Brisbane Movie Makers Thursday Jan 5, 2021
HG Wells would have been proud of us. It was a steamy Queensland night. A bat serenade greeted us, the air pungent with eau de Guano. There were 21 seats in this time machine.
Thankyou as always to those tireless few who come early and do the set up and to Val and Neal for the food, drinks and sign in facilities.
Opening
Peter Waterman started our journey:
A minute silence was held for the recent passing of The Queensland Movie Makers Society. Expressions of hope were raised that the estate finances and equipment would be used well to further resource amateur film making.
Fees have been raised to $60 single and $60 for a couple which Peter believes to be doubly good value. The evening fee has been raised from $3 to $5 and will help to cover the ongoing deficit in club finances of approximately $600 per annum.
Peter talked of the excellent feedback regarding script writing in the club, especially for the movie Love Thong. He announced the next screen writing competition which is due by the last meeting in April, and will be awarded a trophy by professional videographer Alex Donald.
Prior to this there will be a 48hour film challenge which Peter has generously given us a month to achieve. This project is to be completed by the 4th of March and will be judged by Will Wilford.
New Member
We extended a warm welcome to our latest member, David Wright. David is an eclectic professional film maker, recently returned from Japan, who has a passion for making films about the future. He gave us a blast from his past, highlighting some of his films made by his film company: Text Tube Futures Studio.
Opportunities in Film Making
Thankyou to Glenn Bruce for his inspiring and informative call to action as amateur film makers.
Glenn reminded us that the club provides a community where we can:
*Network *Borrow Equipment *Create * Learn
He talked a little bit about his pathway into film making: his formal study of a Cert III in film and TV and opportunities for film making both in the club and in his career as a school teacher.
While the club is an amateur movie makers club, professionals are welcome. We often have the benefit of involvement of professional film makers who inspire and mentor club members.
We journeyed back into 2021 and touched on the Club Projects completed:
Club film’s: The Garden, the 48 hour film challenge and the New Voice Choir documentary.
A request for ideas for club member involvement was made.
Nigel put forward 2 ideas:
1. Videographers and Editors required for Scouting Queensland “Gang Show” stage shows in July and October 2021 (Voluntary involvement, no payment).
2. Crews (6-8 members) to shoot and edit school formals, 45 minutes, paid, generates revenue for club funds.
Glenn asked the club to think about:
“If you could make a film about anything, what would it be?”
Glenn said that for him, film making was about:
People – Passions – Persuasions
Glen urged us to look into the lives of people, whether it be relatives or ordinary people who inspire us, and to:
“Tell their Story”
He urges us to consider spur of the moment ideas, our travel experiences, pop up movies, and for a more targeted option to help us focus: competitions.
There is a lot of expertise in the club from documentary film making, script writing, camera work, lighting, sound, recruiting acting talent, editing. Glenn urged:
“Here’s the people, Network!”
Love Thong
Evaluation by Murray
Murray talked about the process involved in entering a worldwide 48hour film making competition, and the team he was involved in from Brisbane Movie Makers to make the movie “Love Thong”
This is a world wide competition. A date is picked 1 month to 6 weeks in advance, but the details of the movie are only given at the beginning of the 48 hour period when the movie making commences.
There were 31 teams in the current competition including the team from Brisbane Movie Makers.
At 7pm on a Friday night the team were given the following rules for things which would dictate the parameters of the movie:
A Genre
A Prop
A line which must be said
A character
Their genre was romance, the prop a beach towel. The line “can you tell her that Tony sent me” and the character was a female plastic surgeon.
Peter Waterman had to of course include his signature prop: The Thong AKA Flip Flop, hence the name of the film: Love Thong!
The crew was composed of Murray, Peter, Phil and John.
The 3 locations for the shoots were: a drumming studio, a house and patio and a park.
The completed film was eventually shown in the Dendy Cinema as a supporting movie, and received several outbursts of laughter during the performance and a standing ovation at the end.
A take home lesson from the crew was to source your actors early. Providence played a part in this movie as the female actor’s husband and son made their debut appearances as non-actors and did a great job. A highlight of the making of the movie was to be able to dress the male drummer up in the female drummer’s clothes to simulate her playing some of the technical drumming scenes.
Ideas for the future
“It’s so bad it’s so good”: Damian talked about a competition called “It’s so bad it’s so good”.
He suggested we use this as a theme for a club movie competition.
“Be Old”: Damian suggested screening the 10 winning movies from a competition called “Be Old” as a club activity.
North vs South 48hour film Challenge
A challenge was put out to the club to make a 48hour movie. This is a handicap event (like in golf), giving the crew a month rather than 48 hours to do it in!
The guidelines are:
Character: Circus Performer
Object: Chupa Chups lollipop
Line: “How’s the weather lately?”
Genre: To be drawn out of a hat
Two teams stepped up. They were allowed to choose 2 genre’s each, and the results were:
North: Romance / Drama
South: Mocumentary /Crime
KOYAANISQATSI and the Quatsi Trilogy
Jennifer Wallace asked for expressions of interest for anyone who wants to arrange screenings of the iconic KOYAANISQATSI movie and perhaps on other occasions the two other movies from the trilogy and perhaps other movies eg: Baraka, Man with a movie camera (Vertov), anything by Godfrey Reggio or Yann Arthus – Bertrand / Jeff Orlowski and more.... This could be a club night or a film night in a private home. The objective would be to find a venue with high quality audio-visual equipment (or to use club equipment), and get together with likeminded individuals, to watch some non-dialogue movies with messages conveyed with images and music.
These movies would be suitable for those who like to explore experimental film making techniques, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, creative expression…
Jenn would like to make the movies a social event where participants bring food to share and a relaxed environment with cushions or comfy seating.
Koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi Indian word meaning “life out of balance.”
This landmark film, the debut of director Reggio, is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds – urban life and technology versus the environment. It is a modern interpretation of a number of Hopi Indian prophecies and stories.
The film features stunning imagery and a memorable musical score, which was composed by Philip Glass.
A preview of the Quatsi movies can be found below:
“Filmmaking at its purest and most visceral – a tale of sound and visual fury.” (Washington Post)
“Visually spectacular! A mesmerizing of sensuous sights and sounds.” (LA times)
Email Jenn on jenndwallace@gmail.com with an expression of interest for this activity and any venue suggestions such as a home with good audio-visual equipment, having a club night, an alternative venue with av facilities or a venue with club equipment.
An Ordinary Film Maker
Peter Waterman was the first to offer up a film about his life as a film maker. Peter starred as himself and as his clone who performed the interview. Beautiful split screen editing with not a join in sight! Modest as ever, he gave us a tour de force through some of his influences, disappointments and joys which have led to the wonderful film maker that we all know and love.
The Meaning Project
Peter showed us a documentary film he had made called The Meaning Project. He asked the people interviewed in the documentary to express what it is that gives them meaning in life. He dedicated the showing of the movie to our dearly departed friend Bruce Hare who appears in the film. Our time machine whisked us back 6 years and showcased a number of very different people who articulated their thoughts, feelings, insights and world views. This was a totally unexpected journey for those few of us, (or maybe even just me), who knew many of the people interviewed, but had never seen the footage. The image of Maggie, 77 years old at the time, with pink hair, and sitting in her white, silk-lined ” transition box”, AKA Coffin, talking about the importance of a genuine smile, firmly reminded us that we are but passing through this short life, and that our actions affect all those around us.
“Peter described the film as full of “little enlightenments, gifts that they shared with the world.”
It was a heartfelt, insightful, beautifully conceived and well directed film, and was greatly appreciated by the film club. The Meaning Project can be viewed below.
Closing
The time machine propelled us into the future to the next meeting where a number of workshops are in progress including one by Richard on “false colour” and other filming techniques and where Justin is presenting what’s happening with the club movie in progress called ‘Lies and Love’.
Engines down, chairs packed and out into the now silent night. Our bats have departed to their hunting grounds. The time machine waits for it’s next group of passengers and the film makers make their way home, souls full of food for thought, another Brisbane Movie Makers night of magic!
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