Inter-Club Competition
For many years, Surrey Border Movie Makers invited four local clubs to submit a film into a friendly competition judged by experienced members of the club. We hosted the evening at the St Joans Centre and enjoyed meeting and chatting to members of competing clubs who were invited to attend. We also enjoyed a bit of a feast. Covid caused us to meet online and in 2021 we took the opportunity to invite clubs from further afield. We now meet with six clubs online, and enjoy the greater variety.
Inter Club Competition - 2024
This year six clubs were invited to submit a film into the competition, Mercury Movie Makers based near Leeds, Staines Video Makers, Gloucester Film Makers, Teign Film Makers Club, Nuneaton Moviemakers & South Downs Film Makers.
We were very pleased to welcome five of the amateur film making clubs to the November online meeting. Unfortunately, Nuneaton Moviemakers were unable to attend.
All six films were watched and judged prior to the evening by three members of Surrey Border Movie Makers.
Inter Club Competition 2024 Judges:
Kathy Butcher, Paul Ashworth and Mike Sanders.
The Six Entries with the Judges comments:
Starter, Main, and NOT so Sweet - Mercury Movie Makers
“This was a good light-hearted and entertaining film which was well executed, the varying locations and element of humour kept the audience trying to anticipate the ending which was a bit of a surprise”
“Was a “Carry On” story Sid James would be proud of!”
Son of Jack -Staines Video Makers
Awarded 3rd Place
“John Anscomb has the fantastic ability to create incredible drawings and put together some very engaging storylines in a simplistic and very absorbing way.”
“A good spiriting story and paced well in style of ‘Pugwash’. It worked, and ideal for the younger audience.”
The Laxey Wheel - Gloucester Film Makers
“A very nicely narrated film produced at a good pace for the viewer to absorb and enjoy.”
“A great subject and well told.”
“The footage taken in the mine was very good and the capture of dripping water and the accompanying excellent sound quality added to the enjoyment of the film”
Hairy Hands - Teign Film Makers Club
“This film had some good acting especially by the younger teenagers who showed good natural acting skills.”
“Although the filming of the singer at the start and end of the film was well shot and in a great location, I didn’t feel it really worked in this production.”
“The storyline was engaging with some interesting twists and turns.”
Sanctuary – Nuneaton Moviemakers
Awarded 2nd Place
“An appealing film on an interesting choice of subject.”
“Overall, the filming was very good, the night scenes were well captured and included excellent drone footage showing the amazing workmanship of the tower.”
“A shame about the finale – the burning of such a beautiful piece of art.”
The Briefcase - South Downs Film Makers
Awarded 1st Winner
“A very well put together film, very professional, even the amateur cast did well.”
“Technically brilliant, great opening montage and on screen graphics throughout.”
“The filming locations were thoughtfully selected and added great value to the storyline. Overall, there was very little to fault with this film.”
Inter Club Competition - 2023
Inter Club Competition 2023 Judges:
Alan Hussey and John Thompson
The Six Entries with the Judges comments:
Dancing on the Edge - Bristol Film and Video Society
“well-structured and edited documentary “
” attractive title sequence introducing three dancers”.
“The ballerina sequences were excellent, well shot, and the interview was nicely illustrated with inserted and vignetted dance shots.”
“an excellent film which illuminates and informs us of the three girls thinking in their particular dance genre.”
The Eagle and the Owl - Reading Film and Video Makers
“A well written film shot, apart from a cartoon sequence, entirely as Zoom or pseudo Zoom calls.”
“The acting standard is good as each con man double crosses the other and the main female gangster character emerges centre stage as the Eagle – who always wins!”
“There is little to criticise in this film”
Metal Man – Mercury Movie Makers
“An interesting and well shot documentary of a metal working artist and a fascinating use of old metal.”
“ The commentary by the artist himself was informative and well-paced and the camerawork was good throughout.”
“An informative film in which the production standards were excellent throughout.”
The Weather Wizard -Staines Video Makers
“animated fairy tale has a sting in the tail with a message to us all about climate change.”
“ The shot sequences tell the tale pictorially in an editorially educated way.”
“artwork is excellent”
Louise – Orpington Video & Film Makers
“A short original comedy film consisting of a play on words.”
“The camerawork is entirely handheld and well edited to add to the sense of urgency and that ensures we stay to see what will happen.”
Maggie’s Secret – Haywards Heath Film Makers
“well written, directed, and edited”
“acting is good throughout”
Judges Conclusion
The different nature of each film made it very difficult to decide on a winner.
So, we had to leave our preference for a particular film genre behind and decide on which film entertained us best.
Technical problems were, in the main, ignored unless they distracted us from our enjoyment of the piece. Suggestions for improvements in our critiques were personal viewpoints which may have already occurred to the creators and possibly been dismissed.
All the films we reviewed were of an excellent standard and, because we individually had very different views of this particular award, we found 3rd equal to be Staines Video Makers “The Weather Wizard” and Orpington Video and Film Makers “Louise”.
2nd place was earned by “Dancing on the Edge” by the Bristol Film and Video Society for an interesting and well structured video.
And the winner in this year’s Inter Club Competition we decided was “Metal Man” , an interesting, informative and well-paced production by Mercury Movie Makers.
Background to the making of Metal Man
Chairman of Mercury Movie Makers, Martin Sunderland, reports that Roy was “over the moon” to have his film chosen as best film.
Roy then revealed how the film had come about. He and his wife Jean had spotted the workshop whilst driving through Reeth, North Yorkshire. Roy asked if they could make a film of Michael creating one of his sculptures. He said that he would have to wait for another copper cylinder to come in, which could be a while.
Michael phoned two days later with news that a cylinder had arrived. Roy and Jean drove up to Reeth and the filming was all completed in ONE hour!
Michael watched the edited film, visited Roy’s, and recorded the voice-over which Roy then dropped onto the timeline.
A couple of weeks after the film was finished, the BBC approached Michael and asked if they could make a film about
him making his sculptures.
He replied “you’re too late, it’s been done!
Inter Club Competition - 2022
Inter Club Competition 2022 Judges:
Colin Lewis & Philip Morley
‘Damaged’
The Winning Film made by BVFS
(Bristol Video and Film Society)
The Six Entries with the Judges comments:
Arundel - South Downs Film Makers
“An interesting example of a documentary depicting the history and diversity of the town of Arundel.
The involvement of shop keepers and the postman added interest.”
The Inheritance - Sutton Coalfield Movie Makers
“An excellent example of a short drama scene.”
“With just one scene in a small kitchen area the camera work and acting were excellent”
“The story was engaging and the lead up to the “twist” at the end was well acted out giving the element of surprise.”
Worzel Gummage - Solent Movie Makers
“The opening sequence cleverly utilised the natural environment and the Worzel Gummage soundtrack to give the viewer an inkling of what was to come”
“A clever concept to use in order to depict the then and now comparison of a small village.”
Budget World Tour – Haywards Heath Movie Makers
“The judges liked this clever approach to a travelog film. The opening sequence using graphics gave the impression that they were about to see a travel film so the revelation that all the scenes were filmed in the UK added immediate interest. The film moved seamlessly between locations utilising a clear graphical travel extension.”
Damaged – Bristol Film and Video Society
“An excellent horror drama scripted to place the characters in the story early in the film.”
“The perfect choice of set, allowing some very creative shots to be easily generated adding to the tension level. The increase in tension continues to build until the exorcizing of the wicked father which was very creatively portrayed both visually and with rising sound.”
The Queens Flight – Staines Video Makers
“A charming little tale of drama and heroism. The opening titles described the situation well and the angles created by the editor were excellent and helped tell the story.”