"Produced by Bea McKinney, “A Sexual Product” is a short amateur film featuring stop-motion animation. McKinney, who taught filmmaking at King High School in Corpus Christi, made the film while studying at the Center for Understanding Media in New York in July 1972" Texas Archive of the Moving Image.
"Shadow's Bones is all about Frank E. Gunnell's cocker spaniel, Shadow, and his annoying habit, common to most dogs, of leaving bones in all manner of places, where bones should not be, such as bath tubs, magazine racks, beds and other localities which are not really canine cupboards. With brilliantly accomplished black and white 16mm. cinematography, Mr. and Mrs. Gunnell, as cameraman and "support" for the chief actor, Shadow, have done what is still too rare in home movies — they have found the humor of home life, and of themselves as a part of it. The plan of this tale is simple, direct and is provided with a genial finish. The direction and acting, especially in persuading the recently acquired household pet to go through his part of the performance with naturalness and zest, are excellent. This sets a new mark in interest that can be given to family records, and the interior lighting is beyond criticism." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 620.
"the first talking film ever made by amateurs and exhibited publicly. The film is a sincere attempt to make a thriller of the popular kind. Its producers… ask it to be accepted as such, and stress the fact that it has no pretensions to art. They would also have you bear in mind the fact that the film was made by eleven London amateurs, who had never played in a film before, and that they total resources were £20… it is interesting to note that the hero of “Shadows of Limehouse” applied for, and obtained, the part created by Owen Nares in “The Middle Watch”, and that he is now on tour with that production" (M.A.L.B. 1931: 7).
"This amateur society [Apex Motion Pictures], the oldest in London, made and publicly exhibited the first amateur talkie in England (and, it is believed, the world). That was in January 1930 when, before an audience which included Mabel Poulton, John Stuart, and other famous British stars. “Shadows of Limehouse”, a film of thrills introducing the Flying Squad, has since been cut for silent showing by other groups and is still being exhibited. When it was shown recently in aid of Tunbridge Wells Hospital, a local cinema proprietor asked the organisers to take it out of the programme in order to give his show a chance of doing some business!" (Anon 1932: 108).
"She Goes to Vassar is a one-reel film that provides an overview of college life from the perspective of a new freshman student. From her arrival on campus, to settling into her new dorm and meeting her professors and classmates, the film depicts many facets of the college experience. Perhaps most striking about the film from today’s perspective are the shots of the academic environment, as the young women attend lectures and labs instructed by their professors, many of whom are also women. Though it was ultimately used primarily as a fundraising tool by the college’s alumni association, the film nevertheless provides a valuable glimpse of this women’s college through the eyes of a recent graduate." Women Film Pioneers Project
"a comedy about a group of dope smugglers on a canal" (HMHT 1933: 450).
"Full coverage of the care and raising of sheep through the year." (EAFA Database)
"Film is about sheep dog trials featuring sheep, dogs and people watching" Archives of Ontario.
"O.L. Tapp has coupled opportunity and imagination in putting motion pictures to the recording "Shifting Whispering Sands." Finding the right kind of material to photograph must have entailed a great deal of planning and searching. Every scene is a work of art. As one watches the scenes unfold to the music and song he feels compelled to sit in contemplation of the lonesomeness of the great desert." PSA Journal, Nov. 1957, 33.
"An eclipse of the moon – and a little animated love story." Oldfilm.org
"A time lapse study of the total lunar eclipse; July 5, 1982." UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema