Tag: OVFM

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 MARCH 22nd 2022 – THE OSCARS

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s that time of year again – The OVFM OSCARS!!

 

Like last year, this meeting will be held via Zoom to ensure the largest turn out possible but don’t feel dissuaded from dressing up as we would were this meeting “in person” you can still enter into the spirit of the event and get your glad rags out if you wish.

 

Club secretary Barbara J. Darby will send out the Zoom link via email 24 hours before the meeting takes place so look out for that.

 

As you know, the point of this evening is to celebrate and reward the efforts of our club as filmmakers, looking back at the collective output from our members in 2021 and sharing our appreciation for the skill and quality of this work. The films were judged in two ways – by club members for the in-house competitions, and by an external panel of judges for the Annual Competition. This year we are grateful to members of Teign Film Makers Club, some of whom we met in the last Zoom meeting. 

 

Because this is being held over Zoom, we are changing the format a little bit. The awards will be announced in the first half of the meeting, then the second half will be dedicated to screening the winning films (or excerpts of, depending on time restrictions). Our host for the evening will be competitions officer David Roman-Halliday.

 

The categories being contested are as follows:

 

ANNUAL COMPETITION AWARDS

 

Ian Dunbar Cup (Best film)

Orpington Trophy (Best Film Runner Up) 

Arthur Woolhead Trophy (Animation or Visual Effects)

Priory Trophy (Editing)

Rene Morris Penguin Plate (Photography)

Reg Lancaster Trophy (Funniest Film)

Alice Howe Trophy (Documentary) 

Free Spirit Trophy (No special category)

Vincent Pons Shield (Best Drama) 

Jubilee Shield (Film under five minutes) 

Rising Star Trophy (First Time Entry) 

Most Creative

Commendation Award 

 

CLUB AWARDS

 

The 2019/20 Top Ten Competition

Kath Jones Cup (Joke Fim)

Vic Treen Cup (Fim Set to Music) 

Mike Turner Plate (Film Under 60 Seconds) 

 

Last year’s big winner was Mandy Carr, scooping an incredible 7 awards, whilst right behind Mandy were John & Ann Epton with 6 awards! Who will be the triumphant winner(s) this year? Will Mandy and the Eptons reign supreme for a second year or is the field open for someone else to steal their thunder?

 

You can see the films entered in the Annual Competition HERE (this is in the members only section so make sure you are logged in).

 

Join us this Tuesday March 22nd via Zoom for the 2021 OVFM Oscars!!

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 FEBRUARY 8th 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

I hope everyone has their thinking caps ready as our next club meeting, held via Zoom, will be a Quiz Night!

 

The Legion of Doom (OVFM Committee) have been tight lipped about what we can expect in terms of questions and categories thereof, although I have been reliably informed there will be “something for everyone”. This, I presume, means it will cover general knowledge topics and not just limited to film which would be the natural theme given we are a filmmaking club!

 

Please note that by virtue of this being a Zoom meeting, the scoring will be left to up to the individual to do themselves, meaning the LOD are putting their faith in everyone to be as honest as possible in checking their answers, whilst use of Google or the other sources of reference are prohibited. 

 

So swot up, watch lots of TV quizzes (The Chase, Mastermind, Pointless, et al), and be ready for the great OVFM Quiz Night this coming Tuesday!

 

 

P.S – If you have an idea for a theme for a future Zoom meeting that could inspire a topic for making more films, do let the LOD know.

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 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! 

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!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY OCTOBER 5th 2021

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s time to face the music and Gdansk as OVFM returns to Zoom for our next club meeting, and yes, there was a festive clue there as to what you can expect to see.

Inspired by guest speaker Michael Gough, the Legion of Doom decided to dig out two films based on the aforementioned Polish city to share with us. Both films were made by Reg and Annabelle Lancaster albeit individually, so it will be interesting to see if there is a difference in approach or perspective between the two films.

For the other part of the evening, a little cooperation from other club members is required here. The idea is that members will be given five minutes to tell a story of something that happened in their lives which could be turned into a film project. Considering most of you were around when life was still black and white, there should be no shortage of impressive yarns from yesteryear to regale us with and turn into your next cinematic effort.

That is all to come this Tuesday. As ever, club secretary Barbara J. Darby will send out the Zoom log in details by email 24 hours prior to the meeting.

See you then!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21st 2021

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

The next time OVFM gets to together we shall be handing over the floor to a guest speaker, who some of you might already know.

 

 

Michael Gough FACI (M) is NOT the celebrated British actor with over 150 film and Tv credits to his name, including Doctor Who, The Avengers, countless Hammer horror films, and Alfred Pennyworth in the 1980s-1990s Batman film series. It would be a miracle if he was since the actor died in 2011!

This Michael Gough is a prolific filmmaker, public speaker, member of the IAC Council, and fellow Premiere Pro user. He will be  delivering a presentation entitled The Way I Tell ’em for OVFM this coming Tuesday, September 21st exclusively on Zoom. Michael will (presumably) be showing some of his films and regaling us with stories about their making or the history behind them, as well as detailing how having the same name as famous actor has been a life long bane of his existence. But mostly, it will be about his films.

Our club secretary Barbara J. Darby will send out the link details for the meeting to club members 24 hours prior to the event.

Look out for those emails next week and we hope you will join Michael and everyone else this coming Tuesday for an entertaining evening from the comfort of your own homes!

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7th 2021

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

It’s been a while but OVFM are taking the first steps in resuming the club meeting schedule in person in the Barnyard Rooms at St Augustine’s church in Petts Wood!

After a year of holding meetings – including the 2020 Oscars – via Zoom we are cautiously inviting club members to come face to face with each other as we used to do in the old days of early 2020 BC (Before COVID). As much as we’d like to see a healthy turn out for this first return to normal meeting we do understand that some of you may not be able to attend in person due to elf-isolating or don’t quite feel ready to leave your bubbles just yet.

Hopefully you have all read the health and safety protocols that were emailed to you a few weeks back and have accepted them in lieu of returning the club room. Feel free to wear a mask if you so desire, just remember to speak up for us hard of hearing folk!

Regarding the programme for the evening, this is a bit trickier.  Unfortunately, most of the committee have either swanned off on holiday or are staying at home, leaving our chair Jane Oliver to run everything herself. – and that includes things like the projector and laptop, which she is a bit nervous about. In the vent it does al work, we’ll either take a trawl through the archives or – if the arrives in time – have a look at the programme from the recent TRIANGLE COMPETITION which OVFM WON!

If not, I suppose we can discuss the weather or something.

We hope to see you then.