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.
In support of the club, my entry is considered (my me) cannon fodder!