Starting out the Film Club

Hey everyone,

So it's finally official. We jammed the paperwork through and are a properly registered student club!

Now, as a brand new club, we are obviously faced with myriad difficulties, chief of which finding members and, in turn, establishing a consistent and meaningful approach to our beloved subject.

I say this here, on the public forum, because I have no desire for the officers to cloister themselves off and design the club in ways they (we) specifically see fit. Our intention is to design a club that will serve all our purposes. Now this may, of course, sound slightly idealistic, but I believe this club can come to serve a very broad function that will benefit most, if not all its participants in some small or big way. Whether that be via contacts (for future short film production or otherwise), understanding of film technique and theory, or just the general establishment of friendship, I think we can make it mean something.

One thing I think we all want to avoid is making film club "filler hour." That is, we don't want to show up begrudgingly and stutter our way through a depressingly long hour. Fortunately, we are lucky to have an area of focus that is both a loved and hugely integral part of everyday life--and it's visual, and therefore easier to communicate. Still, the dispassionate filler hour curse is a pitfall I know many clubs fall into, and one we want to avoid.

That will come down to, in large part, how passionately we approach this club of ours. If we treat it as such, so it will become.

Now, as to what each meeting will be about, that is not set in stone. So far the officers and myself have decided that we wish to find a balance between both a production side of film, and a general (I hesitate to say theoretical) appreciation of film. That can mean anything really. But in this case, we planned on holding themed topics per each meeting. Perhaps one day we might discuss the effects of 3D on contemporary cinema, while on another we talk of how bad ass Blade Runner is, and on the next hold a screenwriter workshop or show people how to rent equipment to make their own films or whatever. Honestly, the possibilities are many, and will be up to, in large part, what we the club decide on.

As we take the club further, the officers and I have spoken of more ambitious things. Stuff like mini-student films festivals, screenings, maybe club trips to festivals? Who knows. There is a ton of cool stuff to pursue, even if that means just going to indie flicks together in Sac.

That's all for now. In the meantime I'll look forward to the first meeting and making this club into something substantial.

I'll be announcing an official meeting time and topic soon (if we decide it won't just be a pure introductory meeting).

Until then,
James O'Hara
President of UCD Film Club
jpohara@ucdavis.edu