OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY DECEMBER 3rd

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And so we enter the final stretch of 2019 with our last regular meeting of the year, the final round of our annual club competition films!

Offering club members a chance to test their creativity in three separate categories that pay tribute to past club members, this is one of the more unique and interesting challenges in our programme. As ever, the three prizes up for grabs are:

 

Kath Jones Cup – A joke film with a punchline no longer than 5 minutes in length.

Mike Turner Plate – A film on any subject or style no longer than 60 seconds in length.

Vic Treen Trophy – A film set to music

 

The rules for each of these can be found HERE which we ask you to adhere to, otherwise the subject matter of your film is entirely in your hands, and you can enter a film for one, two or all three categories.

Last year 15 entries submitted, just two below 2017’s record breaking total, but as we have seen the remits of three different categories usually ensures a healthy response from the collective creative hive of OVFM members.

Now the bit everyone seems to ignore – if you are bringing a film this week it would be very much appreciated if you could PLEASE REPLY TO THIS POST in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the following information:

 

Run time

Format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB Stick)

File Format and Resolution (MP4 -1080p etc)

Picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9)

Film Category

 

This is a great help for us when planning the evening out and helping things run smoothly so affording us this courtesy will help get you into Santa’s good books just in time Christmas.

Also, members are reminded to consider their entries to the Annual Competition. We hope the newly updated entry forms will have been approved by the Committee and ready to be handed out at this meeting, whilst the final date for entries is the first meeting of 2020, which is the Top Ten Final on January 7th.

Thanks for reading and good luck to all who enter a film/films.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19th

 

No this isn’t a case of deja vu, we have a second week where the theme of the meeting is another practical evening.

No this isn’t a case of deja vu, we have a… hold on didn’t I type that already?

Anyway, the idea behind this week’s session is to follow up what was learned at the last meeting about lighting. Much information was imparted about how to light a scene, what type of light to use and where to position it and now it is time to put it all to good use.

David Laker will be running the evening along with a little help from Andy Watson and Trevor Rogers. They will be bringing the club camera and lights but ask club member attending to bring their own cameras and any lighting gear they may have that will help add to the production.

In lieu of any other ideas, David has come up with a scenario he would like to use which will allow a chance to try out the various ways to alight a scene. If anyone has an idea of their own they are welcome to bring it to the meeting and time permitting we may get to try them as well, and hopefully even get to check the footage on the club PC before we wrap up for the evening.

So, it might be dark outside but it will be anything but when you join us this coming Tuesday for an illuminating evening of filmmaking!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5th

 

It’s time to get out hands dirty again by putting what we’ve learned to good use for another OVFM practical evening. This time however, the session will be more of an educational one as we delve into the subject of lighting, one which has proven a perennial thorn in the side for filmmakers the world over, even in professional circles.

With new members recently joining the club looking to improve their skills and learn new techniques, this was a requested topic and a challenge gladly accepted by our chair Jane Oliver on behalf of our resident brains trust (who just happened to be absent last time, so this is their first time hearing about this).

As you are aware, the club has their own set of lights for us to work with, plus many members have either their own lights or helpful accessories like reflectors or filters which we encourage them to bring with them on Tuesday.

So, if lighting is a bug bear for you when making films and you want to learn how to fix or improve it, the the place to be is at the Barnyard Rooms at St Augustine’s in Petts Wood next Tuesday evening!

Bit(Rate)s & Pieces

BIT(RATE)S AND PIECES

 

During the recent Top Ten competition Jim Morton-Robertson’s film wouldn’t play on the club’s Blu-ray player. The picture would stutter every few frames as it struggled to process the footage.

 

I noticed that the file size was 1.42Gb which was ludicrously large for a 3 minute film so I asked Jim to check the bitrate of his clip, which was 64582 kbps. Jim changed his export settings, this time producing a file with a much more suitable bitrate of 16055 kbps and a far more appropriate file size of 365Mb.

 

But what does this all mean and why does it matter?

 

To start with a brief explanation of video bitrates.

 

Digital video is made up of bits and bitrate refers to the number of bits processed in a set amount of time, listed in kilobits per second (kbit/s). This usually determines the file size as 1 byte of data is made up of 8 bits, so 1Mb of data = 8 megabits (Mbit/s) or 8000kbit/s. The ultimate file size is therefore decided by the sum of the formula Bitrate x Duration.

 

Jim’s film might have a resolution of 1080p but with a bitrate of 64582kbps (64Mbitp/s) crammed into just 3 minutes, it contained the same data as a 4K file, which our Blu-ray player clearly isn’t capable of handling. As this was a setting oversight that was easily corrected, it is worth sharing this with everyone to be a bit more diligent when exporting your files in the future.

 

 

So why do we need high bitrates?

 

As cameras become increasingly capable of capturing ultra HD images (6K is already here) this needs to be reflected and replicated in the films we produce, so higher bitrates will ensure better quality film clips.

 

However this is more for the benefit of online streaming. Many of these sites, like YouTube, are notorious for compressing the hell out of clips uploaded to their platforms, so users have to export them at a higher bitrate (eg: a 1080p file encoded with a 4K bitrate) to trick them into thinking they are compressing a bigger file, ensuring decent quality post-compression.

 

YouTube suggest the following bitrate settings for uploading to their platform:

 

SD (DVD quality) 480p = 2.5 Mbit/s / 2500kbit/s

HD (Blu-ray quality) 720p = 5 Mbit/s / 5000kbit/s

HD 1080p = 8 Mbit/s / 8000kbit/s

HD 1440p (2K) = 16Mbit/s / 16000kbit/s

HD 2160 (4K) = 35-45 MBit/s / 35000kbit/s / 45000 kbit/s

 

N.B – These targets are based on SDR (Standard Dynamic range) whilst HDR (High Dynamic Range) aka Ultra HD, would require higher target values.

 

What about for playback at home on TV or PC?

 

The truth is you can get a perfectly fine looking HD clip for playback on your TV and PC without needing extremely high bitrates because the files aren’t going to be compressed. The only stumbling block will be the capabilities of the device you play them on, whether they have are able to accommodate current codecs – preferably H.264 for MP4 files.

 

As we mainly use 25fps SD/50fps HD, the following suggested basic bitrate targets are based on these parameters, again based on SDR bitrates:

 

SD (DVD quality) 480p = 1.2 Mbit/s / 1200kbit/s

HD (Blu-ray quality) 720p = 2.5 Mbit/s / 2500kbit/s

HD 1080p = 5 Mbit/s / 5000kbit/s

HD 2160 (4K) = 10 Mbit/s / 10000kbps

 

N.B – The following illustrations are from Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018. Your editor may have different settings and options.

 

Your editor/encoder should offer a range of different settings and options for exporting your files, to cover all file formats, codecs, devices and streaming platforms. To wit:

 

 

One thing which is standard is suggesting a “target” and “maximum” bitrate depending on which settings you choose. For 1080p HD this will be around 20 Mbit/s (target) and 25 Mbit/s (max) though they will usually come in around 15-18 mbps.

 

 

 

Here you can see there is a preset which will encode the video suitable for uploading to Vimeo, with the following settings:

 

 

However, you could still get a good quality video with bitrates half these sizes. For those unsure of what to select, you can trust the  presets of your editor/exporter and use the “Match Source” option to replicate the project/timeline settings.

 

 

These values are easily adjustable, either manually or by changing the output resolution in your project/timeline, for a higher setting if you want a better quality film. Even with a high bitrate, the output result is still in line with the YouTube suggestions yet won’t produce and excessive bitrate or file size.

 

This example is the automatic setting from the Match Source – High Bitrate option:

 

 

To complicate things further, there are two kinds of bitrates – Variable (VBR), a dynamic setting which only peaks when the video detail requires it to, resulting in a smaller file size, and Constant (CBR), which stays at one rate throughout, but means a larger file size. Both have their benefits and setbacks, but most editors will default to VBR so the choice is made easier for you.

 

 

You’ll notice that there are two VBR options Pass 1 and Pass 2. Pass 1 analyses how much bitrate is required and therefore is a quicker encode, Pass 2 will render the entire video compression thus yields a better quality images but takes considerably longer (many hours!) to encode and export, so most people tend to stick to Pass 1.

 

 

How do I check the bitrates of my files?

 

Very easily. If you are using a Windows PC simply right click on the file and a new window will appear. Scroll to the bottom and select “Properties”:

 

 

 

In the window that opens, select the “Details” tab:

 

 

The main information is the “Video Data Rate” and “Total Bitrate” , the latter being the more crucial one.

 

 

 

For the more advanced user, I can recommend a tool you can download for free called MEDIAINFO which will tell you everything and more in great detail.

 

Once installed, as above, simply right click on the file and select “MediaInfo” from the option window:

 

 

 

Every detail about the file from the video encode to the audio and more is there for your perusal:

 

 

 

Hint – Make sure to go to “Options” then “Preferences” to set the “Tree” view in this illustration as default as this is easiest one to read, but not the default setting, otherwise select View from the top menu then “Tree”.

 

 

I hope you found some of the information here useful. I appreciate the technical side regarding bitrates might not seem easy to comprehend at first (I don’t understand half of it either!) but the message here is more about alerting you to this issue and hopefully avoid any future situations where the club Blu-ray player can’t play your files.

 

Thanks for reading.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY OCTOBER 8TH

 

NON-VERBAL

 

We appreciate the fact that we announced this project just last month (don’t look at me, I don’t make the programme) which hasn’t given you much time for everyone to get your creative juices going or your films made but hopefully some of you have been inspired to put something together for this theme of “Non-Verbal”, or have something lurking in your archives that would fit the bill

In the announcement post, I linked to a silent film I made a few years back. I actually filmed and edited the whole thing inside 6 hours, with half the usual filming problems eradicated as there was no dialogue to record! So if I can do it, you can too.

As usual we ask a little cooperation from everyone bringing a film to the meeting to PLEASE REPLY TO THIS POST in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the film’s run time, media format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB/Memory stick), file format if using the latter (MP4 is preferred, 1080p maximum) 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.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your films on Tuesday!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH

TABLE TOP FILMING

For this session, it is time to get the cameras out again and do some more filming, this time scaling things down a bit to try our hand at table top filming!

What’s that you ask? Well, rather than me explain it to you, I’ll let John Bunce have that honour. Take it away John:

 

 

Yes, we are giving simple stop motion animation a go, or something approximating that.  If you recall, former club member and erstwhile chairman Simon Earwicker also made some stop motion films using a whole array of everyday items, like elastic bands, glasses, coins and a desk lamp. Obviously this is a painstaking and time consuming process and two hours isn’t going to be an enough to ke a whole film (especially as it takes everyone so long to settle back down after tea break) so anything we do attempt will need to be very short and straightforward.

Hopefully though, this will prove educational and inspiring enough for you to try this for yourself or give you an idea for your entry into next year’s Top Ten competition!

So, if you have an idea for something you’d like to try, please reply to this post below so we can accommodate as many projects as possible, otherwise if you simply want to learn something new – after all that is why we are members of OVFM to learn new skills – make sure to join us this coming Tuesday and be a part of the fun!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH

 

TIM JONES

A familiar face to OVFM club members old and new, we weclome Tim Jones, son of Colin, back for another stint as Guest Speaker.

 

Whilst newer club members will know Tim from his previous presentations, for the senior members Tim will be remembered as a fully paid up member of OVFM himself. In fact, Tim was making films before this as an unofficial member before he came of age to be admitted – the age restriction has since been reduced after Tim registered his protest as seen in this photo:

This put him in good stead for his future, making his first IAC international winning entry aged just 20. Since then Tim has become a senior lecturer in film and currently restores old 16mm films.

Tim is renowned for his stop motion animation works but for this session, he will be presenting a film about diabetes – some thing I had a brief scare with a couple of years back – which has been shown to various diabetes organisations and societies so it must be good. Well,  Colin thinks so… 😉

So, that is what we have in store for you this coming Tuesday so be sure you are there to check it out. See you then!

Oscar Night 2016 – OVFM’s Got Talent!

 

O.V.F.M. Oscar Night 15th March 2016

It was a cold and deep, dark, black, Bible black, dark, pitch black night and the wild dogs bayed pitifully at where the moon would have been if it hadn’t been so dark (it was dark…you know…night time, well past 8pm, we don’t muck around at OVFM you know!)  as members from the four corners of the known universe (but mainly Orpington with a few from Kemsing and Otford and the odd pilgrim from afar) gathered together. For this was the time decreed by the wise ones in their lofty towers (the committee!) for the annual gathering of ritual, custom, feasting and celebration that has come to be known as… Oscar Night!

With young and old alike bedecked in breath taking finery of unequalled luxury (or whatever Oxfam had on special offer)  and with much mirth and high spirits in evidence amongst the assembled masses as they, who numbered near thirty souls, embraced the generous distribution of laurels to the good and the deserving with great cheering and rejoicing until at the time of feasting they partook enthusiastically of cake and refreshment.

 

Breathless with anticipation.
Breathless with anticipation.

To read the names that have been scribed for all eternity (or until the Cloud crashes) scroll down.

And if your own name be absent…then weep long and hard, search your heart well and vow to return with many filmic offerings at the next Day Of The Oscars.

THE WINNERS!
Competitions which took place in 2015

The Vic Treen Trophy – (Best film with Images cut to Music)

Winner is ”Autumn” by Jane Oliver

David presents Jane with the Vic Treen Trophy
David presents Jane with the Vic Treen Trophy

Mike Turner Plate – Best film under 1 minute)

Winner is –“The Biter Bit“ by Colin Jones

Freddy gives Colin the Mike Turner Plate
Freddy gives Colin the Mike Turner Plate

Kath Jones Cup – Best Joke Film

Winner is – “Commute” by Barbara Walker

Colin presents Barbara with the Kath Jones Cup
Colin presents Barbara with the Kath Jones Cup

Top Ten Trophy

Winner is – “Commute” by Barbara Walker

Barbara wins the Top Ten Trophy, Brenda presents
Barbara wins the Top Ten Trophy, Brenda presents

Runner up –“Table Top Whimsey” by John Bunce

Brenda presents John with Top Ten Runner Up certificate
Brenda presents John with Top Ten Runner Up certificate

2016 ANNUAL COMPETITION

Arthur Woolhead Trophy – Best Animation or Visual Effects

Winner is – “Table Top Whimsey” by John Bunce

Craig presents John with the Arthur Woolhead Trophy
Craig presents John with the Arthur Woolhead Trophy

Jubilee Shield – Best film under 5 minutes

Winner is “Bee Movie” by Hugh Darrington

Basil presents Hugh with the Jubilee Shield
Basil presents Hugh with the Jubilee Shield

Priory Trophy – Best Editing

Winner is “ Backlight revisited” by Reg Lancaster

Reg receives the Priory Trophy from Andy
Reg receives the Priory Trophy from Andy

Rene Morris Penguin Plate – Best Photography

Winner is – “Yellowstone” by Brain Pfeiffer

Roger gives Brian the Rene Morris Penguin Plate
Roger gives Brian the Rene Morris Penguin Plate

Heyfield Cup – Best Sound

Winner is – “Garden Visitors” by John Bunce

Lee gives John the Heyfield Cup
Lee gives John the Heyfield Cup

Reg Lancaster Trophy – Funniest Film

Winner is – “Commute” by Barbara Walker

Barbara receives the Reg Lancaster Trophy from Reg himself
Barbara receives the Reg Lancaster Trophy from Reg himself

Raasay Trophy – Best film in no Special category)

Winner is -“The Quest for Modingahema” by Pat Palmer

Annabelle presents Pat with the Raasay Trophy
Annabelle presents Pat with the Raasay Trophy

Vincent Pons Shield – Best Fiction

Winner is – “Dustin’ Time” by Mike Shaw

Mike receives the Vincent Pons Shield from Jane
Mike receives the Vincent Pons Shield from Jane

Alice Howe Cup – Best Documentry

Winner is –“ Leafcutter Ants“ by David Laker

Anna presents David with the Alice Howe Cup
Anna presents David with the Alice Howe Cup

Orpington Trophy – Runner up to Best Film in the Annual Competition

Winner is -“Make over at St Martin’s” by Hugh Darrington

Sam presents Hugh with the Orpington Trophy
Sam presents Hugh with the Orpington Trophy

Ian Dunbar Cup – Best film in the Annual Competition

Winner is –“ The Making of a Liberty Bell replica ” by Barbara Darby

Barbara receives the Ian Dunbar Cup from Simon
Barbara receives the Ian Dunbar Cup from Simon

In all seriousness a HUGE thanks to our very own toast of the trophies and countess of the certificates, the one and only Brenda our fabulous competitions secretary. It is all her hard work on Oscar Night, but also throughout the year, that makes the event so successful. Thanks Brenda, and also thanks to your deputy Roger, who is without doubt your rock, your right hand man, Robin to your Batman, yin to your yang, and Sonny to your Cher (oh actually maybe not!), Tom to your Jerry? Peters to your Lee!! Ummm well you get the picture!

And while I’m at it Big Thanks to the Super Duper Lovely Peggy, our refreshments manager, Wonderful Slovely Andy, our head of projection, Fantastic Fly girl Freddy, our executive in charge of biodynamics, and all the lieutenants and deputies, contributors, competitors, collaborators and consumers who made Oscar Night 2016 go with a bang.

ps. I think you’ll agree that this year I’ve really perfected my ‘startled bunny caught in the headlights’ style of grip and grin photography!

See you again next year and we’ll do it all again…pps Bring a torch it might be dark, really dark, I mean dark man…

Simon

To the Victors The Spoils!
To the Victors The Spoils!

 

COMPETITION SCORES 2010/2011

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COMPETITION SCORES 2010/2011

TOP TEN 2010

Final scores – a total of 21 Entries

“Otford Pond” by Barbara Darby           55.69

“Finnish Foibles” by Reg Lancaster        55.60

“Plane,Train and Automobile” by Hugh Darrington         54.79

“Art & Design in fabric” by Jim M-Robertson     52.00

“Greenland Ice Cold Beauty” by Brian Phieffer  51.93

“South Foreland” by Harold Trill         51.88

Welcome to Sydney Aquarium” by Jane Oliver 51.07

“Narrow miss” by John & Ann Epton   50.88

“Writers Block” by Lee Relph               49.98

“About YouTube” by Chris Coulson      47.93

“Miles apart where two rivers meet” by Pat Palmer      49.88

“Alexandra’s Story” by Mike Coad       49.21

“It sure beats the Lord Mayor’s Show” by David Laker            49.15

“Touch Down” by Colin Jones                49.13

“Go to Gdansk” by Annabelle Lancaster49.08

“Yakety Yak” by Ann Perrin                   48.49

“Cows” by Simon Earwicker                   47.79

“Cranford” by Bob Wyeth                     43.40

“Bromley Mayor’s awards” by Derek Allen            42.82

“A day of Knights” by Alan Hamlet-Smith           40.55

“A Wedding in Cyprus” by Susan Ward    39.78

 

Scores for the Vic Treen, Kath Jones and Mike Turner plates are worked out by giving 5 points for a 1st place, 3 points for a second place and 1 point for a 3rd place.

 

Vic Treen Cup (Best film cut to music)

 

Helicopter over the Grand Canyon by John Robertson  1

Guitar Solos by Chris Coulson          27

Autumn to Music by Bob Weyth     34

Lollipop by Jane Oliver                      115

Sweet surprise by Barbara Darby   50

Moon Song by Simon Earwicker       35

Dungeness by Mike Coad                   143

He’s the one by Pat Palmer              5

Rosario by Pat Palmer                       2

 

Kath Jones Cup (Best joke film)

Pleasure Seekers by Mike Turner  218

Out for the count by Tony Fallow 126

Charlie and George by Derek Allen            70

 

Mike Turner Plate (Best film under 1 minute)

 

Rocks in Australia by Barbara Darby        18

All in a days work by Derek Allen   29

Crowning Glories by Pat Palmer         44

Get rich quick by Basil Doody           43

Faces of Asia by Mike Coad              62

I’m a BMW get me out of here by Jane Oliver    58

 

The Oscars

It was great to see so many people at “Oscar Night”. Didn’t our Chairman look good in his dress suit?

Congratulations to all the winners and commiserations to everyone else that entered all the competitions but didn’t quite make first place. Without your entries there would be no competition and probably no OVFM.I hope that you all enjoyed making your films as much as we enjoyed watching them, maybe next year you will be the winner. During the last year 26 members made films which they entered in the competitions, let’s hope that next year we will have even more people making films.

The judge’s comments for the Annual Competition are on the club notice board if anyone would like to read them. I have given all entrants copies of all the competition results and any comments relating to their films. All the competition results are included with this viewfinder for anyone who didn’t enter but is interested in the results .Don’t forget the next project is “My other hobby” on 29th March.

 

Raasay Trophy (Best film in no special category)

Winner           “Yakety Yak” by Ann Perrin

Alice Howe Trophy (Best Documentary)

Winner “Finnish Foibles” by Reg Lancaster

Vincent Pons Sheild (Best Fiction)

Winner           “Writers Block” by Lee Relph

Reg Lancaster Trophy (Funniest Film)

Winner “When Freya met Teego” by Chris Coulson

Jubilee Shield (Best film under 5 minutes)

Winner“Narrow Miss” by John & Ann Epton

Priory Trophy (Best Editing)

Winner “Writers Block” by Lee Relph

Rene Morris Penguin Plate (Best Photography)

Winner            “ABO Darby Creation” by Barbara Darby

Heyfield Trophy (BestSound)

Winner “Finnish Foibles” by Reg Lancaster

Orpington Trophy (Runner up to best film in Annual Competition)

Winner “Finnish Foibles” by Reg Lancaster

Ian Dunbar Cup (Best film in Annual Competition)

Winner           “Writers Block” by Lee Relph