Celebrating 7 Years of Clap ‘n Load Studios!
Happy Birthday to us!
Clap ‘n Load Studios turns 7 years old today, and we’ve had the privilege over that time to work with some truly gifted artists, inspiring storytellers, and amazing clients.
We wanted to take some time today to look back over some of our most notable projects, and our successes throughout the years.
But first, some background…
Clap ‘n Load Studios was founded in 2019 by John Kelly; an emerging Irish writer, director and producer. John began his filmmaking journey at age 12, and always knew that he wanted to make storytelling his career. After graduating from studying Film and TV Production at Pulse College, Dublin, John wasted no time in establishing his own production company to pursue his dream of becoming an accomplished filmmaker. However, John’s ambitions extended far beyond making small-scale narratives, and he immediately took on the immense challenge of producing a period short film with his first narrative project; Masquerade.
That is where we begin our walk down memory lane…
Masquerade - Short Period Drama
Directed By: John Kelly
Written By: John Kelly
Produced By: Emily Kelly and John Kelly
Cast: Barry Roe, Gerry Cannon, Karl Brown, Audrey Carolan, Derek O’Sullivan, Rachel Walsh
Masquerade was an incredibly ambitious project; an immersive period drama produced with a small budget. While much of the feedback that John received on this script suggested that he simplify things by changing the setting to a more contemporary period, John knew that setting of 1916 England would not only offer a greater opportunity for exceptional production design, but was also of crucial importance to the integrity of the narrative.
Confident in this knowledge, production went ahead. Countless hours were dedicated to casting, production design, costuming, musical accuracy, and careful coordination to ensure that this project all came together.
The film collected several awards during its festival run, and would go on to be included as part of Aer Lingus’ in-flight entertainment catalogue from May to October 2025.
This project is incredibly special to us, as this is the film that started it all. To this day, Masquerade is beloved by our audience, and continues to garner high praise for it’s attention-to-detail, and impressive production value. With exceptional performances from our cast, and a gripping narrative, we highly suggest giving this film a watch on our website.
Official poster for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ film “Masquerade”, featuring lead actor Barry Roe.
Official Selection laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ period film “Masquerade” into the Short to the Point Film Festival 2021
Winner laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ period film “Masquerade” into the Los Angeles Film Awards 2021
Semi-Finalist laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ period film “Masquerade” into the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 202t
“Honourable Mention: Costume Design” presentation to Órlaith Kelly from the LA Film Awards for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ period drama “Masquerade”
“Best Actor in an Indie Film” presentation to Barry Roe from the LA Film Awards for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ period drama “Masquerade”
“Honourable Mention: Drama” presentation to John Kelly from the LA Film Awards for Clap ‘n Load Studios period drama “Masquerade”
Visionaries - Short Documentary
Directed by: John Kelly
Written by: Derek Masterson
Produced by: John Kelly
Funded by: Ardán and Galway County Council
Cinematographer: Robert Fay
Cast: Conor Maguire, Frank Kelly, Audrey Tormey
Visionaries was a truly inspiring project for us, and one that really put a spotlight on the “invisible disability” that is sight loss. This documentary follows three Irish musicians, all of whom live with varying degrees of severe sight-loss. From the very outset, we knew exactly what would make this documentary so unique; our visualisations of each subject’s vision. Throughout pre-production, we gained as much information as we possibly could from each of our participants regarding their individual visual acuity, and then we replicated this environment so that our audience could truly get a glimpse into life with severe sight loss.
Visionaries collected a list of awards internationally during its festival run, and was selected by Aer Lingus’ for inclusion in their in-flight entertainment catalogue from May to October 2024; starting an ongoing collaboration between Clap ‘n Load Studios and the Irish airline.
We greatly appreciate the commitment of our interviewees, and the support of Ardán (formerly the Galway Film Centre) throughout the production and distribution of Visionaries.
Official poster for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ documentary film “Visionaries”, featuring Irish musicians Conor Maguire, Frank Kelly and Audrey Tormey.
Official Selection laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ documentary film “Visionaries” into the 23rd Chicago Irish Film Festival
Official Selection laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ documentary film “Visionaries” into the St. Patrick’s Film Festival 2022
Official Selection laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ documentary film “Visionaries” into the Fastnet Film Festival 2022
Official Selection laurel for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ documentary film “Visionaries” into The Powerscourt Edit 2025
The Black Keys - Short Drama
Directed By: John Kelly
Story By: John Kelly
Written By: Derek Masterson
Produced By: John Kelly and Derek Mastesron
Cast: Barry Roe, Gabriela Murphy, Gerry Cannon, Audrey Carolan, Karen Monks
The Black Keys follows the story of Fiachra Cullen; a pianist on the cusp of great fame who suffers a sudden and severe loss of sight. This short drama film reflects John' Kelly’s personal experience, and brings audiences into contact with the spiralling depression that a severe loss of sight can bring about.
The Black Keys was selected for inclusion in Aer Lingus’ in-flight entertainment catalogue from May to October 2025.
We would like to thank Vision Ireland for their support in the production of this very personal narrative drama.
We look forward to announcing more information about The Black Keys very soon, so keep a lookout for new releases coming soon!
Official poster for Clap ‘n Load Studios’ short drama “The Black Keys”, featuring lead actor Barry Roe