Everyone in the pool!

I've been doing a lot of research lately on homemade camera rigs. Something I can strap my little My First Digital Video Camera™ to in order to create more elaborate shots. The result has been a lot of instructions involving PVC pipe and other fascinating DIY components. It really is quite fascinating.

A second thing I found, inadvertently, is a certain amount of backlash against the DIY film maker. I'm not sure that the level of hostility some people appear to display towards the DIY film maker is well placed, but it's there none the less.

I have a background in creating packaging in the music industry. Working at an indie record label for just over nine years I experienced the music side of the notion that: Just because you can make it, doesn't mean you should make it.

We would get frequently laughable, sometimes sad, occasionally disturbing, unsolicited submissions by people.
There was one man who sang his heart out about America over stock keyboard drum beats. He was a favorite of mine. He may have been off key in many places and musically awful, but there was a certain happiness that came from listening to the man sing. You always were in a good mood by the time the song was over. Usually laughing. Sometimes singing along.
I think the worst was the just plain mediocre. It wasn't something you could put your finger on it, but it just wasn't great.

But you know what? Just because they arguably sucked doesn't mean that there needs to be some active effort to stop them from making their music. No one was twisting my arm, making me listen to them. If I got to the point where it was painful to listen I'd shut it off.

So should I be making films? Should anyone with no experience and only home made equipment? Yes! If it sucks and you hate it I'm not going to hold a gun to your head and make you watch it. I'm making films because it's fun. Hopefully the people I'm dragging into my deranged little world are also having fun. I have a job that I'm pretty good at, that they pay me for. Since no one is paying me to make my own films, shouldn't it be fun?