Introduction To DIY Filmmaking
Introduction To DIY Filmmaking
Facilitator - Elspeth Vischer
DIY Filmmaking: a crash course! Learn how to make the most of the film studio in your pocket. This course will provide a background and practical skills to shooting a 'no-budget' DIY short using your mobile phone/ iPads. Across three sessions participants will learn about DIY and radical filmmaking styles and approaches, come up with and design a '2 minute masterpiece idea' shoot and edit it together! This course will provide expertise in how to bring an idea to life quickly and effectively and a starting point for developing camera and editing skills!
Course Description
Introduction To DIY Filmmaking
DIY Filmmaking: a crash course! Learn how to make the most of the film studio in your pocket. This course will provide a background and practical skills to shooting a 'no-budget' DIY short using your mobile phone/ iPads. Across three sessions participants will learn about DIY and radical filmmaking styles and approaches, come up with and design a '2 minute masterpiece idea' shoot and edit it together! This course will provide expertise in how to bring an idea to life quickly and effectively and a starting point for developing camera and editing skills!
SESSION ONE - Context, Set Up, Planning (Saturday 18th April - 10-1pm)
SESSION TWO - Practical Training session - Final Planning, Shoot! (Sunday 19th April - 10-4pm)
SESSION THREE - Pick Up shooting, Edit, Watch! (Sunday 26th April - 10-3pm)
Who This Course Is For:
This course is suitable for beginners and those with some experience in digital media who want a practical, supportive introduction to pick up & shoot video production.
In-Person
This will happen at Accidental in the Theatre, in the Ground Floor theatre.
Remote
This will happen over Zoom, you will be able to see and hear the course but you won’t have the same hands-on experience.
Facilitator - Elspeth Vischer
Dr Elspeth Vischer is a filmmaker, writer and project coordinator based in Belfast. Elspeth runs production company Vish Films, specialising in non-fiction and experimental work that centres counter-hegemonic perspectives. To date Elspeth has had films screened at international festivals including Docs Ireland, Foyle Film Festival and Silver Wave. Elspeth completed a Creative Practice PhD at Queen's University in 2023. Elspeth’s thesis feature Let Us Be Seen and archival experimental short 'New Threads' (2022) can be viewed on the Digital Film Archive. Elspeth has coordinated the Northern Ireland Now Project with Nerve Centre and Northern Ireland Screen since October 2023.
Website Vish Films
Talk to The Professionals
Accidental’s Talk to the Professionals Programme empowers artists and technicians to thrive within today’s fast-changing creative industries. As digital innovation, hybrid performance models, and new production technologies reshape how work is made and shared, creative practitioners need future-focused skills that combine technical capability with bold artistic thinking.
This programme offers a practical, hands-on pathway for early- and mid-career creatives to develop those skills. Through workshops, labs, and mentorship led by experienced artists, digital specialists, and production professionals, participants gain confidence in areas such as digital performance tools, emerging media, core production practices, collaborative creation, and innovative storytelling.
Funding by the James Kane Foundation.
Course Info
In-Person
Venue: 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, BT2 7DB
Access: Directly from Shaftesbury Square
Date(s): (1) Saturday 18th April , (2) Sunday 19th April & (3) Sunday 26th April 2026
Starts: 10:00am
Age Guidance: 16+
Run Time: 4-6 hours
Disabled Access: Theatre (ground floor) is fully accessible. Toilets & Book Bar (1st floor) are accessible via a wheelchair platform lift. Carer tickets available: Call 028 9032 5881 to book.
Online
Access for the remote access will be emailed out a few days ahead, please check junk/spam folders.
Booking Info
Please book a ticket per attendee to avoid issues.
£50 - IN-PERSON TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you in-person access to participate in the workshop in the theatre for all three days.
£50 - REMOTE TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you online access to watch the workshop from anywhere for the 1st & 3rd days.
£100 - DONATION TICKET - a special ticket that gives a little extra to the exceptional and hardworking artists creating the event. Donation Tickets include both attendee options above.
