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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Location, location, location: How to make up to €1,500 a day letting your home for TV and film shoots
Has your home got what it takes to play a starring role in a movie or TV series? While it sounds potentially lucrative, location manager Peter Conway says filming in somebody's home is difficult. 'It is the most private space and it needs a level of trust to give over your home to film and TV production,' he says. It's a delicate business finding homes that are essentially characters in a storyline, particularly so if they are playing the part of a backdrop that isn't Irish . 'Because we service a lot of TV shows set in the UK or in America , it can be a challenge trying to match American architecture. In Cocaine Bear, set in Georgia, for example, I had to ensure that we didn't get too close to any Irish town – it would give the game away.' A log cabin near Lough Dan in Co Wicklow made the cut in that instance. When they do find the right place, location managers go through all the changes they want to make – line by line – to make sure the homeowners are comfortable. Conway says it is preferable that people move out of the property for the duration, even if it's only for a few days. READ MORE 'There will be equipment and people all over the place. On bigger productions there can be up to 200 people on set. It is best if you move out for the process. People with young kids might find it too disruptive,' he says. Choosing the right location is important for fleshing out characters, Conway explains; who they are, where they would live. Ensuring the property selected reflects both character and screenplay requires a huge amount of co-ordination between him, the production designer and the producer. A well-known example is Knockmore House in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow; formerly the real-life home of ex-politician Shane Ross, it played the fictional home of Marianne in the BBC television series Normal People. Location manager Mick Swan says he makes owners aware of which rooms will be used and for what. He will send them a script to flag scenes depicting anything they might consider offensive or controversial, such as horror or violence. Paul Mescal as Connell and Daisy Edgar Jones as Marianne in Normal People. Photograph: Enda Bowe/Element Pictures So, how does Conway go about finding homes? For 'ordinary' properties, he says, he will identify a street that the production team likes and agrees on, and do a letter drop. He will then follow up on any responses and outline the filming process. [ Ireland's new must-see tourist sites for fans of film and fiction: From Sally Rooney's novels to Cillian Murphy's movies Opens in new window ] The community of location managers share intel and a photographic portfolio of properties on their books. Is it lucrative? Interior designers Stephanie O'Sullivan and Sinead Wallace, who worked together at architectural firm Henry J Lyons, set up a locations company after O'Sullivan, wanting to list her own concrete brutalist property, Coal Lane House, on a locations website, discovered there wasn't one in Ireland. Theirs, SoScout , now lists almost 150 homes. Their main business comes from content creators and production companies working for advertising agencies. The average shoot duration involves an eight-hour day with smaller crews; rates for that period range in price from €700 to €1,500. Dublin and Wicklow are more in demand and can command higher fees. Vogue Williams used one of SoScout's homes for a shoot for her jewellery line, and Paris-based Numero magazine did a show with Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy, then a brand ambassador for Mont Blanc. What clients are looking for is as much variety as possible, and that the home has personality, says O'Sullivan. [ After being quoted up to €25,000 for floors, this handy Wicklow couple did it themselves for €1,500 Opens in new window ] 'Personality takes precedence over valuable furniture. It is something that can't be created,' she says. The fees on bigger productions will reflect the duration of the shoot and level of disruption, says Swan. 'The figure has to be attractive and appealing to the owner. That will depend on how much you make. A Killiney mansion might cost €10,000 to €20,000 per week. But a two-hour minimally invasive shoot, to film the exterior of a typical mid-terrace home, might only net you €500.' In situations where homeowners have to move out of a property, an amount for alternative accommodation will be factored into the overall payment, at least on bigger-budget productions. Some homeowners might take this fee but sort out their own alternative accommodation and instead put it towards a nice holiday, for example. Liz Allen of Liz Allen Location Services says that while home location filming is 'a sexy business', it is 'massively invasive'. 'You have to protect the house, the crew and the equipment,' she warns. 'It's not money for nothing,' says Swan. 'You have to sign a contract agreeing to the terms and read all the emails. There can be multiple visits from crew even before they decide to use your home.' And if they do choose your place, you are uprooted for the duration. 'We have to trust the owner isn't going to mess us around. And the owner has to trust we're not going to wreck their house,' says Swan. But, at the end of the day, location managers agree, everything is put back exactly as it was. And it can be a currency for a homeowner too, giving them bragging rights and adding to their property's allure, should they wish to sell. What's it like to see your home on the big screen? Currane House owners Carmel Sweeney and Alex Blackmun When husband and wife Carmel Sweeney and Alex Blackmun finally got the keys to Currane House, a former hunting lodge and pub on the shores of Clew Bay on Achill Island, they got ready to let it out for filming. Sweeney's mother Nora Moran had come from Currane. She emigrated to London where she met her husband, an Achill man from Derreens. Sweeney had approached the owners about buying it. When they agreed, she and Blackmun planned to sell their London properties to fund the purchase of the house, which required some renovation. Covid slowed the process down but they finally got the keys in May 2021. For My Sailor, My Love, a later-in-life love story involving a retired sea captain and a widowed housekeeper, was filmed on Achill in the summer of 2021 – coincidentally at the same time as The Banshees of Inisherin, which was also filmed on the island. Given that the couple's plan for the property was to run part of it as a guest house, their main concern was the script and how it might read and portray the place, Sweeney explains. 'It was about a retired sea captain living in a run-down house. They said they wanted it just as is,' she says. The location manager telephoned in advance of calling to the house, and the couple left him and the art department keys to let themselves in to survey it. Currane House, Achill Island, Co Mayo My Sailor, My Love: James Cosmo and Bríd Brennan in the movie, filmed on Achill Island One of the guest bedrooms at Currane House The family room at Currane House has custom-built bunkbeds that can sleep up to four, in addition to a double bed for parents The residents lounge of Currane House was used in the film My Sailor My Love 'They told us which rooms were to be absolutely left 'as is'. Some of the rooms were not to be used at all.' These included what had been one of two pubs in the village, The George, now the residents lounge. The production team wanted to use the place for 12 weeks, four weeks of pre-production for the art department to weave their magic, six weeks of filming and a week or two to wrap up and rip out anything they'd installed. By the second week in August, the place was crawling with crew. The couple were able to decamp to an aunt's house for this period, and were paid in the region of €30,000. Their plans for upgrading Currane House included rewiring, replumbing and insulating the property but, as with most renovation jobs, other problems arose. They discovered they needed a new septic tank, drainage and groundworks. The majority of the film money went on that; the stone they needed cost €5,000 alone. The house has been transformed since the film circus packed up their flight cases and moved on. It has been divided into two distinct areas, one for guests, the rest for their own use. Their side of the house includes a cosy sittingroom with views south across the lawn to Clare Island and Achillbeg. [ From layout to lighting: an interior designer's non-negotiables Opens in new window ] The breakfastroom has similarly dramatic views to digest over a full Irish. They've upgraded all the rooms and enlarged some, installing new sanitary suites. The bedrooms are calm, with those to the front boasting the same stellar views – on a clear day, at least. The family room, once the property's principal bedroom, has a double bed and four built-in bunks, painted in Farrow & Ball's cheery Citron No 74. It was pretty amazing to see the house on the big screen, Sweeney says. 'We couldn't believe how much it was in the film and thought the scenery was shown off to its best.' Houses for rent The Arcadian Gardens, Co Meath The Arcadian Gardens, Co Meath Available for rent through SoScout from €137 an hour Melmore House, Co Antrim Melmore House in Co Antrim Available for rent through SoScout from €162 an hour The sculptor's house, Dublin 7 The sculptor's house in Dublin 7 Available for rent through SoScout from €137 an hour
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
The Beacon review: West Cork-set play hit by stormy seas at the Everyman
The Beacon, Everyman Theatre, Cork ★★★☆☆ There's no mistaking where we are with The Beacon, a bank of large video screens on the Everyman Theatre stage projecting images of a roiling ocean, and a smoke machine sending a veil of sea mist across the auditorium. It's a bold and stylish opening to this play by Dublin writer Nancy Harris, originally commissioned by Druid Theatre. The action takes place on an island off West Cork near the distinctive landmark of the title, where Beiv (Geraldine Hughes), a well-known artist, has taken up residence in her former summer home. It's not only the seas that are stormy; Beiv's son Colm (Leonard Buckley) is visiting from the US with his new wife Bonnie (Ayoola Smart) and the tensions in the parental relationship rise immediately to the surface. The mysterious death of Beiv's husband at sea has reared its head again, thanks to a prying podcaster, and to complicate matters, also present is Donal (Ross O'Donnellan) a surrogate son who has a tangled history with actual son Colm. Ross O'Donnellan and Leonard Buckley in a scene from The Beacon at the Everyman in Cork. Picture: Miki Barlok Harris is an accomplished writer with an impressive CV but she has thrown the kitchen sink at this script. Artistic selfishness, feminism, sexuality, repression, parental neglect, toxic masculinity, mental health, the prurience of true-crime podcasts, the summer home gentrification of coastal locations — there are so many topics and themes fighting for attention that none of it communicates any clear meaning, leaving the entire play struggling to find the right tone. The murder mystery sub-plot is devoid of any suspense and pacing of scenes is erratic, with Beiv not present for much of the second half, and a jarringly superfluous appearance by podcaster Ray, gamely played by Stephen O'Leary. Dialogue is stilted at times, and while O'Donnellan tries his best with the Cork accent, the modulation is distractingly awry. In contrast, Ayoola Smart, who grew up in West Cork, pulls off a very convincing American accent, complete with annoying Valley Girl intonation. The Killing Eve and Cocaine Bear star has real stage presence, the play coming alive in her sparky scenes with Bonnie. There are striking touches in the direction and staging, including the silhouetted reveals during scene changes, lighting design and the plaintive and portentous soundscape. Overall, however, the production flounders, not helped by a convoluted and downbeat ending. The Beacon is at the Everyman, Cork, until July 19
Belfast Telegraph
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘I was raised in a single-parent family – so I've always had an awareness of the value of money'
Actor Ayoola Smart was raised in the west Cork town of Schull from the age of three by her drama teacher mother Sally. She then studied drama in England, and was thrust into the spotlight when she was cast in 2016 in an acclaimed all-Irish production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in London. Since then, the Cork native has clinched a slew of high-profile roles. While filming the RTÉ drama Smother in Co Clare, she learned she'd landed a role in the cult hit film Cocaine Bear. Her first film role was the big-screen adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel Juliet, Naked.
Irish Post
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Watch Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke in action as trailer for Saipan released
FOOTBALL fans have had their first taste of the upcoming Saipan film as the trailer for the production has been released. Produced by the people behind hit films Kneecap and Cocaine Bear, the film tells the story of a public spat in May 2002 between the then Republic of Ireland national football team captain Roy Keane and its manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing for the competition in Saipan. Keane is played played by Éanna Hardwicke in the film, with Steve Coogan playing McCarthy. Éanna Hardwicke plays Roy Keane in the much anticipated film The row resulted in Keane being sent home from the squad - a move which divided public opinion. The film seeks to capitalise on that, with the trailer asking fans to prepare to 'pick your side'. 'The intense rivalry between these two personalities transcended the game, gripping an entire nation and the sporting world as a whole,' Wildcard Distribution said as they released the trailer this week. 'On the surface, the feud was all about standards, but deep down it was an incredible story of two men whose rivalry and contempt surpassed the sport they loved,' they added. 'This is the definitive account of one of the most fractious falling-outs in the history of sport.' The film is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures, which was responsible for films like Cocaine Bear and Black 47, along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films, whose work includes Kneecap and No Stone Unturned. Watch the trailer here...
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Alden Ehrenreich reflects on his mysterious role in ‘Ironheart'
, who is known for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' and 'Cocaine Bear,' shared his enthusiasm for his undisclosed character in Marvel's upcoming 'Ironheart' series on OTT. Though remaining tight-lipped, he described the role as 'a great character' and voiced genuine excitement about diving into the MCU landscape. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ehrenreich praised the show's tone, calling it 'funny, very touching, and emotional in a lot of ways.' Alden's words Talking to Screen Rant, Ehrenreich finally got to break his silence on playing a character with such a huge link to the wider MCU. "Well, it's nice to be a part of something that relates back to the whole legacy of the story, especially because that character was in the first real Marvel movie that started all of this." "And I had just worked with Robert Downey Jr. [on Oppenheimer] when I got this part, and so I got to talk to him about it, and that was nice," the actor continued. "I just FaceTimed with him, and I was like, 'So this has come my way, and this is the role — what do you think?' And he was like, 'Yeah, do it.'' In a separate interview with TV Line, Ironheart Head Writer Chinaka Hodge explained her decision to include Ezekiel in Riri Williams' story. "It's a gem of a 'hanging chad' in the Obadiah Stane story," she shared. "One of the best things about the MCU is how things connect, but I think so many of the throws have been forward or to other MCUs or alternate universes, and it's so much fun to reach back." Hodge said she's excited to see where Ezekiel's story goes next. "Alden's so great in the role and the character is so much fun. I expect, as a fan, it will live a long time." Who Is Joe McGillicuddy ? A Spoiler Rises Early episodes reveal Ehrenreich's character under the name Joe McGillicuddy, a name that Riri Williams finds suspicious. In a twist that knocks back to 'Iron Man,' it's revealed that Joe is actually Ezekiel 'Zeke' Stane, the previously unseen son of Obadiah Stane. Obadiah, known as Iron Monger, died after confronting Tony Stark, and Zeke's appearance via the hidden ashes in his kitchen gives the story deep implications tied to MCU legacy. Ironheart launched its first three episodes on June 24, 2025, with the remaining episodes rolling out July 1 on the OTT platform, Disney+.
