Orpington Video and Film Makers
Amateur Film Makers since 1958 Based in Orpington, Kent, UK
Congrats to our very own Professor Mike Shaw and his partners in Footprints Productions for their recent big win at this year’s SERIAC Film Festival .
The film in question was Enid Blyton – The Beckenham Years , a seven year labour of love for Mike and his collaborators from Spring Park which received a record four awards!
You can read the full story on the Orpington Community Website HERE
Once again our congratulations to Mike and everyone on the Footprints Productions team!
This week’s meeting is a little different for OVFM as it has nothing to do with us!
Okay that is a little glib but on this occasion we are playing host to the 2014 Triangle competition, while three other clubs will put their films up for judging while drinking our tea and eating our biscuits!
The Triangle competition, for those who don’t know, is contested between four clubs (yes I know that would make it a square but bear with me) – OVFM, Epsom Movie Makers, Shooters Hill Camcorder Club and Spring Park – and each year one club takes it in turn to host the actual competition screening of the films from the other three. Again, it’s still technically a square but only three clubs submit a 30 minute programme of their films for judging on an annual basis while one sits back and put their feet up. This year it is OVFM’s turn to sit back and put our feet up. Sort of.
At stake is the Triangle Trophy which is awards to the club who provides the best programme of the evening while a second trophy is awards to Best Film which doesn’t have to be a part of the club’s main programme of films. Last year Spring Park won both awards – can they win again this year (since we’re not competing)?
As hosts we are obliged to provide judges so Reg “Bomber” Lancaster, Sam “Choo Choo” Brown and Brenda “Spot The Ball” Wheatley have stepped up to take on this role on our behalf. Also there will be a raffle on the night too.
Because the expected size of the turnout is larger than normal this meeting will be held once again at All Saints Church in Orpington (home to the AGM on the 1st April).
We hope you will all be there to welcome our visitors and don’t forget to bring some rotten fruit and veg to throw at anyone who makes a bad film – not that they will of course… 😉
Hello and welcome to the annual OVFM Oscars Results report.
The 2014 OVFM Oscars took place in front of a bored audience at the Barnard Room, St Augustine’s Church on a somewhat chilly night but that didn’t stop them dressing up in their best glad rags for the events. Actually it did stop a few of them – names have been noted and the lads will be round later to “have a word”….
We were fortunate enough to be joined by two of the judges from Haywards Heath Movie Makers Ron Prosser and David Fenn while third judge Rod Willerton clearly had something better to do. Hope those toenails are now nice and neat Rod! Ron and David seemed to enjoy themselves – assuming banging your head against the wall screaming “get me out of here” is a Haywards Heath way of expressing pleasure that is!
As is the case in many awards ceremony one film or filmmaker will often dominate the voting usually leading to commensurate rewards. This year it was our chairman Simon “Snapper” Earwicker who was the big winner, taking home almost every award except for Best Hair, Best Costume, Best Use Of A Pineapple and Best Film Not In The Martian Language.
So onto the results which look like this, starting with the awards as voted for by us lot at OVFM:
Kath Jones Cup (Joke film under five minutes)–Winner: ATM Wobbler by John Bunce
Vic Treen Cup (Film set to music) – Winner: Sundays Down The Lane by Basil Doody
Mike Turner Plate (Film under sixty seconds) – Winner: Stop Motion by Simon Earwicker
The 2013 Top Ten Competition – Runner Up: The Artist by Mike Shaw
Winner: The Village Mosaic by Barbara Darby
We then moved onto the Annual Competition Awards as judged by Hayward’s Heath Movie Makers.
Jubilee Shield (Film under five minutes) – Winner: Two Little Words by Lee Relph
Raasay Trophy (No special category) – Winner: Stop Motion by Simon Earwicker
Alice Howe Trophy (Documentary) – Winner: Cakes And Onions by Ann & John Epton
Reg Lancaster Trophy (Funniest Film) – Winner: The Artist by Mike Shaw
Heyfield Trophy (Sound) – Winner: Stop Motion by Simon Earwicker
Rene Morris Penguin Plate (Photography) – Winner: Memories Of Costa Rica by Barbara Darby
Vincent Pons Shield (Fiction) – Winner: Power Corrupts by David Laker
Priory Trophy (Editing) – Winner: Love And War by Simon Earwicker
Arthur Woolhead Trophy (Animation or Visual Effects) – Winner: Stop Motion by Simon Earwicker
Orpington Trophy (Best Film Runner Up): Love And War by Simon Earwicker
Ian Dunbar Cup (Best film) – Winner: Cakes And Onions by Ann & John Epton
High Commendations: Campdowne by David Laker
Killer Hand by Barbara Walker
Commendations: High Street Fun by Ann & John Epton
I’m Not A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here” by Hugh Darrington
And that is it for another year. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners and we’ll be doing it all again in 2015 to see who will reap the rewards for the next twelve months of film making
Thank you and good night!
The Grand Final of the North v South Competition took place on Sunday 24th November in the South at its usual venue of the Village Hall in Farnborough, Kent.
A 5 hour show which included all 25 films entered into the competition were shown to an appreciative audience. Several people commented after the show about the high standard of the finalists this year.
Around 75 people attended the event and we were particularly delighted to welcome Jill Lampert and Gordon Hunt of Sutton Coldfield Movie Makers and John Gibb of Nuneaton Moviemakers who all made the journey down from the Midlands.
Our judges for the Southern entries were Scarlett Mills and Khalid Nasser of the University of Sussex Film Appreciation Society and for the final judging, Garth Hope, Editor of ‘Film & Video Maker’ magazine.
Following the showing of the films, the audience were asked to fill in their voting slips. ‘On the Rails’ by Bourne End Video Makers won the audience vote although it didn’t feature in the judges top 3. Some things never change!
Audience Vote
1st On the Rails Bourne End Video Makers
2nd Revolution Chesterfield Film Makers
3rd Revolution Nuneaton Moviemakers
Official Result
1st Revolution Chesterfield Film Makers
2nd The Turning of the Screw Reading Film & Video Makers
3rd Frequency Hertz Surrey Border Movie Makers
Needless to say, nobody in the audience matched the judge’s decision but Graham Sinden of Shooters Hill Camcorder Club was closest and took the ‘Audience Vote’ prize. He obviously has the knack as he also won it last year.
Our ‘Guess the Theme’ competition was won by Gordon Hunt of Sutton Coldfield Movie Makers who correctly guessed that the theme for 2014 is………
‘IF’
Thanks to everyone who attended for their support.
Mike Coad
on behalf of Orpington Video & Film Makers
Hasn’t time flown by? It seems like only a year ago we were making this very same announcement about the impending Annual Competition! Yes folks it is that time again where we hand over the masterpieces we’ve slaved over this year to a panel of outsiders who will view and judge them en route to the Oscars in March 2014!
Last year’s competition – the complete list of winners can be found HERE – was dominated by Colin Jones who won five awards although it was Barbara “Cakes” Darby who claimed the Best film prize. Can they do it again this year or will someone else step up to be bathed in glory?
Below you will find links to the entry forms which you can download and print off and bring to any of the future club meetings while the closing date is January 7th 2014.
As always the entrance fee is £2.00 per person but you can enter as many films as you like. All monies are non-refundable as we have to bribe the judges somehow.
To download the Entry form as an MS Word document click HERE
To download the Entry form as a PDF document click HERE
Good luck to every who enters and remember closing date for your entry forms is TUESDAY JANUARY 7th 2014!
Members of Orpington Video & Film Makers collected three major trophies and a commendation at the prestigious Kent Film Festival (held Saturday 28th September, in Canterbury). The winning films were ‘Steam and Smoke’ (Best Photography) by Sam Brown, ‘Village Mosaic’ (Kent Award) by Barbara Darby, ‘Enid Blyton – the Beckenham Years’ (Best Documentary) by Mike Shaw and Footprint Productions, and ‘Eastbourne ‘ (Commendation) by Mike & Jo Coad.
Congratulations to all the winners!
You’ve pestered, you’ve begged, you’ve fretted, you’ve sweated. but in spite of all that I’m not going to be stopped!
So Film Fans, I give you…THE OVFM OSCAR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS!
Please! Thank you, settle down, mind what you’re doing with that monopod missus, where’s me wash board, I didn’t come here to get insulted…I could have stayed at home!
Anyway On With The Show. But first I must be serious for a moment. We now live in a highly litigious society where health and safety concerns dog our every move. For some the arrival of conker season doesn’t bring joy but a fearful rush for hard hat and goggles, and fetching something down from the top of the cupboard requires a safety net and padded suit!
But here at OVFM we’re not like that, we laugh in the face of danger…ha ha. Only last week I heard of an OVFM member who didn’t flinch when he dropped his ginger hob nob he just calmly reached down, picked it up and carried on as if nothing had happened. Brave? You bet yer!
And what about the OVFM member who recently took up rollerskating? Determined to fulfil a lifelong ambition and do something adventurous he didn’t hesitate to get out there and have a go. (The doctor says he’s doing fine and the cast can come off in about six weeks).
However after vetting my article the OVFM lawyers (Fleeceham, Grabbit & Runn) have insisted that I preface it with a warning to protect those of a sensitive disposition.
So here goes…
WARNING the following contains images of a grown man in a banana costume, if you are offended by such images (and those of unconstrained handshaking and back slapping too) please look away now. In fact why not look at Reg’s Favourite Films article which has had some really fascinating posts added to it recently.
Still here?
Then sit yourself down, take a deep breath and we’ll begin!
For the full selection of photos visit the gallery.
