Welcome to our Real Talk series, where we’re talking with artists, filmmakers, and educators we work with at Austin School of Film. We’re asking a cross-section of multimedia creators what inspires their work, how COVID-19 has affected their craft, and what we can hope to look forward to with them in the future.

Portrait by Tash de Valois @newpleasure.photos

This afternoon’s highlight is Sydney Barnett—Oakland-based artist, filmmaker, and educator. Sydney is the lead educator behind our Zine Making workshops with her latest session “Exploring Horror and the Macabre" where students will dive into the world of horror, the macabre, and fantasy to make their own individual zines.

We chatted with Sydney about her involvement in the arts and film worlds and how her role has played a part in engaging people from all around the world.

Sydney Barnett (she/they)

Location: Oakland, CA

Craft: Multimedia artist, musician, filmmaker, and educator

Industry: Film/Video, Creative Media, Music, and Education

THE INTERVIEW

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am a filmmaker, musician, artist and educator in Oakland, CA. I came up in the punk scene in the borderlands of San Diego/Tijuana with family on both sides of the, now, horrific wall. These things shaped me and are forever informing my creativity. I am very into DIY practices and youth/community empowerment. I am a big nerd as well with a big collection of films, books, cameras, synths, video games, art supplies, and toys.

You create visual art as well as films, can you share about your work with zines?

I have always created analog and fine art. I’ve been doing multimedia collages for about 7 years now. I make collages for friend’s band art or show flyers. I grew up in the punk scene so I’ve been reading zines since I was a preteen but I never really thought to make my own until a friend urged me to do so. She not only told me I should share my art with the world but helped me with the whole printing and distribution process. It was such an amazing experience to hand it to strangers and ship it to homies as far away as Chile. I loved it! Shortly after, a friend and I taught a photography zine class to 5 teenagers here in Oakland and the physical aspect of using their hands and paper to make something totally blew their minds. We are so used to everything being on our phones and computers--I think it's very special to people to create something like this that is completely theirs. I think zines are also a very unique way to share our brains with the world. It’s somewhere in between a newspaper and a diary. The intimacy of them can be scary, but I see my students (and myself!) becoming so empowered after sharing them.

Still image from Sydney’s latest experimental short film.

How did you first get introduced to film?

I was a little skate rat in my small hometown. My brothers and I would roam the streets and find ways to entertain ourselves. A friend got a camcorder and I never looked back. I would make skate videos but also try to make horror films and recreate Maury in my yard with all the kids in the neighborhood! LOL. I’ve always loved film & wanted to be a filmmaker. It was slow moving for me because I couldn’t really believe that it was something I could do. When I was in my early twenties I met my good friend Evan, who did exactly what I wanted to do. Freelance and personal filmmaking and film education. He introduced me to a lot of cool concepts about owning the form without letting expectation totally control you.

What do you love about filmmaking?

Whew, what don’t I love about filmmaking? I love it all. I love storytelling and character/world development. I love cinematography and symbolism. I love the experience of being totally immersed in another world when you get to be the spectator of a film. I guess if I had to say the thing I love the most it would be the fact that you can literally do whatever the hell you want when you're coming up with a concept but that ultimately your intention and heart will shine through any story. You can really put your soul into a short story and I just love that.

We saw your stacks of Fangoria, and are so thrilled we were able to track down vintage copies for collaging for your October workshop! What draws you to the horror genre?

Horror is great because at first glance a film can seem like there is no point other than to scare you and be senselessly gorey but when you look a bit deeper there is tons of symbolism in there that just gives me so much life! I love using horror as a metaphor or device to show the deeper horrors of our societies or our very own existence. Plus, I love practical effects!

“Don’t let anyone tell you your story isn’t worth being told. There are so many barriers around us all the time, but our stories are begging to be released. All I want to do is empower my students to have the skills and resources they need to get their story out, even if it’s only for you.”

As both a visual artist and filmmaker, what inspires you to create?

The fact that sometimes I have no idea what to do with my feelings and ideas is usually what inspires me to create. I’ll feel like, wow what if the world was or wasn’t this way? And that feeling will totally consume me until I create something to let it out. It's a survival technique sometimes. I see that in a lot of artists and it really inspires me to keep going.

What do you find are some of the most challenging aspects of creating?

Definitely capitalism and the patriarchy! Being a filmmaker working against those systems is SO difficult. Even in spaces that fancy themselves transformative or progressive, people just want to know how to make money off of you and/or tokenize you. Meanwhile, the world is erasing you. It’s exhausting. I am so lucky to be part of some really special communities, though.

You work with youth as part of Youth Beat, can you talk a little about your work with them? What's your role?

Youth Beat is a program that teaches filmmaking skills to young people here in Oakland. We offer free classes that eventually lead to a paid internship and often employ our students after they finish our program. I am a Teaching Artist there, so I teach all aspects of filmmaking to my kids and help them get experience in the industry. It's really special. I know first hand how differently my life could have looked had I had something like that as a teen. My kids are so brilliant and talented. I love working with them.

It is no surprise that Austin School of Film is extremely transparent about COVID-19 and how our virtual program launched as a direct response to the ongoing pandemic. You have been both an educator and an attendee, can you talk about your experience with Austin School of Film’s PLAY AT HOME program?

Yes! It's been so cool to start as an attendee and then move into teaching workshops. Play at Home is amazing and so unique. I’ve spent my whole life wanting to share space with other creative people and learn technical filmmaking skills. So many places that offer these classes are either so expensive or lack the creative and communal energy that I need to thrive. Play at Home is great because I’ve met people I genuinely want to work with and be friends with AND I’ve also learned skills that will help me in my career forever. I’m currently working on a film project with a friend that was in the “Shooting on Super 8” class using skills I learned in the “Symbolism” and “Documentary” class.

Has it been beneficial to you as an artist and educator?

PAH has absolutely benefitted me as an artist and educator. It’s helped inspire me during this pandemic that has totally wiped out my motivation. It has helped me recenter my practice as an educator and go back to the central values of education. Of course, I miss being in person, but creating virtual curriculum has helped me reconnect with what learners really need and helped remind me that the teacher/student dynamic doesn’t have to be hierarchical. We’re all just learning together, especially right now.

If you’re new to zinemaking, what’s one thing you’d share with your future students that excites you about the October session?

Like I said, I am super interested in the metaphorical themes of horror. I want to explore themes like the abject, the other, body horror and more to help y’all create a zine that embodies what really scares us. I think once you start creating art around what scares you, there is a sense of control that you get--that you need to heal. Speculative fiction is one the most subversive genres because it can be healing for people whose autonomy has been taken from them. I want to do this in our class! I am also super excited to explore the visuals of horror and apply that on paper.

Anything else you would like to share?

Don’t let anyone tell you your story isn’t worth being told. There are so many barriers around us all the time, but our stories are begging to be released. All I want to do is empower my students to have the skills and resources they need to get their story out, even if it’s only for you.

An Interview with Oakland Artist Sydney Barnett