52 Jokers Wild

Ronika Merl, Author, Screenwriter & Producer, is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Ronika Merl has only been a scriptwriter for three years. Three years. Yep, that's right three years. And she has been firing on all cylinders, blasting out a grand total of 22 features in 36 months. The last producer told Roni the budget was just ten grand. No problem. 48 hours later. Bump. There's the script. No messing. Job done. None of this lily-livered pining over each syllable, glassy-eyed viewing the heavens for inspiration or looking for that elusive muse. If you want the job done, Roni's that gall. And she knows where the money is. She's a family woman and the kids need fed. Let's just get practical about this. This is her business. And when the job needs done, it gets done. No messing. A script is a script, not a novel. It's for someone else to interpret and Roni is here to collaborate. Enough said. Then she smiles.

CJ Walley, Screenwriter, Producer & Founder Screen Revolution is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

CJ Walley is stirring up quite a revolution. "Power to the People," Garvin fists the air, spurred on by 'Citizen Smith' starring Robert Lindsey as Wolfie Smith in the old British TV series from the seventies. "More like Winston Smith from George Orwell's 1984," George remarks. But CJ Walley's revolution is in screenwriting, ramping up the action with indie writers trying to get a break. "What's the problem?" Thinking that the wonderfully written script will find its own way to success. Nope, not on your nelly. That is where the writers need to think outside the box and find their passion for success. It's a brutal world out there. You can't just hide under the television scribbling away, hiding from the Thought Police. You've got to put your head above the parapet and take a few hits to toughen up and spitfire those scripts like a Gatling gun with a keen aim to strike your target audience. Don't be modest you've got to be brutal to get that script noticed.

Stephen T. Ford, Writer, Director & Producer is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Stephen T. Ford was shy, reserved and introverted as a writer, BUT then it twigged, the only way to get noticed was to muscle in on the director's gig and make his own shorts. Now everyone is after him and he's becoming a powerhouse in Irish Indie Productions, and by the time this blurb is finished, he'll a made five more movies. What am I doing? I shouldn't be writing this stuff. I should just get out there and make movies...... Seriously folks, by the time December casts a shadow, Stephen will have directed four of his own screenplays and the connections he's making are just speeding up the creative juices. He's on fire. Garvin and George are just lucky they were able to stop his for a moment to record this episode.

Gerry Cannon, Actor & Producer is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Gerry Cannon as an Actor & Producer came to the game later in life but has managed to put the full weight of his commercial knowledge into developing his new skills within the film industry. He has a great way of looking at the holistic picture and seeing ways to solve problems in a manner that no newbie producer would be able to. Having studied acting in his youth, life took a different journey but the skills he picked up from yachting gave him the calibre of knowledge to captain a Viking ship in HBO's television series. So with Gerry at the helm of your masterpiece, either as actor or producer, you'll have the confidence that you're being piloted down difficult fjords with no bother - except for a few pesky Norsemen trying to cut you off in their longboats, perhaps?

Baz Black, Actor, Writer & Filmmaker ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

Baz Black is a big fan of the old DVD. Says he is old school, just like Quentin Tarantino. George got to talk, briefly about the olden days of Super8mm from his old school, while Garvin brewed up a few numbers to frame his picture. Everyone was getting in on the act, and so did the subject. Baz is definitely beating his own drums, tapping out an amazing number of short films, winning awards and making his presence felt. Now, it's on to bigger things and he's getting the support he needs with sheer bloody-mindedness and determination, not letting anyone stop him from getting where he wants to be. A filmmaker producing quality work that gets his films in front of a cinema audience. And what he doesn't know himself he's not too shy to ask for help. This was such a refreshing conversation with someone who really knows what he wants but also wants to be ethical in a world that is environmentally taking a nosedive, but not if Baz can help it.

Eleven Jokers Talk Film ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Eleven Jokers, including Pauric Brennan, Sean Breathnack, Annie Doona, Mo O'Connell, Roisin Kearney, Frank Kelly, Dave Minogue, Grace Garvin and James Webber talk about their passion for filmmaking and the different methods they go about where they get ideas, the roles they find they have to take, the right way or practical way to make films and the way they plan for the future. Garvin throws in the Finances 101 while George reminds everyone not to leave it until the edit. Even with all the heartaches and spanners-in-the-works, the last word is all about how much enjoyment filmmaking brings to all involved.

Michael O‘Sullivan (aka M J Sullivan), Actor & Santa Claus, is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Michael O'Sullivan was a gift, coming in at the last minute as a referral by Aidan from a previous show. Garvin and I were like old prospectors in some far off Canadian ravine watching out for old grizzlies that might have come bounding out of the undergrowth looking for a tasty meal. Instead, we struck gold, that rare nugget that pans out and brings in a richness to the show that you just could not plan for. At one point Garvin was dumbfounded, lost for words, flabbergasted, not knowing which way to take the conversation. Both of us left agog, as Michael took over. He introduced the show and round it off creating a well-formed package that only Santa Claus knows best how to deliver. And what a gem of a show, all about giving and receiving. With presents that are valuable all year round as they are paid forward in such a generous way showing love and compassion, that can bring the mightiest of men to their knees. This show will warm your heart and get you into the mood for the approaching festive season.

Aidan O‘Sullivan, Actor, Voice-Over Artist & Comedian, is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Aidan O'Sullivan, Actor, Voice-Over Artist & Comedian, had hoped to do a monologue from Shakespeare but there was no chance of competing with Garvin's monologue in this show. The battle gear came on in each corner as all and sundry clashed like the Titans. But Aidan wasn't going to take it lying down, even though he'd played a corpse in a coffin. George found a lanyard and the power seemed to shift, momentarily. Once Aidan was given a megaphone there was no stopping him from causing a riot. Garvin thought he knew a thing or two about improvisation but he had met his match. The belly laughs came thick and fast with the scores flying high. All this "In The Room" with 52 Jokers Wild flying high with Aidan O'Sullivan.

Dave Thomas, Writer, Producer and Director, is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Dave Thomas, Writer, Producer and Director, is "In The Room" with 52 Jokers Wild.

Discs started flying off the wall. Garvin and I weren't sure if the alien invasion had begun. Should we bunker down in defensive mode? Then the TARDIS appeared and we knew we were on safe ground. Dave Thomas, writer, producer and director is an avid sci-fi fan. Along with the many awards, are a fleet of Star Trek ships and it wasn't long before R2D2 filled the screen. Were we ever going to talk film? We were in our element. Sci-fi, Daleks, Intercepters, UFO... we were off into our own little universe only to discover that inside the TARDIS it gets bigger. We even found out what inspired Dave on his sci-fi journey and the other key interests that ignite his passion for filmmaking, now keenly focused on drama and documentaries that are winning awards around the world at film festivals. This is another show we couldn't stop ourselves from laughing.

#FILMACADEMY #FILMFUNDING #FILMPODCAST

Dave Minogue, Film Producer and Director, is ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild.

Dave Minogue, Film Producer and Director, is "In The Room" with 52 Jokers Wild.

S3E16

The banter was mighty in this episode of "In The Room". Garvin got thrown a couple of curveballs as Dave Minogue, our guest this week, had us both rolling in the aisles with laughter. Dave set himself a challenge to get a film made and out there to an audience on Sky and other streaming platforms, and he did in the shape of "Poster Boys".

All the way long Dave kept his target audience in focus, follow principles set by many of our other guests to use what was available and make the most of it, never letting anything block the way forward and achieve his goals. He doesn't have all the answers but he's open to learning what he needs to get the job done and knows how to work with others. Most importantly, he knows how to make others laugh and enjoy the experience. We certainly did in this episode.