Past talks
Previous events from 2025/2026 season
An interview with film director Simba Masaku | 11th November 2025
About Simba Masaku
Simba took the leap into directing in 2008, starting with music videos.
STANDING ALONE, a sci-fi-themed zero-budget video featuring X-Factor’s talent Tala Dean, set him apart and he later directed MUMDEM, a parody of Stormzy’s Big for Your Boots, where mums take over the grime scene – winner of Best Short at the Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival in 2018.
Shortly after, Simba wrote, acted in, and directed his first feature film, HOUND, a self-funded project shot in 31 days for just £3.5K. The film got the attention of the BBC and ITV News for Simba’s commitment and community based production.
Since then, he has written and directed sizzle reels, proof of concepts, and short films across various genres.
Simba also creates short comedy sketches, released on social media – some amassing over 2 million views, resonating with younger audiences and proving the power of short-form storytelling.
When not directing Simba also has an extensive experience in 2nd unit directing to keep developing his skills and connections.
AI and Film making with Luke Lovell| 14th October 2025
AI has already started to make an impact on the film industry and many worry about the future impact that it will have. Luke Lovell, an award-winning content across UK and international broadcasters, has a more positive outlook. He now works at the intersection of AI, storytelling, and organisational change, helping creative teams and media organisations understand, adapt, and thrive in the new landscape.
In this session you can expect:
– To learn about how AI is impacting the film industry
– How you can use AI to elevate your own work
– Have all your AI Film-related questions answered
Introduction to Drones | 30th September 2025
Ever wanted to incorporate drone footage into your videos, or been tempted to buy a drone? This is your chance to ask all your questions and find out everything that you need to know!
A summary of the events from the 2023/24 season
Location, location, location – Jake Day
Jake is a location manager, working in film and tv (titles include I Came By, Devils Hour, Great Escaper and Queen of Mystery). After hearing about Jake’s experiences and insights, we will have a location challenge of our own to solve.
Show and Tell – From the Intro Course
A chance for everyone to see the output of the scenes shot on the Intro Course
Location, location, location – Jake Day
Jake is a location manager, working in film and tv (titles include I Came By, Devils Hour, Great Escaper and Queen of Mystery). After hearing about Jake’s experiences and insights, we will have a location challenge of our own to solve.
Show and Tell – From the Intro Course
A chance for everyone to see the output of the scenes shot on the Intro Course
Practical Evening
A chance for members to use the club’s resources to get the rushes completed for their latest project and an opportunity for all of us to develop our film craft by learning from each other.
Currie Cup – films max 4 mins
Come show your creations and watch those of others. You can submit any film on any topic made by a club member within the last year or so, with a maximum length of 4 minutes including credits. Who will win first prize!
Alchemy of the Arts – John Hicks & Karen French
Our very first double bill evening: exploring the role of music and art within filmmaking. John will be sharing his thoughts on how to work with composers and Karen will be revealing the symbolism within the art of filmmaking.
Green Screen Evening
Come experiment with using chromakey (green screen) to make things float, transparent or different sizes in your film
Screen Berkshire – The BFI Skills for Screen Cluster
Lesley-Anne Macfarlane (https://lesleyannemacfarlane.com ) will be joining us to tell us about Screen Berkshire and its role as a bridge between local residents, freelance crew, training providers, studios, suppliers and content producers (https://screenberkshire.co.uk)
Oli on making films without a camera!
The busy life of a creative Kiwi in London
We will be welcoming Patricia Hetherington as our guest speaker for the evening. Patricia has a wealth of film experience in both production and post-production as well as being a lecturer, educator and skills development trainer.
Practical Evening
A chance for members to use the club’s resources to get the rushes completed for their latest project and an opportunity for all of us to develop our film craft by learning from each other.
A chance for members to share their tips & tricks
With Tom demystifying the art of story structure and Kevin playing back a video montage of the feedback collected on the club’s future direction.
Caversham Cup Animation and 60sec Film
Bernard Bareham Fiction Trophy max 15mins
Practical Evening
A chance for members to use the club’s resources to get the rushes completed for their latest project and an opportunity for all of us to develop our film craft by learning from each other.
A Night of Cinematography
Leon is a Director/Cinematographer and runs his own production company Front Row Video ( https://www.frontrowvideo.co.uk ). He has worked on a Number of corporate client projects, short films and 2 feature films. He got his start at the club a number of years ago and came in knowing the basics of camera and lighting. After trying all the available crew and on-screen roles, he settled on Cinematography and hopes to one day make it his full time career by working on films and TV commercials. ( https://www.frontrowvideo.co.uk/about )
A chance for members to share their tips & tricks
With Maria providing a guided tour of the popular DaVinci Resolve video editor.
Bournes Cup – Best of the Year
You can visit the group for one free session before you decide if you’d like to sign up for a £40 annual membership.
How to use DaVinci Resolve | Maria Lloyd
11th June 2024
Maria is a member of RFVM. In this talk, she gave a brief beginners intro to DaVinci Resolve. Other members of the group familiar with video editing using DaVinci Resolve also contributed towards this session.
A night of cinematography | Leon Silavant
28th May 2024
Leon is a Director/Cinematographer and runs his own production company Front Row Video. He visited the group to talk about cinematography, do a demo, and answer any questions that the group had on cinematography.
Meeting Venue
St Andrews Hall
59 Albert Road
Caversham
READING
RG4 7PL
There’s ample parking in the car park next to the church hall which is next to the church.