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CELEBRATING 25TH ANNIVERSARY

We have had cause to celebrate this year as our club reached its 25th anniversary. Young by some clubs' standards, but still quite respectable!

There has been much to look back on - competition successes in far of lands, Triangles won and lost, and records made of local events - but the enduring memory is of the Club's atmosphere which has encouraged the development of many skills and friendships.

The event was celebrated with a garden party on a glorious September afternoon, almost to the day that the first tentative meeting was held in St Albans Town Hall in 1981.

This had been organised by Desmond Clifton, a local dentist, who remained the Club's Chairman for several years before he and his wife, Joy, moved to Suffolk. Sadly Desmond lost Joy a few years ago, but as the Movie Makers' President he kept in touch and was a most welcome guest of honour at the party.

Club Chairman Frank Miller read a letter of greeting from the Patron, actor Philip Madoc, who was unable to attend due to a theatre date, and welcomed North Thames Region Chairman Christine Collins. Finally after a suitable toast, Christine, Desmond and Frank cut an anniversary cake - but the reminiscing went on... and on.

FATHER AND SON MAKING AN AFRICAN DREAM

Father and son members of ST ALBANS MOVIE MAKERS have provided a fascinating insight into a TV production. Last year Ivan Houghton was visiting his son, Dave, at the Africat Animal Conservation Centre in Namibia when a TV producer arrived to discuss a wild life series for the BBC. The series became Animal Park – Wild Life in Africa, shown recently on BBC 2.

Dave now spends more time with the animals and flying the Africat plane than filming, but the series contains a considerable amount of his material as the sequences move seamlessly from original material to “ones I shot earlier”. And there is now talk of a new series.

These stills are from An African Dream filmed by Ivan and Dave in Namibia:
Ivan as the Intrepid Explorer, Dave as The Guide and Cheetah as itself in the bush

SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIA

Club members’ efforts were well rewarded at the 2004 Melbourne International Movie Festival. Brian Harris received a Bronze Cineman Award, for best Documentary, for You Must Be Joking, while Diplomas of Merit went to The Unkindest Cut (Club movie), Friendly Fire (Peter Wilson), The Bridge (Alan Gardner, Ivan and Dave Houghton), and A Cheetah’s Bad Day (Ivan & Dave Houghton).

The still is from The Bridge filmed in the Belize rain forest in 1993

NEW PRODUCTIONS

Two short comedies are in production: The Hilary Osborne Shield and The Inheritance. They aren’t really the Club’s last resort, but that was the inspiration for the two epics aimed at a North Thames Region competition.

The still is from The Inheritance – The solicitor, Mr Prescott (Brian Harris) reads the will to the cousins (Steve Winner, Rob Lowe and Alan Lindfield.

THE ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION

A presentation on amateur movie making, entitled “ESU at the Movies”, was made to a small group of members of the Hertfordshire Branch of the English Speaking Union in October 2004. The brief review of what amateurs get up to was illustrated by seven short movies, five of which were from St Albans Movie Makers, and they stimulated a lively discussion.

The still is from one of the movies – The Big Break, a fast moving comedy in which Brian Harris plays Lou Spowells playing Po Face O’Toole, and Lilian Hamilton plays Lucille Ballcock playing Floosy Lamour; here Floosy visits Po Face in goal.

CASABLANCA AWARD FOR LILIAN HAMILTON

St Albans Movie Makers' club member Lilian Hamilton was thrilled recently to hear that she had been awarded the "Directors Chair" in a competition for Casablanca users, for her excellent animation "The Mconigle Family". The competition was organised by Casablanca distributor Video Management Services, who have delivered the chair suitably inscribed "Lilian Hamilton Director"

BURMA CROSS MEMORIAL VIDEO

The Movie Makers were recently privileged to record the dedication of a memorial rose garden at St Peters Church, St Albans. On 24th June the mayor of St Albans (Jenny Stroud) unveiled a plaque at the rose bed and spoke very feelingly about the sacrifices endured in the Burma campaign during WW2. Veterans of the campaign, together with friends and pupils from two local schools attended, and had plenty to talk about both before and after the ceremony. It made a fascinating subject for club project.

Two frames from the video (ABOVE) show the group as it assembled and the mayor giving her address.

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Page updated on 14 February 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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