The film club was established in Spring 2020 by Matt Bianchi and Carl Gardner as a new initiative. Both Matt and Carl are film lovers and wanted to share and develop their interest in film. The guiding principles they set out, we maintain.

Guiding Principles of HWFilm.Club

• members have an interest in film and cinematography and generally have a current or past association with Hartley Wintney and the surrounding area or with another member who does
• the principle activity is discussion on film focused around a monthly meeting with ‘prior homework’ – usually the watching of a film and the prpearation of associated thoughts arising
• monthly meetings or gatherings (can be via Zoom! or at St John’s Halls in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire) are organised (booked usually at the previous meeting) except at times in holiday periods
• there is no attendance or particpation commitment necessary and no fee has been charged for membership to date
• come along and participate as often or as flexibly as you want
• even if you can’t join the meeting, try to watch the films as they could be related to in future sessions. (you could even submit a written appreciation or queries to be raised)
• the films viewed will be of varied genre, era and style – that’s part of the fun!
• details of plot, UK Film Board rating/mature content and any other helpful information will be shared in advance and can be researched by members
• on occasion a screening may be arranged in advance of the meeting at St John’s Halls
• during and after viewing it helps to jot down any thoughts and notes so you recall them at the review session
• members might also have questions they wish to raise or to do some research of their own on the topic, issues involved, cast and cinematography style to relate and share with others at the review session
• the sourcing of the films for viewing is down to the individual and their responsibility
• films are generally selected to be of nil or negligible cost
• periodically we may watch a film as a group or arrange a group cinema visit
• new members or any queries should be directed to the administrators henry.chandler@stjohnshw.org.uk or sam.chandler@stjohnshw.org.uk
• presently we communicate via a Whats App Group, email and the hwfilm.club website.

The Monthly Meeting format:–

• dates and the film or films for review are agreed at the previous meetings
• the films selected are from those previously included in the ‘Future Films Portfolio’
• invitations/notifications/reminders are sent out in advance – it is helpful to advise if you plan to attend/not attend
• the meeting is generally at 19:30 on the third Sunday of a month – latterly through Covid conditions the meetings have been conducted via zoom! with joining instructions included in the final reminder via What’s App
• the start of the meeting is usually a chance for some open conversation, for fellowship – to catch up with others (many of the members being known to one another previously or as a result of membership)
• generally the discussion turns naturally to the film and after a quick overview feedback chat, members are asked to rate their perspective of the film/s on a 1-10 scale (1=low & 10 = highly). Some members use a card to do this
• the rating opens the chance for the ‘host’ (usually an administrator or nominee) to prompt respectful discussion and debate between the attendee
• attendees are asked to be sensitive to topics and issues as clearly the members can have wide life experience and potential sensitivity to certain topics or issues
• if there are areas of sensitivity or relevant life experience, attendees should feel free to raise them to the extent they feel comfortable and appropriate to the forum.
• the host will intercede or intervene if necessary as this is intended to be a sharing, lighthearted session, not a debating or political platform.
• the club deliberately chooses a wide range of films by style and era in an effort to broaden perspectives so inevitably certain selections can be of variant appeal or prospectively ‘marmite like’ in terms of enjoyment
• following the discussion the meeting moves to the selection of the next film/s. These are made from the ‘Future Film Portfolio’
• having selected the film thoughts then turn to new thoughts on those films members choose to spotlight for future inclusion in the portfolio.
• members are encouraged to suggest future film options and these are discussed and considered by the group for inclusion in the Future Film Portfolio based upon level of interest engendered
• films successfully joining the portfolio will generally, as a target, be viewed within 12 months but clearly members can choose to watch these as they wish anyway
• the meetings usually last about 90 minutes – the length of a short feature film!

Membership (draft for discussion with members)

• members are recruited or introduced by existing members
• membership administration is limited to an introducer, a full name and the provision of a mobile number and email address
• members have no rights to use or represent the club save in respect of member recruitment or retention
• the necessary administration is conducted by nominated members originally Carl Gardner and Matt Bianchi (the latter now substituted by Samantha [“Sam”] and Henry Chandler)
• there is no membership documentation currently
• those wishing to introduce a prospective member should contact Sam, Henry or Carl – noting HWFilm Club is a non registered private club
• members generally have a current or past association with Hartley Wintney, Hampshire and the surrounding area or with another member who does and a shared and collaborative approach to the enjoyment of ‘all matters film’
• as a private membership club HWFilm Club is informally controlled by the membership, whose activities are only open to members and their guests
• there is no right of membership or explanation of grounds for exclusion required
• fundamentally the ‘informal club’ is run by volunteers and while there are always opportunities to widen the scope and embrace other activities or film perspectives, to do so will always involve the need for a personal member commitment to support the additional initiative – “Ask not what HW Film Club can do for you, but what can you can contribute or do for HWFilm Club!”