I’m Ilya — a filmmaker and designer based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Manual Focus is a newsletter about filmmaking, YouTube growth, creative systems, and staying sane while making meaningful work.

I run a YouTube channel called NOSTALGIA, where I document real homes and the lives within them.

I started this blog to share the things that don’t always make it into the films. The behind-the-scenes process, the tools, the doubts, the small wins.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to say hello.