Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Dan Seymour 

BA [Hons] Film + Television Production

I'm a Dublin-based amateur film and television maker with experience in directing and sound mixing as well as training as an ingest engineer on the K2 Dino system. I have recently completed a BA in Film and TV Production and am now looking for work in the Irish TV industry and freelance film sector. I have a passion for creating in the mediums of both television and film. Over the last four years, I have gained extensive knowledge of the inner workings and rhythms of a TV studio and am eager to test my skills in a professional environment.

Project Description

For my major project, I was tasked with creating a TV Show that we could shoot and record live in studio. The show had to be entertaining to watch and done to a professional standard while also being small scale enough to complete given the COVID regulations that were in place. I came up with an idea for a panel show that would harken back to old film review programs like At the Movies with Siskel & Ebert while also reflecting our current relationship with cinema. So Triple Bill was born, a panel show where a host speaks with two movie buffs about their reviews of lesser-known films that the public can enjoy on streaming services from the safety of their own homes. I was the director and producer of the show, so my duties extended from writing up the initial paperwork to calling shots during the record.



Innovation in Cinematic Expression: How Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger Communicate and Interrogate the Mental Trauma of a Protagonist

While searching for a thesis topic, I knew I wanted to explore how the design of a show (i.e set design, lighting, costume) could communicate certain themes or ideas. Although TV and Broadcasting is my specialisation, I eventually looked to the thing that birthed television, Cinema. Through my research, I discovered the films of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger collectively known as The Archers. I noticed how design was such an important part of their films in terms of expressing the mental state of the protagonist. With this in mind, I went forward researching how their techniques in this regard influenced films to come and in turn, what films of the past inspired their own practices. The more I looked, the more I realised just how foundational the Archers were to the cinematic and televisual aspects of design today and I hope, through reading my dissertation, so too will the reader.