Our 18th October meeting rundown

 Summary.
After Norm welcomed everyone, Ron brought us up to date with what the committee has been up to behind the scenes.
First of all, clearance has been obtained for the installation of our new projection system: it’s being installed on 23rdof November.
Our new promo is now on our website; check it out.
Have you ever thought of making a serial movie? Richard has.  Watch this space!
Would you believe members have had 150 ‘Shortcuts’ shown at the club?  For the upcoming Shortcut  night, Ron would like us to nominate what we consider our personal, three best shorts and let him know SAP by e-mail.  Nothing more is required, all copies are already in the club library.
Some members would like to have their movies critiqued. (We all know how difficult it is to judge our own work.)  If you are one of these people, bring along your movie and throw yourself on the mercy of our members.  (Only joking, they’re a decent lot and you can be sure all suggestions will be constructive.)
Finally, Ron asked if we’d checked out our shields on the back wall lately?
Changing hats, Ron notified us that the club now has 24 financial members.  A gentle reminder to those for whom the word ‘fees’ might have slipped their mind.
The given Shortcut topics wereSpringand Lights Out.  There were lots of flowers and even a springing JB clone. There were 5 movies on Springwhich suggested  non-random selected topics can work. The Shortcut Master (RH) selected next meeting’s topics which are, Love and Daytime.
Members also showed a number of movies even more varied than usual, some asking for feedback. Subjects ranged from the Australian Jazz Museum through hand weaving, My Suburb, the Albert Lake running club to lesbian love.  Whew!  Imagine that.
An interesting revelation which came out of the meeting is that competition judges are just like us, they are not godlike figures who know it all.  They may not make movies but they have their own likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.  The person who revealed this secret should know, he has judged at film festivals all over the world – Peter Malone, who was our guest speaker.  Peter told us there are judges who strongly like/dislike certain topics/genres and who are too impatient to sit through a showing that is not to their liking and make an objective judgement at the end.
For Peter, how well crafted a movie is, is important, and that goes beyond the camera work and editing.  In fact, it goes right back to the original writing.  Does the story teller use subtlety rather than a sledge hammer to tell the story?  Did you know that you look at things differently from the opposite sex?  You aren’t right – or wrong, it’s just a reflection of who you are.  Human values are important when Peter is judging. Content is king.
Peter introduced us to a fascinating concept, our ‘Signature’ as a film maker. You know it is a great idea even though you feel have not quite understood. Apparently, this is something some judges want to identify! So, below are some very illuminating descriptions of the ‘signatures’ of some Film bigwigs. It makes you wonder.
Peter also opened our eyes and ears to another very interesting concept, the extrovert and introvert Director. The extrovert is all action. Bang, whoosh, blast OK – smack! Most of Hollywood, what is commonly called ‘action’ films. Then there are the more ‘masculine’ introverted movies, definitely European where someone like Ingmar Bergman reigns. 
 
A most entertaining and revealing presentation.  Thank you, Peter Malone.
 
 
President Norman provided the following explanation of Signatures:
Signatures of Some Directors (ref. roadshow.com.au)
 
QUENTIN TARANTINO

He’s the only Director whose name has spurned an adjective: Tarantinoesque.
Many have tried to copy his combustible mix of shot-gun dialogue and bloody violence, but none have come close to touching him. For all his flair and idiosyncratic directorial flourishes, with Tarantino it all comes down to the story. Revered as the ‘Shakespeare for modern cineastes’, he captures unimaginable images through the self-referential lens of his uber-nerd-cool vision. A single scene can go for 15 minutes - and you’ll be riveted for every second. Then the blood flows.
GUY RITCHIE

If Tarantino is the King of Dialogue, then Ritchie is the Heir Apparent. Where Tarantino’s dialogue is self-referential, loaded with sly references and apocalyptic in tone and meaning; Ritchie delivers the rapid-fire banter of lads on a big night out. Street-smart, smart-ass, tongue-in-cheek, Ritchie presents us with celluloid heroes who have seen it all, done it all and take it all with a cynical roll of the eye.

They bicker, banter, then punch the lights out of each other. And when it comes to action, Ritchie wields a camera like a sword - piercing it into the heart of the action. Whip pans, jump cuts, vary speeds, fast cut edits, chopping, mashing, meshing ... Ritchie uses a full arsenal of tricks in movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,Snatchand Sherlock Holmes. But it all comes to a crescendo with his killer reboot of the King Arthurlegend. In one masterful move, Ritchie has given this ages-old tale a totally fresh and ‘now’ perspective. May we coin the term Ritchiesque?
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

You want smart, then Nolan gives it up in droves. His stories are complex, complicated, layered and textured. You know there is a serious brain behind his productions, so precise they’re almost mathematical equations. But Nolan doesn’t just offer up puzzles, cryptic messages, mystique and interwoven narratives, he’s just as adept with his visualisation. His imagery can be visionary (Inception), revolutionary (The Dark Knight) symbolic (Dunkirk) or just a downright head spin (Memento).
 
 
 
MARTIN SCORSESE

The master of American cinema has been dealing in iconic moments for nearly 50 years. With Scorsese, you’re in assured hands; and you will experience a view through the lens that no-one else can deliver. 

Scorsese makes classic film-making seem modern, relevant and even ground-breaking. His use of slow-motion, freeze-frame, long tracking shots (the one in Goodfellasis often considered the finest in cinema history), silence and powerful music are standout hallmarks of most of his films. While the inclusion of Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t mandatory, it’s usually a given.
MICHAEL BAY

Want to blow everything to smithereens – Bay is your man. He’s the man behind the mayhem, the executioner of explosions and the baron of big budget blow ups- in movies like Armageddon, Pearl Harbour, Bad Boysand Transformers. It doesn’t herald at the beginning of his movies ‘A Michael Bay production’ for nothing. 

Some of his signature moves include fast camera movement, busy, loaded frames and coloured filters to highlight mood and tension. There’s even a style of shot nicknamed after him - The Bay Shot - where the camera circles around the protagonist as they rise up triumphantly.
SOFIA COPPOLA

Sofia is one of the most daring and talented Directors working today. Characters move dream-like through the world as Coppola’s camera follows from behind using either a hand held camera or dolly. There are frequent repeated shots, a love of natural lighting, languid camera movements, pastel colours, lush frames and sensuous imagery. These hallmarks can be seen in nearly all her movies, from The Virgin Suicidesto The Bling Ring, perhaps reaching its high-water mark with Marie Antoinette. 

With a keen interest in fashion, photography, architecture, design and music, Coppola’s films are visually striking and aesthetically sophisticated... but this never comes at the cost of the story. Coppola’s directing style forces us tofeeland not just watch her work.
BAZ LURHMANN 

When too much is never enough... call in Baz. Sumptuous, golden, gilded, glossy, dripping in luxury, sparkling with jewels, a Baz Lurhmann production assaults all your senses with an overload of exotica. 

Baz creates grand theatre and is a master of detail. Even in his earliest, low budget productions like Strictly Ballroom, Baz infused his screen with technicolour magic. Everything pops. Everything is larger than life. Everything is soaked in glamour. Even when he’s stripped back, like in certain scenes in Australiaor his Netflix TV series The Get Down, Baz can’t help his penchant for the hyper-real. A Baz movie glistens (Moulin Rouge) and throbs (Romeo + Juliet).