Venue: Curzon Soho Cinema Bar Event time: 12 - 5pm Total audience: 40+ at the most at one time, but many throughout the day Number of people bringing films: 7 16mm: 2 Super 8: 10 Standard 8: 26 9.5: 0 Video: 1 DVD (lent by the BFI, see below for info) Film handling volunteers: Lisa Kerrigan, Jez Stewart, Tim Emblem-English, Zamir Javed, Lucy Smee Projectionists: Martin Robinson and Tom Adams Helpers: Alice Sanders, Shira Peltzman and Lesley Ibbotson.
Pre-event publicity:
Article in FOCAL’s ‘Archive Zones’ magazine Article in Practical Family History magazine Critic’s choice in Time Out (though they got it wrong and said we were on Sunday…)
Preview in the Guardian Guide for both the London and Manchester events (again with mistakes though - they said it was a BFI event and that we were giving away prizes for the best films - both completely untrue! We had 2 volunteers who happen to work at the BFI, but who gave their own time and equipment, though BFI TV curator Lisa Kerrigan really put in a lot of effort in, borrowing films from the BFI and getting them to donate prizes, and the prizes were of course for HMD bingo!)
Various London event websites
Many thanks to one of the attendees, Sarah Gordon (sister of Raleigh, NC HMD organiser) who took really excellent photos of the day. She’s given me permission to put them on the flickr page, which I’ve done but they haven’t shown up yet.
London’s third, and my first, Home Movie Day was wonderful! It was somewhat celebrity-filled as we showed films that starred Pope Paul VI, David Dimbleby, folk singer Deena Webster, Ann Todd and Rex Harrison.
The first collection brought in was by a well-to-do elderly gentleman. His five films ranged from 1940 to 1951, all in excellent condition. His family were friends with the Dimblebys (not sure how well known they are outside of the UK, so here is a < AHREF=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dimbleby”>wiki link to Richard, the father), and so there was film of a baby David Dimbleby (here on Flickr).
The others were family films, mostly filmed on his family estate in Buckinghamshire (with tennis courts etc. in back garden!). He told me his Dad was editor of 16mm Magazine. He was really excited as he hadn’t seen the films since the 60s. His 16mm film was of pupils from St. Paul’s school rowing on the Serpentine (< A HREF=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/8410583@N08/2959178852/”>see here) in 1951.
Captain Zip, who attended the last London Home Movie Day, brought three films, of London in the 60s, 70s and 2005. His Dad was a Beefeater at the Tower of London, so there was great footage of that in 1969, as well of a pageant on Tower Bridge. He also brought some along of Shaftesbury Avenue (where the venue is) in the 70s, featuring the Curzon cinema (then called the Columbia) and singer Deena Webster. The final film was of Routemaster buses in 2005, filmed in various places around London.
My great-uncle lent us his films but unfortunately couldn’t make the long journey into central London, but my Dad came to identify everyone in the films, and was surprised to see his 14-year-old self, and very happy to see his Nan. My favourite section was him and his cousin David playing football (soccer), followed by David’s 14th birthday, at which David gets the bumps (is this a worldwide custom or just UK??) and then dances with my great-grandma (but she clearly doesn’t want to dance). Also footage of family holidays in Majorca and Sardinia.
An Irish family, now living near London, brought films that the wife’s Dad made in the 70s in Ireland and Liverpool. There was some lovely footage of dancing polar bears at Liverpool Zoo. The Pope’s visit to Dublin in the 70s was a highlight. He swoops down in his helicopter and then parades down a main road in his Popemobile. Plus a fun family film at Christmas, and a wedding and a holy communion as well.
One family brought films mostly showing the activities of a Middle Ages re-enactment society, complete with authentic outfits and jousting competitions.
One young lady brought films made by her Dad in the 80s, starring herself and her brothers. Extremely cute footage of mealtimes and the children playing and swimming.
Tim, one of our volunteers, also brought a film from 1988, of a steam train journey through the countryside, which was very picturesque.
The BFI lent us one of David Lean’s home movies (viewing print on 16mm), thanks to volunteer Lisa Kerrigan who got permission from David Lean Films Ltd. Very beautiful, was sound but unfortunately when the BFI transferred the original, they didn’t include the soundtrack, so the viewing print’s silent. Shot in 1950 in Italy and mostly of Ann Todd swanning about in dresses and bikinis, and Rex Harrison’s also there, in the swimming pool.
Lisa also borrowed a 10min DVD compilation of the Passmore family films c. 1903 (http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/437757), which was really wonderful. The Passmore family had great larks it seems, jumping over tennis nets, blowing bubbles and having some very adorable children in bloomers and floppy hats kiss each other. But they were rich enough to make 35mm home movies in 1903, so maybe that had something to do with their carefree attitudes…
Home Movie bingo was competitively played by all. Great prizes were provided by mine and Lisa’s workplaces, the Wellcome Library and BFI (2 BFI imprint DVDs, 2 tickets to the IMAX, 3 Wellcome Collection books, plus 2 HMD 2009 calendars) and all went. Thanks to our bingo caller Lesley, who de-Americanised the bingo sheets from the Yahoo group files (our favourite square on the original being ‘Europe’…) and took charge of the bingo.
Except Tom, the Imperial War Museum projectionist, we were all first-timers at HMD, and everyone told me they had a wonderful time and would like to be involved next year.