Loretta Goff
Express Shipping Ireland Straight to American TVs/DVDs
Year: 2016
Keywords: n/a
Information:
Institution:
University College Cork
(at time of presentation)
Loretta Goff is a PhD student in Film and Screen Media at the University College Cork where she is also a tutor in the School of English. Her research interests include film and identity, representations of Irish-America, and the exportation of culture through film and new media.
Publication:
n/a
See also:
n/a
Abstract:
This paper looks at the use of Ireland as a location in films with a straight- to-TV/DVD release in America. To do this, I examine a few films as examples of two different “straight- to” types: Honeymoon for One (2011), and Chasing Leprechauns (2012), which were both produced for the Hallmark Channel, and The Legend of Longwood (2014), which had a limited theatrical and festival release in Europe, but went straight-to-DVD in America, with Shout! Factory buying the rights at the American Film Market. Comparing the two types of production, I will look at how each film presents Ireland (and Americans in Ireland) to American audiences.
Ireland is an attractive international destination for filming both large and small scale productions with its tax incentives, locations, and talent pool. However, many of the films shot here can go under the radar for national audiences, particularly “straight-to” productions. As Ireland tends to sell well in America, that is the destination for many of these films, which usually include American characters to further increase their popularity and relatability in America. Of course, this necessarily shapes the film’s narrative to explain why the American is visiting, or living in, Ireland, and influences the version of Ireland that is presented. By looking at both the behind the scenes production of these films, and their ultimate representations, I hope to highlight the use of Ireland as a location in lesser known films, and examine the implications of their portrayals of the country.