in general, at this moment in time. The film’s lead is stuck between sharing a dingy flat with nothing to do, and the negative energy and ominous aimlessness found when she steps outside. With Kelleher drawing from his own experience, the realities of living in Dublin today served as an unfortunate inspiration.
“It’s a tough situation to be in, honestly. There’s so many extremely talented and promising artists here that have so few resources and community spaces. So I feel like our best travel far afield and find great success elsewhere and I get really disgruntled by that idea. It used to cripple me. It wasn’t until I went to New York and had my work screened there where I saw how supportive and beautiful a creative scene could be. It was so liberating to see people show up for each other in community spaces. It also made me realise that being an Irish filmmaker is a unique thing.“
That being said, there’s a part of me that feels like Dublin is so untapped that makes it feel kind of exciting. We have free reign to create whatever we want here. I really hope to see a rise in independent filmmakers making Irish films and putting them out. Creating an identity for independent Irish cinema. Because right now there’s no blueprint; there’s something beautiful in that. We can create our own industry, our own wave. We just need to start now.
It is challenging to get your work seen, especially in a city where venues seem at constant risk of disappearing. In response, Kelleher has taken a proactive approach. Earlier this month, a screening was held of the short and some of the works that inspired it at The Hut in Phibsborough. Although the size of space ensured a limited capacity, the fact that the screening was packed out was heartening.
“Although it can be inhibiting trying to breed something fresh in Dublin I think it’s ripe for the picking. I’ve moaned long enough so now it’s time to do something. That’s what I am trying to do now with the screening I did for this film. I underestimated the venue size and we sold out the event in under an hour, it just shows people are starving for this type of thing in the city. I want to encourage others to do so too.“
We’ve all felt something like the clump in our own heads, that stupefying space where instead of a brain there’s a dark orb. Film, friendship and other forms of expression provide an essential outlet.
“It is only in the making of things that I have been able to come to these conclusions. It’s all well and good writing something and going through the nerve wracking production process and feeling as though you have expressed something that feels personal, but to me, it isn’t until I’ve released it into the world that I feel any sort of relief from what I’m trying to express. I’m unsure whether that’s a good or bad thing. But when it’s all inside, it just hardens and becomes dull to a certain extent – which I suppose brought me to the subject matter in ‘Clump’. There’s nothing more rewarding than making something that feels super personal to you and it resonates with someone you have never met in your life. That connection means the world to me.“
Clump & Thud, Thud, Thud goes live online from Wednesday 13th November.