Tag: amateur film making

Top Ten Competition 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

top_ten_16

As 2016 rolls on we are just a few months away from the start of the annual Top Ten competition!

As ever the names of all OVFM club members have been put into the hat belonging to our competitions organiser Brenda Wheatley and drawn in random to make up the participants for each of the qualifying rounds that will take place between now and the end of the year, leading to the final in January 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.

This year there are just four rounds and the selected members for each date is thus:

 

Round 1 – To take place August 2nd

John Alford

Hugh Darrington

Mike Graham

Andy & Marian Watson

Patrick Campbell

Jo Coad

Reg Lancaster

Walter McKenna,

Alan Smith

Bob Wyeth

Jenny Tucker

 

Round 2 – To take place September 13th

Madeline & Annie Ffitch

Mike Shaw

Sam Brown

Simon Earwicker

Jane Oliver

Ian Menage

Bob Vine

Anna Littler

Tony Keable

Pat Palmer

Cherie Hamlet-Smith

 

Round 3 – To take place October 11th

Jim Morton Robertson

John Bunce

Kuldip Kaur

Barbara Darby

Brian Pfeiffer

Richard & Jess Pugh

Ann & John Epton

Peter Mitchell

Barbara Walker

Annabelle Lancaster

Roger & Brenda Wheatley

 

Round 4 – To take place November 22nd

Charlie & Nellie Caseley

David Laker

Malcolm Goodwin

Basil Doody

Freddy Beard

Harold & Maisie Trill

Colin Jones

Lee Relph

John & Sylvia Greengrass

Peggy Parmenter

 

To see the current results please click HERE!

 

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

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY APRIL 26th 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

project

 

It’s time ladies and gentlemen for you to reveal to the club how hard you have been working in fulfilling the project theme of “Spring”, as originally announced HERE.

Project evenings are a fun way to flex one’s creative muscles and it never ceases to amaze how many different interpretations we get on a single topic and we are sure this project will be no different.

As always could we ask that you PLEASE reply to this post in the comments section below if you are bringing a film, listing the format, run time and picture ratio. This is crucial in helping us to plan the evening time wise and to ensure we have sufficient material for the whole session, so your co-operation is very much appreciated.

And a reminder for anyone who wants to taken part in the editing project we have currently running to speak to Ian Menage about claiming a copy of the raw footage.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your “Spring” related films this Tuesday!

 

New OVFM Project Extra

Posted on by Lee Relph

project_EX

 

We have another project for you all but this time it comes with a twist it is an editing exercise only!

Usually a theme is chosen and club members are expected to conceive and create a film in any style or genre to accommodate that theme but the difference here is that half the work has been already been done for you. Our Vice-Chairman Sam “Choo-Choo” Brown has been out and about shooting some random footage which will now be passed on to everyone to then edit and create their own film using this “stock footage” if you will.

There are a few rules that need to be adhered to.

 

You CAN:

create your own titles

add your own music

use sound effects

use any visual effects

alter the speed of the film

use an audio commentary

 

You CANNOT:

add any extra footage

 

The deadline for this project is the club meeting on Tuesday May 10th and you can request a DVD copy of the footage from Ian Menage who will be distributing the first batch of discs at the next club meeting this coming Tuesday (March 29th).

We hope that as many club members as possible will participate in this project and that the end results will provide an interesting an varied response on the evening, in terms of how the different creative minds in the club will interpret and utilise the footage. The key objective is that we expect a different film each time but wouldn’t it be curious if two people had the same idea?

Only one way to find out and that is to join us on May 10th. Until then good luck to everyone who takes up this fascinating challenge!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 29th 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

lancasters

 

When you think of the great partnerships in film, the names that usually come to mind are Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, Hope & Crosby, Lewis & Martin. But at OVFM the names at the top of our list are Reg & Annabelle Lancaster. Forever at the heart of OVFM’s activities the Lancasters have been given the opportunity to host their own club meeting.

Here’s Reg to tell us more:

 

At the committee meeting to plan the last year’s programme we had one date left to fill.

In the absence of anyone  else volunteering something for the meeting of March 29th, We offered to show four films that Annabelle and I made some years ago which have never been shown together as they were intended to be seen.

Firstly one of the 8 or 9 films that I made with Dutch filmmaker Vladimir Murtin, and  another when Dutchman Jan Schoonen joined us. On two of the Cross Channel film trips, Annabelle came along and shot film of what was going on.

The first is a comedy, Aloha and then Double Date which experiments with time. Annabelle’s are called Aloha Take 2,  and Double Take.

Our films were aimed at UNICA at a time when Britain was not a member. So they do not depend on language and represented The Netherlands successfully. Though amateurs, we tried to take a serious attitude to film making and the words “we’ll get away with that” were not to be heard.

We did have a lot of fun while being determined to try and get things “right,” so Annabelle’s films show how difficult that can sometimes be. Murphy’s Law is often close  at hand.

Above all we intend the films to show what fun there can be in a small, enthusiastic group of people can have in collaborating with like minded people to make wee films together.

We feel it should make an interesting evening.

 

I’m sure it will too.

Also, don’t forget to collect your copy of the raw footage for the latest club project, as detailed HERE while this meeting is the last formal date to get your nominations in for a place on the committee ahead of the AGM next month.

 

Hope to see you all this coming Tuesday to see “The Making of…” with The Lancasters!

NEW OVFM PROJECT – SPRING

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

project

SPRING

It’s project time once again and the subject chosen for this particular occasion is a rather appropriate one as we head into a new season – Spring! Then again “Spring” doesn’t have to reflect the change in the weather – it could refer to the tiny piece of coiled metal, or it might reference “springing” a surprise on someone, or perhaps someone athletic jumping from a “spring” board (parkour and the such).

Maybe you have a completely different interpretation which is exactly what these projects are all about. Remember they won’t be judged like a Top Ten film so the emphasis is on having fun when making your films and simply entertaining your peers. And don’t forget you can ask your fellow club members for help if you lack certain production facets or manpower, and club equipment is available on request from our chairman Simon “Snapper” Earwicker.

The closing date for this project is Tuesday April 26th  so you have a bit of time to get your thinking caps on and put something together for us.

Good luck!

2016 Triangle Competition

Posted on by Lee Relph

triangle_16

 

Another annual inter-club competition is upon us, this time it is the Triangle Competition in which three of four clubs – OVFM, Spring Park, Shooters Hill and Epsom – enter films in a three-way contest to be judged by the fourth, with the judging role alternating each year.

This year’s event take place on  Thursday, March 17th  and the judging will be handled by Spring Park Film Makers thus will be held on their turf at Emmanuel Church, West Wickham BR4 9JS at 8 pm (doors usually open 7.30 – 7.45).

OVFM has done well in the past in this competition so let’s see if we can add another win to our score card. For more information or if you want tickets in order to represent OVFM in person on the night please get in touch with our esteemed secretary Freddy Beard.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 15th 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

ovfmoscars_16

 

If you’re blue

And you don’t know where to go to

There’s always OVFM’s one night of glitz

Puttin’ on the Ritz

 

I must confess I’ve never put on a Ritz, I wouldn’t actually know where to start – I couldn’t find any instructions on the Internet (at least not on sites which haven’t been blocked by my ISP) – but I do know that we will be putting on the 2016 OVFM Oscars!

This is the one night of the year where we ditch our jeans and t-shirts and dig our best clobber out from the back of the mothball ridden wardrobe for its annual airing as we celebrate the hard work of club members by handing out bits of old scrap metal in recognition of their creative genius.

Of course the smart dress code is optional but if you do come in regular attire expect to be jeered, teased and have rotten vegetables thrown at you when we force you to sit outside in the car park for being a Kiljoy.

Last year saw Professor Mike Shaw crowned the big winner walking away with four awards and a sprained wrist. Will Mike reign supreme again this year or will someone else take all the glory?

As ever among the main prizes being contested are:

 

Ian Dunbar Cup

Orpington Trophy

Jubilee Shield

Vincent Pons Trophy

Mike Turner Plate

Kath Jones Cup

Bette Davis Eyes

 

Along with some new categories added by the Legion Of Doom which include:

 

Tallest Club Member

Best Club Member Over 30 But Under 50

Best Beard (natural hair colour only)

Outstanding Contribution To Putting Out Chairs

 

This year we are indebted to Kevin Doyle, secretary of AVS Movie Makers in Altrincham, for judging the entries and for his comments on said films, which he described as “very good”. Apparently “bloody brilliant” is not in his vocabulary so I guess we have to take what we can get but we do thank Kevin for giving up his time for us.

Aside from dressing up our stalwart refreshments commander Peggy “One Lump Or Two?” Parmenter will have some extra treats to compliment the teas and coffees to mark this special occasion – and when I say “will have” I obviously mean “Peggy didn’t give it a single thought before I brought it up”. You can thank me later.

Don’t forget that plus 1s are welcome (or in my case minus 1) while plus fours are prohibited as this isn’t a golf club. A 3-Iron is a golf club and is also the title of a film by South Korean auteur Kim Ki-Duk who also made a film called Time which I am now going to call on this post.

The Oscars is the most prestigious and fun filled evening of the year in the OVFM calendar so we do hope you can make the effort to join us at our regular meeting venue, the Barnard Room in St Augustine’s Church this coming Tuesday March 15th for this special annual event.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY March 1st 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

The guest speaker lined up for this week’s club meeting should be familiar to everyone at OVFM as it is our very own Professor Mike Shaw!

mike

Before he picked up the camera and became the club’s resident special effects whizz, Mike spent many years working in advertising and was responsible for masterminding a number of campaigns for many top name companies and businesses of the time.

So what does this have to do with filmmaking? Both films and adverts, or indeed any creative process, begin the same way – with an idea. Certainly there are differences in that ads need to be short, to the point and within a specific remit of the company or product requirements (and we at OVFM are not adverse to making short films under a minute either) but there needs to be a starting point and it is that common thread which will be one feature of Mike’s presentation.

Mike will be talking us through some of the campaigns he was responsible for, explaining the various stages of creative process and sharing the end results with us, which saw Mike rub shoulders with some the showbiz elite of the era – not that Mike is a name dropper so don’t expect to hear the name Sammy Davis Jr. mentioned at any time during the course of the evening!

It might be a different tact from our usual film related guest speakers but I’m sure it won’t be any less interesting to us as creative types. And who knows – we may see an ad campaign already familiar to us unaware it was actually one of Mike’s.

Only one way to find out and that is to join us this coming Tuesday evening where you are Shaw to be in for a fascinating evening!

Ahem. I’ll get my coat….

OVFM Spring Film Show 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

spring_16_banner

OVFM Spring Film Show 2016

It is hard to believe that twelve months have passed already since the last Spring Film Show from OVFM but here we are ready to do it all over again!

Now the days are getting brighter, the weather (hopefully) is getting warmer and the colour is returning to the leaves on the trees, we will be to marking this occasion by sharing with everyone the best of the many films made by our club members over the past twelve months along with a few delights unearthed from our extensive archive. And the local events of 2015 will be revisited in the annual Newsreel!

As ever refreshments will be on hand as well as our raffle where great prizes can be won!

The 2016 Spring Show will take place on FRIDAY 8th April at 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 others the tickets are £5 – which includes refreshments – and are available from our secretary Freddy Beard or by email at info@ovfm.org.uk.

A poster for the event can be downloaded (for best printing results) from HERE (right click on the image then select “Save Image As”) so please print a copy off and spread the word around your neighbourhood!

For an entertaining and sociable evening of drama, comedy, documentary, music, travelogue and more get your tickets a.s.a.p. and bring along your friends and family!

See you then!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16TH 2016

Posted on by Lee Relph

MOBILE

The next club meeting is dedicated to sharing the results from you, our dear OVFM members, of the latest project entitled “Mobile”.

For anyone who may have forgotten the full details of what is required can be found HERE but I am sure you have all been hard at work putting ideas together and giving your camera another workout to produce some prime gems for us to enjoy this coming Tuesday evening..

As always could we ask that you PLEASE reply to this post below if you are bringing a film, listing the format, run time and picture ratio. This is crucial in helping us to plan the evening time wise and to ensure we have sufficient material for the whole session, so your co-operation is very much appreciated.

Project evenings are a fun way to see just how inventive club members can be in interpreting a certain theme or topic, resulting in a variety of films and ideas being put forward and this one should be no different.

Join us this coming Tuesday to see what delights await!