Author: Lee Relph

OVFM Invades Otford!

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

OVFM Invades Otford!

 

OVFM treated friends, family and members of Otford Methodist Church on October 3rd to an evening of entertaining films for the ”SURPRISE”.  This was the first such event put on in the plush new church, kitted out with all the latest technology.  After a whistle stop tour of the impressive facilities including 2 fixed pan tilt and zoom cameras, and lights that could wash the stage wall in any colour you could think of, we settled back to an evening of carefully chosen films, that gave a flavour  of the different styles, genre and capabilities of our members and gave the impression that the club is truly ‘thriving’.  It was also an evening where we once more tried to drum up interest in the upcoming AUTUMN SHOW.

The films were played from a portable hard drive plugged into the church computer and the sound controlled through the sound desk.  Signals were transmitted via broadcast CAT6 cables that run beneath the floor.  This was the first time the screens had been tested ‘after dark’.  The lights remained on during the screening, but the pictures still remained vivid albeit there was colour distortion, ghosting and reflections which we failed to resolve.  Even with the Black Magic ATEM TV Studio switched off, the problems persisted.  Sorry if that tainted your enjoyment of the evening.

James Morton-Robertson made a trailer of Hampden P1344 and Barbara Darby and Jane Oliver made shorter versions of some films.  John Epton produced a film specifically for the event in which he gave a number of examples of special effects.  It is hope that we at least tickled the appetite of some of our audience for pursuing the art filmmaking.  Jane chose the films, many from the archive, which has a wealth of films within thanks to those who set it up and maintain it.  Jane imported them into her Edius software, made fine adjustments where necessary and ran them all into one time line with just enough space between for the computer operator to press the ‘space bar’ during the screening to ‘pause’ and then ‘start’ the next film.  There was an opportunity for film makers to make comments about their films, except for poor old Reg, as time was running short.

During the interval we enjoyed tea,  proper coffee and scrumptious cakes home made by Jane’s church fellowship group and a friendly bunch they proved to be.

Thanks to all of you that took the intrepid journey into the night, to a wee village yonder, without a street light to be seen to support this event. At least the contemporary stained glass window gave a welcoming light on arrival.  Many club members have said how much they enjoyed the evening and friends in the church were both delighted and amazed at the variety and quality of the films shown.  As usual there was a huge thumbs up for our ‘comedy classics’.

Keep them rolling!

 

Text – Jane Oliver

Photo – Trevor Rogers

OVFM CLUB MEETING – TUESDAY OCTOBER 17th

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Moving Part II

No, you’re not experiencing deja vu, we are seeing more films from our project MOVING but unlike last time, the films being shown in this session will be from other clubs.

If you recall the topic of MOVING was originally to be applied to the North vs South competition which, for the first time in its long history is not taking place this year. However this hasn’t stopped OVFM or other clubs from making films in case someone stepped in and took up the mantle of running the competition at the last minute, and being the nice people that we are we have invited our fellow filmmaking organisations to share their films with us.

There is a possibility that some of the filmmakers and representatives from these clubs will be present on Tuesday, so if you do happen to spot an unfamiliar face, do extend a typical OVFM welcome to them (or just do what I do and scowl at them so they leave you alone – never fails)!

Previous N vs S competitions have shown that any topic can yield a wealth of creative and unique interpretations so we look forward to what should be an interesting evening of films this coming Tuesday.

OVFM CLUB MEETING – TUESDAY OCTOBER 3rd

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

SURPRISE!!!

 

Normally this post is about explaining what is going to be happening for our next club meeting but that isn’t possible this time round. Why? Because it is a surprise! And the thing about surprises is that if you know about them beforehand then it is no longer a surprise.

One thing I can reveal to you though, is that the meeting will be held at a different venue for this surprise to be delivered. It is being held in Otford, a place we all know so well through Barbara Darby’s films, which is located over there somewhere. This may be a bit of a drive for most of us but not for the Kemsing Mafia since this is their manor, so it makes a change for them to not have the long ride home.

The evening will be split into two halves, the first with our chairman-woman Jane Oliver running the show then she’ll hand over the reins to a special guest, whose identity is – you guessed it – a surprise. Rumours that it might be legendary Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman are unfounded, largely because he died in 2007, so it is more likely to be someone else.

So, get your A to Z’s out, fire up the sat navs and point them towards Otford (the exact address has been e-mailed to everyone and can be found in the latest edition of the Viewfinder) in time for next Tuesday to discover what the big surprise is. And if you aren’t satisfied with it, Jane will personally refund your petrol money!*

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Or she might tell you to get stuffed – I’m not a mind reader!

OVFM Autumn Film Show 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

OVFM Autumn Film Show 2017

One of the most important dates in the OVFM calendar is our annual Autumn Show where we share the fruits of our labours from a year of busy filmmaking, along with some gems from our archive with the public. As the nights are getting darker and colder you’ll need something to brighten them up so why not join us for another evening of films from the very best local amatuer filmmaking talent.

 

This year’s event will take place on  FRIDAY 27th OCTOBER at 7:00 for 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 guests and non-members the tickets are £5 – which includes refreshments – and are available by making a request via e-mail at info@ovfm.org.uk or by telephone on 01689 813616. Don’t leave it too late as they tend to get snapped up very quickly!

And of course there is our famous raffle where a selection of wonderful prizes are up for grabs provided you have that all important winning ticket!

If any OVFM club members or our external friends wish to help publicise this event please download a printable version of the poster HERE  (open the file, right click and save).

For an entertaining and sociable evening do join us on October 27th and bring along your friends and family!

OVFM CLUB MEETING – TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19th

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

MOVING

 

This week’s club meeting sees members given the chance to share with us the fruits of their labours in interpreting the theme “Moving”. You’ve had a few months since we first announced this project to think this over and whilst it is a difficult subject to tackle for a drama piece, there should be plenty of scope for observational pieces based on transport, people, animals etc.

Hopefully some of you will have risen to this challenge and have produced something for us to enjoy, but even if you only have a rough edit of a film, or the bare bones of an idea please bring it along and maybe we can offer some input to help you complete it.

As far as this being for the North vs South competition, things aren’t looking too positive at the moment unless a last minute saviour ride in on their white horse to rescue this long running competition from the abyss, but that shouldn’t deter us from making films pertaining to the chosen topic.

If you are bringing a film PLEASE reply to this post below, listing the format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB) run time and picture ratio (16:9. 4:3). The evening runs SO much smoother if we know ahead of time how many films we have to show and how much room to leave for discussion.

Also, don’t forget to get your tickets for the Kent Film Festival (Sept 23rd) from Ian Menage and our Autumn Film Show from Freddy Beard.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your efforts on Tuesday.

NEW OVFM PROJECT – CURRENT

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

As you can see we are intent on keeping you all very busy this year as we announce another project for you to get your teeth into.

The latest theme is another which has nebulous connotations to it – CURRENT! It could be something to do with electricity, or water flow, a film that focuses on a topical issue or maybe something of great import that is happening in your life at this very moment that you wish to document in film form.

We would also accept variations on the word, such a the alternate spelling of “currant” in relation to the fruit, in keeping with the nation’s ongoing fascination with baking cakes where currants are a popular ingredient. For any cockneys in the club you’ll know that “currant bun” is rhyming slang for “sun”, so you could have some fun with any footage you shot over the summer.

Perhaps a little left-field but it you have a project you are “currently” working on for something else and would like some feedback or suggestions on how to finish it, bring it along and we can accommodate you that way whilst remaining under the remit of the project theme.

The deadline and screening date for all films is the club meeting on October 31st (Hey, that’s Halloween – maybe a “timely” horror film would work?) so better get your thinking caps on!

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

OVFM CLUB MEETING – TUESDAY September 5th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

This Tuesday sees us entering the Last Chance Saloon as far as the annual Top Ten competition is concerned as Round Three is the final opportunity to get your films into contention for the grand final to be held in January 2018.

We’ve already had ten films submitted across the first two rounds but there are still plenty more to come. Listed to participate in this round are:

 

Sam Brown
John Bunce
Basil Doody
Simon Earwicker
Mike Graham
John and Sylvia Greengrass
Colin Jones
Annabelle Lancaster
Brian Pfeiffer
Trevor Rogers
Brenda and Roger Wheatley

 

However there are still some club members who didn’t submit their films in their designated rounds. They are:

 

John Alford
Ron Darby
Malcolm Goodwin
Ian Menage
Peter Mitchell
Peggy Parmenter
Mike Shaw
Alan Smith and Cherie

Freddy Beard
Hugh Darrington
Kuldip Kaur
Pat Palmer
Bob Vine
Barbara Walker
Andy and Marian Watson

 

Therefore you are invited to use this opportunity to enter your films or forever hold your peace. Hugh had some playback issues with his DVD last time which I hope he has fixed for this round.

A word of warning for anyone planning on bringing a film via USB flash drive – we had some issues last time with the club Blu-ray player reading the files so either bring a DVD instead if you can, or please can us sufficient warning to ensure we have the club laptop on hand to view the films via that platform instead. We strongly urge you to use MPEG 4 format for films on USB.

Please respond to this post in the comments section below if you will be bringing a film, declaring format (DVD/Blu-ray. USB), picture ratio (4:3/16:9) and run time, or since you all like Hugh more than me, send him an e-mail with the same details.

So good luck to everyone who enters a film and let’s make this last round one to remember!

OVFM CLUB MEETING – Tuesday August 22nd 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

Summertime and the living is easy, or in the case of the current climate, the living is wet! But fear not as the inclement weather won’t stop the annual OVFM Garden Party from going ahead, oh no.

Assuming the role of host again this year is club treasurer David “Off-Shore Account” Laker who is clearly a glutton for punishment if he is opening his home to us lot again but if he is kind enough to do so then it would be rude not to take advantage.

You may have noticed this year’s event is happening a little later than usual and as such, to accommodate this, the kick off time has been brought forward to enjoy more of the evening light; therefore please arrive at 6:15pm for a 6:30pm start! The address can be found in the Member’s Only section of this site (so be sure you are logged in to see it).

David asks that no-one park their cars on the grass verge outside his palatial abode as it isn’t politically correct or something so perhaps this is one instance where carpooling might be a good idea to ensure plenty of spaces along the road for everyone.

As ever, the host only provides the location so those of you attending this tawdry shindig are advised to bring your own plates, cutlery (if you prefer your own over plastic forks), glasses, condiments (if your favourite isn’t available), chairs and tables. Coffee and tea will be served as per normal, as will squash and water but feel free to bring any other drinks if you like. Oxygen is free. Hopefully by now you should have all submitted your choice of meal via the form passed round at the last few club meetings. If not, it looks like you are going to starve. **EDIT** – Oh an umbrella might comes in handy too, just in case….

Since it has become something of a tradition at Chez Laker (or maybe a sign that he has run out of ideas) the legendary table tennis table will be available for use so if you fancy pinging or ponging some balls to amuse yourself, the opportunity will be there. Other activities rumoured to be open to all this year include a Twerking competition, a Tae-Kwon-Do tournament, Spot the Pimple, a poetry reading from the works of Piers Morgan and a round of Chasing The Dragon.

There is nothing like an OVFM Garden Party but that isn’t my fault, it is what you make of it which is why I stay away! The rest of you are free to enjoy yourselves if you wish.

Have fun kiddies, just don’t make the 10 o’clock news again like you did last year….

OVFM CLUB MEETING – Tuesday August 8th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

We enter the second round of the Top 10 competition with just four entries submitted for the first round, the results of which you will find HERE. Now that the tennis has ended, Love Island is over with and there are no more general elections planned (at least as far as I know) then we hope that the sunny weather has inspired you to go out and about with your cameras and capture the world around you.

If you are one of the following, we request that you bring the fruits of your labours to this week’s meeting otherwise it will be a short night and very sparse Top Ten contest this year:

 

Freddy Beard
Hugh Darrington
Ann and John Epton
Kuldip Kaur
Walter McKenna
Jane Oliver
Pat Palmer
Lee Relph
Graham Sinden
Bob Vine
Barbara Walker
Andy and Marion Watson

 

Hugh has been informed by Freddy and Andy that they won’t be at the meeting thus no films from them this time around, putting us down by two spots already. Andy’s absence also means that we will need a substitute projectionist for the evening, so if there are any takers please let us know in advance.

If you have a film ready either let Hugh know via e-mail or reply to this post in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the film’s run time, format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB) and picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9). Similarly please reply below if you can’t make this round and we’ll accommodate your film in a future round.

We would also like to remind everyone that this meeting is the deadline for submitting their food/dessert preferences for the club’s upcoming garden party. Please see Annabelle, Jane or David with your choices.

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

OVFM CLUB MEETING – Tuesday July 25th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Knowledge is power and in filmmaking, knowledge is as important as artistry and imagination. Sure, making a film may look as easy as pointing a camera at someone or something and hitting the record button, but as we know there is so much more to it than that.

Therefore our resident club brainiacs will one again hold court and share their years of knowledge and expertise with us and encourage discussion about any facets of filmmaking that may be troubling you, and give you the advice you need. Be it filming, camera issues, editing, scriptwriting, lighting, music rights or even advice on what software or camera to buy, our panel are ready to help you.

Newcomer or veteran, one never stops learning in this fine hobby of ours, and after this session we hope club members will be feel inspired go forward and  apply this newly gained knowledge to their own filming projects, and with the TOP TEN competition having just started and two upcoming themed projects, the opportunities are plentiful.

So, be there on Tuesday and have your questions ready!