IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

Thank you David for your sanity and wise words here.

I am a new member of the IAC and a new member of the Preston Moviemakers and have noticed (sadly) a real lack of younger people (by this I mean under the age of 40!) at this and other film clubs throughout the North West and I would hazard a guess that this is the same throughout the country. I myself am 47 years old (not young) but am tech savvy having just completed a foundation degree in Interactive Media with the average age in the class being 23 years which gives me quite a good insight into what makes the younger generation tick. I have also been a designer of web and graphic design for the last 10 years.

I used to produce a magazine for a specialist ageing music scene and found they had the same attitude towards the younger generation as they saw the scene as theirs and so as a consequence the interest in the music will no doubt die with its current followers. I would not like to see the same thing happen to all the North West IAC affiliated film clubs and so I say if the young won't come to us then we will have to go to them.

As far as our film club is concerned I am trying to convince the members to try different things (which can be difficult at times), I don't mind this however as no one likes change but what does annoy me is when people make a judgement on something they have never tried and in the process put off other people by their comments. If they don't want to try Facebook themselves that's OK but is it right they should make judgement before trial? They wouldn't do that in court would they.

These people are obviously going by what they read in the papers and you must know the old saying... Don't believe all you .....

I hope in a few weeks time i can come on here again and say the group has brought some new members to the IAC. I may be being too optimistic but the way I see it is if you don't try you will NEVER succeed.

Totally agree about the dangers of the "us and them" syndrome which creeps into all areas of life, but especially our clubs. New people and new ideas feel like an intrusion into our private nests. Of course it is not sensible or desirable ... but all too human!

Your expertise and ideas could be very useful not just to Preston but to a much wider audience.

Jan and I do what we can to make the IAC's web presence stronger. We were personally wary of FaceBook in the same way Granfer is, but we joined in order to explore ways in which we might help spread the IAC message. Now we are hooked! What's more a lot of our friends and relatives - all past 40 - have also become hooked.

You put your finger on it with "they saw the scene as theirs" ... it explains resistance to 16:9, to HD, to the cross-over between still and video cameras, to movies which explore themes that are uncomfortable, sensitive or plain rude.

But like you we don't give up on the whole movement ... we have always found that amateur film makers are positive people, energised and enthusiastic. We have found 99.9% of them very friendly and helpful ... and open to ideas if they are presented thoughtfully and gently. Many are extremely talented. All have a devotion to their hobby which is admirable and an inspiration.

Let's keep working together!

Feel free to email me on asstweb@theiac.org.uk .

Dave

Thank you for your kind words and prompt response David.

After reading my post again I realise that I failed to mention why I joined Preston Moviemakers and the the IAC. Obviously, I originally went to a meeting because I was interested in making film but when I arrived I was made so welcome by the members there that I felt immediately at home and it is for this reason I am devoting most of my free time into promoting the club.

There are a lot of talented members in the club and I would hate to think that all this expertise will just wither and die away as people get too old to attend club meets.

Things need to change to stay in line with progress but at the same time we should never forget our past, so I think there needs to be a balance struck between the two if these clubs are to prosper. Change just like in other organisations needs to be part of the organisations DNA and not just an add-on to it.

I hope to speak to you soon to discuss this and other things on the Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/130913423675933/
Kind regards
Paul

"How do we attract more younger members" is the perennial cry from every video club, I'd imagine.

Personally, I think the answer is 'attitude' ... the attitude of existing members to new members (young or old), and the absence of cliques.

The problem, as I see it, is that aside from filming the family and holidays, making 'other' types of film can be time consuming and (at one time, anyway) expensive in equipment demands. Younger people struggling to raise a family can mean that neither of those two 'essentials' are readily or easily available - there are more important things in life (?!) than movie making. Which in some ways is a pity, because a good club can show such people how to make their family and holiday movies look even better in many cases.

Having said that, the club I belong to is blessed with a good number of energetic teenagers and younger people: attracted possibly by the club website (http://www.ovfm.org/) , news stories and press releases in the local papers and by the annual shows. All organized and looked after by enthusiastic members.

It can be done!

Paul

Good luck with the publicty action, I do hope that you succeed and that your efforts in getting new members works.

Facebook and Twitter are not for me, I spend enough time looking through and contributing to the DV Doctor, Edius, Adobe and IAC forums.

I have just spent 1 hour answering an IAC member query when he e-mail me directly, to help others is just my way, I do not mind doing it at all, I put the laptop on at 10.00 this morning and have therefore spent over two hours on these forums and looking at IAC e-mails, now it is time for lunch and other activities.

Years ago when NLE was still being learned by many IAC members I spent so much time helping others and sorting out their problems that I did not have time to edit. After that I vowed never again, yes I would still offer help and guidance but on a more manageable level which means that there is just no time for any additional web activities.

I have to agree with Col to a large degree I'm afraid. My experience with FaceBook is that it is more of a social networking site than a problem solving site: far better to come here or to one of the websites Col lists, where the concentration is on helping others more than announcing that so and so has done a back-flip across a barbed wire fence. A while back, out club formed a group on FB. It got a few posts the first couple of weeks - and has been dormant ever since ... a year or so later!

The idea and reason for setting up the FB group is to be applauded, and I hope it draws attention and the required responses. However, it isn't where I would personally look if I needed help or advice on a video related problem: I would rather go to a manufacturer's site or a dedicated video forum, of which there are many, than one where 'social ripostes' are the most likely responses to queries, IMO.