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Tadhg McDonogh Cunningham

BA [Hons] Film + Television Production

Tadhg McDonogh Cunningham is a final year Directing Major in the National Film School at IADT. ‘Vixen’ is his debut short film, which he wrote and directed. As well as this he has worked on many sets as part of the lighting and camera team. He started working on films in his teenage years, with music videos being his primary focus. In 2022, he directed a music video for rising star Kayleigh Noble, ‘Imaginary Boyfriend’, which was featured in Clash Magazine and District Magazine. Tadhg also writes poetry and music, and works part-time as a Barista.

Vixen - Over the course of a day, Nuria watches as her boyfriend, Calvin, drifts away from her.

This drifting begins at a dinner party, where Calvin bumps into his ex, Emily.

Nuria witnesses as Calvin sneaks away from the party to be with her, but doesn't say a word. Seeing his quick transition to betrayal, she leaves.

At home, she decides to confront him, but this confrontation turns sour.

Nuria learns that some things break, and can never really be glued back together.

Project: Imaginary Boyfriendby Kayleigh Noble, Genre: Music Video, Role: Director, (2022)

"Directed by Tadhg McDonogh Cunningham, the video sees Kayleigh being led through nature by an ambiguous figure blurring the lines between reality and fiction." - Dylan Murphy, for District Magazine

Project: The Last of Ui Mhaine, Genre: Documentary, Role: Co-Director and Editor, (2022)

The Last of Ui Mhaine is a documentary I edited and co-directed with Katelyn Markham O'Halloran; it explores a hidden and almost forgotten landscape deep in South Roscommon.

Vixen

Vixen is a relationship drama that began as an ode to my parents. They met and subsequently had me when they were very young, midway through college. As I continued working, I found myself subconsciously bringing in more and more of my own experiences to the project. After a certain point, I realised that this project was as much about my own relationships as it was about theirs.

With this story, I am attempting to explore the many nuances of separation and connection. I can’t speak for people who are twenty, or even ten years my senior, but currently I am the age my parents were when they first met. What I’ve learned from being this age is how beautifully fleeting little moments of connection can be, and also how these moments can cause relationships to end with such sudden terminality.

Charlie Kaufman versus the Hollywood Status Quo

My thesis explores the unique and unconventional approach Charlie Kaufman has to screenwriting. It examines how Kaufman's scripts differ from the mainstream screenplays produced in Hollywood by analysing his work, such as "Being John Malkovich," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Synecdoche, New York."

I investigate how Kaufman's screenplays diverge from the traditional Hollywood storytelling formula, characterized by the use of a three-act structure and the emphasis on linear narrative. The study highlights how Kaufman's work emphasises experimentation, introspection, and intellectual engagement to explore the human condition, challenging the audience to think deeply and question their assumptions about life, love, and the human experience.

Through a rigorous analysis of Kaufman's screenplays, this thesis aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the differences between Kaufman's screenwriting style and the status quo of screenplays in Hollywood.

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