Private Project

Masquerade

For the family of a Duke to survive in England, 1916, they must choose between family and reputation. People wear masks to hide their true inventions - but a snake that sheds its skin is still a snake, and the world sees only what you show it.

Masquerade tells the stories that happen behind closed doors, and under artificial faces. It tells the story of a Duke and his family, who face societal collapse as the results of manipulative and deceptive actions catch up with them. Duke Kenneth Wright, a man who's actions serve only to benefit himself, is faced with a difficult choice as his own family turns from friend to foe, and the fallout from his son's actions could bring ruin to the family name.

  • John Kelly
    Director
  • John Kelly
    Writer
  • Emily Kelly
    Producer
  • John Kelly
    Cinematographer
  • Barry Roe
    Key Cast
    "Kenneth Wright"
  • Derek O'Sullivan
    Key Cast
    "Dr. John Wood"
  • Karl Brown
    Key Cast
    "Detective Charles Langley"
  • Gerry Cannon
    Key Cast
    "Percy Noble"
  • Audrey Carolan
    Key Cast
    "Gladys Wright"
  • Rachel Walshe
    Key Cast
    "Lilian Wood"
  • Jack Healy
    Key Cast
    "Alfred Lewis"
  • James Stephen Walsh
    Key Cast
    "Footman"
  • Frank Kelly
    Ballroom Musicians
  • Lisa Scanlan
    Ballroom Musicians
  • Aoife Broxson
    Ballroom Musicians
  • Conor Pyle
    Ballroom Musicians
  • Anne O'Grady
    Supporting Artists
  • Peter Allman
    Supporting Artists
  • Susan Kestell
    Supporting Artists
  • Rebecca Kelly
    Supporting Artists
  • Rufina Tishina
    Supporting Artists
  • Paul Connolly
    Supporting Artists
  • Louis Whelan
    Supporting Artists
  • Krisztina Bartha
    Supporting Artists
  • Jonathan Wallace
    Supporting Artists
  • Maureen Hanney
    Supporting Artists
  • Marian Hartshorn
    Supporting Artists
  • Noreen Keane
    Supporting Artists
  • Pamela FitzPatrick
    Supporting Artists
  • Ursula Gough
    Supporting Artists
  • Ross McParland
    Executive Producer
  • Sarah Dillon
    First Assistant Camera
  • Dean Gordon
    Second Assistant Camera
  • Gary Kehoe Shortt
    Gaffer/Grip
  • Aidan Darcy
    Script Supervisor
  • Orlaith Kelly
    Costume, Hair and Makeup
  • Ben Meakin
    1st Sound Recordist
  • David Keaveney
    2nd Sound Recordist
  • Kevin Curry
    Boom Operator
  • Rebecca Kelly
    Behind the Scenes
  • Yvonne Kelly
    Catering
  • John Kelly
    Edited By
  • Nikolaos Panteris
    VFX By
  • Nikolaos Panteris
    Colourist
  • John Kelly
    Sound Design & Foley By
  • Katie O'Mahony
    Sound Edit & Mix By
  • Kilian Ivory
    Music Recording Engineer
  • Alan Smale
    Musical Consultant
  • Alan Smale
    1st Violinist
  • Christine Kenny
    2nd Violinist
  • Thomas McShane
    Viola
  • Sokol Koka
    Cellist
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 26, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • LA Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Winner - "Best Actor in an Indie Film: Barry Roe"
  • LA Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Winner - "Honorable Mention - Costume Design: Orlaith Kelly"
  • LA Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Winner - "Honorable Mention - Drama: John Kelly"
  • LA Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Rhode Island
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Short to the Point Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    Official Selection
Director Biography - John Kelly

John Kelly is an Irish director and filmmaker who, after graduating from Pulse College Dublin's Diploma in Film and Television production in 2018, worked on a vast array of films, commercial projects and music videos.

John has always been determined to create productions that showcase as much production value as possible, regardless of the budget available to him. Unable to satisfy this goal working on local short film productions, John decided to take it upon himself to establish his own production company, Clap 'n Load Studios.

Clap 'n Load Studios' primary goal is to create ambitious film content that pushes the boundaries of what is considered possible at the budget level available. This pursuit has lead John and his company to create Masquerade, a 1916-set period drama, Nevermore, a Science-Fiction film set in the 2400s, and Visionaries, a documentary that investigates incredibly vast subject of sight loss, and the benefits of music for those who live with varying degrees of visual impairment.

John Kelly will continue to create ambitious productions, and seek to tell character-driven stories that capture the hearts and minds of audiences as he continues through his filmmaking career.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Masquerade was originally born from a visual; I wanted to tell a story about what we present to different people in society compared to what we truly believe or experience. We show the world a very particular version of ourselves; we show the world what we want them to see. This has become even more prevalent with the rise in social media. The visual I thought of to represent this social subterfuge was that of a Masquerade Ball. With this in mind, the film simply needed to be set in a period in the past. Although I was told again and again to set the film in the present for ease of production and lower costs etc, i was determined to produce the film that I had in my head, not what was easy that everyone else could do.

Masquerade is a TV series script, and this short film is a truncated version of key events from the first two episodes of that longer script. My hope is that this film will see success that will allow me to develop this story into a longer-form narrative production. There is a lot left unanswered in this film, and I hope to be given the opportunity to give answers to these lingering questions.