From pop fans to combatants in Iraq, digital technology is creating a new generation of would-be Spielbergs. This is the digital world of DIY movie-makers,

What links the Beastie Boys, a graphic designer from Texas, and three National Guardsmen fighting in the Sunni Triangle? Answer: they're all at the vanguard of a burgeoning genre of independent cinema - so-called "citizen filmmaking". From documentaries to Star Wars episodes, thousands of people are making their own movies, thanks to the growing affordability of digital cameras and editing software.

Many of the movies are poor quality and intended solely for consumption by family and friends. But some have found an audience on the internet or at film festivals. And next month sees the release of Awesome; I F***in' Shot That, a Beastie Boys concert movie filmed by fans with hand-held cameras during a show at New York's Madison Square Garden.

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