Film-makers’ documentary skills are put to the test
THE Surrey Border Movie Makers’ monthly meeting began with a tutorial training film covering the importance of blocking, shapes and lines when creating a film.
This was followed by a short film created by Brian O’Connell about Paul Vernon, an honorary member of the club who died recently after a long struggle with ill health. Paul’s films will still be watched and enjoyed for many years to come by the group as was his wish.
The main event of the evening was the documentary competition with four exceptional entries this year.
The first to be shown was Ice Cold in Farnham, made by Alan Hussey and filmed last year when there was heavy snow causing disruption on the roads. In parts it was a humorous look at motorists and pedestrians dealing with the tricky situation of travelling in the icy conditions while other shots showed the picturesque views of the town covered in snow.
The second entry was from Dave Skertchly, titled Battle of Britain the Untold Story. Some may say this was a controversial documentary on observational views of the battle, its content was designed for thought and discussion and was very well presented by Dave.
The third entry, A Dream Come True, was made by Philip Morley and was about the history of the Apple company.
As Philip has owned more than 20 Apple computers and had a personal museum at home, he has a wealth of knowledge about the subject and was able to make this into a very interesting film.
The fourth entry was a second film by Philip Morley called A 1st Call.
Having gained permission to prune some large listed trees in his garden, a day-to-day diary of the skilled tree surgeons at work was recorded from day one through to completion of the mammoth task – it held the audience’s breath at times.
With a show of hands on Zoom the winner was announced as Alan Hussey’s Ice Cold in Farnham.
After the coffee break a previous documentary by Peter Stratford was shown called The Forgotten Country. As a member of the club Peter has produced many superb documentaries and this one about Armenia was no exception.
A selection of films from other clubs were also shown, including The Postal Museum, a peep inside this interesting London venue. Convent Close was a spooky drama about a haunted house built on the site of a convent, and finally, Britain’s Birthplace of Photography was a visit to Lacock Abbey which was home to William Henry Fox Talbot who invented the first photographic negative. This was an appropriate documentary with which to close the evening.
The club was expecting to resume face-to-face meetings at the St Joan’s Centre on this month.
Those interested in film-making can find out more about the group, which normally meets in Farnham, by emailing secretary@surreyborder .org.uk