Profile: Autism Bedfordshire

Lucy Clapham, Lynda Dimarco, Nick Hughes, Domonic Redmond, Antony Todd-Bennett, Aisling Prunty and Ciaran Doherty answer questions about the film.

Now that it’s finished, we are really pleased to have done it.

Why did you pick this subject for Fresh?

We wanted to make the film about ourselves but didn't think much who would see it. We didn't know about film festivals and were really surprised when Fresh said they might show our film. We didn't know a festival would be interested in us.

What motivated you to make this film?

The people at Autism Bedfordshire asked if we would like to make a film. We thought it was an exciting idea and so we went to meet the filmmakers who showed us how to use the equipment. We liked doing it even though it took three months to make.

What equipment did you use to shoot and edit the film?

We used Canon 600D digital SLRs with tripods and microphones that were lent to us. In the workshops there was more lighting and sound equipment for interviewing.

For editing, we used software called Vegas and showed our edits to everyone in the workshops. Unfortunately, the programme wasn’t compatible with the filmmakers’ equipment so they re-edited for us on Final Cut Pro.

Who/what inspires you?

We like lots of different films and television programmes. For example, Lucy likes musicals, Nick likes manga and Dom likes magic shows.

What are your plans for the future?

Some of us would like to get jobs and others want to pursue their interests. We don’t suppose we will be filmmakers but it would be good to make another one sometime. How about an animated story written, drawn and narrated by us?

What is the most important thing you have learned so far?

We didn’t know anything about filmmaking when we started the project and most of us were nervous about being on camera. Now that it’s finished we are really pleased to have done it.