Author: Lee Relph

Top Ten Competition 2017 – Results

Posted on by Lee Relph

THE RESULTS

 

The Top Ten competition for 2017 is now underway. All the information you need about it can be found HERE but this page is for the results, so be sure to check back after each round to see the updated standings.

 

ROUND ONE (Held June 27th)

1. Hampden P1344 – Jim Morten-Robertson    54.62
2. The Juggler – Reg Lancaster    52.42
3. 1940’s Showreel – Barbara Darby   48.32
4. Flatford Mill – Charlie Caseley   40.57

 

ROUND TWO (Held August 8th)

1. Orpington In The 1840s  – David Laker   54.38
2. It’s A Pug’s Life – Lee Relph  53.23
3. New Year 2017 In London  – Wally McKenna   47.23
= Glorious Devon  – Jane Oliver   47.23
5. Last Stand  – Ann & John Epton   45.16
6. Bridge Over The Thames – Graham Sinden   41.73

 

ROUND THREE (Held on September 5th)

1. Please – John Greengrass    52.84
2. No Thanks Not Me – Colin Jones    52.76
3. But Is It Art? – Hugh Darrington   49.15
4. Come Fly With Me – Trevor Rogers    47.38
5. St Giles The Abbott – John Bunce    45.48

 

That means the ten (11?) films that go onto the final in January are as follows:

1. Hampden P1344 – Jim Morten-Robertson    54.62
2. Orpington In The 1840s  – David Laker   54.38
3. It’s A Pug’s Life – Lee Relph  53.23
4. Please – John Greengrass    52.84
5. No Thanks Not Me – Colin Jones    52.76
6. The Juggler – Reg Lancaster    52.42
7. But Is It Art? – Hugh Darrington   49.15
8. 1940’s Showreel – Barbara Darby   48.32
9. Come Fly With Me – Trevor Rogers    47.38
10. Glorious Devon  – Jane Oliver   47.23
=   New Year 2017 In London – Wally McKenna   47.23

 

Congrats to all the finalists and thanks to everyone who entered a film. Be sure you are in attendance on January 9th 2018 to vote in the final!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JULY 11th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

The next club meeting is another chance of us to make a film in an evening (or attempt to) but this time with a twist – we are asking you to bring a prop (and your cameras too)!

It doesn’t have to be big (so that’s my 1:1 scale model of HMS Belfast off the list then), it just has to have potential for ideas either comedy or drama, then its cool with us. They can be items of clothing such as hats, funny shoes, masks, wigs or every day items that might facilitate a story, or you could even surprise us with something unusual. We can’t promise to use all of them but as long as we have enough cameras with us the chances of a film being made with them increases.

We are not expecting to make any masterpieces inside this two hour session but we are hoping to have something achieved by the end, even if it is a 30 second clip. This is the main objective of the evening, to get us making films and you never know, it could inspire you to expand on an idea or try your own – just in time to compete in the remaining rounds of the TOP TEN COMPETITION!

So have a rummage to see what might be lurking around at home that could provide inspiration for a film and bring it and your camera to the meeting this coming Tuesday!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JUNE 27th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Yes folks the Top Ten 2017 competition is officially on!

Marking the first year under the aegis of our new Competitions Officer Hugh Darrington, the Top Ten is open to everyone in OVFM to submit a film, no longer than 20 minutes on any subject, style or genre, which will be judged and graded by their peers. The ten films that have accrued the highest scores by the end of the five individual rounds will be entered into the final in January 2018 and the winner will be announced at the Oscars in March.

Last year Barbara Darby made history by becoming a SIX time winner of the competition! Can she make it to seven wins or will someone else take the trophy this year?

Here are the club members who have been selected at random to participate in this opening round:

 

John Alford
Charlie and Nellie Caseley
Barbara Darby
Ron Darby
Malcolm Goodwin
David Laker
Reg Lancaster
Ian Menage
Peter Mitchell
Peggy Parmenter
Mike Shaw
Alan Smith and Cherie Hamlet-Smith

 

Unfortunately Hugh is a bit miffed, as despite emailing everyone whose name has been drawn, so far only one person has replied to say they are putting in a four minute film.  Ouch. Could spend the whole evening staring at the floor then. Alan, Cherie and Reg have let Hugh know they can’t manage it and  David Laker is away. But come on guys,  don’t let him down on his first time on the job…

Maybe someone else has an early film ready drawn for later rounds.  If so 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) 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.

Also, just to remind you, the scoring sheet marking advice has been revised as follows to help you with your scoring:

 

Titles: Are the titles easy to read?  Do they reflect the content of the film? Do they show additional creativity?  Has the same attention been paid to them as the rest of the film?

Visuals: Look for focus, exposure, steadiness and lighting in photography.  Also note degree of difficulty and originality.

Editing: Does the film flow smoothly?  Should some of the shots be removed, shortened or rearranged?  Should there be more cutaways?  Are zooms and pans smooth and necessary? Look out for special effects.

Sound: Was the sound crisp and clear?  Was there any distortion?  Was the music appropriate? Was the narration well written and delivered? Was it mixed well with the music?  Were the background sounds appropriate and was the whole well balanced together?

Structure: Has the film got structure? Did the author seem to know what he or she wanted?  Has it got a beginning, middle and end? Has the author made the best use of material?

General Appeal: Regardless of technical merit, how much do you think the film will appeal to a wider audience apart from yourself?   Did it hold the audience throughout? Was it the right length? Would you like your name on the credits?

 

So there you have it. Will we see more than one film this Tuesday? You’ll have to be there to find out!

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

 

PS: Hugh informs me he has a secret surprise fill in for the evening. You won’t want to miss this.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JUNE 13th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s been a while, admittedly, since the idea to make a film about the history of Orpington was proposed, and since the last update but some headway has been made since then which organisers Pat Palmer and David Laker will tell us about this coming Tuesday.

We already know that plenty of research has been undertaken for this project and a couple of films have already been produced by Pat and other club members, as well as some assistance from local history groups but obviously a project of this scale requires a lot of work.

So, to find out how much progress has been made with this project and how YOU can help take it further, make sure you pop along to the club meeting this Tuesday!

And don’t forget that David will also be collecting subs, so bring your cheques or he’ll send the lads round!

 

**EDIT** – I’ve just been informed that John Epton will deliver a short presentation on video file formats, for the benefit of anyone who doesn’t know their AVI from an MP4.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 30th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

This week’s meeting is a filming project with a difference and requires participation from you, dear club members.

In order to get people comfortable with filming and to propagate the understanding of what goes into the preparation and making of a film, the concept for this mini-project is to strip the process down to its barest form make a film with a narrative but without any edits!

How will this work? Well, the idea is you film a number of scenes (either prepared and scripted or shot extemporaneously) that accumulate to no longer than 3 minutes in length that tells a story but you are not allowed to edit them in any way shape or form, and that includes using the in camera editing functions to.

If you wish to provide a voice over narration or musical accompaniment then that has be done whilst filming or be diegetic, although the former is rather ambitious, hence this is not compulsory – you know what they say about pictures and the amount of words they paint. It doesn’t have to be shot in the same day or in the same location, just as long as a tangible narrative is present in the footage.

For some of the more experienced filmmakers in the club, this will be a throwback to the old days of shooting holiday films long before the idea of editing and composition was a primary concern, where we would wander about somewhere, capturing whatever we saw then bore our friends and family with the warts and all results afterwards!

Conversely, we hope that this will also reignite the simple joy of filming for some of you and maybe inspire you to start your next big project having got your mojo back so to speak.

We appreciate that the notice for this is rather short (that’s down to the committee not me) so if you don’t have a film ready for us then we will divide the evening into two parts – first we’ll use the last of the evening light (weather permitting) to film outside for anyone short on time or ideas, then in the second part we shall playback all the results of our endeavours.

No need to burn a disc or anything, we shall play straight from the cameras or via an SD card were possible

If you are bringing footage or would like to film at the club meeting then PLEASE reply to this post below, otherwise we shall see you all, cameras in hand, next Tuesday for this exciting project evening!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 16th 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Well, actually it is only a part practical evening but we promise you that everything is completely congruent.

In a two part session, we shall first have a “making of” presentation from John Epton, Sam Brown and Barbara Walker, talking us through the filming of Barbara’s award winning comedy Commute, which featured some nifty green screen work to create the illusion of being on a train.

The second part is where we get practical, cracking out the green screen to go into depth a little more about using this technique and applying it into a little bit of filming to give everyone a first hand experience of seeing it in practice.

It’s been a while since we did some practical green screen filming at a club meeting (six years if memory serves me correctly), so make sure you are there on Tuesday to see how it is done and get involved yourself!

FAQ – Music Copyright

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Music is an important part of a film and while finding that one song or tune to perfectly fit the imagery and mood of your latest masterpiece can be a Herculean task, usually one of three options present themselves as a viable solution.

One is create the music yourself. With the technology readily available these days, anyone with the talent and know how can record their own noodlings be it via guitar, keyboard or nose flute.

Another is to seek out non-copyright music on the internet, created expressly for projects such as short filmmaking. There are many such outlets offering quality copyright free tracks, some of which have been listed in the LINKS TO OTHER SITES widget on the left hand side of this site.

Finally – and arguably the most popular method – is to sift through your record collection and find that classic hit which will add that final layer of magical texture to your project.

It is this last choice that comes with the most legal hurdles to overcome. As much as we might like to think so, it really isn’t as easy as sticking your favourite Elvis song onto your film in the name of art, there is the small matter of copyright and ownership to consider first, which can lead to a lot of trouble and your film being taken down from public sites like YouTube, etc for infringement.

So what are the rules and regulations? Lady Annabelle of Lancaster has – without a hint of irony – lifted the following guidelines from the IAC site to help explain in great detail the ins and outs of copyright, usage and how to stay on the right side of the law.

1. Are my ideas protected by copyright?

There is virtually no copyright in ideas. This has been challenged in the British Courts but remains broadly true.

2. Is my original footage copyright protected?

Yes unless you have assigned the rights to someone else. If you are working on commission check the contract small print.

3. What about copyright on other material I may use?

Almost any other material you use may well be the copyright property of someone else. This applies to photographs, paintings, statues, record covers, book covers, advertisements, packaging, scripts, music etc. In general no objection is made if such things appear fleetingly in the background of the action but they should not be featured.

4. What is the copyright position in competitions?

Virtually all movie/photographic competitions require you to clear copyright on your entries. This particularly applies to music.

 5. What is music copyright all about?

It seems easy and is technically simple, to dub a piece of music from a CD, disc or tape onto your soundtrack. BUT …

  • The composer, lyricist, arranger and their heirs have copyright on music and songs until 70 years after their death.
  • The company which made the recording has rights in its recorded form.
  • The performers, playing or singing, have rights.
  • The public performance of the work requires special permission.

It is worth noting that it is an offence to make a recording of copyright music even if that recording is not played back!

There are stiff penalties for infringing ANY of these rights. Obtaining all of these permissions is possible but normally difficult and expensive.

 6. Who can and cannot us the IAC Copyright Clearance Schemes ?

  • All IAC members can obtain the special copyright licences (MCPS, BPI, PPL) for music that they may wish to use in movies or slide tape presentations.
  • IAC Affiliated Clubs can obtain the licences for CLUB productions that are in fact credited to the club.
  • Members of Affiliated Clubs cannot use the club’s licences for their own productions. Conversely, a non affiliated club cannot use the personal licences of one of its members for a club production!

7. What about downloads?

Music downloaded from the web is subject to exactly the same copyright issues as CDs you buy over the counter.

8. Can I put my movies on the web?

If your movie contains anything whose copyright belongs to others, you must have permission from the copyright owner/s. In the UK an agreement between the music trade and YouTube means material used under IAC licences is usually – but not always – permitted on that website.

We hope that addresses and answers any concerns you may have if not post a comment below and we shall try to answer them in depth for you.

Thanks for reading!

OVFM TOP TEN COMPETITION 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Yes the annual Top Ten competition is back and under new management!

After Brenda Wheatley stepped down from the role of Competitions Officer after 12 years, Hugh Darrington picked up the mantle to take over the running of the club’s competitions, for the next year at least. His first duty was to arrange the drawing for the individual Top Ten rounds, which you will notice has been reduced from five to just three, to encourage a greater response from club members, after a paltry 13 films were submitted in 2016.

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.

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

 

ROUND ONE (to take place June  27th)

John Alford
Charlie and Nellie Caseley
Barbara Darby
Ron Darby
Malcolm Goodwin
David Laker
Reg Lancaster
Ian Menage
Peter Mitchell
Peggy Parmenter
Mike Shaw
Alan Smith and Cherie

 

ROUND TWO (to take place August 8th)

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 Marian Watson

 

ROUND THREE (to take place September 5th)

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

 

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 9th 2107 and the results will be revealed at the Oscars on March 6th 2018.

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

 

Good luck to all who enter.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 2nd 2017

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

As you may already be aware by now, the future of the annual North vs. South competition is in doubt after OVFM relinquished the job of running the event and, at the time of posting, there has no been response from other clubs to pick up the mantle. However it has been decide that instead of letting the opportunity pass us by, should there be an 11th hour saviour, OVFM will make a club film to fulfil the chosen topic for the NvS competition, as well a give us a project the whole club can work together on.

The theme is “Moving” and somewhat ironically we shall be “moving” away from the usual brainstorming format which is part of the programme for the next club meeting this coming Tuesday. Dividing the evening into two parts, the first will be the brainstorming session.

Ensuring that everyone is given a chance to be involved and not just left to the same few faces, we will break into small groups to share our ideas for the theme “Moving”.  Each group will then decide on the idea that would be best suited to the theme that they could make into a short film for showing on the club meeting at a future date (do check back on the club calendar for updates).

Don’t be discouraged if your idea isn’t taken up by your group, there’s nothing to stop you making a film of your own if you so desire – in fact, the more the merrier!  This exercise should ultimately provide us with a variety of films that could also be entered into various other external and IAC related film competitions beyond the N v S, should it be resurrected by another club.

In the second part of the evening we will watch some films from the OVFM archives that fit the theme “Moving” as possible entries to the competition along with of newer efforts to get the numbers up.

So get your thinking caps on and bring your ideas for the them of “Moving” to the club meeting on Tuesday!

So come along and enjoy.

NEW OVFM PROJECT – JIGSAW

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s project time again at OVFM and this one is a little different from the usual tasks we set you.

This time you don’t have to do a single bit of filming, as this is an editing project. You will be supplied with two pieces of film where the clips have been arranged in a random order. Your task is to reassemble them into a coherent narrative with titles and music too if you wish.

With so many curious and creative minds in the club, the scope for interesting and diverse interpretations to come from such a concept is bound to be wide, and whilst the source material has yet to be disclosed, I am sure it will prove fertile enough to get our artistic juices flowing.

The deadline for this project will be a club meeting to be held on October 31st.

Meanwhile, distribution of the raw footage will be via one of three methods:

 

DVD

USB Stick

FileZilla

 

For the first two hard copy options, you can collect them from Ian Menage beginning the next club meeting on Tuesday May 2nd whilst anyone using FileZilla (be sure to follow Mike Shaw’s tutorial on how to set this programme up) can have the file sent directly to their PCs. Whichever of the three formats you prefer it is imperative that you PLEASE reply to this post below stating your preference as soon as possible, in order to ensure everyone is catered for.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to see the results on May 30th!