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August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:25 am
by Dave Watterson
When the current issue of the IAC's magazine arrived, I imagined a lot of responses on this forum. In a busy issue it touches on lots of interesting and some controverial ideas. There's even a photo of Jan and me in there.

The Chairman announces a training initiative.
He also looks for new national Council members.
Ken Wilson in both his entertaining regular column and a letter raises judging issues.
The doyen of special fx movies, Mike Shaw, continues his articles on creating them. He builds some award-winning films round such effects, but how might you use them? The team behind "Pigeon Post" tell me that a number of scenes called for green-screen windows so that action outside could be seen despite the fact that inside and outside locations were miles apart.

A couple of pages about judging including Doug Collender's intriguing ideas.
Howard Gregory continuing to make the technicalities of microphones and sound recording seem almost understandable.
Tom Hardwick on a monitor screen you may need because the camera flip out screens are hopeless.
SERIAC staged a day of old movies ... so attractive that it drew Willy over from Belgium to attend.
And lots more.

Any comments?

Dave

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 12:26 pm
by Stephen
hmmmm... interesting response so far? :shock:

I agree with you Dave that this edition of the FVM was rammed with information....

congratulations to all who participated....

we are just so spoilt having a mag like that ... and a forum like this?

maybe the only thing to assume is that everyone is happy with their lot and beavering away making films... and stuff :wink:

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:27 pm
by TimStannard
Thanks for the reminder Dave. I find we are so overwhelmed with information these days that if I don't read the organ the moment it drops through my letterbox, it ends up under a pile of other stuff!

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:42 pm
by FredD
Stephen wrote:hmmmm... interesting response so far? :shock:

I agree with you Dave that this edition of the FVM was rammed with information....

congratulations to all who participated....

we are just so spoilt having a mag like that ... and a forum like this?

maybe the only thing to assume is that everyone is happy with their lot and beavering away making films... and stuff :wink:
My subscription to IAC ran out in 1972 (joined in 1959) , so can't really comment on the 'latest' magazine !
It used to be called the "IAC News" ! ( I still have a few copies from the late 1950s!).

Yes we are 'spoilt' having forums like these, it is a pity that more people don't use them !

As for the beavering ; I am on day 12 of principal photography of my latest stop motion epic (!)
which will be around 8000 frames (@ 24 fps - a 5 minute short). At the moment I am managing to
shoot around 400 frames a day.

As for "stuff".. I am not sure what you mean 8)

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:22 am
by Michael Slowe
I've just finished some E Mail correspondence with our worthy magazine editor Garth Hope, discussing a possible piece for a future issue and I came across this thread. Yes, we are very fortunate to have this publication and I hope that it remain as 'hard copy' rather than yet another electronic file that has to be read on a computer. Newspapers will survive for many years to suit similarly minded people.

Dave is quite right to remind us of the virtues of the magazine and more of us should contribute, after all, we're all quick enough to pen our innermost thoughts on this forum. Where are all the other IAC readers of this forum? Are they still logging on? The trouble is that active film making takes up an enormous amount of time and energy. I've just fired up my edit suite and am itching to get to work on another day's work in completing a film which I started on last April. I find time is running out, year by year passes ever more quickly, how people ever get bored beats me - will there be more spare time in heaven (or where ever we end up)?

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:32 pm
by Pqtrick
Yes, Dave. For once I was tempted to post something about it. I thought it was certainly an interesting issue between the pages. It is a pity the forum appears to have gone into the doldrums. Is it the weather? Has everyone exhausted all the topics and all the answers. Not a lot going on in our neck of the woods. Apart from where have all the members gone? Where are all the exciting filming ideas? Where are the films? Everything appears to have dried up. In a move to try and resolve some of these points someone asked 'Aren't we getting too serious?' Making films is a serious business at any level. If someone was entering onions or turnips they'd grown into the Allotment Association Annual Gala, they'd be serious about it! So if there are enlightening articles in the FVI Magazine, lets hope that the prospects all round will 'turn out nice again'. Lets hope the weather does as well.

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:29 pm
by ned c
OK; an interesting issue but a couple of thoughts. Judging is a subject that can be debated endlessly with no resolution in sight. I think that the BIAFF do the best they can; in fact better then many festivals. If anyone imagined that judging is not subjective the totally different results between two different groups of judges demonstrates that. In my view to complain about judging results is more a reflection on the complainer than the judges. Why two pages devoted to replaying the NLE discussion forum? This is the 21st Century; if you are not on line then you are missing a huge resource of up to date information and access to movies to watch; enjoy and study. I know of no other magazine that reprints its forum discussions.

I always enjoy Tom's articles and learn something every time; the articles on making movies are of great interest; thanks to Ken Wilson; Paul Desmond and Jonathan Wilde but why split the story across two issues? Nice BIAFF report that persuades me that next year I must cross the pond and attend. Good informative article on Special Effects.

Finally; the hard copy magazine is a luxury that must cost most of our membership fees; would the money be more effective allocated to other purposes? We all like hard copy print but the costs of production and distribution are soaring and I now receive a number of journals on line and print out the bits that are of special interest.

ned c

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 4:10 pm
by Ken Wilson
I have at last found a bit of time to add something on here. I won`t go into all personal details but it should be enough to sum up by saying "work and life."
I have been trying to add some comments about the issue which I revived back in October 2011 and that is of course the old thorny subject of judging!
Since that issue of FVM, I have had many e-mails going back and forth between a number of private correspondents as people sent me their thoughts and ideas and even one DVD, many agreeing with the things I said and others agreeing with some parts and not others. Some disagreed with it all. But the common thread was that almost all those who contacted me thought something should be done.
There are several problems as we know and the first of these is the issue that anyone who speaks out in the hope of finding a better way is dubbed "a moaner/ complainer" or someone who is speaking about a personal dissapointment about their own film which received low marks. This all masks the basic issue with BIAFF which is that it has become too big!

Many letters and articles were sent to me and also to the magazine after that issue of FVM, but at the time, it was approaching the deadline for entries for BIAFF 2012 and it was thought it was too sensitive an issue to be raking over it at that time. Thankfully, open discussion via letter is now filtering through into the magazine.

No-one wants to spoil the BIAFF festival and the weekend, far from it. Managing such a massive competition is a huge undertaking and each successive competition manager has tried to work within the existing system making the odd tweaks to categories and the seperation and classification of these, but each year the number of entries grows and with it percieved "mistakes" and grievances.

This is the main event, the pinnacle of the IAC`s year and funds should go into making this the best (and fairest) it can be.
I don`t believe that any system with different panels of judges who between them watch 275 films in 2 days can be a good system.
It is logistically an enormous task which is almost inevitably bound to be flawed.
We need a 2 stage judging system, by whatever means may be possible and checks and filters to prevent the many discrepancies that we have now.

We agree that there will always be diffferent opinions and varying results, but let`s try to make it better, give judges more time to assess each film, to reduce fatigue and to give the film makers the time and consideration each one deserves for all the time and effort they put into their films. Here endeth the lesson.

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:47 pm
by col lamb
Well said Ken, I totally agree with you

As most of you regulars know I am very forthright and on the judging articles here is my take for what it is worth

David Newman's review
Great

North Thames Judges
The article is a total waste of print, its all "how to" process and very little on the actual criteria,
Strengths, weaknesses and others.... you got to be joking, is that the best way of writing up a movie?

Tom Hardwick
Again little about the criteria its all about the process

Doug Callender's a few thoughts on judging
Yes it was a few thoughts, random and all over the place
But the very article to get some worthwhile dialogue going....well said Doug

One thing that I cannot understand is the NLE Group article, it is just repeating what has been bandied around the group over a couple of months period, it is no use saying that not all members are in the group but that is their fault and easily fixed by them joining the group or forum

Tom Hardwick's positive image, excellent as usual from Tom.

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:00 pm
by ned c
Hi Col; will you expand on what you mean by "criteria" please? What criteria do you use for judging a film?

Thanks

ned c

Re: August 2012 issue of Film & Video Maker

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:43 pm
by Michael Slowe
I have so far refrained from entering this discussion and I have now submitted a short piece to Garth for publication in the next issue of the magazine. The essence of what I say is that BIAFF is a FESTIVAL of film and that in my view people are getting over anxious about results and classifications. The best films invariably rise to the top for the top awards, why can't we leave it at that and enjoy our viewing. Film makers should get satisfaction if their film is shown during the week end, preferably more than once so we can plan our viewing better. Show far fewer films and selection will mean so much more as with most other festivals world wide.

There you are, I'm ready to be shot down in flames.