Filming in Dublin

[Brian Maurer]

Hello All - I was wondering if anyone here had filmed in Dublin, Ireland before and could offer any advice on the process, the permits (?) success stories of rental houses. I'm planning on flying over with my Scarlet Dragon, but will most likely have to rent batteries and all the rest of the gear in the city / Belfast. I've been rooting around the Irish Film Board, and they have some great information, but I didn't see anything specific to permits and laws. This particular shoot is tethered to the University that I work for, and I'll be working with students in an internship capacity, so we won't be doing anything huge like shutting down streets or the like. Just a small production in city, and out around the country. Any suggestions / thoughts / advice would be delightful.

 

[Maira Fravel]

I have no experience in Dublin yet but I would love to do some work there too.

 

[Jass Foley]

Howdy Brian- I'm a DoP based in Dublin. For gear, I'd recommend talking to Colin at Film Equipment Hire. They're based near Dublin airport and cater mainly to TV productions and indie film. If you have a higher budget, talk to Galahad at Vast Valley in south Dublin. They are top notch and cater to higher end TV/feature film/ad shoots.

Permits can be a grey area in Ireland. There is no central permit department geared towards film, like in major US cities. For larger productions that require road closure/footpath closure/dispruption of public areas, you have to deal with local city/county councils. Public parks, council owned areas need permits from specific park/council departments. Once you're on private property and have permission from the owner, you're good to go. If you're a smaller production in a public place and not blocking a street / footpath / creating an obstruction, you can shoot away. It generally comes down to common sense and the scale of what you're doing.

My big recommendation is getting a local fixer- local knowledge goes a long way. Enjoy your stay in Ireland! (yes, I do sound like I'm from the tourism department...)