DIY Filmmaking: Taking Control
This year’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival gave us an opportunity to showcase films completed by staff and students under the banner of ‘DIY Filmmaking’
The idea of DIY film practice isn’t new. For many emerging filmmakers, doing everything on your production yourself offers both complete artistic control and affordability. And the pandemic year saw a resurgence in DIY filmmaking born out of necessity.
The showcase screening premiered senior lecturer Alex Crowton’s latest film ‘In Praise of the Garage’. The film is a documentary enquiry into the nature of DIY practice: what it is, how it’s done, where it comes from, and why it’s so compelling for producers and audiences alike.
It became the springboard for a panel discussion between Alex and YSJU Media graduates Kristine and Sinjita Brence, Beth Salt and George Walker, and Natalie Fortucci, whose films can be seen below, on the challenges of taking control.