September 7, 2010

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Script ‘Work’ in Central Park

March 28, 2010 By Fiona Ashe 6 Comment

Sunshine, Central Park and a super writing partner – the ingredients of a productive screenplay development meeting.  And I was blessed to have them all in New York City on 18th March as John David Mann and I met to work on the script for the movie of “The Go-Giver”.

It was a long-awaited meeting.  John and I have been communicating and collaborating online for many years.  It felt more like a reunion than a first meeting.  We began our day with coffee and gifts.  John presented me with an autographed copy of his and Bob Burg’s new book “Go-Givers Sell More”.  I was humbled to see that these two great men had honoured me with an acknowledgement in the book.  I’m still overwhelmed by this.

Anyway, it was a beautiful sunny day in New York City.  Much too nice to work inside!  So we walked up to Central Park and spent most of the day there, batting ideas back and forth about how to best serve the story of “The Go-Giver” through the medium of film.

John David Mann & Fiona Ashe in Central Park

The sunshine – and a saxophonist entertaining the crowds – must have been good for our creativity because we generated lots of interesting ideas for the movie (honestly, we weren’t just working on our tans and eating ice-cream!)  It’s too early to publish these ideas yet, but we are very pleased with how the project is developing.  Watch this space for further updates!

I’d love to hear how the principles in “The Go-Giver” book are working for you in your lives, so feel free to share your experiences below.

Filed Under: Directing Blogs, New York City, Writing Blogs Tagged With: Bob Burg, Central Park, film, Film Director, film director ireland, Fiona Ashe, Go-Giver, Go-Givers Sell More, GoGiver, John David Mann, New York, New York City, screenplay, screenplay development, script, script development, The Go-Giver

Tribute to Michael Dwyer

January 3, 2010 By Fiona Ashe Leave a Comment

It is with great sadness that I heard of the death of The Irish Times’ film correspondent, Michael Dwyer.

Photo courtesy of The Irish Times

Photo courtesy of The Irish Times

The warm comments posted throughout the blogosphere demonstrate the popularity of his film reviews, which elevated the appreciation of film in Ireland.

Michael was more than a film critic, though. His passion for film motivated him to become actively involved in ensuring that Irish audiences got to see arthouse films through his work with the Federation of Irish Film Societies, the Dublin Film Festival and its successor the Dublin International Film Festival. Through these, he was also instrumental in bringing international filmmakers to Ireland to share their expertise and experience with us.

He was also instrumental in furthering and promoting the careers of Irish filmmakers and he publicly supported political initiatives which strengthened the Irish film industry.

Tributes to him can be posted here

Michael was a man of integrity and influence, of personality and passion. May he rest in peace.

Filed Under: Film Industry News Tagged With: award, BBC drama, blogosphere, Bob Burg, Cracks In The Ice, Darklight Film Festival, director, drama, Dublin Film Festival, Dublin International Film Festival, Facebook, Federation of Irish Film Societies, film, film correspondent, film critic, film director ireland, Fiona Ashe, Irish Times, John David Mann, Michael Dwyer, Rapunzel, Rapunzel - The Blonde Years, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, SDGI, short film, The Go-Giver, Trish Groves, Tudors, Virtual Cinema

Newspaper Article ‘Drogheda Director Tipped For Top’

September 24, 2009 By Fiona Ashe Leave a Comment

The name Fiona Ashe may soon be mentioned in the same revered tones that movie-fans used to utter the names of directors Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan.

Indeed, the Drogheda woman’s short film ‘Shades of Gray’, which she shot in New York City, was described by Oscar-nominated Sheridan as ‘very good….very well directed”.

Murder Scene

Now, award-winning Fiona, who lives in Roschoill, is not only enjoying great success with her medieval comedy ‘Rapunzel – The Blonde Years’, filmed at Barmeath Castle in Co Louth, but is attached to direct the movie adaptation of Wall Street Journal bestseller ‘The Go-Giver’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

‘It’s a hugely exciting time, and from having always wanted to direct films or be involved in television in some way, it’s great to be realising my ambitions, and with such amazing writers,’ the former Sacred Heart girl says.

‘Rapunzel – The Blonde Years has already secured distribution and has screened at the Galway Film Fleadh, Dublin’s Darklight Film Festival, the 11/22 Comedy Shorts Film Festival in Austria and the Notting Hill festival, which toured London, Rome, Chicago and Cannes.Rapunzel asleep lo-res

‘It is due to screen at the International Film Festival Ireland in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, and the Silk City Fest in Connecticut, USA shortly, and it has had an amazing 50,000 hits on Youtube so far.’

A graduate of Dublin City University where she received an Honours Degree in Communications Studies, Fiona also graduated from the New York Film Academy with a Diploma in Advanced Film Directing.

Her digital short film, ‘I Love You Suzie’, received its world premiere at the Boston Irish Film Festival 2007 and the following year she completed ‘Save Tara Valley’, about a human aerial art project on the Hill of Tara opposing the construction of the M3 motorway through the historic Tara Valley. The film features Irish Hollywood star, Stuart Townsend.Stuart still 1 full

‘A real highpoint came in February 2003 when I was selected for the first ever Berlinale Talent Campus – a winter film academy which brought 500 filmmakers from 61 countries together on the fringes of the prestigious Berlin Film Festival,’ she says.

Fiona’s latest project sees her adapting the book ‘The Go-Giver’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann for screen, as well as taking on the task of directing this hugely popular tale.Go-Giver-bookcover-thumb

‘I’ve always been a fan of the book, so it is amazing to have been selected to direct it,’ she says

More details on Fiona’s films and her marketing and communications company can be found on www.FionaAshe.com

Filed Under: Directing Blogs Tagged With: Alison Comyn, award, Barmeath Castle, Berlin Film Festival, Berlinale Talent Campus, Blonde Years, Bob Burg, Cannes, Communications, Darklight Film Festival, director, Drogheda, Drogheda Independent, Dublin City University, Fiona Ashe, Galway Film Fleadh, Go-Giver, Jim Sheridan, John David Mann, Louth, marketing, movie, Neil Jordan, New York, New York Film Academy, Oscar, Rapunzel, Save Tara Valley, Shades of Gray, Stuart Townsend, Wall Street Journal

Give And You Shall Receive

July 4, 2009 By Fiona Ashe 4 Comment

Go-Giver-bookcover-thumbIt’s widely accepted that screenwriters shouldn’t use clichés.  But “give and you shall receive” is a proverb and therefore exempt.  So I hope I’ll get away with using it.  This concept is a very pervasive influence in my life, particularly now.  It all started with a script critique…

In 2005, I took superb online screenwriting training “The Professional Screenwriting Series”.  Having undertaken extensive directing training, I wanted to elevate my screenwriting skills to the same level.  It was an exceptional course during which I wrote my first feature-length screenplay Cracks In The Ice, which subsequently won acclaim from prolific screen professionals.  But that wasn’t all.  Something else happened during that training.  I met (online) a very talented writer and absolute gentleman named John David Mann (www.johndavidmann.com).  He gave me a very insightful script critique and we became great friends.  Since then, we have kept in touch via e-communications, written in Shakespearean English.  Makes me feel more literate :)

I had always hoped to collaborate with John someday, and that opportunity fortuitously presented itself within the past couple of weeks.  Through John (and Twitter), I have also become great friends with Bob Burg, author and inspirational public speaker (www.burg.com).  Together, Bob and John wrote a highly-acclaimed book called The Go-Giver.  Based on the premise that giving is the key to stratospheric success, the book became a Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestseller.  In these difficult times, when every one of us is under economic pressure, this book has even more resonance today than when it was written.

Anyway, the three of us were tossing around ideas about how it could work as a movie when we suddenly considered the possibility of locating such a project in Ireland.  The Emerald Isle has a lot to offer in terms of tax incentives and co-production funding.  Not to mention the beautiful landscapes, friendly people and traditional pubs.  And with the Galway Film Fleadh – the biggest annual Irish film industry event, which includes a pitchfest – taking place in mid-July, all signs were pointing to a trans-Atlantic collaboration.  Amid dreams of a green field shoot followed by a red carpet premiere, the deal was done!

I will forever be indebted to John and Bob for trusting me to bring the essence of this inspirational book The Go-Giver to the big screen.  Their positivity and generosity of spirit are a daily source of joy.

The value of “give and you shall receive” is not subverted if applied to oneself.  It’s important that we all to do something nice for ourselves every day.  So for those of you who haven’t read the book, please treat yourself to it.  You’ll be amazed at the pleasure you receive from it.  And it won’t spoil your enjoyment of the movie, because there will be plenty of surprises in the film!

I look forward to bringing you on the main character’s dramatic journey, peppered with highs and lows.  Myself, John and Bob would like the process of making the movie to be very interactive, so please become a fan of ‘The Go-Giver’: The Movie on Facebook to be a part of this gratifying movie experience with us.

Filed Under: Directing Blogs Tagged With: Bob Burg, BusinessWeek, Cracks In The Ice, Facebook, Fiona Ashe, Galway Film Fleadh, John David Mann, movie, Professional Screenwriting Series, Shakespearean, The Go-Giver, Twitter, Wall Street Journal