Blitz And Bananas Part 4

An Epic Tale of an Epic Tale

by

Anna Littler

 

(click on images to see them full size)

Part 4: The Premiere for Blitz and Bananas

Although it’s 6 months away, we’re already focussing on organising the Premiere and would value your thoughts on this as we need to make important decisions.

We have Sunday 1st April 2012 pencilled in at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

We have selected this date as it is the start of the Easter holidays (Palm Sunday, the weekend BEFORE Easter). We thought this may be useful if any relatives/friends from further afield may be travelling to Bromley to come to see it.

Naturally we want a date that suits the people involved (and their families) as you are of primary importance!  Let us know what you think!

The time of day is flexible. It could be a Matinee (2.30pm or 3pm) Or teatime (5pm ish) or evening (7pm ish).  There will be refreshments available for sale at the bars immediately after the performance, so people can mingle.  In addition, we propose to have a private ‘thank you’ party (also at the Churchill) for all those who’ve been involved. This could take place after the film and after the mingling!

The Film plus Out-takes plus special guests/children on stage etc could take 1½-2 hours, so the whole event including the Private party could be 3-4 hours, if people want to party!

Pricing

We are proposing to sell tickets for the Premiere – Adults £10 and Children £5.

I’m afraid we are not proposing to have a reduced rate for Seniors as much of the audience could fall into this category.  Let me know if you think this is a problem.

I appreciate that many people have given so much time to make this film and I’m happy for such people to request a free ticket, (especially if they’re bringing a gang load of ticket buyers with them!)

We also propose to have a family ticket and a group booking discount. (Feel free to suggest prices/ discounts you think appropriate.)

 

We are still negotiating hire costs with the Churchill but ideally we’d like to cover these significant costs, as well as other costs already incurred (props, costumes, fees etc etc.).  If there are any profits, these will help us to promote the film afterwards, as my aim is to try to sell it –  for use in schools, clubs and homes for the elderly and beyond…!

We would like feedback about the date, the time of day and the proposed price rates. Please also tell us HOW MANY TICKETS you think you might need / be able to sell (to family /friends/neighbours etc).  (Please don’t double up if you and your best friend are targeting the same people!)

 

If you know of other film clubs, history groups, bowling clubs etc. you have links with or mailing lists of people who you would be willing to contact, please let me know.

 

We know there are cheaper hiring options like school halls, and we’ve enquired at the Empire cinema, but these can often only seat c 250 which would be too small for this event.  Personally I’d like the Premiere to be a really special experience (and with comfy seats!!) for all the children AND adults involved. We’ve lots of ideas to make it more than just a film experience for all guests.

 


The Churchill seats c 700.  If I’ve a rough idea of how many tickets we can easily sell, that will help us work out what’s feasible. I will also try to see if the local council or any charities etc. may sponsor a group of tickets so that local groups could come (British Legion/Age UK) and local primary schools/head teachers etc. Any contacts you may have would be useful!

 

Volunteers?

If anyone would be interested in helping to organise the Premiere and the party, please let me know as it would be great to brainstorm with others and get things moving.

I’m also in the process of packing up my WW2 props and costumes to store and I want to catalogue them – to enable us to find things easily when needed. If this appeals, please let me know, as it would be much easier (and more fun!) to have 2 or 3 of us working on it together.

 

Thank you all again for EVERYTHING!  Look forward to hearing from you!

 

Lots of Simon’s fab photos can now be seen on: www.facebook.com/blitzandbananas

 

Part 1 of the Blitz And Bananas story can be found HERE

Part 2 can be found HERE

Part 3 can be found HERE

 

Thanks again for everything! Anna annahopelittler@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

 

 

OVFM Coaching Evenings 2011/12

OVFM Coaching Evenings

October 2011/Early 2012

As some of you are already aware, club member Ian Menage has been organising a series of coaching evenings in order to help improve the quality of film making for our club members or to offer some guidance for the new or easily intimidated film maker.

With the help of some of the more experienced and knowledgeable members, this course is sure to provide plenty of help and encouragement to us all and is set to cover every major area of the film making process. We also hope to apply all we have been taught to  the making of a group short film for future screening during a regular club meeting.

These sessions will take place on alternate Tuesdays to our regular club meetings at the same venue. in other words, if you attend you’ll be making your way to Petts Wood every week instead of every fortnight (with a break for Christmas/New Year). Unlike our regular club meetings, Ian has promised that these sessions will start on time!

The first session is scheduled for Tuesday October 18th and the breakdown of the syllabus is thus with the names of the club members acting as advisers :

A.  Pre-production

Week 1 – 18th October 2011

Your camcorder controls and sound basics.

– “Bring your camera” – Colin Jones
–  Sound recording – Chris Coulson

Week 2 – 1st November 2011

– Planning a project: type; story; scripting; supporters; locations; Golden Rule; continuity; music; interview techniques, sets, etc. The ‘language of film’ – Colin Jones.

– Tips on shooting to make editing easier, use of clapper boards, etc. – John Epton

Week 3 – 15th November 2011

– Lighting and camera angles – Chris Coulson

– Using Club equipment – Chris Coulson

B.  Production

Week 4 – 24th January 2012

All to be involved in making a short uncomplicated film.

C.  Post production

Week 5 – 7th February 2012

–  Editing principles, including “before and after” illustrations; managing clips; multi cameras and soundtrack  – John Epton

Week 6 – 21st February 2012

– The language of titling and special effects – Mike Shaw

–  Formation of small groups with same editing programmes and distribution of tapes to edit at home.

Sounds like a fun and worthwhile project which we can all benefit from. If you haven’t already signed up for this then please leave a reply below expressing your intention to attend or e-mail Ian Menage at ian.menage@gmail.com, who I am sure will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about this project.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you there!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday September 27th 2011

Last month our chairman Chris Coulson announced the latest club project “Something I’ve Always Wanted To Do”. If you need a reminder of that then click HERE.

This week we see the fruits of your labours as we host the screening of your films sharing your secret ambitions. I just hope there is nothing to incriminating. As we saw a few months back with the “My Other Hobby” project that club members have a variety of interests away from film making (well, mostly painting and tyre spotting) so one has to wonder if there are some equally diverse hidden desires to be revealed.

If you could be so kind as to reply to this post below to let us know whether you are bringing a film or not that would be appreciated.

See you then!

Stop Press – OVFM Hits The Headlines!

STOP PRESS!!

OVFM HITS THE HEADLINES!

 

Some of you may not know that aside from being Mrs. Club President and an aspiring cage fighter, Annabelle Lancaster is also OVFM’s press officer. This past week Annabelle scored a coup for the club by getting us featured in three different local publications with a feature on our recent “Green Screen” practical evening. Along with photos from Simon “Snapper” Earwicker, Annabelle’s feature appeared in no less august publications as News Shopper:

Bromley/Orpington Times:

Bromley Borough News:

Kudos to Annabelle for getting the club’s name out there to the general public. For anyone who missed the evening in question you can read Simon’s article about it HERE

Blitz And Bananas Part 3

An Epic Tale of an Epic Tale

by

Anna Littler

(click on images to see them full size)

PART 2 – The Bickley shoot

At our latest big shoot in Bickley we had about 50 people involved during the course of the day, including c 25 extras and actors (aged 2 to c 87) including a number of ladies who were treated like royalty in the beautiful 1930s cars!

Due to some of the main actors only being available in the morning, we had to film a lot of the footage out of sequence and do lots of the cutaways in the afternoon. Scheduling and planning for all these clips was quite taxing and despite a huge amount of preparation, we still missed filming a number of shots. We have since had to return to get these cutaways, without which the finale would not have made sense!

Another problem with having to film the cutaways (or half a conversation) later in the day was the fact that the weather kept changing from overcast to bright sunshine to rain!

Come rain...
...or shine!

Continuity can be a big headache! People’s hairstyles can change throughout the day, or they forget to put their gloves on or which hand they had their handbag in! (Or, like me, they wear their 1930’s hat the wrong way round!).

On some days we’ve been good at doing continuity photos – getting quick snaps of actors, props and sets – by using a simple digital camera which stores the photos for easy reference later on. At other times we’ve failed to get the photo we needed and we’ve had to hope for the best! But this can make editing much harder! (So if you join me for any of our remaining little shoots (for ‘pick ups’) and no one is snapping away (other than the professional Photographer Simon), please ask where my digital camera is – please!! I cannot stress the importance of such photos – it’s one of the most useful lessons I’ve learned! N.B. If you’ve a day between shoots, you can print photos from the film footage.

Lots of Simon’s fab photos can now be seen on: www.facebook.com/blitzandbananas

Part 1 of the Blitz And Bananas story can be found HERE

Part 2 can be found HERE

Part 4 can be found HERE

Thanks again for everything! Anna annahopelittler@yahoo.co.uk

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My Favourite Films – Derek Allen

myfave2

DEREK ALLEN

The films that made the most impression on me would probably not have the same effect if I saw them to-day, as they are all from the Golden Age of Hollywood (1930 – 1940).

My parents took me to see THE JAZZ SINGER, the first full-length movie with synchronised sound, but I was too young to appreciate the significance, so my top ten come from the time that I was allowed to go to the  ‘pictures’ on my own.

I went to the ‘Splendid’  cinema in Bromley Road, Downham. It held about 2,000 people yet there were always long queus to get in.  Childrens tickets were three pence and if it was an  ‘A’  film we asked an adult (any adult) to take us in.  Once past the huge foyer with two pay kiosks, we were left to find our own seats.

Being on the edge of the Downham Council Estate during a real depression when many children suffered with malnutrition and inadequate clothing, they could not raise even three pence, so some boys would climb in through the lavatory window.  Looking back, I think that the attendants probably knew, but felt sorry for them. Otherwise they could have locked the windows!.

Now for the films (in no particular order):

 

1. Way Out West (Dir. James W. Horne 1937)

I always thought that Laurel & Hardy were the greatest. As soon as their theme music was heard, even before the film started, the audience were laughing.

 

2. King Kong (Dir. Meriem C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack 1933)

As a schoolboy I had never heard of special effects and I wondered how they had created such a large monster, taller than the Empire State Building.

 

3. Gone With The Wind (Dir. Victor Fleming 1939)

I was not concerned with any of the technical side of film making. I just enjoyed the story.

 

4. The Lady Vanishes (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock 1938)

This was a true mystery. I enjoyed the tension and the way that the story developed.

 

5. The Cat & The Canary (Dir. Elliott Nugent 1939)

A really scary film with some humour as well. There had to be with Bob Hope as the leading character.

 

6. Stagecoach (Dir. John Ford 1939)

An adventure film that was really absorbing. Olive and I saw it at a cinema showing old films whilst we were on honeymoon. It was so good that we both forgot that we were on honeymoon (and that takes a bit of doing!)

 

7. Mutiny on the Bounty (Dir. Frank Lloyd 1935)

An exciting story, not knowing how it would end when they were cast adrift in an open boat.

 

8. Everything Happens At Night (Dir. Irving Cummins 1939)

I just had a teenage crush on Sonja Henie, regardless of what sort of film it was – I could have watched her all night.

 

9. The Wizard of Oz (Dir. Victor Fleming 1939)

I was intrigued with the special effects and found all the characters interesting.

 

10. The Elephant Boy (Dir. Robert J. Flaherty & Zoltan Korda 1937)   

In the film Sabu was about my age, so I could imagine sharing all his adventures. I also found it interesting because I had been in the Cubs and we were given names from the ‘Jungle Book’ on which this film was based. Some of my very old friends still call me by my Jungle Book name. It was used by some friends in the Royal Marines and other friends in the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve, so it stuck with me right through my life.

 

These reasons do not seem adequate, but I am remembering films that made an impression on me at the time and I just enjoyed them.

There were so many classic made during that period that I could easily reel off another ten just as good. And for our three pence we got a second feature film, a newsreel, Mickey Mouse or the Three Stooges and adverts for next week’s films. If we were rich and paid sixpence at the Lewisham Gaumont we would get an organ recital as well.

After leaving school at 14 I became more interested in the theatre, but that’s another story.

 

So there you have it – agree or disagree as is your wont. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check out the lists from other OVFM members!! Click HERE to return to the menu page!

Blitz And Bananas – Part 2

An Epic Tale of an Epic Tale

by

Anna Littler

(click on images to see them full size)

PART 2 – TV actors ~ Brian Murphy and Linda Regan

It’s been such a pleasure and great fun to work with TV actors, Brian and Linda on Blitz and Bananas. They’ve been so generous with their time and skills. Even a couple of weeks before filming, when I met up with them to have a script chat, they had already taken time to get to know their characters well and they were so enthusiastic about the project. We had such a laugh as they tried on their costumes that I felt confident that we would have fun working with them! I’m so grateful that they kindly took time out from their very busy schedules to take part in the film.

It has also been a privilege for us to work with such experienced professionals, as I’m sure we all learned a lot from working with them.  On set they also entertained us greatly with their repartee in between takes!  (Much of it captured on film of course!)

The Farnborough shoot with Brian and Linda was probably our slickest operation! As always much planning helped, but having only 2 actors to film in 1 location made things considerably easier! Also having actors who remembered their lines and who did the same actions at the same time on each take showed they were pros!

Amanda, a University student, has helped me twice a week during August which has also made a huge difference, as it meant she was clued up before each shoot and could deal with the production side, so I could focus more on directing.  We had swift scene changes with props all ready waiting on trays. People timing scenes also helped us to stick to schedule. (I’ll write about this useful tip another time.)

We could have easily been deterred by the wasps, bright sunlight or other setbacks, but the team was so united that we found ways to deal with the obstacles, we kept focussed and even finished early enough to whizz over to Derek’s to film a scene outside his house. We ended the day with chocolate cake to celebrate Amanda’s 21st!

Lots of Simon’s fab photos can now be seen on: www.facebook.com/blitzandbananas

Part 1 of the Blitz And Bananas story can be found HERE

Part 3 can be found HERE

Part 4 can be found HERE

Anna  annahopelittler@yahoo.co.uk

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OVFM Autumn Show 2011

OVFM Autumn Show 2011

 

When the members of OVFM work so hard at producing films it seems only fair that they should get the best showing possible. At club meetings their work is projected onto a large screen, but when we put on a show at an outside venue we’re also able to attract a much larger audience.

We have always held a Spring event but thanks to the number of films available this year we are now able to include an Autumn event to our social calendar.

This year’s Autumn Show will take place on FRIDAY 28th OCTOBER at 7.30 pm

VENUE – Methodist Church, 19 Sevenoaks Road, Orpington BR6 9JH

DIRECTIONS – GOOGLE MAP

WEBSITE – http://www.orpingtonmethodist.org.uk/welcome.htm

Club members get in free but for others the tickets are £5 – which includes refreshments – and are available from our secretary Freddy Beard on 01689 813616 or Vice Chairman Mike Turner on 01689 861155.

For an entertaining and sociable evening get your tickets a.s.a.p. and bring along your friends and family!

See you then!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday September 13th 2011

 

The Top Ten rolls on as we reach Round Four! It’s been a slow start to the competition this year but with the summer holiday season coming to an end, there is a chance that a few domestic and overseas excursions have been documented on camera for future entries to alleviate this current dearth of film making activity.

 

Selected for putting their films (and reputations) up for judgement this time are:

 

Brenda & Roger Wheatley

Hugh Darrington

Pat Palmer

Mike & Jo Coad

Charlie & Nellie Caseley

Robin Hazelton

Jenny Tucker

Barbara & Ron Darby

Andy Webb

Alan Smith & Cherie Hamlet-Smith

Reg Lancaster

Ray Hewitt

David Laker.

 

Also set to contribute are:

 

Harold TrillI

Richard Pugh

 

 

There are a few prolific names on the list for this round which hopefully will translate to a healthier total of submissions this time around.

The updated scores for the competition so far can be found HERE!

Remember PLEASE reply to this post to let us know if you will or will not be submitting a film at this session. Thanks you!

 

See you then!!

Blitz And Bananas – Part 1

An Epic Tale of an Epic Tale

by

Anna Littler

(click on images to see them full size)

PART 1 – Background to Blitz and Bananas ~ How it all began!

First of all a huge thank you to everyone who’s been involved in my epic – Blitz and Bananas! For those of you who are new to OVFM, I started work on this project more than a year ago!  2010 was the 70th Anniversary of the Blitz which inspired me to start gathering stories from people in the SE London/Bromley area who remembered the Blitz, WW2 or who had been evacuated.  I then used these amazing memoirs along with my own ideas to create the script.   I was already working only part time to enable me to do some script writing and filmmaking courses and I was keen to put into practice what I’d learned.

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to spend 2 days behind the scenes on Coronation Street. It was inspiring and educational – and an invaluable learning experience – the kind of experience you can’t get from attending a course! Since then I’ve found it very difficult to get onto other TV / film sets so I decided the best way to learn was to set about making a film myself…and at the same lots of other people could learn about filmmaking too! I wanted a big challenge and so somehow Blitz and Bananas became a feature film!

Props & People!

I then had a great excuse for going to auctions and doing the rounds of charity shops in search of props, costumes and vintage furniture! I started inviting friends and advertising locally with the result that many friends, members of OVFM, amateur dramatics friends, 1940s Society members, school and university students all got involved. In addition, more people from the local area and OVFM offered to help out too, some providing us with air raid shelters, vintage cars, props, costumes and period houses.

Community Project

I’m amazed and thrilled that this has become a real community project with people of all abilities and ages involved – from 1 month to 91 years.  People have simply got stuck in! If they weren’t given a specific role, they spotted something that needed doing and simply did it!  Many people have learned online casino pokies new skills, shared their expertise and taught others, worked fabulously as a team, developed their creative skills, taken photos, dressed up in costume as an Extra or as a Stand-in (leg model/hand model!), driven vintage cars and done various essential behind the scenes jobs (clapper, boom mic, camera, lighting, reflectors, continuity, script supervision, set dressing, wardrobe, hair, props, refreshments, luggers and even ‘Shadowmakers’! etc.).  Some people who helped on many shoots got the chance to try out lots of different roles and I think many found their niche (or two!).  The best thing is that we’ve not only made a film but we’ve had lots of fun, we’ve learned a great deal and we’ve made lots of new friends!

There’s been such a great and supportive atmosphere even when things were stressful and/or when time was short. I can’t thank you all enough!  It’s been a pleasure working with such a great team of people. I hope it also inspires us all to stretch ourselves more in the future!

Lots of Simon’s fab photos can now be seen on: www.facebook.com/blitzandbananas

Click on LIKE to get updates re. future photos/clips.

We’ve still a few pick ups to film and the odd cutaway (so volunteers are still welcome) but the bulk is now fortunately filmed and captured.  There’s a huge amount of editing to do of course and we’re also focusing on organising the Premiere (details to come soon).  If you’d still like to get involved – and if helping with post production or the Premiere event is up your street – I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks again for everything!

Anna  annahopelittler@yahoo.co.uk

Part 2 can be found HERE

Part 3 can be found HERE

Part 4 can be found HERE