Attracting New Members

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Dave Watterson
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Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:11 pm
Location: Bath, England
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Re: Attracting New Members

Post by Dave Watterson »

The film appreciation groups used to have to be membership-organisations and adopted the term "film society" precisely to differentiate themselves from those Soho clubs.

Somehow the sense of "clubbing" as in going for a fun night of drink and dance never seems to cross-over!

Personally I am happy to see the end of the term "camcorder club" ... no matter how focused on technology they might be, none of them were really devoted to the kit with which movies are made. For my part I would happily do without the term "video" now ... what most people casually call "films" is what we are about and we ignore the medium on which the movie is made. I have yet to see a "XYZ Memory Card Club".
Peter Copestake
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Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 2:23 am
Location: Colne, Lancashire

Re: Attracting New Members

Post by Peter Copestake »

Most of what I would have said in reply to Lee has already been said succinctly by Dave, but Lee mentioned Local Authorities, implying that they didn't recognise amateurs. His post arrived a couple of days after I had a phone call from our LA asking if we could put on a film show of former civic affairs at the forthcoming Mayor's Dinner, a suggestion that had come from the next Mayor himself.

I stopped writing at this point because the phone rang. It was the clerk of the even more local Town Council asking if we would film their WWI event on August 2nd.

Perhaps we are lucky in that Pendle Borough is not a massive organisation and there may be advantages in being stuck in the sticks as we are (I once realised from a judge's comments on a local town event that, again, we had been asked to film, that some of you guys in the prosperous South have no idea what small town life is like) but I think that, as with so much else, it's personal contacts that matter.

We speak between ourselves of 'our club' but to the public we are Pendle Movie Makers.
Peter Copestake
Lee Prescott
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Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:20 pm

Re: Attracting New Members

Post by Lee Prescott »

Noted Peter, (Copestake's) Posting. It would seem that in your neck of the woods Pendle, has a decent smallish Local Authority. Here in ye Cotswolds, Stroud appears to have its own services, most certainly the local news rags have, notably "The Citizen" in Glawster always banging on about "see our video on line" about one thing or another! It appears that they have their own (pro) unit which again makes "Amateur" a totally unmentionable word in dealing with them!!!

So our LA.s etc. never contact any of us and in reverse these days they show about as much interest when approached as a dead duck does in laying eggs! So Peter, you way up there in the "Witch Country" are better off.

The Glawster "Club" here produces good video of some local events, due mainly I think to the abilities of one person, John Greene, plus a couple of others. They provide a public show of this material once a year which is usually well attended - BUT - as far as I know - it produces few if any new members at all.

So, the effort is there but as usual, to paraphrase: "Where Have All The Members Gone"???

As to "Photographic Clubs" - simple, there's far more interest in (still) photography than video - cos comparably it's all so much easier even in an "automated world"!!!

LEE. :( Hey --- prosperous South have no idea what small town life is like...............
Ex Northerner)!
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TimStannard
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Location: Surrey

Re: Attracting New Members

Post by TimStannard »

Dave Watterson wrote:The film appreciation groups used to have to be membership-organisations and adopted the term "film society" precisely to differentiate themselves from those Soho clubs.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions, Dave.
Dave Watterson wrote: For my part I would happily do without the term "video" now ... what most people casually call "films" is what we are about and we ignore the medium on which the movie is made.
I'd also happily do without "video" *** but I disagree with your reason. Video is nothing to do with the medium or the equipment. It is not the same as Super 8, SDHC, SxS or Compact Flash or VHS etc etc etc. Video means the recording or broadcasting of visual images which, let's face it is what we do!
So why do I dislike it? Simply because most of us refer to films or movies we've made. Having said that, people are quite happy to have wedding videos(when did you last hear of someone who wanted a wedding film?)
*** Yes, I know I'm chairman of Staines Video Makers. I wanted Movie Makers. I was outvoted. That's democracy for you. I didn't flounce off in a huff. I respect that. Even if it's wrong :lol:
Tim
Proud to be an amateur film maker - I do it for the love of it
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