About
Aaron West is a filmmaker and writer with a background in film, photography and production in both public & private sectors as well as independent cinema, currently serving as Head of Production at City Eye.
Driven by a passion for storytelling and a knack for translating creative visions into impactful projects, Aaron enjoys crafting compelling content that resonates with audiences.
As Head of Production at City Eye, Aaron plays a pivotal part in nurturing the south-central filmmaking community, supporting both emerging and established talent to realise their artistic goals. He mentors aspiring filmmakers through City Eye's various networks and courses which include the delivery of the BFI Film Academy.
Aaron assisted one of his students, Harry, on their debut short film 1999. Harry was subsequently awarded a bursary from the Royal Television Society in 2025. Other students include Harvey, who has since completed a course at Pinewood studios and gone on to work as a runner on Fantastic Four (2025) and Joe, who has recently completed a placement opportunity, shadowing the DIT/edit department for Kill Jackie, an upcoming TV series on Amazon Prime staring Katherine Zeta Jones.
In 2024, Aaron facilitated work experience for his students on the feature film 'A Night Like This,' directed by Liam Calvert on which he also served as B-Cam operator. The placement was beneficial to both the production, who received extra support, and to his students who gained invaluable experience on a real film set. A Night Like this premiered at BFI Flare Festival 2025.
Aaron's other notable film credits include Alien: Containment, directed by Chris Reading to celebrate 40 years of the Alien Franchise, and Mazepa's Ride from Ukrainian artist Mykola Ridnyi.
At City Eye, Aaron has also helped deliver Southampton Film Week, the annual film festival and SFW: Shorts, its companion short film competition.
City Eye is the newly appointed Mission Controller for DV Mission 48 Hour Film Challenge, having received the baton on its 20th anniversary in March 2025. Aaron is now working with his colleagues to organise the festival's 22nd year after a successful re-launch in 2026.
"I champion innovation and collaboration wherever I can in the ever-evolving world of visual storytelling."
History
Aaron was born in Hampshire, UK.
His experience growing up in a sleepy seaside town has informed his writing, including his first short film 'The Straight & Narrow' which was created as a university graduation film in 2017. Though there has been many unofficial films made prior to that moment.
Aaron has enjoyed taking part in DV Mission 48 Hour Film Challenge and is excited to now have a hand in its organisation.
As a child, Aaron was lucky enough to get his hands on a DV camcorder, which enabled short skits, including various sketch shows where bad-taste humour was key.
"I'm a child of Ab Fab & South Park. Growing up I remember thinking very clearly that nothing was off limits. Comedy is punk. Life's not worth living without it."
Aaron studied Film Production at Solent University in Southampton and has since returned to deliver talks about his career.
His production company Alver & Lea was originally set up in 2017 with filmmaker & producer Oliver Perry. They are now working to remaster 'The Straight & Narrow' in time for its 10th Anniversary.