Club recruitment . . .

[Peter Stedman]

One of our video club members suggested making a promotional video for our club and posting it on You Tube or similar. Has any club tried this or has views on the suggestion. Might be worth discussing! Pete.

[Mike Shaw]

This is something that has been thought about a lot here - not for a specific club, but for a region (Seriac in our case). The chances of reaching a potential customer through YouTube (eg) for one specific club is pretty remote (I think, any way), but if a region were to promote the idea of 'anyone with a camcorder' joining a club - then provide access to a list of clubs and their locations, then this could be benefecial to all clubs. The Kent Film Festival has its own website, with plans to include a map of the region, a major town is highlighted when 'moused over' with the club in that area. That's the plan anyway: but even that is 'insular, as probably the only people accessing the website would be in a club anyway.

It's also something I want to consider for Seriac region - but the important thing will be how to get the movie to be seen by the 'right people' - and not just the converted!

Creating 'free' demo DVDs to be placed - for example - in the stores that sell camcorders is one idea. But that needs serious funding - and acceptance by the stores to co-operate.

They (used to) say at least 50% of all advertising is totally wasted - reaches the wrong people. The problem is knowing which 50% that is - and not spending that part of the money!

[ned c]

May I humbly suggest that the traditional video/cine club is in irreversible decline and although it may be propped up for a time by various methods of life support the prognosis is not good. I know I have been here before but I am a member of a "performing arts" group that has an emphasis on theatre but encompasses other disciplines including puppet theatre, poetry readings, play writing, and film/video. The emphasis in many of the traditional video clubs tends to be on technology and other skills are accessed often with difficulty (there is an inquiry on this forum on how to get actors). I live with actors, theatre directors, scenery designers, puppet makers, poets, writers who are enthusiastic about film and how it can be used in their interests but are not about to become technicians. So the film makers have become an "in house" film unit with access to a wide range of skills plus we are also involved in other activities if we wish, I was assistant director on a stage production, a wonderful learning experience. We also initiate projects and have access to all the resources of the organisation.

One of the concerns of many in the n-c film world is the absence of young members from traditional clubs. We have no such problem, we cover the full age range of humanity and have as many women members as men.

Last year we ran an open script writimng contest that drew 20 scripts from the community and we are currently in production of the winner. We have both cast and crewed this from within our organisation, (thanks to the Finchley club for the original idea).

I think it is time for a new paradigm, time to think outside the box as they say and recognise that we are part of a broader artistic endeavour and the rather enclosed world of amateur film making needs to be opened up or it will slowly fade away.

It seems to be working here.

ned c

[billyfromConsett]

I think the tasks that we give time and effort to, in the promotion of clubs so we can attract new members, unfortunately falls at the doors for just a few of us. Many in our clubs don't care if new members turn up, as long as they get their fix now.

Club promotion does seem to be a struggle if its not shared.

If we put together a writing competition and produced a film it might encourage one or two to check us out, but the demographics would still be 60's+, so a few under 30's would feel in the wrong place. I'm glad it fits your organisation Ned.
Some movie ads about our clubs on youtube and Vimeo maybe is something worth looking into.

The other idea that occured to me is putting our movies in the libraries. Not even sure they'd want them, but I'd think so. It might slow the inevetable ...

[ned c]

The problem faced by the traditional club is that it is based on the ownership of cameras/editing systems, expensive investments that are more likely to be made by older people for individual use and this determines the demographic. But success and growth are more likely to be driven by the members who are never going to own these but are more interested in creating for them. It seems to me that many clubs are essentially film units in search of projects as these cannot be easily generated internally. Attracting more and more camera operators/editors will not raise the level of creativity but is more likely to turn the club into an instructional resource, a service perhaps better supplied by the local evening classes.

My experience is that we have to be embedded within a broader arts/creative world to enjoy a continued creative relationship, just contacting the local theater group from time to time to access actors is not enough.

I agree with Billy that all too often the work of promotion and support falls on a very small minority, but here again the group I belong to has an active promotional group that works across all the contributing arts. The result is a symbiosis that helps all the activities.

I have belonged to cine/video clubs on three continents and have learned a lot, enjoyed friendships and even made some films but of the six clubs I joined only one is still in existence. The times they are a'changing.

ned c