Laura O’Shea began directing her own short films and acting in them in 2018. It started first as a way for her to get herself seen as an actor. The writing and directing of the shorts was more so out of necessity than want.
Laura says, “After making a couple of shorts, I realized that I was now getting more satisfaction out of the writing and directing process. Even though, I am still acting and love to do it, my career definitely seems to be director-focused now”. Laura continues, “I think the work I make as a director is certainly driven towards human connection. A lot of the stories I write and direct are structured as a day in the life, often following character arcs over a short period of time. I’m interested in finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and making that feel as real as possible”.
indieactivity: How do you choose a project to direct?
Laura O’Shea (LO): If the script isn’t my own, I usually ask myself these two questions: Do I feel like I could have written this, or, do I wish I could act in this? If the answer to just one of those questions is a yes, then I know I have a connection to the material.
The trailer for Wednesday’s Child Teaser
Why filmmaking and screenwriting? Why did you get into it?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Like I mentioned previously, I kind of fell into directing and writing as a way to get myself seen as an actor. I trained in a full-time acting course in 2015-16 and expected to be working non-stop when I left. When this wasn’t the case, I began to feel restless. I figured the best way to get myself on people’s screens was to create my own work. So, I wrote and directed pieces that showcased my skills as an actor, which ironically led me to more directing than acting opportunities.
How can a filmmaker, if she so chooses, distribute her film? How do you get it in front of an audience?
Laura O’Shea (LO): The best way to get your film in front of an audience is by submitting to festivals. It gets eyes on it from people who are in the industry as well as general film-lovers. If you can manage a small festival run, there is a chance your film might be acquired by a distributor. If not, I have had very good experiences with online streaming platforms such as Omeleto. There’s a huge viewership base on these kind of channels also.
Is there anything about the making of independent film business you still struggle with?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Of course. By nature, making independent films is an act of passion. This often means that the love has to make up for the lack of money. But, the silver lining to this is that when you have limited means, you get more creative with what you have. This often leads to you having to push your creativity and thinking to places you may not have before.
Talk to us about your concept of collaboration?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Collaboration works best when you have the outlook of: How can I learn from this person? The reason that film crews are as large as they are is because no one person can do the job. It’s vital for a director to be able to let go and trust that the people who are hired know more than they do. I always come off a shoot knowing more than I did before, not just as a director, but as a DOP, sound engineer, 1st AD, because I listen to the people around me on set, and allow them to teach me.
What uniqueness do female directors/filmmakers bring to film/tv/ cinema?
Laura O’Shea (LO): To answer simply: we bring a perspective that 50% of the population can relate to.
When you are offered a project, what things do you put in place to deliver a good job?
Laura O’Shea (LO): The most important thing for me is cast, editor and DOP. I need to know the DOP we have on board can speak the same language as me in terms of how we all want the final product to look. The editor gets to create the film all over again, so it’s crucial that it’s someone who has a deep knowledge of storytelling. And for the cast, not even a good DOP or an amazing editor can make a bad actor look like a good one. Starting with strong performances across the board will make everyone else’s job easier. It all hinges on the actors for me.
How do you find the process of filmmaking as an indie filmmaker?
Laura O’Shea (LO): So enjoyable! Getting to make movies with your mates is a true blessing in life. There’s a freedom to indie filmmaking that you don’t get with larger budget productions. There’s less red tape to stop you from showing your real voice as a filmmaker.
Why would you choose an actor, writer or producer? What do you look for?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Across the board, a shared understanding of the end goal is vital when assembling a crew. Once everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, there’s no need to worry. People all coming together with the same goal makes for a happy set.
At what period in the filmmaking process, do you need to start planning for distribution?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Sometimes as early as pre-production. It depends on what’s right for your film and what kind of life you want it to have.
Indie filmmaking is a model of zero or small budget. How do you get a film to the audience with such a budget?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Ideally, via film festival audiences. Since the pandemic began, a lot of film festivals include an online portion to their programs, which casts the net of potential viewership far wider than it had when it was all strictly in person. If you don’t have the funds for festival submissions, many people are able to use social media to their advantage now in order to get eyes on their work.
How do you think filmmakers can finance their projects?
Laura O’Shea (LO): If you can’t afford to save by yourself and fund them, there are many filmmakers funding their films through crowdfunding sources such as Kickstarter or WeFunder.
Describe your most recent work, or film, take us through pre, production and post production?
Laura O’Shea (LO): My most recent short film is titled Wednesday’s Child. It follows the story of a day in the life of two social care workers who make a house call that takes an unexpected turn. It was written by Caroline Harvey and was co-produced by Caroline and Charleigh Bailey. They both star in the film as the lead actors alongside some beautiful performances from Fionna Twamley-Hewitt, and Lauren Kinsella. It was shot by Evan Barry, and edited by Philip Shanahan. All in all, from pre-production, right up until the film’s premiere, the duration was about 9 months. We joke, as it’s very much like we each had a child of our own in the time period.
What is your experience working on the story, the screenplay, the production, premiere and the marketing?
Laura O’Shea (LO): I came on board when the script was close to its final draft. I passed along some notes to Caroline with a director’s viewpoint and we came to a script that everyone was happy with in no time. We premiered at the 34th Galway Film Fleadh in July of 2022, getting to sit in a room full of people and see it on a big screen for the first time was quite a nerve racking experience. The audience reaction was really lovely however, and we ended up being awarded the Oscar-qualifying Tiernan MacBride Award that weekend.
How did you put the crew and cast together? Did you start writing with a known cast? What was your rehearsal process and period?
Laura O’Shea (LO): Caroline and Charleigh were already cast as the two leads before I even came on board. We cast Fionna and Lauren after that. The girls knew both of them from jobs they had done previously, so their body of work spoke for them. We did some auditions for the part of Geraldine and Lauren really shone, she was cast immediately. There was no time for rehearsal really, so instead I had zoom meetings with the cat prior to shooting to discuss the script, their character, and answer any questions they may have had.
What and how long did it take to complete the script?
Laura O’Shea (LO): The script was written by Caroline Harvey. She had been working on it for a little while before I came on board. It’s based on a book of the same name by an Irish author called Shane Dunphy. Shane and Caroline are friends and had been in discussion for a while about Caroline adapting the story into a screenplay. It was completed in a few months after my coming on board the project.
Did the tight shooting schedule make it harder or easier? How did it affect performances?
LO: We shot the film over two days. It was a tight schedule but the fact that there really is only one main location in the film made our lives a lot easier. I think that we made the most of the time we had and thankfully the cast and crew we had were so good at what they do, that we didn’t run over time. It didn’t have an affect on the performances at all as that was my main focus when scheduling. We ensured that the scenes that required more of the actors had more than enough time allotted.
How much did you go over budget? If you did, how did you manage it?
LO: The budget was €6000 and Caroline and Charleigh did a great job of managing to keep It within that.
What other films have you written and made?
LO: I have made two short films previous to this. My first film was Hold the Line in 2018. My second short film was Match, made in 2019.
What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
LO: I hope that audiences will find a way to connect and empathize with the characters on screen. The goal is always to move people with your work. I hope that they can watch it and see some part of themselves on screen.
Hold the Line written & produced by Laura O’ Shea and co-Directed by Karen Killeen & Laura O’ Shea
What are your future goals?
LO: I would love to make the move from short films soon to longer medium content such as feature films and TV. To be making a living writing and directing stories that I’m passionate about would be a dream come true.
Tell us about what you think indie filmmakers need in today’s world of filmmaking?
LO: I think that as long as you care about the material, others will. So the best advice I could give would be to just worry about making the film that you like. Don’t make something for the purpose of pleasing others, make the film that you want to watch – we care about what you care about.
What else have you got in the works?
LO: I have a script for a feature film that I co-wrote that I would love to get into development soon. I’m also currently in the process of writing a TV series, with a view of being director on both. In the meantime, I’ll just keep working at it.
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