Dillon Cleary 28/07/2025 Dillon Cleary 28/07/2025

Blog #12 How to Write a Short Film

Recently I was tasked with writing a short film. To make it happen, I had to break out my screenwriting program and get the screenplay juices flowing again. Before I did that though, I went through a quick refresher on all the different elements in a screenplay. It was a while since I wrote anything so I needed to make sure I got all the elements down first before I dove in. Here are the basic elements of screenwriting so you too can get firing again.

Dillon Cleary 16/07/2025 Dillon Cleary 16/07/2025

Blog #11 How to calculate mileage costs, as a sole trader of any kind in the Republic of Ireland

How do you calculate mileage allowances as a sole trader running a business in Ireland? Is it even worth it? In this post, I’m going to give a real world example and share some napkin math with you so that you can get an insight into the running of a business.

Dillon Cleary 14/07/2025 Dillon Cleary 14/07/2025

Blog #10 The Top Online Resources for Filmmakers, in written and video form

As filmmakers, we all love soaking up information from our favourite blogs and content creators. They cover topics such as cinematography, editing, sound and much more. There are tons of resources online from personalities sharing their processes and techniques. Here is a list of ones you may not be familiar with yet but provide invaluable resources and are affordable/free.

Dillon Cleary 07/07/2025 Dillon Cleary 07/07/2025

Blog #9 The Conventional and Unconventional Techniques used to film The Lord of the Rings Movies

While filming The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson and Co. used a number of techniques used to pull of the striking fantasy shots in the film series. They used greenscreen, miniatures, motion capture, 3D models in the films. Some of these were never before used to the degree they were utilised in the films.

Dillon Cleary 30/06/2025 Dillon Cleary 30/06/2025

Blog #8 What do you need to start a video production service?

What do you need to start a video business? How long does it take? How much money will I require? I had all these questions before starting my business. A lot of the things that I thought would be difficult, time consuming and expensive turned out a lot different than I expected. I’m going to share my tips on dealing with the various necessities you need to start a video business in Ireland, whether you are a wedding shooter, a filmmaker or just someone who works in the many areas of video.

Dillon Cleary 23/06/2025 Dillon Cleary 23/06/2025

Blog #7 Cinematography Analysis: Twilight (2008)

I was looking through the top podcasts chart around the world and found that there was a podcast about the Twilight series that was popular. What’s notable about that is the podcast in question hadn’t recorded an episode in the last 3 years. It turns out people still love Twilight in 2025. I’ve been meaning to do a cinematography analysis, so why not base it on a young adult hit like the Twilight (2008) movie. It had a unique, stylised look and is still adored by many millions of fans around the world.

Dillon Cleary 16/06/2025 Dillon Cleary 16/06/2025

Blog #6 How to Market Yourself as a Filmmaker

As a filmmaker, from time to time you will need to market yourself. To me, marketing is connecting with people and keeping their attention. This can take different forms, some you will find surprising. You may already be doing some, for example many people post work projects on their personal Instagram account. Is this marketing? Absolutely yes.

Dillon Cleary 09/06/2025 Dillon Cleary 09/06/2025

Blog #5 How much does Insurance for Videographers cost?

This year, I registered my video business and went about seeking insurance. I wanted to protect my business against theft, damage and anything that could go wrong. I did a quick search online for insurance companies and went about enquiring. That was when things started to become difficult.

Dillon Cleary 02/06/2025 Dillon Cleary 02/06/2025

Blog #4 Main and Side Hustles for Filmmakers

In this post, I’m going to talk about my top hustles for filmmakers. Some will be obvious, some might cause you to think differently about the opportunities out there. One thing is clear, as a freelance filmmaker you will have to be creative and think outside the box when it comes to making a living.