The trickiest part of filming Monsters was working out where the story was going while the project was still happening.
The project unfolded over 12 months. Across multiple shoot days, I followed Matt Szczerek and Alessio Motta as they developed their children’s theatre production during a residency at Draíocht in Blanchardstown and later brought it into schools.
There were rehearsals, performances and children’s reactions to film. But alongside all of that, I had to keep asking: what is the story I’m telling here? I was directing and editing the documentary as well as filming it, so keeping hold of that narrative was the main challenge.
Bringing it together
We finished with interviews at Draíocht to bring the different stages of the project together. For these, I chose a deliberately dark, high-contrast setup. I wanted more control over the light and a theatrical mood that connected the interviews to the show.
The key was an amaran 300c with a softbox and honeycomb grid to control spill. I kept it warmer on their faces, contrasting it with a cooler, harder backlight from a second amaran 300c. A reflector attachment helped direct that backlight.
The documentary follows the development of the show, from the creative process and rehearsals to performances and young audiences experiencing it. I directed, filmed and edited it through Fruit Frame Media.
Watch the Monsters documentary on YouTube
Equipment used
- Cameras: Sony FX3 and Sony FX6
- Lenses: SLR MicroPrime lenses
- Monitoring: Hollyland monitors
- Interview lighting: two amaran 300c lights, with a softbox and honeycomb grid on the key and a reflector attachment on the backlight
Credits
- Show creators: Matt Szczerek and Alessio Motta
- Documentary direction, filming and editing: Jacek Snochowski
- Documentary production: Fruit Frame Media
- Residency: Draíocht, Blanchardstown