Small Change Winner of the Philips Short Film Award Makes TV Debut

IFTA award-winning short ‘Small Change’ premieres on Irish television.

‘Small Change’, winner of the Phillips Short Film Award at the 8th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards premiered on Irish television this week on RTÉ Two. Directed by Cathy Brady, and starring IFTA Member Nora-Jane Noone (The Descent, The Magdalene Sisters), ‘Small Change’ tells the story of a single mother whose life spirals out of control after she becomes addicted to slot machines. “It started from the need to explore the idea that mothers are often put on pedestals, but they are still human and make mistakes. I wanted to tell a story from a mother’s point of view, without judging her,” Brady has previously said of the film.

The award winning film, which was director Cathy Brady and producer Tommy Fitzpatrick’s graduate film, was funded by personal bank loans, with the duo splitting costs down the middle and try and see the project through.

On a small budget of €6,050, the short was shot in Brady’s hometown of Newry, and unusual decision says Tommy Fitzpatrick, “we decided not to go down the usual route and shoot the film in the Dublin area. Most graduate films go down this avenue and we wanted to try something a little different. Since Cathy was from Newry, she knew the lay of the land up there; her hometown offered us a small-town Ireland that was a little bit different from what we are used to seeing on the big screen.”

The film relied on the kindness of local businesses, giving sponsorship in the form of accommodation for the 20 or so cast and crew members, made up of both professionals and amateurs, as well as providing a location house and catering. IFTA Member John Leahy of the Production Depot and Jason Foran at Cine Electric also offered a helping hand with regards to renting equipment and advice. Talking about the experience of shooting in Newry and all the sponsorship the film got, Fitzpatrick says, “the town, and especially the people of Carnaget estate where we filmed a lot of the film, pulled together amazingly to help us in any way. Realistically, the budget would have been closer to €10,000 without their help.”

Cathy had a particular character type in mind when it came to the main role of ‘Karen’. Looking on all the usual actor databases and the college’s numerous years of video file audition tapes, Brady still couldn’t find her Karen. Then one day through sheer frustration, she mentioned to Fitzpatrick that she was looking for a ‘Nora-Jane Noone’ type actress. They decided to go for it and contacted her agent in London. At the time Nora-Jane was unfortunately out of the country filming on location, but her agent said she’d send on the script to her. A few days passed, when suddenly out of the blue they got an email from her agent saying that Nora-Jane had read the script and loved it. The moral of the story Fitzpatrick says is, “you never know unless you ask.”

The main actress had been cast now it was time for Brady and Fitzpatrick to turn their attention to the character of ‘Mary’, who they found in the form of OBE recipient and well-known actress, Olivia Nash (Give My Head Peace, An Everlasting Piece), who said she’d be delighted to play the part.

In casting Karen’s daughter ‘Laura’ and her best friend ‘Shauna’. Brady and Fitzpatrick decided to host open auditions in the local dance school since they were unfamiliar with child actors in the area and in amongst them were Tina Maxwell and Holly Glenn who play Laura and Shauna respectively. The next challenge was casting the role of ‘Steven’, the shadowy loan shark. Finally, literally at the eleventh hour, just days before the cameras rolled, Tom Collins was cast and as Fitzpatrick says, “he was Steven.”

Fitzpatrick recounts fond memories from the set, half way through the 5-day shoot, for instance, the cast and crew are up at the location house in Carnaget Estate filming. As ‘Small Change’ is set a few days before Christmas, local community representative, Phyllis Kimbley, who worked with Brady and Fitzpatrick in Newry, encouraged residents of the estate to put their Christmas decorations and lights up in the middle of March. However word quickly spread of this unusual behaviour and the BBC ended up sending a reporter to investigate what was going on. A scene, in a chip shop, where Karen, trying to cheer up her daughter starts a food fight brought the short to outskirts of Newry to a small, non-franchise chipper called ‘Burger Time’. On approaching the owner, they found out he was a huge film fan, and was more than delighted to let them film in his shop. He closed the shop for a few hours and allowed a Christmas scene to be painted on the shop window. Brady and Fitzpatrick as a thank you asked him to star in the film as the shops owner who chucks out Karen and Laura out after the food fight. According to Tommy, “he was chuffed.”

The film wrapped and it was time to showcase it at festivals around Ireland. Starting with The Galway Film Fleadh and Corona Cork Film Festival in July and November 2010, ‘Small Change’ went on to be officially selected to screen at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011. Cathy and Tommy’s college were able to; along with Culture Ireland send them and Nora Jane Noone to the festival for the 10 days. The Irish Film Board also gave €3,500 to the remastering of the audio and to convert it to NTSC format for the festival screened copy. “Getting into Sundance and actually getting to go out to it in Park City, Nevada was an amazing experience. I have never seen so many theatres in one small town,” says Fitzpatrick.

‘Small Change’ went on to do an epic festival run in the last year, taking in 18 festivals in Europe, the UK, the US and at home in the last year and on the 12th of February 2011 won the Phillips Short Film Award at the Irish Film & Television Awards. “The whole IFTA night was like a waking dream. I honestly remember thinking: ‘Imagine if we won but we have a slim chance’. We were up against the Gleeson clan with the brilliant ‘Noreen’.” However ‘Small Change’ did win with Fitzpatrick finishing off by saying, “I think I almost gave Dave Fanning a heart attack when I jumped out of my seat when Small Change won.” A night to remember.

The Call for Entries for the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards opens next week. Entries for the Philips Short Film Award can be submitted via the IFTA website on www.ifta.ie/awards/