Tag: Competition

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY APRIL 19th 2022 – TRIANGLE COMPETITION 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

One of the key annual events in the OVFM calendar is the Triangle Competition, which we have won on many occasions and maybe this year, we will win again.

 

For those who aren’t aware, the concept is that three film clubs submit a programme whilst a fourth club judges them and declares the winners for Best Programme and Best Film. Those clubs are OVFM, Epsom, and Spring Park with judging by Staines Movie Makers. This will be the first year the competition has run without Shooter’s Hill, which disbanded last year, who were the fourth club, but we are grateful to Staines for stepping up for us this year.

 

Each programme is 30 minutes long meaning 90 minutes of films in total. Epsom and Spring Park have already seen the films so we are the last club to see what they (and we) have submitted. The winners have already been decided but we won’t know the result until the end of the evening whilst judges comments and feedback will be shared for our own elucidation.

The meeting will take place via Zoom, the link for which will be sent out via email by secretary Barbara Darby prior to the event. There will be a short break between the second and third programmes. The complete line-up of films from all three competing clubs is available for download HERE.

We hope to see you all on Tuesday for the event and fingers crossed for another OVFM victory!

2022 Annual Competition

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

The Annual Competition is back after a two year hiatus, which means your chance to put your film up for consideration to be judged by an external panel and be eligible for an award at the OVFM Oscars, which will be on Tuesday March 22nd 2022. This year we are indebted to members of Teign Film Makers Club for agreeing to judge our films.

 

Because we are still operating remotely due to the current pandemic restrictions, we are forced to do things a little differently this year. First, everything will be handled online which means instead of a physical copy of your film, you submit a digital version. Your film needs to be in MP4 format only and send it to DAVID LAKER either via WETRANSFER or FILEZILLA by no later than FRIDAY 28th JANUARY !!

 

Secondly, as it is all being done online the usual £2 entry fee has been waived. You still have to fill out an entry form which again will be online via Google Docs, and should have already been sent to you by David Roman-Halliday by email.

 

A reminder of the rules can be found HERE.

 

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone who enters a film.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY OCTOBER 19th 2021

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Now we are up and running again (sort of) it is time to get down to the serious business of our club competitions and that of course means the TOP TEN, and the first round is this Tuesday!

Obviously this was suspended in 2020 due to something or other but it is back and we hope you are all raring to go with the films you have made with all that time on your hands over the post 18 months! Everything you need to know about this year’s competition can be found HERE.

Last year’s big winner was Mandy Carr who not only won the Top Ten but just about every other award at the Oscars too. Wil she make it two in a row or will Barbara Darby reclaim her crown as Miss Top Ten? Only one way to find out!

However, with many club members still a little hesitant or unable to venture out from their homes and with winter practically here, we understand that attendance in the Barnyard Rooms will be affected but we do encourage as many of you as possible to attend in person.

Because a small audience will also effect the voting of the Top Ten and other competitions leaving us with a score that won’t be truly representative of a film’s quality or merits, we have a contingency plan. To wit:

On the day after the meeting, the films from each round will be uploaded to Vimeo and put into a Showcase, the link for which absent club members will receive via email, along with a link to the online voting form, which will be hosted via Google Docs. These films can then be viewed in the comfort of your own homes but there will be a SEVEN DAY time limit to watch them and submit your forms, after which the links and access to the films will expire.

We made a number of contacts at the Public Zoom Meeting on October 15th and some of these may attend the Top Ten meeting, so it would be good if as many club members as possible are present in the Barnard Room to greet them on Tuesday! If we create a good enough, lasting impression this may result in new members for the club. So let’s all be there with our best welcoming smiles at the ready!

If you are due to show a film on November 16th or have one that should have been shown during this round but wasn’t ready, please let David Roman-Holliday know about your entry as soon as possible.

NB: Due to issues with the kitchen at the Barnard Rooms, there will unfortunately be NO REFRESHMENTS available. If attending members require (non-alcoholic) drinks, they are advised to bring their own to the meeting.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing a many of you as possible at the meeting in person on Tuesday evening!

Triangle Competition 2021 – The Results

Posted on by Lee Relph

On 2nd Sept 2021, Spring Park hosted the annual Triangle Competition (after a break in 2020) with OVFM, Shooter’s Hill, and Epsom submitting their programmes for entry and judgement by Spring Park.

There were 21 attendees in all, mostly home base members with 3 members each representing  their competing clubs which is better than nothing in this current climate. Shooters Hill did a good job bearing in mind their dwindling numbers during recent years which meant they had few films they could pick from the relevant period.  Sadly Shooters Hill have closed, albeit they have been invited to join OVFM should they choose.

Epsom put on rather a strange mix, some of which made little sense to me and lacked the spark of the other two clubs.

Run by Graham Evans chairman, the three Spring Park judges unanimously, and without reference to one another, chose OVFM’s presentation as the winner.  They concluded that every film OVFM had shown was made to a very high standard in their own right.  They were impressed!

Click on image to see it full size

 

Congratulations to all who had a film included in the OVFM programme to help steal back our silverware after 9 years!

According to the trophy, now safely in the hands of the chairman, Orpington has won 16 times.  It appears that the Triangle Competition started in 1975.  (46 years)

Orpington’s Success
1978
1979 joint
1981 joint
1984
1987
1989
1991
1992
1995
1997
1999
2000
2003
2011
2012
2021

 

You can look forward to seeing OVFM’s selection at a meeting very soon.

 

Words and photo courtesy of Jane Oliver.

TOP TEN COMPETITION 2021

Posted on by Lee Relph

Just when you thought it was safe it’s back!!! The COVID pandemic might have brought the physical meetings and activities within OVFM to a halt but technology has afforded us the ability to circumvent this as those of you who have participated in the Zoom club meetings will know.

Having successfully held the delayed 2020 OSCARS via this method, we will press on in the same vein with one of our longest running and prominent annual competitions the Top Ten!

Split into just two rounds this year, the running of this event is now in the hands of our new Competitions Officer David Roman-Halliday. Because we are looking to resume club meetings at the Barnard Rooms, we are aware that not everyone will be able to attend just yet so not only do we hope to run the session via Zoom so those people can join in, but we shall also be making the films available online via the club’s Vimeo channel in a bespoke Showcase and shared via email 24 hours after the meetings take place.

Those members who aren’t able to attend in person will have SEVEN DAYS to watch and vote on the films and submit their forms via email. The films will then be taken down if any alterations need to be made should they proceed to the final in January 2022.

Because of this, there is naturally a change to how you should submit your films. Due to the time and logistics of uploading the films, we ask that you submit your film to David Laker or David R-H TWO WEEKS before the round is due to take place, with one week before being the latest they will be accepted. You can do this via FILEZILLA or by using the FREE online service WeTransfer which is very easy to use and can send files up to 2Gb in size. We ask your films be in MP4 format (do please consult THIS ARTICLE on bitrates if your file is too large) and in the highest resolution possible (720p, 1080p, or 2160p) for best picture quality.

You should by now have an email from David R-H informing you which round you have been randomly drawn to participate in.  If you need to change your round please contact David R-H to make this arrangement.

 

Here is the list of club members and the rounds they are requested to submit their films:

 

ROUND 1 – To be held on 19th October 2021 (Last Submission date – October 12th)

Brenda & Roger Wheatley
Hugh Darrington
Kath Goodwin
Chris Towers
Mandy Carr
Graham Sinden
Ian Menage
Brian Pfeiffer
David Laker
Eileen Murray Giles
Anna Littler
Barbara Walker
Bob Vine
Annabelle Lancaster
John & Ann Epton
Jane Oliver
Nellie Caseley
Ron Williams

 

ROUND 2 – To be held on 16th November 2021 (Last Submission date – November 9th)

Charlie Caseley
Sam Brown
David Roman-Halliday
Horace Chan
Lee Relph
John Alford
Malcolm Goodwin
Roger Digby
Andy & Marian Watson
Reg Glennon
Colin Jones
Barbara Darby
Barbara J Darby
Trevor Rogers
Wally McKenna
Simon Ames
John Bunce
Maria Alexander

 

Obviously, we appreciate that not everybody has been able to get out and about with their cameras but being in Lockdown has been a chance for many of you to try something new that is worth sharing, or maybe you took this chance to refine your filming or editing skills whilst indoors. Surviving Lockdown itself is a topic that easy to document, either creatively or factually – in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a dominant theme for the films entered this year.

We do hope that there will be enough responses to make this year’s competition worthwhile and we look forward to seeing what you have been up to over the past 18 months.

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

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY January 7th

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

No, I can’t believe it is 2020 already but it is and the start of a new year means concluding some unfinished business from 2019, namely the TOP TEN competition!

The three individual qualifying rounds were held over the latter half of the year and from that the ten films with the highest scores from those rounds will be screened again in this final. The complete scores from all three rounds can be found HERE.

The ten – or in this case 11 –  films which will be screened and voted on in this session are as follows:

 

1. The Making of Ogre Eating by John & Ann Epton

2.  Lanzarote – A Different View by Brian Pfeiffer

3.  Distance by Mandy Carr

4.  Magic Tricks by David Roman-Halliday

5.  Braveheart by Jane Oliver

6.  Best Friends by Barbara Walker

7.  Lost Smile by Lee Relph

8.  World Garden by Barbara Darby

9.   i360 by Trevor Rogers

10. General Election, Orpington by David Laker

= Birks of Aberfeldy by James Morton-Robertson

 

As always, It is imperative we have a high turnout to make the scoring as fair and representative as possible so each film is given a fair assessment from a high a pool of voters.  The film with the most votes will be crowned the 2019 Top Ten Winner at the OVFM Oscars on March 17th.

We also ask everyone who is bringing as film via USB stick that you properly mark your device with your name and film title, making it easier for the projectionist when screening them rather than having to sift through a pile of flash drives with no clue as to which one belongs to whom.

Also, this meeting is your last chance to enter the Annual Competition. Hopefully you have already submitted your film(s) to Ian Menage for inclusion on the DVD to be compiled for the judges, so please ensure you have your £2 entry fee and ENTRY FORM  (this is in the Members’ Only section so make sure you are logged in to access it) to hand in, whilst anyone who has yet to return their trophies from last year please bring them along too.

To download the Entry Form from the above link, roll your cursor over the top of the window to reveal the menu bar then click the download icon, or you can print the form off directly from the page by clicking the printer icon which is to the right of the download icon.

 

We hope to see everybody bright and fit for this important evening on Tuesday as we kickstart a new year here at OVFM!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY DECEMBER 3rd

Posted on by Lee Relph

comp_16

 

And so we enter the final stretch of 2019 with our last regular meeting of the year, the final round of our annual club competition films!

Offering club members a chance to test their creativity in three separate categories that pay tribute to past club members, this is one of the more unique and interesting challenges in our programme. As ever, the three prizes up for grabs are:

 

Kath Jones Cup – A joke film with a punchline no longer than 5 minutes in length.

Mike Turner Plate – A film on any subject or style no longer than 60 seconds in length.

Vic Treen Trophy – A film set to music

 

The rules for each of these can be found HERE which we ask you to adhere to, otherwise the subject matter of your film is entirely in your hands, and you can enter a film for one, two or all three categories.

Last year 15 entries submitted, just two below 2017’s record breaking total, but as we have seen the remits of three different categories usually ensures a healthy response from the collective creative hive of OVFM members.

Now the bit everyone seems to ignore – if you are bringing a film this week it would be very much appreciated if you could PLEASE REPLY TO THIS POST in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the following information:

 

Run time

Format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB Stick)

File Format and Resolution (MP4 -1080p etc)

Picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9)

Film Category

 

This is a great help for us when planning the evening out and helping things run smoothly so affording us this courtesy will help get you into Santa’s good books just in time Christmas.

Also, members are reminded to consider their entries to the Annual Competition. We hope the newly updated entry forms will have been approved by the Committee and ready to be handed out at this meeting, whilst the final date for entries is the first meeting of 2020, which is the Top Ten Final on January 7th.

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

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY OCTOBER 22nd

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s a double header evening for the next meeting, as we’ll be dividing the session into two halves.

In the second half we hope to have a Q & A discussion to people a chance to ask that burning question and get a helpful answer from our knowledgeable experts. Before that we have some unfinished business to attend to.

As you recall, this year’s TOP TEN 2019 competition was originally scheduled for two rounds but with only 13 entries and a combination of technical issues, illnesses, new members joining and laziness, the Committee sanctioned this additional “Last Chance” round for people to submit their films.

Names of club members whose entries are outstanding are:

 

Ron Williams

Andy and Marian Watson

Jim and Fran Morton-Robertson 

Brenda and Roger Wheatley 

Ian Menage

John Alford

Peter Mitchell

Charley Caseley

Sam Brown

Colin Jones

Reg and Annabelle Lancaster

 

Along with new members David Halliday and Mandy Carr.

 

As always we ask you to PLEASE reply to this post in the comments below, if you have a film ready. This is vital if we are going to also hold the Q&A session afterwards, so do please respond below by letting us know the following important information :

 

Run time

Media Format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB stick)

Picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9).

 

It’s a simple courtesy we are asking of you and it only takes a few seconds to comply.

Just a reminder if you are bringing a file on a USB stick, the club’s Blu-ray player does NOT play .avi files or anything encoded at 4K or above. MP4 (h.264 codec) is the best format to brings your films in.

Thank you for reading and good luck to everyone who enters a film and don’t forget to have those questions ready!

TOP TEN 2019 – THE RESULTS

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

THE RESULTS

 

Here are the ongoing results of the 2019 TOP TEN competition:

 

ROUND ONE  (Took place July 16th)

 

  1. Lanzarote – A Different View by Brian Pfeiffer    40.21
  2. Lost Smile By Lee Relph    36.93
  3. World Garden by Barbara Darby   35.14
  4. i360 by Trevor Rogers   33.64
  5. General Election, Orpington by David Laker   33.00
  6. Anything Goes by Wally McKenna  31.07
  7. Brick Beat Lane by Graham Sinden   25.79

 

ROUND TWO (Took place August 27th)

  1. The Making Of Ogre Eating by John & Ann Epton   40.62
  2. Braveheart by Jane Oliver  37.68
  3. Best Friends by Barbara Walker  37.00
  4. The Looking Glass by Horace Chan  32.14
  5. Multi Tracking by John Bunce  31.74
  6. Bus Stop by Hugh Darrington   27.82

 

Last Chance ROUND THREE (Took place October 22nd)

  1. Distance by Mandy Carr   40.00
  2. Magic tricks by David Roman-Halliday  38.84
  3. Birks of Aberfeldy by James Morton-Robertson   33.00

 

So, the Top Ten final looks like this:

 

1. The Making of Ogre Eating by John & Ann Epton

2.  Lanzarote – A Different View by Brian Pfeiffer

3.  Distance by Mandy Carr

4.  Magic Tricks by David Roman-Halliday

5.  Braveheart by Jane Oliver

6.  Best Friends by Barbara Walker

7.  Lost Smile by Lee Relph

8.  World Garden by Barbara Darby

9.   i360 by Trevor Rogers

10. General Election, Orpington by David Laker

= Birks of Aberfeldy by James Morton-Robertson

 

These films will be shown again at the final on January 7th 2020 and the results will be revealed at the Oscars on March 17th.

Well done to the finalists and thanks to everyone who entered a film this year.

 

Thanks to Ian Menage and Hugh Darrington for the scores.

TOP TEN COMPETITION 2019

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Here we go again with one of OVFM’s longest running and prominent annual competitions the Top Ten!

As you know by now, the Top 10 is when we get serious  with our filmmaking, as the gloves are off – there are no limitations on what the subject matter or style or genre of film is  – the only stipulation is that you try and keep your film to around 20 minutes in length at maximum!

The new ruling made by the Committee to reduce the rounds to just two may sound like less opportunity for people to get their films made in time but on a practical level, when it comes to the screening evenings, we end up with only three or four films at a time; by reducing the amount of rounds, it is hoped this will see an improved number of entrants  per screening for a fuller and more competitive evening.

Last year we received just 14 entries which is part of a downwards trend we’ve seen over the past few years regarding our competitions which really should be the lifeblood of our club in terms of producing the best content possible. Maybe this reduction in rounds will be galvanising enough to get those creative juices flowing again in club members?

One aspect of the Top Ten that differs from other competitions and projects is that every film is under a bit of scrutiny as the scoring is done by other club members  who are asked to proffer feedback on the individual elements of the film’s production and presentation. This isn’t intended to be cruel or an opportunity to belittle new filmmakers but to offer constructive criticism and maybe address certain area that might need adjustment or improving.

Should this sound too intimidating, anybody is welcome to request to be spared from receiving feedback.

Last year Sam Brown was our Top Ten winner with Beyond The Sunset. Can he do it again or will someone else steal his crown in 2019? That is down to you!

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.

The draw for 2019 is thus:

 

Round One – To be held on July 16th

Ron Williams

Graham Sinden

Andy and Marian Watson

Jim and Fran Morton-Robertson 

Brenda and Roger Wheatley 

Trevor Rogers

Ian Ménage

Walter McKenna

Jane Oliver

Lee Relph

Mike Graham

Hugh Darrington

Anna  Littler

Laura Child

Maria Alexander 

John Bunce 

Harold Trill

 

Round Two – To be held on August 27th

Barbara Darby

John Alford

Ann and John Epton

Mike Shaw

Brian Pfeiffer

Peter Mitchell

Charley Caseley

Sam Brown

Barbara J. Darby

Colin Jones

Matt Swaby

William Child

Bob Vine

Kuldip Kaur

Barbara Walker

David Laker

Reg and Annabelle Lancaster

Horace Chan

 

 

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 for the first round and need to defer to the second round.

The final will take place on January 7th 2020 and the results will be revealed at the Oscars on March 17th 2020.

For the results of last year’s competition click HERE whilst a selection of the films entered, including the winner, can be viewed HERE (make sure you are logged in to see these films).

Members can find more details on the rules and guidelines along with a downloadable scoring form HERE.

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