Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

News and Views From Around The RegionMay - June 2020

AlanWallbank

Letters

SoCoCompetition

Ian Simpson

HELP

MelvynDover

TomHardwick

Robert Paget

Penny Cup

Dave Jones

Lee Prescott

One ToWatch

Audience appealI guess that we all make our films to be

watched and so we owe it to our audienceto give them the best experience we can

Letrsquos be honest none of our friends orfamily are likely to say or at least not toour face ldquothat was pretty poorrdquo Theywant to remain our friends so will probablytell us what we want to hear ldquoreallyenjoyed thatrdquo Wersquoll be happy but willthey really want to see any more of ourwork

I suggest that the solution is to obtainindependent views from people who donrsquotknow us and have no axe to grind and sowill tell it the way they see it NamelyCompetition Judges

My recommendation is to get our filmsinto as many competitions as we can andcompare all the comments Identifycommon ideas for improvement and learnfrom them This way our audiences mighthappily come back for more

In SoCo Competitions we address thispoint by appointing judges from differentparts of the country They each review theentries and write their comments without

meeting or conferring We do not mergetheir comments rather each entrant getsunedited appraisals from which heshe cansee if there is commonality However acomment from one judge at odds with theothers should still be considered as in theend each judge will be giving an honestview of our work and will tell it the waythey see it

So yes I believe competition judgescan really us help make better films

I invite you to test this for yourself byentering this years SoCo Competition ndashremember itrsquos free online and the closingdate is 31 July 2020 Itrsquos all on our websiteat wwwiacsocowebscom as well as insidethis issue

Keep safeKind regards

Tony ColburnVice Chairman SoCo Regional Council

In the last edition of SoCo News AlanWallbank wrote about a first edition ofldquoAmateur Film Makerrdquo in a new format

Dated March - April 1979 it goes backa few years to a time when many of uswere in our early 80sJ

It was a printed A5 version containing24 pages covering much the same contentas we do today

Remember thetime when we had8mm sound stripedfilms Well it hasrelevant adverts ofthe day

In the ClubsColumn it talks ofPlymouth Amateur

Cine Club of which I was a memberholding their Westwood EightCompetition

Why am I telling you thisWell Alan Walbank kindly sent me the

magazine and I have scanned it into a pdffor anyone who wants to take a look

I have uploaded it to the SoCo NewsArchive folder for you to download andenjoy for yourself

httpsdrivegooglecomdrivefolders1RcTZ4ym93hCgcSUrYOaGeXOmRjHGew2t

Keep Smiling Pippipcrittengooglemailcom

In Memory of Anne and DavidFrom Weymouth Movie Makers

Anne Vincent was a long standing much loved andvalued member of our club and was chairman for manyyears investing much of her time and energy in seeing theclub grow and thrive and she was also a great encouragerDuring this time David Martin was also a long standingmember and did a lot in supporting the club workingalongside Anne and supporting her in many differentways Both Anne and David were also very involved in SoCo and Anne was chairman until she became ill Theirpassing has left a big void in our club life and they aresorely missed

The last few years have been very difficult for the clubas many members have now passed on or are unable toattend because of age or ill health but throughout all ofthis we will do our best to keep going

John De La Mare

Personal remembrance of David amp AnneWhen my wife Helen and myself walked into the

Weymouth Movie Makers meeting at the Centenary Clubthree years ago we were welcomed almost like long lostfriends

Anne Vincent was in poor health but putting a braveface on things and remaining cheerful

She not only had mobility problems but also had badcataracts

Anne liked my films and encouraged me to enter myfilm ldquoSt Ivesrdquo into the Penny Cup we had outside judgesthat year if she had been able to see clearly Anne maynot have been so encouraging

Ironically it was soon after she had a cataractremoved a year later that Annes health really started todeteriorate and she was rarely able to attend meetings

David Martin was always there helping Anne theywere linked by their enthusiasm for life

David had computer skills and loved makingelaborate brochures and posters for the club

He also mastered smart phones and loved takingpictures of presentations at the club to put on thewebsite

He was encouraging to me right to the end when Ilast spoke with him at Annes funeral in January

It was so nice to see the picture of Anne and watchthe video link from 1987 which Len Vine included in hisletter in MarchApril SoCo News they looked like theywere really enjoying each others company

Lives Well LivedJohn Simpson

This is obviously a difficult time for us all as filmingopportunities have been put on hold for perhaps weeks tocome Previously I mentioned that I had lost the use ofmy car due to a mysterious electrical fault It took fourmonths to fix so all my filming activities came to an end

I did have the use of my daughterrsquos car but I only usedit when I had to such as going to my video club When I didget it back we have this virus One location I wanted tofilm last year was too overgrown so I had to wait ninemonths before I could return Well thatrsquos now and I haveto stay indoors that means waiting another year

Such is the life of a film maker

I also mentioned that I just have to stop taking on newprojects when I have enough to be getting on with so atthe start of the year I decided to try and complete ninefilms Not a hope really but at least something to aim forshould my car breakdown again If it does I donrsquot think Iwill be getting another

I began one film but the virus stopped that in itstracks very annoying as the weather this past week hasbeen perfect for filming but at least I have another onewhich I am editing now In fact I feel very lucky to have aninterest that gives me something constructive to do at atime when a lot of people are probably finding it hardgoing

This latest project meant down loading footage directfrom first video camera a TR3100E Sony Hi-8 camera thatI bought new in 1999

I used it a lot and it gave me many years of troublefree filming but near the end there was a certain amountof picture distortion on playback

It has not been used for many years but thankfully itworked perfectly straight away although the distortion isstill there

Itrsquos just a case of editing it out I wonder how manyother members use their old cameras

Arou

nd the Clubs

Around the Clu

bs

CLUBSCLUBS

STONEHOUSE amp STROUD VIDEOUNIT

Youtube and Vimeo

I We hope that you are all well at and through thisaggressive pandemic - pandemonium time

Here we are now completely left wondering if wersquollever get our late planned production made

From the start wersquove had problems with it Badweather Travel problems even for the simple round tripof 22 miles

Now this self isolation safety requirementKeep smiling ndash that doesnrsquot hurt

Teign Film Makers Club

Like so many other clubs groups and societies ourprogramme has come to a sudden stop

Last night April 6th we had planned to hold ourAnimation and Documentary Competitions but thecurrent regulations put paid to that plan

However we did manage to have our Film toMusicPoem and Wildlife Competitions in early March Atotal of 7 films were entered

Chris Byrnes film Steam Dream won the firstcompetition and In Search Of The Corncrake won theLangwood Trophy for Lynne Garner Congratulationsladies

March 14th was the date for the 53rd AnnualGloucester Inter Club Competition which was hosted bythe Worcester club EIght films were shown two fromeach club

The Bristol club swept the board with their entriesTheir film Fellas won the Ray Toleman Trophy for BestFilm The Vale Trophy for Best Sound plus The CheltenhamVideomakers Trophy for Best Cinematography

The Worcester clubs entry WorcestershireSymphony Orchestra came second and Robert Raikesfrom Gloucester was placed third A position we have hadnow for 3 years in succession

Unfortunately I missed this competition as I had a fallin Gloucester a few days before the event when I wasfilming the demolition of the multi storey car park I wasalmost as demolished well as the car park It felt that way

Filming can be a very dangerous hobby at times I havediscovered However I plan to continue

John Greene

Gloucester Film Makers

Things have certainly changed for everyone since theprevious newsletter

Firstly Teign Film Makers Club members hope that allof you are safe and well

We held the 4 minute competition on Monday 24thFebruary and this once again produced a variety of filmsand subjects

The top three films were judged by members to beChicken Feed by Peter Hiner (1)Video Game Picture Show - Susie Topolska (2)Thurlestone Walk by Roger Western (3)When thanking all entrants Ivan Andrews

emphasised that the overall scoring was very close andthat the entries were of a high standard

Due to circumstances beyond our control we wereunable to hold the meeting planned for 9th March withRoger Edwards featuring indoor filming with green screenand shortly after that the coronavirus restrictions wereintroduced and our programme and physical meetingswere suspended

Fortunately the committee had the foresight tointroduce virtual meetings and these are proving to beboth successful and popular Currently they are heldweekly and each meeting lasts about 40 minutes (at nocost to the club or members) with an average of 12-13members lsquoattendingrsquo A different member gives a shortpresentation at each meeting which allows time fordiscussion afterwards

The meetings are still evolving and improving andarrangements are sent to all people on the TFMC emailinglist It has been great to see and welcome some friendsand previous members of the club

All who attend agree that it is a good idea and helps tokeep the members (and others) in touch with our hobbythe club and each other

We understand that Tiverton Camcorder Club is alsoexperimenting with virtual meetings

TFMC is now planning to hold the lsquofilm that tunersquocompetition utilising the Internet for both film submissionand judging If successful the club will hopefully be ableto hold the remainder of their competition programmefor this season albeit with limited film stock

We shall let you know how it all goes in the nextnewsletter

Meanwhile donrsquot forget that the TFMC website andfacebook page are still active and regularly updated

httpwwwteignfilmmakerscluborg or visit theFacebook page

Arou

nd the Clubs

Around the Clu

bs

CLUBSCLUBS

STONEHOUSE amp STROUD VIDEOUNIT

Youtube and Vimeo

I We hope that you are all well at and through thisaggressive pandemic - pandemonium time

Here we are now completely left wondering if wersquollever get our late planned production made

From the start wersquove had problems with it Badweather Travel problems even for the simple round tripof 22 miles

Now this self isolation safety requirementKeep smiling ndash that doesnrsquot hurt

Teign Film Makers Club

Like so many other clubs groups and societies ourprogramme has come to a sudden stop

Last night April 6th we had planned to hold ourAnimation and Documentary Competitions but thecurrent regulations put paid to that plan

However we did manage to have our Film toMusicPoem and Wildlife Competitions in early March Atotal of 7 films were entered

Chris Byrnes film Steam Dream won the firstcompetition and In Search Of The Corncrake won theLangwood Trophy for Lynne Garner Congratulationsladies

March 14th was the date for the 53rd AnnualGloucester Inter Club Competition which was hosted bythe Worcester club EIght films were shown two fromeach club

The Bristol club swept the board with their entriesTheir film Fellas won the Ray Toleman Trophy for BestFilm The Vale Trophy for Best Sound plus The CheltenhamVideomakers Trophy for Best Cinematography

The Worcester clubs entry WorcestershireSymphony Orchestra came second and Robert Raikesfrom Gloucester was placed third A position we have hadnow for 3 years in succession

Unfortunately I missed this competition as I had a fallin Gloucester a few days before the event when I wasfilming the demolition of the multi storey car park I wasalmost as demolished well as the car park It felt that way

Filming can be a very dangerous hobby at times I havediscovered However I plan to continue

John Greene

Gloucester Film Makers

Things have certainly changed for everyone since theprevious newsletter

Firstly Teign Film Makers Club members hope that allof you are safe and well

We held the 4 minute competition on Monday 24thFebruary and this once again produced a variety of filmsand subjects

The top three films were judged by members to beChicken Feed by Peter Hiner (1)Video Game Picture Show - Susie Topolska (2)Thurlestone Walk by Roger Western (3)When thanking all entrants Ivan Andrews

emphasised that the overall scoring was very close andthat the entries were of a high standard

Due to circumstances beyond our control we wereunable to hold the meeting planned for 9th March withRoger Edwards featuring indoor filming with green screenand shortly after that the coronavirus restrictions wereintroduced and our programme and physical meetingswere suspended

Fortunately the committee had the foresight tointroduce virtual meetings and these are proving to beboth successful and popular Currently they are heldweekly and each meeting lasts about 40 minutes (at nocost to the club or members) with an average of 12-13members lsquoattendingrsquo A different member gives a shortpresentation at each meeting which allows time fordiscussion afterwards

The meetings are still evolving and improving andarrangements are sent to all people on the TFMC emailinglist It has been great to see and welcome some friendsand previous members of the club

All who attend agree that it is a good idea and helps tokeep the members (and others) in touch with our hobbythe club and each other

We understand that Tiverton Camcorder Club is alsoexperimenting with virtual meetings

TFMC is now planning to hold the lsquofilm that tunersquocompetition utilising the Internet for both film submissionand judging If successful the club will hopefully be ableto hold the remainder of their competition programmefor this season albeit with limited film stock

We shall let you know how it all goes in the nextnewsletter

Meanwhile donrsquot forget that the TFMC website andfacebook page are still active and regularly updated

httpwwwteignfilmmakerscluborg or visit theFacebook page

What is a plotI once heard it defined by the following example - Man

dies Woman dies Thats a story Man dies Woman diesof grief Thats a plot Yes were back to cause and effectagain

There are a couple of useful techniques professionalsuse for generating plots for dramas

The first is The Story Ideas MatrixThe matrix was invented by Professor Franz Striker an

English teacher at the University of Buffalo He createdthe Western series The Lone Ranger a popular TVprogramme from the 1950s and came up with five halfhour stories a week for fifteen years A sample matrix is asfollows

To use the table he would pick any four digit numberat random perhaps from the phone book And thus oneitem from each column in turn This is the starting placefor the story

Picture the heroheroine who is attempting to reachthe objective at the opposition of the villain and theobstacle Fill in the related material to generate the story

Suppose the number is 0298 We might have an artiston the verge of fame when a robber takes all the moneyintended for an art exhibition The Lone Ranger alwayshelped someone in trouble He would have to sort it allout by apprehending the robber and returning the moneyto the artist Last scene would be the Lone Rangerenjoying the art exhibition Something like that

Obviously this is a specific genre but the same ideacan be applied to others such as a family sitcom whichwould require different elements in our matrix

Note the Weaponry used in a Family Sitcom - InsultsNot immediately thought of as a weapon but a usefulhumour device

The second technique for generating plots is calledthe Sonata Form as its comparable to the firstmovement of a Sonata in terms of conflict

Japanese director Akira Kurosawa used this in most ofhis works which formed the basis of the series of so-

called Samurai Westerns These Samurai Westerns werecopied in America and elsewhere and were the basis forthe Spaghetti Westerns popular at one time TheMagnificent Seven was made out of Seven Samurai TheOutrage out of Rashomon and A Fistful of Dollars out ofYojimbo

The structure is as follows (using Seven Samurai as anexample)

The Introduction sets up the some of the charactersthe time place genre style and the problem theprotagonist has to solve In Paul Vernons Oasis winner ofthe IACs Southern Counties regional film competitionthe character the time place genre and problem are allset up really quickly thanks in part also to the style offilming

The Second Theme is really a subplot which manyamateur movies dont have time for It may be the start ofa romance or a parallel story which relates in some wayto the main one and ties in at the end

Much of the above structure can be recognised inHitchcocks North by Northwest Hitchcock films oftenshowed a person doing what they normally do andsuddenly Wham Hitchcocks McGuffin - the point whenthe hero has to become involved In North by Northwestthe McGuffin is where Thornhill signals a Bellboyintending to send a wire to his Mother at the samemoment the Bellboy is calling Paging George KaplanFrom then on the villains are convinced theyve found themysterious Mr Kaplan theyve been seeking and RogerThornhills problems start at gunpoint

All these formulae for plotting are well tested in theprofessional world of film and give an insight into how toset up our own fiction dramas

Happy filmingMelvyn Dover

Itrsquos probably a long time ago that yougave your email address to head office andsome of the email addresses are no longercurrent

If you have received this email directfrom the editor then we have your currentemail address

If you have received it from a third partysuch as a club secretary or friend could youplease let us have you current email address

Please send any email addressamendments to

pipcrittengooglemailcom

The SoCo Anne Vincent amp David Martin Video Competition 2020Closing Date 31 July 2020Your questions answered

Q Is this a truly free competitionA That is the objective There is no entry fee no packaging no postage no travelling to a post

office no paperwork no DVD or memory stick and no cost to upload your entry (just make sure youkeep it below 2GB or there is a charge)

Q Why is there no entry fee this yearA The model we decided to use for this competition has virtually zero running costs and so the

decision was taken to pass this saving on to amateur film makers across the region and by doing soencourage more to enter

Q What restrictions are thereA Very few Entries must have been made by amateurs (no one has been paid and no commercial

or financial gain) it must not cause offence or break the law and it must fall within the defined timelimits 20mins for the Regional competition 10 mins for the Dolphin and 1 min for Baby Dolphin

Q Why is there not a time limit during which the video was madeA As long as entries are in a current digital format we hope to see some of the best amateur films

made in our region over recent times This also has the benefit of allowing entrants to see how theirearlier productions stand the test of time

Q Why is this competition open to individuals who are not members of SoCoA Our mission is to encourage amateur film making across our region and by allowing those

outside of our IAC member group to enter hopefully they will see the value of joining the IACQ What criteria do you use for selecting the judgesA There are basically three things we look for Firstly they must have a proven record as

successful film makers in their own right Secondly judges must have the ability to review each entryobjectively and provide constructive unbiased honest comments which will help the entrant andthirdly they must be prepared to devote a significant amount of time to reviewing rating and writingcomments

Q Why is there more than one judgeA We feel that one should gain as many comments as possible which is why it is always worth

entering a video into a number of competitions In our case we do not amalgamate or edit thecomments rather the entrant sees the comments from each individual judge The judges workindividually and do not confer This means that you get independent views of your work from whichyou gain a balanced view of how your work is seen by others

Q Why are entries gradedA In earlier competitions it was suggested that there would be value if entrants could see how their

video stacked against the benchmarks Last year we piloted the idea and it seemed to be generallywell received so we will repeat it this year Be aware however only the individual entrant sees thecomments and grade placement for hisher video(s) except that is for the top three placements ineach competition

Q How do I enterA To enter the competition please go to wwwiacsocowebscomI hope our answers have been helpful but should there be anything that has not been covered

please email me at tonycolburnsocogmailcomStay SafeTony ColburnVice Chairman SoCo Regional Council

The Anne Vincent amp David Martin Video Competition 2020(Incorporating the Regional Dolphin and Baby Dolphin Competitions)

Rules

1 Entry into the ldquoThe Anne Vincent amp David Martin Video Competitionrdquo is open toamateur film makers and video clubs throughout the SoCo Region

2 There is no entry fee

3 Entries will only be accepted into the competition electronically via WeTransferusing wwwWeTransfercom sent to tonycolburnsocogmailcom

4 Entry Form can be submitted using the online form that can be found atwwwiacsocowebscom or as an email attachment (see above) to the followingaddress tonycolburnsocogmailcom

5 The closing date for entries is 31st July 2020

6 Each entry into the main competition are limited to 20 minutes

7 Each entry into the Dolphin Competition which is for films of a light heartednature is limited to a maximum of 10 minutes

8 Each entry into the Baby Dolphin Competition which is for films of a light heartednature is limited to a maximum of 1 minute

9 Winners of the Dolphin and Baby Dolphin competitions will represent the SoCoregion in the IAC Mermaid and Mini Mermaid Competitions

10 Entries into both the Dolphin and Baby Dolphin competitions will be automaticallyincluded in the main competition

11 The competitions are for films made by individuals groups or clubs for pleasureand not for commercial gain other than for the benefit of their club or acharity Members of the production team including actors must not have beenpaid for their time

12 Only one title per Email entry However there is no limit to the number entriesfrom the same maker(s) but a separate entry form must be supplied for eachvideo

13 Copyright clearance of all material both sound and vision is the sole responsibil-ity of the entrant

14 Name(s) on the entry form will be used on any certificates that may be awarded

15 Entries will be assessed by two judges whose comments relating to individualentries will be sent to entrants by email during the first week of SeptemberJudges comments will not be published to third parties

16 Details of the winning entries in each of the three competitions and 2nd amp 3rdplacements will be published at the latest in the November edition of SoCo News

17 The SoCo Regional Council reserve the right not to accept entries that aredeemed offensive or in bad taste and will rule on all matters concerning thecompetitions and no correspondence can be entered into

18 Submission of an entry confirms acceptance by the entrant of the abovecompetition rules

Alternative Entry Form

The Anne Vincent amp David Martin Video Competition 2020

Incorporating the Regional Dolphin amp Baby Dolphin Competitions

Entry Form

Closing Date for Entries 31 July 2020

1 Which Competition applies to this entry ndash tick as appropriate

o Regional Award (Up to 20 Minutes Duration)

o Dolphin (Light Hearted up to 10 Minutes Duration)

o Baby Dolphin (Light Hearted up to 1 Minute Duration)

2 Title of this entry

hellip

3 Running time helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip Aspect Ratio helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip

4 Format o HD o SD o Other

5 Your details

Name

Address (inc Post Code) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip

helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip

helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip

Your Email address

Your telephone Number helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip

6 Please confirm that you are resident in the SoCo Region

o Yes

7 Please indicate that this video has been sent via wwwWeTransfercom totonycolburnsocogmailcom

o Yes

8 I confirm that copyright clearance has been obtained for all material used in this entry

o Yes

9 Please confirm your agreement for this entry to be published to the Internet

o Yes o No

10 Please confirm your agreement that by submitting this form you accept and will comply with therules of the competition

o Yes

This Entry Form can only be submitted attached to an Email addressed to tonycolburnsocogmailcom

Easy Entry FormThe easiest and preferred way is to go to wwwiacsocowebscom and follow the link

Two issues ago in SOCO news among the thought-provoking discussion points raised by Alan Wallbank hereferred to the use of still images in film This coincidedwith a reference in Film amp Video maker to the use ofmoving images in AV productions Now this is reallytalking about art and creativity the very elements of whatis so compelling in both still and moving images and forwhich there are no ultimate answers except whatactually ldquoworksrdquo on the screen

From that moment on I have thought of calling stillimages whether ldquoBurns effectrdquo is applied to them or notby a fairly obvious new name I seriously think the IAC mayhave coined a new photographic ldquodescriptorrdquo for usingstills in a film

It has even given me an idea for a new film On theshelves above my untidy computer work station amongthe parts of model railways and a Hornby Dublo railwaycrossing I keep random postcards collected over theyears and memorable photographs These include acouple of stills of my paternal grandfather whoseforenames I share and a photo of more Paget familyassembled together than you will ever see again I maywell be the last person who can work out who they all are

The venue was thebeach in 1935 at Hunstantonin Norfolk That is mystarting point If NeilMacgregor can write ahistory of the World in 100Objects often starting withthe most dull and scant pieceof broken dusty pottery anddraw this together into aninformation packed bookand BBC Radio 4 series thenperhaps I would be able tocapture something from halfa dozen oldstill images

I have been avoiding talking about films I am in theprocess of making but see this as a no vel challenge Ofthose in the picture my Dad is in short trousers nobodyis overweight and my grandfather is probably verygrateful to have survived his time in the Royal FlyingCorps The cameraman would have been a youngenthusiast photographer who would later be involved inconvoy support in WW2 The black amp white image gives nohint as to how bracing the East coast air was and mywidowed Great Grandmother seated in a deckchair lookspretty severe but at least is with her grown up threedaughters and son on a day out It must have been a bankholiday and with travel by train from Bury St Edmunds

The whole discussion of films competing with eachother has given me an idea for a ldquoCelebration of Filmrdquoevent It will not be a competition in any form it will notbe a fundraising roadshow for a club but it will include aselection and some extracts from several of the earlyyears of winners of the Gloucester Inter Clubcompetition Providing that Gloucester Film Makers canrelease a copy of the 1967 ldquoCotswold Milk Maidrdquo whichthey hold for me to produce as high a level quality digitalproduct with sound as possible I shall be able to includethat very first winner of the competition

I was involved with that film in a small way recordingthe sound of a farmyard Just the task you would allocateto a teenager It taught me a lot and gave me anenthusiasm which has not gone away A couple of friendswere also at that first competition so as a theme it holdssomething very special for us

These pictures are of the original Cotswold CineClub receiving the Gloucester (then tiny) Inter club trophywhich had been judged by the Golden Unicorn Film Unit

Between the two pictures each of the four Cotswoldcine Club members was chairman at one point

I am also looking for any memorabilia such asprogrammes posters and related still images from 1967to say 1982 Please contact me if you have any suchmaterial or hold a previous winning film of thatcompetition from those 25 years I would reallyappreciate it

I have yet to decide on the venue for this and it willpossibly be in 2021 There may be ldquoinvitedrdquo speakersinvited films and possibly a little magic all designed tomake it a fun event and enthuse and remind each of uswhy we make film Dawn and I plan that the income fromthis event will go to a mental health charity and that it willraise the profile of enthusiast film making

Sitting in the waiting room of the Doctorrsquos surgery Isifted through the pile of old car and good housekeepingmagazines and then actually found the latest edition ofthe regional ldquohellipLiferdquo magazine

I immediately turned to the article written by artistand writer Tracy Spiers She features in my fairly recentfilm ldquoInterwoven ndash canal and communityrdquo which not only

Left to Right Cliff Smith Joe Higgins John Kerry holdingcup and Geoff Adams

Left to right Myself John Kerry and Clifford Smith OBE

included her impressive art work but showed how thelocal canal was a thread running through and linking thecommunity in so many ways Her article about Tetburywas worth reading as I expected I then turned to the nextarticle which was about improving your photography andwritten by a paid professional

A few words in I alreadyrealised it would only informthose who have lived in anisolated box for fifty yearsStarting with thecompositional ldquorule ofthirdsrdquo I asked myselfwhether I ever had to telleither of my daughtersabout that or indeed thepitfalls of an unbalancedimage it can sometimescreate By the time they

were in their teens and taking media and art studies theywould have been telling me about the more ambitiousldquoGolden Spirals Golden Triangles Golden Sections etcrdquoYes a good start at taking images if you have never seenor used a camera but what proportion of the currentpopulation would now fall into that category

If you have never read about ldquoGolden Ratiosrdquo thereare great explanations and articles online [Ed Here isone] You may already find that you are using themwithout knowing or even finding the compositional grid inyour editing software For myself I consider that theldquoGolden Sectionrdquo is very eye catching and particularlyrelevant when filming in widescreen irrespective of thefilm genre

An hour or so later we were supermarket shoppingand I lingered by the magazine section to find out aboutdark matter the cost of HS2 (which my pocket calculatormakes to be pound 12716 per inch and may be in a film aboutpollution I am planning) and any photography magazinesnot in a sealed bags The first photography article aboutgenerally improving your images contained yes the ruleof thirds again This was followed by a basicrearrangement of hints given in the magazine at thesurgery such as choosing the time of day for shooting usea tripod take an ND filter in case the sun is shining on theequator take a raincoat and water bottle (I am beingcynical here) and involving people in shots etc

It may fill a page in a glossy magazine full of advertsbut proved to me that I can learn far more just from oneissue of SOCO news I smiled when I realised so many

photographic magazines feature ldquotravel photographersrdquoand the best equipment for travel and holidays It provesto me that making a travelogue of your adventure is oftenthe classic way of combining two interests whilst havingthat extra time to work on improving your photographyIf it is okay for a professional then it is okay for me

On the IAC website I found the link to ldquoLe Cine CameraClub de Cannesrdquo a very active Club with 115 membersand decided that I would enter a film into their ldquoFestivalede Creativite 2020rdquo I was unable to make some of thedrop-down boxes on their website work to enable me tofind the entry form (although later resolved by using acomputer and not my Ipad) and resulted in myexchanging several emails with Jean-Paul Droillard whowas most helpful

It certainly was very unclear as to what the genreldquoVideo Decouvertrdquo( literally discovered video) was andthe IAC page makes a supposition that it ldquomayrdquo bedocumentary On attempting to clarify this with him andasking whether it meant ldquoopen subjectrdquo he confirmedthat the film I had submitted by ldquoWe Transferrdquo mostcertainly was in this category albeit a five minute filmedited to music without dialogue and for which I hadsimply added a subtitle translation to the opening title(dialogue entries must have subtitles added) He statedthat my film was definitely a ldquoDiaporama Decouverterdquo(literally a slideshow discovered) He then followed thiswith the word ldquoDocumentairerdquo in brackets This bothclarified and blurred my understanding but it had beeninteresting communicating with a ldquoCineasterdquo and thankheavens we were not defining the finer points of a tradedeal

I have since looked at many of his creative filmsonline and his work can be of stills with video sections orvideo with stills Briefly I had been given an insight into afilmmaker thinking ldquocreatively and out of the boxrdquo andwithout being hide bound by the constraints of ldquocan I usea still in a filmrdquo Later that day I had to put some boxesback into the loft just before turning off the light Iglanced at the table where a couple of cine film editorsstand and then two plastic Asda bags One containssections of Kodak white leader together with sections ofblack Standard 8 and Super8 ndash all just in case I need thembut what was in the other bag It was a 200ft spool ofStandard 8mm marked ldquooffcuts 1970 to 1977rdquo Wow Ihad been looking for this reel of film for years This couldbe truly a case of ldquoCine Decouvertrdquo

Robert Paget

Keep Smiling

Pip

included her impressive art work but showed how thelocal canal was a thread running through and linking thecommunity in so many ways Her article about Tetburywas worth reading as I expected I then turned to the nextarticle which was about improving your photography andwritten by a paid professional

A few words in I alreadyrealised it would only informthose who have lived in anisolated box for fifty yearsStarting with thecompositional ldquorule ofthirdsrdquo I asked myselfwhether I ever had to telleither of my daughtersabout that or indeed thepitfalls of an unbalancedimage it can sometimescreate By the time they

were in their teens and taking media and art studies theywould have been telling me about the more ambitiousldquoGolden Spirals Golden Triangles Golden Sections etcrdquoYes a good start at taking images if you have never seenor used a camera but what proportion of the currentpopulation would now fall into that category

If you have never read about ldquoGolden Ratiosrdquo thereare great explanations and articles online [Ed Here isone] You may already find that you are using themwithout knowing or even finding the compositional grid inyour editing software For myself I consider that theldquoGolden Sectionrdquo is very eye catching and particularlyrelevant when filming in widescreen irrespective of thefilm genre

An hour or so later we were supermarket shoppingand I lingered by the magazine section to find out aboutdark matter the cost of HS2 (which my pocket calculatormakes to be pound 12716 per inch and may be in a film aboutpollution I am planning) and any photography magazinesnot in a sealed bags The first photography article aboutgenerally improving your images contained yes the ruleof thirds again This was followed by a basicrearrangement of hints given in the magazine at thesurgery such as choosing the time of day for shooting usea tripod take an ND filter in case the sun is shining on theequator take a raincoat and water bottle (I am beingcynical here) and involving people in shots etc

It may fill a page in a glossy magazine full of advertsbut proved to me that I can learn far more just from oneissue of SOCO news I smiled when I realised so many

photographic magazines feature ldquotravel photographersrdquoand the best equipment for travel and holidays It provesto me that making a travelogue of your adventure is oftenthe classic way of combining two interests whilst havingthat extra time to work on improving your photographyIf it is okay for a professional then it is okay for me

On the IAC website I found the link to ldquoLe Cine CameraClub de Cannesrdquo a very active Club with 115 membersand decided that I would enter a film into their ldquoFestivalede Creativite 2020rdquo I was unable to make some of thedrop-down boxes on their website work to enable me tofind the entry form (although later resolved by using acomputer and not my Ipad) and resulted in myexchanging several emails with Jean-Paul Droillard whowas most helpful

It certainly was very unclear as to what the genreldquoVideo Decouvertrdquo( literally discovered video) was andthe IAC page makes a supposition that it ldquomayrdquo bedocumentary On attempting to clarify this with him andasking whether it meant ldquoopen subjectrdquo he confirmedthat the film I had submitted by ldquoWe Transferrdquo mostcertainly was in this category albeit a five minute filmedited to music without dialogue and for which I hadsimply added a subtitle translation to the opening title(dialogue entries must have subtitles added) He statedthat my film was definitely a ldquoDiaporama Decouverterdquo(literally a slideshow discovered) He then followed thiswith the word ldquoDocumentairerdquo in brackets This bothclarified and blurred my understanding but it had beeninteresting communicating with a ldquoCineasterdquo and thankheavens we were not defining the finer points of a tradedeal

I have since looked at many of his creative filmsonline and his work can be of stills with video sections orvideo with stills Briefly I had been given an insight into afilmmaker thinking ldquocreatively and out of the boxrdquo andwithout being hide bound by the constraints of ldquocan I usea still in a filmrdquo Later that day I had to put some boxesback into the loft just before turning off the light Iglanced at the table where a couple of cine film editorsstand and then two plastic Asda bags One containssections of Kodak white leader together with sections ofblack Standard 8 and Super8 ndash all just in case I need thembut what was in the other bag It was a 200ft spool ofStandard 8mm marked ldquooffcuts 1970 to 1977rdquo Wow Ihad been looking for this reel of film for years This couldbe truly a case of ldquoCine Decouvertrdquo

Robert Paget

Keep Smiling

Pip

Penny Cup 2020 Drama Category Description

1 PlaceldquoDead on Timerdquo

15 Minutes

South Downs Film Makers Club film A Thriller with a clever twist at the end

2nd PlaceldquoIs There anyone Thererdquo

4 Minuites 45 Secs

Surrey Borders Movie Makers Club Film Supernatural Comedythriller Drama

3rd PlaceldquoStay for the Rafflerdquo

9 Minutes

South Downs Film Makers A Film Club Comedy Drama about a man giving a talkabout Memory

Other Drama EntriesIn no Particular order

ldquoJust in Timerdquo 7 Minutes 10 Secs

Leicester Movie Makers A Film Club Comedy Drama about a search for aninheritance

ldquoEscaperdquo2 Minuites 6 Secs

Bristol Film and Video Society A Black Comedy about a man visiting a lion reserve

ldquoChalkeys Big Jobrdquo5 Minutes 35 Secs

Bristol Film and Video Society A Black Comedy giving the tone of gangsters in a crypt

ldquoBettys Big Breakrdquo12 Minutes 30 Secs

South Downs Film Makers A fun pantomime style Club Comedy Drama

ldquoAbove it Allrdquo2 Minutes 44 Secs

Bristol Film and Video Society A Black Comedy Drama with two men having aconversation on the edge of a cliff

ldquoFrozen Outrdquo1 Minute

South Downs Film Makers A Funny one minute comedy about amisunderstanding

ldquoThe land that Time For-gotrdquo

5 Minutes 50 Secs

Howard Johnson

South Downs Film Makers

An experimental Film set in another world

WEYMOUTH MOVIE MAKERSWEYMOUTH MOVIE MAKERS

The overall Winner of the 2020 Penny Cup isldquoDead on Timerdquo by South Downs Film MakersIt is a 15 minute thriller which kept us on the edge of

our seats until the end Here is a YouTube link to the film

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=h28OtkP3kmwampfeature=youtube

It is a really good club film something to be proud ofIf you are able to watch it I hope you will agree it is adeserving winner

South Downs Film Makers is in the South East Regionof the IAC (SERIAC) and the clubs website is very goodwith links to many of their films

httpwwwsouthdownsfilmmakersorgukIn overall Second Place is ldquoIs there Anyone Thererdquo A

Supernatural Drama by Surrey Boarders Movie MakersThey are also from the SERIAC region

Overall Third Place goes to a documentary ldquoThePuffins of Skomer 2019rdquo by Peter J Durnall AACI StokeVideo Club

We had 23 entries this year and divided the filmsloosely into two categories Drama andDocumentaryFactual

This made the judging easier for us

Penny Cup 2020 Documentarymainly Factualcategory

Description

1st PlaceldquoThe Puffins of Skomer

2019rdquo6 Minutes 17 Secs

Peter J Durnall AACIStoke Video Society

A Documentary about thhe Puffins of Skomer

2nd PlaceldquoHigh Hummersrdquo3 Minutes 20 Secs

Paula WebsterSutton Coldfield Movie

Makers

A Documentary about Humming Birds

3rd PlaceldquoRequiem for Tinrdquo4 Minutes 30 Secs

James Chambers A film about the demise of Cornish Tin Mines told inverse

The otherDocumentaryFactual

entries no particular orderldquoAbandon the Voterdquo

2 Minutes 50 SecsHuey WalkerExeter Films

A Campaigning music video

ldquoAberrantrdquo10 Minutes 45 Secs

Exeter Films A Documentary about films made by Exeter Films

ldquoAll Day Openingrdquo3 Minutes

Susie WalkerExeter Films

A Campaigning film about heat conservation

ldquoInterwovenrdquo6 Minutes 30 Secs

Robert PagetGloucester Film Makers

A Documentary about the painting of a Mural

A Giant Idea4 Minuets 52 Secs

Bristol Film and Video Club A Campaigning film about the proposal of a Mural

ldquoAnother Wallrdquo5 Minutes 20 Secs

Susie WalkerExeter Films

Juxtaposition between the Mexico Wall and thebuilding of a fence

ldquoKill the Indian Childrdquo12 Minutes

Roger LawrieSutton Coldfield Movie

Makers

A film about the exploitation of indigenous people inCanada

ldquoThe Shoreham HarbourLifeboatrdquo

10 Minutes

Roy PowellSouth Downs Film Makers

A Documentary about the Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat

ldquoThe Pudding Runrdquo5 Minutes

Trevor ErmelTynemouth Film Video

Making Group

A Film about a Fun Run at Whitley Bay

ldquoCygnusrdquo9 Minutes

Chris HallLeicester Movie makers

A Film following a family of swans through the year

The standard was very highMany thanks to all who enteredThe results have been delayed because of problems of

meeting upThe Virus has caused the cancellation of the Penny

Cup Film show and we have not been able to get the Cupengraved yet

I ask for your forbearance and wish the best to all inSoCo and to all who read the SoCo News

John Simpson

ldquoYou can please some of the people some of thetime rdquo

Most of our readers will be able to complete theabove adage uttered by Abraham Lincoln who must havehad a remarkable understanding of people in general eghow we become entrenched wih self-generated opinionsand how we ask for advice but in the end do it our wayregardless And why we believe that new is better whenbasing videography and all it entails on 35mm film whichcame into being during the latter part of the 19th centuryWho would have dreamt that it would take over ahundred years to surpass 35mm digitally

Having been in the world of development and designlet me tell you that it is a long haul and sometimes you areleft stabbing in the dark hoping and praying forserendipity to take a hand We should remember that theCCD was developed as a memory device but was thenseen to have the potential of becoming something quitedifferent brilliant minds have great vision

After almost a hundred years to the day film wasbeginning to be replaced by digital video which came intobeing in the mid-90s and in so doing almost wiped out thestills film industry and 35mm movies Yet unable toprovide the necessary writing speed to capture itsdefinition simply because the means didnt exist we hadto await the development of large scale sensors for whichSony have striven for years to perfect then the linking ofmicroprocessors to work in tandem then triplequadruple and quintuple etc all of which took us near to2020

Back in 2008 the way forward was clear cut and we allknew where we were headed Yet it has been a very slowtransition from film to digital simply because we havegrown up with film and our minds are trained to accept itas the ultimate until we were faced with the prospectsof 8K Many years ago out of curiosity I worked out that8K was capable of surpassing film save for its 11-stopexposure range between its super black and brightesthighlight In just about everything else digital can equalfilm

The resolving power of digital medium has progressedto eventually meet with 2K Prosumer HD cameras wereable to meet the shallow pockets of the working man butfilm resolution was still ahead of 1080p HD

Whilst some may consider that this is a matter forconjecture in broad terms most will accept that we haveto produce at least 2K in horizontal lines of resolution toget close to the resolution of film To let you into a littlesecret that is the resolution used when colour correcting

professional films prior to their release This process isgiven the name Digital Intermediate and is referred to asDI amongst professionals

When transferring film to digital the 35mm negativeis scanned at 2K for the purpose of DI and then (after ithas been colour corrected and reprocessed) it is re-recorded back to a new negative for film exhibition orprojected digitally Films used to be photo-processedchemically but today this intermediate process has beentaken over by DI

As a point of interest you will understand that as theabove process started with a 35mm frame and wasscanned at 2K the resulting or apparent digital resolutionof the scanned negative is quite a bit greater than yourcamera photographing at 2K natively

The above was the reason why I purchased a SonyX70 which has a 4K front end but its internal processingis to reduce this amount of data down to MP4 2K in orderto handle data at the necessary speed In the right handsthese cameras can produce quite remarkable pictures yethave been slated by some who simply cant get them toperform at all well Admittedly it is quite a long learningcurve

I have a DSLR that produces extremely fine stills witha quality that exceeds all expectations but the odd thingis because it produces beautiful stills you would bewrong in thinking that it can produce video anywherenear that quality In fact I have a little handheld videocamera that will produce pictures quite a bit better TheDSLR is a 1K video camera which produces 2K by takingtwo pictures and overlaying them (filling in the gaps if youwill) However what makes the DSLR appear professionalis its shallow depth of field What comes to mind is thequestion it begs Do 2 x 1K pictures overlaid equal 2Kresolution as far as the human eyebrain is concerned Oh I know it does on paper but then why does thehandheld video camera appear to do better

You may not yet have realised it but if you are ofadvanced years look in the cupboard and count thecameras you have accumulated over the years includingthose film cameras you havent the heart to throw awayas they bring back happy memories I put it to you dearreader that you were seeking the ultimate camera Thecamera that pleases all the people all the time

I think we are on the cusp of seeing a quantum leap inwriting speed with laser computers 10000 times fasterthan todays Such a device is being developed as youread this but there is a problem with overheating We arelooking for a readwrite speed of near to 600 MBsec

capable of capturing images without the need tocompress them and probably in RAW We already havethe memory sufficiently tiny and yet can accommodatethis huge amount of data its becoming cheaper by theyear To be honest I dont think it is all that far away Theback room scientists are already looking at 30K and 8Kcameras are already in the shops along with 8K TVs with

plasma screens to bootAlready buttons are becoming obsolete and touch

screens are the in thing Many cameras today can do farbetter than their users when it comes to settings theiPhone being but one example

It must be confessed that I like shoulder mountcameras something to keep me firmly fixed on the planetin a high wind with a lens 75mm across moonlight beingsufficient to capture the real scene without additionallighting Yet we are still led to believe that miniature is theway forward and a shallow depth of field must beproduced digitally already here done and dusted

Im somewhat saddened by the fact that few ever tryto make a film despite everything they need being tohand The 16K iPhones of the future will digitally zoomand grab four shots from the same scene just like todaywith 4K Video cameras will do far more

People can be so illogically cute Savouring theimpractical they become steeped in the past and dragfrom their personal archives those beloved dinosaurs Ivegot to admit that Im one who loves steam engines and bigtoys I walk down the road dragging a trolley upon whichis a holdall with a camera filling it to capacity Yet itweighs no more than a DSLR mounted on a stabiliserHow cute is it that companies produce very high definitionlenses only to have a director request of his cameramanthat he put a nylon stocking over the lens because hewants the next shot to be soft focus Prior to the shot afocus puller measures the distance with a tape measurefrom camera lens to subject Some may well be horrifiedto hear that granddad used to smear vaseline over thelens for the same soft focus effect They call it art

You see Abraham was right all along you really cantplease all the people all the time because videography isan art form nothing less and filmmakers are born with apassion Such people have always been amongst usMany a caveman drew a series of pictures to tell a story(the first storyboards) It is only the cameras that arechanging and without them we would perforce bedrawing a series of pictures and projecting them on ascreen with an epidiascope Much depends upon whoyou are filmmaker or would-be technocrat directoror cameraman

Dave Jones

Pip Critten has kindly let me introduce myself in theSoCo Magazine I am trying to follow in the footsteps ofCHARLEY CASELEY who compiled the Southern IACcolumns in the Film and Video magazine for a goodnumber of years

A hard act to follow and especially trying to report onthe activities of clubs during the CoVid-19 virus lockdownIam Patrick Woodcock and live in the small market townof Atherstone on the Warwickshire Leicestershire border

I am in the CEMRIAC region of the IAC and belong toSutton Coldfield Moviemakers and as well nearbyNuneaton Moviemakers I have also lived also in LyonFrance for some years where I belonged long establishedclub there CINEAL So I have been active in moviemakingcircles for well over thirty years

I have no contacts in the lsquoSouthernrsquo Counties andtherefore in order to maintain a balance from CEMRIACnews being dominant I am asking if clubs in the lsquoSouthrsquocould forward me some snippets of information as towhat they are doing

In current times it is a question of what they are notdoing but instead what links and contacts they are havingwith members to keep in touch

Most items are newsworthy All contributions will begratefully received

The editor Mike Wyman has offered me one or twopages Let us see if we can rise the challenge

Thatrsquos up to 2000 words minus any photos I amedging on 750 words already

So if you can help please send your contribution tome pewoodcockhotmailcom - even better a jpeg clipto illustrate your copy would be a bonus

Many thanksPatrick Woodcock

ldquoYou can please some of the people some of thetime rdquo

Most of our readers will be able to complete theabove adage uttered by Abraham Lincoln who must havehad a remarkable understanding of people in general eghow we become entrenched wih self-generated opinionsand how we ask for advice but in the end do it our wayregardless And why we believe that new is better whenbasing videography and all it entails on 35mm film whichcame into being during the latter part of the 19th centuryWho would have dreamt that it would take over ahundred years to surpass 35mm digitally

Having been in the world of development and designlet me tell you that it is a long haul and sometimes you areleft stabbing in the dark hoping and praying forserendipity to take a hand We should remember that theCCD was developed as a memory device but was thenseen to have the potential of becoming something quitedifferent brilliant minds have great vision

After almost a hundred years to the day film wasbeginning to be replaced by digital video which came intobeing in the mid-90s and in so doing almost wiped out thestills film industry and 35mm movies Yet unable toprovide the necessary writing speed to capture itsdefinition simply because the means didnt exist we hadto await the development of large scale sensors for whichSony have striven for years to perfect then the linking ofmicroprocessors to work in tandem then triplequadruple and quintuple etc all of which took us near to2020

Back in 2008 the way forward was clear cut and we allknew where we were headed Yet it has been a very slowtransition from film to digital simply because we havegrown up with film and our minds are trained to accept itas the ultimate until we were faced with the prospectsof 8K Many years ago out of curiosity I worked out that8K was capable of surpassing film save for its 11-stopexposure range between its super black and brightesthighlight In just about everything else digital can equalfilm

The resolving power of digital medium has progressedto eventually meet with 2K Prosumer HD cameras wereable to meet the shallow pockets of the working man butfilm resolution was still ahead of 1080p HD

Whilst some may consider that this is a matter forconjecture in broad terms most will accept that we haveto produce at least 2K in horizontal lines of resolution toget close to the resolution of film To let you into a littlesecret that is the resolution used when colour correcting

professional films prior to their release This process isgiven the name Digital Intermediate and is referred to asDI amongst professionals

When transferring film to digital the 35mm negativeis scanned at 2K for the purpose of DI and then (after ithas been colour corrected and reprocessed) it is re-recorded back to a new negative for film exhibition orprojected digitally Films used to be photo-processedchemically but today this intermediate process has beentaken over by DI

As a point of interest you will understand that as theabove process started with a 35mm frame and wasscanned at 2K the resulting or apparent digital resolutionof the scanned negative is quite a bit greater than yourcamera photographing at 2K natively

The above was the reason why I purchased a SonyX70 which has a 4K front end but its internal processingis to reduce this amount of data down to MP4 2K in orderto handle data at the necessary speed In the right handsthese cameras can produce quite remarkable pictures yethave been slated by some who simply cant get them toperform at all well Admittedly it is quite a long learningcurve

I have a DSLR that produces extremely fine stills witha quality that exceeds all expectations but the odd thingis because it produces beautiful stills you would bewrong in thinking that it can produce video anywherenear that quality In fact I have a little handheld videocamera that will produce pictures quite a bit better TheDSLR is a 1K video camera which produces 2K by takingtwo pictures and overlaying them (filling in the gaps if youwill) However what makes the DSLR appear professionalis its shallow depth of field What comes to mind is thequestion it begs Do 2 x 1K pictures overlaid equal 2Kresolution as far as the human eyebrain is concerned Oh I know it does on paper but then why does thehandheld video camera appear to do better

You may not yet have realised it but if you are ofadvanced years look in the cupboard and count thecameras you have accumulated over the years includingthose film cameras you havent the heart to throw awayas they bring back happy memories I put it to you dearreader that you were seeking the ultimate camera Thecamera that pleases all the people all the time

I think we are on the cusp of seeing a quantum leap inwriting speed with laser computers 10000 times fasterthan todays Such a device is being developed as youread this but there is a problem with overheating We arelooking for a readwrite speed of near to 600 MBsec

capable of capturing images without the need tocompress them and probably in RAW We already havethe memory sufficiently tiny and yet can accommodatethis huge amount of data its becoming cheaper by theyear To be honest I dont think it is all that far away Theback room scientists are already looking at 30K and 8Kcameras are already in the shops along with 8K TVs with

plasma screens to bootAlready buttons are becoming obsolete and touch

screens are the in thing Many cameras today can do farbetter than their users when it comes to settings theiPhone being but one example

It must be confessed that I like shoulder mountcameras something to keep me firmly fixed on the planetin a high wind with a lens 75mm across moonlight beingsufficient to capture the real scene without additionallighting Yet we are still led to believe that miniature is theway forward and a shallow depth of field must beproduced digitally already here done and dusted

Im somewhat saddened by the fact that few ever tryto make a film despite everything they need being tohand The 16K iPhones of the future will digitally zoomand grab four shots from the same scene just like todaywith 4K Video cameras will do far more

People can be so illogically cute Savouring theimpractical they become steeped in the past and dragfrom their personal archives those beloved dinosaurs Ivegot to admit that Im one who loves steam engines and bigtoys I walk down the road dragging a trolley upon whichis a holdall with a camera filling it to capacity Yet itweighs no more than a DSLR mounted on a stabiliserHow cute is it that companies produce very high definitionlenses only to have a director request of his cameramanthat he put a nylon stocking over the lens because hewants the next shot to be soft focus Prior to the shot afocus puller measures the distance with a tape measurefrom camera lens to subject Some may well be horrifiedto hear that granddad used to smear vaseline over thelens for the same soft focus effect They call it art

You see Abraham was right all along you really cantplease all the people all the time because videography isan art form nothing less and filmmakers are born with apassion Such people have always been amongst usMany a caveman drew a series of pictures to tell a story(the first storyboards) It is only the cameras that arechanging and without them we would perforce bedrawing a series of pictures and projecting them on ascreen with an epidiascope Much depends upon whoyou are filmmaker or would-be technocrat directoror cameraman

Dave Jones

Pip Critten has kindly let me introduce myself in theSoCo Magazine I am trying to follow in the footsteps ofCHARLEY CASELEY who compiled the Southern IACcolumns in the Film and Video magazine for a goodnumber of years

A hard act to follow and especially trying to report onthe activities of clubs during the CoVid-19 virus lockdownIam Patrick Woodcock and live in the small market townof Atherstone on the Warwickshire Leicestershire border

I am in the CEMRIAC region of the IAC and belong toSutton Coldfield Moviemakers and as well nearbyNuneaton Moviemakers I have also lived also in LyonFrance for some years where I belonged long establishedclub there CINEAL So I have been active in moviemakingcircles for well over thirty years

I have no contacts in the lsquoSouthernrsquo Counties andtherefore in order to maintain a balance from CEMRIACnews being dominant I am asking if clubs in the lsquoSouthrsquocould forward me some snippets of information as towhat they are doing

In current times it is a question of what they are notdoing but instead what links and contacts they are havingwith members to keep in touch

Most items are newsworthy All contributions will begratefully received

The editor Mike Wyman has offered me one or twopages Let us see if we can rise the challenge

Thatrsquos up to 2000 words minus any photos I amedging on 750 words already

So if you can help please send your contribution tome pewoodcockhotmailcom - even better a jpeg clipto illustrate your copy would be a bonus

Many thanksPatrick Woodcock

capable of capturing images without the need tocompress them and probably in RAW We already havethe memory sufficiently tiny and yet can accommodatethis huge amount of data its becoming cheaper by theyear To be honest I dont think it is all that far away Theback room scientists are already looking at 30K and 8Kcameras are already in the shops along with 8K TVs with

plasma screens to bootAlready buttons are becoming obsolete and touch

screens are the in thing Many cameras today can do farbetter than their users when it comes to settings theiPhone being but one example

It must be confessed that I like shoulder mountcameras something to keep me firmly fixed on the planetin a high wind with a lens 75mm across moonlight beingsufficient to capture the real scene without additionallighting Yet we are still led to believe that miniature is theway forward and a shallow depth of field must beproduced digitally already here done and dusted

Im somewhat saddened by the fact that few ever tryto make a film despite everything they need being tohand The 16K iPhones of the future will digitally zoomand grab four shots from the same scene just like todaywith 4K Video cameras will do far more

People can be so illogically cute Savouring theimpractical they become steeped in the past and dragfrom their personal archives those beloved dinosaurs Ivegot to admit that Im one who loves steam engines and bigtoys I walk down the road dragging a trolley upon whichis a holdall with a camera filling it to capacity Yet itweighs no more than a DSLR mounted on a stabiliserHow cute is it that companies produce very high definitionlenses only to have a director request of his cameramanthat he put a nylon stocking over the lens because hewants the next shot to be soft focus Prior to the shot afocus puller measures the distance with a tape measurefrom camera lens to subject Some may well be horrifiedto hear that granddad used to smear vaseline over thelens for the same soft focus effect They call it art

You see Abraham was right all along you really cantplease all the people all the time because videography isan art form nothing less and filmmakers are born with apassion Such people have always been amongst usMany a caveman drew a series of pictures to tell a story(the first storyboards) It is only the cameras that arechanging and without them we would perforce bedrawing a series of pictures and projecting them on ascreen with an epidiascope Much depends upon whoyou are filmmaker or would-be technocrat directoror cameraman

Dave Jones

Pip Critten has kindly let me introduce myself in theSoCo Magazine I am trying to follow in the footsteps ofCHARLEY CASELEY who compiled the Southern IACcolumns in the Film and Video magazine for a goodnumber of years

A hard act to follow and especially trying to report onthe activities of clubs during the CoVid-19 virus lockdownIam Patrick Woodcock and live in the small market townof Atherstone on the Warwickshire Leicestershire border

I am in the CEMRIAC region of the IAC and belong toSutton Coldfield Moviemakers and as well nearbyNuneaton Moviemakers I have also lived also in LyonFrance for some years where I belonged long establishedclub there CINEAL So I have been active in moviemakingcircles for well over thirty years

I have no contacts in the lsquoSouthernrsquo Counties andtherefore in order to maintain a balance from CEMRIACnews being dominant I am asking if clubs in the lsquoSouthrsquocould forward me some snippets of information as towhat they are doing

In current times it is a question of what they are notdoing but instead what links and contacts they are havingwith members to keep in touch

Most items are newsworthy All contributions will begratefully received

The editor Mike Wyman has offered me one or twopages Let us see if we can rise the challenge

Thatrsquos up to 2000 words minus any photos I amedging on 750 words already

So if you can help please send your contribution tome pewoodcockhotmailcom - even better a jpeg clipto illustrate your copy would be a bonus

Many thanksPatrick Woodcock

So when yoursquore working as the Cameraman Person(Irsquom fed up with this gender racket) ndash consideration mustalways be given to the Big Six- Exposure AnglesComposition Framing Focus Lighting ndash tone and textureAll in consideration of the final product and as alwayswith the audience in mind Also in collaboration with theDirectorhellip IF there is one

The following notes just a few of many Alumnae ofthis Gender all superb Cameramen Directors ofPhotography ndash same thing ndash of the visual style of theprojects on which they worked

Jack CardiffOne of the most notable ones considered one of the

greatest was Britisher Jack Cardiff He also became anexcellent Director Jack was born in Great Yarmouth inSeptember 1914 His parents were music hall comediansso he grew up versed in the theatrical life learning much

In 1935 Jack became a camera operator andcinematographer with London Films He was the first toshoot in Technicolor ldquoWings of the Morningrdquo (1937) inBritain In 1939 at the outbreak of WW2 he worked onPublic Information Films He also worked in Indiashowcasing the new capital Dehli

In 1943 he worked on the film ldquoThe Life and Death ofColonel Blimprdquo as 2ⁿ cameraman for Powell andPressburger He made a sufficient impression on them tobe retained as Cinematographer on their Technicolorproduction ldquoA Matter of Life and Deathrdquo (1946) JackCardiff was awarded an Oscar plus a Golden Globe for hiswork on the film ldquoBlack Narcissusrdquo (1947) Most famouslyalso his work on the famed film ldquoThe Red Shoes (1948)These achievements placed him and his talents in highdemand

In the late 1950s he became a Director at first withjust a modicum of success However he hit the ldquoJackpotrdquoin 1960 with ldquoSons and Loversrdquo It received seven OscarNominations including him as Best Director For Best Blackand White cinematography Cardiff won a Golden Globefor Best Director He later went to America working onmainstream commercial films

He returned to Pinewood in 2004 to photograph SirJohn Mills in a short film called ldquoLights 2rdquo Amazingly thecombined ages of both totalled 186 years

In 1995 the British Society of Cinematographersawarded him a ldquoLifetime Achievement Awardrdquo

Wong Tun Jim ASCHe has 130 films to his credit through the 1930s and

1940s He became a much accredited cinematographer inAmerica He was very innovative reports state He wasborn in August 1899 of parents Wong How he was namedWong Tung Jim in Taishan China He died on the 12 July1976 in Hollywood having become a Chinese AmericanCitizen when he was five years old along with his parentsHe was much thought of for his innovativecinephotographic techniques

He won an the Academy Award for BestCinematography in Black and White

He commenced in the studios at age 17 picking uprubbish from the floor of the camera room (No MediaCollege then) He graduated to Clapper Boy for Cecil B DeMille When holding the Clapper Board for the Camera headopted an attitude of apparent bewilderment DeMillesaw this comical weird face every time a scene was lookedat DeMille ensured that he remained on his staff From1917 to 1922 he was an assistant to Alvin Wyckoff Hebecame 2ⁿ cameraman duplicating the 1 Cameramanrsquoswork to make what was called the ldquoForeign Negativerdquo In1922 he took the monochrome Stills pictures of MaryMiles Minter developing a technique which made her blueeyes register particularly He quickly then became HeadCameraman

His reputation became importantly advanced for hisoriginal style of lighting and creative enhancement forfilms like ldquoTrail of the Lonesome Pinerdquo (1923) and ldquoTheAlaskanrdquo (1924)

In the latter part of 1928 he was in China shooting adocumentary which never got finished although he triedto complete it in the form of a Travelogue Seemingly hewas stuck in China for some time (so whatrsquos new) Later alot of his footage was used in the film ldquoAround The Worldin 80 Minutesrdquo and ldquoShanghai Expressrdquo Sound arrived all

were forced to re-establish themselvesHe now known also as James Howe or How (until

1933) did so with the film ldquoTransatlanticrdquoFox then publicized him as a Chinese cameraman

under Contract 1931 to 1933 then MGM 1933 to 1935and Warner until 1948 He then became freelance untilretiring in 1969 Later he was offered the work on the firstof the ldquoGodfatherrdquo productions but couldnrsquot accept due toillness

He recovered and started work on ldquoFunny Ladyrdquo withBarbara Streisand He collapsed on Set he recovered andmanaged to complete the film He married in 1937 in Parisbut it wasnrsquot until 1957 that the marriage was legalised inAmerica because of their then Miscegenation lawSimilarly in California due to the States Law his Citizenshipwasnrsquot recognised until 1958

Wilkie Cooper British Society of CinematographersBorn 19 October 1911 in London Died 15

December 2001 He was the son of the silent eracinematographer Douglas P Cooper

Wilkie made a name for himself in the 1940s workingat Ealing Studios He was involved in shooting many of themorale uplifting war time films that being Ealingrsquos remit atthe time ie ldquoThe Big Blockaderdquo and ldquoThe Foreman Wentto Francerdquo directed by Charles Frend (1942) These filmsare shot in an unobtrusive natural way

Then he was involved in the production ldquoWent TheDay Wellrdquo (1943) which is a story about GermanParatroopers disguised as Royal Engineers The style is afamiliar one but Wilkie puts in an ldquoexpressionistrdquo style attimes underscoring the filmrsquos darker periods The lightingis low key and involves cross cutting between low andhigh angles and some slow motion as emphasis ie wherethe Traitor shot falls down dead

Wilkie Cooper later worked with Launder ndash Gilliatteam of Independent producers (Rank Films) ldquoThe Rakersquosprogressrdquo (1945) ldquoSee a Dark Strangerrdquo (1945) ldquoGreen forDangerrdquo (1946) ldquoCaptain Boycottrdquo (1947) and ldquoLondonBelongs to Merdquo (1948)

Eventually work for him became somewhat less andeffectively concluded after his last film I think it was-ldquoOneMillion Years BCrdquo (1966)

There are many more notable Cameramen Persons= Cinematographers = Directors of Photography et al Toenter this subject is to enter a ldquominefieldrdquo of TalentIngenuity Inventiveness Ideas etc etc but it all involvesthe six subjects I first mention

ANALYSING VIDEOS by Ian SimpsonIn this the final article in this series of Analysing

Videos it is appropriate to restate the purpose of thesearticles It was to provide an alternative methodology forreviewing amateur videos than the commonly used skillsbased judging sheet Implicit in the latter methodology isthe assumption that amateur movie makers are weak insome or all of the movie making skills Thus a role of thejudge is to point out all of these weaknesses and tosuggest ways of improvement In spite of how admirableand helpful this may seem in practice this methodologyleads to a negative mindset for the judge The motivationof the judge changes to one of seeking out of all the faultsin the video and so the final score given to the video isoften a reflection of the number of ldquoerrorsrdquo viewed by thejudge rather than the effectiveness of the video as a whole

The alternative methodology I have proposed is to tryto view the video as a whole and to continually ask thequestion ldquowhy has the movie maker done thatrdquo

To help guide this alternative approach threequestions need to be asked

what is the genre what symbols are used what conventions are used

I will present the results from these two differentmethodologies using the video

Mother Russia httpsvimeocom366664665Skills Based Judging ResultsThe following are real comments by judges of this

videoCinematographyldquoNot sure what I just watched Was it a slideshow or

a videordquoldquoA few times the footage was a little unsteadyrdquoEditingldquoThe river scene at the beginning was far too long (48

sec)rdquoldquoI felt a few times there

were far too many changesof scenes particularly withphotosrdquo

ldquoThe opening scene ofthe river bank went on WAYtoo long and then later wewere bombarded withimages of architecture thatflashed on the screen WAYtoo quickly So what to do

Well the magic number used to be seven seconds butnowdays itrsquos probably five secondshellip the length of time forthe average scenerdquo

ldquoSeems the editor was trying to match the pace of thebackground music but was the music the right choice forthis segmentrdquo

ldquoThere is a feeling that this video was cobbledtogether from bits and pieces of imagery after the trip wasfinished rather than planning during the trip so that allthe filming reflected a harmonious end pointrdquo

ldquoAnd hellipPLEASEhellip no black bars at the edge of thescreenrdquo Always make sure the imagery is cut to fullscreenhellipalwaysrdquo

ldquoAs mentioned hellip Pace was all over the place andreflected a lack of planned rhythm for the flowrdquo

ldquoMuch more effort needs to be put into the planningthe filming in the first placerdquo

ldquoAlso jumping from video to stills and back againdoesnrsquot lend itself to smooth enjoyable flowrdquo

SoundldquoMany times during the movie I could hear a man

cough should have been removedrdquoldquoThe audio of this video is the most significant area of

weakness Is the final viewer experience enhanced byhearing cutlery clanking in the background or fellowpassengers coughingrdquo

ldquoNever leave poor native audio in the final edit as itreally marks the film as an amateurish effortrdquo

ldquoI felt the movie was taken over by the music just toooverpoweringrdquo

One can understand all these comments of the judgesif you assume that the judges regarded this video as partof the Travelogue genre A travelogue is expected toldquoflowrdquo have no sudden changes of music Its conventionsare to generally have local music or a non-descriptbackground music track over which is placed aninformative narration explaining the significance of whatis being seen This video does not fit these expectationsSo perhaps the assumed genre is wrong

Video AnalysisAs the first step in the alternative methodology you

need to ask yourself ldquowhat genre best fits the videordquoA suggestion is a Video Essay and in particular the

Persuasive Video Essay This is ldquolike an expository(written) essay in its presentation of facts the goal ofthe persuasive essay is to convince the reader (viewer)to accept the writerrsquos (movie makerrsquos) point of view orrecommendationrdquo Reference

httpswwwtime4writingcomwriting-resourcestypes-of-essays

So what is the argument or thesis presented in thisvideo That throughout the centuries Mother Russia hasbeen defended changed and transformed by strongleaders and thus Russian society has equated nationalstability and development with strong national leaders

Viewed as a video essay the structure of this video isunderstandable It follows one of the conventions of anessay ndash the three point argument Three periods in thehistory of Mother Russia are presented to show how

He recovered and started work on ldquoFunny Ladyrdquo withBarbara Streisand He collapsed on Set he recovered andmanaged to complete the film He married in 1937 in Parisbut it wasnrsquot until 1957 that the marriage was legalised inAmerica because of their then Miscegenation lawSimilarly in California due to the States Law his Citizenshipwasnrsquot recognised until 1958

Wilkie Cooper British Society of CinematographersBorn 19 October 1911 in London Died 15

December 2001 He was the son of the silent eracinematographer Douglas P Cooper

Wilkie made a name for himself in the 1940s workingat Ealing Studios He was involved in shooting many of themorale uplifting war time films that being Ealingrsquos remit atthe time ie ldquoThe Big Blockaderdquo and ldquoThe Foreman Wentto Francerdquo directed by Charles Frend (1942) These filmsare shot in an unobtrusive natural way

Then he was involved in the production ldquoWent TheDay Wellrdquo (1943) which is a story about GermanParatroopers disguised as Royal Engineers The style is afamiliar one but Wilkie puts in an ldquoexpressionistrdquo style attimes underscoring the filmrsquos darker periods The lightingis low key and involves cross cutting between low andhigh angles and some slow motion as emphasis ie wherethe Traitor shot falls down dead

Wilkie Cooper later worked with Launder ndash Gilliatteam of Independent producers (Rank Films) ldquoThe Rakersquosprogressrdquo (1945) ldquoSee a Dark Strangerrdquo (1945) ldquoGreen forDangerrdquo (1946) ldquoCaptain Boycottrdquo (1947) and ldquoLondonBelongs to Merdquo (1948)

Eventually work for him became somewhat less andeffectively concluded after his last film I think it was-ldquoOneMillion Years BCrdquo (1966)

There are many more notable Cameramen Persons= Cinematographers = Directors of Photography et al Toenter this subject is to enter a ldquominefieldrdquo of TalentIngenuity Inventiveness Ideas etc etc but it all involvesthe six subjects I first mention

ANALYSING VIDEOS by Ian SimpsonIn this the final article in this series of Analysing

Videos it is appropriate to restate the purpose of thesearticles It was to provide an alternative methodology forreviewing amateur videos than the commonly used skillsbased judging sheet Implicit in the latter methodology isthe assumption that amateur movie makers are weak insome or all of the movie making skills Thus a role of thejudge is to point out all of these weaknesses and tosuggest ways of improvement In spite of how admirableand helpful this may seem in practice this methodologyleads to a negative mindset for the judge The motivationof the judge changes to one of seeking out of all the faultsin the video and so the final score given to the video isoften a reflection of the number of ldquoerrorsrdquo viewed by thejudge rather than the effectiveness of the video as a whole

The alternative methodology I have proposed is to tryto view the video as a whole and to continually ask thequestion ldquowhy has the movie maker done thatrdquo

To help guide this alternative approach threequestions need to be asked

what is the genre what symbols are used what conventions are used

I will present the results from these two differentmethodologies using the video

Mother Russia httpsvimeocom366664665Skills Based Judging ResultsThe following are real comments by judges of this

videoCinematographyldquoNot sure what I just watched Was it a slideshow or

a videordquoldquoA few times the footage was a little unsteadyrdquoEditingldquoThe river scene at the beginning was far too long (48

sec)rdquoldquoI felt a few times there

were far too many changesof scenes particularly withphotosrdquo

ldquoThe opening scene ofthe river bank went on WAYtoo long and then later wewere bombarded withimages of architecture thatflashed on the screen WAYtoo quickly So what to do

Well the magic number used to be seven seconds butnowdays itrsquos probably five secondshellip the length of time forthe average scenerdquo

ldquoSeems the editor was trying to match the pace of thebackground music but was the music the right choice forthis segmentrdquo

ldquoThere is a feeling that this video was cobbledtogether from bits and pieces of imagery after the trip wasfinished rather than planning during the trip so that allthe filming reflected a harmonious end pointrdquo

ldquoAnd hellipPLEASEhellip no black bars at the edge of thescreenrdquo Always make sure the imagery is cut to fullscreenhellipalwaysrdquo

ldquoAs mentioned hellip Pace was all over the place andreflected a lack of planned rhythm for the flowrdquo

ldquoMuch more effort needs to be put into the planningthe filming in the first placerdquo

ldquoAlso jumping from video to stills and back againdoesnrsquot lend itself to smooth enjoyable flowrdquo

SoundldquoMany times during the movie I could hear a man

cough should have been removedrdquoldquoThe audio of this video is the most significant area of

weakness Is the final viewer experience enhanced byhearing cutlery clanking in the background or fellowpassengers coughingrdquo

ldquoNever leave poor native audio in the final edit as itreally marks the film as an amateurish effortrdquo

ldquoI felt the movie was taken over by the music just toooverpoweringrdquo

One can understand all these comments of the judgesif you assume that the judges regarded this video as partof the Travelogue genre A travelogue is expected toldquoflowrdquo have no sudden changes of music Its conventionsare to generally have local music or a non-descriptbackground music track over which is placed aninformative narration explaining the significance of whatis being seen This video does not fit these expectationsSo perhaps the assumed genre is wrong

Video AnalysisAs the first step in the alternative methodology you

need to ask yourself ldquowhat genre best fits the videordquoA suggestion is a Video Essay and in particular the

Persuasive Video Essay This is ldquolike an expository(written) essay in its presentation of facts the goal ofthe persuasive essay is to convince the reader (viewer)to accept the writerrsquos (movie makerrsquos) point of view orrecommendationrdquo Reference

httpswwwtime4writingcomwriting-resourcestypes-of-essays

So what is the argument or thesis presented in thisvideo That throughout the centuries Mother Russia hasbeen defended changed and transformed by strongleaders and thus Russian society has equated nationalstability and development with strong national leaders

Viewed as a video essay the structure of this video isunderstandable It follows one of the conventions of anessay ndash the three point argument Three periods in thehistory of Mother Russia are presented to show how

ANALYSING VIDEOS by Ian SimpsonIn this the final article in this series of Analysing

Videos it is appropriate to restate the purpose of thesearticles It was to provide an alternative methodology forreviewing amateur videos than the commonly used skillsbased judging sheet Implicit in the latter methodology isthe assumption that amateur movie makers are weak insome or all of the movie making skills Thus a role of thejudge is to point out all of these weaknesses and tosuggest ways of improvement In spite of how admirableand helpful this may seem in practice this methodologyleads to a negative mindset for the judge The motivationof the judge changes to one of seeking out of all the faultsin the video and so the final score given to the video isoften a reflection of the number of ldquoerrorsrdquo viewed by thejudge rather than the effectiveness of the video as a whole

The alternative methodology I have proposed is to tryto view the video as a whole and to continually ask thequestion ldquowhy has the movie maker done thatrdquo

To help guide this alternative approach threequestions need to be asked

what is the genre what symbols are used what conventions are used

I will present the results from these two differentmethodologies using the video

Mother Russia httpsvimeocom366664665Skills Based Judging ResultsThe following are real comments by judges of this

videoCinematographyldquoNot sure what I just watched Was it a slideshow or

a videordquoldquoA few times the footage was a little unsteadyrdquoEditingldquoThe river scene at the beginning was far too long (48

sec)rdquoldquoI felt a few times there

were far too many changesof scenes particularly withphotosrdquo

ldquoThe opening scene ofthe river bank went on WAYtoo long and then later wewere bombarded withimages of architecture thatflashed on the screen WAYtoo quickly So what to do

Well the magic number used to be seven seconds butnowdays itrsquos probably five secondshellip the length of time forthe average scenerdquo

ldquoSeems the editor was trying to match the pace of thebackground music but was the music the right choice forthis segmentrdquo

ldquoThere is a feeling that this video was cobbledtogether from bits and pieces of imagery after the trip wasfinished rather than planning during the trip so that allthe filming reflected a harmonious end pointrdquo

ldquoAnd hellipPLEASEhellip no black bars at the edge of thescreenrdquo Always make sure the imagery is cut to fullscreenhellipalwaysrdquo

ldquoAs mentioned hellip Pace was all over the place andreflected a lack of planned rhythm for the flowrdquo

ldquoMuch more effort needs to be put into the planningthe filming in the first placerdquo

ldquoAlso jumping from video to stills and back againdoesnrsquot lend itself to smooth enjoyable flowrdquo

SoundldquoMany times during the movie I could hear a man

cough should have been removedrdquoldquoThe audio of this video is the most significant area of

weakness Is the final viewer experience enhanced byhearing cutlery clanking in the background or fellowpassengers coughingrdquo

ldquoNever leave poor native audio in the final edit as itreally marks the film as an amateurish effortrdquo

ldquoI felt the movie was taken over by the music just toooverpoweringrdquo

One can understand all these comments of the judgesif you assume that the judges regarded this video as partof the Travelogue genre A travelogue is expected toldquoflowrdquo have no sudden changes of music Its conventionsare to generally have local music or a non-descriptbackground music track over which is placed aninformative narration explaining the significance of whatis being seen This video does not fit these expectationsSo perhaps the assumed genre is wrong

Video AnalysisAs the first step in the alternative methodology you

need to ask yourself ldquowhat genre best fits the videordquoA suggestion is a Video Essay and in particular the

Persuasive Video Essay This is ldquolike an expository(written) essay in its presentation of facts the goal ofthe persuasive essay is to convince the reader (viewer)to accept the writerrsquos (movie makerrsquos) point of view orrecommendationrdquo Reference

httpswwwtime4writingcomwriting-resourcestypes-of-essays

So what is the argument or thesis presented in thisvideo That throughout the centuries Mother Russia hasbeen defended changed and transformed by strongleaders and thus Russian society has equated nationalstability and development with strong national leaders

Viewed as a video essay the structure of this video isunderstandable It follows one of the conventions of anessay ndash the three point argument Three periods in thehistory of Mother Russia are presented to show how

strong leaders each helped create the present MotherRussia The narration presents facts and argues the thesis

The unique music for each of the periods acts as asymbol of that period The first period uses Russian folkmusic to represent 13 century rural society Whilst theorgan music of the second period symbolises the grandtimes of Peter the Great The final period uses a 1960spop-song as a metaphor of the more cosmopolitanwesternised Mother Russia The song ldquoThose Were theDaysrdquo had lyrics written by Eugene Raskin to an old well-known Russian melody To the western audiences thissong is better known by Mary Hopkinrsquos version of 1968Thus in one song there is the uniting of Russian folk musicwith westernised lyrics

The long second scene in the video that caused suchcriticism by the judges can be viewed differently As theopening narration suggests a river cruise in Russia is alsosymbolically a cruise through time So the second scenecan be viewed not only as a leisurely river cruise in the21 century but as slow transportation back to the 13century The 21 century is symbolised by the cutleryclanking and fellow passengers coughing whilst the 13century is introduced through the images of Kizhi islandrsquostimber village and the Russian male choir singing atraditional song

The length of this scene also sets up the followingsequence of images of the medieval village ndash thesequence the judges found ldquobombardedrdquo the viewer andwhere the images were ldquotrying to match the pace of thebackground musicrdquo Such an effect was achieved byfollowing the advice of the director William Wyler whosaid ldquoIf yoursquore going to surprise an audience first youmust bore them to deathrdquo (Reference David Lean byStephen M Silverman Page 136) Why the need toquicken the pace Perhaps to symbolise the nationalemergency leading up to sequence of the battle on the icendash a superimposed film sequence from Sergei Eisensteinrsquos1938 film Alexander Nevsky After these scenes the paceslows suggesting life has returned to normal ndash society isnow stable no longer under the threat of invasion

One could ask why the background sounds ofcoughing and talking were held throughout the whole ofthe first segment Perhaps as a constant reminder thatwe from the 21 century are not observing the past butare observing symbols of the past Similarly in the secondsequence we are observing modern day visitorswandering around the palace and grounds that Peter theGreat constructed in the early 18 century

The third period 21 century Russia presentsMoscow as a cosmopolitan city via images of its streetsand shops The pride in the achievements of MotherRussia is symbolically presented in the images of theMuseum of Cosmonautics All these sequencessupported by the sound track reinforce the thesis thatMother Russia has become a modern stable nationthrough the leadership of a strong leader Theendorsement of this thesis finally goes to the words of theRussian guide

ConclusionTwo different reviews of the same video are

presented - two different conclusions can be reached ofthe professionalism of the movie maker and theeffectiveness of the video These two disparate viewsarise depending on the answer to such questions as whatgenre best fits this video what is the author trying toachieve what symbols and conventions have been usedin the video

Now you be the judge or the analyst

If you have any videoequipment for sale contact the

editor to feature it in thismagazine

pipcrittengooglemailcom

As the first digital IAC magazine I amproud to say that we have attracted

national and international audiences

Use this your magazine to tell theworld your views in a positive manner

and to promote your club

Send you articles topipcrittengooglemailcom

Remember pinhole cameras Its a fun thing to try andthe results might well surprise you

As were all somewhat locked down at the momentonly daring to venture from our front doors if everyonestays well clear of us how about turning your hand tosome pinhole photography

All you need is an interchangeable lens DSLR ormirrorless camera because what were going to do isjettison the lens and replace it with a piece of tin-foil Yupits as easy as that and best of all the images you get canbe surprisingly good

Long before photography existed it was realised thatpin-pricks letting in outside daylight into a darkened roomprojected a dim upside-down image onto the far wallWhen light-sensitive chemical photography arrived theseimages could be saved to the amazement of many

Yet here we are today with access to the sharpestlenses that have ever existed lenses that paint theirimages onto incredibly sensitive and high resolution chipsAnd Im asking you to do what Discard the lens andreplace it with a pinhole in the middle of a piece of silverpaper

Yes With our digital cameras we can experiment toour hearts content and best of all the results areinstantaneous we can see where we went right andwrong and make changes galore

Theres a couple of things to note Because pinholesare devoid of any optical interference (glass elements)the images you get will have zero distortion Straight lineswill remain perfectly straight in your images a feat somevery expensive lenses cant manage Therell also be zerochromatic aberration and any other defect that bendinglight through optical elements introduces

Therell be lots of vignetting when you choose to havevery short focal lengths but longer lenses made from looroll cardboard tubes will look fine Now remember thecost differences when you look at these comparisonpictures Were talking free vs hundreds of pounds Theprices are miles further apart than the pictures wouldsuggest

Another thing We all know that (in theory at least) alens gives its sharpest images when used at full apertureand that any stopping down introduces diffractionsoftening Generally we try and avoid shooting at verysmall apertures like f11 f16 and f22 yet here I amsuggesting you make a pin-prick in an aluminium yoghurttop giving you an aperture of something like f88

See where were going here Because we have noglass elements we need a tiny hole to give us some sort ofsharpness yet a too tiny hole can defeat the objectblurring the image because diffraction bends the light asit passes through the tiny aperture

No matter were taking free digital pictures here andwe can experiment till were blue in the face So lick thatyoghurt lid clean and mould it to your camera body so thatit excludes all the light that could creep in around thebayonet lens mount

cardboard loo roll = 70mm lens

pinhole 18mm focal length

pound750 lens 24 mm

a traditional lens allows the use of high shutter speeds

Then get yourself a sharp sewing needle and asaccurately as possible make a tiny hole in the foil in thecentre of the lens mount Support the camera on a tripodset 400 ISO or so on a sunny day and treat the camera asif its in aperture priority mode letting the camera bodyterminate the exposure when it deems that exposure iscorrect

If your camera body isnt capable of determining theexposure because its light metering sensitivity isnt up toworking in such dark conditions never mind Choose 2seconds see what the images looks like then vary to suitThe EXIF details associated with each image will displayeverything correctly of course but itll list the lensaperture as f00

My Sony mirrorless A7RII has a flange distance(bayonet to image sensor) of 18 mm so foil placed

directly over the lens bayonet gives me pinhole picturesthat equate to images taken with an 18mm lens

When I use my Canon DSLR the same technique givesme 44mm focal length images Using a cardboard loo rollto extend my pinhole forward has given me images thatequate to a 210 mm lens and interestingly the depth offield (unlike with a normal lens) extends from my pin-pickto infinity

Generally Ive found that any pinhole images lacksharpness and contact but a few clicks in an editingprogram can go some way to improving that And youknow what Ive shown the images you see here on my65 OLED TV and (big smile) they dont look at all bad

Tom

small adjustments improve the pinhole image

Sony flange distance of 18mm

Canon flange distance of 44mm

pound750 lens 210mm

unretouched pinhole lens 210 mm

WWW Dear SoCo NewsI have never been very good at receiving criticism Im

normally OK about receiving praise but not good atreceiving correction

Despite this I normally manage to keep my feelingsunder my hat and have developed coping strategies andhave got on reasonably well in the world so far

I came across a YouTube Video called ldquoCritisism whenyouve had bad childhoodrdquo

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=BTzW1ol5vkcamplist=FL5jZi6WyDqOqHZrAAVP6_PQampindex=2ampt=0s

I think this is really goodIm not saying I had a bad childhood but I was the third

born of three boys so at the bottom of the pecking orderso to speak

A collection of old time stuntsBack in the days before television and computer

generated realities stunts were done by real people andusually in a single take You had to get it right the first timeor do it again I stumbled on this collection of old stuntsand was amazed at the timing and skill required to createthem As you watch remember this was the real thingfilmed as it happened

httpswwwfacebookcom125068434229063posts2026832257385995

Action Movie kid does it again See what it is like toexercise during lockdown

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=IV8k_Ism9B8ampfeature=em-uploademail

Clever mime to a music track Simple but very welldone with a locked off camera

httpswwwfacebookcom1510895639posts10223464679074401

Australian Everyday Choir | ABC Australia | VirtualChoir

Check it out by clicking the link belowYou might need a tissuehellipOverseas viewers the ABC is the Australian public

broadcast servicehttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=RY_tl-N93AY

Then get yourself a sharp sewing needle and asaccurately as possible make a tiny hole in the foil in thecentre of the lens mount Support the camera on a tripodset 400 ISO or so on a sunny day and treat the camera asif its in aperture priority mode letting the camera bodyterminate the exposure when it deems that exposure iscorrect

If your camera body isnt capable of determining theexposure because its light metering sensitivity isnt up toworking in such dark conditions never mind Choose 2seconds see what the images looks like then vary to suitThe EXIF details associated with each image will displayeverything correctly of course but itll list the lensaperture as f00

My Sony mirrorless A7RII has a flange distance(bayonet to image sensor) of 18 mm so foil placed

directly over the lens bayonet gives me pinhole picturesthat equate to images taken with an 18mm lens

When I use my Canon DSLR the same technique givesme 44mm focal length images Using a cardboard loo rollto extend my pinhole forward has given me images thatequate to a 210 mm lens and interestingly the depth offield (unlike with a normal lens) extends from my pin-pickto infinity

Generally Ive found that any pinhole images lacksharpness and contact but a few clicks in an editingprogram can go some way to improving that And youknow what Ive shown the images you see here on my65 OLED TV and (big smile) they dont look at all bad

Tom

small adjustments improve the pinhole image

Sony flange distance of 18mm

Canon flange distance of 44mm

pound750 lens 210mm

unretouched pinhole lens 210 mm

WWW Dear SoCo NewsI have never been very good at receiving criticism Im

normally OK about receiving praise but not good atreceiving correction

Despite this I normally manage to keep my feelingsunder my hat and have developed coping strategies andhave got on reasonably well in the world so far

I came across a YouTube Video called ldquoCritisism whenyouve had bad childhoodrdquo

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=BTzW1ol5vkcamplist=FL5jZi6WyDqOqHZrAAVP6_PQampindex=2ampt=0s

I think this is really goodIm not saying I had a bad childhood but I was the third

born of three boys so at the bottom of the pecking orderso to speak

A collection of old time stuntsBack in the days before television and computer

generated realities stunts were done by real people andusually in a single take You had to get it right the first timeor do it again I stumbled on this collection of old stuntsand was amazed at the timing and skill required to createthem As you watch remember this was the real thingfilmed as it happened

httpswwwfacebookcom125068434229063posts2026832257385995

Action Movie kid does it again See what it is like toexercise during lockdown

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=IV8k_Ism9B8ampfeature=em-uploademail

Clever mime to a music track Simple but very welldone with a locked off camera

httpswwwfacebookcom1510895639posts10223464679074401

Australian Everyday Choir | ABC Australia | VirtualChoir

Check it out by clicking the link belowYou might need a tissuehellipOverseas viewers the ABC is the Australian public

broadcast servicehttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=RY_tl-N93AY

WWW Dear SoCo NewsI have never been very good at receiving criticism Im

normally OK about receiving praise but not good atreceiving correction

Despite this I normally manage to keep my feelingsunder my hat and have developed coping strategies andhave got on reasonably well in the world so far

I came across a YouTube Video called ldquoCritisism whenyouve had bad childhoodrdquo

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=BTzW1ol5vkcamplist=FL5jZi6WyDqOqHZrAAVP6_PQampindex=2ampt=0s

I think this is really goodIm not saying I had a bad childhood but I was the third

born of three boys so at the bottom of the pecking orderso to speak

A collection of old time stuntsBack in the days before television and computer

generated realities stunts were done by real people andusually in a single take You had to get it right the first timeor do it again I stumbled on this collection of old stuntsand was amazed at the timing and skill required to createthem As you watch remember this was the real thingfilmed as it happened

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Action Movie kid does it again See what it is like toexercise during lockdown

httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=IV8k_Ism9B8ampfeature=em-uploademail

Clever mime to a music track Simple but very welldone with a locked off camera

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Australian Everyday Choir | ABC Australia | VirtualChoir

Check it out by clicking the link belowYou might need a tissuehellipOverseas viewers the ABC is the Australian public

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Please note Articles and opinions published in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the EditorSoCo Committee or the IAC The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers is a Company Limited by

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