Including the two shorts made before the OMF title was assumed and OMF content created for the Salvation Army during the Covid 19 lockdown period, more than 50 films of varying runtimes have been made. A filmography of that length would be impractical so this list covers the most significant in an approximate release order
The short film that started it all, Seven Years in Southport was a look back at how the Southport Corps of the Salvation Army (church) had grown over the seven years that its Corps Officer (minister) had been at the helm. Planned as a surprise screening on his last service before he moved on to another posting in the midlands, the film had a novel live intro and was so successful that a sell-out limited edition DVD run was commissioned. Starting a trend that all future films would incorporate, DVD profit was donated back to the Salvation Army to fund some of their good works.
Next up came Motorfest, conceived as a promo short to enable the organiser of a motor-based public event to attract sponsorship. The concept included interviews with participants in the build-up period, the pre-opening setting up in the town centre, extensive cover of the static displays and also a series of cavalcades on the town ring road and a competitive auto solo event.
With a strong link to Cyprus existing from Middle East working days, the family ties between the Bennett and Argyrou families were understandably close. So when Marios needed a short video for his holiday apartments web site there was only one way he would look. Although more than a decade later the short is much amended, it is still running.
How many 'firsts' can you have in one film?
Tariro - or hope in an African language - was OMF's first feature, OMF's first film with a professional cast, and OMF's first multi award winner. The film was conceived after viewing a poor presentation about human trafficking at a Salvation Army church and OMF knew that they could do better. To do that a film school was set up to train a crew to industry standard and the film premiered on the big screen at the Plaza Cinema, Waterloo.
Tariro - or hope in an African language - was OMF's first feature, OMF's first film with a professional cast, and OMF's first multi award winner. The film was conceived after viewing a poor presentation about human trafficking at a Salvation Army church and OMF knew that they could do better. To do that a film school was set up to train a crew to industry standard and the film premiered on the big screen at the Plaza Cinema, Waterloo.
Titled after one of Tariro's three featured main characters, Zorina was a short version of the main film following just one trafficked victim. Cut from the main film at the request of the Salvation Army to kick-start their proposed Christian film festival, Zorina was a difficult edit due to the Army's required run time of a max 30 minutes.
However, all that work was subsequently wasted when with only weeks to go to the festival but few entries, in a somewhat desperate move the Salvation Army changed their max run time to only 15 minutes. Zorina could not be re-cut but was screened in Cyprus as the Director's Choice in the Pervollywood festival.
However, all that work was subsequently wasted when with only weeks to go to the festival but few entries, in a somewhat desperate move the Salvation Army changed their max run time to only 15 minutes. Zorina could not be re-cut but was screened in Cyprus as the Director's Choice in the Pervollywood festival.
Essentially a re-cut of Tariro, One Way Traffic addressed feedback issues where some viewers did not understand the title, found the opening scenes confusing and the overall runtime a little long. New location footage filmed on an update session in Cyprus for Marios and new studio sequences in the studio using OMF's Chromakey skills solved the confusion issues. The new title was easier to understand and even with the extra footage, the new cut actually reduced runtime. And One Way Traffic gained even more international awards.
OMF's coverage of Motorfest led to the creation of several friendships, notably with a group of bubble car owners - the Messerschmitt Owners Club - who approached OMF with a request for a film of their annual rally, being held that year at a horse racing circuit. OMF devised an out of the ordinary concept that was part documentary, part animation and part fun.
Those same enthusiasts later made another approach. Would OMF make an updated film of the 1959 pop song by the American group the Playmates entitled The Bubble Car Song? Initially declining the request on grounds of music copyright of the song, lack of charity funding and impracticality of filming before the roads were busy, Beep Beep became a reality when bubble car drivers and crew all agreed to meet at 5:00am on a Sunday morning to film, the copyright owner agreed to waive fees and the shortest film ever made by OMF actually raised the highest charity donation.
OMF remained with the motoring theme for an in depth documentary covering the 90th anniversary of Sir Henry Segrave setting the world land speed record on Southport Beach.
152 (the speed achieved) at 90 (the anniversary) was another in-depth production with footage of the actual car being driven on the same beach by Norman Page compared to archival footage of Segrave at the time of the record braking runs almost 100 years previous.
Simulated in-car footage added impact with clips of the car on display in a town centre arts centre and several interviews adding to the realism.
152 (the speed achieved) at 90 (the anniversary) was another in-depth production with footage of the actual car being driven on the same beach by Norman Page compared to archival footage of Segrave at the time of the record braking runs almost 100 years previous.
Simulated in-car footage added impact with clips of the car on display in a town centre arts centre and several interviews adding to the realism.
Where most people these days shoot many images and video's on their phones when on holiday, with most destined to gather digital dust before eventually being deleted, OMF's senior director usually takes a 'proper' camcorder, sometimes with a rig, and does the job properly.
Brought together under the umbrella of Ian's Travelogues, these are all available on the OMF YouTube channel and include shorts filmed in the UK and also Cyprus.
UK travelogues include a trip in the north from Carlisle to Berwick on Tweed and Lindisfarne, while Cyprus shorts included an atmospheric look at the Festival of the Flood in Larnaca.
These shorts have often provided clips or stock for OMF's main projects such as the revised intro morphing Tariro into One Way Traffic and charismatic images within Carlisle Cathedral for chroma sequences in Ssounds first music video of Knowing You, Jesus.
Brought together under the umbrella of Ian's Travelogues, these are all available on the OMF YouTube channel and include shorts filmed in the UK and also Cyprus.
UK travelogues include a trip in the north from Carlisle to Berwick on Tweed and Lindisfarne, while Cyprus shorts included an atmospheric look at the Festival of the Flood in Larnaca.
These shorts have often provided clips or stock for OMF's main projects such as the revised intro morphing Tariro into One Way Traffic and charismatic images within Carlisle Cathedral for chroma sequences in Ssounds first music video of Knowing You, Jesus.
Originally produced and released in 2018 (and successfully streaming on Amazon's Prime Video since that date), AfterAffects was another OMF feature movie that benefitted from a later re-cut. Requested by an OMF crew member, AfterAffects followed three families where children born to mothers who had drunk alcohol during pregnancy had subsequently been afflicted by FASD. A harrowing narrative drama based on actual case histories, AfterAffects included explosive arguments, subtle sentimentality and every emotion thinkable, gaining a Director's Award for Ian Bennett.
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