Tag: films

SPRING SHOW 2024

Posted on by Graham Sinden

IMPORTANT :   Please note the new venue. We are now at Chelsfield Village Hall. Map below. 

 

TICKET PRICE INCLUDES REFRESHMENTS OF TEA/COFFEE & BISCUITS !

 

One of the most important dates in the OVFM calendar is our annual Spring Show where we share the fruits of our labours from a year of busy filmmaking, along with some gems from our archive. What better way to celebrate the days getting lighter and warmer than with evening of films from the very best local amateur filmmaking talent.

 

Along with a collection of films covering all genres from drama to comedy, travelogue to documentary as well as classics from our extensive archive spanning 60 years containing over 800 films.

 

This year’s event will take place on FRIDAY 22nd MARCH at 7:00 for 7.30 pm

VENUE –  Chelsfield Village Hall, Bucks Cross Road, BR6 7RL

DIRECTIONS – GOOGLE MAP

Club members get in free but for guests and non-members the tickets are £6 if you book online via www.ticketsource.co.uk or £7.50 if you pay cash on the door– which includes refreshments – and are available by making a request via e-mail at info@ovfm.org.uk or by telephone on 01689 859639. Don’t leave it too late as they tend to get snapped up very quickly!

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SEATS MUST BE RESERVED, EVEN IF YOU ARE PAYING ON THE DOOR.

 

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 Friday March 22nd and bring along your friends and family!

OVFM SPRING FILM SHOW 2023

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Spring is in the air which means it is time once again for OVFM to mark the occasion as only we can!

 

One of the most important dates in the OVFM calendar is our annual Spring Show where we share the fruits of our labours from a year of busy filmmaking, along with some gems from our archive. What better way to celebrate the days getting lighter and warmer than with evening of films from the very best local amateur filmmaking talent.

 

Along with a collection of films covering all genres from drama to comedy, travelogue to documentary as well as classics from our extensive archive spanning over 60 years, you will also see our legendary newsreel looking back at major local events in 2022!

 

This year’s event will take place on FRIDAY 24th MARCH at 7:00 for 7.30 pm

VENUE –  Methodist Church, 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 and are available by making a request via e-mail at info@ovfm.org.uk or by telephone on 01689 859639. Don’t leave it too late as they tend to get snapped up very quickly.

 

A reminder that there will be an intermission for you to enjoy some refreshments, stretch you legs, and chat with friends, whilst we also will be hosting our legendary raffle, so be sure to use this time to get your tickets for that! 

 

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 Friday March 24th and bring along your friends and family!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MAY 3rd 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Student Films Showcase

 

This week’s meeting will once again be held via Zoom but is a slightly different in its content.

 

OVFM was contacted by Bromley College to watch and give comments ton films made by students of their Media Studies course.  The remit of this project was to produce a 2-5 minute film on one of two subjects:

 

A topical local news item 

A film with the theme ‘Signs’

 

Five films were submitted and we shall be viewing them all on Tuesday evening. The total run time of all five films is 20 minutes, so we propose to spend around 10-15 minutes discussing each film, looking at it from every aspect and providing constructive comments for these young filmmakers as to how and where their films could be improved, as well as what they did right. We shall also be using a specially modified version of our scoring sheet for the Top Ten competition, which you can download and print off in Excel format HERE. The amendment to the form is in the final question “Has the brief been met?”, to be scored out of ten, referring to whether the film fits the remit of its theme or topic.

 

Another purpose of this exercise is to help club members get used to speaking up and sharing their opinions on films as well as learning how to be constructive and tactful in delivering feedback, knowing when to bring up a negative point without causing offence, or how to articulate opinion on a technical issue. All too often when hold film  screening evenings that require members’ feedback, it is the same few people speaking up and we want to encourage everyone to have the confidence to share their thoughts, and this is the perfect opportunity to test the waters so to speak. 

 

Naturally, if you aren’t comfortable with speaking up that is fine too, there is no pressure; however we would like you to still record your scores and comments on the scoring sheet, to give you a point of reference in comparing and contrasting with the thoughts of others. But we do hope to have a substantial turn out for this meeting and that a many members as possible will find this a helpful exercise to participate in – it is about getting everyone involved and helping us help each other.

 

The Zoom link for the meeting will be sent via email by club secretary Barbara J. Darby shortly before it is to take place so please look out for that, and we hope to see as many of you as possible on Tuesday for what should be an  interesting session.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 22nd 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

This coming Tuesday we are back in our old haunt of the Barnard Rooms for our first in-person meeting for a while, as we jump into our time machine and take a trip into the past for a look into the OVFM archives!

 

The evening will be split into two halves – the first features films chosen by Brian Pfeiffer, so expect to see films set abroad and in far off locations, whilst Brian also has an update on his granddaughter who works at a wildlife conservation in South Africa.

 

For the second half, David Laker has been digging deep and found a few films that haven’t seen the light of day for many years, and some have never even been shown at any of our annual film shows! For some of our longer standing members this will be a trip down memory lane whilst our newer members will be given a chance to see what Orpington looked like 30+ years ago and just how far we have come as filmmakers and editors as well as the equipment we use and the stories we tell!

 

A reminder that COVID precautions will be in effect so feel free to wear a mask and note that there may not be a full tea break but basic refreshments will be on hand on and a quick “comfort break” will be permitted.

 

We hope to see as many of you a possible for this delve into the archives for a fun and rewarding retrospective evening.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JANUARY 25th 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

SIGNS

 

Coming up in the next club meeting on January 25th we have the screening of the films you made to the theme of Signs as first revealed to you HERE.

 

Hopefully you’ve taken advantage of the nebulous scope this rubric has as we explained but if you still need to add some finishing touches or need some last minute inspiration then be sure to check out the “Resources” links on the front page of this site where you will find links to site which have FREE stock images and videos clips for you to use; our chair Jane Oliver also submitted to other links for  FREE images to sites I’ve used a lot for my Photoshop manipulation compositions Pixabay and Pexels.

 

The meeting will be held via Zoom per the current situation with Omicron, the links for which will be sent out by Barbara J. Darby a couple of day before it takes place with a reminder on the day.

 

Now the important part – if/when you have your film ready please ensure it is in MP4 format only and send it to DAVID LAKER either via WETRANSFER or FILEZILLA by no later than FRIDAY 21st JANUARY !!

 

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your films on the 25th! 

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 March 3rd

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Yes, I know we said at the last meeting this would be an evening of films from another club, but the Committee changed their mind and didn’t tell anyone!

They instead felt that since not all of the films entered onto the Annual Competition are shown during the year at club meetings for a variety of reasons, so, as the films are being sent to our independent judges on a Blu-ray compilation disc, we shall be showing the complete list of entries at this meeting so no film is going unseen this year!

And of course, if you enjoy a film after this session and want to see it again, you can check them all out HERE in the Members Section, so be sure you logged in to access the films.

So, we’ll see you on Tuesday for a packed night showcasing the best of the films in 2019 made by OVFM.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY February 18th

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

RUBBISH

 

It is time to see what you have to share with us regarding our first Film to a Theme project for 2020. I’m sure interest was piqued when we announced this project two months ago, and you have all been busy making something relevant to the theme of Rubbish – maybe you even deliberately made a bad film to suit the rubric (not that anyone in OVFM would make a bad film, of course).

As usual we ask a little cooperation from everyone bringing a film to the meeting to PLEASE REPLY TO THIS POST in the comments/reply section below, letting us know the film’s run time, media format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB/Memory stick), file format if using the latter (MP4 is preferred, 1080p maximum) and picture ratio (4:3 or 16:9). This is a great help for us when planning the evening out and helping things run smoothly so if you could do us this courtesy it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing your films on Tuesday!