Cork woman's ambitious plot: Creating two short films at the same time

Yvonne Coughlan has many strings to her bow.

She is an award-winning writer and director, the Chairperson of Dance Cork Firkin Crane, the founder of Inclusive Dance Cork, a lecturer, and the founder of RSVP, Red Sandstone Varied Productions - a performance arts group based in Cork that works in theatre and film.

Coughlan, who comes from Kinsale, is about to embark on a new project, Two Films, One Vision, which will see two short films made in tandem.

One of the films, Regret, has a traditional script and has already won several awards for Best Unproduced Script on the festival circuit.

Coughlan says Regret’s central theme is forgiveness, and the idea for the film came from a real-life loss.

“It came out of a conversation between me and my director of photography, Maurice Supple.

“We both lost a parent, and we were talking about how we were lucky that we got to say some of the things we needed to say, but sometimes people aren’t so lucky as to be able to do that.

“ Regret is that story of someone not getting there in the end, of not saying what they needed to.”

Coughlan explains how the second film takes a less orthodox approach than Regret.

“The second film - Forgiveness In Fragments - comes from an experimental process.

“My format and process for auditions isn’t giving people the script to learn or asking them to come in with a prepared piece.

“I ask them to improvise based on the character and based on the situation. You get a truer picture of what they’re capable of without putting lines in the way.

“I explain as clearly as I can who the character is and what the relationship is to the other character.”

Coughlan often conducts group auditions, inviting multiple people to participate in a collaborative exercise.

This approach allows the actors to fully engage with the scenario she presents. As a result, Coughlan can observe the complete range of each actor’s abilities.

“When we work this way, we can really see what they’re capable of as an actor, in terms of their imagination and their ability to fulfil the role.

“When actors leave my auditions, they always say that they’re really happy they had the experience of auditioning in this way.

“Often, actors leave an audition disappointed, whereas with my technique, no-one is left feeling rejected.

“They can clearly see what I am looking for, and why they might not have been suitable at this time.”

The director notes that this method of audition also leads to some interesting developments.

“When people improvise and respond to the information they’re given, it’s amazing what you get out of people,” said Coughlan.

“It’s incredible to see what they’re willing to do, to see the stories that could develop from them.

“You’re giving the actor a lot more autonomy than they normally would, because they’re usually restricted to the script that they receive.

“You get to see the whole person rather than this part of them performing how a script dictates.”

Coughlan says actors do need the parameters of a script as a starting point, which led to the idea of a second short film.

“We realised we could do two films in tandem. On the one hand, actors will audition for Regret, and we will cast the roles in Regret based on the auditions. However, we will also inform everyone that there’s a secondary film, which will also be a short.

“When we see something in people or in their reaction to each other, or the way they work together, or just something that sparks an interest in the team, we will pull eight of the actors out to be the cast of the second film, Forgiveness In Fragments, which will be a series of vignettes linked by theme.”

Inclusivity is vital to Coughlan and the team involved in the two productions, and they are open to actors of all abilities auditioning.

“We don’t just make films, we’re building ecosystems of creativity for performers, producers, and communities to have a voice,” she said.

“This particular experiment, is not going to specify who can apply, it’s going to be decided by who does turn up, and we very specifically have an inclusivity producer on board, Rhona Coughlan, who is the Artistic Director of Inclusive Dance Cork.”

Coughlan says inclusivity must be embedded from the start of any project.

“It’s not something we think about afterwards, or we think about when we meet someone who needs some support, but the conversation is already part of our journey, so that means we’re ready and available for anyone to join us.”

Two Films, One Vision has a predominantly female-led team behind it, including Lorena Chierchini, a graduate of UCC’s BA Film and Screen Media and Indra Roelants, the film’s executive producer.

Coughlan was raised by a strong businesswoman who taught her that she could take charge of any project. However, she experienced a different reality when she entered the film industry.

“It’s only through the years that I’ve really seen that film is predominantly male, and while I’ve worked with incredible men, I am someone who really sees the benefit of having a full female-led team,” she said.

“I lean into true stories that are about emotion, stories about lived experience, and have a greater ability to hold that space for artistry and humanity.

“While I have met the men who can do that, they’re not the majority, and for this project, it is essential to have women’s voices heard.”