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The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:44 pm
by Ken Wilson
Hi everyone who loves to make fiction films!
I am sure you will have read about us running our fiction competition again in 2010. It is mentioned on the IAC home page and was in the FVM magazine in May and will also be mentioned in the next issue in September. But to try and make this a successful year, I am promoting it here too.

Basically we started the competition and festival in 2005 to mark 20 years of PHASE 4. Our idea was to promote UK made fiction films as most clubs and many individuals seem to make documentaries and many of the better fiction films come from other countries. Our idea was to "raise the bar" for us all and I hope we did help to do that to some extent.

There wasn`t any particular intention of running the competition and show again, but as things went so well the first time, we continued it again in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately in 2008, our chosen festival date clashed with many other events and we lost about 50% of the audience. It had also been a struggle that year letting people know about the competition and entries had been slow to come in. Due to these factors and the problems in getting people to actually help us on the show night, we decided it was too much work to run it in 2009.

But time heals (and we also do forget!) and so in 2010 we are trying again. The show will be held on SUNDAY OCTOBER 10th at DEWSBURY LITTLE THEATRE in Batley West Yorkshire. Doors open at 4.30pm and the event should end about 9.00pm. The winner of the competition (announced at the show) and a selection of other entries will be shown on the day. We will also include our own new films in the programme as before. Tickets will only be £5. But to simplify the event. there will be no buffet this year, though the bar will be open at the theatre for drinks.

The competition closing date is STRICTLY SEPTEMBER 30th 2010. Entry fee £7. An entry form and the rules are on the IAC website and any other information can be acquired from me at kw@phase4.free-online.co.uk

I hope that some of you will have a film to enter and may even come to the show.

Thanks for reading...

Ken Wilson

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:35 pm
by Ken Wilson
Hi everyone.
Just an update for you. The competition entries have slowly trickled in. As always it seems that many people leave these things until the last day or two. With only 10 days to go, We are at present down on the numbers of entries from the last competition we held in 2008. (Some entries received are from readers of this forum. Thank you.)
But I find that the titles we do have are intriguing and though they have yet to be all viewed, I think (hope) that there are some good movies in there. I plan to notify the makers which ones will be screened on October 10th as soon as we know ourselves after the judging on the weekend of October 2-3.

So just to remind anyone who was thinking of sending us a film, time is running out and we would be very pleased to see your work.
Regards to all.

Ken

[In case anyone has forgotten the practical details of the competition you can read them and download an entry form from http://www.theiac.org.uk/events/festiva ... efour.html - Dave]

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:10 pm
by Ken Wilson
Hello to you all.
This is a quick interim message to keep you all informed on what is happening with our competition and show.

We did the film judging on Saturday and I have now selected the films for the Sunday programme, included here below.
I am individually e-mailing all the people who have been to the show in the past and also competition entrants, to promote the show. If the turn out is too low this time, it will no doubt be the last show like this. Use it or lose it as they say!

I have added the programme below.


PHASE 4 COMPETITION

Myself and (my wife) Carol and David and Sheila Andrew (from the Cheadle and Gatley
club) had a marathon 10 hour judging session on Saturday. We started at 1.30pm
and finished at 11.30pm after lots of viewing, note making and deliberation.
It was a long day, but I think we all enjoyed it. We will not be giving out
any results until our show next Sunday, but here is a list of the films we
will be showing. With the change to a Sunday and the longer screening time,
we can actually fit in 14 of the 24 films which we received, which is good.

In alphabetical (not showing) order

ALARM CALL (Ken and Jean McRonald) Comedy
ARRIVAL (Jim Walker) Horror
BEAT (XDL) Drama
BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN (Southport Movie Makers) Comedy
IN OHIO (Peter Rouillard) Drama
LETTERS (Ron Prosser) Drama
ROCK BOTTOM (Bob Lorrimer) Comedy drama
THE SADDEST LINES (William Fuller) Drama/ computer animation
TELL US ABOUT IT (Tynemouth Video Group) Comedy
TRANSITION (Bob Lorrimer) Drama
TURNIPS FOR DINNER (Ken and Jean McRonald) Drama/ Comedy
VESTIGE (Stephen Green) Drama/ War
WAR GAME (Paul Bagshaw) Drama/ Second World War
WAY OUT (Doug Collender) Comedy

We are also showing our own 3 newest films which includes 2 premieres.
A DREAM OF BETTER DAYS with Emma Wise and Nick Gillott (Sci-fi/ love story.)
AUDITION with Keith Pottage and Luke Powell (Drama)
THE END with Keith Pottage and Rozi Afferson (Comedy-drama)

That`s it for now.

Regards;
Ken

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:51 pm
by Dave Watterson
Hurrah for Ken and Carol - keeping the fiction flag flying. We see so many documentaries and travel films that it is easy to forget that we also make stories!

I know some of the films to be shown and those who can get to the event will be in for a great show.

- Dave

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 2:05 pm
by Ken Wilson
URGENT NEWS about the PHASE 4 SHOW!
Well talk about disasters! I have individually e-mailed the competition entrants and all the potential audience members who I can think of, but this message is another back-up contact for a bit more insurance.

I had a phone call last night from the theatre manager, to say that the venue for our show, the Little Theatre in Batley/ Dewsbury has had a flood in the cellar. Initially this didn`t worry me too much, thinking that the auditorium would be ok. But the boiler and heating system are based in the celler. (WARNING BELLS.) This means that the theatre has no heating and is not likley to have any for one to two weeks. This means that our planned show on Sunday has had to be called off.

It doesn`t mean however, that it is cancelled for good as I am now looking for a new possible date for it and probably also a new venue.
It is such a shame as everything was on target and after a slow start the likely audience for it was going to be high enough to maintain the event.
It will be a very good show when it happens and don`t worry, IT WILL happen. I will keep you informed and post information as I get it.

Ken.

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 4:34 pm
by Ken Wilson
As you will no doubt have read on the IAC home page, our festival show has now been rearranged for November 20th. The flood which affected the theatre where the show was to be held, caused me a lot of extra work! It was on the Wednesday evening before the planned Sunday show, when I got the call left on the answer machine and it was a panic to let everyone know in time not to come. But the biggest worry was that I didn`t know who was coming as it was a turn-up-and-pay-on-the-door situation. Unfortunately just one group was missed and arrived at the venue to find it all closed up. But these things will happen and I apologised profusely.
Now we have a new venue, the St Catherines Centre and church just 1 mile from Wakefield city centre. It`s modern, clean and warm and appears ideal for our needs and the original programme will happen as planned. This re-scheduling has delayed the sending of critiques out to competition entrants, but don`t worry as these will be sent after the show. All is looking good and no doubt the saga will make a new article for FVM magazine!
So the only issue now is getting the audience to come, so it`s back on the rounds of e-mails, letters and phone calls to chase people up, remind them or excite them that it`s worth giving up the X-Factor or "Strictly" for one night. In any case, these can always be recorded!
Fingers crossed that we get enough people to turn up this time around. Watch this space.

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:44 am
by Ken Wilson
Hi everyone. This is just a short update for the people who would like to know the results of our competition, which no doubt will include the people who supported us with a film entry.
A report has been sent to the IAC webmaster, Jan and should arrive on the site at some point and a full write up on the competition and the festival show will be in the next FVM magazine, but these are the basic details.

The winner of the competition was Ron Prosser with "LETTERS."
SECOND was Southport Movie Makers with "BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN."
THIRD was Peter Rouillard with "IN OHIO."
FOURTH was Stephen Green with "VESTIGE."

A hearty congratulations to them all.
The competition this year was particularly strong with 24 films entered. 14 of these were screened at our show. 55 people were in the audience and the new venue was great, warm, comfortable, affordable and with good food at the interval. The show did slightly over-run and ended 15 minutes late at 9.45pm. But comments received seem to indicate people were very pleased with the change of venue.
So a very BIG and SINCERE thank you to EVERYONE who supported us with a film in the competition and by attending the show. Films and comments are currently being sent out.
Ken

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 3:57 pm
by Brian Saberton
I travelled down to Ken's show on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole programme had been very well planned with the films compiled into half hour sections, each containing a variety of genres and running times. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed. The new venue is excellent with comfortable seating and we enjoyed a very good buffet at half time. I think it's good to have a competition purely for fiction films and hope that Ken will receive even more entries next time.

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 9:35 pm
by Willy
I travelled down to Ken's show on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it.
- Brian Saberton


Well done, Ken! Congratulations to you and to all the people who had a film for your festival. The top award winning films are great and so must be the other ones. I've seen some of them. I also admire your courage and energy, Ken. I remember that you met with adversity at crucial moments. Bad luck in the beginning, but you persevered and it's good to hear that eventually it was a very successful festival.

Indeed, Brian, it's good there is a special fiction film festival in Britain. If I were a Briton I would have entered one of my films. Also to visit Wakefield again. During the Great Mining Strike in 1984 I was there. I visited a colliery and I invited 50 children from Crofton High School to enjoy a holiday in Belgium. I organised a party for all the children and my daughter fell in love with a Wakefield boy. Her first boyfriend ! But of course that's a different story.

It's a pity that the International "Dragon Festival" for fiction films in Ghent (Belgium) stopped some time ago. There was ambiance. I didn't make fiction films at that time, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of the festival. I fear that there will only be festivals for fiction films on internet in the future. Now I am looking forward to BIAFF in Harrogate which is not so far from Wakefield.

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:54 am
by Stephen
Agree entirely with Brian's comments.

Travelling down from Newcastle with a fellow film maker we arrived in a couple of hours and to a welcome cup of coffee.
The venue was spot on, made for such an occasion!! Well done Ken and Carol you inspire peeps to make films through your organising skills for such competitions. Thank you, from a newly converted fiction film maker!!!

The film mix was we'll planned out and kept the interest up throughout

Even managed to get some chat with other film makers between films, one of the best aspects of these events...

Long may they continue....

Re: The Phase 4 Fiction Film Competition

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:58 am
by Ken Wilson
Thanks to all of you making comments on the forum. The feedback from people who rang or sent e-mails after our show, has been very good. A few minor suggestions for tweaks to improve things which are different for each person. Such as impossible things like: "Could it start earlier?" or "Could it start later?"

Our audience is quite unique, as unlike say BIAFF where I would think most of the audience are film makers or their partners, ours are a much wider and varied range of people. I would say only 50% are film makers and partners and the other 50% are actors, their friends or relatives, colleagues or work pals and so on, plus people who know myself and Carol. Therefore, the requirements and "ideals" of a show are different depending on who you ask.

Film makers like things such as the excellent comments about the competition as given by David Andrew just after the interval and are interested in projection and sound quality. Non film makers are much more concerned with a varied programme of entertaining movies. In fact, at each show we have people who have NEVER seen amateur (n/c) films before, beyond (non-edited) holiday videos. So our missionary work to convert people goes on!

So we have to try to please everyone, or most people, as much as we possibly can. And you know the saying about pleasing all of the people all of the time! But I reckon we did ok this time.

Our shows try to be informal and relaxed and like a large family film show. Of course BIAFF has many more people from all over the world so it needs more structure and formality and strict rules on show times. At ours I held up the start for 15 minutes for late arrivals. That wouldn`t or couldn`t really happen at BIAFF.

So we would certainly like to do it again next year. But the problem is always finding helpers. Phase 4 is really myself and Carol and we recruit actors for each movie. Most of them have returned many times. It`s an effective way to make films, but the downside is there are no funds as we have no subscriptions or fund-raising events of any kind and we don`t often get offers of help at our shows. Actors (usually) love to act, but do not want to sell raffle tickets or serve drinks.

But I think it`s worth continuing with our competition and show if we can, so watch the forum and of course the FVM magazine. We value your support and if we could build on the past success with more films in the competition and more people attending the show, that would be really great.