Reading Film and Video Makers

The majority of videos are a joint effort of Bruce and myself, Bruce in
the main is the cameraman and does most of the editing, where as I concentrate more on the background, history and locations for filming and the writing of the script. Background music is usually a joint production, but commentary is usually by me.

We started usmg video in the early 1990s on shipping where in the past still photographs had been taken. For one of the shipping societies we belong to we produced a video record of the various tours we took part in which society members could purchase on a no profit basis, and just for fun we called ourselves 'Gangplank'. A guest speaker at one of the meetings we attended asked if he could have a copy of the video enquinng the price, as a joke I said £10.50 but you can have it for free. Three months later in a shipping magazine of which we found out he was editor, there was a glowing report of our video with Gangplank address and price. Orders came in thick and fast to a company that didn't exist and had no stock to sell. We spent the next seven days remaking the master on SVHS and scouring the magazines to find someone to copy it.

Around September 1996 an article appeared in the Evening Post about the Reading Film & Video Makers so we decided to join to learn how do produce films correctly, I now look back in horror at what we produced and to think several hundred people were fool enough to buy it.

From the first evening we were made welcome and found everyone very friendly and helpful. We entered the first competition the one-minute cup and realised how poor our own efforts were. Out of 10 entries we came joint bottom, however we did learn a lot from this first competition and have continued to do so ever since.

The equipment we use is a Sony Hi8 camera and edit on a pair of Panasonic SVHS recorders using a Vivanco mixer and a Video Tec title machine. For music and speech a Sony tape recorder, all the editing being done by the two finger method. I think if money was no object I would go for the top of the range Casablanca editor, or perhaps go digital with full computer editing, however I would need a full time person to teach me how to use this equipment for at least the first few weeks

I suppose our main interest is in the documentary type of film or one cut or set to music. The highlight of our video career so far I would think was our first year winning the novice and docunentary cups also the shield for the club at the Staines Film Festival.

As for disasters I think we have all had those, we have had several. The one that sticks out most in my mind was at Sennen Cove in Cornwall at the naming ceremony of the new lifeboat. Everything went fine but watching the result as the Duke of Kent pressed the button to send the lifeboat on its way down the slip, we had the start, then nothing until the boat was a tiny dot in the distance plus the usual sky waving, sea and feet.

I don't think we have any great ambitions in video except to produce material we have enjoyed doing as it is only one of many hobbies we have. A very ambitious project we would like to do is a video based on letters we have vmtten by my father during the First World War. of his call up, training, injury,capture by the Germans, prisoner of war and repatriation to Switzerland. We would do this using both current film we shot and archive material,also using the large number of photographs and post card he collected during this period. This would be a mammoth task of filming as we know from the letters the actual location of the battle in France and have pinpointed it on current maps. It would also involve a train journey from Munster in Germany to Montreaux in Switzerland via Mannheim as he describes the scenery en route,. Other places are in the U.K. at Winchester and the Isle of Sheppey

During our three years with the club we have learnt a great deal and are still learning how to get better results and the techniques of camera and editing. I would say to anyone interested in video or film to join the club. II' you don't know how to do something I bet there is a club member who does and will help you.