Being president is not always easy

[Willy]

Good publicity !
One of my youngest members (26) is a very creative and ambitious filmmaker. He does not come very often. He makes two or three films every year and I am already very pleased with it. It means two more films for our local heat and a chance to be selected for the regional heat and a selection in the international festival ! Good publicity for my club !

They were disappointed
Each time when he comes or when he writes a message to me it is to ask friends if they would like to act in his film. Last time 5 of my clubmates agreed. When they arrived he did not welcome them. I understand his behaviour because some members of his crew did not appear. Even one of the actors did not show up. He had to be exceptionally creative on that crucial moment. Two ladies who belong to my club prepared sandwiches and bought drinks for the cast and technical assistants. Afterwards they asked our friend to pay their bill of 15 euros, but did not have any cash money. Therefore he asked their bank account number.

Only their feet were filmed
They all stayed on the location for about 6 hours and then they had to jump a few minutes for that film. Only their feet were filmed. They went back home without a word of thanks. In my club they complained. They seemed to be very disappointed. Being the president of a filmclub is not always easy. You must be very diplomatic from time to time.

"I always think of my crew !"
Some days ago our young filmmaker asked them again. The response was zero. I told him why they had refused. Our young man apologized and admitted that he had learnt a lesson. "I always think of my crew", he said. "I don't always think of my cast". I was wrong. I told our friend that I would encourage my clubmates to act again in the future.

"Cast or crew ?" That's not the question. Directing a film is not simple, is it ? And being the president of a filmclub either !

[Dave Watterson]

People sometimes suggest that there is little need for video clubs now ... movie-making tools have become so easy to use, there is lots of literature, masses of information on the web ...

It is probably true that fewer people need clubs to help them learn the technicalities of making videos. But that is only a part of the work. Most film producers could hardly focus a camera ... but what they do is work with people. I'm always struck when talking to top ranking amateurs at home and abroad by how much time and effort has to go into finding cast and crew, getting locations, talking people into helping

... in short social interaction.

That is something clubs can do: help people learn how to draw out the best in others.

Dave

[Willy]

People sometimes suggest that there is little need for video clubs now ... movie-making tools have become so easy to use, there is lots of literature, masses of information on the web ...

Dave

The answer is no !

Yesterday we had a new meeting in our club. We talked about our young filmmaker.
I asked my friends to forget everything and to accept his words of apology. That's what people should do to more to have peace in the world. However, they told me that they accept his apologies, but that they are not willing to help him anymore.

"Didn't mention the name of our club"

"He's an individualist !", they told me. They also said that they had found his film on You Tube. His film is called "Amber"". Maybe you can find it. He lives in an other village about 10 kilometres from our club. "In a local newspaper he said something about his film and he didn't mention the name of our club... Etc." Now, I have repeated the words of my disappointed clubmates. In particular the secretary of my club was disappointed by it. "He never does it", he said.

Ask it back !

What should I do more now ? Some years ago I lent my old casablanca in order to stimulate him. He still has it. I had bought a new version. "Ask it back !", my friends told me last night. I also think that the generation gap is too wide and that's it almost impossible to make a bridge... We have already talked about it several times on this forum.

What's positive ?

Anyway, in every problem you must try to deduce something positive. What's positive ? What Dave said in some way. Finding locations, cast and crew is enormous important. You must have guts. In other words : "Don't be too shy to ask something !". You must be friendly. In other words : "Indulge or spoil the people who are willing to help you. Your crew and cast." Thanks to your club you can be very economical. You can save quite a lot of money. My clubmates don't ask to be paid for any help. Of course, working with a budget is different. Then you can hire a location. Then you can build it up. Then you can pay professional actors etc...

They are not ordinary people. They are fantastic friends !

In one of the judges' reports (regional competition) I read the following thing about one of my films that you have not seen yet : "If you would have taken professional actors then your film would have been much better". An other judge wrote : "Well done by your cast. I know them. They are ordinary people and you have taken all what you could have got with them." I prefer the second remark, though I don't want my clubmates to be called 'ordinary people'. They are fantastic friends.

[ned c]

Willy, I think that times have changed and the "cine club" and the "amateur gentlemen movie makers" are a thing of the past and we have to get used to it. I am currently working as producer/cinematographer on the production of the winning script (well, actually it came second as the original winner was withdrawn) of the script writing contest run by the theater group I now work with. Note: theater group not video club. The production crew/actors range in age from early 20s to late 70s and work well together. Perhaps its the discipline of theater that helps, but we make good progress. There are social occassions, usually aimed at raising money, but they are relatively few amongst a slate of stage and film work.

The great thing about being embedded in a theater group is that the technical stuff is taken for granted and is not the subject of constant review and analysis. There are film/video "techies" for camera, sound etc and the stage "techies" who do lighting, sound, set construction etc and fit comfortably into working on a film production. There is, of course, a pool of actors and two of our stage directors have experience with TV and film. It is a truly "amateur" group as no-one is paid and we are organised as a "not-for-profit" organization, ie like a charity in the UK. If you want to know more go to www.tsbtc.org (stands for The Space Between Theater Company).

Is this a possible future for "video clubs"? I think it may be as it avoids the problems of being isolated from the main stream of local creative arts and makes for a symbiosis that can be very productive.

Just my two cents worth

ned c