SCRIPTWRITER UNDERTOOK PAINSTAKING RESERCH FOR OMAGH FILM
Scriptwriter undertook painstaking research Omagh film
BY JOHN McCUSKER
Crew worked closely with victims' families
FOR award-winning scriptwriter Guy Hibbert, the piecing together of Omagh was one of the most daunting tasks he has ever undertaken.
After hours of painstaking research and interviews with families, victims and those close to the Omagh case, he was faced with condensing five years of events into the confines of a manageable feature length television drama.
"It was a long, long process of research to begin with," he explained after the screening. "We had five years of an awful lot of information to go through, all the inquest reports, then finding the most salient points and the crucial moments and then putting it all into a 100 minute film. It was quite a difficult task but hopefully we have judged it right."
Growing up in a small English market town the size of Omagh, Guy had a feeling for the community he was to portray on screen. His previous work included the BBC drama May 33rd and the BAFTA nominated The Russian Bride. He also wrote No Child of Mine for ITV, which won a BAFTA in 1997 and Shot Through the Heart in 1998 about the siege of Sarajevo.
Working closely with script editor Lucy Dyke and the film's co-producer Don Mullan, Guy initially "tested the temperature" of the town and people's feelings towards the making of a film before casting judgements on how the script should take shape.
"For the people on that day it was absolutely horrific," he reflected. "It was devastating for me to have to read all the accounts in great detail and I'm just getting this information second hand.
But the most important reaction as far as I was concerned was the families' reaction and they have said thank you for coming to our town and telling the story.' so that's good enough for me."
His advice to those affected by the atrocity was to exercise care and judgement over watching the film's footage. He felt that there was a strong argument for showing the horror of the bombing and the lead-up to the explosion that was central to the story of Omagh.
"My first question when I met the support group was how do you want me to write what happened on that day. Each and every one of them said don't minimalise what happened, don't pretend it wasn't awful and show the full terror of it. I then took that message back and we've done that because we were asked to do it. Now, of course. we have to be extremely sensitive to people who don't want to watch it."
Guy explained that the film could not contain the political dimension about the story of Omagh without reminding people exactly why the families were acting the way they did.
"There is no getting away from the fact that an act of terror destroys people's lives and destroyed the lives of those who lost loved ones and there's no escaping the awfulness of that. That's what I get from the families, that their grief is heartbreaking for an outsider to witness."
BY JOHN McCUSKER
Crew worked closely with victims' families
FOR award-winning scriptwriter Guy Hibbert, the piecing together of Omagh was one of the most daunting tasks he has ever undertaken.
After hours of painstaking research and interviews with families, victims and those close to the Omagh case, he was faced with condensing five years of events into the confines of a manageable feature length television drama.
"It was a long, long process of research to begin with," he explained after the screening. "We had five years of an awful lot of information to go through, all the inquest reports, then finding the most salient points and the crucial moments and then putting it all into a 100 minute film. It was quite a difficult task but hopefully we have judged it right."
Growing up in a small English market town the size of Omagh, Guy had a feeling for the community he was to portray on screen. His previous work included the BBC drama May 33rd and the BAFTA nominated The Russian Bride. He also wrote No Child of Mine for ITV, which won a BAFTA in 1997 and Shot Through the Heart in 1998 about the siege of Sarajevo.
Working closely with script editor Lucy Dyke and the film's co-producer Don Mullan, Guy initially "tested the temperature" of the town and people's feelings towards the making of a film before casting judgements on how the script should take shape.
"For the people on that day it was absolutely horrific," he reflected. "It was devastating for me to have to read all the accounts in great detail and I'm just getting this information second hand.
But the most important reaction as far as I was concerned was the families' reaction and they have said thank you for coming to our town and telling the story.' so that's good enough for me."
His advice to those affected by the atrocity was to exercise care and judgement over watching the film's footage. He felt that there was a strong argument for showing the horror of the bombing and the lead-up to the explosion that was central to the story of Omagh.
"My first question when I met the support group was how do you want me to write what happened on that day. Each and every one of them said don't minimalise what happened, don't pretend it wasn't awful and show the full terror of it. I then took that message back and we've done that because we were asked to do it. Now, of course. we have to be extremely sensitive to people who don't want to watch it."
Guy explained that the film could not contain the political dimension about the story of Omagh without reminding people exactly why the families were acting the way they did.
"There is no getting away from the fact that an act of terror destroys people's lives and destroyed the lives of those who lost loved ones and there's no escaping the awfulness of that. That's what I get from the families, that their grief is heartbreaking for an outsider to witness."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1658
Published Date: 06-May-04
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