My two-penneth (not a rant against anyone or any club, just an observation) with apologies in advance for content and length...
The best way of putting this over is as a brief-ish history. As an extremely young (in club membership terms) 30-something I had already made a few over-long meandering videos at home, mainly for my own enjoyment and showing to family, with nothing more than a camcorder. Completely by chance I found out about the existence of a local club; that story in itself is crazy because my girlfriend's father, who had passed away some years previously, was still receiving the club's programme! I did not know about the club's existence, growing up on the 'wrong' side of the city, as I soon found out.
In 1994 I trooped along with my girlfriend and I can honestly recall that 50% of the club welcomed me, the remainder eyed me with suspicion and didn't speak to me at all. How dare a youth from the other end of the city (with long hair to boot!) invade our hallowed space. I wanted to learn about the 'craft' of filmmaking and how to hang a story together, because I already 'knew' about the technicalities of using a camera. I wanted to make drama/fiction films because
that is what all young people want to do! No-one in the club was making drama or fiction, only documentaries or holiday films. I learnt nothing apart from the need to keep the length short to fit into competition rules, which helped a little with pace and editing, if not content. No-one spoke to me about anything.
So my girlfriend and I went away and worked on a storyboard. I filmed some parts at home but we spent two nights in deepest Derbyshire during a cold winter filming in total darkness using some small 50W halogen bulbs powered by a car battery and stuck on microphone stands. We got stopped by the Police. We filmed in the local park and at the top of my garden. I then wrote the music for the film (there was no dialogue) and edited the location footage in black and white using a cheap videomixer. One of my music computers could generate text, so I created some credits that changed when pressing the space bar (and therefore in time with the music). For the final shot I built a motorised dolly out of Lego (don't ask) that wheeled the tripod mounted camcorder away from me, and thankfully stopped before the whole contraption tumbled down the stairs. This was our first film.
So it came to competition time and the film was shown. Readers of a certain generation will be familiar with P G Wodehouse's phrase 'a pregnant pause' and that's exactly what happened at the end. Why? I have no idea, but I remember sinking in my chair. Maybe it was shock that the long-haired youth from the wrong end of town could actually make a film! The film then went on to win every competition it was entered for, up to the South Yorkshire Amateur Film Competition. And there it stopped, but only because I didn't know of the existence of any other Regional or National competitions - no-one told me. I would've loved to have entered it into the BIAFF equivalent of the day. But still no-one asked us about any aspect of the film. No "how did you do such and such?" or "how did you make it black and white?" Nothing. No-one even
noticed the dolly shot at the end!
So, fast forward 2 years and our last film offering of that era. A music based comedy/fiction with special effects (both real and computerised - via my Amiga 1200) with a decent story, snappy editing, filmed on S-VHS so nice quality, and it absolutely bombed. Why? Because the 'judges' didn't 'get it.' In the film, if one can't remove a weed from a garden by mowing it, pulling it, dragging it out by a large van or even blowing it up with a nuclear explosion (after which it still remained) then why on earth would a judge say "the film didn't work because all the weed needed was a thwapp with a large spade!" 0 out of 10...
But to be honest, this was the final straw. I had already become fed up with subjective judges that awarded first place to a film purely because it used incidental music from his or her favourite composer and completely disregarded the remainder of the film, or he would 'meet Fred in the pub later for a pint,' not to mention the plethora of films of footage shot on holiday (as a holiday film) then the same footage with added orchestra (a film to music) or the same footage with added commentary (a documentary) and I just began thinking "what's the point?" So I left.
15+ years later and I rejoined the club. I was the youngest member in 1994, I'm still the youngest member. I've matured since then, both mentally (some might question that) and in the way I make my films (again, also questionable.) So what else has changed...?
Nothing.
50% of the members didn't talk to me when I rejoined. Still no-one in the club makes fiction/drama. My films still fail at club level. 50% of members of some other clubs ignore us when we travel for challenge matches. Some judges are still openly subjective to the point of stupidity and the holiday/film to music/documentary versions of the same film are still out there. My club members don't ask anything at all about my films or how they are made. Plonk your average 'run and gun' 20-something avid filmmaker in that scenario and how long will they last before finding the exit?
I now make films for my own enjoyment, with one eye on the club/regional/national rules in order to get them out to a wider audience for their (hopeful) enjoyment too. I have recently chatted to and met some very knowledgeable, friendly and outgoing filmmakers, more than willing to talk about and teach their craft, and I am at last learning the stuff I should have been soaking up 15 years ago. The main reason for this is because of the internet, in particular emails, this forum and Vimeo and YouTube for examples and online tutorials. If I want to learn more about something I think of, or see in passing, it's literally now just a click away and I'm no longer restricted to or restricted by only being able to pop along to a local club.
But I also want feedback on my films; however I want constructive, justifiable and
accountable feedback. Not 'the judges decision is final' club level feedback, but that of festivals such as BIAFF where everyone can see and discuss (or argue) about the awards given. I also want to know why a particular film has been awarded whatever it receives - maybe for something I can't see or possibly because I think I can see something the judge(s) can't.
So, my observations as a relatively young filmmaker, with a 15 year gap between being involved in the club scene, is that the majority of clubs have not moved with the times, even if the IAC might have done. As I briefly touched upon in a previous post, maybe the IAC as an organisation needs to look at attracting individual filmmakers (amateur, indie and even professionals willing to help others) into its fold in the first instance, as opposed to trying to route them through clubs. Once fledgling or established filmmakers are IAC members,
then introduce them to the club system if they wish to support or enhance any club local to them.
I repeat - not a rant against anyone or any club, just a personal 'youthful' observation
John
*puts tin hat on and runs away*