Lots of teenage boys spend all day watching old movies, but very few of them end up setting up their own film businesses at the age of 19. Malcolm Ellison's love affair with film reached its peak last year, when one of his short films was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It was a dream come true, but also the culmination of years of hard work.

Now 21, he earns his bread and butter creating videos, animation, graphics and websites for companies large and small. His company, CrystalLight Productions, operated from his bedroom for several years, but is now in serviced offices at Grove Technology Park.

He fell in love with old movies at the former Regal Cinema in Wantage.

"I spent quite a large part of my childhood there. It was going there that I developed my interest. I never had a TV as a child, because my parents thought it would be better for me to spend time outdoors but obviously, I went down to the cinema instead.

"It was really Star Wars, when it came round for the second time, that got me interested in film. One day I thought 'I could do that' and got a home video camera.

"None of my family worked in the industry, so I had to do it all myself. It was difficult, but you just keep on applying. Eventually I got a job as a runner, where you work long hours for tuppence. If you are prepared to stick with it, there's only one way, and that's up.

"I managed to get some cash together and I started up on my own."

An investor provided funding for the professional equipment needed, including high-definition cameras, a crane, and top-end software. In between servicing clients, Mr Ellison still works as a freelance technical director, brushing shoulders with stars such as Ewan McGregor.

So how does a small company in rural Oxfordshire compete with the big boys in London?

"In London, you get one company that does sound and you have to find another that does film. If someone comes to us and says 'I would like a video' we can do everything — the script process, storyboards, shot ideas, filming and editing, with colour grading and sound — which is much more cost-effective for the client.

"With our projects, we try to give them a filmic quality, using original camera angles, putting things in a different world, like a spaceship, for example, which allows our clients to stand out above the rest.

"And our staff get the chance to experience the whole process. All our staff are creative. They get the chance to suggest shot ideas, which they never would with a big company."

The Cannes Festival film — an eight-minute short noir offering called The Woman in Red, in the style of Humphrey Bogart — was shot at Grove Technology Park using a 'green screen', with the background scenery and objects inserted later with computer trickery.

Starring local actors, many of whom Mr Ellison met through the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, it was sold to a Sky channel and plays from time to time on the channel's Mini Movies slot.

He has plenty of plans for the future, despite the recession.

"Our aim is to make another feature, but in the current climate we have to focus on our clients. The film shorts are fun for us, and they show our clients what can be achieved with their products in terms of brand image."

He is completely self-taught, having entered the industry straight from sixth form.

"I was already doing 3D animation. I think university is fine if you are doing English or science, but media courses are not as good as learning on the job.

“When you leave university, you have to start as a runner, so you might as well do that anyway.

"It's a difficult field to get into. You have to put in the time and effort — getting up at six to start early, and working until nine or ten at night."

It was a hard day for him when the Wantage cinema shut.

"One of my hopes was to see one of my film projects in Wantage cinema, but I don't think it's going to happen.

"I'm rooted in the golden era of cinema. I love a lot of the films that are around now, but there is something about watching Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's, or Humphrey Bogart.

"I love myths and fairytales, and that's the thing I try to bring to our short films and to our clients. They are fantastic for storytelling. They get across a lot of excitement and a lot of emotion."