Lyrebird

Our film 'Lyrebird' stems from a vivid dream in which someone plucked me (Matthew) from my unmoving daily life and took me around town, and out of my comfort zone. Years on and the dream still resonated with who I was then. It inspired me to write a script about a quiet Boy who was unable to take flight, and an adventurous Girl who was unable to land, and the expectations and results of their encounter: Boy expects Girl to stay and save him from his repetitious life, and Girl expects Boy is only a brief stop on another one of her adventures.

Wanting to emulate the dream state in which 'Lyrebird' was incepted, we discarded with as many visual and audial distractions as possible, choosing to film in black and white, using an ambient, meditative score, and making Boy silent as a way of creating a window into the experience.

Our actors possessed a real sentimentality for the work. Alex was able to express emotion through only his eyes and body language, and Sinead brought an alluring, persuasive quality to the character of Girl. Principal photography took place over three days, moving fast around town with a small crew, often setting up, filming in, and vacating available locations within two hours. It was a real collaboration in directing and shaping the visuals, with Lucas taking control of the camera when an idea for a specific shot came to mind on the day. All of our cast and crew were extremely professional and remained passionate despite a year of setbacks due to the COVID pandemic.

We expect the viewer gains insights into both Boy's and Girl's characters, and drifts through from beginning to end as if they were in a dream state themselves. We hope, too, that the title of the film 'Lyrebird' becomes clear; a title that represents both Boy and Girl: a bird that cannot fly, yet a bird that imitates and mirrors those it encounters.