5th Year DFTS students gain exclusive access to the set of Lenny Abrahamson’s new film

The production crew were shooting on location in the Synagogue in Terenure for the day, filming a Bar Mitzvah scene. They had a large crew, with 97 extras and extensive equipment. The stars Eve Hewson and Tom Burke were on set in costume, and students got a glimpse of them as they viewed the shoot from the balcony.

We are incredibly grateful to Lenny, Rabbi Wieder, the 1st Assistant Director, and Location Manager for granting us access under a very tight schedule. We were absolutely blown away by the intense focus of the crew and professionalism of everyone on site. An experience that the DFTS class will never forget.
Ms Talbot

DFTS student Hilary Malungah’s response to the visit on set:
I could identify several roles, including the director, 1st AD, camera operator, makeup artist, sound technician, sound engineer, actors, security, and script supervisors. I noticed that everything was very structured and organised. Time is extremely important on set, and everything moves quickly. Everyone needs to know exactly where they are supposed to be and what they are doing at all times.

I have considered working in film before, but I was starting to move away from it. However, after this experience, I am beginning to think about it again. I am particularly interested in camera work. Although I do not enjoy editing long videos, I know that film crews have dedicated editors, so that would not be a major issue. I am also interested in learning more about sound and lighting roles to further develop my skills, and plan to operate the lighting cues on the school production of ‘Burial at Thebes’ to practise this.

I was surprised at how fast-paced and organised everything was on set. I did not expect such a large number of people to work together so efficiently, each with a clearly defined role. It also surprised me how much planning goes into even the smallest scenes, and how important communication is between everyone on set. Overall, it made me realise how much teamwork and coordination are needed to successfully produce a film.