Artists and AI? We need to be creative – but that’s what we do anyway...

Irish film director Declan Cassidy, right, has just won several international awards for his short film Displaced, which is about a Polish man experiencing homelessness in Dublin despite holding down a regular job. He has also caused a stir on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, garnering millions of views by documenting his experiences as a traveller, filmmaker and consumer. Another of his short films gained 600k TikTok hits while around the same number of people also viewed his video of a nightmare flight from Manchester to Dublin that somehow ended up in Paris.

What did your parents teach you about money?

My dad was a painter and decorator, so we were the haves and the havenots, depending on the season. Summer was good; winter terrible.

Best and worst investments?

Best investment has been lenses because the bodies of cameras change; fashion for the glass in lenses stays – so I’ve got lenses that are 30 years old.

Are you a fan of particular brands? I buy Canon (still) cameras and kit because I always have, I am happy with them and they need to match. For video cameras, I buy Panasonic. Have you tips for budding filmmakers working to a tight budget? For editing, use Blackmagic daVinci Resolve. It’s the most incredible software – and it’s free!

I see you have an Apple iPhone and laptop. Is it really worth paying so much more for Apple?

As a creative person it’s a fundamental tool for me. But I’ve never seen the iPad as that essential. I have a pro max (larger) phone and my laptop, it’s enough.

Any tips for buying online?

I’ve been stung a couple of times with tax issues buying stuff from Amazon’s UK site. I use Amazon

Deutschland rather than the UK version of Amazon.

Are you worried about AI creating digital content?

Artists must up their game because AI is doing so much to create digital to a very high standard. Artists need to reinvent themselves. But that’s what we do. You have 1.2m views from two posts alone on TikTok. Does that sort of impact make much money for creators?

TikTok pay through the Creator Program but it’s only available in certain countries – not Ireland.

You got 600k TikTok views about a ‘flight from hell’ where you left Manchester for Dublin and ended up in Paris due to Storm Isha. Were you happy with how Ryanair dealt with the situation?

I got no compensation because it was weather-related. I thought being left sitting on the plane for hours was very difficult for people with small kids and they should have had us booked in a hotel – but the Ryanair crew were great.

Any tips for getting the best deals for flights now?

Ryanair can appear to be half the price – but not when you add on all the extras! Watch out for those.