Surrey Border Film & Video Makers
Woolmer's wisdom - Down on the farm
We all know the problems with unsteady shots, whiz pans, ZOOM in and ZOOM out, forgotten tripods and shaky
hands.
Have you tried filming a young goat? very appealing, with it’s tail vibrating at great speed as it
is fed from a bottle; such a delightful voice and unending appetite. That is for most weeds and grass, how they
love stinging nettles! When tethered it’s easy to get a few nice shots just to please it’s owner, but undo the
tether and everything becomes much more interesting, or even dangerous.
I don’t think I have ever seen such high jumps, leaps and bounds of sheer joy Impossible to follow on a tripod and very difficult when on a slippery slope, mud and puddles are the norm around farms, especially after a heavy shower. The effort in avoiding those dinky little cloven hooves as they try to scrape your bare legs, (don’t wear shorts in this situation) and I tried to ignore the howls of laughter from others present which was a trifle difficult. Everything went even more pear shaped when the Ram turned up to watch the fun, (Have not taken much notice of their huge
horns before). The sheep present were docile, they looked on in amazement at the antics. When both Ram and
Kid came too close for comfort baring their teeth, I beat a hasty retreat, I know they will eat almost anything,
but not Video Cameras? surely!
The lady who owned the goat loved the edited result. Does anyone want a
nice pair of shorts? Hoof rips and farmyard mud apart, they are perfect for that farmyard holiday!
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: