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Topic: INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Talking Damien Molony & Tiger Raid with Simon Dixon & Gareth Coulam Evans + AUDIO! + EXTRA Q & A!

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INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Talking Damien Molony & Tiger Raid with Simon Dixon & Gareth Coulam Evans + AUDIO! + EXTRA Q & A!
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INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Talking Damien Molony and Tiger Raid with Simon Dixon and Gareth Coulam Evans

 

Tiger Raid Tribeca

The lovely people at Universal Monsters Universe invited DMF to join them in an interview with the director and producer of Tiger Raid. We are excited to share some special insights from the filmmakers and the exclusive Damien part of the interview with you all. Be sure to head over to universalmonstersuniverse.com for more!

Tiger Raid‘s director Simon Dixon and Producer Gareth Coulam Evans, both also co-writers for the screenplay, kindly took the time to respond to questions from UMU and DMF before the final screening of Tiger Raid at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last night.

We’re already hearing great things about the film and Damien’s performance in early rave reviews and have previously been given a sneak peek behind the scenes, but this our most exciting look ‘behind the curtain’ of the feature yet, direct from the masterminds who created it. Read on for an exclusive scoop on Damien’s casting as Paddy and some fabulous background to the creation of the film. Steven Biscotti from Universal Monster’s Universe is asking the questions.

Photo credit © Universal Monsters Universe

Photo credit © Universal Monsters Universe

 

Steven Biscotti (Universal Monsters Universe): I’d love to hear a little about the process of going into this movie all the way up to now.

Gareth Coulam Evans: We’re super excited to have this final screening here because it’s a Friday night, it’s a sold out audience and it should be a really great crowd. And they’ve all been receptive to the film as they all have been. I guess this feels like the culmination of a journey to come to Tribeca – a journey that started in Ballinrobe, the west of Ireland, came to London, [and] went to the Middle East to shoot. It’s a really fitting kind of end to come to New York and a city that’s so renowned for great, international, and global kind of movies and that’s always been the spirit of the film for us – to take an idea that started with a very Irish heartbeat and reach out to a big, global audience. We’re just really grateful that Tribeca wanted to give us this platform to premiere the film and to be a part of that tradition that Tribeca’s got for breaking exciting and different talent.

Steven Biscotti: That’s pretty exciting and I know the reception for Tiger Raid has been quite warm. How does that feel…

Simon Dixon: [laughs] Quite warm is a good phrase.

Steven Biscotti: …to be here at Tribeca and to now be so aware of what people are saying? Pretty much to have your baby out there.

Simon Dixon: It’s a strange experience to be in a bubble for two years when you’re making a film and obviously you collaborate with hundreds of people over the process. You start with one or two of you writing and then that bubble gets a little bit bigger. You’ve got actors, a production crew, editors, and post production so the bubble gets bigger but it’s still a bubble. It’s not real people; it’s obviously talented people, but it’s not an audience. So coming to Tribeca has given us the first taste of what it’s like to present the work to an audience and it’s been amazing. People have been very receptive. It’s a very dark, intense piece of work. It’s a little polarizing in terms of material, but what’s really nice is both good and bad. People have responded to it and that’s what we’re interested in – people’s reaction and response to it. Both Gareth and I have a feeling that we’d like to make entertaining, but provocative cinema. We’d like to do things which challenge people; we like to do things for an international audience so despite being U.K. based, we want to make things for people around the world. I like the idea of a guy in Mexico likes to see this, and someone in Sydney could see it, and North America’s getting to see it. So I think that process is very rewarding. You could look people in the eye; they come up and talk to you about the film and spot things out that you had no idea was on film, and the Q and A’s are amazing. It’s been a fantastic experience.

Steven Biscotti: That’s interesting and I picked up on the word “provocative.” I think that’s a very accurate description of the film. One of the things that stood out to me was, especially right now in modern cinema, so many of the movies have become very comic-booky in depictions of violence. The viewers become very disconnected from it and it’s almost creating sociopaths out of audiences if I’m to be extreme…

Simon Dixon: It’s desensitizing them to violence. It’s not an action thriller. We don’t describe it as such; I know people do and we would hope that it’s thrilling, and it has action in it, but what [Tiger Raid] is is an exploration of what happens to men when they’re confronted with the violence we’re talking about. So what we didn’t want to do was shy away from that and show the truth of what happens to people in these situations. There is a lot of muscularity and energy, intensity, and violence and it’s hopefully a very thrilling film because we wanted it to be an experience for our audience and for me the outcome is somebody at the end of the movie is gripping their seat. That would be a fantastic outcome. But at the same time modern cinema, literature, and culture is doing violence in lots of different ways and we what we wanted to do was get in side the men and show truly what that does to them and the choices they make, of how they live with it, and ultimately pays for that price. We don’t want to condone the violence, but we want to let people experience what it feels like to be a part of that.

Gareth Coulam Evans: And when you watch Tiger Raid we hope that people will spend a whole lot more time thinking about violence than they will watching violence. It’s much more interesting to have the seed of violence, and the violence in the air, and the smell of it, and the fear of it forcing us to look at the different ways it’s shaped these men rather than just watching it in a way that isn’t engaging on a real level.

Steven Biscotti: One of the things that struck me about Tiger Raid, in watching it from start to finish, was that you have this poetic film in the way it’s shot, in the way it’s scored, and in the way that it’s acted but there are a lot of intense moments of violence being portrayed and of seeing a dishonesty between men. It’s almost hard to watch at times. One of the moments that stuck out was when Joe is interacting with Shadha; it’s a provocative scene but also very hard to watch…

Simon Dixon: It was hard to film…

Steven Biscotti: I’d like to ask if you felt as co-writer and director if there was more of a challenge in bringing this to screen based on it’s origins as a play? Or did it help that you had Mick [Donnellan] involved with co-writing as well?

Simon Dixon: Mick Donnellan is the name of the playwright and the play was called “Radio Luxembourg” and it was set in the west of Ireland in a place called Balinrobe. It was actually un-produced when we got a hold of it and he sent us a raw draft of the play; what was in there was this really amazing heartbeat. This really chewy, visceral, kind of savage-y beautiful language and this really nice interplay between the two men. I suppose transposing that idea to the backdrop of the Iraq War and the militarization and the mercenary aspect of the film allowed us to give it context to why the men were doing what they were doing and of how they got to where they were in the moment. And the film really isn’t really about a moment in time; it’s about the truths of Joe’s life and the betrayals that he’s dealing with, and the situation itself. The way I describe it is it’s kind of an ugly beauty. I like the idea of looking at things that are very dark and not flinching in a sense; trying to describe them in a way that draws the audience in but it doesn’t flinch and doesn’t pull its punches. So we tried to deal with a violence and we don’t actually show it explicitly but what you get is the build up and post violence. I think that’s more powerful than seeing blood, and guns, and things like that. For example, when Joe’s interacting with Shadha, it was really hard to film emotionally, physically – it’s a difficult thing to do. But we thought that in order to be true to the material and true to the story, you have to engage with it with the truth. We staged it in a way that would maximize the story and really get you trapped with the guys and that’s what it’s about. We really loved the interplay of the characters.

Steven Biscotti: I’d like to ask you Gareth about the approach to casting the film. Again, it was beautifully acted and I could imagine in dealing with material you had, how challenging it was to find who would best inhabit these characters and truly bring them to life and give them a soul.

Gareth Coulam Evans: We were lucky to work with a fantastic casting director on the film, Debbie McWilliams. She casts the Bond films and she cast Daniel Craig. She’s got a real depth of knowledge of who is out there and who is coming through; of who could do something different and that was really what we wanted – to challenge her to put people in front of us who we weren’t already familiar with and of who could take these parts and do something brave and incredible with them and not be constrained by the previous work or be constrained by the audiences expectations of what they could do so they could provide a sort of cleanness and obviously a lot of people in the U.K. are familiar with Brian [Gleeson] and Damien [Molony]’s work, but on an international scale there is an opportunity for them to really shape these roles in ways that are surprising. We saw loads of people for the part and their was just a sort of magic to what they did in their live reads, they made us believe that they could connect to these two characters. Connect to them in a collaborative way that promised a journey that would bring them to life in a three dimensional way. It was fantastically exciting to connect with each of them because once we did we started to see Joe and Paddy and feel them in the room, which is both exciting and scary when you know both Joe and Paddy. Sitting down with them is an intimidating prospect. It was a very organic process of discovery to find the guys and have that path lead to them.

Steven Biscotti: Thank you and I think that’s a perfect segue into a few questions about Damien Molony from the Damien Molony Forum

Gareth Coulam Evans: Of course.

Steven Biscotti: His fan base is very supportive and one of the questions I wanted to ask was from one of the members of the Damien Molony Forum. Fifi wrote in: They filmed [Tiger Raid] chronologically in 19 days… I read somewhere!

Simon Dixon: That’s correct.

Gareth Evans: Good job, Fifi.

Simon Dixon: Seventeen days and two nights.

Steven Biscotti: Financial constraints aside, how did that impact/benefit the film making process and the final product?

Simon Dixon: The reason for shooting chronologically was to help develop the characterization. I had a feeling that if we could remain as live and physical as possible – for example we shot very long takes so we shot 5, 6, 7 minute long takes. We shot chronologically as much as possible, other than a few practical things that wouldn’t allow us to do it 100 percent, but what it meant was the guys could build an actual bond so for example, while we were shooting the truck scenes we were rigged with two cameras so you would do a pass at the dialogue and then the truck turns around and then you do another pass so in that intervening time the guys would improvise. So all the while and in between actual shooting we would be improvising, none of that material specifically ends up on screen but the relationship between the two guys does. What was nice was the guys rehearsed with myself for about a week in London before we went there; we had another rehearsal period with some military training prior to shooting, and then chronological shooting and the guys literally bonded in that process and developed the vernacular and language of how they’d operate together. So despite it being a very intense schedule, it gave it a spontaneity and energy that I think really was liberated by their performances. And they did an absolutely stunning job.

Steven Biscotti: They truly did. That brings me to Whimsyfox’s question: I remember reading that Robert Sheehan was originally attached to the role of Paddy. What was the audition process and first impressions of Damien in landing the role? And in having Mr. Molony play the part of Paddy?

Simon Dixon: We saw a lot of actors and lots of different people. None of which I’d want to speak about specifically, but I will speak to meeting Damien. As Gareth said a moment ago, it’s a really strange process trying to find actors because they have to come into your office and sit in front of you and perform. That’s how casting goes which is, inherently, not a great way to build of building a relationship with somebody. What we were looking for was that spark and that ability they had to own the character and define them based on their own personalities on a view of what the character would be rather than a template we’ve set. With Damien, he’d been doing quite a lot of improvisation and live work with some other work he’d been doing and there was an energy as to how he attacked his audition that you just thought ‘this guy has the cocksure arrogance that we required from Paddy. Damien himself? Incredibly giving and smart guy but his performance had that twinkle in the eye of what we required from Paddy which is a guy on the make, a guy who wants to get picked and that’s what the process was and he gave a lot in the audition in the same way that Brian did and it was just a very easy choice at that point.

Steven Biscotti: Mr. Dixon, Mr. Evans, thank you so much for speaking with us.

Simon Dixon: You’re very welcome.

Gareth Coulam Evans: We appreciate it.

Steven Biscotti: I would like to ask just one quick question, Gareth. Parting words for all those that have experienced Tiger Raid and those that will hopefully experience it sometime quite soon we hope.

Simon Dixon: Fingers crossed.

Gareth Coulam Evans: Well we hope they’re going to go home shaken up and with a lot to think about and that they’ve had a thrilling experience sitting in the theater. You know, it’s intense and edge of your seat stuff but edge of your seat stuff that’s hopefully going to rattle around people’s heads when they’re lying awake at night and when they’re at home. I hope it’s going to live with people and I hope it’s going to leave a mark.

Steven Biscotti: Well again, thank you so much for taking some time to speak with us.

 

 

 

Our huge thanks to Universal Monsters Universe for inviting us to partner with them and for their hard work and generosity. Our gratitude to Simon Dixon and Gareth Coulam Evans for this unique opportunity and an incredible interview.

 

Tiger Raid is directed by Simon Dixon, produced by Gareth Coulam Evans and Samson Films, written by Mick Donnellan, Simon Dixon and Gareth Coulam Evans and exec produced by Aporva Baxi.

 
 

 

For all the latest Tiger Raid news click here

Visit the official Dixon Baxi Evans Film official Tiger Raid website here

Follow Universal Monsters Universe on Twitter here

Follow the new official Tiger Raid Twitter page here

 
 

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TIGER RAID: Damien Molony heads to Tribeca – with all guns blazing!

Powerful new TIGER RAID Tribeca Film Poster Revealed!

WATCH THE NEW TIGER RAID CLIP – November, Oscar, Whiskey f***ing NOW!

TIGER RAID: World Premiere Tribeca Film Festival Tickets on sale now!

Awesome and provocative new ‘TIGER RAID’ Damien Molony imagery unleashed!

TIGER RAID: “stunning performances”, “haunting imagery”, “immersive sound” – New Tribeca info and 3 screening dates

TIGER RAID: NEW Damien Molony and Brian Gleeson photo, plus more film details revealed!

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First look at Damien Molony in ‘TIGER RAID’ plus 10 things we know about the film so far

 

Damien to appear in new military themed movie, filming wrapped in Jordan



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Marvellous Molonian Moderator
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Great interview! It's really interesting to hear about Damien's audition and how he and Brian developed their relationship both before and during filming. I think the work that's been put into this film really comes through and is going to make this a really exciting and immersive film to watch.

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Huge thanks to Steven at UMU again for including DMF in this incredible interview and the Simon Dixon and Gareth Coulam Evans for responding to a couple of our questions. Both filmmakers gave really detailed and in depth replies, what an absolute treat and an honour.

There is so much in this that it takes a while to sink in, but it is thrilling to hear of the bonding process between Damien and Brian and how they became Paddy and Joe.... "once we did we started to see Joe and Paddy and feel them in the room, which is both exciting and scary when you know both Joe and Paddy. Sitting down with them is an intimidating prospect. It was a very organic process of discovery to find the guys and have that path lead to them." "the guys could build an actual bond so for example, while we were shooting the truck scenes we were rigged with two cameras so you would do a pass at the dialogue and then the truck turns around and then you do another pass so in that intervening time the guys would improvise. So all the while and in between actual shooting we would be improvising, none of that material specifically ends up on screen but the relationship between the two guys does. What was nice was the guys rehearsed with myself for about a week in London before we went there; we had another rehearsal period with some military training prior to shooting, and then chronological shooting and the guys literally bonded in that process and developed the vernacular and language of how they’d operate together. So despite it being a very intense schedule, it gave it a spontaneity and energy that I think really was liberated by their performances. And they did an absolutely stunning job."

...and to hear about Damien's audition!
"With Damien, he’d been doing quite a lot of improvisation and live work with some other work he’d been doing and there was an energy as to how he attacked his audition that you just thought ‘this guy has the cocksure arrogance that we required from Paddy. Damien himself? Incredibly giving and smart guy but his performance had that twinkle in the eye of what we required from Paddy which is a guy on the make, a guy who wants to get picked and that’s what the process was and he gave a lot in the audition in the same way that Brian did and it was just a very easy choice at that point."



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Damiac
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This is a great interview!  And it feels like they addressed a lot of what we were interested in even if the questions weren't specifically asked.  I love getting these little insights into the filming process.  It's interesting to hear that they had a rehearsal period in london before they flew out to Jordan.  They've said they were in Jordan for 3 1/2 weeks so I guess 19 days filming (or 17 days and 2 nights smile) means they spent a week in training.   It sounds like it was quite important to them that Damien and Brian had time to develop a relationship despite the tight filming schedule.....and, judging by the reviews, it seems that paid off!

"....twinkle in the eye...." made me smile.  It's always about the eyes.... The other phrase which jumped out at me was "cocksure arrogance".  Can't think why wink

 



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And yes!  Huge thanks to Steve for asking the questions.  I feel very priveledged!  And to Simon and Gareth for giving such detailed answers



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Molonian
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A really interesting interview, I must have read the transcript about three times now.
"Cocksure arrogance" and a "twinkle in the eye" - that about sums up Paddy. They seem to have the dream team for this film, not just cast but the whole shebang.
Waiting with eager anticipation to see this!



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Agree with everything you both say fifi and Ellie

This also excites me very much:

"who could take these parts and do something brave and incredible with them and not be constrained by the previous work or be constrained by the audiences expectations of what they could do so they could provide a sort of cleanness and obviously a lot of people in the U.K. are familiar with Brian [Gleeson] and Damien [Molony]’s work, but on an international scale there is an opportunity for them to really shape these roles in ways that are surprising."

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DMF
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Hi DMFers!

Here's an exclusive treat for you all - the complete audio from the interview!

Thank you to Universal Monsters Universe for allowing us to upload and share on the forum.

Apologies for the audio quality, this is how it was recorded. But it is great to hear the actual interview!

This is an unlisted video, I'd really appreciate it if we could please keep it here on the forum, I've not decided about sharing it yet or not. Thanks!



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Molonian
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Thanks, domino, it was lovely listening to this - using headphones and with my eyes closed to feel as though I was there.

The transcript is excellent, but there is just something about hearing them talk. The banter comes over better, and the raw excitement.

Thank you for sharing this.

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You are very welcome Ellie, really glad you enjoyed listening. You're right, actually hearing the interview as opposed to reading it is on a whole new level. And there are a few little additional bits when the forum is brought up. They do like to tease us Molonians!

Ironically. most of our questions that we listed for the interview were not Damo related, so

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What a gem of an interview!

I echo Ellie in saying that while the transcript is pretty complete and a fascinating read, it's the audio that really shines with the excitement of their journey from page to screen and punctuates the tone of what Gareth and Simon are really trying to capture in Tiger Raid.  There is so much info that when I first read it, it didn't really sink in.  But listening to them talk helped me process it all. 

It's funny, I feel a bit self-conscious about Steven at UMU telling them my handle, even if it isn't my real name.  Like I'm intruding in their private conversation or something.  Silly, I know.  Thanks to Steven for picking my question and for you domino for opening up the questions to all of us fans.  Great juicy info about something I am always curious about - the audition process and people's reactions to Damien.  I can thoroughly picture in my head that "twinkle in his eye", that "cocksure arrogance". LOL  biggrin Having been lucky to meet him in person, I have experienced that energy that he brings just by being in the room and I have seen at close proximity how thoroughly he can transform himself into a character.  That spark is innate for him, it just morphs and focuses on what he wants to bring out, which is mesmerizing to watch. Naturally they would have fallen under his spell at his audition! biggrin molonyeffect  And I was within arms length of a "nice" character and I felt the full force of what he's capable of.  I can imagine how intimidating and downright scary it would be to sit in the same room as Paddy, from what we've heard of him.  

The organic process for them getting what must be a reactionary, evolving, and very realistic relationship between Joe and Paddy is super interesting to read.  So is how they handled the violence and their goal to focus on character rather than action.  I agree with their comments that too much of what we see lately is exaggerated comic-booky action (even when it's not a comic book inspired story which in and of itself is popular at the moment) and/or the violence is depicted to the point that we have become desensitized to it.  I am definitely a viewer that craves more character-driven pieces, and the provocativeness of the subject matter, the talent of this particular set of actors for bringing depth and intensity to their characters, and the thoughtfulness of how Gareth, Simon and everyone involved approached their storytelling is just my cup of tea.  And I can see why Damien was drawn to this project.  Suits him perfectly. Just his cup of... coffee? winkconfuse  I know he will shine in this.

Now if only they had answered one more important question... when is Tiger Raid coming to a cinema near me????!!!!!



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INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE - PART 2!

Talking Tiger Raid and Damien Molony with Simon Dixon

 

 

MOLONIANS!

THE TREATS JUST KEEP ON COMING!!!!!!

Simon Dixon, Director and co-writer of Tiger Raid has kindly answered the rest of DMF's questions, that he didn't have time to answer in the Monsters Universal Monsters interview.

SO very grateful.

I hope you all enjoy reading these as much as I do.

 

 

DMF: Can you say a little about the training the actors had for Tiger Raid, how long they trained for, and the weapons handling?

Simon Dixon: The guys undertook a diet and fitness regime a couple of months before shooting under the watchful eye of an ex British soldier and military expert. It was to strengthen them and build the base fitness for their characters. They then had a short burst of specific weapons handling and movement training during the pre production in Jordan.

The Jordan advisors were Mission X: http://www.missionx.com/film--tv.html

Both actors embraced the intense and demanding training with genuine enthusiasm and the results definitely transfer to the screen.

 

DMF: How big a part did the desert play in the film? I can  imagine it's an all consuming environment...

Simon Dixon:  It was a difficult but inspiring place to shoot. The intention was to replicate the real environment as closely as possible - to enhance the reality of the film. It was over 45 degrees at points so all of the actors and crew were incredibly driven to deliver the vision of the film in very tough conditions. That said in between filming the sheer beauty and scale of the locations never failed to inspire.

 

DMF:  How did the film come about ?

Simon Dixon:  We wanted to develop a film that we could move ahead with quickly and allow us to maximise the impact of a film at this scale. We’d reviewed over a 100 scripts and are developing several other films but in amongst the many choices Mick (the playwright) sent a really intriguing (and challenging) over length sketch of his new play. There was something beautifully savage about the raw form of the writing and we felt it could be developed into a compelling feature.

 

DMF:  Can you say a little about what each of the three leads brought to the film and what it was like seeing them bringing  the characters to life from the script?

Simon Dixon:  We were lucky to get such a young and vibrant cast. All three embraced the film in ways that elevated its impact.

Brian is an incredibly aware and visceral performer and he imbued Joe with a depth of humanity that allowed us to explore his dark character with much more depth.

Damien was very alive. His energy and attitude was a powerful counterpoint to Brian's intensity. He created a very strong bond with Brian.

Sofia was the emotional heart of the film. Her strength and presence elevated the scenes and focused the guys performances around the intensity of her characters situation.

 

DMF:  Was there any improv ?

Simon Dixon:  Yes. Quite a bit. Both Damien and Brian are very good at it! It was mainly between takes to develop energy and help frame the guys relationship. I would throw topics at them and they would banter, joke and play crazy as a way to release or build tension. To reboot for the next scene. None of it is in the film but it helped frame the relationship.

 

DMF:  Damien and Brian's characters wear very striking bandit like make up in the film, can you say a little about that without too many spoilers?

Simon Dixon:  It is a tactic used by mercenaries to scare people. We used it to create a mask that is literally and metaphorically stripped away as the film develops. Revealing the real men below the surface.

 

DMF:  How much input did you have into the film score or did you just let award winning Dean Valentine do his thing ?

Simon Dixon:  A lot! I’m a real music nut. Dean is a gifted composer and working with him was a joy. I was keen to develop more than just a score. I wanted a soundscape for the film. A blend of score, electronic music, sound design and field recordings. Something to drive the emotion and tension of the film. I sent Dean a catalogue of references to spark debate then he developed several scratch tracks to influence the themes of the film. The one that unlocked it was a track called A Thin Place. When I played it on my stereo at home I knew it was the film. Dean’s work was enhanced and blended with incredible sound design/fx and editing by Egg Post Production in Dublin. They took the sound to another level and the score weaves in and out of it in a really motivating way. http://egg.ie/

 

DMF:  When the sum of the creative parts came together for this film - script, characters, photography, sound - was the outcome exactly as you expected or did Tiger Raid take on a life of its own ?

Simon Dixon:  It is both. You have to imagine the finished film but it's an ever developing thing. So a clear vision allows you to let the film live and breath and the talent to shine but you know where you want it to go. 

 

DMF:  How was the process of directing your first feature film?

Simon Dixon:  Of course it is a steep learning curve and an exciting process. However it was really about stretching myself creatively. It felt like leaping of a cliff and just about surviving! Creating a film is difficult for lots of reasons and staying true to the idea ends up being a series of thousands of discreet decisions that make up the whole.  It’s a very live process as every moment there is something to consider or have an opinion on. It’s also inherently incredibly collaborative as it is a team game. Every person in the cast and crew is vital to deliver the vision and all of them add to it in different ways. So finding ways to liberate that amazing talent in service of the film is extremely rewarding.

 

DMF:  What's it like letting go of your first film to the audience?

Simon Dixon:  Terrifying but liberating.

 

DMForumer Pearl: One question I wonder about is why the original play was called Radio Luxembourg?

Simon Dixon:  It is the name of a race horse. I can’t explain more without ruining the story!

 

DMForumer  fifi: Tiger Raid seems v character driven, can you tell us about Damien's casting as Paddy?

Simon Dixon:  It is character driven and this is accentuated by having a small cast.

 

Meeting Damien was fun. He read at our studio and it was apparent very quickly he had the bravado that could deliver Paddy. Casting is difficult as its a very cold process but Damien just popped. You could see the essence of Paddy bubbling under.

 

DMForumer  fifi:  Did you ever consider not filming in Jordan?

Simon Dixon:  We looked at lots of locations including places like Morocco. However Jordan was the closest we could get to reality and had a fantastic range of locations. Plus who doesn't want to film where they shot Lawrence Of Arabia and Zero Dark Thirty?

 

DMForumer  fifi:  How much time did the actors have to get to know each other before filming?

Simon Dixon:  Rehearsals for just under a week. Then two weeks pre production. I believe they had met before too.

 

DMForumer  fifi:  You filmed it chronologically in 19 days....I read somewhere! Financial constraints aside, how did that impact/benefit the filmmaking process?

Simon Dixon:  It was difficult to match our ambition to the time but it did create a great sense of energy and commitment. Shooting chronologically allowed us to follow the character and narrative development and build momentum. The bonding and intensity increased as we progressed. It felt natural.

 

DMForumer  fifi: What it was like working with Damien?….this is his fansite after all!!

Simon Dixon:  He is a class act and a very generous performer. Outside of that his energy and support throughout is a testament to his very open and giving nature. He's a top bloke!

 

DMForumer  fifi: And possibly the most important question all.....I'm so impatient to see this film - when will I get to see it in the UK?!??!!! 

Simon Dixon:  Aha! Not sure yet as it depends on a lot of things. We will let you know asap. Hope to have something cool to announce soon.

 

DMF: With your Dixon Baxi design background, how much of that played into the final look of the film, and was it hard to know where to stop with the final edit?

Simon Dixon:  My experience at DB was useful in terms of art direction and look. It was also useful in terms of large project experience and handling the vision for very complicated projects. However nothing really compares to the intensity of shooting a feature!

The edit process is very fluid with so many different ways to remix the film. It was one of the most rewarding parts of the process. It is a real jolt the first time you see a very rough assembly of the film. You then begin an ever tightening series of passes to sharpen the narrative, performance and impact of the film. After a lot of work the film appears from the soup of the assembly and you can form the final structure. Eventually you feel the changes aren't improving things. So you close in on a locked film. You have to let it go!

 

DMF: Tiger Raid is being described as a thriller, action, psycho-drama, road-buddy movie  - can any one genre define this film? If not how would you describe it?

Simon Dixon:  We hope it is thrilling. We hope it is dramatic. We also hope that the audience will feel the immediacy of the experience whilst watching the film. We hope to surprise people too as it has quite a few twists and turns and is definitely unflinching as the intensity builds. It’s not a buddy movie but maybe has hints of a very dark and twisted bromance!

 

DMF: Were you going for ultra realism with the story or are there more symbolic elements?

Simon Dixon:  It explores several themes that people may recognise but it lives in a dark and intense space. We don’t want to over elaborate or symbolise the film as it is meant to be viewed, then let the audience members decide how to react to the material.

 

DMF: If you could only use three words to describe Tiger Raid what would they be?

Simon Dixon:  Personally:

Amazing. Challenging. Humbling.

As a film:

Visceral. Tense. Provocative.

 



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Molonian
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Thanks for letting me know, Domino. I was puzzled for a while. And I am delighted my question was answered, even if it was rather vague!

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The goodies just keep on coming today!!!  This is just awesome.  I'm so excited I can barely stop from jumping up and down long enough to read this.  Mr. Dixon is a top bloke for going above and beyond to answer All of our questions!!!  

Will come back to comment after coffee!



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Molonian
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Wow, we've gone from a trickle to a downpour of treats today!

Loved learning more about the process of filming and the formation of a bond between both actors and characters. I'm also pleased to know why the make-up - I do like the idea of a "mask that is literally and metaphorically stripped away as the film develops". It would be lovely to hear the score, too.

Thank you, fifi, for asking the question we all want to know the answer to. I only hope something cool is announced soon - I'm agog with anticipation!

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Damiac
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How amazing is it for Simon Dixon to have answered all these questions for us?  Very!!  There is sooo much here I don't know where to start!  Fantastic!!!  All of this insight makes me even more impatient....fingers crossed that cool announcement comes very, very soon!



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RE: INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Talking Damien Molony & Tiger Raid with Simon Dixon & Gareth Coulam Evans + AUDIO! + EXTRA Q &
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Still overwhelmed that Simon Dixon took the time to answer all of our questions, he mentioned that they didn't have much time in the interview to get to them all. It really was an incredible treat hearing from him!

There is so much goodness in this Q & A - I just wanted to pick out some bits so they don't get lost



Damien was very alive. His energy and attitude was a powerful counterpoint to Brian's intensity. He created a very strong bond with Brian.

Both Damien and Brian are very good at it! [improv] It was mainly between takes to develop energy and help frame the guys relationship.

It [the makeup) is a tactic used by mercenaries to scare people. We used it to create a mask that is literally and metaphorically stripped away as the film develops. Revealing the real men below the surface.


Meeting Damien was fun. He read at our studio and it was apparent very quickly he had the bravado that could deliver Paddy. Casting is difficult as its a very cold process but Damien just popped. You could see the essence of Paddy bubbling under.

He is a class act and a very generous performer. Outside of that his energy and support throughout is a testament to his very open and giving nature. He's a top bloke!

who doesn't want to film where they shot Lawrence Of Arabia and Zero Dark Thirty?

It’s not a buddy movie but maybe has hints of a very dark and twisted bromance!

[Tiger Raid is]Visceral. Tense. Provocative.



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DMF
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Another smaller interview with Simon and Gareth via Film Fest Salon

(spoilers alert!)

A Noteworthy Debut at Tribeca

I'm totally with Gareth on this - can't wait to have my head put in a vice!

"Whether audiences will resist this kind of dense, convoluted storytelling doesn’t seem to concern them. Evans said that it’s a legitimate way to entertain people, although the way he described it – “like putting the audience’s heads in a vise, and just turning it” – might seem a little sadistic. At any rate, the revelations about the pasts of both of these men come thick and fast, and none of them are pretty."



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