Launceston Film Society

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We had a successful year again. There is a great diversity of taste and background amongst the membership. Films that were disliked by many members (eg Du Lavende had a few strong admirers). We are continually being asked for more comedy or films that are lighter. We try, but art-house films don’t  have a comedy base. Members always have the opportunity to bring films that they know about to our attention.  Membership renewals were at 87% allowing only a limited number of new members in 2009. 

Films that were especially appreciated were Kite Runner( USA/Afghanistan), Children Of The Silk Road (Australia/China/Germany), Unfinished Sky (Australia/Netherlands), I’ve Loved You So Long (France/Germany), In Bruges( UK/USA), Appaloosa (USA), Young At Heart (USA) and Dean Spanley (New Zealand). 

One of the problems that we felt  needed addressing was to manage the membership numbers and the renewal process. Our membership numbers are constrained by the number of seats available and we needed more accurate data on the numbers of members attending each screening so as to manage this more closely. We were offered an opportunity to implement a “Smart Card” system for this purpose. Introduced on a trial basis for some members, it is now to be used by all members. Internet membership renewal was undertaken by 92% of members making the process very efficient indeed. 

It was very satisfying to put an end to queueing to renew membership! Special thanks to Richard Ireland for project managing this initiative. 

The LFS is one of the largest and most successful film societies currently operating in Australia. This is in no small part due to our partnership with Village Cinemas. I also need to acknowledge the work and dedication of all the LFS committee who give freely of their time to manage the affairs of your society. I also need to remind members that the LFS is an Incorporated Society, and therefore subject to audit. 

Your committee for 2009 was: 

President                  Mark Horner 
Vice-President        Jack Morton 
Secretary                  Gill Ireland 
Treasurer                 William Doudle 
Committee               Peter Gillard, Sue Aylett, Sue Walker, Owen Tilbury 

Please make every effort to attend the AGM on 23 February and make the most of your membership for 2010. 

Mark Horner

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From 2010 all members will have a new plastic membership card. 

This was introduced as a benefit to patrons to avoid the inconvenience of queuing to get a new card every year.  It also means that we can monitor attendances by day, week and particular film. 

The new cards can be retained indefinitely and members can renew online or (for those without computer access) pay directly by cheque or money order. 

Renewing or joining online means that we will have email addresses for the large majority of members which means we can communicate quickly and easily with them. For example, if we have a sudden change of film we can let members know in advance. The cards are planned to last for at least 5 years. As they don’t need to be handled at any stage (see scanning) they should not deteriorate. Due to reduced renewals costs, the smartcard actually works out cheaper, and certainly more convenient than the previous system. 

How do they work? 

They use a technology known as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) – same as used by many transport operators – Metro, Tasmania is an example. The cards have an embedded aerial which transmits the card number to the scanner. The scanner then checks the number against the list of valid cards. 

How will it be scanned? 

We will scan the cards whilst you are in the queue so there is no hold-up. The card can be read from either side – at any angle – it just needs to be within a couple of cm. of the scanner. You don’t even need to remove the card from your wallet or purse – as long as you know roughly where it is, the scanner will find it. 

However, don’t put 2 cards together – it won’t read either. 

What if the card doesn’t scan or I forgot my card? 

Someone will be there with a member list to sort out the problem. It could be a simple technical problem – rest assured that if you are a paid up member you will be OK to see the film.  But please understand you may be delayed entry while other members are admitted.

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We have just agreed with Adult Education to run in the autumn a five week series called.  “A Passion for Cinema” at which a film expert/enthusiast will talk on different film styles and lead discussions of the previous weeks LFS movie as an example of a particular style.

The Adult Ed fee will be around $70.00  which will be discounted  to $20.00 for LFS members.