I can’t resist sharing these Star Wars Fan Movie Awards winners, so I won’t. This latest addition to the winner’s gallery is that which walked away with the Spirit of Fandom Award, and was made by Caribbean-based filmmaker James Austen. The Tentacle Trap tells the tale of a small band of Clone pirates who are captured by a foe far worse than Darth Vader while on a treasure-hunting trip to a leafy planet.
Remembering not to be a clumsy oaf was the biggest challenge to overcome! Halfway through a scene I’d often knock the camera or the set and have to start all over again. I lost hours making that mistake. And surprised with the software that is now available, and the help, advice and resources online. This was the first time I’d really played with visual effects, and after the challenge of working out how to break down a scene so that what was on the screen would resemble what was in my head, as a total novice I was really pleased and surprised at the results. As a kid, I’d never have imagined that one day on my dining room table I could churn out my own film full of whizzes and bangs and flashes. I shudder at the thought of the number of hours put into it, but I loved every moment of making it.
