FANTASY drama ‘House of the Dragon’ is one of the most eagerly-anticipated new releases from HBO and a Tulla woman is centrally involved in the ultra-lavish production.
Ellie Murphy from Church Road, Tulla, is Action Prop Supervisor on the multimillion dollar show. The Game of Thrones prequel has already attracted an audience of 10 million in the US.
Ellie holds a BA in Film and Television from GMIT, where she also met her camera operator husband, John Gogarty. “In college, I was really interested in scripting and in the general work of the Art Department,” she said. “I really like telling a story through the props and through the set. I’m also able to get people with different skills chatting and pulling together and that’s key. I might start off drawing up a sketch and showing that to a concept artist who will then work with a 3D artist, so there are lots of people involved.”
Ellie, whose impressive CV includes shows for Netflix, Disney and the BBC, has always had a passion for film and TV. “As a kid, my weekends involved sketching, spending hours in the art shop in Ennis, going to the video shop and the cinema,” she said. “Watching behind-the-scenes footage of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ was a big influence.”
Director Ridley Scott, is among Ellie’s inspirations and her skills have opened the door to working with him and other giants.
A real self-starter, Ellie, together with family and friends, ran the first Discworld Convention in Ireland, a homage to the Terry Pratchett. She and her sister, Nicola, were extras in the Sky adaptation of the late author’s fantasy novel ‘The Colour of Magic’.
Speaking from Slovenia, where she is currently working on a Netflix action movie, Ellie had some advice for others interested in film. “It’s really important to look beyond the obvious roles like director or actor,” she said. “All human life is there from qualified electricians to carpenters. The Props Department is a real melting pot of people who have useful skills, have a brain and know how to get up and go.”