A perfect Knight and his Lady .sx by John Wright , FACI .sx I WAS a schoolboy when I first met John Mills , and it was at the old Empire Cinema in Edmonton , North London .sx John was already set on his brilliant career with films like Forever England , OHMS , Car of Dreams , etc. The strange thing is , I remember the thrill of that meeting in the Thirties like yesterday , but he was forced to admit he remembered me not at all !sx .sx One thing for sure , I never thought that in 1991 my wife and I would be invited to his Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebrations at the St. James's Club , London , as friends of the family .sx I've been fortunate enough to have met , interviewed and written about some of the biggest names in showbiz , but neither D e d e nor I could recall seeing so many names at one anniversary .sx Sir Richard and Lady Attenborough , fondly remembered by buffs as Sheila Sim , and of the same vintage Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray .sx Simon MacCorkindale and Susan George made a handsome couple , as indeed did Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman .sx Michael Caine was much taller than I remembered him from an early meeting in his career , and Dame Judi Dench even smaller .sx It was good to see Doreen Hawkins , widow of Jack , still keeping in frame , and Robin De'Ath of Legend Television of Pinewood quietly watching his crew make a professional memento of the event .sx It was while we were chatting with Hayley Mills that the most poignant moment of the evening occurred .sx John and Mary Mills had told us earlier that daughter Juliet couldn't get away from Los Angeles , but in true This is Your Life style , she burst in with husband Maxwell Caulfield ( of Colbys fame ) and her family .sx I was able to admit to both Hayley and Juliet that D e d e and I were indeed the old geezers who arranged for Mum and Dad to be on the Photo-Movie Cruise .sx But I suggested watching the old bit since I am also the geezer charged with preparing Dad's home movies for video , which contain some early shots of both girls .sx .. and how would they fancy appearing in the Sun !sx ! .sx But the real stars of the evening were the Knight and his Lady .sx Two delightful people who have shared years at the top yet somehow managed - as the 1990 Photo-Movie team can testify - to keep both feet on the ground and keep in touch with the front row of the stalls .sx Sir John and Lady Mills - God bless you both .sx You are an example of what heads of dynasties , ordinary or famous , should really be .sx DORSET DISCOVERY - THE TRIPS .sx Philip Marshman .sx WE at SoCo have not called the National AGM Weekend 'Dorset Discovery' without good reason .sx Dorset is a beautiful county whatever the season and there are plenty of interesting places to visit .sx We have organised some wonderful trips to get you out and about and to discover some of the delights that Dorset has to offer .sx Dorset is Hardy Country .sx His stories were of country people and can be found at the furthest corners of the globe , but it was in Dorset , which he always liked to refer to as Wessex , that he lived and worked for the greatest part of his life .sx Our Thomas Hardy tour will take in some of the places associated with him .sx See where he was born and lived , and visit the locations of some of his stories .sx SoCo's Anne Vincent , our very own Hardy expert , will be along to help you discover Thomas Hardy on this most memorable day out .sx I once saw a film that had a wonderful line of narration :sx " This 15th-century church was believed to have been built in the 15th century " !sx Sherborne Abbey could hardly be described as a 15th-century church , but it was then that the first efforts were made to rebuild it .sx You'll be able to see how they got on , on our day tour to Sherborne and Montacute House .sx The Abbey is full of history and architectural splendour and one cannot fail to enjoy a truly-delightful visit .sx Great Elizabethan houses were not meant to melt inconspicuously into the landscape , but to stand out from it , and be as impressive and remarkable as possible .sx These qualities can certainly be found at Montacute House on the second half of our tour into history .sx The house has fine paintings , furniture , ceramics and magnificent tapestries , and the gardens are a delight to wander in , with curious follys and water fountain , and a large variety of trees and shrubs .sx Many of you will be bringing your camera along to record the weekend .sx Unfortunately , cameras ( or flash ) are not permitted in Montacute House , and at Sherborne Abbey a small fee is payable for the privilege , but there are no restrictions on our other trips at the time of writing .sx We have two half-day trips to offer you .sx One is a Mystery Trip and they're keeping the details from me so that I won't spill the beans - as if I would !sx .sx The half-day trip I can tell you about is to Poole Pottery , the South's most famous Pottery .sx Ceramics have been made there since 1873 .sx This centre of craftmanship now plays host to another :sx Dartington Crystal , Britain's leading manufacturer of plain crystal glassware .sx Products of the centre are on sale on site at very reasonable prices .sx All of our trips will have a tour guide , but to be able to enjoy all the delights we have to offer you'll need to know how to get to the Riviera Hotel .sx For those who are coming by car , just look for Bowleaze Cove , near Weymouth , on the map , but make sure it's up-to-date as the road system in the area has been altered extensively recently .sx We can provide you with a route on request .sx British Rail offers a fast , regular , direct service from Waterloo using the Wessex Electric trains .sx These trains are very similar to the High Speed 125 diesel trains in use on Inter-City services from the North , via Birmingham and Reading , to Bournemouth to connect with the Wessex Electrics .sx The Regional Railways division of BR also provides connecting services into Southampton .sx Details from any British Rail Station or appointed Travel Agent .sx Weymouth is on several National Express coach routes .sx Any National Express office or approved Travel Agent , such as W.H. Smith Travel , will give you all the details .sx On arrival in Weymouth , the coach and railway stations are in the same street , and we've arranged transport for you to the Riviera .sx You don't have to go on our trips - you can explore on your own - but do come , especially if you've not attended before .sx You'll have a marvellous weekend , but we need you there to make it so .sx LIGHTWEIGHTS AND TRAVEL .sx by IAC Video Adviser , David Whittet .sx IN THE last issue , we looked at travelling with a video camera and some of the problems that arise when you want to video holidays abroad .sx If travelling will encompass a large proportion of our video usage , it is well worth considering this as a major factor when purchasing your equipment and I would advise a very careful study of the new range of ultra-compact camcorders now available .sx A few weekends ago I was at the What Video/Camcorder User's The Video Show at the Business Design Centre in London and was most impressed at the range of truly pocket-size hand camcorders available .sx Incidentally , I am very pleased to report that the IAC stand at The Video Show attracted a great deal of interest and a large number of both potential and actual new members for the IAC .sx This is a particular tribute to my colleagues on the North Thames Region Council who put so much time and enthusiasm into manning the stand so effectively throughout the show .sx Perhaps one of the most significant developments for the camcorder owner who does a lot of travelling is the Panasonic Palmcorder- the NV-SIB .sx This camcorder is the first video movie camera to feature a Digital Image Stabiliser which goes a long way to eliminating camera shake , always a problem with a hand-held camera , and often even more pronounced with extremely small compact cameras .sx For the technically minded , the camera converts the video signal picked up from the CCD into a digital signal and detects the amount of camera shake .sx By clever electronic circuitry , the degree of camera shake detected causes image frames of your subject to be stored in the camera's memory and automatically shifted to prevent movement and electronically-zoomed to full screen size - non-technically , this means that the Palmcorder automatically compensates for camera shake and assures stable images .sx Panasonic's Palmcorder works extremely well .sx It was cleverly demonstrated at The Video Show by placing a Palmcorder on a shaky ripple bed and showing just how stable its images were .sx It was very interesting to see the difference between switching the Image Stabiliser on and off .sx Using the Palmcorder hand held , I was able to achieve almost Steadicam-like effects .sx The Palmcorder , then , is obviously worth looking at if you do a lot of travel sic !sx and want steady pictures without the inconvenience of a tripod , an important consideration for air travellers .sx I have one niggle with Panasonic's Palmcorder - which in fact currently applies to all the ultra-small camcorders - while the Palmcorder uses VHS-c , it does NOT use Super VHS-c .sx Likewise , Sony produce an incredibly small hand camera , the Sony TR45 .sx While this camcorder does not offer an Image Stabiliser , it is so small that it literally fits into the palm of your hand and it is hardly noticeable to anyone else that you are using a video camera .sx Although this has a tremendous advantage for getting natural shots in public , and may be very helpful in shooting in sensitive areas , again I would reiterate my advice from last time :sx do not shoot on locations where it is clearly not allowed .sx It is just not worth the risk .sx Disappointingly , the Sony TR45 is only available in standard Video-8 ; as yet there is no Hi-8 camcorder available , either , in this size .sx If you want the advantages of Super VHS or Hi-8 - and if you are editing and making copies , you really do require these more advanced formats - the smallest and most suitable camcorder for travel , using either Super VHS or Hi-8 , which I could find at the Video Show was the JVC GR-S70 or JVC GR-S77 camcorders which offer the truly-excellent possibilities of the Super VHS format in an amazingly small and compact camcorder ( weighing only 1.2Kg , although obviously substantially more than the 0.4Kg of the Panasonic Palmcorder) .sx A FEW MORE WORDS ABOUT TRAVEL .sx .. Last issue I gave you some general advice regarding restrictions on video photography abroad .sx Perhaps some specific points I encountered on a recent project may prove useful to illustrate the extend of planning and hard work necessary prior to departure .sx I have been working on a long-cherished movie about trains in India .sx Now you might think it would be straightforward trip sic !sx to arrange but it has proved a nightmare of organisation and hard work .sx Reading the small print in Guide Books ( and sometimes very small print !sx ) , I discovered that you cannot photograph any railway property in India , including trains , stations and engines , without prior permission from the Indian Government .sx Unfortunately , the High Commission for India in London did not have the authority to issue a permit , which resulted in many letters to the Department of Railways in New Delhi .sx As you can imagine , this has taken a great deal of time , so it is vital to find out about restrictions well in advance to allow yourself time to get the necessary permit ; it is no use requesting a permit a few days prior to travel - it will be too late .sx Likewise , many letters have been necessary to obtain permits to shoot at monuments , and , as I said last time , video photography of the Taj Mahal is expressly forbidden without prior written permission .sx