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The August meeting of Surrey Border Film & Video Makers. gave members a chance to try their hands at being film critics. It was organised against the background that some of them had agreed to train as film critics ready for judging the anticipated 70 or so entries for the Kent Film Festival in the Autumn. A selection of extracts and complete films were shown, with the aim of giving members strong encouragement to have their say as critics.

The evening was run by the club’s public relations officer who started by showing a three minute extract from a holiday film with pelicans wheeling and diving. The discussions which followed rapidly revealed a diverse range of opinions, ranging from longing to be able to produce such a film to being more critical.

The first of two significant highlights of the evening was a 30 minute drama revealing a man mourning for his wife and experiencing contacts with her in an afterlife. Overtones included the battle between good and evil. This film was produced by a large cast but was nevertheless within the capabilities of the club if it were so minded. The discussions which followed were animated and productive, in that there were filming techniques from which everyone could learn, as well as excellent acting and special effects. Significantly, discussions about the films continued on into the coffee break, with members clearly enjoying the opportunity to get stuck into the film critic role.

After refreshments came the chance to critique extracts from two commercial films, one promoting Prague and the other Queensland, Australia. The presenter had chosen the films with the anticipation of adverse comments on the first film and positive comments on the second. As it turned out, most members felt the reverse, which just goes to show how individual one’s impressions of a film can be. The evening ended with the main highlight, a film about Van Gough which everyone agreed was excellent. Once again it sparked lively positive discussion and gave members plenty of ideas which they could try to use in their own films.

Overall the new approach of the evening in terms of encouraging critical aspects of viewing was much appreciated by members, and more such events were requested.. There is a clear indication that the club is keen to keep looking for new and better ways of producing films, including a current initiative to make contact with acting groups to help make more quality drama films. The club would welcome contact from readers representing drama groups which are interested in making films - see the telephone number below.