Bright new dawn for film workshops with visit of great cinematographers
HAVING been set up in 2013 when Mo Flam offered the first workshops on feature film lighting, The Kerry ETB-supported Dawn Workshops – named in honour of Thomas G Cooper’s Kerry-made film “The Dawn”, the first feature-length ‘ talkie’ made in Ireland – are back this week until March 16, with Mo this year joined by his good friend Roberto Schaefer.
The duo’s combined CVs includes work on films such as The Talented Mr Ripley, The English Patient, The Kite Runner, Quantum of Solace, and Finding Neverland. Speaking ahead of the latest edition of the workshops, the event’s co-founder Diarmuid Galvin was full of praise for its ability to pull in the highest expertise to inform participants.
“There’s dozens of small workshops run around the country each year but none have attracted the likes of the industry leaders that we get over to Kerry,” he said of the non-profit initiative. “We break down the costs of running the workshop and try to make it affordable to people. These workshops in the US are generally four to five times the price...The Kerry ETB Broadcast Course has been running for the past 30 years and without its backing of the Dawn Workshops and the instruction of Brian Nolan, it wouldn’t be possible.”
With a schedule that also includes the Red Fox Inn’s famous bog village and the Railway Tavern in Camp, Diarmuid explained that Tommy Cooper of Killarney Cineplex has always opened his doors to the workshops, and they will finish on Friday at the ETB studio. Further information on the workshops is available at www.facebook.com/TheDawnWorkshops/.