Produced by Emer Durcan for Western Front Studios, the film was funded by South Dublin County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme.
Written and directed by Jason Branagan, Picture Day tells the story of a young boy who’s tormented by his insecurities which manifest in the form of a troll called Alan.
The short comedy stars Charlie Duffy as Milo, a ten year old boy who becomes increasingly nervous as school-photo day approaches. Courtesy of his increasing self-doubt, Milo finds himself tormented by a troll who goes by the name of Alan, (played by Joe McGucken) who pokes fun at Milo's insecurities. What Milo doesn't realise is that Alan is merely the manifestation of those insecurities and the power to rid himself of Alan lies within.
The film also stars Fiona O’Carroll, Aisling Kearns and Peter McGann.
Picture Day will premiere next month as part of the 2023 edition of LAShorts. The festival is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles and one of the most prestigious and largest short film festivals in the world. It is an Academy Award Qualifying festival, but the only one in the world with 7 awards categories acknowledged by the Academy. It is also accredited by BAFTA, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain.
“When I was approached to produce Picture Day for Jason, I was immediately drawn to the unique charm of this little short,” said producer Emer Durcan. “The opening scene was absolutely hilarious and I knew then and there that it would be a little gem of a short film.”
“Working with Jason was an absolute privilege, he is a talented director and ran the show like a pro. Everyone worked to the peak of their capabilities under his direction. The all-star cast also makes it a winner in my eyes but the real star of the show was Charlie Duffy who celebrated his 10th birthday on set with us.”
Speaking about the film, Jason says the inspiration for the initial script came while making his previous short, Forever Hold Your Peace:
“When I made my last short film, Forever Hold Your Peace, I needed old photographs of a young boy from the early 90s. I wanted a level of authenticity so instead of designing photos or using stock images and ageing them the simplest solution was to use pictures of myself. As a result, I play a missing child in Forever Hold Your Peace. But digging through old photographs of myself as a kid was what inspired me to write Picture Day.”
“As children, we're beautifully unselfconscious. But through societal and cultural conditioning we lose this. Picture Day is about that moment when you become almost instantaneously aware of how you look and how you're being perceived. I thought of myself as a kid and tried to pinpoint when it happened to me and what that felt like. That's what led to the creation of Alan, Milo's insecurity troll in Picture Day. I loved the idea of taking that internalised voice and turning it outwards.”
Other key crew on Picture Day include cinematographer Brian Durcan, composer Emer Landers, production designer Evelyn Hassett, art director Stephen O’Halloran, costume designer Kate O’Doherty and make-up artist Jean-Louise Keady.
