SPOTLIGHT: Behind The Scenes With Slight Motif

A few of our journalists at Slight Motif had the opportunity to go behind the scenes during the production of SPOTLIGHT: Éire to the World

The film, directed by Zeda the Architect, was filmed at Jam Park, an entertainment venue, restaurant & arcade situated in Swords, Dublin. Jam Park is a versatile place of multi-uses that perhaps mirrors SPOTLIGHT itself as an all encompassing, diverse showcase of talent within the Irish art scene. The feature was produced over the course of three days from 11th-13th December 2020. As soon as you stepped in the building, you could feel the playful atmosphere pumping throughout the venue, in and out of changing rooms, across the floors and main stage.

If you have gotten the chance to watch SPOTLIGHT you will have seen Hare Squead's fun and bustling performance as they roam around upstairs in the arcade. (If you haven't you can go watch it here) .

Photos by Oba W.Funmilayo IG: @obabyy_

This section of the building was vibrant and animated, a perfect spot for a music video, photo shoot or even to relax and grab some food. It was a popular spot for the artists and creatives to have a break in. You can find glimpses of the colourful arcade throughout the film.

Now onto the stage. This is where most of the magic happened, with music performances from JYellowL, Jafaris, Aby Coulibaly and many more to poetry, recited by Felispeaks. The set was undeniably bursting with energy here with every performance. The finishing touch was the addition of two lovely hosts that are Katja Mia and Fortune Lago, both creatives themselves respectively.

And of course, every scene, could not have been captured without the help from the talented videographers and photographers present on set across the weekend. These include: Adams, Eoin Darby, Nathan Barlow, Cian Hamilton, Nicholas Cargin.

Below are some faces to the names of the guys who executed the shows amazing visuals.

From left to right: Nathan Barlow, Nicholas Cargin, and Cian Hamilton.

It was a pleasure to be able to observe the unique art being developed by Zeda the Architect and her skilled team of producers, stylists , assistants, that when an idea had been achieved, it had already begun to inspire another. We had the chance to chat to some of the performers and collaborators present during the shoot on the last day. The same answer was given by every artist, which was pure gratitude . As Cathy Coughlan, a representative for the Project Arts Centre voiced:

This event was all planned 10 days ago , it is the first time Irish black creatives have done something like this

It was clear that every individual felt lucky to be present at one of the production days, and were very grateful and excited to either showcase their talent, be apart of the creative process, or actually film it. Something like this has never happened in Ireland and it is unbelievably inspiring that this was the first step, it'll only get better from here on out. It is humbling that our small country can still manage to hustle out handfuls of incredible collaborators like Irish Black Owned, RES Concepts, Diffusion Lab, Bodytonic, No Trackies No Runners and Lost Studios and we cannot wait to see what's next from every single creative in the Irish arts scene.

SPOTLIGHT: Éire to the World Out Now!