Hardy Bucks
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (February 2010) |
| Hardy Bucks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Martin Maloney & Chris Tordoff |
| Directed by | Chris Tordoff |
| Starring | Martin Maloney Owen Colgan Peter Cassidy Tom Kilgallon Chris Tordoff |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | average 9 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube / RTÉ.ie |
| Release | 19 October 2008 – 27 December 2009 |
Hardy Bucks is an Irish series of web-based comedy short films written by Chris Tordoff and Martin Maloney. The series won the 2009 Storyland competition held by Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ. From a total of 122 applications to participate in the competition, nine projects were commissioned to make one episode each. These episodes were released in March 2009. With all nine projects on the website, the public could vote for their favourite and at the end of every month the shows with the smallest response would be ‘voted off’, leaving the remaining teams to make the next episode with the same €8000 budget per episode.[1] The show has been likened to the Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian mockumentary, with Torduff and co citing the show as an influence.[2] To date, ten webisodes have been released amongst several short compilations of outtakes. The cast have performed live shows in The Academy, a music venue in Dublin, the Róisín Dubh in Galway and Trinity Rooms nightclub in Limerick. As of March 2010, total hits for the videos produced have exceeded two million.
Overview
Hardy Bucks was written by Chris Tordoff and Martin Maloney and directed/edited by Tordoff. Now in their mid twenties, Tordoff and Maloney moved to Swinford in the rural west of Ireland from Leeds and Liverpool in England when they were 11 and 12, respectively. The initial pilot footage was shot in Swinford, Co. Mayo before it was accepted into the Storyland competition.[3]
Both Chris and Martin agree that not spending their whole lives in the area probably put them in a unique position to see the foibles of rural life that are often taken for granted. They say that theirs is an affectionate portrayal of rural Ireland. Remarkably, no member of the cast had ever previously been involved in a project such as this.
The films follow the lives of Eddie and Buzz, two “shturdy, reliable fellas”, as they try to come to terms with life in the fictional hamlet of Castletown (which is a depiction of Swinford). The long-term goal of Eddie and Buzz is to eventually move to "the big schmoke", a reference to Galway.[4]
The series won the first Storyland on-line film competition run by the Irish broadcaster RTÉ[5] and was shown at the San Francisco Irish Film Festival in March 2009.[6]
The cast members were also presented with a Student Choice Award of the University College Dublin Law Society in September, 2009.[7]
Episodes
| # | Total | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Welcome to Castletown" | October 19, 2008 | |
|
Welcome to Castletown, Co. Mayo. Home of Eddie Durkin and Buzz McDonnell. Eddie's thinking about a new start in Galway but will Buzz follow? A new hardy buck enters the realm of Eddie and Buzz bringing a unique take on weaponry and combat techniques. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Safe Pass" | October 19, 2008 | |
|
Eddie sits the Safe Pass Course which he needs to get on the sites in Galway. Buzz has other ideas and runs away to meet new friends at Ladybirds workshop. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "It's Time for a Plan" | October 21, 2008 | |
|
Galway beckons but the lads have no money. With a bit of help from an unwitting buddy, they hatch a scheme that's guaranteed to at least cover the petrol money - a party. The lads manage to escape the disturbing Aloisius Lavin but how will they throw a party if the Viper has their mushrooms? | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Mitzi Turbo Cup" | March 16, 2009 | |
|
The lads try to earn a bit of money "in the claw" by entering the Mitzi Turbo Cup - an annual underground boy racer tournament. | ||||
| 5 | 5 | "Foamy Nights" | April 27, 2009 | |
|
The boys again try to earn some money, this time by throwing a foam party with the help of the enigmatic "Shcorpio". Once again, the Viper is waiting in the wings to foil their plans. | ||||
| 6 | 6 | "Speed Dating" | June 5, 2009 | |
|
The boys enjoy a spot of fishing to relax and cross paths with Michael Salmon. After a visit to the gym, they also try their hand at speed dating, with varying degrees of success. When Buzz finally confronts the viper over his relationship with Ladybird, trouble ensues. A glimpse of a more caring and kind side to The Viper is seen, but will it last? | ||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Drink is a Curse" | July 21, 2009 | |
|
A fine spell of weather sees the lads trying to set aside binge drinking for more wholesome activities. This includes a trip to the woods and some horseriding. Eddie's relationship with Noreen begins to flourish. | ||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Interview" | August 31, 2009 | |
|
The Bucks describe Castletown as "a place where planes fly backwards and no one... No one has a job." However, a position does become available at Gilmartin Construction Ltd and many of the town's inhabitants decide to apply, including many of the Bucks. Eddie comes face to face with an old nemesis, but will he get the job? | ||||
| 9 | 9 | "Untitled" | September 29, 2009 | |
|
The Viper's on the rise again, Shcorpio's got a karaoke going and Eddie's relationship is eating into his rowdy time with the boys. Big Mick (Eddie's uncle) endeavours to get Toastín off the cans and back playing golf, while The Viper looks towards Shcorpio's crew to help him move a package. Noreen has some important issues to discuss with Eddie, but just cannot get the timing right. | ||||
| 10 | 10 | "Christmas in Castletown" | December 27, 2009 | |
|
It's Christmas time in Castletown and while the politicians are lining their pockets with gold, the bucks need some fast money. Toastín and Buzz start an improv fighting course, while Boo and Salmon trek to the woods to get a Christmas tree and experience nature first hand. The Viper's wrong-doing might land him in trouble before Jolly Ol' St.Nick comes down the chimney... | ||||
Cast
- Martin Maloney as Eddie
- Owen Colgan as "Buzz"
- Tom Kilgallon as "The Boo"
- Peter Cassidy as "French Toast/Toastín"
References
- ^ http://www.filmireland.net/2009/12/04/issue-131-happily-ever-after/
- ^ http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6931&Itemid=38
- ^ http://www.westernpeople.com/news/story/?trs=eycwgbkfql&cat=entertainment
- ^ http://www.galwayindependent.com/entertainment/entertainment/hardy-bucks-/
- ^ http://www.rte.ie/storyland/finalists/hardybucks.html
- ^ http://www.sfirishfilm.com/index.php?s=barley
- ^ http://ctn.ie/index.php?page=shows&chan=111&prog=75