OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JANUARY 11th 2022

 

Happy New Year everyone and what better way to kick things off for the club than with the Top Ten final!

 

The results of the individual rounds can be found HERE so now it is time to determine once and for all which film was the collective favourite of club members and will be declared the winner at the Oscars in March!

 

A reminder of the ten films vying for the top prize this year, listed in no particular order:

 

  1. Eye of the Storm
  2. End of an Era
  3. Dancing in the Sun
  4. Kingscote South
  5. Cold Call
  6. Salvor
  7. Lanzarote – A Different View
  8. Diving Antigua & Barbuda
  9. The Prescribed Morning Walk
  10. Transformation of The Knoll

 

In lieu of the ongoing situation with COVID restrictions the meeting will NOT take place at the club room at St Augustine’s and  instead will be held via ZOOM. Club secretary Barbara J. Darby has sent the Zoom link details out via email already but they will be sent again on the day of the meeting!

 

The films will once again be made available to view via our Vimeo account the day after the meeting takes place for those who do not attend the Zoom meeting, with the links to the films and the online voting form as well as a PDF version of the voting form will be sent via email to fill in and return to competitions officer David Roman-Halliday. Please remember you have SEVEN DAYS to watch the films and cast your vote!

 

We hope to see as many of you on Zoom as possible this coming Tuesday!

 

Thanks for reading!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY DECEMBER 14th 2021

 

As we head towards the end of the year that can only mean one thing – the annual competition is upon us. This is where we submit our films for judging by another club and the results are reveal during The Oscars in March next year. Also part of the Oscars are the club competitions, i.e. the ones voted for by members of OVFM. These include the TOP TEN, and the three personalised categories the films for which are being screened on this evening.

 

They are Kath Jones Cup, Vic Treen Trophy, and Mike Turner Plate. For a full rundown of the requirements for each category please click HERE.

 

This meeting will be held in person at the Barnard Rooms, but we are mindful that many club members still a little hesitant or unable to venture out from their homes during these dark, cold evenings but we do encourage as many of you as possible to attend in person.

 

By now you should be aware we have a system to allow those not in attendance to participate via the films being uploaded to Vimeo. The day after the meeting an email sent out with a link to the films along with a link to the online voting form, or a downloadable version for print or email return. Please remember there is a SEVEN DAY time limit to watch the films and submit your forms, after which the links and access to the films will expire.

 

We hope to have a decent turn out at the hall as well as a full evening’s worth of films to enjoy and judge, for what will be the final time we meet as a club in 2021.

 

If we don’t see you then, stay safe and all the best for the festive season and see you in 2022!

 

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30th 2021

 

This week we give members a chance to interact with each other via the comfort of our lovely warm homes and not have to brave the freezing temperatures of the dark nights as we present another Zoom meeting.

For the first part of this session John Epton will be discussing the club’s latest technical acquisition, new radio mics, along with a short clip of a film using them, followed by a look at the pros and cons of conducting a three camera shoot and the process of multi-cam editing.

Some of you my recall my film MEET DEXTER was a three camera shoot but when it came to editing, I did it the old fashioned way of pulling clips from each camera as I saw fit, whilst many editing programmes these days offer the option to use a multi-cam editing function which is not as easy as it seems. I expect John will show us why in his presentation.

In the second part, if there is time, we turn the floor over to you and the films you have requested from our archive. Nominations have been submitted to the Committee and the films have been sourced by our archive keepers, so you’ll just need to join us to find out if your choices made the playlist this time.

If you want to make a request to see a film during a future zoom session or want to take on the role of curator and host then please see this post for details of the requirements.

We’ve also invited a few guests to join us for this session, so if you see any unfamiliar faces pop up then do please be welcoming towards them. Barbara Darby will be sending the links for the meeting out to everyone 24 hours before it begins and again on the day.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you on Tuesday!

TOP TEN 2021 – THE RESULTS

 

RESULTS

 

The two rounds of this year’s Top Ten competition have taken place, the votes are in and here are the results as they currently stand.

 

ROUND ONE – (Held October 19th)

  1. Transformation of The Knoll – David Laker   39.00
  2. Lanzarote – A Different View – Brian Pfeiffer   37.76
  3. End of an Era – John & Ann Epton  36.84
  4. Dancing in the Sun –  Jane Oliver  35.55
  5. Eye of the Storm – Mandy Carr   33.95

 

ROUND TWO – (Held November 16th) 

  1. Cold Call – Lee Relph    37.75
  2. Kingscote South – Sam Brown   36.86
  3. Diving Antigua & Barbuda – David Roman-Halliday    35.10
  4. Salvor – John Alford    32.52
  5. The Prescribed Morning Walk – Colin Jones    32.41
  6. Detectorist – Thomas McCridland    31.14
  7. Waterlilies – Ian Menage   29.60
  8. Superbikes – John Bunce   25.81

 

Therefore the ten films which will compete in the final are as follows:

 

  1. Transformation of The Knoll
  2. Lanzarote – A Different View
  3. Cold Call
  4. Kingscote South
  5. End of an Era
  6. Dancing in the Sun
  7. Diving Antigua & Barbuda
  8. Eye of the Storm
  9. Salvor
  10. The Prescribed Morning Walk

 

The final takes place at the Barnard Rooms on January 11th 2022 and online via Vimeo, but we hope to see as many of you as possible in person.

 

Transformation of the Knoll in Orpington

 

As part of OVFM’s History of Orpington project, club treasurer David Laker has once again taken a trip back in time to explore the Knoll in Orpington, revealing its fascinating beginnings in the mid 19th century to the area we now know today.

We have an extract of David’s film Transformation of the Knoll in Orpington here:

 

 

If you would like to see the complete film, we encourage you to stay in touch with OVFM for news of the hopeful return to our annual Spring Show in 2022!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY NOVEMBER 16th 2021

 

We are now ready for the second round of the 2021 Top Ten competition.

In the first round we had five films entered, featuring a drama, travelogue and another local history lesson, and for this second and concluding qualifying round, we are hoping to top that number of entries 

Like last time, we are mindful that many club members still a little hesitant or unable to venture out from their homes during these dark , cold evenings but we do encourage as many of you as possible to attend in person.

You may recall we also tested a new system to allow those not in attendance to participate via the films being uploaded to Vimeo the day after the meeting, and an email sent out with a link tot he films along with a link to the online voting form, or a downloadable version for print or email return. Please remember there is a SEVEN DAY time limit to watch the films and submit your forms, after which the links and access to the films will expire.

If you are submitting or have submitted a film we ask that you bring a back-up version on memory stick in MP4 format just in case any problems arise with playback. The deadline for submitting your film is this Friday November 12th.

We are also expecting a few new faces to attend this meeting so like last time, it would be good if as many club members as possible are present in the Barnard Room to greet them on Tuesday! For those people joining us for the first time reading this post please refer to THIS PAGE for directions to the meeting hall.

If you are due to show a film on this session or didn’t have one in time for the first round, please let David Roman-Holliday know about your entry as soon as possible.

NB: Due to issues with the kitchen at the Barnard Rooms, there will unfortunately be NO REFRESHMENTS available. If attending members require (non-alcoholic) drinks, they are advised to bring their own to the meeting.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing a many of you as possible at the meeting in person on Tuesday evening!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2nd 2021

 

This week’s meeting will be held over Zoom and will be a film screening night based on the choices of YOU, the OVFM members!

Following on from this request made by the Committee, the plan moving forward is for Zoom meetings without a set theme will be comprised of film screenings in which members can request films from the archive or introduce one of their own films (Provided they are in the archive or if it is recent, uploaded to Vimeo). A programme along these lines has already been curated for this upcoming meeting which will serve as dry run if you will for future sessions of this nature.

We not only hope this makes for entertaining viewing but also a chance to discuss the films with either the creator or the person who requested them, giving us the opportunity to learn the inspiration behind the films, what they mean to other people, and how the themes or stories were interpreted by the viewer, and so on.

As ever, secretary Barbara J. Darby will send out the Zoom log in links to everyone via email 24 hours before the meeting and again a few hours before the start time. We hope to see you then!

Choose Our Zoom Meeting programmes!

 

Per the Legion of Doom, aka the OVFM Committee, a request regarding the programmes for future club meetings held via Zoom:

 

We need everyone’s help to provide material for future zoom meetings. In fairness, everyone will be given the opportunity to show one of their films or if they’re not a filmmaker to select one from the archive to show. This will build up a catalogue of films ready for zoom meetings.

 

Each person can introduce their film or choice of film, say why they picked it, why they joined OVFM in the first place, what’s the value in belonging to OVFM and what they’ve learnt along the way.  You might want to make suggestions to encourage those new to filmmaking on how to go about getting started or how to get involved in some other aspect; they may already be a talented actor, actress or writer.

 

We need you to respond as soon as possible to give the archivists time to make the films available. The archive lists can be found HERE in the Members Only Section, so make sure you have your passwords handy if you are not logged in.

 

We value your contributions to your club and thank you all in anticipation.

FILM TO A THEME PROJECT NOTICE – SIGNS

 

SIGNS

 

Signs, signs
Everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery
Breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that
Can’t you read the sign?

 

I imagine I am the only one who knows this song, originally by the Five Man Electrical Band from 1971. Anyway, enough of the musical appreciation history lesson, this was the first thing that popped into my head when our chair Jane announced a new Film To A Theme project idea: Signs.

The idea first came to light during a club Zoom meeting in August where Jane showed many of the pictures she took and filmed during Lockdown which was predominantly of signs around town. Somebody commented “Why didn’t I think of that?” which led to Jane suggesting that there was nothing stopping them from doing the same – after all, you can’t pass a shop window these days without some sort of notice asking you to wear a mask, observe social distancing, wash your hands, as well as rainbow pictures for the NHS, and so on.

But this is just one example of what could be captured on film. There are everyday signs not related to COVID which we notice but don’t really pay attention to, or take for granted that might be exclusive to our own neighbourhoods, like a local boot sale poster, a creative “beware of the dog” notice, bespoke street or pub signs, road works, traffic warnings, lost cat posters, they are all valid. Of course this means we’ll get 20 minutes of railway crossing signs from Sam, but each to their own!

As Jane points out the subject is very flexible whether you want to focus on topical Covid related signs in the physical sense of posters and notices as outlined above, or in the figurative or poetic sense, taking “signs” as a representation of something, for example a “sign of the times” which would include footage of social distancing, people using the NHS App, wearing their masks, getting their jabs, closed pubs, churches or empty shops that once thrived, empty streets, people eating alfresco, everything that is the current “normal” for us.

You may even have some archive footage to show us a “sign of the times” that was yesteryear, reflecting on how social attitudes have changed from then to now, or an old home video of Christmas morning with a “sign” that Santa had been. Have you signed a cheque or document recently? Ever throw up the sign of the horns at a rock concert? (just me then). I think you get the point.

To give you a start, here is a list of suggestions to consider if you are short of ideas:

 

  • signs of rain
  • signs of spring
  • signs of panic buying
  • signs of petrol queues
  • signs of ‘getting back to normal’
  • signs of businesses that have folded
  • signs of new businesses
  • signs of people eating out again
  • signs of lots of traffic
  • signs of no traffic even on the motorways
  • signs of accidents
  • signs of getting older
  • signs of new buildings going up
  • sign language
  • ‘signs’ cheques/documents
  • ‘signs off’
  • graffiti
  • logos

 

I’m sure you can think of more now we’ve planted the seeds into your heads.

Now the important part – the screening date for your efforts is TUESDAY JANUARY 25th 2022 so you have a bit of time to get your camera out, start filming, then put it altogether into a watchable presentation. Or, if you don’t have your second round TOP TEN entry yet, you could use this idea for a film, though you are limited to just a few weeks to get it made if you do.

Good luck and we look forward to seeing the results in January.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY OCTOBER 19th 2021

 

Now we are up and running again (sort of) it is time to get down to the serious business of our club competitions and that of course means the TOP TEN, and the first round is this Tuesday!

Obviously this was suspended in 2020 due to something or other but it is back and we hope you are all raring to go with the films you have made with all that time on your hands over the post 18 months! Everything you need to know about this year’s competition can be found HERE.

Last year’s big winner was Mandy Carr who not only won the Top Ten but just about every other award at the Oscars too. Wil she make it two in a row or will Barbara Darby reclaim her crown as Miss Top Ten? Only one way to find out!

However, with many club members still a little hesitant or unable to venture out from their homes and with winter practically here, we understand that attendance in the Barnyard Rooms will be affected but we do encourage as many of you as possible to attend in person.

Because a small audience will also effect the voting of the Top Ten and other competitions leaving us with a score that won’t be truly representative of a film’s quality or merits, we have a contingency plan. To wit:

On the day after the meeting, the films from each round will be uploaded to Vimeo and put into a Showcase, the link for which absent club members will receive via email, along with a link to the online voting form, which will be hosted via Google Docs. These films can then be viewed in the comfort of your own homes but there will be a SEVEN DAY time limit to watch them and submit your forms, after which the links and access to the films will expire.

We made a number of contacts at the Public Zoom Meeting on October 15th and some of these may attend the Top Ten meeting, so it would be good if as many club members as possible are present in the Barnard Room to greet them on Tuesday! If we create a good enough, lasting impression this may result in new members for the club. So let’s all be there with our best welcoming smiles at the ready!

If you are due to show a film on November 16th or have one that should have been shown during this round but wasn’t ready, please let David Roman-Holliday know about your entry as soon as possible.

NB: Due to issues with the kitchen at the Barnard Rooms, there will unfortunately be NO REFRESHMENTS available. If attending members require (non-alcoholic) drinks, they are advised to bring their own to the meeting.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing a many of you as possible at the meeting in person on Tuesday evening!