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News Archive |
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News Archive |
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Valley Films news from earlier times
April 201029/4/2010. One of the Valley Films team, Dawn (and her daughter Nicola), are taking part in this year's Race for Life, in support of Cancer Research UK. If you would like to sponsor her, please visit her JustGiving web page. The daughter of another of our members, Mavis, is also running this year. If you would like to support her and her team, visit their JustGiving web page. All donations are secure and sent electronically to Cancer Research UK. If you are a UK taxpayer, Justgiving will add automatically at least 25% to your donation. Please join us in supporting Cancer Research UK and a fabulous cause! 6/4/10. A new article from Wendy is now live on the site. Nothing to do with video - but plenty to do with goats! Take a look to brush up on your general (goaty) knowledge! ------------------------------------------------------------------ March 201030/3/10. Valley Films would like to wish all our friends a very happy Easter. 14/3/10. If you have never visited Buttercups Goat Sanctuary in Maidstone, then please do! We had so much fun while we were filming recently to produce a promotional video. All of the group were involved at different times of the day over several weeks to produce a very informative day in the life of the goats. The video will be available here soon. Keep your eyes open. To see the goats charging out into the field to find breakfast had been served was a sight not to be missed. One morning, I even witnessed one of the goats, in his sleeping area, open the bolts to the pen doors to let other goats out for something to eat. How smart is that? On another occasion whilst filming, two goats decided to investigate the contents of our bags and even tried to tackle the end of the microphone pole. Not content with that, they then headed to the camera man who was using a tripod - that looked tasty too! They’re inquisitive, sociable, playful and fun to watch, well worth the visit. Wendy 2/3/10. Last month I mentioned our trophy for internal competitions (lovingly made by Tony). Well now you get to see it! A brief video from Jeff gives you the background and the detail. 1/3/10. Further to our note last month of the sad closure of the Brenchley House Players, we have received the following letter from them. Many thanks Gloria. Brenchley House Players (Amateur Dramatic Group) have regrettably disbanded after almost 50 years performing in Sittingbourne and competing in drama competitions at Kent and Medway. In recent years we have been invited to join Valley Films and appear in some of their very successful short competition films. This was a very exciting adventure for us, and although we, as a drama group have disbanded, many of us would be delighted to be invited to film with Valley Films - especially if they require “aged thespians”!! The main reason for us having to make this decision was that we have found it impossible in recent years to recruit younger members into Amateur Dramatics and we have found it increasingly difficult to find suitable plays, learn long scripts and physically build sets on stage. Nevertheless we have some wonderful memories of successful shows and enjoyed meeting the Valley Films crew - who have supported us for several years - lovely people. Gloria Argent ------------------------------------------------------------------ February 201015/2/10. Farewell to Brenchley House Players and thanks to all the members who have contributed to our films to make them so successful. We were saddened to hear of the news that the group were disbanding for several reasons of their own. After so many years in the theatre and providing such wonderful entertainment and putting on so many brilliant productions, it is with deep regret that we will not be seeing them any more or booking our front row seats!!!! We wish you all well Brenchley House Players and look forward to your still being part of our forthcoming films, from all at Valley Films - our thanks for your valuable time but most of all, your valued friendship! 5/2/10. We usually run a couple of internal competitions a year within the Valley Films group. The latest, a short slideshow (or video), 1-3 minutes long on any subject. Showing and judging took place on Wednesday evening and, for the first time, we had a draw. Congratulations to Jeff and John B for coming joint first. They can take it in turns to look after the Valley Films trophy - a man with video camera and tripod constructed from scrap metal by our own Tony. 2/2/10. This year, because of weather problems, we decided to have our Christmas social get together in the first week of January. What a great decision! As always we had a great time and after all the razzmatazz of Christmas social and family gatherings, it’s just what we wanted - something to look forward to after Christmas and we still pulled crackers! Will we have an after Christmas party next year? - you bet!
------------------------------------------------------------------January 201020/1/10. As promised here are some pictures of our annual Christmas Dinner - this year held at The Sir Thomas Wyatt in Maidstone. As usual a good evening was had by all.
10/1/10. We hope to soon start production on a new short (working title - Push). The story of ... well you'll have to wait and see. Further information as it becomes available. ------------------------------------------------------------------December 200921/12/09. Not a lot of filming this month, but there is the annual round of parties, get togethers and so on. Look out for some pictures in the near future. Looking forward to the new year, we plan on revitalising our film making efforts. Updates here when we have something to share :-) ------------------------------------------------------------------ November 200914/11/09. Not much action on the website over the last couple of months, but the team have been busy filming our first 'major' documentary - for the Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats. The film (a 40 minute epic - by our standards) combines on DVD with a number of shorter specific interest cameos. Jeff has also cut a shorter competition version. Keep your eyes open for it in the coming round of film competitions. We'll also include more details on this website in the near future. ------------------------------------------------------------------ September 20095/9/09. Take a look at the latest of our short articles - "Get to know your actors and actresses" by Wendy. It has some simple but good advice if you are looking to make a scripted film. ------------------------------------------------------------------ August 200920/8/09. Back in June we had a little experimental session on green screen techniques. Great fun was had by all - and we had a nice fish and chip supper to boot. However, I forgot to post any pictures of the activities. So here are a couple for your interest and delight.
1/8/09. We recently received notice that our short film In Your Day achieved a Commended at this years Guernsey Lilly competition. Unfortunately not quite as good as An English Country Church which last year received a Highly Commended, but still not too bad. We'll just have to try harder next time :-). ------------------------------------------------------------------ July 200920/7/09. A couple of photos showing the fun, games and feasting at our recent BBQ.
12/7/09. Many thanks to Wendy and Tony for hosting our Valley Films summer BBQ again this year. Unfortunately Mavis & John couldn't be there, but the rest of us had a great time: wonderful food, mind-bending competitions and a good old chat. ------------------------------------------------------------------June 20099/6/09. Anybody interested in lighting techniques may be interested in taking a look at our new article on Lighting Effects - Nightime and Lightning written by Barry and Jeff. ------------------------------------------------------------------ May 200928/5/09. As mentioned back in February, one of our scriptwriters, Veronica was diagnosed with cancer. However, she bravely completed the Cancer Research Race for Life on Sunday 17 May. We include here a couple of photos taken on the day and extracts from messages sent to us by Veronica.
"Thank you all so much for your tremendous support for me and the team in the Race for Life for Cancer Research." "The day started off overcast and we kept our fingers crossed for a dry day. Unfortunately it rained and the wind was up but this didn't damp our enthusiasm and we had a good race. It took us 12 minutes to reach the starting line once the bell went and we completed the course in 1 hour 25 minutes after passing the start gate. We all finished and the seven of us crossed the line at the same time. What a great atmosphere, I can recommend it to everyone. We walked the course as did most and there was a great feeling of comrade. Several people lined the course to cheer us on. The sun came out by the end of the race, so a nice finish." "Just a last note to let you know that as a team we have raised just over £4,600.00 and I have been told that my personal amount of just over £2,000.00 with gift aid was the highest individual amount raised for our race. This is entirely thanks to your very generous sponsorship for which I thank you. " Veronica Well done to her and the team. 9/5/09. After a period of not really doing much in the way of filming, things are starting to happen again - must be the weather! A small crew recently filmed a scene for our latest local history project and plans are well under way for a short film from a script written by one of our members. Watch this space for updates on both projects. ------------------------------------------------------------------ April 20098/4/09. Judges' feedback from a recent competition entry stated that there were technical issues with the sound on one of our films - in particular that it was over modulated and distorted. On our original edit and the final distribution DVD it is neither - and we can therefore only assume something affected the playback quality. For example, either the video was copied to tape before showing or there were issues with the audio playback system. We create our soundtracks in Dolby Surround Sound and have previously experienced a similar situation where a DVD was copied to video tape (for ease of use during a competition). For a little background on this subject, take a look at Jeff Friend's article on Sound and Competitions, which he wrote some time ago (when we first experienced this issue). ------------------------------------------------------------------ March 200921/3/09. We have just added a short article from one of our actors, Gloria from the Brenchley House Players. In it she tells us of her interest in the noble art of Chromakey - a technique that we are experimenting with to broaden the possibilities of our film making. This follows our visits to the Brenchley Players this January and previously in December last year. 20/3/09. Not sure if any of you good folks have been having trouble playing our video clips (especially those of your using the Firefox browser), but there was a problem with the video player we were using. We have changed player and all should now be ok. If you do experience any problems when using our site, please do not be afraid to let us know. 3/3/09. Take a look at the latest article from Wendy. It gives a great insight into her adventures on board a Royal Naval serving ship of the line. Read A Morning Never to be Forgotten. ------------------------------------------------------------------ February 200912/2/09. This news entry is an appeal on behalf of one of our scriptwriters, Veronica White. Last year she was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her battle with the illness, she has registered to do the Cancer Research Race for Life on 17 May this year. If you feel you are in a position to donate something towards this goal please visit her donation page: www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/veronicawhite Thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------------ January 200931/1/09. Take a look at a new article from Tony (our intrepid cameraman). His Memories of Luton Village article and video are the result of a personal project he completed a few years ago. We hope you enjoy it. 20/1/09. Eight of us went down to meet the actors who had taken part in the Chromakey experiments last month. They all seemed suitably impressed with what had been achieved and our members certainly left with the feeling that developing this new way of filming (for us) will open up a who lot of possibilities for the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------ December 200819/12/08. Party Time - again. One Christmas party is never enough for us. This time we all met at the Yew Tree (a nice little pub on the outskirts of Maidstone) for our Christmas Meal. A good evening and nice food preceded fond farewells and good wishes for a merry Christmas. One thing we all agreed before going our separate ways - we really ought to get round to making some more films next year! 13/12/08. It's Christmas. Well, nearly. Anyway it's close enough for the annual Valley Films Christmas party - hosted as usual by Wendy and Tony. A big thank you goes out to them from the rest of us. A wonderful evening was had by all - except maybe John who was suffering from a really bad cold.
9/12/08. This evening was given over to practising the art of Chromakey (or green screening). Getting the lighting right and keeping the actors in shot were two of the main issues that we found - but everything seems to have come together nicely. Jeff will be producing a short video of the finished sketches to let us all see how effective (or otherwise) our efforts were. We certainly learned at lot and hope to be putting these new found skills to use in future productions.
------------------------------------------------------------------ November 200826/11/08. A number of the group got together this evening for a workshop session with Jeff on the use of ProShow Gold, an excellent program for making audio visual slideshows (AVs) from photographs. AVs are a great way for film makers to extend their repertoire - you don't always have a video camera with you, but you may well have a still camera - even if it is only on your phone! 22/11/08. Our latest article has been written by Robin Ambrose. Robin is the narrator/presenter (and historical consultant) in our series of local history films. A witty and informative read, we hope you enjoy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ October 200821/10/08. We have now added some screen shots to the page for our recent film An English Country Church. If you haven't seen it in competition or at a festival yet take a look to get a flavour of the content. 9/10/08. The whole group had an interesting and enjoyable evening out when Spring Park Film Makers invited us along to one of their club meetings. The first half of the evening we showed them ours, the second half they showed us theirs (films that is)! And what an interesting and varied selection there was. Many thanks to the Spring Park members for their welcome and hospitality. ------------------------------------------------------------------ September 200820/9/08. A small group of us went on a location scout for the next film in our local history series. No I'm not going to tell you where we went. You'll have to wait until the film comes out :-). One thing I will tell you: it was a fascinating couple of hours spent looking at some wonderful buildings dating back many centuries. 12/9/08. Some good news from the Cotswold competition. We have been awarded a Platinum Diploma for our film An English Country Church and a Gold Diploma for Frank. 7/9/08. Not too much going on over the last month - with people being on holiday and all. However, we thought you might like to see one of our videos from a couple of years ago - Smoke Signals. This video is the latest addition to our Movie Theatre. ------------------------------------------------------------------ August 20089/8/08. Take a look at the new article from Mavis about some of the props we've acquired for use in our films over the years. ------------------------------------------------------------------ July 200829/7/08. Here are a couple of photos showing that fun was had by all at the recent BBQ. I'm not sure what Wendy & John are up to, but I'm sure it's ok to do it in public!
22/7/08. Judging the entries for the Guernsey Lily Film Festival 2008 has now taken place. Our entries, An English Country Church, received a Highly Commended. Frank, has been judged Commended. 13/7/08. Many thanks to Wendy and Tony for hosting the BBQ meeting today. Although a few of us couldn't be there due to circumstances, those that did make it had a great time. ------------------------------------------------------------------ May and June 200830/6/08. Apologies for the lack of updates during May and June - purely down to personal circumstances. Normal service should be resumed in July. 20/6/08. Ooops. A couple of the site's pages got corrupted. Sorry if you couldn't get access over the last few days. Should all be fixed now. ------------------------------------------------------------------ April 200825/6/08. We thought it was about time we put some new pictures of the crew on the website. To take a look at our mug shots, got to our About Us page. 4/4/08. Replacing our regular 'tip of the month', this month sees the first of a series of short articles by Valley Films members on a range of subjects that may well prompt discussion, debate and even downright disagreement. Who says life has to be dull? You can find the first submission from Jeff, From my Perspective - Sound and Competitions, at the bottom of this page. 2/4/08. We were please to hear that Madam Dupres and An English Country Church have both been awarded Three Stars in the IAC British International video competition. ------------------------------------------------------------------ March 200826/3/2008. This evening we went on a visit to Orpington Video & Film Makers. They had invited us along for their annual spring show. All our members commented there was an excellent range of films showcasing a wide variety of skills and interests. We would like to thank our hosts for a most enjoyable evening. 1/3/08. The Docking of HMS Kent at Chatham. This clip is the start of a 2 hour video covering the 3 day celebration of the 60th reunion of the HMS Cavalier Association by former serving members of the ship. This video is the latest addition to our Movie Theatre. 1/3/08. This month's Tip of the Month will be the last. Always wishing to ring the changes, we are introducing a new "Comment" section from next month. The comments, from individual members of our group, may and will be about anything video, computer (or media) related. ------------------------------------------------------------------ February 200816/2/08. Tony has written an article on the DIY Dolly and Track that he made for us to create tracking shots - as seen to good effect in our local history project. You can read more about it here. ------------------------------------------------------------------ January 200831/1/08. Plans are being made for stage 2 of our local history project. At a meeting today, an outline of the content and direction for the second film was agreed with our local history advisor. Hopefully we will have an interesting years filming and production in front of us. 5/1/08. A Christmas Party in December and now a Christmas Dinner in January. (Wonder what we can dream up for February, March, ...)
------------------------------------------------------------------ December 200715/12/07. Time for our annual Christmas Party at Wendy & Tony's. Thanks to them both for hosting a great evening. Much fun was had by all.
5/12/07. While out on a shoot recently, our cameraman, Tony, had a close encounter of the four legged kind! Maybe a new recruit to the Valley Films team?
1/12/07. The southern heat of the North v South competition took place on 18 November. Our latest film, 'Madame Dupres' was selected in the top five to go forward and represent the south in the national finals early next year. ------------------------------------------------------------------ November 200730/11/07. A great evening was had by all when we visited Shooters Hill Video Club. The evening was arranged to let each group show what they had been up to over the past year or so. We showed some of ours (films that is) and they showed some of theirs. Many thanks to them for their kind invitation and hospitality. 11/11/07. The third installment of Jeff's 'Art of Making a Short Holiday Film' article is now available here. 2/11/07. Final copies of our new production 'Madame Dupres' have now been burned to DVD. Copies will be given to the actors (as always). The rest of you will have to wait and see what it is about until after its first competition airing. ------------------------------------------------------------------ October 200731/10/07. Another social event. This time a number of the group went to see 'Round the Houses', performed by the Willington Players in Sittingbourne. An excellent production, and a good time was had by all. 21/10/07. Most of the group took part in one of our occasional walks - a little fresh air and exercise is good for the soul. On this occasion the trek was around the Robin Hood Pub at the top of Bluebell Hill, Chatham.
6/10/07. The day of the shoot for out latest production - Madame Dupres. What's it all about? You'll have to wait and see. But fun was had by all - most of the time anyway.
------------------------------------------------------------------ September 20073/9/07. Are you interested in extending your lighting equipment setup for minimal cost? Yes, then take a look at the new article by Barry, one half of our lighting crew and one very handy man. ------------------------------------------------------------------ August 200728/8/07. Congratulations to us. We have received notice that we were awarded a Gold Plus for Train Strike and a Bronze for Spirit of Life at this years Cotswold International film festival. Two films entered and two awards - and the gradings were an improvement on last years results. Not too shabby! 11/8/07. What better way is there to spend a sunny summer afternoon than at a BBQ. None, so we did. A little social gathering of the Valley Films membership: to eat, drink, chat, play a few games and raise some money so that we can buy tapes (etc) to make more films! And dare I say it, a good time was had by all. Thanks to Wendy & Tony for hosting the occasion.
5/8/07. Why not take a look in our article library at part two of Jeff's three part series on making holiday films. ------------------------------------------------------------------ July 200725/7/07. Another double success! We have just received notification that our entries into the Guernsey Lily Film Festival 2007 achieved a Highly Commended (Spirit of Life) and Commended (Train Strike). Not bad, but I'm sure we can do better in the future. That's what we'll aim to do anyway. 7/7/07. The busiest day of the year for weddings (apparently)! Even so, were were up to our old trick in a pub - and we do seem to have done our fair share of pub shoots over the years :-). A very productive afternoons work and a lot of fun was had by all. We await the first edit. |
This page was last updated 06-08-2010
