A new monthly short-film night is taking place at Vinyl Tap in Preston.
Movie Night @ VT was founded by recently graduated filmmaker Ellen Fincher as a way to create community and celebrate local art and creativity.
Ellen, who was born in Wolverhampton and has lived in Preston for 35 years, considers herself a Proud (adopted) Prestonian. She lives in Lea with her two cats, Boris and Maureen, while her 22-year-old-daughter Georgia is currently studying for a PGCE in Lancaster.
We caught up with Ellen to find out more.
How did you get into filmmaking?
I worked in admin for 40 years, but three years ago I handed in my notice with no real plan – something I had never done before. I was chatting to a friend and said, ‘When I retire I’ll go to uni to study film’. Thanks to that friend, Anne Marie, I delayed no longer and two weeks later I was in lectures! I’ve recently graduated with a first class honours degree in Filmmaking.
What inspired you to start the movie night?
My final degree piece is called For The Record. I shot the last scene in Vinyl Tap and many of the regular customers acted as extras. When the film was completed, I wanted to celebrate with cast and crew, so we held a screening in the pub. I also wanted to feature more local talent, so I asked Rob Conroy to show some if his work and my classmate Jaynee Watkinson – also the brilliant editor of For The Record – showed her film Coercion.
The evening was really well attended. I realised that a regular night could be an outlet for short films, so I arranged a second one.
What made you choose Vinyl Tap as the venue?
The pub has a brilliant atmosphere and owner Sean is as keen as I am that Movie Night @ VT should become a regular event. We want to create a community of short film fans and showcase as much talent as possible.
What sort of films do you show?
So far, we’ve featured some recent graduate work. The last one was a music special where we showed a documentary about the Rebellion Festival filmed by UCLan students and the Action Records Story: Chased by Nuns, which was made by Preston filmmakers Daniele Baron and Conor O’Grady.
Further nights will feature films by author Michael Marshall Smith – think Tales of the Unexpected – and a selection of films by Halifax filmmaker Lee D Barnes.
Who should go along to Movie Night @ VT and what can they expect?
Absolutely everyone is welcome – it’s an inclusive, safe space for all. There’s nothing like the shared experience of watching a film on the big screen. I will be baking cake for the next one, and we encourage people to stay and talk about the films. Very often the filmmakers will be there so you can ask questions.
The next Movie Night @VT will take place on Friday 5 December. The films on show all come from recent University of Lancashire graduates – Cake by Abby Ward, By the Seaside by Jack Stephenson and Log 54 by James Bisland.
To find out about upcoming events, follow @the_elfy66 and @prestonvinyltap on Instagram. For more on Ellen, visit Ellen’s YouTube channel and peopleneedstories.co.uk.
