Tag: Top Ten

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY JULY 12th 2022

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

And here we go with the first round of the 2022 TOP TEN competition.

 

Like many of the activities we undertake as a club this one has had to undergo a slight change to fit in with the current climate and limitations of travel for many of our members. don’t worry it doesn’t put you out too much – except when you’re entering a film into this competition that is!

 

The first change is that we are holding this year’s comp via Zoom (not that big a deal but it is a first for the Top 10, last year’s final side), so nobody has to go anywhere. 

 

Secondly, we are not allotting any specific rounds to members as we use to; this year it is an open field. In other words, if you have a film ready then you can enter it, no need to wait until your round to share it with us. But this does mean a tighter deadline for submitting your films since they will need to be compiled into a single program for competitions officer David Roman-Halliday to screen from his PC/or via Vimeo.

 

Members are therefore asked to send their films to either David R-H or David Laker by WeTransfer or Filezilla by NO LATER THEN SATURDAY JULY 10TH to give David plenty of time to download the films and compile the programme as well as create the marking forms ahead of Tuesday.

 

Do please help us make this new system a success with your cooperation and we wish every the best of luck to all who enter a film this year.

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!

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 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.

NEXT OVFM CLUB MEETING – Tuesday July 16th

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

Okay folks we are ready for the first round of the TOP TEN 2019 competition!

The Top Ten is open to everyone in OVFM to submit a film, no longer than 20 minutes on any subject, style or genre, which will be judged and graded by their peers. The ten films that have accrued the highest scores by the end of the five individual rounds will be entered into the final in January 2020 and the winner will be announced at the Oscars in March.

Due to the number of club members taking a slight drop over the last year due to ill-health and some unfortunate passings, the committee have decided to maximise the number of responses for this year’s competition by holding just two rounds, which means more entrants per round.

The scoring sheet has also undergone a change for this year, which you can read and download HERE.

Last year Sam Brown was our Top Ten winner with Beyond The Sunset making him our defending champion for this year’s competition. Will Sam reign supreme for a second year in a row or will someone else claim the trophy at next year’s Oscars?

Here are the club members who have been selected at random to participate in this opening round:

 

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

 

Remember if you have a film ready and it is not your round yet please let us know below and bring it with you to the meeting – it will help make up any shortfall in submissions.

As always we ask you to PLEASE reply to this post in the comments below, if you have a film ready and letting us know the following important information :

 

Run time

Format (DVD, Blu-ray, USB)

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

 

Similarly please reply below if you can’t make this round and we’ll accommodate your film in a future round. It is very important and helpful to know these things ahead of time to ensure we have the right equipment for playing your films and so we know in advance how much time we have to discuss all the films shown if there is a huge response.  It’s a simple courtesy we are asking of you and it only takes a few seconds to comply.

And that is it. Join us on Tuesday for the opening round of the 2019 Top Ten!

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

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!

2019 OVFM OSCARS – THE RESULTS!

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

THE RESULTS

The 2019 OVFM Oscars took place last night (March 19th), organised this year by Ian Menage  with help from Andy Watson with the video presentation. Two of the judges from Spring Park, Graham Evans and Roy de Boise, were in attendance to help us celebrate and reward the past year of great filmmaking for OVFM.

So without further ado, here is the list of winners as voted for by OVFM member and judged by Spring Park.

 

ANNUAL COMPETITION AWARDS

Ian Dunbar Cup (Best film) – An Unwelcome Piece Of Orpington’s History by David Laker

Orpington Trophy (Best Film Runner Up) – Beyond The Sunset by Sam Brown

Arthur Woolhead Trophy (Animation or Visual Effects) –  Aristotle by Hugh Darrington

Priory Trophy (Editing) – …. 104! by Ian Menage

Rene Morris Penguin Plate (Photography) – Beyond The Sunset by Sam Brown

Reg Lancaster Trophy (Funniest Film) – Aristotle by Hugh Darrington

Alice Howe Trophy (Documentary) – An Unwelcome Piece Of Orpington’s History by David Laker

Raasay Trophy (No special category) – Seasons’ Blessings by Jane Oliver

Jubilee Shield (Film under five minutes) – Sandwich Break by Hugh Darrington

Commendation Awards –

Braveheart by Jane Oliver

A 1940’s Experience by Barbara Darby

A Time When Orpington Was Still A Village by David Laker

 

CLUB AWARDS

The 2018 Top Ten Competition

Winner – Beyond The Sunset by Sam Brown

Runner-Up – A Time When Orpington Was Still A Village by David Laker

 

Kath Jones Cup (Joke Fim) – Costly Words by David Laker

Vic Treen Cup (Fim Set to Music) – Otford Remembers by Barbara Darby

Mike Turner Plate (Film Under 60 Seconds) – Mr Sandman by John Bunce

 

N.B – two awards were not given as the judges didn’t find any films suited to them, these being Heyfield Trophy (Sound) and Vincent Pons Shield (Fiction).

The evening also saw a special presentation to John & Ann Epton for their efforts in organising our 60th Anniversary Show at the Odeon cinema.

Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to doing it all again next year, provided we have a volunteer to assume the role of competition’s officer as Ian has decided to step down, so thanks to him for his efforts over the past year.

OVFM CLUB MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 19th 2019 – THE OSCARS

Posted on by Lee Relph

 

 

Ladles and Jellyspoons

 

It’s award season for OVFM which means the 2019 Oscars!

 

Every year we celebrate and reward the efforts of our club members with a small trinket or two, with club awards voted for by their peers and the Annual competition categories judged by an external panel.

 

This year we are indebted to Graham Evans FACI (Chairman), Roy de Boise  LACI and Peter Macpherson of Spring Park for giving up their time on our behalf to review and rate our films. They will be present at the meeting so if you happen to disagree with their decisions then you can take it up with them in person. A range of weapons are available for hire, see Annabelle Lancaster for those.

 

As you should all be aware by now, this is a black tie affair, (or any colour really, as long as it looks like tie, sounds like a tie and hangs around your neck like a tie) so we ask that you show up as smart as you possibly can be (i.e. no trainers, jeans, t-shirts, etc) so the more glam you look the better –  if I’m making an effort (this is the only time a year I wear a shirt) then you can too! If you are feeling adventurous you can come in fancy dress to add a little levity to the proceedings but this isn’t mandatory. And your partners are very welcome to join us too if you have one. If you don’t, then come alone as I do.

We have many awards being contested.

In the Annual Competition they are:

 

Ian Dunbar Cup (Best film)

Orpington Trophy (Best Film Runner Up)

Arthur Woolhead Trophy (Animation or Visual Effects)

Priory Trophy (Editing)

Vincent Pons Shield (Fiction)

Rene Morris Penguin Plate (Photography)

Heyfield Trophy (Sound)

Reg Lancaster Trophy (Funniest Film)

Alice Howe Trophy (Documentary)

Raasay Trophy (No special category)

Jubilee Shield (Film under five minutes)

 

The club awards are:

 

The 2018 Top Ten Competition

Kath Jones Cup

Vic Treen Cup

Mike Turner Plate

Ron Williams Stapler

 

Last year’s big winner was (blushes) your’s truly for a second year running with three awards, closely followed by Jane Oliver and David Laker with two each. Who will be the triumphant winner(s) this year? Don’t worry, I have nothing entered this year so the field is clear for some else to take the spotlight.

 

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 19th at the Barnard Room, St Augustine’s Church for the 2019 OVFM Oscars to find out!