Brian sadly died on 24th June 2010.
To the young, death is but a distant rumour…..to the aging…..it’s almost like daily news.
Brian in my opinion had a quirky very comical view of life that could extract humour from nearly every dark recess and exposed corner of it. That, in its own magical way drew many heartfelt chuckles and deep laughter from almost everyone confronted by its delightful innocence and manipulated naivety often applied to his films.
He often awoke my languishing stilled brain with his oddity of thoughts and then would activate my cells even further when, and as, he was outlining his story. So just like that excitable child he helped me to re-discover again, I would more than want to be just involved, I wanted to play out the whole part of natural silliness right along with him. We could often in our child like state ( something everyone should engage in ) be like two ageing grey, in Brian’s case, white haired nine year olds.
His passion for making films never ceased and grew in stature with his growing years to produce wonderful documentaries on just about every subject you could care to mention, that will keep him remembered for years to come as we show them time and again. His attention to detail and finish I found faultless. It inspired many within the club, where his natural abilities, skill and leadership shone out, leading us all to believe that we too could imitate his efforts.
We, the whole club membership, as indeed Brian’s family and friends have lost a very dear, close relationship which will be impossible to replace and very difficult to put to rest easily. My heart goes out to us all but more especially to his entire family….during this very difficult period in time.
What I think I know of Brian, is, in my opinion, detailed in a very small quote where I shall finish my own and the clubs heartfelt loss of a very personal friend, a fellow film maker and deputy chairman, who without his advice and help I could never have done……in what I‘m endeavouring to imitate of him, being the chairman.
And I finish with that quote from W H Auden an Anglo American poet. In remembrance of Brian.
“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can……all of them…make or made me laugh.”
Byron Welch
Chairman of Hemel Hempstead Movie Makers
Brian sadly died on 24th June 2010.
Our thoughts go out to Mary and all of Brian's family, you will be missed.
Byron Welch HHMM Chairman
Chairman’s Thoughts 2010
This last year seemed to pass so quickly that I never quite got the time I wanted to implement a few changes and capture or recapture, if it was at all possible, a certain je ne c’est quoi that I felt was lacking within the club.
Sadly mid December of last year brought a lot of personal health issues to my immediate attention with incessant visits to five different doctors, eight individual hospitals and more CT scanners and sample requirements than I care to mention. This was a huge distraction of my time which I indulged in and still do, engaging in enormous swathes of even more involuntary probing, internal photography, radiation poisoning, examinations and prodding in the name of discovering what I need next to be separated from.
However, we still seem, as a club, to be in the black and plodding along, which under the circumstances of in club sickness and lower attendance says something positive about the existing membership’s determination as of the moment to soldier on doing very little. But it’s growing stagnation is something we all need to address now if we still want a club before that change disrupts our comfort zones in the very near future.
I would like to say a big thank you to all that have made films this year and those that have entered competitions at home or away, won or lost. And for the club members volunteering, when requested, on outside community projects. Such as Paul, Brian, David and Mike to mention but a few. If I have left anybody out please without an ounce of embarrassment on your part, thrust your arm high into the air and I shall correct myself and a very lazy memory in an instant by adding your name. …..If I can remember it.
I would also like to heartily thank the committee for their time and diligence in keeping everything together and covering my absence and all else that they put in place and give to this club by way of their time, knowledge, acquaintances, hard work and resources that keeps it all welded together, viable and running. Not forgetting Ian Furlong in the back woods of Watford quietly running and maintaining our web pages and site along with Alan French’s regular blogs.
A final heart felt reminder ladies and gentlemen, this is your club, and what we do within it should be what you most require, and want to do. So with that in mind and after talking to others for their honest opinions I have decided that by delegating responsibility to each and every one of the membership to choose an activity/learning process idea and it’s needs for one evening, for each one of the approximate twenty evenings that make up our year as proactive members and release the club committee alone from the endeavour to create a new program for 2010/11. By placing it in everybody’s diligent care for hopefully a very refreshing change to our new year.
Have a great summer everybody and we look forward hopefully, to a new refreshing season starting On the first Wednesday of September Which is on the 1st. Of September 2010. With all of your………..new ideas.
Byron Welch HHMM Chairman
Watch COMPUTER BAKING
made a few years ago, a little gem!
TRIANGLE COMPETITION
3rd FEBRUARY 2010
Unfortunately that's as far as we got this year so 'thinking caps on' and we can only improve!
HACCA'S BACK
In a packed hall on Saturday 28th November 2009 we proudly hosted the Hertfordshire Amateur Cine Club Association's Movie Making Competition. Entries came from Borehamwood, Potters Bar, St Albans and ourselves. The judges were Ken Martin, Aivar Kaulins and Brian Heard who between them gave positive feedback to all the films shown during the afternoon. They also had the unenviable task of picking a winner and two runners up.
It was fantastic to hear Brian Harris from Hemel chosen as the victor with his film 'Top Brass', a documentary following some of the members of a Watford band. In 2nd place was John Astin from Potters Bar with 'Meet me at St Pancras', an interesting look at the history of the London station and it's transformation into the Eurostar hub. Following in 3rd place was a short comedy from St Albans Club, 'The Long Wait', It certainly tickled the audience and even featured Brian Harris in the cast.
Ian
HARRY'S GAME
Residents living near to Leavesden Studios have once again been warned to expect strange sights from October to mid November. Warner Brothers is making the next installment of Harry Potter. They plan to light up the sky with 'flame, smoke and noise effects'.
Large sets have been constructed on the former Rolls Royce site including a huge green screen (might be good for you Jason?). High level film lighting will also be illuminating the night for the locals. Unfortunately visitors aren't welcome though, so we will just have to wait for the 2010 release.
Ian
IN PRODUCTION
SUMMER 2009:
'THE DODGY HORSE'
Alan French's scripted film of all sorts of titles, so many, that I have forgotten what it was called now, was shot on video in the middle of the week July the 15th. 2009. With a great cast in a tatty old wooden garage dressed up to look like the old west, with tired fencing panels, pallets, and left over wood from Magali's outside shed restoration and some gray aging bales of very tired, dated straw and hay.
There was a strong cast, of a huge age range, with good rapport and well dressed actors, including a saloon girl, for the various character parts, gun toting cowboys drinking cold tea from some very old and odd looking bottles. A false moustache, a tattered bowler hat, false smoke producing cardboard cigars all really looked their part and belonging to this rather 'western' era. It seemed a slow long hard day from 10.30 am until about 3.45pm when most adults had to refrain from child like play and head on back to pick up there young children from school. The more mature wandered off into a misty forthcoming sunset.The day's weather was fairly good to us, just the odd sprinkling of rain. An abundance of trains on rubber bands thundered down the line and were dragged back only to be fired again in quick succession down the line again, every time somebody had a line or mere utterance to say, helicopters, planes, traffic all inappropriately centered themselves on Pix Farm City that day. Much to my surprise thought I think they may have got it all in the can, despite the many frustrations and time scale. Well done to the crew and cast for a job very well done. Brian would have said the food was good if you could only get at it.......unobserved.
Byron
WHERE HAS ALL THE OLD NEWS GONE?
