Documentary video people of Ulster County, there is now a club dedicated to your concerns! Thank Melody Gilbert, writer, producer, cinematographer, (Without Pain, Whole, Silicone Soul, and many more) who last month brought 40 Below, a recent documentary she produced to the 9 Market Street gallery space in Ellenville. That one concerned the toughest race in the world, which takes place through the north Minnesota woods in January.

Seizing the time and the space, Melody persuaded Paul Villinski, who owns the gallery at 9 Market Street, to let her hold a DocuClub meeting there on April 1, right after the April COFFE meeting.

“Let’s gather and meet each other and show what we’re working on!” Gilbert said in her invitation to documentarians. “I know I need this. Don’t you?”

She explained that DocuClubHV was modeled after a previous club she started in Minnesota some years back. The idea is to give and get critique on works in progress. Video clips were accompanied by discussion of both the topics on the screen and the issues involved in making documentaries. Many of those issues are, of course, about finding the money.

That first meeting drew about thirty people (including two regular Journal contributors). They watched excerpts from a documentary about ultimate frisbee, a fluid, countercultural sport has been bubbling under more established sports for decades but is now in line for Olympics glory. After that were clips from a YouTube filmmaker with a deep background in TV production, but who has been leveraging the platform to self-produce his own pieces. The clips followed the lives of a number of people living off-the-grid in boats harbored off the shore of Sausalito, California.

The final clip shown was from a short documentary, a work-in-progress about a standup comedian, presented by one of a number of attendees who made the trip from the Fishkill/Beacon area to take part in the club.

John Hazard, a local video maker, said afterwards that he was “blown away by having this club for people like me get started right here in Ellenville.”

Hazard is perhaps best known for involvement with one of Ellenville’s biggest (literally) projects – artist Roger Baker’s million-square foot portrait of Beethoven made from selectively cutting grass in a field. He commented on the business model employed by the YouTube filmmaker. Hazard was impressed with that model and said, “I can’t wait to go to the next meeting of the DocuClub.”

Gilbert was happy with the turnout and is looking ahead to bringing more documentary makers to show their work and discuss it with club attendees.

Gilbert has decades behind her of making documentaries, at least seven so far, as well as producing others. Sometimes she has produced, directed, shot, and edited her own work – which is par for the course in this field. She has a call out to Hudson Valley filmmakers who might like to show their works in progress. Anyone who is interested get in touch via melodygilbert01@gmail.com.

The next meeting will be in early May. Check with Gilbert for the date.