What key words would identify the IAC website?

[Willy]

Help !!!![/quote]


Erratum : I have made some mistakes in my message.
Not "Passionate in filmmaking" but "Passionate about filmmaking" and
not "Passion in filmmaking but "Passion for Filmmaking". My apologies.

[Dave Watterson]

It's a bit strange asking us what the IAC does... I think someone should email the chairman or someone on the committee, and ask them that exact question. They will have the direction and the long term strategy of the IAC clearly defined, and the adwords and website strategy should reinforce the institute's aims and plans.

In a business world, you would be absolutely right. I am not now on the IAC National Council, but I have not seen any hint of such strategic thinking or planning. Certainly when I was involved the most amateurish thing about IAC was the committee meetings. Lots of marvellous people did lots of good things, but in a bumbling British way. Perhaps things have changed and there is a mission statement (in the good sense not the "management babble" sense) but if so, they are keeping it quiet.

The nearest I have seen to a statement of what IAC is can be found in the Ten Reasons leaflet which is roughly reproduced at http://www.theiac.org.uk/iac/what_we_do/what_we_do.html Blessed if I can see a neat way to pin that down to a few key words.

Dave

[ned c]

Key words

home movies
home videos

OK you may cringe but this is where it all starts for most of us.

ned c

ps all organisations need a mission statement to clear the minds and make sure we know what we are all about

[Willy]

ps all organisations need a mission statement to clear the minds and make sure we know what we are all about

The IAC-leaflet says : "Maintains links with moviemakers overseas. Encourages and supports young people. ". BIAFF has an excellent reputation on the Continent, but also filmclubs overseas struggle with life. The websites of filmclubs only show grey-haired people just like me. Be sure I don't have the mentality of "après nous le déluge". Some of my former clubmates were young, but they disappeared even with international certificates and awards in their hands. I am disappointed. Attracting young people ... a mission impossible? All filmclubs are in decline. Hopefully I am wrong.

Key word
young filmmakers

[Michael Slowe]

Very good Willy, I like your last description! Can we have it in Flemish as well?

[Stephen]

never had a problem with 'iac film' straight into google... always gets a 1st hit

followed up on other peeps searches and they say same...

if it aint broke.....

[ned c]

Using "IAC FILM" as a search presupposes that you are aware of the IAC. If you google "amateur movies" you will have a screen full of amateur porn sites. If you find your way to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_film there is an incomplete entry that mentions the FVI but its link has been removed as have the links for UNICA, SCCA and AMPS. There is a request tha the entry be update. Perhaps an opportunity to get better visibility.

ned c

[TimStannard]

That's interesting, Ned. I thought I'd take the bull by the horns and start a simple entry, so I created a Wikipedia account.

Then I read the guidelines and it appears that anyone likely to know enough about the IAC to create even the simplest of articles is likely to be a member - and one is not supposed to create an article about an organisation of which one is a member! I checked out the US and Cnadian links - they also have "empty" pages.
However, it seems if we are to get an entry up and running we'd need to cite secondary sources (ie not the IAC itself) so where do we go from there?

Update: I've placed an entry in the "talk" page about the Amateur Film article. Maybe this will be flagged up to someone who created the article or maintains it. We shall see.

[Peter Copestake]

"Lots of marvellous people did lots of good things, but in a bumbling British way."

Maybe that's what's good about the IAC? Not a lot of officious wannabees telling us what to do but kind-hearted folk being a valuable source of information, contacts, etc.

Did I see 'semi-professional' in there at all? My (computational) linguistics daughter tells me there is no substitute for 'amateur' yet. What's the matter with us all? When the educated of former times wanted a new word they cobbled it out of Latin or Greek.(amateur [adjective] = erasitexnis I think, if I've read my dictionary aright) Not that this is any use to Dave who wants a word that everyone knows that sums us up. I suspect there ain't one. We're alone in wanting to be semi-organised, partly for charity status, and wanting to share our enthusiasm and humbly admitting we do not have all the answers. What about enthusiasts? Or has that been corrupted by some misuse? The word cinematographer has gone out of fashion, yet it's just as apt as it was when the medium was celluloid.
'Videographer" really doesn't make sense.

All so much nonsense, probably, but a Happy New Year and thanks for all the effort, Jan & Dave.

Peter.

[Thanks, Peter ... Jan & Dave]

[Michael Slowe]

We're just 'film makers' aren't we? Can't be more descriptive than that, and I don't speak Latin or Greek.

[Stephen]

hmmm.... I see 2 issues

1. this site for use by peeps who know about the IAC - for info only within the organisation - easy jobs a guddin...

2. a good metatag setup should catch a lot of film savvy peeps but and its a mahoosive but, if you think the pixies that make the Tinternet happen are going to magic 'new' (ye gads even young members) think again


this great organisation, the IAC, will grow only by the membership advertising the good work that it does, and by supporting local film making groups.

just a thought ... at 7:30 on a friday morning !

[Peter Copestake]

We're just 'film makers' aren't we? Can't be more descriptive than that, and I don't speak Latin or Greek.

Quite right, Michael. I didn't mean to sound as if I were airing knowledge just trying to make a point, which you have done even better, that we do not need new words just because the distribution medium is different.