Video Club Start-up - Agenda?

[John Nantz]

In our area there are a few still camera clubs but not one video camera club. None of the still camera clubs deal with video so that leaves some of us out in the cold, so to speak. While the number of those interested in video is small there are some of us that would like to get together and the thinking is that a video club would be a good idea.

Meeting place: There is a nice meeting room available for free at the local library that can seat around 12 at a table. Probably the magic word here is "free".

Abilities and Experience: The people that I know who are interested have experience that range from hobbyiest to indi (full length film) to local TV station employees, so it is a very interesting mix. Some of us have more equipment than abilities and others may have more abilities than equipment. Obviously interests, techniques, and equipment would be items for discussion in any meeting.

Agenda: Is there anyone else out there who have belonged to a video club? And if so, what kind of an agenda did they have? What kind of discussions were there? Were there any club activities outside of a meeting? Are there any other thoughts of any kind???

[Trevor Dennis]

Many many years ago I belonged to the Westcliff Film and Video club, and they are still going.

Our History | Facebook

It was a good way to get into producing short films with good production values, and we made two international award short dramas while I was with them. I was assistant director on the second. In the end I found that the crew developed egos almost on a par with the tallent, and while we expect that with 'actors' it was too much to put up with so I left.

Anyway, give them a shout. I am sure they'll get back to you.

[John Nantz]

Hi Trevor - Their web page was a very interesting read for a number of reasons. It really brings back memories of the early days of home video like when my folks got their first standard 8 camera. We have a lot of home videos on standard 8. The clubs history recounts the technological advances in consumer video very well and it's interesting that the name of the club also morphed along with the times.

Due to the small numbers of people who are interested in making videos in any given area it is important to try and have an inclusive club otherwise there just won't be the numbers to support it. The way I see it is everybody has their strengths and weaknesses and in any club situation there are those who can bring their strengths to help support it.

A name for a club is another real problem area because of the terms "footage", "video", and the like. By video club we don't want to have people thinking we're swapping VCR tapes or DVDs. This is all about the hands-on making of videos - everything from coming up with a story line to actually producing it - and maybe even distribution, who knows?

Technology is an important part of knowledge to keep up with as it's constantly changing. Sharing ideas about how to do stuff, techniques, up-and-coming changes in the field, etc.

A big question is what areas should be covered in a club meeting? Of course there is always the club organization: election of officers (for a really small club there may not be any "officers".), maybe going around the table to hear what everyone has been working on for the last month, problem areas?, a discussion of what's new, maybe volunteer video projects (historical? environmental? or?), etc.

Trevor - by the way, I've been to, or maybe through, Blenheim. Also went from Nelson to Picton, hitch-hiked on a sailboat from Picton across Cook Strait to Wellington, got a free rental car and drove up to the northern tip of North Island, and on a return trip took your Highway 1 along the coast. What was very interesting were the long single-lane bridges that were shared with the rail road. Also been to Invercargill, over Haast Pass (saw prehistoric fern "trees") and up to Greymouth, all hitch-hiking. What a good time it was.

[Trevor Dennis]

It might be a bit early, but you might want to investigate the legal status of your prospective club. In New Zealand all such clubs, groups, and organisations become Incorperated Societies, or (much less) Charitable Trusts. It's an easy process and you'll find lots of info online, or Citizens Advice (if you have them over there).

Glad you liked NZ. Four and a bit million people in a land mass about the size of the United Kingdom (and most of those are in Auckland and a few othr major cities) leads to empty roads and open spaces. We can take the five hour drive to the South Island West Coast, and see only about 30 other vehicles. Magic.

This road/rail bridge is on the West Coast and has a great story attached to it. The local MP and his PA met a group of forestry workers head to head in the middle of the brdige, and both refused to back up. Eventually the local cop turned up to diffuse the situation, but they did not want his interferance so they threw him off the bridge into the river, and all went to the pub! Coasters are a breed apart, and all those people (including the cop) probably went to school together. They still would not have cared over much wether the cop knew how to swim! True story.

Bridge for cars and trains | Flickr - Photo Sharing!