PAISLEY film-maker David Paul Baker watched YouTube action videos shot by serving soldiers in Iraq - and realised he had hit on the idea for his next movie.

PAISLEY filmmaker David Paul Baker watched YouTube action videos shot by serving soldiers in Iraq - and realised he had hit on the idea for his next movie.

Now he hopes to make half-a-million pounds with the release of Mission X, a 90-minute film made in Glasgow that cost just a few hundred pounds to make.

"I wrote the film to target a specific audience," says the 42-year-old.

"When I discovered that YouTube hits of videos made by the soldiers were running into the hundreds of thousands I set out to make a movie that replicated that reality, the adrenalin-rush experience that lots of blokes seem to enjoy."

David's storyline features a young Glasgow film-maker, played by student Grant Timmins, who meets a mercenary and recruits him for a film mission in the city.

It's a largely amateur cast but the staged action is frighteningly real.

David describes the film as "the Blair Witch Project meets the Dirty Dozen".

Having discovered the idea on the internet, David then used the web to develop interest in the project.

"I flagged the idea up on YouTube, Twitter, on specific sites for film buffs and chatrooms full of people who like these sort of movies. And I e-mailed posters and a trailer from the film.

"I also contacted companies which sell to the sort of person I think may like the film, for example companies that make men's gadgets, military memorabilia, guns magazines and Air Softer (like Paintball, but with 6mm plastic ball-bearings, army uniforms and serious expressions).

"They agreed to plug the film, and it all helps build up a community."

David soon received requests to buy the DVD and downloads of Mission X.

"I haven't gone down that route yet," he says. "That's because Cineworld in Glasgow saw the film recently and they love it, and it's currently with the London office for approval. If they screen it I will hold off on selling the DVDs.

"But if that doesn't go ahead, there is always Plan B, which includes booking theatres across the country independently. This week a film theatre in Aberdeen confirmed they will take the movie, and it's already had a screening in Glasgow's CCA.

"And once you get a theatre screening, the word spreads even faster. Young people like to be associated with radical, home-made ideas. They like to discover new products."

Mission X isn't David's first film. In 2000 he wrote, produced and starred in Pasty Faces, alongside High Times actor Alan McCafferty. The film featured two struggling Glasgow actors who run off to Las Vegas and get caught up in mayhem.

However, David sold the film rights and lost editorial control. And he was disappointed by the final result. Since then he's been determined to control his own film destiny.

"I want to be able to make good films that I'm sure can supply a niche market or perhaps go on to feed the popular market. And it helps that film-makers can produce movies these days for hundreds, rather than millions, of pounds.

"Camcorders are now incredibly sophisticated and fairly cheap, and new software programmes such as Final Cut Pro allow for home editing.

"In making Mission X all I had to pay for was the hire of the police for a few hours. Luckily, I managed to blag an airport, kit for the actors and I even got some AK-47s from an armourer for free.

"There's no reason why the film can't make £500,000. Regardless, I'll make a profit."

DAVID, who has worked shifts in McDonald's to pay his domestic bills, says the internet is a hugely powerful tool for any film producer.

"The web allows you to access film crews, technicians and actors who have their showreels on the net, people who aren't working but will pitch in. You end up with a mix of professional and student back-up, some really talented people who'd rather work for nothing than miss out on the experience."

David dreams of making a movie in Hollywood - but only when he's ready.

"What I want to do is produce a body of work that means I can bring an audience to Hollywood with me. It's not about getting one hit movie, it's about a long-term approach."

The writer/actor/producer has plans for his next film, a horror called Death Movie, about a group of youngsters who are killed by the effects of watching a drive-in film.

David says he already had £500,000 secured in backing until the recession kicked in.

But he also has massive' internet interest, and a marketing plan which includes taking a roadshow around drive-in theatres in the US.

And he plans to cast Hollywood star Gerard Butler in a key role.

"He agreed to star in Pasty Faces but wasn't right for the part. Thankfully, we never fell out and I'm hoping to attach his name to the next film."