The Film & Video Institute
Club News #2
St. Alban's Movie Makers
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The Film & Video Institute |
Club News #2 St. Alban's Movie Makers |
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Recent News | Return to St Alban's Main Page St Albans Movie Makers’ club page recently caught the eye of a girl
in North Carolina, USA, and there were immediate thoughts about starting
an overseas branch. However, the excitement evaporated when it became clear
that her interest was due to an earlier news item that Philip Madoc had
become the club’s patron!
St Albans Movie Makers recently completed a short film aimed at the IAC North Thames Region’s Triangle Competition set subject theme – Fancy That. Loser Takes All is a drama with comic moments which provided a great deal of fun in the making – and the usual crop of anecdotes. Now it is up to the judges!
Previously listed... Well known actor Philip Madoc has very kindly agreed to be a patron of the club. He lives locally in Hertfordshire and his patronage is a valuable recognition of the club’s achievements. Summer Break It wasn’t quite the seaside, but gliding along on the Grand Union Canal on a warm summer’s day was a very pleasant way of relaxing for a dozen club members and their friends. The good ship Little Grebe set sail from Pitstone, near Tring, and with suitable stops for coffee, lunch and tea, (and numerous locks) made leisurely progress in the general direction of Berkhamsted – though it was time to return long before this was reached! For the record no one took a camcorder, but still cameras ranged from early 35mm to the latest digital model, which seemed capable of almost anything except navigating the boat.
Ready to set sail on the good ship Little Grebe... New Movie A start has been made on a movie aimed at the “set subject” section of the IAC North Thames Region’s 2004 Triangle competition – Fancy That. Based on an original idea by club member Steve Winner, it combines pathos and humour – at least that is the intention. Shooting has started, enthusiasm is high and director Frank Miller hasn’t yet suffered a nervous breakdown. Success for an Animation Club Chairman Frank Miller’s animation The Willow Pattern Story has received further acclaim in two major competitions. Against very stiff competition it won an Oscar at the Cotswold International Festival, and a Highly Commended at the Guernsey Lily International Festival. St Albans Movie Makers has recently established what promises to be an exciting link with the Media Dept of the Sir John Lawes School in nearby Harpenden. In May, Alex Prior, the Director of Media and Community Arts, visited the Club to talk about his own involvement in movie production and education, and a few days later a “movie exchange” took place when eleven club members visited the school. They took along three of the Movie Makers current productions - a documentary (Friendly Fire), an animation (The Willow Pattern Story) and a comedy (The Unkindest Cut) - while some twenty 16-17 year old students showed off their recent project videos covering documentary, commercial and social awareness subjects. These were excellent and, although there might have been a very big generation gap in ages, when it came to viewing and discussing the movies this quickly disappeared as the questions from both sides came thick and fast. The story actually started six months earlier when the club noticed that the school was affiliated to the amateur IAC Film and Video Institute, and early discussions revealed that Sir John Lawes had recently achieved Specialist Status in Media Arts. It had been strong in this field for some time, but substantial extra funding then enabled the installation of a brand new TV and Media studio, video editing and cinema screening facilities.. Part of Alex Prior’s vision is to establish community and professional links, and both the school and St Albans Movie Makers are looking forward to an active collaboration in the future. Triangle Competition Winner May 24th was a happy occasion for St Albans Movie Makers when they took the North Thames Region’s Triangle Trophy in an all Hertfordshire final. It was a hard fought competition against Hemel Hempstead and Potters Bar which brought some very interesting comments - and differences of opinion - from judges Jon Moss, Jez Stewart and Ivor Selwyn. The St Albans Movie Makers programme was: Friendly Fire (a documentary about the loss of a Spitfire pilot in WW 2, by Peter Wilson), The Willow Pattern Story (an animation by Frank Miller) and The Unkindest Cut (a fresh look at the French Revolution by Mike Cobert and the Club). Vincent Wilkinson Vincent’s death on February 11th 2003 was a sad loss to St Albans Movie Makers. He had been a member for eight years. He directed and edited several excellent movies including Outlook for a Healthy Future (for the local Cardiac Support group) and Heathlands (about a school for deaf children) as well as working on club productions. Before a year of ill health he was actively planning exciting projects. His working life included 15 years as a sound technician, the latter years being spent at the Gate Recording Theatre in BorehamWood before it closed its doors. IAC North Thames Region Leslie Gillham Trophy - 8th June St Albans Movie Makers took the 2003 Leslie Gillham Trophy with their production The Unkindest Cut at the North Thames Region's recent June Event. Ten clubs competed - all Set Subject winners in the Region's Triangle Competition - on the theme Revolution. The Unkindest Cut takes a fresh look at Paris at the time of the French Revolution when Sir Burty Blacknees, an English aristocrat with Pimpernel tendencies, exercises some unusual tactics to rescue a friend. The result isn't quite what he expected but he lived happily ever after. The production by Mike Cobert was also unusual as all the live action was filmed against a blue background in the Club's meeting room, while the backgrounds were ink line drawings on card. The computer did the rest. Return to St Alban's Main Page Page updated on 14 February 2008 Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers Free JavaScripts provided
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