OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2nd 2016

brian_P

 

Brian Pfeiffer is one of long standing and prolific club members with quite a catalogue of films shot around the globe. Wherever he goes on his international trips, Brian is never without his camera (police permission withstanding natch – Brian still swears he “accidentally” walked into the women’s changing room in that swim resort in Italy) and has captured many sights and sounds from places many of us would never think to go for our holidays.

Brian’s holidaying ventures include such destinations as China, Norway, Egypt, South Africa, America, Peru, the Arctic, Canada and  Southend-on-Sea (no, me neither). A complete list of countries Brian has visited is at the bottom of this post.

So, the Legion of Doom has given Brian an evening to share a selection of his most memorable films with the the rest of the club, some of which are hitherto unseen in OVFM.

Brian’s programme is as follows:

Part One

Introduction

Film 1 – Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre

40 minutes – including some chat breaks

(POSSIBLE special guest appearance of a star of ‘Paul O’Grady’s TV programme ‘Animal Orphans!) *

(Tea/Coffee break)

Part Two 

Film 2 – Tang Dynasty Show – Beijing

10 Minutes

Film 3 – Arctic Expedition

18 minutes 

Film 4 – Wait and see

 (I have learned something!)

4 minutes

*Hint – Not Paul O’Grady

There may be a change to the programme in order to facilitate a Q&A discussion for Brian (like where does he find the time to edit his films when he is always on holiday?).

Here is the complete list of locations Brian has filmed at:

 

1997America: – San Juan Islands and The Orcas; Mt St Helens; Lake Tahoe; Yosemite; Big Sur; San Francisco and Alcatraz

2000America: – Death Valley; Colorado; Durango Railway; Four Corners; Arizona & Hot Air Balloon flight; Mesa Verde; Lake Powell; Las Vegas; Palm Springs; Los Angeles and the Queen Mary

2001Norway:-  Tyjsford and The Orcas, 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle

2002South Africa: – Three day Safari in Botswana; Port Elizabeth; Garden Route; Cape Town with Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope

2003Norway to Russia Cruise: – Harwich to Murmansk in Russia – following the route of the North Atlantic convoys in WW2 visiting  Fjords and the North Cape

2003Egypt – River Nile Cruise: – Aswan to Luxor visiting Temples including Karnak and Abu Simbel plus a Hot Air Balloon flight

2004Canada, Alaska and America: – Inside Passage cruise to Alaska followed by tour of Wyoming; the Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks; Montana and Vancouver

2005China:- Forbidden City; Summer Palace; Beijing Opera; Xian; The Great Wall; Terracota Army; Pandas; Yangtse Cruise; Three Gorges Dam

2006Peru & Brazil: – Lima; Arequipa; Colca Canyon and Condors; Lake Titicaca; Uros Islands; Cusco; Machu Picchu; Rio de Janeiro; Iguacu Falls (fantastic!!)

2007The Arctic (Sept):  exploring Greenland and Iceland on a small converted Expedition ship (only 36 passengers) from Spitzbergen, through the pack ice to Greenland then to Iceland

2008 –  South Africa:- two Safari Reserves then Whale Watching at Hermanus

2010 Switzerland: – Glacier Express touring the mountains on the narrow gauge railways.

2012 Austria: – Touring the Austrian Tyrol by narrow gauge Mountain Railways

2014Baltic Capitals: – Cruising to St Petersburg via Copenhagen, Tallin, Stockholm and Helsinki

2015The Nile: – Cairo, Giza Pyramids, the Museum then cruising up river to Luxor

 

Hopefully you will join Brian and the rest of the club members this coming Tuesday for what should be an entertaining and insightful evening!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JANUARY 19TH 2016

ovfmholiday

 

“New York, London, Paris, Munich
Everybody talk about Pop Muzik”

Of course they really should be talking about the fact it is our annual January tradition of the OVFM Holiday Film evening!

When not stuck in front of our computers either scripting our next cinematic masterpiece or editing away at the countless hours of footage we have stored away on our cameras, some club members actually leave the house to explore the big wide world that is around us, camera in hand, naturally.

So it is that we invite members who have captured the sights and sounds of their getaway location for prosperity to cobble the footage together into a coherent narrative and share it with the rest of us, so we too can experience the wonders of that vast unknown quantity we call “abroad”.

Just to remind everyone that there is a FIVE MINUTE time limit on your film so if you have one that runs longer you may want to do some last minute pruning, although time permitting we can show leniency towards those that may exceed this boundary.

We also ask that if you are bringing a film that you PLEASE reply to this post in the comment section below, telling us the run time, format (DVD, blu-ray or Mini DV) and picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9) of your film. This is of tremendous help to our projectionist in timing the evening should we have a healthy supply of films to show.

Thank you for your co-operation and we look forward to seeing your films on Tuesday!

New OVFM Project – Mobile

MOBILE

It’s project time again folks! This is where we throw out a subject matter or theme to you and you can allow your imaginations to run wild in making a short film on that topic.

The suggested theme is “Mobile”, which could mean mobile phones, mobility scooters, mobile homes, mobiles hanging over a baby’s cot, mobility in general – anything you want.

Remember the idea of these projects is not just to help flex your creative muscles but to increase and improve your filmmaking experience. These films are not being assessed like our Top Ten, so there is no pressure to make your version of Citizen Kane to impress your peers, this is about having fun and doing what a film club is supposed to do – make films!

As ever your film can be a solo or group project so don’t be afraid to ask your fellow club members for help or advice and if you need it, club equipment is available on request from our secretary Freddy Beard!

So get you thinking caps on and your cameras out because we will be screening your films at the club meeting on TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16th 2016 giving you just over a month to get your films made.

Good luck!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday December 8th 2015

ovfm_other

 

This week’s club meeting affords us the opportunity to watch a selection of films without the pressure of being judged by our peers as we present a look at the output from outside of OVFM.

At the time of writing the list of clubs contributing showreels has yet to be finalised but no doubt the quality will be of the usual high standard we’ve come to expect from our amateur filmmaking brethren. And who knows, maybe we’ll see something to inspire us in trying something new or give us an idea for a film of our own?

And with time permitting, a further discussion about the upcoming display stall for the OVFM Tesco stall has been proposed to take place at this session, so please get your thinking caps on about how we can best represent and promote the club via this prime opportunity to reach a wide range of prospective new members.

Finally entries for the Annual Competition are now being accepted so please download and print off a form from HERE and submit your films and £2 entry fee to Brenda on Tuesday, with the closing date being the first meeting of 2016 on January 5th.

See you then!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday November 24th 2015

ovfmcompcorn

 

It’s competition time again when we invite you to submit films for a chance to win one – or all three – of our long standing trophies: The Kath Jones Cup, Mike Turner Plate and Vic Treen trophy.

As you know the respective requirements for these contests are:

A joke film no longer than 5 minutes,

Any type of film which is a maximum of 60 seconds

A film cut to music.

For a full detailed explanation of the rules and requirements please go HERE

Remember you can enter a film for all three competitions, the results of which will be revealed at the Oscars next March. If you are bringing a film or films, please reply to the post below with the details (format, picture ratio, run time) which is a great help in planning the evening time wise. You don’t want us to run out of time and not be able to show your film

Good luck to everyone submitting a film.

Meet Lily!

lily

Meet Lily!!

With Christmas coming up I’m sure your family is asking what you want for a present. Well, thanks to Ian Menage, we may have the answer right here! 😀

Lily is the world’s first throw-and-shoot camera. It lets anyone create cinematic footage previously reserved for professional filmmakers. Lily is waterproof, ultra-portable, and shoots stunning HD pictures and videos.

For more information visit their website their website https://www.lily.camera/

In the meantime take a look at this video of Lily in action:

 

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday November 10th 2015

ovfm coaching

 

This week’s club meeting is a two part coaching evening to help improve the filmmaking skills and knowledge of club members and familiarise them with the club equipment.

First there will be a demonstration of how to use the various supplementary bits of kit we have at our disposal  (full list is HERE), including the dolly track, wireless mic, steadycam and more.

The second part of the evening will be a Q and A session in which your questions will be answered by our ever knowledgeable panel of experts. So if something is nagging you about lighting, sound, editing, focusing, or you have trouble understanding terms like “aperture” or “backlight” then this is the perfect opportunity to ask someone who knows to explain it to you.

Remember there is no such thing as a silly question as we all had to start somewhere, so don’t be shy in asking for help if you need it.

We are a filmmaking club and we are just as effective working as a group unit as we are as individuals, so please make use of this session to help improve your understanding and knowledge of making films, or to share your knowledge with those who need it.

See you there!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday October 27th 2015

TT_15_R5

 

This week’s club meeting is the fifth and final qualifying round of the annual Top Ten Competition. For the results of the first four rounds please click HERE.

Last time we rebounded from the single entry of round three with five entries, a record for this year’s competition. It appears to be an  unofficial tradition that members leave their filmmaking until late in the year, so perhaps this will manifest itself with a huge response to this closing round?

The names drawn to submit an entry for this round are:

Bob Wyeth

Alan Smith

John & Sylvia Greengrass

Annabelle Lancaster

Mike Shaw

Bob Vine

Brian Pfeiffer

Hugh Darrington

Peggy Parmenter

 

As ever if you can’t make your designated round be sure to let Brenda know ahead of time or you have a film ready early, please bring it along as chances are it will be welcomed for screening time permitting.

And if you are bringing a film this week then PLEASE reply to this post in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the film’s run time, format (DVD, Blu-ray, Mini DV) and picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9). This is a great help for us when planning the evening out and helping things run smoothly so if you could do us this courtesy it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and good luck to everyone who enters a film!

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday October 13th 2015

speaker

 

For our next club meeting we invite another visitor to share with us his experiences and expert advice in the world of amateur filmmaking, albeit this time with a little twist.

(bio courtesy of Annabelle Lancaster)

GuernseyReception (2)

 

Our guest speaker, Mike Whyman FACI, had a very varied career from technical assistant at the BBC through to making around 400 video programmes for the National Coal Board.

From there he eventually went to JVC just as the Japanese company was launching VHS and, in so doing, bringing about a revolution in the way that TV is consumed. Mike’s role there was to offer advice, guidance and some video facilities to the public at the Video Information Centre in London and that, in turn, led to his involvement with the IAC and with affiliated clubs.

A keen amateur himself, starting with Standard 8 film, Mike has maintained his contacts with the IAC and is a regular visitor to BIAFF and the AGM weekends. He has also acted as a judge in a number of IAC competitions at club, regional and national levels.

He calls his talk “Video Formats I’ve known and loved.”

So make sure you come along this Tuesday to hear the wit and wisdom of Mike Whyman for yourself.

OVFM Club Meeting Tuesday September 29th 2015

TT_15_R4

This week’s club meeting is the fourth round of the annual Top Ten Competition. For the results of the first three rounds please click HERE.

I realise that before the last round we expounded upon the belief of “quality over quantity” but as we only had ONE entry that is, I’m sure you’ll agree, pushing it a bit. Hopefully we will see an improvement on that number as we enter into the latter stage of the contest and with the summer holidays behind us, you good folk have had some time to put your footage together into a some sort of visual narrative.

The names drawn to submit and entry for this round are:

Barbara Darby

Mike Bishop

David Laker

Leo Staggs

Anna Littler

Walter McKenna

Tony Keable

Chris Coulson

Barbara Walker

 

As ever if you can’t make your designated round be sure to let Brenda know ahead of time or you have a film ready early, please bring it along as chances are it will be welcomed for screening time permitting.

And if you are bringing a film this week then PLEASE reply to this post in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the film’s run time, format (DVD, Blu-ray, Mini DV) and picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9). This is a great help for us when planning the evening out and helping things run smoothly so if you could do us this courtesy it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and good luck to everyone who enters a film!