IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

I hope you can read these OK. The awards and the Judges notes will be sent
out after the Convention/Festival in Las Vegas (October 10th to 13th.)

Thanks for all the entries, amazingly high standard.

Ned C


General Category

1st Place “Flowers for Father” Clip Club (Switzerland)
2nd Place “It’s an Alpaca” Michael Slowe (UK)
3rd place “Maybe Today” Viewfinders CC (Cupertino CA)

Best Entry from an AMPS member (minimum 2 years)
“It’s an Alpaca” Michael Slowe

Student Category

1st Place “The Young Girl” Fabian Giessler (Germany)
2nd Place “Eternal High” Bryce Mackie (USA)
3rd Place “The Cameleon Gang” RNF Class ’03 (Switzerland)

Best by a new AMPS member
“The Young Girl” Fabian Giessler

Best Short Comedy (Less than 5 minutes)
“Planting Seeds” Pam & Walt Gilmore (USA)

Best Editing
“Rhythm in Steam” Geoff Caudwell

Best Story-Joint Winners
“Maybe Today” Viewfinders CC (USA)
“Flowers for Father” Clip Club (Switzerland)

Best Experimental
“Rhythm in Steam” Geoff Caudwell (UK)

Best Documentary
“It’s an Alpaca” Michael Slowe (UK)

Best Travel
“Cappadocia” by Pat & Brian Deakin (NZ)

Best Nature
“The Venus Trap” by John Sirett (Australia)

Best Photography
“Mutter” Videoaktiv (Germany)

Best Foreign Entry
“Flowers for Father” Clip Club

Certificates of Merit
"Monet’s Garden” by Pam & Walt Gilmore (USA)
“Cloud Gate” by Bill & Mary Ann Leeder (USA)
“Unlocking Young Minds” by Terry & Debbie Mendoza (USA)
“Cape Stiff” by SCVS (UK)
“Velocipedes” by Eric Parr (UK)
“The Harvest” by Richard Swain (USA)
“Visit Venice” by Bill & Mary Ann Leeder (USA)
“Now You Done It” by Michigan Movie Makers (USA)
“Harry & Al” by Pam & Walt Gilmore (USA)
“Retribution” by Poynton & Stockport MM (UK)
“The Beauty & the Beatle” by Filippo Lubiato (Switzerland)
“Deliverance” by Perth Camcorder Club (UK)
“The Diner” by Oklahoma Movie Makers (USA)
“Kangaroo Island” by McKnight & Cowland (Australia)
“Winterblast 2006” by Bob Forward (USA)
“American Beauty” Stan Whitsitt (USA)
“Island Tales” Harold Cosgrove (Canada)

"Ned C" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

I hope you can read these OK. The awards and the Judges notes will be sent
out after the Convention/Festival in Las Vegas (October 10th to 13th.)

Congratulations to all the winners. The strong Swiss entry is encouraging
for that land which has been a little neglected in amateur film terms for
the last few years. Michael Slowe's new movie has done slightly better here
than at Guernsey and I am very much looking forward to seeing it.

I was worried that Americans were not doing well here but Ned tells me there
is some terrific stuff from the USA and only occasional inconsistencies prevented
"Maybe Today" storming to the top prize. Richard Swain's "Harvest" is reckoned
extremely promising and a signpost to a future top film maker. Oklahoma Movie
Makers' "The Diner" also indicates a very promising group of film makers.
Then the better-known names of the Leeders and Gilmores whose work we have
seen in the UK.

The AMMA/AMPS camp seems happy that US movie makers can hold their own against
this foreign onslaught.

As all the UK top amateur film festivals are international the notion of
"foreigners" taking many of the prizes is not unusual to us.

I like the way the Americans lay claim to Terry and Debbie Mendoza ... the
Southend Brigade will be onthe war path!

Cheers
Dave

Apologies to the Mendozas' they will be very welcome to join us,

Ned

"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:

I like the way the Americans lay claim to Terry and Debbie Mendoza ... the
Southend Brigade will be onthe war path!

Cheers
Dave

"Ned C" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

I hope you can read these OK. The awards and the Judges notes will be sent
out after the Convention/Festival in Las Vegas (October 10th to 13th.)

My film "Until You Smile" is not in the AMPS-list. It means that I didn't

deserve a certificate of merit. I'm not disappointed at all. I was not ambitious.
In the first place I made this film to please my English friend who is an
artist and folksinger and also to support AMPS. But there was also an other
reason. I think that this film is entertaining. In Guernsey it was "very
highly commended". In the Cotswolds I received a gold diploma. In Belgium
I was third out of eighty in our regional heat. In fact that was more than
I had expected. Now I'm looking forward to the AMPS-judges notes that will
be sent.

Today I received "the adjudicators assessment sheet" sent by Lee Prescott
or by one of his friends who helped him to organize the Cotswolds Festival.
I was not one of the winners with my "Until You Smile", but I was very pleased
with the Cotswolds report. My sincere congratulations to the organizers.
The judges had to think about 5 aspects : 1. Audience appeal/Entertainment
value 2. Creativity/Originality/Approach to subject 3. Cinematography/Camera
techniques 4. Editing + Titles 5. Audio/Sound.

One of the judges wrote : "I did not like the opening titles. (I can accept
this) An other one wrote : "I felt it was a little too long. (Yes, I agree
... I should have tried to make this film a bit shorter, though I hope that
the film is not boring. We've already had enough discussions on this forum
about this aspect.) One of the other judges wrote : "I think this film will
appeal to most audiences." But an other judge wrote : "It might be too personal
for a general audience." This is more or less a contradiction, but I accept
the different feelings of these two judges. It proves that judging is very
subjective. This is something that all competitors should bear in mind when
taking part in a festival. On the other hand I wonder if it is useful to
enter festivals with films that are too personal. What do you think about
this ?

At this moment I'm making a film about the First World War. The starting
point is finding a unique photo with my two great uncles who died in Flanders
Fields. I'm enjoying making it, but I wonder ... is it a good film for a
festival because it's a bit personal ? Some years ago I made a film about
the European Schools. At that time I was an educational adviser at one of
these schools in Brussels. Some judges in Belgium and in England said that
it was more a film for people who work in schools. Perhaps some friends also
thought that it was a promotion film, though the secretary-general was not
happy with my approach. In that film I said that the school buildings were
expensive for the tax-payers. Some judges even told me that they didn't like
that film because students in those schools seemed to be spoilt. So my question
is : Should we think twice about the theme of the film before entering a
festival ?

"Ned C" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

I hope you can read these OK. The awards and the Judges notes will be sent
out after the Convention/Festival in Las Vegas (October 10th to 13th.)

Thanks for all the entries, amazingly high standard.

Hi Ned,

Just wondering how many entries you had in total?

"Willy Van der Linden" <vanderlindenhig@telenet.be> wrote:

I wonder if it is useful to
enter festivals with films that are too personal.
Should we think twice about the theme of the film before entering a
festival ?

I see a difference between a film which is personal in the sense of being
only of interest to the film maker or their family ... and a film which is
personal in the sense of expressing your own beliefs or dealing with a subject
that means a lot to you - but is still of wider interest.

In the last couple of years Malcolm Whiteley has circulated two films showing
how he and his wife were fighting the cancer which struck him. Next year
Bernhard and Karin Hausberger will send to our festivals their film on how
they are coping with Bernhard's lung cancer. They are very personal, but
also of wider interest because almost all of us have had a brush with cancer
or known a close friend who has suffered it. I should add that all three
films are uplifting and positive.

I would welcome a few more films that express strong views or feelings ...
"I know not everyone agrees but I think xxx is the greatest/worst thing ever
..."

We have a lot of bland documentaries and travel films. They are neutral in
tone. What happened to the "This was my worst ever holiday ... I hate the
country and all the people who live in that benighted land ... the food is
rotten, the scenery dull, the weather awful ... I'll never have another holiday
in Britain!"

Dave

Dave has been urging me (very subtle our Watterson!) for years to be a bit
more forceful in my documentary stance and I am guilty of making bland films.
I do agree that the most effective types of documentaries are ones with
a powerful message or opinion and the American professionals are doing this
more and more (anti war, anti government, anti smoking). Willy, you take
festival results too seriously, as I have said many times,film judging is
very subjective and the results vary as much as individuals vary. I totally
abhor the points scoring(for aspects of the art)method of judging. It's the
overall impression that the film has on you that counts. And Willy, enter
any type of film that you want in a festival, that's what they are for!

Michael Slowe.





"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:

"Willy Van der Linden" <vanderlindenhig@telenet.be> wrote:
I wonder if it is useful to
enter festivals with films that are too personal.
Should we think twice about the theme of the film before entering a
festival ?

I would welcome a few more films that express strong views or feelings ...
"I know not everyone agrees but I think xxx is the greatest/worst thing
ever
.."

We have a lot of bland documentaries and travel films. They are neutral
in
tone. What happened to the "This was my worst ever holiday ... I hate the
country and all the people who live in that benighted land ... the food
is
rotten, the scenery dull, the weather awful ... I'll never have another
holiday
in Britain!"

"Michael Slowe" <michael.slowe@btinternet.com> wrote:

Willy, you take festival results too seriously, as I have said many times,film

judging is

very subjective and the results vary as much as individuals vary. I totally
abhor the points scoring(for aspects of the art)method of judging. It's
the
overall impression that the film has on you that counts. And Willy, enter
any type of film that you want in a festival, that's what they are for!

I'm a serious man. That's right, Michael. Sometimes, I'm too serious, but
if you read my message again then you will see that I also said that judging
is very subjective. I agree : the results vary as much as individuals vary.
Really, I will never commit suicide when having "bad" results at a festival.
When there are discussions after a festival in Belgium I belong to the only
ones who never get agitated.

I only find it fascinating to know how judges evaluate my film(s). There
is only one difference of opinion. I'm not against the points scoring method
of judging on the condition that the judges justify the marks that they have
given. The organizers of the Cotswolds Festival have done it. I remember
they didn't do it like that some years ago. Or let's say : not in that way.


The overall impression that a film has is the thing that counts you have
written. In my opinion it's not the only thing that counts. OK, it's the
most important thing. I remember that you were not very happy when judges
told you that your "Melissa" was too long and I could understand your feelings.
Everybody has his own emotions. I had the impression that you were very
serious. We are both in the same boat from time to time. I can accept when
judges tell me that my documentaries are too long and so can you. But it's
good to have a discussion about it on this forum I think.

The only problem I have is the aspect of the audience appeal which is more
or less the overall impression on viewers. In Belgium I'm asked to be a member
of a judging panel from time to time. When watching a film about technology
for instance then I have problems. When a fuse has blown in my house it's
always my wife who goes to the fuse box in order to repair it. I run after
her with a candlestick. You should see us ! I am lazy, but I also hate technology.
I hate hammers, screwdrivers, files, etc... When watching a film about technology
then the audience appeal is zero for people like me. However, as a judge
I do my utmost to appreciate the value of that film. But of course I also
wonder if films like that should be entered in festivals because festivals
are competitions. It was a bit like that with my film about the European
schools. When reading four or five times that your film is not interesting
or entertaining enough for a general audience then you should wonder if the
film is useful enough to enter in a festival. In Belgium I sometimes hear
filmmakers say : "I do not mind what the judges will give me". Of course,
that's nonsense. And it's also a bit hypocrite. The only thing we should
be able to is moderating everything. I do not take the festival results too
seriously, but I love non-agitated discussions. On this forum for instance.