Reading Film and Video Makers

My first attempts at film making date back to 1973 when I purchased a Sankyo Super 8 CME 440 cine camera and a Eumig strip sound projector. Shortly afterwards I joined the Reading Cine and Tape Recording Society as accounts of the club had been regularly published in the local press. I was interested in viewing other members films, and was hoping to learn from their expertise. I always enjoyed the wide variety of topics covered by these meetings, and appreciated the efforts of the programme secretaries in arranging something of interest almost every week throughout the season.

I changed to video some years ago when my second cine camera a Braun Nizo sound camera expired. (as far as I am aware the Sankyo camera is still in working order). About this time my Sony Betamax VCR started chewing up tapes so I scrapped it and purchased a Panasonic F70 VHS VCR which I believe was one of the first domestic machines to incorporate audio dub, insert edit, and a jog shuttle.
I started making videos with a Mitushbisihi C40 SVHS camcorder and when this machine died on me I changed to a Panasonic S70 which I am still using, My other equipment is fairly basic consisting only of a Panansonic syncro lead (which I find invaluable) a second hand Video Tech 1060 processor which is now showing signs of wear and tear, and Video Tech 228 Plus Titler.
I like making holiday videos and very short documentaries, although there haven't been many of either in recent years. My disasters and embarrassing moments are more memorable than any highlights. One disaster which formed the basis for an article in the September 1997 RF&VM newsletter was the purchase of a Vicanco VCR 5034 combined edit controller, titler, sound and video processor, following an enthusiastic review in Camcorder User. I was quite unable to make it work with my equipment or obtain any assistance from Vivanco. This piece of electronic wizardry was eventually returned to the shop where I purchased it from who gave me a refund, so I purchased a Video Tech titler in lieu.

My only encounter with 16mm film involving projection, not filming, resulted in an embarrassment I would prefer to forget. Many years ago I was asked by the local branch secretary of the United Nations Association if I would assist them by operating the projector at a public show in the Town Hall. Unwisely I agreed and arrived at the Town Hall well in advance of the advertised time only to find it in total darkness and deserted. After wandering around the corridors I eventually found a caretaker who assured me that there was no meeting at the Town Hall and suggested I should try the Civic Centre. I rushed to this venue arriving about 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time to find a very large audience - including the mayor and other dignitaries waiting for the show to begin!

Fortunately the screen and loudspeakers had been set up but the projector was still in its case in a back room. There was no instruction manual, but some notes printed inside the case emphasised that the machine was self threading. I found a table to support the projector, connected the leads and inserted the first reel into the specified slot only to find it shredded it. After three or four attempts the opening titles and first scenes had been totally destroyed. I was about to say the show would have to be abandoned., when after one final try, the film started smoothly as did the following reels. The film was returned to the United Nations Association with one badly damaged reel. Since then I have never been asked to help again!

Reverting to video, my wife's principal interest is watching her family's videos of the grandchildren. These usually come to me for editing, which mainly consists of omitting the very unsteady or boring sections and adding titles and some music.

In conclusion, at this stage of my life, I do not have any great video ambitions, except to hope that the few films I still make may be of modest interest. If money was no object I think I would like to have a compact digital camera, a second Panasonic VCR and SVHS model to use as a source editing machine, or a complete computer editing suite , or perhaps the " Casablanca" black box. Finally some assistance in setting it all up and an extra room to keep it all in.

I would certainly recommend that anyone with an interest in film or video making should obtain a RF&VM programme and attend one or two meetings as a visitor as I am sure they will find much to stimulate their film or video making ambitions

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