Surrey Border Film & Video Makers
Woolmer's wisdom - The Spirit of Christmas
“This is ruddy itchy”, he thought, and tried to scratch with his
hoof. "I can’t think how I can stand this for another day.”
The Grotto curtains parted and Santa Claus came
in, belching loudly and emitting a blast of beery breath. “Not a bad lunch”, he said and, with a sigh, dropped into
his chair. This made the snow flurry about, causing the reindeer to sneeze, his antlers shaking violently.
There was a commotion outside and then a small boy was propelled into the Grotto by his mother. “Go on!”, she said,
“you’ll get a present.”. The child grimaced and held out his hand. Santa gave him a small parcel, whilst mumbling in
his beard. “I could kill him for thinking of this idea. Five whole days of torture and nothing has come of it.” He
listened to Santa, who was snoring loudly. Then he heard a shrill cry and, looking up, saw a small face peeping
between the curtains.
The little girl’s face was alight with wonderment, “Oh, how
lovely!”, she cried, “Santa and a reindeer.”. She entered the Grotto, hands clasped together - a, picture of joy.
Reaching out her hand, she stroked the reindeer. His antlers slipped down one side of his head as he tried to focus
on her face. He pressed the button and the Camcorder whirred into life. “Well”, he thought, “it was worth it after
all. I have captured the perfect shot for the club film, THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS”!
When the chairman thinks
up another daft idea
next year, I’ll be on a cruise.
Happy Christmas!
John Woolmer
John and his wife Joan joined Surrey Borders circa 1991, bringing a strong new talent and expertise to the club that resulted in an enthusiasm for making club films and entering competitions as never before. John was a great writer and his stories became great films, winning Gold awards for The Gold Medallion and Paula, and others. John was energetic, painting for art exhibitions, making props for the next project, writing his book and gleaning data to eventually finalise the book of his family tree, and last but not least, operating the “confounded” computer that held it all together. He was a very talented fun loving man, who will always be remembered by the club and his family.
Who are we in this film/movie/video club? We make films, videos and movies and meet on the first Friday of the month to answer members questions and to discuss ongoing club projects. Well known film makers, judges and film professionals are often our speakers for the evening. We welcome visitors and new members interested in film and video, and there is no need to own digital cameras or camcorders and no need for previous experience, as we happily provide mentors for beginners. Surrey Border meetings start at 7:45pm and end just after 10:00pm with a refreshment break at around 9:00pm. Visitors and new members are warmly welcomed to the monthly meetings which are on the first Friday of each month (and the first visit is free). Our meetings are held in our new contemporary hall in St Joan's Centre which is in the grounds of St Joan's church in Tilford Road, near the station in Farnham. The hall has a large car park and is within easy reach of Guildford, Farnborough, Fleet, Bordon etc. In Surrey and Hampshire. Read more about us here.
Our interests We have a good mix of interests amongst members include script writing, acting, directing, technical and artistic and all agree that ideas and skills are more important than equipment as shown by there being fewer cameras and camcorders than members. Some get more enjoyment in viewing and discussing the films produced by others and just being part of the community. There are those who wouldn't wish to ever hold a camera or camcorder while some like to help in filming but don't own their own camcorder. Of course there are always those with the latest high definition wizz bang up to date cameras, camcorders, microphones and gadgets and the lovely thing is that they are always happy to demonstrate both equipment and techniques to others. For anyone thinking of buying a camera or camcorder advice is always on hand. We have almost equal numbers of members with PC and Mac computers. We regularly put on courses, tutorials and training sessions in the light of the current interests and needs of members. Individuals with particular problems typically have one to one help.
Site updated 03 September 2010 . To comment on this website email: