Our only experience (in the last week)... was last week!
I think there may be two trains of perception happening. It looks like a kind of split in the amateur film making world which is to say (and at 40 years old I'm stuck in the middle ground here) older film makers regard themselves as "amateur film makers" whilst younger or new producers regard themselves as "film makers".
What this points to is the nature of non-comercial film making at the time when the older members came into it. The origins of amateur film were in the realms of enthusiasts who enjoyed film to the extent of wishing to produce there own movies yet having no direct aspirations to become a "professional" in the main stream. The interest was for fun and enjoyment. At that time the nature of film in any respect was a matter of affordability and most folk couldn't afford it. It was the era of the film club.
It's only in the last 15 years that's it has truly reached a level where most people have either the required equipment or access to it so the older producer has come from a slightly different position.
It is the last 15 years that mark the separation of the perception. new or younger film makers don't use the word "amateur" they simply say that they are film makers. They approach the industry with the view that they do it because they enjoy film and like to make their own with no direct aspiration to becoming professional or work in the mainstream- sound familiar?
Obviously in both fields there are those who definately want to become Hollywood's next big producing sensation.
It's that word "amateur" which creates the perception problem and sadly it stems from that period of the 70s when I were just a wee lad when 'adult interest film' was being produced down sleazy little streets with a super 8 camera! That film-anywhere ability got people a little paranoid. What would come to your mind if you saw a man in the park wearing an overcoat, pulling out a little movie camera and filming people?
Film-Thurso has been asked twice to produce adult material and it was made clear how un-interested we are in that field. Perhaps we struggle more against the porn perception because Caithness is a small population of about 35,000 with the nearest city (if you can realistically call it as such- coz it ain't big) being Inverness 110 miles away.
Clubs are fading because of the shift in availability and access to movie making equipment. Every pc has Windows Movie Maker and you can make av presentations even if you don't have a movie camera. Webcams enable direct filming, mobile phones likewise. There's even a competition out there for films made with mobile phones and we certainly view them as an option for production techniques. Most folk can afford at least a basic video camera and failing that, they have access to one from maybe a friend or other family member. For any club like a business, it's survival depends on it's public image and sometimes a re-brand is essential to give a fresh image. Ask a kid for their view of clubs generally and see if you can identify how to move in a way to attract younger membership.
A word to the positive here is that "amateur" film making is alive and kicking and definately not fading into the past. The non-commercial industry is much more active than Hollywood and whether we call ourselves film makers or amateur film makers, whether we are in a club or happily independent, home movie production is the biggest it's ever been, see youtube if you don't believe me!
