THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

A forum for sharing views on the art of film, video and AV sequence making as well as on competitions, judging and festivals.
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Howard-Smith
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THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Howard-Smith »

I've been sent this link by a forum user:
http://www.pathefilm.uk/amateurfilm/tenbest.htm
On this site it shows Ten Best programmes for selected years, together with complete lists of entries and their star ratings for the years in question. It's a pity that there are many years missing.
It's fascinating to look through all this. I didn't enter every year and my Gold Star years (1976 and 1977) are missing, but I found a couple of my entries for 1982: DAY'S END (4 stars) and MALEFICE (3 stars). In those days I went under the name Ronald H. Smith as I then preferred using my middle name.
It's amazing to see so many familiar names in the programmes and listings. Michael Slowe features the most number of times, and I spotted a young man named Michael Gough among the Ten Best winners. Others I've found include Paul Kittel, David Fenn and Gerald Mee.
There was a controversial filmmaker named Bill Davison who some old-timers may remember. He won a few times, and also won top prize at the IAC Competition in 1976 for his film SANCTUM. He went on to write a regular column for Movie Maker called BOOTLACE CINEMA. I wonder whatever happened to him?
The Ten Best. Movie Maker Magazine. Happy memories.
Last edited by Howard-Smith on Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:42 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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John Simpson
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by John Simpson »

Has anyone got Movie Maker Magazine June 1971? It should have the Ten Best results for that year which I would be interested in. One of the films was
"A Very Boring Film" by Film Unit 32, a student film I imagine. I don't want to watch that again but I'm wondering what the other films were.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RRwtR5Vs78
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Howard-Smith
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Howard-Smith »

I bitterly regret having thrown out all my Movie Maker Magazines in 2002 when I was at a low ebb and was having a massive clear-out. If anyone happens to have a collection of them (as complete as possible) that they'd be willing to sell to me, let me know. I remember the first edition I bought from a newsagent was a 1967 issue with a schoolgirl on the cover. I learned so much about filmmaking from the magazine over the years, especially from 'Uncle' Ivan Watson's regular column which was the first thing I turned to each month.
Michael Slowe
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Michael Slowe »

Well Howard, I'm in the same boat as you. I had every copy of Movie Maker since it morphed from another title (Cine something?) but had to get rid of them in a clear out ordained by 'her who must be obeyed'. I do have the issues which contained details of my own successes and articles and reviews thereof which I could look out if required.

The winner "A Very Boring Film" was not made by students, (to coin the just departed great Murray Walker, "If I'm not very much mistaken") was made by a friend of mine who was in the business, working at Visnews at the time. He is now living in the Midlands and still makes films for fun. I also remember Bill Davison, he was Irish and his film Sanctum was considered controversial at the time.

Happy old days of my youth!
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Michael Gough
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Michael Gough »

Thanks Howard for sharing the link of the collection of Ten Best Results. http://www.pathefilm.uk/amateurfilm/tenbest.htm.
I had never seen that before and it brought back many memories of all the programmes I saw from the late 60s.
Naturally I turned to 1978 when I travelled down to the National Film Theatre to receive a Silver Award and the Minolta Editing Award for my Super 8 film “Welcome to Washington”. The Movie Maker Magazine always arranged for well known professionals to make the presentations and that year it was the film director Michael Winner. It was also the first time I met Michael Slowe, who was collecting his own Silver Award for “Drive my Car”. Another name that year that I saw again over the next few years was Roy Spence from Northern Ireland. He won another Ten Best Oscar in 1988 for “To Kill A Habit”
ned c
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by ned c »

Not strictly on topic but related. When the orders came down from above that there must be a clear out, much of the stuff being the remains of now defunct AMPS I found an archive very interested in all things relating to amateur film. They happily took four box loads (over 120 lbs.) of books, tapes, magazines, DVDs and documents and have now cataloged everything. The archive is North East Historic Film in Maine, they host academic seminars on amateur film and work in a much wider area than their geography suggests,

Just a thought

ned c
tom hardwick
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by tom hardwick »

Fascinating to look back at the Movie Maker film write-ups from the early 80s, so thank you for posting the link, Howard. I've spent happy hours reading the pages.
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Willy
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Willy »

I think I have almost all issues of "Film and Video Maker" from 1999 onwards, Howard. I won "an international medaillon" twice which is actually an equivalent of a diamond award. That was in 2000 and 2001. But I never won a real diamond. Anyway, I am proud to have been very successful all these years as a foreigner. Quite a lot of foreigners took part in BIAFF, but most of them disappeared after their success. They never came back. That's a pity. Perhaps there is one foreign filmmaker who remained faithful to the IAC and who entered many many films: our American friend Ned Cordery. Or is he an Englishman? An Englishman who emigrated to Los Angeles. I think I saw him at BIAFF again this weekend. But this time he didn't have to come by air. Ned, a fantastic energetic filmmaker just like Michael Slowe. Two monuments in the IAC. At BIAFF the tribute to John Astin was very moving. I enjoyed his voice when his film was shown. It was also very sympathetic that Annabelle Lancaster attented our festival.
Willy Van der Linden
Brian Saberton
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Brian Saberton »

I attended a few of the Ten Best London screenings including 1976 and 1977 - it was always a great event. Bill Davison is still around. He turned up at the Northern Film Collectors Convention in Blackpool in November 2019.
Brian Saberton
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Howard-Smith
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Post by Howard-Smith »

I enjoyed what you had to say there, Willy.
Glad you’ve enjoyed reading the old Movie Maker magazines, Tom.
Brian, how amazing about Bill Davison still being around, at least as recently as 2019. I wish he were still making and submitting films. For a time he was the ‘Enfant Terrible’ of the amateur cinema world, making very controversial and powerful prizewinning short films like SANCTUM and IN GOD’S NAME.
Michael Slowe
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Michael Slowe »

Those were happy times, the 60s and 70s, particularly in the non commercial film making world. Tony Rose, with Movie Maker magazine, did a great job of supporting, encouraging and publicising our film making. He got us on to the TV programme Clapperboard, I had two or three annual appearances being interviewed and they showed excerpts of our films. Many of his 'proteges went on to have great careers in the business, Ken Russell was one of them. I honestly don't think that the standard of films we see today at, say BIAFF, are any better than those of the 60s and 70s. Why should they be? Is anyone writing better music than Beethoven? Human beings are not getting any cleverer or more creative. Technically of course there have been enormous developments which has enabled everyone to make films which look and sound far better than the old days. But, and this is the crux, there is no great advance in imagination or creativity. More good films, yes, and that is great, but not all that much better.
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Dave Watterson
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Dave Watterson »

Looking beyond the Ten Best Competition ... which I once helped to judge ... I think the magazine and its key contributors did an enormous amount to raise the morale of amateur film makers. Tony Rose, Ivan Watson, Alan Cleave, Tony Shapps, John Wright, Edwyn Gilmour and co wrote with such enthusiasm that it inspired us all.

Perhaps it is the weariness of age, but I find our own magazine and those from other countries which I can understand, to project far less enthusiasm for our hobby.

And let's not overlook the impact Tony Rose had on the AV scene when he took "The Kodak Colour Show" (Is that the correct name?) around Britain.
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Howard-Smith
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by Howard-Smith »

I agree with you Dave. Movie Maker magazine was full of enthusiastic, helpful and inspirational content. I remember all this names of the regular contributors you mention. I learnt so much each month regarding how to make better films and the basic ‘rules’ of filmmaking. As mentioned previously, Ivan Watson was particularly outstanding in his monthly columns. All I have of his writings now is his wonderful book ‘What Shall I Film?’ which is available secondhand from the website Abebooks at a very reasonable price. Jill Lampert bought a copy from there on my recommendation. Highly recommended.
I wish we could bring back the Ten Best tradition of getting a major figure from the film industry to give out the trophies at the end of the BIAFF weekend.
Last edited by Howard-Smith on Tue Apr 20, 2021 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
tom hardwick
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Re: THE MOVIE MAKER TEN BEST COMPETITION

Post by tom hardwick »

I had Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE, a Scottish actor of some renown, give me mine.
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