Author: Lee Relph

OVFM at the 2018 BIG O Festival

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

OVFM will have an information stand at the festival. The purpose will be to promote the awareness of OVFM within the community.

For details see:  http://www.orpington1st.co.uk/events/d/145899/the-big-o-vintage-festival/

On the stand we will have information material, handouts, posters and we will have a ‘large’ camera and a boom mike and will be hopefully conducting interviews with various members of the public. Some real some staged.

Our theme will be to focus on the collection of material and anecdotes to enhance the scope of the various History of Orpington films that we are making.

Various members of OVFM have offered help on the day. The details and the timings have been sent to them via email, so please mark on the form the times, in hourly blocks when you will be able to attend and or prefer to be on the stand and return to John Epton.

We hope that when visiting the Stand you will also be able to do some Newsreel filming for the event in general.

To help publicise the event we have a poster ready for downloading and printing which you will find HERE.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see as many of you as possible on the 7th of July!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JUNE 26TH 2018

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

We have another practical evening lined up for you for this meeting but this one is different. Instead of learning about filmmaking we are going to hone a different set of skills – our judgement of films.

Opinions are like bottoms – we’ve all got one – but it is how we express them that matters and in the world of judging or reviewing films (must resist temptation to plug my own film review site) this is no different.  A brusque or snootily delivered comment can make all the difference in deflating the confidence of a filmmaker whilst excessive praise to disguise any obvious mistakes won’t help someone learn from them and improve in the future.

So, how can we all learn from this and distinguish the difference between brutal honesty and constructive criticism? Our chair Jane Oliver has this in-depth explanation as to what this evening is about:

 

The Purpose of the Evening
We all need to learn the art of giving and receiving constructive criticism and acting on it if we hope to improve our filmmaking skills. We need to learn how to mark films consistently and fairly across the board, irrespective of the filmmaker
Part 1
Show a short film (about 4 minutes)
  • Get club members to rate it in accordance with most of the points on the Top Ten entry judging form
  • Filmmaker provides explanation of how they went about asking for constructive criticism, accepting or disregarding that criticism and whether or not it resulted in the filmmaker re-editing the film.
  • Show film again, split into groups, expand on comments together through discussion and to make constructive suggestions as to how this film could be improved upon.
  • Feedback to whole club
  • Filmmaker commenting on the actions they took throughout the process
  • Show revised film if there is one.
Tea break
Part 2
  • Show a film that was entered into a number of different competitions resulted in extremely diverse results from the judges
  • Break into groups to discuss how this film could be improved upon
  • Guess whether or not it won any awards
  • If club members think it did, can they suggest which competitions it would have done well in?
  • What does this teach us about judging and judges?
  • Provide the judges comments to the groups
  • Filmmaker to make any additional helpful comments.
We hope that by the end of the evening, club members will;
  • feel confident to give appropriate marks fairly across the board
  • feel confident to comment constructively on other member’s films
  • be able to receive constructive criticism to assist in developing their filmmaking skills
  • be able to discard any criticism that is not constructive and helpful
  • be able to decide whether or not it is worth re-editing that particular film
  • have an understanding of how their film could have a better chance of winning awards
We want OVFM to grow, not just in numbers, but in confidence, with an understanding of how we can develop the quality of our films so that in time, OVFM will stand out from the crowd as a club that produces award winning films.  Bring on the next Triangle competition.  It’s about time we brought home the silverware!

 

I hope that is clear, so be sure to join Jane, John Epton and David Laker for what will be an interesting and worthwhile evening for us all.

In Memoriam – Freddy Beard

Posted on by Lee Relph

FREDDY BEARD – FACI

1938-2018

A Tribute by OVFM Chair Jane Oliver

Dear Freddy, where do I start?

Freddy was always there, part of the fabric of the club, her presence always felt. A warm welcome greeted all who crossed our threshold at OVFM. The club ran smoothly due to what she did in the background and the links she had fostered over time. Freddy had all the information one could ever ask for at her fingertips. She rubbed shoulders with people from all walks of life, no matter their standing and yet had some of the most beautiful traits that any human being could ever have, that of humility and servanthood. Nothing was ever too much and she was the one who would go out of her way in order to help someone else. We have so much to thank her for.

Take club evenings, as if by magic the lights would go on and off during our evening film shows at the appropriate times. When anyone else stepped up to do the lights in her absence, we’d have a light show; Switch off? No, on. Switch on? No, off and then another light would mysteriously come on.  Freddy was a little under the weather at our last meeting so offered to relieve her of ‘light duty’. Her response was firm, a most emphatic ‘NO’ and I knew exactly what that meant! Dogged, determined, Freddy’s philosophy was that nothing would ‘defeat’ her.

…. And the notice board, pictures, posters, rules, minutes, reports, news and adverts, the magazines, the badges, the event boards that did the rounds for members to sign up to; where did they appear from? only to disappear at the end of the evening.

…. And at the interval; who would invariably be behind the serving hatch? Even at the last meeting she volunteered, serving us again despite not feeling particularly well.

How faithfully she served us. Nothing ever seemed to be too much.  She got on with her duties quietly and unassumingly; her effectiveness as OVFM club secretary was second to none. Wherever did she get her energy? When most of us had dropped into bed, exhausted from the last committee meeting that had, once more, gone on too long, she would sit up into the wee small hours typing up the minutes to ensure everything was in order. I sometimes wondered if she ever slept when I saw the ‘time’ her emails were sent.

Freddy would be out filming at the Big O Festival and other local events to gather material for the newsreel. Nothing was too much, despite her huge commitment to Oxfam where she worked as a volunteer for many years.

This behaviour, this servanthood, went far beyond the boundaries of OVFM.  At SERIAC, The Kent Film Festival, BIAFF, UNICA and the like, you’d see her busy with one duty or another; ‘light duty’ catering, serving, clearing up, sorting out the raffle, or hiding in the broom cupboard sorting through hundreds of envelopes to return films and provide judges’ comments to the filmmakers. She’d be carting films and equipment back and forth whenever and wherever it was needed … and when we needed props, well, she had plenty of sources.

…. And the social occasions, garden parties, Christmas functions and when the club was together as a group to film….  who’d be part of the set up team, the catering team, the clearing up team, or whatever other team you had created?  Freddy.

…. And as though her OVFM role wasn’t enough, she found herself on the KFF Committee for many years and was the Treasurer of SERIAC.  Freddy would travel the world to get to a film festival and was welcomed at clubs across the globe, where she was known and loved.

She fully deserved her fellowship to the IAC, although typically, she tried to turn in down believing she was unworthy.

I was so pleased that Ian showed us his little film starring Freddy at our last meeting and that she was there to enjoy it. So beautiful and poignant, a lasting memory that we will have forever, thanks to Ian and Freddy.

Freddy, you were loved and will be sorely missed. Such a character, life experiences etched into your face, cut deep with laughter lines and dimples. A face engraved indelibly upon my memory, together with the sound of your distinctive voice and unmistakable chuckle; a memory that many others share.

Our thoughts are with Freddy’s three boys, Alan, Michael and Andrew and their loved ones at this sad time.

FILM TO A THEME – NOTICE

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

DIAMOND

As you know, 2018 marks OVFM’s 60th anniversary which in the elements celebration list is marked by a diamond. naturally, this lends itself to a subject for a theme which is exactly what this latest project is about.

In keeping with the tradition of choosing themes with a nebulous scope, diamond is no different. It could taken literally and you could make a feature about the precious (and expensive) gemstone, either an artistic piece using its capacity for reflecting light, or maybe a drama about diamond smuggling.

Another literal interpretation as it pertains to the club is a 60th anniversary tribute to OVFM, from your own perspective or gathering interviews with others, or maybe even a celebration at all the things we do and achieve as a club.

But it is the thinking outside of the box that makes for the best films and diamond has a number of other meanings or applications – like a “diamond geezer”, or the diamond suit in a pack of playing cards, or a diamond in the rough. Perhaps you are a fan of Neil Diamond, or TV presenter Anne Diamond or wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. What about the 1950’s singing group The Diamonds (Little Darlin’, The Stroll)? Didn’t Shirley Bassey sing “Diamonds Are Forever“? Any baseball fans here? The playing field is called a diamond – there’s another idea.

No doubt you can think of your own ideas to dazzle us with, so get your thinking caps on and your cameras out because the deadline for this project, is the club meeting on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 18th!

Thanks for reading and good luck and we look forward to seeing your films in two months time!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JUNE 12TH 2018

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s time for us to put what we’ve learned into action once again for another practical evening at OVFM. The program for this week’s meeting is outdoor filming.

Now, I know we can do this just be stepping into our own back gardens or walking down the street but this is about group participation, so those who are unsure about how to film in certain natural light situations, or need pointers on the way to frame landscape or vista shots or multi-coloured floral images can get some advice form the more experienced club members.

You might also learn about how to create particular in-camera effects through filming moving images like traffic, by adjusting shutter speeds or using different filters for when the light begins to ebb away. Or you could simply be asked to be the featured player in someone’s shoot if they have a flash of inspiration for a narrative film idea.

Of course we must add the disclaimer that this is dependent on how the weather plan to behave come this Tuesday. We might official be in the Summer months but that doesn’t mean Mr. Clouds and Mrs. Rain won’t put in an appearance and scupper our plans. If this should the case then I am sure a contingency plan has been formulated to ensure the evening is not wasted. What this may be I cannot say, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we hope we don’t have a repeat of last year’s OVFM Full Monty performance! I was still bleaching my eyes for days after that!

So, be sure to bring your cameras and join us for an evening of outdoor filming  – weather permitting – this coming Tuesday!

FILMING GUIDELINES

Posted on by Lee Relph

Directing and On Set Instructions

Here at OVFM one of our primary aims is to share our knowledge of filmmaking to help everyone improve their skills either in front or behind the camera, pre-or post production.

In a recent double practical sessions of making joke films, some club members found themselves stepping into the role of director or camera operator for the first time and it opened their eyes to what these duties entail and their impact on the filming process. One helpful factor was the crib sheet our chair Jane Oliver created in a Word document, which you can download and print off to use yourself for future reference HERE.

John Epton also compiled the following points guide which expands upon the suggestions in Jane’s crib sheet in how to respond and comply accordingly to the director’s instruction, be it on single or multi-camera shot, detailing the roles and expectations of those participating in key roles:

 

Cameras

In the event it is going to be a long day be prepared and bring your :

Heaviest/Best Tripod

Spare Batteries

Blank SD Cards

External Battery Charger

 

Set your cameras to:

Maximum quality

Interlaced

Stereo sound

Automatic everything

 

If the action is mostly static shots, it will be important to capture facial reactions and body language so:

Frame the shot beforehand

Do not pan or zoom during the take (unless absolutely necessary or instructed)

Allow plenty of ‘nose’ room when filming an actor from the side, (ensuring that he is talking to the centre of the screen and not to the edge of the screen).

Keep rolling  (if something is going wrong with your shot whilst filming, wait until the Director shouts CUT and then explain what has gone wrong).

There may be a film shoot with more than one cameras. However, not all scenes will require every camera to be used so please be patient if you are not called upon. Perhaps whilst waiting, you could:

Capture some relevant cutaways.

Assist with related tasks like creating shadows or wrangling the dolly.

 

Sound

The boom mic will be used and in some instances fed into a separate sound recorder. The boom mike should be as close to the source of sound as possible and is directional so that it must point towards the source of sound .  However, it does pick up unwanted boom movement.  So it must be:

Close to the sound source

Not in the shot (above heads or below belt depending on the shot)

Kept as still as possible during the take.

 

Clapper

This is the most important job. The Clapper Board provides the synchronising signal which is used in the edit to lip sync the 3 cameras and the sound system. So ensure:

That the clap is loud

That  you announce the Scene and Take information loudly.

That the board is placed close to the main actor’s face so it can be seen by all cameras.

If necessary clap after the Director shouts CUT but just before the cameras are stopped (should there be a problem with the Scene and Take details ).

 

General Instructions

When the Director has ensured that everyone is ready he will shout CAMERAS and then SOUND to initiate the start up of the equipment.

At your instruction :

Press the record button on your equipment.

Wait until your record indicator is steadily on

Then shout ROLLING to confirm.

The Clapper operator should wait until all active cameras and the sound recordist has confirmed they are ROLLING before clapping. The Director will shout MARKER to initiate the Clapping. Once the Clapper person has moved out of shot the Director will call ACTION.

When the action is complete the Director will shout CUT. At this point, everyone should stop the recording and shout CUT.

The Clapper operator should ensure that each person has stopped recording.

 

Hopefully this makes things clearer for those of you who have only worked on small shoots and may one day expand to something bigger, or have only worked alone. It is amazing how something so small can make all the difference and the benefits will be felt during the shoot, in the editing process and in the final cut.

Thanks again to Jane and John for their efforts in providing these articles for us which I am sure you will all put to good use.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 29TH 2018

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

This week’s meeting sees the screening of the results of your hard work in making a film set to music or a poem, as first announced HERE.

Not to be confused with the Vic Treen Trophy, we’ve loosened the rules a little for this project and opened the scope of inspiration to include poems too, either self-written or extant published classics.

Unlike the Vic Treen Trophy your films are not being judged but if you want feedback then do ask for it and I am sure your fellow club members will be happy to oblige.

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, MKV, AVI, etc.) 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.

We look forward to seeing these visual interpretations on Tuesday night!

TOP TEN COMPETITION 2018

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Yes the annual Top Ten competition is back and for the second year in a row, it is under new management!

After just one year in the role of Competitions Officer Hugh Darrington decided to step, passing the mantle to Ian Menage to run this year’s club competitions. Like last year, there will be just three, to encourage a greater response from club members, a tact that seems to have worked as there were 15 films submitted in 2017, although this sis till way down from previous years.

Remember that each film has a 20 minute time limit but can be on any subject and in any style. If you have a film from the past which has undergone a significant revamp (perhaps a new soundtrack, remixed sound, improved titling, tighter editing, extended or redacted cut etc. you are also welcome to re-submit these as your official entry.

And you can team up with your fellow club members if you need help on the technical or casting front, it will be the author of the script/concept who gets the entry credit. Couples can enter either individually or together.

Below are the names of the dates and participants of the three qualifying rounds:

 

ROUND ONE (To be held on July 10th)

Gordon Beales

Sam Brown

Barbara Darby

Malcolm & Kath Goodwin

Kuldip Kaur

Annabelle Lancaster

Walter McKenna

Peter Mitchell

Brian Pfeiffer

Mike Shaw

Bob Vine

Ron Williams

 

ROUND TWO (To be held on August 21st)

Hugh Darrington

John Alford

Charlie & Nellie Caseley

Colin Jones

Anna Littler

Ian Menage

Jane Oliver

Peggy Parmenter

Lee Relph

Trevor Rogers

Graham Sinden

Roger & Brenda Wheatley

 

ROUND THREE (To be held on October 16th)

John Bunce

Jo Coad

John & Ann Epton

Mike Graham

John & Sylvia Greengrass

David Laker

Jim Morton-Robertson

Jenny Tucker

Barbara Walker

Andy & Marian Watson

 

Remember, if you have a film ready before your designated round you are welcome to submit it early but please let us know, preferably on this website, ahead of the particular session you will be entering it. This also applies if you are unable to provide a film in time.

The final will take place on January 8th 2018 and the results will be revealed at the Oscars on March 19th 2019.

To see the results of last year’s competition click HERE

 

Good luck to all who enter and be sure to check the ongoing results on this site as soon as they are released.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 15th 2018

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Joke Films Part II

 

I think this may be a precedent, at least in my time with OVFM, that we are continuing with a themed evening for a second successive meeting.

 

The first evening was something of a success – arguably more of a Pyrrhic victory in some ways – in that we achieved what we set out to do, whilst in the process learning from what worked and what didn’t; the most prominent of these failings was to forgetting to bring a clapperboard!

 

Six short joke films were made set at a restaurant table in front of a green screen (photos below), giving many club members a chance to get involved, whether it was acting, operating the camera, director or supplying the script. We hope to repeat this again during this session so if you didn’t get a chance to participate last time, here is your chance!

 

We must also give our thanks to the external help on the acting (I don’t know that chap’s name but he got stuck in playing waiters and a diner) and if he doesn’t return this week then we’ll need someone to step up and show off their acting chops.

 

For this session we are extending the scope of films that can be made in front of the green screen, so it can be a cafe, works canteen, a home kitchen or whatever you can come up with – although if your idea is a adventurous then we ask you to bring your own props and food to fit the scene.

 

I will be bringing my own personal clapperboard to this meeting whilst we will need the boom mic and pole to record the sound and gaffer tape to stick the green sheets down with. Hopefully these are in the club’s box of gear stored away at a secret location at Trevor’s house!

 

To close, here are a few photos courtesy of Jim Morten-Robertson from the last session for anyone needing a reminder of what we got up to, and remember the footage is now available in the “To Everyone” folder in our FileZilla file sharing programme. Click the image for full size)

 

“I knew I forgot something – the actors!!”

 

“And we’ll just add a clapperboard here in post”

 

Nobody was impressed with Ian bragging about his groin operated camera

 

“Now, which joke from the “50 Golden Classics” collection shall I do next?”

 

“This joke is in French, do you think people will get it?”
“Sorry mate, I don’t speak English!”

 

Charlie was struggling with the folding his arms bit of the pose, while Mike gave up completely!

 

“It’s all right, we’ll just tell my wife we’re acting!”

 

See you on Tuesday folks!

FILM TO A THEME – NOTICE

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

FILMS SET TO MUSIC OR POETRY

 

It was decided by the Committee that the old “project” name be dropped and instead an new initiative take its place, hence the new title “Films’ To A Theme”. The concept is still the same, to encourage club members to make more films and challenge their creativity through  a number of regular tasks set to a fertile topic or theme.

To kick things off for this new beginning is a slight riff on an old favourite – films set to music or poetry. Unlike the Vic Treen Trophy competition held at the end of the year, the rules on this occasion are not as strict insofar as fulfilling the remit. Whilst obviously the film needs to have some sort of narrative, keeping strictly to the beat of the music isn’t a necessary requirement so you can have bit of fun with your images. And you don’t have to stick to music either – everyday sounds like bird song or traffic, construction noises or people talking and animal sounds could make up your soundtrack, the floor is yours.

Conversely, if you wish to make a literal interpretation of a popular song or create a visual narrative then that is acceptable too, which naturally applies to poems as well – in fact this would likely be a better fit. Or you could combine the too and have some gentle music to accompany your poem. The poetry can be something of your own creation or a published work, same for the music, but please take note that it is the responsibility of the individual to ensure they have the correct copyright clearances when using extant published materials.

Hopefully this will prove a challenging yet fruitful exercise for you to get your teeth into and get those creative juices flowing but here’s bad news – the date for the screening of these films is the club meeting to be held on TUESDAY MAY 29th 2018, giving you roughly four weeks to put something together.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your films on May 29th!