First encounters Super 8 in the 'I Am a Chicken' film-loop installations of thoroughly eccentric 4th year student Irish John. Mesmerising postgraduate Tanya Ury changes everything by arranging visit to Brothers Quay studios. A trip to the pre-Glasnost Prague Film School, a mouthful of Lynch's Blue Velvet, a heartful of Jarman's The Garden and a dirty scoop of Svankmajer's claymation later and film - complete with its grain, scratches, dirt and hairs - becomes a new passion.

Begins animating with sausages, shaving foam, lentils, ink, toilet rolls, anything to hand. Not realising that 'proper' tools exist, invents edit suite with sellotape and nail scissors. Creates soundtracks live during projection. Discovers all sorts of Super 8 'genre classics' by trial and error - error mostly - film loops, scratch-burn-bleach animations, the road movie, the diary film.

Completes degree with 2 experimental documentary films and one 3 screen installation, all Super 8. Manages to persuade examiners that an empty bottle of Czech beer filled with 50ft of loose Super 8 film (with sentences from Czech penpal's letters glued to the emulsion) qualifies as a dissertation. They accept the ruse, but not so the college cleaner who bins it.