You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

A great strength of Southport MovieMakers in that it mixes together the energy of youth with a foundation of many years of experience of film-making. For example, our newly-appointed Programme Secretary, Alex Montague is a very recent Film graduate from Edge Hill University and another newly-appointed member of the Management Committee, our Publicity & Recruitment Officer, Sarah Pollitt, has just finished the second year of her undergraduate degree at Liverpool University. At the other extreme, our older members are well into their retirement years. Older and younger film-makers have much to offer each other.

In recognition of many years of contributing to the life of the Club in so many ways, Ashby Ball, Geoff Williams and Jim Morris earlier this year were awarded Honorary Life Memberships of the Club.

In addition, last month, Paul Bagshaw, another of our older, highly-experienced members became the first recipient of the NEW Nigel Barton Trophy, in recognition of his skill as a film-maker. This award was created in the wake of the recent death of our valued member Nigel Barton.

Paul Bagshaw

In this age when older people are sometimes overlooked, it is important to recognise and celebrate the skills and knowledge that older people bring from a lifetime of experience. In this context, it is interesting to note that Channel 4 is currently acknowledging the value of older people in their series Mary's Silver Service.

Ashby Ball and Geoff Williams - Founder Members of Southport MovieMakers

Read about the founding of the Club, now in its 65th year.

Whether you're in your 20s or your 80s, 

you can always learn new things.

Premiere Evening

Club members have recently been involved in making new films, either as a Club Project or as individual’s productions. So that these films can have a significant viewing opportunity, we are planning a Premiere Evening on Thursday 16th May.

The films that will be presented on this evening are as follows:

JIM MORRIS:
Restoration of Rotten Row                    
Strolling in Sport                                        
Woad

MICKEY STEWART:
Professional Dust....
When the Sheriff's town is robbed, he relies on a man with no name to catch them.

MICHAEL ALLEY:
Circles

ARTHUR EMMETT:
Summertime and You
A father is asleep, dreaming of returning home late from work one Christmas Eve. He knows that his family is safe in bed. His wife has left him a note of things to do before he goes to bed.

ANDY HARRISON:
Einstein
A documentary about the life, times and eventual death of Albert Einstein.

LEWIS SIMPSON:
Choo Choo
Callum Hallthorne is one of You Tube's most revered and prolific train spottters, specialising in fulfilling the requests of other people. So when one request leads him to a non-steam train, he decides to find out who is setting him up and to set them right.

NIGEL MORAN:
Resident Evil: Hunk’s Story

SOUTHPORT MOVIEMAKERS:
One Night
An act of conspiracy following the chance meeting of two company reps needs to be unravelled.  


This Evening will also give us the opportunity to invite along family and friends, and those people who have provided us with venues. Wine and refreshments will be served after the films.

Day: Thursday 16 May

Time: 8 pm – 10.00 pm

Location: St James' Church Hall,

Lulworth Road, Southport, PR8 2BQ.

Film-maker 90 and Going Strong

On 21 July, members of Southport MovieMakers met to celebrate the birthday of its oldest member, Jim Morris.

He entertained the audience comprised of a room full of members, past and present, with lots of memories of film-making. No nerves of standing up and speaking – the confidence of old age. If you didn’t know it already, you wouldn’t guess his age. Part of his youthfulness comes from a lifetime of making films. Of course, when Jim started, it was very much a matter of handling physical film. However, his lifelong learning has taken him into the world of digital video production.

Although Jim’s preferred genre is documentary-making, his repertoire encompasses a quite considerable range including comedy and plasticine animation, in the case of the latter, one finished film was entitled “Lunar Tics Down to Earth” which features aliens from outer space. His range also extends to what can only be described as hypnotically psychedelic. Remember, Jim’s been making films since the 60s.

Where have the ideas come for his films? One source has been proverbs resulting in one of his earlier films “Makes Jack a Dull Boy” – a silent film! Another source has been spontaneous conversations from the real world, witnessing something and applying the film-makers creativity by putting a “spin” on it.

Reflecting upon all of his experience, Jim commented that digital video is “a piece of cake” compared with overcoming the challenges of working with Standard 8 and other physical formats. Like any success in life, perseverance pays off and Jim is no exception. He has persevered over the years to become an accomplished well-rounded film-maker.

Happy 90^th, Jim Morris.

Jim Morris (left) receives a specially-made 90th Birthday card from Paul Bagshaw, on behalf of the Club.